On Saturday, June 24, the police arrested five people including Congress Panchayat candidate Chamatkar Singh from a house in West Bengal’s Birbhum district where crude bombs were allegedly being made. The development came as West Bengal gears up for the panchayat polls on July 8.
Chamatkar Shiekh is a Congress candidate in Hasan-II panchayat. The other arrested was the owner of the house Sheikh Tom and Ghiyasuddin Sheikh, Duke Sheikh and Anarul Sheikh, police said.
The crude bomb was discovered when the police conducted a midnight raid at a house in Bahirgora village in the Margram police station area based on a tip-off. The police claimed that the crude bombs were being made on the rooftop of the house.
The police said that along with several crude bombs, they seized materials that were being used to make them. The police have registered a case and an investigation into the matter is underway.
Crude bomb blast in Murshidabad
According to the police, a crude bomb blast occurred on Saturday at a mango orchard in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, resulting in one death and three injuries.
West Bengal has become a hub of crude bomb-making, with the involvement of TMC goons
A report by Indian Express reported that the Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal has become the hub for the ‘crude bomb’ cottage industry and children in the poor and marginalised areas of the State are paying the price for it.
The newspaper interviewed the families of 24 victims, who had either lost their lives in crude bomb attacks or been gravely injured between 2021 and 2022. The incidents took place across 5 districts of West Bengal, namely, North 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Birbhum, Malda, and South 24 Parganas.
Bomb-making has become a profitable business due to the easy accessibility and procurement of raw materials. Crude bombs, such as the commonly used “Peto” and “Lal Sada,” are priced at an average of just over ₹150 in rural areas, making them a cost-effective choice for criminal activities.