Close shave for Trinamool leader as shooter's gun malfunctions | Video

Sushanta Ghosh, the Trinamool Congress leader, was sitting in front of his home when the attempt on his life was made in Kolkata's Kasba area on Friday evening.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor had a narrow escape when the gun of a man who fired at him from a point-blank range malfunctioned at that moment, sparing the politician's life.

Screengrab from CCTV footage of the incident (Courtesy: x.com/Plchakraborty)

The incident occurred in Kolkata's Kasba area on Friday evening and was captured by a CCTV camera.

Sushanta Ghosh, councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is seen sitting in front of his house when two men wearing helmets arrive on a scooter. The pillion rider gets down, rushes towards Ghosh and pulls the trigger but the bullets are not released.

Sensing an opportunity, the councillor and people sitting with him lunge at the men as they try to flee on their scooter. The driver presses the accelerator but the would-be shooter loses balance and slips. While the latter was caught by locals after a brief chase and handed over to police, his associate managed to escape.

A police official said, “The incident happened at around 8:10 pm when two men arrived on a two-wheeler in Kasba. One of them got down and tried to fire at him (Ghosh). However, no bullet was released from the handgun may be due to some mechanical error. We are interrogating him (arrested shooter) to find out about the motive.”

According to media reports, the assailants were hired from Bihar to kill the TMC leader.

A shocked Ghosh later said he had no idea who could be behind the attempt on his life.

“I have been a councillor for 12 years and I never thought I could be attacked and that too when I am sitting in my area,” he told PTI. He was visited by local MP Mala Roy and MLA Javed Khan – both from TMC – after the incident.

Meanwhile, a police team was deployed in the area and an investigation was initiated.