Bengal firecracker factory blast: Prime accused arrested in Odisha

Kolkata, May 18

The sleuths of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police on Thursday arrested Krishnapada Bag a.k.a Bhanu, the prime accused in the explosion at an illegal firecracker factory at Egra in East Midnapore district that claimed nine lives.

He was arrested from a private nursing home at Cuttack in Odisha, where he got admitted after getting injured in that explosion. His son, Prithvijit Bag and nephew Indrajit Bag, have also been arrested along with him.

Immediately after the blast at the illegal firecracker factory on Tuesday, Bhanu escaped along with his son and close associates. He was the former village panchayat member in the area of ruling Trinamool Congress.

State police sources said that the injuries of the arrested accused are quite serious. Although initially, the CID sleuths who arrested him thought of shifting him to the hospital in Kolkata only, the doctors attending him at the nursing home at Cuttack said that his condition is too critical for transfer.

“We have requested our counterparts in Odisha Police to depute guards at the said nursing home and keep a constant watch so that Bhanu cannot escape from the hospital under any circumstance,” a state police official said.

Already the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari has filed a public interest litigation at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court demanding National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the matter, which will be heard on Thursday only. Adhikari has requested for hearing in the matter on a fast- track basis.

The state police have faced questions on why relevant Sections under the Explosives Act have not been included in the FIR filed in the matter.

The FIR includes Sections 188 (illegal activities), 286 (negligent conduct with explosive substance) and 304 (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Sections 24 (penalty for letting off rockets), and 26 (penalty for not taking out a licence for a warehouse or workshop) of the West Bengal Fire Services Act.