Kamarhati: A man who had protested some men drinking in the open was found with a gunshot wound in his chest in Kamarhati on Sunday afternoon. 

Imtiaz Ali, 22, was declared dead at Sagore Dutta hospital. 

In a complaint with Belghoria police station, Ali’s family alleged that Saddam and Kallu had threatened 
him on Sunday morning with dire consequences for protesting their drinking in the open.

“He protested their drinking by the roadside. Residents, including women and children, use the road,” an officer quoted Ali’s family as saying in the complaint. “He had apparently included others in his protest.”

People of the area told cops they heard a gunshot in a mango orchard around 12.30pm and rushed to find Ali lying in a pool of blood. 

They apparently ransacked Saddam’s house after Ali was declared dead. 

The residents of the area staged a demonstration in front of Kamarhati police outpost demanding that the police arrest Saddam and Kallu soon. 

Preliminary investigations revealed Saddam and his associates were into an illegal alcohol business. 

“We have recorded the statements of residents who corroborated what Ali’s family alleged,” the officer said. 

“Investigations have revealed that Saddam used to extort money from traders.”

A search is on for both, the police said.