TMC Leader Shot At In Howrah: Gunmen Attack Sparks West Bengal Political Tensions

Assailants on motorcycles fired multiple rounds at close range. Mondal is hospitalised in Kolkata, while his associate is in critical condition.

A TMC gram panchayat member, Debobrata Mondal, and his associate were shot and critically injured in Howrah.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Howrah, Nov 28 (PTI) A TMC gram panchayat member and his associate were grievously injured after unidentified assailants opened fire at them in West Bengal's Howrah, a police officer said on Friday.

Debobrata Mondal, alias Babu Mondal, a member of the Sampuipara-Basukathi gram panchayat, was returning home around 11 pm on Thursday on a motorcycle with his associate Anupam Rana when the attack took place near the Nishchinda-Buro Shibtala area under Liluah police station limits.

Earlier it was reported that Mondal has succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, according to officials and party sources.

According to police, two motorcycle-borne assailants approached them and fired several rounds at close range, in full public view.

Mondal was hit in the waist and shoulder and collapsed on the spot, while Anupam sustained bullet injuries when he tried to resist the attackers.

Local residents rushed both men to Belur State General Hospital.

Mondal was later shifted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, where he is undergoing treatment, police said.

Anupam, who was taken to a private hospital in North Howrah, remains in critical condition.

Howrah Police Commissioner Praveen Tripathy visited the spot with a team soon after the incident.

"A case has been registered. We are examining CCTV camera footage, and efforts are being made to trace the accused," he said.

Senior Trinamool Congress leaders, including Howrah District (Sadar) president and MLA Goutam Chowdhury, MLA Kalyan Ghosh, and Domjur Youth Trinamool leader Noorj Molla, visited the hospitals where the victims were taken.

Ghosh said the motive behind the attack was still unclear and demanded the immediate arrest of those involved.

Police sources said at least five rounds were fired during the attack.

A history-sheeter, Suman Choudhury, who has previous cases of extortion and attempted murder against him, has emerged as a person of interest in the probe. 

(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)