Kolkata: A woman in her early 30s is in critical condition after being allegedly shot by her husband in Naihati, North 24 Parganas (Near Kolkata), late on Sunday. The shooting occurred following a heated argument between the couple over watching a Bengali movie at a local cinema. The woman, identified as Chandralekha Ghosh, reportedly left the cinema midway and returned home, where the argument escalated.
Chandralekha sustained gunshot wounds to her chest, hand, and leg, and was rushed to a private hospital in Barrackpore, where she underwent surgery to remove the bullets. Her condition remains serious. Her husband, Mahendra Pratap Ghosh, a real estate agent, has been arrested and charged with the shooting. Police have seized the revolver, which was licensed to Mahendra, and he has been remanded in five days’ police custody. Authorities confirmed that at least three shots were fired, as per a report by TOI.
According to police sources, Mahendra, a resident of Rajendrapur in Naihati, and Chandralekha, who lived in Sodepur, had been married for nearly two years. Their relationship had been troubled, with frequent arguments. The altercation on Sunday began when Mahendra insisted that Chandralekha accompany him to a cinema for a 4:00 pm show of a recently released Bengali film featuring his favourite actor. Despite initially refusing, Chandralekha eventually agreed to go. However, tensions between them continued during the movie, leading her to leave midway during the interval around 6:00 pm and return home. Mahendra finished the film and arrived back home at approximately 7:15 pm, where the couple’s argument escalated, culminating in the shooting around 8:00 pm.
While police have stated that the shooting occurred following a heated argument, Mahendra Pratap has told authorities that the gun discharged accidentally while he was cleaning it. Chandralekha’s uncle, Bablu Ghosh, also supported this claim, stating that there had been no argument and that the gun went off accidentally. According to Bablu, after the first shot, two more rounds were fired when the revolver was dropped in panic, causing the injuries.