At least nine incidents of firing have been reported in the city in the last eight months where men in illegal possession of arms have injured, killed or extorted Kolkatans.
An instruction from Bengal’s director-general of police on Thursday to carry out a drive to “uncover illegal arms and ammunition” across Bengal, except Kolkata police jurisdiction, suggests police are aware of a possible proliferation of illegal arms in the state.
According to the instruction issued by Bengal’s top cop Manoj Malaviya, all districts and police commissionerates except Kolkata have been asked to carry out a 10-day drive to seize illegal arms and ammunition.
“All SPs and CPs are instructed to launch a massive drive for recovery of illegal firearms and ammunition all over the state. The Range DIGs and zonal IGs/ADGs shall visit all the districts and personally supervise this drive,” the instruction said.
Senior officers in Kolkata police said similar drives were conducted in the city “on a regular basis”.
“Drives against illegal arms and ammunition are conducted by the detective department and at the police station levels. This is a continuous process here in the Kolkata police jurisdiction,” said joint commissioner (headquarters) Subhankar Sinha Sarkar.
However, on being asked about the number of seizures of illegal arms by the city police in the last few months, there was no response from the cops.
Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal did not respond to multiple text messages seeking his response on the need for more such drives in the city.
Multiple cases of firing have been reported in the city in the last few months, raising questions about the safety and security of Kolkatans near their own homes.
In August last year, a young man who had gone to watch a football match near his home off Elliot Road in central Kolkata, was shot at by a neighbour after the latter’s team lost.
In the following month, September, at least two more incidents of firing were reported in the city — one near Gorky Sadan in south-central Kolkata and one in Bansdroni on the southern fringes.
Near Gorky Sadan, which falls under the jurisdiction of Shakespeare Sarani police station, a businessman was shot at by a man who was part of a Ganesh Puja immersion entourage.
In Bansdroni, several armed men whose photographs were captured in CCTV footage had opened fire inside the home of a promoter, injuring one person.
In January this year, a man had walked into the Sarat Bose Road office of a city coal merchant and opened fire in the air, apparently to extort money.
Earlier this month, a trader died after taking bullets over an altercation that broke out on Holi at Regent Park.
In a majority of the incidents, the accused who had access to arms were not history sheeters, the police said. The men who were arrested in connection with the Elliot Road firing were drivers while the man who allegedly opened fire at the businessman near Gorky Sadan was a food delivery boy who had lost his job during the pandemic.
Two officers The Telegraph spoke to said the availability of arms in Kolkata was not new but the impunity with which men were using them in the open was.
“Easy availability of arms is not new in the city and the police are proactive in arresting the accused. But the problem starts when these criminals easily get bail and hardly get convicted because of the long drawn judicial process. This encourages them to repeat the offence while they are out on bail,” said one of them.
Trigger-happy
March 2022
Father and son shot at in Tiljala
March 2022
A man was shot at by his neighbour after an altercation post-Holi in Regent Park
February 2022
A businessman was shot at in his Keshab Chandra Sen Street office, the bullet missed him
January 2022
A trader was shot at in his office on Keshab Chandra Sen Street
January 2022
A gun was fired in the air at a coal merchant’s Ballygunge office
December 2021
Two persons were shot at over business rivalry in Regent Park
September 2021
An aide to a promoter was shot at in his Bansdroni home
September 2021
A businessman was shot at near Gorky Sadan
August 2021
A man was shot at near Elliot Road after a football match
Bus injures pedestrian on Bypass
A pedestrian was injured after he got hit by a bus on the EM Bypass on Friday morning, police said.
The police identified the man as Ashok Rabi, 45, a resident of Bagmari Road. Rabi sustained multiple injuries and was treated at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a police officer said.
Officers of Maniktala police station said they had impounded the state-run bus. The bus driver has been arrested.