A man was shot at in Kamrahati on the northern fringes of Calcutta allegedly following a turf war, police said.
Asif alias Kallu suffered bullet injuries on one of his hands and one of his legs after he was fired at from a close range.
The police said eyewitnesses told them that a group of around six youths intercepted Asif and fired thrice at him. One of the bullets hit his hand, the other his leg while the third missed him, they told the police.
A bleeding Asif was first rushed to the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital and later shifted to another hospital. Late in the evening, doctors said his condition was critical.
Immediately after the incident, local shop owners downed their shutters and some of the onlookers ran for shelter while the attackers left the spot leaving Asif in a pool of blood.
“We are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the firing but it appears to be a case of rivalry between two groups in the area. The footage from CCTV cameras in the area is being scanned and we are checking the call details of the victim,” said a senior officer of the Barrackpore police commissionerate.
A section of residents said Asif was a Trinamul worker and led a camp that was opposed to another group. The two groups have been clashing for some time over area domination, they alleged.
“We will run a check on Asif’s antecedents to find out why he was targeted. The attackers were aware of his whereabouts,” a police officer said.