The shootings and killings in Kolkata and its suburbs have once again given the opposition parties a handle on targeting the law and order situation in the state.
Six days after a councilor was shot dead in the Panihati municipality, another person was killed in the same municipality. The body of Mohammad Armaan was found with multiple injuries in ward number 7 of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas located in the northern area of the city. According to the local people, there are many cases registered in the police against Mohammad Armaan, who was recently released from jail. On March 13, Trinamool councilor Anupam Dutta was shot dead in ward number eight of Panihati Municipality. Congress councilor Tapan Kandu was murdered on the same day in Jhalda, Purulia.
Earlier in the day, miscreants opened fire on a person under Tiljala police station in Kolkata. The victim admitted to the government hospital was also attacked with sharp weapons. On Friday, a businessman was killed in the Regent’s Park area of Kolkata’s southern bank. The businessman was shot by an acquaintance, who was arrested on Saturday.
The developments in the last two days have raised questions over the law and order situation, especially as the state government is feeling the heat over the killing of two councillors. Earlier on Saturday, Kolkata Municipal Corporation mayor and state minister Firhad Hakim described the developments as “one or two incidents”. “If such incidents don’t happen then what is the need of police and courts,” Mr Hakim said, triggering a strong reaction from the opposition.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that West Bengal is sitting on a “gunpowder pile”. Mr Chakraborty said that Firhad Hakim’s remarks are unfortunate. During the day the CPI(M) leadership visited Purulia and met the family of the late Congress corporator. Commenting on the killings, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said, “Police in the state of West Bengal have handed over their work to paper tigers without teeth at the behest of the ruling Trinamool.”