Frequent incidents of firing, which have led to injuries and deaths across Malda in recent months, have caused residents to worry about the easy availability of illegal firearms.
On Monday evening, 18-year-old Abdul Sahid, a Class XII student, was shot at the Ette Bazar area of Panchanandapur under Malda's Mothabari police station.
The injured student, rushed to Malda Medical College & Hospital, was referred to the SSKM Hospital in Calcutta when his condition worsened.
Trinamool youth leader Nasiruddhin Ahmed, aka Raj, who was accused of shooting him, is absconding.
“We believe he would not be able to remain in hiding for long. The firearm he had used was in all probability without a licence," said a senior police officer.
Most illegal firearms are supplied to Malda from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand and Bihar, said cops. Malda shares borders with both these states.
"Although we maintain strict vigil along the interstate border and many such unauthorised weapons have been seized earlier, the illegal trade of unauthorised arms has not completely stopped in Malda," conceded a senior police officer.
Illegal firearms supplied from Bihar were used in killing prominent Trinamool leader Dulal Sarkar in January this year.
More recently, illegal firearms were also used to attack two persons in a hooch den in the Kaliachak police station area and during a clash between two groups in the Englishbazar municipality area.
Sources said that illegal firearms are mostly found in Kaliachak, Baishnabnagar, Manikchak, Mothabari and Englishbazar police station areas.
Manikchak, Ratua-I, and Kaliachak-II blocks share borders with Jharkhand and Bihar. Harishchandrapur area shares borders with Bihar.
The availability of such crude firearms and ammunition leads not only to planned crimes but also whimsical use of guns.
"Whatever happened in Panchanandapur concerns me as a citizen. The way an unruly section of the young generation is being trigger-happy would worry anyone. We have a public life," said Sabina Yeasmin, a minister of state and the Trinamool MLA of Mothabari.
Shaktipada Patra, a renowned academic and Banga Ratna awardee, voiced his concern.
"No one is safe till the incessant supply of such firearms is prevented. We the common people feel threatened," he said.
BJP leaders trained guns at the police. Ajay Ganguly, the BJP president of Malda south (organisational) district, alleged: “The police have to admit their failure for the huge availability of such deadly and illegal firearms in Malda. Trinamool leaders are indulging misguided youths for their vested political interests.”
Subhamay Bose, a district Trinamool vice-president, claimed such crimes were stray incidents. “Law and order in Malda and as a whole in Bengal is much better than in the BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh,” he said.