The same location in Barrackpore saw the recovery of a second unexploded crude bomb by police and the bomb disposal team of the Criminal Investigation Department.
On Tuesday morning, around 35 kilometres north of Kolkata, a country-made bomb that two young boys believed to be a ball detonated, killing one and gravely injuring the other.
The injured child was treated at the Bhatpara States General Hospital before being transferred to the Calcutta Medical College.
Police and the bomb disposal team from the Criminal Investigation Department discovered another unexploded crude device nearby.
By the railroad lines, they concealed the bombs under a bush.
“The incident happened around 6:30 am and 7am on Tuesday. Locals said that two children were playing when the bomb exploded. They mistook the bomb as a ball. The police have started an investigation,” said a senior official of the Government Railway Police (GRP) from Naihati.
“My grandson woke up in the morning and went out to play along the railway tracks. As it was Kali Puja last night, he and his friend were trying to find out if there were any unburnt firecrackers which they may use later today. I ripped apart his hand in the explosion,” said the injured child’s grandmother.
Several locations, including Kakinada, Bhatpara, and Jagatdal in the Lok Sabha district of Barrackpore, are included in the town’s industrial belt.
Political squabbles between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Trinomul Congress have frequently made headlines regarding them.
Earlier this year, Arjun Singh, a BJP state representative from Barrackpore, switched to the TMC.
He had joined the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In September 2021, bombs were also thrown at Singh’s house.
In October 2020, Manish Shukla, a close friend and assistant, was tragically shot.
The incident on Tuesday sparked a political battle, with the TMC in charge of the state being accused by the BJP of failing to uphold law and order.
“Once can find bombs and firearms across West Bengal now. Once these were manufactured at Munger in Bihar, but now they are done here. All these will be used during the 2023 panchayat elections to silence the opposition. This proves how bloody the election could be,” said Sukanta Majumdar, BJP state president.
“There are rumours that Majumdar may not continue as the state BJP president for long, hence he is making such statements for limelight. The police are investigating. The number of such incidents have dropped over time in that area,” said Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson.