A clash broke out between two groups in Beleghata on Sunday afternoon and a man was admitted to hospital with a suspected gunshot wound.
Paresh Pal, the local Trinamul Congress MLA, said the warring groups were supporters of his party belonging to different factions.
Police have denied any firing. As many as 21 people from both groups have been arrested. The office of a real estate developer, Raju Naskar, was vandalised.
“Around 1pm, there was a clash between two factions on Beleghata Main Road. The situation is now under control. Twenty-one persons from both sides have been arrested,” said a senior police officer.
Tinku Das, who reportedly suffered a gunshot wound, said he was an “old” Trinamul Congress worker and has been with the party since long before many in the rival group joined the organisation. He alleged bullets were fired.
Asked about the allegations of firing, a senior police officer: “No bullets were fired.”
Windowpanes, chairs and tables of Raju’s office were smashed and the windshield of his car and a few motorbikes that were parked outside his office were damaged.
Raju said those who vandalised his office were part of a group that had joined Trinamul from the BJP after the 2021 Assembly elections.
Police deployment in the area was intensified as residents complained of feeling insecure. Shops in the area remained shut and many residents chose to stay indoors despite police presence.
Witnesses said the two groups clashed inside a lane off Beleghata Main Road a little after noon.
“A group of youths entered the lane around 12.30pm. Suddenly there were sounds of glass being shattered. Then there were sounds of gunshots,” said a guard at an ATM kiosk. “I saw several shopkeepers down shutters. I did the same.”
Body found
Tollygunge: The body of Subrata Basu, 75, a resident of Satyen Dutta Road, was found on the ground floor of a building late on Saturday. Police said the body had started to decompose by the time it was rescued.
