A Trinamool Congress leader and his aide were shot at in a pocket of Howrah close to Bally while they were returning home from a wedding around 10.40pm on Thursday.
CCTV footage of the attack that emerged on Friday shows the assailant walking calmly towards his target. Even after opening fire, he does not attempt to flee. Instead, he pins the leader to the ground and strikes him repeatedly. Panchayat pradhan Debabrata Mondal tries to resist but fails. His aide, Anupam Rana, speeds away on his motorcycle.
Mondal is now at SSKM Hospital, where doctors said two bullets remain lodged inside his body. A decision on whether to remove them will be taken later. The pradhan of the Trinamool-led Sapuipara-Basukati gram panchayat, Mondal, was hit on his waist and left shoulder, while a third bullet grazed his left arm. Rana, who was riding the two-wheeler, was also struck and has been admitted to a private hospital in Howrah.
Police suspect 28-year-old Suman, alias Basu Chowdhury, of firing on Mondal and Rana. In 2012, Basu had allegedly attacked Mondal inside a Trinamool office and was arrested. Police records show Basu, a resident of Sapuipara in Howrah’s Nischinda, was recently bailed out. Several cases of alleged murder and extortion are pending against him, officers said.
Investigators from Howrah city police probing the shooting said it appeared Basu knew Mondal would be returning from the wedding along that route. The ambush unfolded on a road near the Sasthitala Malirbagan area under the jurisdiction of Nischinda police station.
A section of local residents said Mondal ran a building materials business, and that Thursday night’s attack was the fallout of a turf war between two groups — both aligned to the ruling Trinamool Congress — over supplying materials for construction activities in and around Nischinda and Bally.
Mondal was riding pillion on Rana’s motorcycle after leaving the local Riddhi Siddhi ceremony hall.
“We had dinner together. While leaving the hall, Dada asked me to get the car, which was parked at a distance. He pillion rode a motorcycle,” said Tanmoy Bag, one of the guests. “Within minutes, we received information that he had been shot at.”
The two were first taken to Belur State General Hospital and later to a private healthcare facility. Early on Friday, Mondal was shifted to the trauma care centre of SSKM Hospital after doctors at the private facility realised the 50-year-old needed specialised care.
Mondal’s brother, Subrata Mondal, said: “My brother has been the panchayat pradhan for two years. We don’t know why he was attacked.”
Trinamool MLA of Domjur, Kalyan Ghosh, visited Rana in the hospital and ruled out infighting within the party. “There is no fighting within the party in Howrah. The police are investigating the shooting, and we hope the suspect will be arrested soon,” he said.
BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya claimed the shooting stemmed from rivalry over sharing the “syndicate booty”. “The attack was over a dispute about who would get the larger share of the pie,” he said.
Senior Trinamool leader and Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim denied the allegation. “Probably Shamik has been researching this topic,” he said.