Kolkata, Nov 30 : Human skeletons buried underground were recovered from the Ashoknagar area in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Sunday during construction work for a new house.

According to police, the foundation was being dug when workers came upon a skeleton, triggering a sensation in the locality as locals gathered at the site and the police were informed.

The development unfolded near Kalyangarh Bazar under Ashoknagar police station. The workers first found two skulls and, as digging continued, several more skeletons were recovered. The area was immediately cordoned off.

Police officers, including the officer-in-charge of Ashoknagar police station, Chintamani Naskar, reached the spot.

After an initial examination, the police estimated the skeletons appeared to be quite old; however, the exact age will be determined only after a formal investigation and once samples are examined by forensic experts. The skeletons have been sent for autopsy.

Local resident Ashish Mukherjee told reporters the land where the skeletons were found belongs to his relatives.

"I didn't know anything about all this. Earlier, our uncle Bijan Mukherjee's house was here. Today, the engineers called and showed us the skull and bones. It seems that the skeleton is very old,â?? he said. Ashishâ??s family claimed they have been living in that part of Ashoknagar since before the country's Independence.

Ashish's wife Moushumi said: "This house had been closed since the death of my uncle-in-law and his wife in 2013. Sometimes my uncle-in-lawâ??s daughters used to come and stay. Now, after the land was divided, new houses were being built. That's where the skull and bones were found."

Trinamool's Ashoknagar MLA Narayan Goswami alleged: "Skeleton was found under the floor of the bedroom of the house of Bijan Mukherjee, a former CPI-M member in Kalyangarh, ward number 7 of Ashoknagar. They were once the terror of Ashoknagar and Habra area. In the eighties they were the last word in this area."

The Trinamool leader claimed that in 2002 a decomposed body had been recovered from a water tank in the area and added: â??I don't know how many more skeletons will come out from the premises of Bijan's house. These may be the bodies of Congress workers of that time. That tainted history of CPI-M is being dug up today."

There was no official response from the CPI-M regarding the allegations by the Trinamool Congress.

/IANS