Kolkata: At least three people have been killed in a bomb blast at a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader’s home in West Bengal’s East Medinipur. The blast took place around 40 kms from Contai in East Midnapore, the venue of senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s scheduled rally in the district today. The blast occurred in Naryabila village in Bhagabanpur Block 2 under Bhupatinagar Police Station.
The blast was reported at a Trinamool Congress booth president’s house in Naryabila village around 11.15 pm on Friday. The house was also damaged due to the explosion, officials said.
“The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained and further investigation is underway but the impact was so powerful that the mud house with a thatched roof was blown off in the incident,” a senior police officer said, according to news agency PTI.
The BJP has alleged that country-made bombs were being prepared at the Trinamool leader’s home. Reacting to the development, BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh said that “only bomb-making industry is flourishing in the state”.
Senior CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty questioned why was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee silent on such incidents and demanded a statement from her.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said it is very easy for the opposition to blame the ruling party in West Bengal without any evidence.
Panchayat elections are due in West Bengal early next year and the police have launched combing operations across the state resulting in recoveries of country-made bombs and weapons across the state before the elections.
The ruling TMC says Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered the police to ensure peaceful elections.
The last panchayat elections in 2018 was marred by large scale violence in the stte. While the ruling TMC had swept the elections, the BJP emerged as number 2 in those elections displacing the Left and Congress as the principal opposition parties in West Bengal.
