Three workers of the ruling TMC were killed by unknown miscreants at Canning in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Thursday morning when they were passing through a crowded road, the police said.

The trio was riding a motorcycle in Canning's Dharmatola, when the unidentified assailants stopped them near Peer Park and gunned them down around 9 am, a senior police officer said.

The deceased have been identified as local panchayat member Swapan Majhi, and two of his associates -- Bhootnath Pramanik and Jhantu Majhi -- she said.

According to the officer, the miscreants are suspected to have first shot Swapan, and then the other two probably for witnessing the murder.

"The killers, before escaping the crime scene, stabbed the three with sharp weapons, too, to ensure that they were dead," she said.

A huge team of policemen has been deployed in the area following the incident, which has caused panic among locals, the officer stated.

"Three bullet shells, one live bomb and a motorcycle have been recovered," she said.

"Bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem. Initial inquiry suggests that the crime was the fallout of personal enmity," she added.