Sub-inspector Kaushik Ghosh, who suffered a bullet injury in his left foot on Thursday morning, was operated on and the bullet was extracted on Friday morning.
The officer of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate suffered the bullet wound after assistant sub-inspector Abhijit Ghosh fired his service revolver — accidentally, according to sources familiar with the findings of the inquiry into the incident — at the Techno City police station barracks in New Town.
Officials at AMRI Hospitals Salt Lake, where the injured officer was operated on, said the patient was stable.
“The patient, who suffered a bullet wound in his left foot on Thursday morning, underwent surgery on Friday for complex fractures. The bullet shattered his bones. The bullet has been extracted and he is doing well,” said an official.
The sub-inspector suffered the bullet wound after he returned to Techno City police station from a raid.
Senior officers of the police commissionerate said an inquiry was on to find out what led the assistant sub-inspector to fire his service gun.
“Based on the statements of the injured officer and circumstantial evidence, it appears to be a case of accidental firing by assistant sub-inspector Abhijit Ghosh. But if any other reason emerges, action will be taken accordingly,” said the officer.
Bidhannagar police commissioner Gaurav Sharma said an officer of the rank of deputy commissioner was investigating the firing.
Assistant sub-inspector Abhijit Ghosh has been suspended as departmental proceedings have been started against him.
Last August, a CISF head constable had opened fire from his service gun, an AK-47, killing a colleague and injuring another, outside the paramilitary force’s barracks on the Indian Museum premises on JL Nehru Road.
Head constable Akshay Kumar Mishra, 43, later fired at police vehicles before he was persuaded to surrender. In June last year, a Kolkata police constable posted near the Bangladeshi high commission had left his post saying he was taking a “tea break” and started firing indiscriminately from his service rifle, killing a passer-by and injuring two other people. Later, he shot himself.
Police officers said they would be able to tell the exact cause of Thursday’s firing only after the completion of the inquiry.