East Midnapore20 minutes ago
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The house was completely destroyed by the explosion.
Seven people were killed in a blast at an illegal firecracker manufacturing factory at Egra in East Medinipur district of West Bengal on Tuesday. 5 people have been injured in the accident. Police said that the house where the factory was running completely collapsed. The work of making crackers was being done illegally in this house. West Bengal BJP President and MP Sukant Majumdar has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the blast incident in Agra.
CM Mamata Banerjee has announced Rs 2.5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured. Also said that a CID inquiry will be conducted into the incident. The people killed and injured in the incident were working in this factory.
Firecrackers were sent to Odisha
The police is probing whether the blast took place only because of the firecrackers kept there or the bombs were being manufactured there under the guise of a firecracker factory. Locals allege that the firecracker factory was running without permission. People say that the entire house looked like a ‘war zone’, with body parts and debris strewn all around and blood also visible in the nearby pond.
This area was adjacent to Odisha. Firecrackers made here were sent to Odisha only.
The owner fled to Odisha – Mamta
Mamata Banerjee said that the owner of the illegal firecracker unit, who was arrested in October last year for running the factory. Then he was released on bail. He has fled to the neighboring state of Odisha after Tuesday’s blast. I have asked the police to arrest him by giving his details to the Odisha Police.
He said that the panchayat under which this factory comes is headed by an independent who has the support of the BJP. Trinamool Congress workers are not allowed to come here. Even the police are not allowed to enter. The villagers attack the police.
Central force should be deployed – officer
Leader of the Opposition Shubhendu Adhikari alleged that West Bengal has become a storehouse of explosives. He has demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Governor CV Anand Bose to get the blast incident investigated by the NIA. Shubhendu has also demanded that central forces be deployed in the area immediately, as the local police may illegally remove the bodies.
past blasts
On March 20, three people were killed in a fire that broke out at a firecracker factory at Mahestla in South 24 Parganas district. In December 2022, three people were killed in a blast at a firecracker factory in Bhupatinagar in East Medinipur district