17-year-old boy dies in crude bomb explosion during clash, 5 arrested

According to police, a clash broke out between TMC and ISF workers on Tuesday night with both sides allegedly hurling crude bombs at each other. A senior North 24 Parganas police officer said the youth died after a crude bomb exploded near him while another person sustained injuries. “Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. We are investigating the matter,” said the officer.

The incident comes hours after the West Bengal Director General of Police Manoj Malviya claimed that the law and order situation in the state was “under control”.  “The law and order in the state is under control… It isn’t right to say that widespread violence is taking place ahead of the (July 8) panchayat polls. Isolated incidents occur even when elections are not held,” the DGP had said on Tuesday.

“Do you think the state’s law-and-order situation has gone out of control? One or two incidents have happened and prompt action was taken against it. We also have got orders from the highest level to take stringent action against any such incident. After the elections, we will provide figures to show whether incidents of violence have increased or decreased,” he had added.