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, reported Indian Express.

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.

The Case of Mahesh and Nikhil

The Indian Express pointed out the case of an 11-year-old child named Mahesh Shaw, whose left palm was severely injured after mistaking a crude bomb for a toy box.

He was accompanied by a friend, an 8-year-old Nikhil Paswan, who died in the blast. Mahesh was lucky to survive but his left palm had to be amputated. The incident took place in October last year in Kankinara in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

While recounting his ordeal, Mahesh said, “It was a day after Diwali. Nikhil and I went to play in the field near the railway tracks. We found two small metal boxes, both taped, with a cross on top. Nikhil handed one to me. As I tried to open it, there was a blast. My hand was shattered and before I ran, I saw Nikhil fall to the ground.”

“Sometimes it hurts a lot. I can’t go to school or even take a bath on my own,” he said although it has been more than 7 months since the incident. Mahesh’s father works as a ferrywala and his mother at a local hosiery factory. Although the medical bill was initially paid for Trinamool Congress leaders, his family has not received any compensation so far.

“My son’s life is destroyed,” the father of the 11-year-old recounted. A bigger tragedy befell the family of 8-year-old Nikhil Paswan, who died in the blast. The deceased’s mother, Kusum Paswan, refuses to return home to avoid being reminded of the horror of losing her son.

Reportedly, the police later seized 60 crude bombs from the area. They had also arrested 4 people in connection to the case, who were later released on bail.

The death of Sheikh Arboz and Sheikh Nasirul

In Rasikpur, a village in Burdwan, tragedy struck on March 22, 2021, when seven-year-old Sheikh Abroz lost his life. According to the police and his grieving parents, Abroz innocently picked up a jute-wrapped object in a neighbourhood garden, mistaking it for a ball.

The object turned out to be a crude bomb, resulting in a fatal explosion. Abroz’s friend, Sheikh Ibrahim (8), was also injured in the blast. Abroz’s devastated mother, Sania Bibi, expressed her anguish over the loss of her son and criticized the state government for providing a meagre compensation of ₹2 lahks for the life of her child.

While speaking about the matter to The Indian Express, she said, “I asked my son to get some soil from the garden to use in our mud house. He went out and I heard a loud noise. A part of his face and his hands were blown away. He was declared dead at Burdwan Hospital. A case has been filed with the police, but no arrests have been made so far in connection to the case.

In Birbhum, a district in West Bengal, Sheikh Nasirul (11) tragically lost his life on May 27, 2021, when he stumbled upon a shiny metal box while walking with his grandfather along a canal.

Without realising the danger, Nasirul picked up the box, which exploded instantly, resulting in his death. His grandfather, Sheikh Jamir, expressed his grief and regret, stating that he wished he had been the one to pick up the object instead. The family did not file a complaint due to fears of harassment by the local police.

Other cases of crude bomb injuries and fatalities

In an incident dated December 7, 2022, two children namely Muhammed Afroz (8) and Muhammed Wasif(15) were injured in the Karbalay area after they mistakenly threw a crude bomb lying around into a makeshift bonfire.

“It was cold and we lit a small fire. From a garbage dump, we found a round object and threw it in the flames. There was an explosion. I got hurt in my legs, and my friend (Afroz) also got hurt badly,” Wasif told The Indian Express. Five people were arrested but were soon released on bail.

Similar incidents have occurred in different districts of West Bengal, leaving a trail of grief and fear. In Atghora village, Narendrapur, five children under the age of 14 were injured when two unidentified men lobbed crude bombs on October 28 last year.

Laltu Adhya (12), one of the injured children, described the horrifying experience of hearing two loud explosions while playing in a field. Shuvajit Saha (9), Mithun Saha (11), Polu Saha (6), Bikram Saha (11), and Raihan Sheikh (10) suffered splinter injuries in a crude bomb blast that occurred in Gopalnagar on November 25, 2022.

Shuvajit’s mother, Mukti Saha, expressed her disappointment, stating that despite the considerable expenses incurred for her son’s treatment, they have not received any financial support.

Involvement of Trinamool Congress workers and supporters

In another case, a 10-year-old girl named Sohana Khatun died after picking up a crude bomb that she found on the terrace of her uncle’s home in Bakchora village. Her friend, Rahima Pravin was gravely injured during the incident.

Interestingly, the uncle of the deceased was identified as a Trinamool Congress worker named Abu Hossain Gayen. While speaking about the matter, panchayat Up-pradhan Abdul Hamid said, “It was a very unfortunate incident. Some of our party workers are engaged in such anti-social things.”

In August 2020, Opindia reported how a TMC worker named Humayun Kabir died while making crude bombs on the roof of his house in the Shamshergunj area in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

In another case from the same year, the Bhagwanpur police recovered 153 crude bombs from the backyard of one Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter named Sheikh Kasemuddin in Lalpur village of East Midnapore District in West Bengal. Four people were arrested in connection with the case.

There have also been reports about two factions of TMC workers, hurling bombs at each other, in Balundi village in Arambagh municipality in Hooghly district of West Bengal.

Political Reaction to the crude bomb menace in West Bengal

While speaking about the matter to The Indian Express, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Jayprakash Majumdar claimed that the crude bomb related-injuries and fatalities in West Bengal were a ‘heinous and morbid conspiracy’ to somehow tarnish the image of the State.

BJP leader Dilip Ghosh informed, “Bombs are being stockpiled here and there and children are being killed or injured while playing. What’s more unfortunate is that the administration has no qualms about it. Earlier, arms were coming to West Bengal from Bihar’s Munger, but now they are being manufactured here itself.”

Sujan Chakraborty, the leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), remarked, “(TMC is) giving a free hand to criminals so they can grab political power and loot people’s money. In this situation, it is obvious such a thing is happening”.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stated, “The response of the state towards such incidents has been very irresponsible — they are unapproachable and try to manipulate facts.”

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has cried foul and rejected the accusations levelled against them. In its editorial, The Indian Express noted that the rot began during the four decades of Communist rule in West Bengal.

“This was accompanied by violence becoming the everyday currency of exchange between the cadres of the ruling and opposition parties. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, instead of charting out a different path, has become part of the problem,” it noted.