Firing over soccer match near Kolkata's Park Street, one injured

KOLKATA: One person was shot at and panic gripped Elliot Lane off Park Street after three local ruffians allegedly opened fire on officials of a club and assaulted football players on Monday night during a soccer tournament. The brawl started around 10.30pm, after a local team lost the final match.
The goalkeeper of the winning team was assaulted and organizers were harassed and threatened. The two-day tournament was organized to celebrate the Independence Day and Khela Hobe Diwas.
Around three hours after the initial brawl, the accused returned around 12.30am in an alleged attempt to “take possession” of the club. When the locals resisted, the accused fired three rounds. A bullet hit local club member Lawrence D’Cruze on his right leg. He had to be operated upon at the CNMC Hospital.
The police have arrested all the accused — Sohail Khan alias Shahbaz , Sahnawaz Sagar alias Nawab and Md Sharekh, all residents of Elliot Lane — by Tuesday evening. Charges of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and mischief, along with sections of Arms Act, were slapped on them by the Park Street police.
Locals claimed that the accused were initially unhappy after being told not to drink alcohol in the field. “When the final match was almost over, one of the accused, Sohail, slapped the winning team goalkeeper. He claimed that his team should have won. This infuriated them,” said Md Rezaul, a local resident.
“An empty cartridge, a live cartridge, a cap and a sandal have been seized. All three accused have been arrested,” said joint CP (crime) Murlidhar Sharma.