Tension gripped the Kamardanga area in Howrah on Wednesday morning after eight unknown miscreants fired at a local businessman and injuring him. He is battling for life at a private nursing home in Kolkata.

The incident occurred at 7 am when Subhash Kole reached his blade factory. Within 15 minutes, eight miscreants with their faces covered came on motorbikes and entered the factory premises. They fired indiscriminately and Kole was critically injured. Eyewitnesses said they also hurled crude bombs in the factory and then fled.

Kole is an employee of the Oriental Bank of Commerce but had established himself in Sealdanga as a businessman. Locals said that apart from the blade factory, he also owns a hotel in Digha.

Recently, Kole had tried to enter the iron scrap business that is prevalent in the area. “My brother was warned by some gangs not to enter the iron scrap business,” said Praful Kole. Kole owned more than 60 shops of scrap iron in the area.

“There are some unemployed youths who are involved in the scrap iron business here. He already had a factory and a permanent job but he would not move out of the scrap iron business in spite of warnings from various groups,” said a local.

Police are suspecting a youth called Bittu in the case.

“We are investigating the matter,” said an officer.