Police arrested two persons on Friday in connection with the firing that occurred at a petrol pump near Alipurduar town on April 7 night and seized a 7mm pistol and live bullets from them.

One of them, Shankar Das, is the son of a Trinamool member of the local panchayat. The other is his friend Subhankar Pal. Both are from Chechakhata, a locality under Alipurduar-II block.

Around 11.30pm on April 7, three persons reached the petrol pump. Subhankar took out a firearm and shot at Ajoy Mandal, an employee there, the police said.

Mandal, who got a bullet in his head, was critically injured. He is under treatment at a private nursing home in Siliguri.

However, the motive behind the crime is not clear, police sources said.

On Saturday, the duo were produced in a local court which ordered police custody for seven days.

The police are in search of the third person who was present with Shankar and Subhankar.

TMC leaders have distanced themselves from Shankar.

“Our party never shelters any offender,” said Paritosh Barman, the Trinamool president of Alipurduar--II block.

Boy drowns

Bapi Roy, 14, drowned in Kundardighi, a large pond in Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri, on Saturday. The Class IX boy had gone bathing with a friend when he went under. Recovered senseless, Bapi was rushed to a private nursing home in Fulbari and then to North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, where the doctors on duty pronounced the boy dead.