Asansol, Jan. 1: A civil contractor associated with IISCO was today shot dead while he was taking a stroll in an Asansol park teeming with picnickers celebrating New Year.

The gunshots sparked panic at Nehru Park in Burnpur, with people leaving their belongings and running helter-skelter.

Police said the assailants, who are yet to be identified, pumped at least eight bullets into the head, chest and abdomen of Sukumar Biswas alias Jishu, 60, beside a lake.

Although the police are yet to confirm the motive, sources said Biswas could have had a rivalry with a local gang over bagging tenders to buy scrap iron from IISCO's steel plant. Biswas had a history of dealing in scrap iron.

Biswas had taken the park, earlier known as Lahmeyer's Park, on lease three months ago. The police are also probing if the murder was the fallout of a possible rivalry over bagging the lease tender.

The park, near the banks of the Damodar, is popular among residents of Asansol and Burnpur. People flock to the park at this time of the year to either take a stroll along the water bodies or organise picnics. There are vast stretches of greenery, tall trees and bushes that could have provided the assailants ample cover to hide before the attack.

"We were celebrating New Year when we heard gunshots. As the park is full of trees and bushes, we could not see what happened. We rushed out of the park, fearing for our lives. We did not see anybody fire but one person was lying in a pool of blood beside the lake," a visitor said.

The police have sealed the park.

"We are yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder and are probing all angles. We are yet to confirm the number of assailants," said Biswajit Mahato, additional deputy commissioner of police (west).