An injured Dulal in the Siliguri district hospital (top) and DYFI supporters in front of the Bhaktinagar police station. Telegraph pictures

Siliguri, May 24: An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police shot at and injured a person when he raided Hyderpara last night to arrest an accused in a case. The policeman has been suspended.

Residents of the area, 4km from here, alleged that Kashinath Roy from the Bhaktinagar police station was inebriated when he fired from his service revolver at Dulal Chandra Roy.

Forty-year-old Dulal was first taken to Siliguri district hospital with a bullet injury in his abdomen. Later, he was shifted to Anandaloke Hospital, where he was operated on for over three hours today.

J. Jha, the medical director of the private hospital, said the bullet had perforated his gastro-intestinal tract, appendix and jejunum before exiting from the back. “The operation was successful but his condition is critical,” Jha said.

Dulal’s brother Bimal Roy has lodged an FIR with the Bhaktinagar police station against the ASI. “He fired without any provocation and fled with the four constables when a larger crowd rushed to the spot after hearing the shot,” said Bimal.

The ASI had gone to Hyderpara, a middle-class residential neighbourhood, around 11pm in search of Moloy Roy, who is wanted for an assault and battery case that had taken place in the Bhaktinagar police station area recently.

The inebriated policeman, eyewitnesses said, first asked for directions to the house of the accused. But Moloy was not there. “This apparently angered him and he started shouting at residents who had gathered to see what was going on,” said Basudeb Saha, who was with Dulal when Roy asked for directions.

Suddenly, the policeman took out his service revolver and, after waving it a couple of times, fired a shot. “I was shocked to see Dulal slump to the ground clutching his stomach,” said Basudeb.

About 20 people were present there at the time.

Achintya Gupta, the officer-in-charge of Bhaktinagar police station, admitted that the shot had been fired. “The ASI had gone there to arrest Moloy, who is accused in a case. One round was fired. The gun seems to have gone off accidentally,” said Gupta.

This morning, members of the local unit of the DYFI, the youth wing of the CPM, demonstrated in front of the Bhaktinagar police station. “We want the policeman to be arrested immediately. He was drunk,” alleged Ganesh Ghosh, the secretary of the unit, which submitted a memorandum to the Jalpaiguri superintendent of police.

Though only 3km from Siliguri, Bhaktinagar police station comes under the jurisdiction of Jalpaiguri district.

“We have arrested the accused ASI and suspended him. A departmental inquiry is on,” said Tripurari.