Cooch Behar, August 10 (Siliguri Chronicle) – In broad daylight on Saturday, gunfire erupted in the crowded weekly market at Dodairhat in Cooch Behar, killing the son of a Trinamool panchayat chief and injuring another man.
The attack happened around 3.30 p.m., when assailants on two motorcycles sped into the bustling market and opened fire indiscriminately.
The victim was identified as 36-year-old Amar Roy, a resident of Dawaguri village in Cooch Behar-I block under Kotwali police station. Sources said his mother, Kuntala Roy, is the Trinamool pradhan of the Dawaguri gram panchayat.
“Amar leaves behind his wife and a daughter in a Class VI. He had driven to Dodairhat with his friend Alamgir in a car to shop in the weekly market which draws large crowds from nearby villages. He bought mutton and other items before the assailants struck,”
said sources.
Eyewitnesses said shooters fired multiple rounds at close range. “A bullet struck Amar in the head, killing him instantly in the middle of the market. Alamgir sustained a gunshot wound to his leg and was rushed to hospital. His condition is critical,” said eyewitnesses.
Dodairhat, located about 8km from Cooch Behar town and famous for its mutton stalls, is generally seen as a safe place despite its busy crowds. The market runs twice a week, on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
Dyutiman Bhattacharya, the Cooch Behar district superintendent of police along with senior officers, reached the spot soon after receiving information. “Several criminals on two motorcycles came to the market and opened fire. One person has died and one is injured. Probe is on,” Bhattacharya said.
Local sources said it was total chaos as people scrambled for cover during the shooting. “Vendors abandoned their stalls, and customers ran helter-skelter to escape gunfire. The area hasn’t seen such an incident before,” said a source.
Subrata Acharjee, a local resident and member of the Cooch Behar II panchayat samiti, said traders witnessed the assailants speeding away after the shooting.
“The criminals fled on their bikes immediately after firing. They seemed to know the escape routes well,” he said.
Police have started questioning traders and shoppers, and roadblocks have been put up in nearby areas to try and catch the attackers.
By late Saturday evening, no arrests had been made.
Girindranath Barman, chairman of Trinamool’s Cooch Behar district committee, alleged that the attack was carried out by goons hired by the BJP.
“Only last month, one of our panchayat samiti members, Raju Dey, was shot by the son of Cooch Behar Uttar BJP MLA Sukumar Roy. By sheer luck, Dey survived that attack. Roy’s son is now in jail,” Barman said.
“Today (Saturday), the son of one of our gram panchayat pradhans, Amar Roy, was brutally murdered. Amar was also an active Trinamool worker. We demand exemplary punishment for the criminals involved,” he added.
Biraj Bose, the BJP’s Cooch Behar district general secretary, said the party did not believe in the politics of murder.
“When the son of a ruling party gram panchayat pradhan can be killed in broad daylight, it shows the state of law and order in Bengal. If the son of a gram panchayat pradhan from the ruling party has no security, then where is ther any safety for commoners?” Bose asked.
