Kolkata, Aug 19 (IANS): Three people were arrested Tuesday in connection with an alleged gang-rape and murder of a woman in West Bengal's East Midnapore district, police said.

While the victim's family has alleged that the woman was gang-raped and hanged to death, police have asserted that it was a case of suicide and the woman was not sexually assaulted.

"We have arrested three people and booked them on charges of abetment to suicide. While the post-mortem report is awaited, prima facie evidence suggested the victim was not sexually assaulted and committed suicide," Superintendent of Police (East Midnapore) Sukesh Jain told IANS.

The victim was the wife of a CPI-M leader and the party has alleged that Trinamool Congress "goons" demanded money from her. When she denied, she was paraded naked, raped and murdered.

CPI-M leader Tapas Sinha attributed Trinamool MP Tapas Paul's rape and kill remarks as the catalyst behind the incident.

"This is a result of Paul's call for raping and killing our party workers. While the police took no action against Paul, they are now trying all means to convert this rape and murder into a suicide," said Tapas Sinha.

The victim's family has named 12 people in the First Information Report (FIR) with all of them owing allegiance to the Trinamool.

While the three people arrested have been named in the FIR, police have refused to comment on their political allegiance.