West Bengal: 5 children injured in explosion after mistaking crude bomb for a cricket ball

In a shocking incident, five children were left severely injured in an explosion in West Bengal's Malda on Sunday, April 24, after they mistook a crude bomb for a playing ball. The children have been admitted to the Malda Medical College Hospital. Sources said that the children mistook the bomb for a cricket ball and started playing with it when it exploded. Police have initiated an investigation to find out who planted the bomb. 

According to the police, the five injured children, namely Bikram Saha (6), Shubhajit Saha (9), Mithun Saha (10), Subal Saha (8) and Raihan Sheikh (4), are residents of Gopalnagar village. Locals alleged that the bomb may have been planted as part of a larger sabotage operation. Gopalganj police are investigating whether more bombs have been hidden in the surrounding area.

Police said they are investigating to find who kept the bomb underneath a litchi tree beside the local mosque. Superintendent of Police Amitava Maiti said that the police have cordoned off the area.

Earlier this month, a similar incident had taken place when 20 country-made bombs were found in the Nanoor area in West Bengal's Birbhum district. The bombs were found being stored inside a bucket. Notably, the bombs were found in an area that is not far from the village which saw the horrific killings of nine people on March 21. Upon preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the bombs were freshly made and the police are now probing the case.

Birbhum violence

The Birbhum violence was triggered by the murder of local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. The houses of the victims were burnt. They were reportedly beaten before being burnt to death on 22 March 2022. The incident resulted in the killing of 9 people including two children.

After the horrific killing, the Bharatiya Janata Party sent a fact-finding mission to the Rampurhat area, where the incident took place. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also visited the locals and announced a compensation package and jobs to the immediate kin of the victims.