The attack on Trinamool panchayat pradhan Debabrata Mondal on Thursday night was premeditated, and the assailant was possibly looking to settle old scores, police said on Saturday.
No one was arrested in this case till late on Saturday.
The prime accused is Suman alias Basu Chaudhury, who is suspected of having fired at Mondal and his aide Anupam Rana.
Investigations revealed that Mondal’s business of supplying building materials across parts of Nischinda and Bally in Howrah grew manifold since 2023, after he became the pradhan of Trinamool-led Sapuipara-Basukati gram panchayat.
Chaudhury was part of the syndicate that supplied building materials from Mondal to real estate projects in the area.
A few months ago, Chaudhury was said to have fallen out with the Trinamool leader, allegedly over the “share” he would get from the business. The two had earlier had a heated altercation, the police said.
“On Thursday, Chaudhury, too, was invited to the wedding in Sapuipara, close to Bally, along with Mondal and his men. He left the ceremony before Mondal and waited for him to return,” a senior officer of Howrah city police said.
Six rounds were fired during the attack. The target was Mondal, pillion riding a two-wheeler. Rana, was hit accidentally, said an officer.
The CCTV footage of the attack that emerged on Friday shows the attacker nonchalantly walking towards his target. After the attack, the assailant did not run. He pinned Mondal to the road and hit him. Mondal is under treatment at SSKM Hospital.
On Saturday, doctors at the trauma care centre of the hospital said that two bullets were lodged inside his body, one in his thoracic cavity and the other in his pelvic region. A decision on whether they would be removed immediately or not would be taken after a few days, they said.
Rana is being treated at a private hospital in Howrah. On Friday, doctors removed a bullet lodged in his back.
“My husband is not an active worker of any political party. Since the leader lives close to our house, he had offered to drop him off after attending the wedding,” said Sudeshna, Rana’s wife.
“I’m scared. I have asked my children not to step out of the house,” she said.
The police are also looking for some of Chaudhury’s close friends.
Chaudhury has at least three criminal cases against him with the Bally police station between 2007 and 2010. He was released on bail recently.
“Chaudhury came home from the marriage at night, picked up a firearm and waited for the panchayat pradhan to return. The firearm appears to be country-made from the shells that have been recovered,” a police officer said.