Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday warned criminals and people possessing illegal firearms to leave the state, following the killing of Ratan Sheikh, the prime accused in the Santiniketan shooting case, in a police encounter in Birbhum district.

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Speaking to ANI, Adhikari said Sheikh had opened fire at police personnel who were attempting to arrest him, prompting them to take action.

“He shot at the police, and the police did what needed to be done on the spot. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this. There is no place for goons and rapists in West Bengal. Even now, whatever remaining goons and those with illegal arms are left, flee from here; leave immediately. There is no place for them here,” the Chief Minister said.

Sheikh was allegedly involved in a shooting incident in Santiniketan and had been absconding after firing at a police team attempting to apprehend him on Friday. He was killed in an encounter in Nanoor on Sunday.

West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul backed the police action, saying that those who attack law enforcement personnel or threaten public order would not be spared.

Calling it a law and order matter, Paul said the police were best placed to explain the circumstances of the encounter. She also referred to the Chief Minister's statement that Sheikh had 36 criminal cases against him.

Sheikh had allegedly shot at a police personnel two days earlier, leaving the constable hospitalised and fighting for his life, she said.

“Any rapist, any rioter, anybody who plays with the lives of the people of Bengal will not be spared. Whichever party you are, whichever religion you belong to, if you play with law and order, you will not be spared in this government,” Paul told reporters.

State Minister Umesh Rai also defended the police, saying the government had adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards rape and hooliganism.

“West Bengal is changing. Earlier, we saw the police coming out into the field to protect rapists. That government is no longer in power. The Chief Minister has made it clear that we have zero tolerance for rape and hooliganism. If anyone opens fire on the police, the police will not shower flower petals on them; they will do what needs to be done,” Rai said.

Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee described the encounter as an act of self-defence, adding that the police had acted to maintain law and order. He also praised the personnel involved in the operation.

Sheikh had secured bail in a robbery case and returned to the area last Friday. He later went to a bus stand to meet another alleged criminal.

On Friday evening, three police personnel went to the banyan tree area near Layek Bazar in Bolpur to arrest him. However, Sheikh allegedly opened fire after spotting the team, injuring Constable Biswajit Das in his left leg.

Sheikh fled after the shooting and remained absconding. The injured constable was taken to Bardhaman Medical College and Hospital, where Adhikari later visited him. Doctors said Das was in stable condition.

The encounter in Nanoor marks the fifth such incident since the change of government in West Bengal.

With ANI inputs