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Bengal blast toll rises to nine, two cops suspended
Another severed body was recovered from various places near the explosion site in North 24 Parganas district taking the toll to nine
Kolkata The toll in the blast at an “illegal firecracker” factory in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal rose to nine with recovery of one more body, police said on Monday, adding that seven people are still admitted in the hospital.
One person was arrested in connection with the explosion that took place at the facility in Duttapukur on Sunday morning, a senior police officer said, adding two police personnel have also suspended for “negligence of duty”.
“While a forensic team reached the blast spot on Sunday night, two more teams reached there on Monday to collect samples. We are waiting for the report,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.
To be sure, what the local administration calls firecracker units have long been suspected to be crude bomb factories. During the panchayat polls held earlier this year, police recovered large numbers of crude bombs that were used during political clashes that left 18 dead on the polling day and more the 55 since elections were declared on June 8.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered against four people under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Explosive Substances Act. Three of the four accused, including the owner of the illegal factory and his son, were killed in the explosion.
The arrested accused is suspected to be the partner of the owner of the illegal factory, where local villagers and some political leaders have claimed that crude bombs were being made in the garb of firecrackers.
“Preliminary investigations, however, have not revealed anything to suggest that crude bombs were being made there,” the senior officer cited above said. “We are waiting for the forensic report to come to a conclusion.”
Police have seized huge amounts of firecrackers from the area. During the searches, police also recovered dozens of glass test tubes, beakers containing chemicals and drums filled with powders from a brick kiln in the area, the officer added.
The explosion, which took place around 8.30am on Sunday, was so intense that severed limbs and other body parts of victims were scattered as far as 100 metres from the spot. Several houses in the neighbourhood were also damaged in the incident, police said.
On Monday, a severed body was recovered from various places near the explosion site, another officer said.
Following the incident, senior officers of the state police on Monday held a meeting with district police officers over the issue of illegal firecracker units. The officer in-charge of Nilganj police outpost and inspector in-charge of Duttapukur police station were suspended on charges of negligence of duty.
Local villagers alleged that even though the police were informed about the illegal unit much earlier, no actions were taken. “There were suspicious movement of vehicles every night. Sacks and boxes were loaded and unloaded. The police were informed but they did nothing,” said a local resident, declining to be named.
The incident led to a political slugfest, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and demanding a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident.
“Before all the evidence is destroyed, the state government must immediately hand over the probe to NIA,” leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari told reporters. “Huge amounts of explosives were stored in the house. We have already moved the Calcutta high court seeking a probe by NIA. Several houses have been damaged.”
Meanwhile, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday warned a “section of police officers” for not taking action against illegal activities.
“Some people are engaged in illegal activities, and a few police personnel are supporting this. The majority of policemen are doing their duty with utmost sincerity, but some are helping such people,” Banerjee said while addressing a political rally in Kolkata. “I don’t want to go into details as to what the local police stations are doing. We are keeping a watch.”
The TMC chief also urged those involved in the firecracker industry to start manufacturing green firecrackers. “What is the problem in producing green firecrackers? Maybe the profit is a bit less, but it is much safer and environment-friendly,” she added.
