Three persons, including a Trinamul trade union leader from East Burdwan, who were in a car with a murder accused released on bail from Bankura district correctional home, suffered bullet injuries when two bike-borne assailants shot at the car on a busy highway on Tuesday afternoon near Bankura town.
Police said the assailants were following the car going to East Burdwan’s Katwa, and intercepted it on NH60 at Keshiyakol around 1pm.
Though police said six persons were in the car, driver Rabiul Sheikh, and one of the injured occupants, Nur Mohammed Sah, said five were on board, the driver and four passengers, including murder accused Saddam Sheikh.
Saddam, apparently injured, is absconding.
Police said the injured trio had come to Bankura from East Burdwan to take Saddam home in Katwa after he got bail on Monday.
Police said Saddam was in jail since 2015 on charges of murder and theft. “Earlier he was in Katwa jail but later shifted to Bankura jail.... He got bail on Monday,” said a police officer in Bankura.
At least six rounds were fired from two revolvers by the goons, an eyewitness said. “After that, they fled towards Bankura town on their motorcycles. We saw three persons behind the driver’s seat get injured,” he said.
After the goons fled, injured Jiabul Haque, 38, and Nur, 37, both from Galsi in East Burdwan, and Gobinda Mondal, 46, of Bankura’s Gangajal Ghanti, and the driver came out of the car and hid behind a nearby wall till the police arrived.
Police rushed the injured to Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital. By evening, the bullets were removed and the patients were stable, a doctor said.
“The trio were returning with Saddam when the firing occurred in which three persons suffered bullet injuries. But Saddam was not found when our police team reached. We are searching for him. As of now, we have not been able to establish any motive behind the incident. However, we are exploring all angles,” said Vaibhav Tiwari, the Bankura superintendent of police.
Nur said he was a general secretary of the INTTUC in East Burdwan’s Galsi, but the attack had “nothing to do with politics”.
