A councillor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) allegedly shot and injured a bus owner over a trivial matter in the capital's Darussalam area early yesterday. 

Mohammad Shamim, brother of the victim, alleged that his brother Mohammad Shahjahan sustained bullet injuries around 12:30am when Abu Taher, councillor of Ward-10, fired three shots from a pistol.

Taher was intoxicated at the time of the incident, Shamim also claimed.  

Shahjahan was transferred to Trauma Centre after receiving treatment at Pongu Hospital (National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation).

Shamim filed a case with Darussalam Police Station accusing the councillor. 

Police claimed that the councillor was on the run.

When contacted, Taher however said he was staying at home and he was not involved in the incident. 

Giving an account of the incident, Shamim told The Daily Star that the councillor arrived in Baidyartec area with a pistol around 12:15am when his brother was collecting daily payment from the driver of his bus that was parked on the roadside.

The driver and helper fled the scene after Taher threatened to open fire on them for parking the bus there. At one stage, the councillor shot and injured Shahjahan, Shamim said quoting his brother. 

Rebutting the allegation, Taher told The Daily Star that he found out about the incident in the morning.

 “Being aware of the allegation and filing of the case, I surrendered my pistol and bullets to police with the help of my wife,” he claimed.

Contradicting Taher's claim, Fakhrul Alam, inspector (investigation) of Darussalam Police Station, said they recovered the licensed firearm along with 50 rounds of bullets after they raided the councillor's house.

 “The councillor is on the run and police are trying to arrest him,” he also said.