Two rounds of mayhem over 5.5 hours as bullets and bombs fly in Gulshan Colony off E M Bypass
Times of India | 13 September 2025
Kolkata: Gulshan Colony in Anandapur resembled a battlefield on Thursday as a local tough, Mini Feroz, whose dominance had apparently been waning since 2022 despite enjoying political clout, assembled his gang in an all-out effort to bring the local trading syndicates, which now included construction and auto operations, under his sway.
Two persons, one of them a biryani shop owner, were injured. Locals claimed a gun was fired at a young woman but the bullet missed her by a whisker though police did not confirm it.
Three persons were arrested by Friday afternoon, one of them Md Sajid (29), Firoz's right-hand man. Three weapons were seized.
CCTV footage captured firearm-brandishing men assaulting traders, vandalising bikes and hurling country-made bombs at will, police said.
The cycle of violence, which started around 2 pm, continued for more than five-and-a-half hours. Residents said another round of bombing again started around 3 am on Friday, but police refuted the claim.
Gulshan Colony resident Chand Khan, claimed that around 2 pm, Chit Saddam and Raja, two aides of Mini Feroz, hauled him to a place in Mazar Galli, where they restrained and assaulted him. Around an hour later, Md Khurshid Alam, another resident, was reportedly attacked at Goru More.
The accused, including the main operators Mini Feroz and Md Sajid, reportedly assaulted him with an iron rod, causing bleeding injuries, and damaged his motorcycle.
Police said the motive for both the attacks seemed rivalry between two syndicates, Chand and Khurshid, being members of Feroz's opposite camp.
Alerted, police arrived at the spot but they left after inspection. A lull ensued only to be broken by a second round of violence that erupted around 6 in the evening.
Pinki Begum, a resident, claimed Feroz, Sajid and two others, Chhota Raja and Shahbaz, arrived at their home, fired at her daughter— the bullet missed her—and threatened her husband before walking away. The gang then reportedly went on to vandalise two nearby shops, one owned by Sk Minhaz and the other by Meraz Khan, open fire and terrorise the residents around.
The arrival of police and a subsequent deployment ensured a stop to the violence though locals alleged bombs were hurled in the dead of the night.
But police came under severe criticism for failing to stop the violence in time. Five FIRs against nine persons have been registered at the Anandapur Police Station. The accused include gang leader Feroz, believed to be close to a former minister and MLA, Feroz's right-hand man Md Sajid and aides Chit Saddam and Raja.
The cases have been registered under various sections of BNS, Arms Act and West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act for shooting, vandalism, attempt to murder and threatening public.
East Division Police and the detective department launched a manhunt and rounded up four. "The detective department arrested two persons from the Entally PS area, both suspected to be linked to the Gulshan Colony violence. A country-made firearm and two live cartridges were seized from them. Another person from Gulshan Colony was arrested from the Narkeldanga PS area with an improvised 7 mm pistol and two live cartridges.
Two separate cases have been registered under the Arms Act," said joint CP (crime) Rupesh Kumar. Apart from Sajid (29), the two others arrested are Ahmed Hussain (43) and Raja Khan (35). "Sajid was caught near Canal West Road, Narkeldanga. The gun and cartridges he carried were supposed to be sold to other criminals. Ahmed and Raja were rounded up near the Canal Road and Convent Road intersection in Entally."