Blast in Bangaon public toilet kills 11-year-old, 2 arrested

The victim lived near Buxipally. According to reports, the incident occurred when the boy went to the public toilet.

Apparently, bombs stored in the public toilet at Buxipally went off, an officer said. (representational photo)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

An 11-year-old boy died after a blast inside a public toilet on Monday morning in Bakshipalli area of Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district, police said. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, they added.

The victim lived near Buxipally. According to reports, the incident occurred when the boy went to the public toilet. Locals said the door of the toilet also broke due to the impact of the blast. After the explosion, the teenager was rushed to the hospital but he was declared brought dead. Sources said there were bombs stored in the public toilet and the explosion occurred after they went off. Police said they have arrested two persons – Bappa Biswas and Asit Adhikari – in the case. It is being investigated whether anyone else is behind the explosion or not, they said.

Meanwhile, the BJP attacked the ruling TMC and said the state was standing on a ‘pile of gunpowder’. Bangaon North BJP MLA Ashok Kirtanya said, “The whole of West Bengal is standing on a pile of gunpowder. Earlier, during the general elections, we used to hear about bombs being stored in all the booths of Bangaon. Now, it is a routine affair.”

Story continues below this ad

BJP’s state chief Sukanta Manjumdar said, “The TMC and Mamata Banerjee’s development works have reached toilets too. Will Mamata Banerjee take the responsibility for the death?” The TMC, on the other hand, has blamed the BJP for the incident and demanded a probe. Bangaon Municipality chairman and TMC leader Gopal Seth said, “We want a high-level investigation into this incident. The BJP is behind it. They are shaken by the rising popularity of Abhishek Banerjee.”

The blast comes weeks after an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in Purba Medinipur’s Egra town killed 11 on May 16. Following the incident, the West Bengal police had launched a state-wide crackdown on illegal firecracker units.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
West Bengal