Trader ‘pushed into drain’ in Tangra parking fight, dies
Times of India | 6 April 2025
1234 Kolkata: A 48-year-old trader, Arun Gupta, died in an alleged parking dispute in Tangra that turned violent on Saturday afternoon.
While Gupta's family claimed he was pushed into a drain after being assaulted, police said they were waiting for the post-mortem report to confirm the cause of the death. Two neighbours have been detained for questioning.
Gupta, a resident of Mathur Babu Lane, who ran a kerosene and engine oil business from his home, reportedly got into an altercation with two brothers—Aryan and Gourav Shaw—living in the same neighbourhood, when they objected to him parking his motorcycle near their flour shop. The dispute started with the Shaw brothers reportedly confronting Gupta for parking his two-wheeler, which he used to transport oil supplies, behind a small commercial vehicle that brought goods to deliver to the Shaws' shop. The Shaws alleged Gupta regularly left his motorcycle in front of their shop, which caused "parking trouble and led to loss of customers".
The Shaw brothers' cousins, Rajesh and Rabi, joined in the altercation, which soon reportedly snowballed into a scuffle. Gupta reportedly fell ill and was taken home, said police. His family took him to NRS Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Gupta's wife and three sons claimed that during the fight, Gupta was pushed into a drain and that might have contributed to his death.
Residents of the area described Gupta as a peace-loving trader who had been running his oil supply business for several years.
"We have detained Rajesh and Rabi," said joint CP (crime & traffic) Rupesh Kumar. "We are awaiting a formal complaint from the victim's family," said a Tangra PS officer. Cops have been deployed in the area to prevent any further flare-up.