A deaf and mute trader was hit by a bullet after the assailant, who was trying to gun down another person, missed his target and hit him instead.
The firing happened on Pottery Road in Entally late on Tuesday, police said.
According to witnesses, 63-year-old Ratan Sadhukan was on his way to his grocery shop where he sleeps every night.
A man riding a motorcycle allegedly opened fire at another person but the bullet apparently missed its target and hit Sadhukan instead.
An officer of the eastern suburban division said it was a suspected case of syndicate rivalry in the supply of construction materials that could have led to the firing. Two persons have been detained.
“We have learned that the firing was the outcome of a rivalry between two groups. An investigation is on. No one has been arrested till now. We have detained two persons for questioning,” said deputy commissioner (eastern suburban division) Priyabrata Roy.
Sadhukan, a resident of Pottery Road, runs a grocery shop and sleeps at his shop every night, his family members said. Like other nights, Sadhukan was walking towards his shop after dinner when the bullet caught him.
Neighbours and family members rushed him to NRS Medical College and Hospital with a bullet injury in his stomach. One of the family members of the injured person said Sadhukan became a victim of someone else’s fight.
“He is a peace-loving person and there is no way anyone would try to kill him. My brother just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Rajkumar Sadhukan.
Several incidents of firing had been reported in Kolkata in the last few months, including many caused because of business rivalry between two factions of the ruling party over the supply of raw materials for the construction of buildings.