Kolkata, Jan 2 Dulal Sarkar also known as Babla, the Trinamool Congress councilor from ward number 22 of English Bazar Municipality in Malda district of West Bengal was shot at in broad daylight on Thursday morning.
With a bullet injury in his head, Sarkar was rushed to Malda Medical College and Hospital where he is undergoing treatment now. His condition however is extremely critical, said his close associates in the ruling party.
Eyewitnesses told the police that while Sarkar was standing at a busy crossing in the area, suddenly three youths with their heads covered by helmets arrived at the spot on a motorcycle and started firing at him.
The miscreants fired a total of three bullets at him. Although the first two bullets missed the target, the third bullet hit Sarkar in the head.
Such an attack in broad daylight and in a busy and crowded area took those present at the spot by surprise. Before the people could react, the three miscreants promptly drove away from the crime scene.
The police have started investigating the matter and all nearby police stations have been alerted. The miscreants were still at large till the time when the report was filed.
It is yet not clear whether the attack on Sarkar is due to political reasons or if there is any angle of personal rivalry involved in the matter. No reaction from the Trinamool Congress nor the BJP has come so far.
The Malda district magistrate Nitin Singhania and the district police superintendent Pradip Kumar Yadav arrived at the spot and started the investigation.
The investigating officials are questioning the eyewitnesses and also checking the footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the area where the attempted murder took place.
District police sources said that from the nature of the attack, it is evident it was a well-planned attempt of murder where the miscreants were aware that Sarkar would be present at the spot at a particular point of time.
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