Bomb goes off near Bengal BJP MP’s home day after MHA orders NIA probe
Officers from Bhatpara police station said Tuesday’s bomb was lying near a wall. “Nobody threw the bomb. There was no injury,” an officer said on condition of anonymity
A crude bomb went off near the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Arjun Singh around 9am on Tuesday at Bhatpara in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. This happened a day after the Union home ministry asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the September 8 bomb attack outside the lawmaker’s home.
Officers from Bhatpara police station said Tuesday’s bomb was lying near a wall. “Nobody threw the bomb. There was no injury,” an officer said on condition of anonymity.
“The repeated attacks have exposed the inefficiency of the police. There is no sign of law and order,” said MP’s son and BJP legislator from Bhatpara, Pawan Singh.
Singh, who left the Trinamool Congress (TMC) prior to the 2019 polls, represents the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency which has come to be known for killings and political clashes in the last two years.
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“Arjun Singh planned Tuesday’s explosion to stay politically relevant. His men are experts in making bombs,” said Partha Bhowmick, the TMC legislator from the district’s Naihati constituency.
On September 8, at least three crude bombs were hurled by miscreants outside Singh’s residence. Eyewitnesses told the police that two bombs hit the main gate while a third landed inside the premises. The MP was not at home and no one was injured. He alleged that it was an attempt to kill him and his son. Police arrested two people in this connection.
“The real culprits went scot free,” Singh told HT on Monday evening while reacting to the MHA’s decision. He is the BJP’s observer for the Bhawanipore bypolls in Kolkata where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting.