Kolkata: Residents of Gulshan Colony near Panchannagram, about 1 km from EM Bypass, remained on tenterhooks as bombs were hurled and gunshots echoed through their densely populated neighbourhood a day earlier.
People remained indoors for most part of the day and traders kept their shops shut even as police kept a watch on the area.
Some residents claimed the accused were aides of local tough Firoze Khan, aka Mini Firoze, who had been trying to regain his control on the area since 2022. Minaz Sheikh, a resident, said, "I was sitting on the road when six youths arrived on bikes and took out guns and fired. I ran inside my house and locked the door.
My family and neighbours are scared. We request the administrative to save Gulshan Colony that has become a den of anti-socials.
" Gulshan Colony in KMC's Ward 108 under Anandapur PS is home to about three lakh people. Many living in the area claimed the place now teemed with "thugs and miscreants", who were often found involved in bar brawls, shootings and stabbings.
"This is a residential area but gang fights regularly break the peace.
In Nov, the mastermind behind the targeted attack on councillor Sushanta Ghosh was found to be living in our area. The panic returned on Thursday to haunt us as gangs opened fire in public," said Aslam Ansari, who kept his watch-repairing shop shut on Friday. An auto operator said, "A few autos were at the stand, when the shootings took place yesterday evening.
We drove the vehicles away to safer sports and suspended services.
Autos are running on Friday but we have got very few passengers."
Some workers were seen putting up a makeshift structure for a Duare Sarkar camp, slated for Saturday, opposite the vandalised biriyani shop. "When police picked up one of the suspects, the area turned a little tense. Fearing trouble, we paused our work for the time being," said a worker.