A shootout occurred between police and two miscreants, in Jagatdal area, in North 24-Parganas, leaving one of the miscreants dead while the other has been arrested. The neighbouring Kankinara area has also been witnessing incidents of bombings for the past two days, leaving residents in a state of despair.

A gun battle that ensued in Jagatdal area, close to Bhatpara, today afternoon, witnessed police giving chase behind two miscreants who ran through the alleys in the area to dodge them and also opened fire at the police team.

Local witnesses described the two miscreants, one of them identified as Prabhu Sau, running through an alley in the Sundiya colony.

Sau was seen climbing on to the asbestos roof of one the houses, using a ladder, to escape the police. Sau thereafter reportedly broke through the asbestos sheeting and fell inside the house. It was learnt that his body hit a showcase inside the room, shattering the glass. His body was found lying on the floor, drenched in blood, by the owner of the house. Sau was taken to Barrackpore hospital where he was declared brought dead. It was learnt that Prabhu Sau was a resident of Bhatpara.

The Commissioner of Police, Barrackpore Commissionerate, Manoj Verma, told the media “The police were on the lookout for Prabhu Sau. We had prior information that Prabhu was about to create unrest in the area. The locals spotted him with a weapon in hand and tried to stop him. The miscreants threw a bomb at the police and began firing. Thereafter, the police had opened fire in retaliation. He ran to the top of a roof where a part of the asbestos broke and he fell inside.”

It was learnt that a 7 mm pistol was found near his body, inside the room of the house. The precise cause of Sau’s death is, however, yet to be ascertained.

The wild chase that took place in Jagatdal, has left the residents in shock. One of them, who was a witness to the incident, said: “I could not believe it when I saw a man running through the alleys with a pistol in hand, and then jumping on to the roof of the house while a team of police was chasing him, also armed with weapons. It seemed like an action sequence in a movie.”

The residents of Jagatdal maintained that Sau died due to police firing that claimed his life. The owner of the house said his wife informed him that the roof has collapsed in one of the rooms. Sounds of footsteps on the roof, were heard by his wife who then saw a section of the asbestos collapsing. The husband entered the room and discovered a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Meanwhile, Kankinara, an area neighbouring Jagatdal and Bhatpara, has been witnessing incidents of bombings for the past two days.

Yesterday, some miscreants hurled a bomb near 5 no. Railway Siding area, nearly killing a woman and a child while a similar incident unfolded today in Kantapukur area in Kankinara when another bomb was hurled.

Police has increased patrols in the area while a search is on for the miscreants responsible for the bombings.

Residents in the area alleged that there is a huge stockpile of weapons and bombs in Bhatpara and Kankinara, which unless seized by the police, violence will continue.

It may be mentioned that the areas of Bhatpara, Kankinara, Jagatdal, have been witnessing continuous incidents of violence ever since the Lok Sabha polls results were declared. Recently, a Trinamul delegation led by Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Chandrima Bhattacharya and others had visited Bhatpara and Kankinara, and had assured the people that violence will be contained in the area but the repeated incidents have left the residents with tattered hopes of leading a normal life.

The Barrackpore BJP MP, Arjun Singh, had alleged that it is the visit of these Trinamul leaders that has instigated further violence in the area which otherwise was returning to normality. He had even claimed, on record, “The next time Firhad Hakim visits the area with a delegation, they will be chased back.”