Gang kills youth day after protest

KOLKATA: An armed gang barged into a house in Dum Dum on Tuesday morning, shot a youth twice while he was asleep, hurled bombs and fled. The 32-year-old victim, Gour Das, was rushed to RG Kar Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
Locals said Gour was murdered for protesting against the blank shots the gang had fired on Monday evening to terrorize the neighbourhood and mark its area of influence.
The incident comes barely 10 days after the police recovered the bodies of two youths - Abhijit Saha, a promoter's son, and his brother-in-law Kaishik Roy - from a pond near Dum Dum railway yard. Tuesday's murder took place at Dum Dum's Harihar Nagar near Shyamnagar, 2.5 km from the spot of twin murders.
Around 250 families reside in Harihar Nagar slum off Jessore Road. Gour lived as a tenant in a two-storied building with wife Soma and two-year-old son. He was also associated with building materials supply business and was believed to have links with a real-estate syndicate that operates in Dum Dum-Nagerbazar area.
According to Soma, five armed miscreants barged in when she opened the door around 7.30 am. "Gour was asleep. They shot him in the head and the chest before leaving as abruptly as they had entered," she recounted.
Locals alleged that some anti-socials have been trying to gain control over the slum for several months. On Monday night, the gang, led by Jagannath alias Jaga, began terrorizing residents. When Gour and some of his associates confronted the gang, they retreated.
"Though we called the police, it took them an eternity to arrive from the Dum Dum police station barely 3 km away. By the time they arrived, the criminals had fled. There was no move to nab the culprits. Neither were policemen posted at the site to prevent further retaliation," alleged a local woman.
Gour was still alive when locals rushed him to RG Kar Hospital but died later. Soma lodged an FIR with Dum Dum PS against Jaga and other persons.
Locals on Tuesday gheraoed Prabir Chatterjee, the inspector in charge of Dum Dum police station, alleging inaction. They blocked Jessore Road at Shyamnagar More for about an hour. Later, a large police contingent, including RAF and combat force, rushed in to defuse the situation. The blockade was withdrawn around 10.30 am after senior officers assured that the culprits would be nabbed.
Later in the day, police arrested Jaga's brother Sourav Das. "Another person had been arrested on Monday night in connection with firing and bombing in Harihar Nagar. He is also being interrogated in connection with the murder. Raids are on to nab the other culprits. We are also investigating whether the victim had a business rivalry with somebody," said Biswajit Ghosh, additional deputy commissioner of police, Barrackpore.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leaders claimed that Gour was their party supporter. "The CPM-backed goons who are desperately trying to regain control over the area murdered him," said North 24-Parganas Trinamool Congress secretary Kamal Das said. CPM district secretariat member Amitava Nandy, however, rubbished the allegation and said it was the fallout of Trinamool's internal feud.