Malda: A controversy erupted over inauguration of a volleyball tournament on the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary in West Bengal's Malda district after gunshots were fired in the air in the presence of police personnel.
The incident took place in Nurpur area of Manikchak block on Thursday night and a video of it also went viral on social media. On orders of higher authorities, Manikchak Police have confiscated four guns last night.
Likewise every year, the local Tiptop Club organised a night volleyball tournament at Nurpur High School ground yesterday afternoon. Teams from six states participated in the tournament and several Trinamool Congress leaders of Manikchak block were also present on the occasion. The event, however, was kicked off with firing of five rounds of bullets in the air.
A senior district police official on condition of anonymity said there is no doubt that law has been violated in this incident. The four guns used at the scene have been confiscated and a case has been registered against the four men who fired the gunshots, Mansur Ahmed Khan, Aminur Rahman Khan, Alkama Khan Chowdhury and Mohammad Bakhtawar Khan, under Section 30 of the Arms Act. All four are residents of Pathan Para in Nurpur. The entire incident is under investigation, the official added.
BJP district general secretary Gour Chandra Mandal alleged, “The video shows gunmen firing in quick succession. This is a kind of scare tactic. I do not know whether the guns have licenses or not. Licenses are given by the government for one's protection. It seems that the government may have given them licenses for fun or to scare off people. Trinamool culture revolves around murder, rape, bombing and extortion. This government is incapable of providing security to the common people. The tournament was organised by Trinamool supporters so the shooting was done with their permission. We are demanding appropriate punishment but if somehow carries a Trinamool stamp then police can't do anything."
CPI-M district committee member Debajyoti Sinha said that the tournament is held on January 23 every year and some men were seen shooting from guns in the air this time. "Such an incident is not good for the society. Someone can keep a licensed gun for his own safety but it is undesirable to use it for such purposes. This sends a wrong message to the society. For the past one month, miscreants from different states have been causing various incidents in our district. The Chief Minister too had to rush to Malda for this. Some are trying to say that firing gunshots is a tradition here but I think that such tradition should be discarded. We should not create any such example in our society that gives out a wrong message to our next generation," he said.
Responding to the opposition leaders, Trinamool district spokesperson Ashish Kundu said, “Police have already confiscated the guns and a probe is on to ascertain whether the DM's permission was taken for firing gunshots at the inauguration of the tournament or not. As per the Arms Act, if firing is done without permission, the licenses will be cancelled. Police will take action as per the law.”
Read more
