Violence ahead of Bengal polls: Boy killed in Bardhaman blast; TMC man dead in Jhargram

Purba Bardhaman SP Bhaskar Mukherjee told The Indian Express, “The intensity of the blast, or what kind of bomb it was, will be probed by a forensic team…. The kids thought it was a ball, and they started playing with it, and it went off.”

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mentioned the incident at a public rally in Bankura.

Union Minister Babul Supriyo, who is the BJP candidate from Tollygunge in Kolkata, accused the TMC of running units manufacturing crude bombs. “What do you expect from a party that has made ‘khela hobe [the game is on]’ its election slogan? ‘Khela hobe’ is a hidden threat.”

TMC MP Saugata Roy condemned the incident, and hit out at the BJP. “It is a very unfortunate incident. Law and order are in the hands of the Election Commission. They should immediately apprehend those responsible….”

Meanwhile, police said four people had been arrested in connection with the death of TMC worker Durga Soren in Jhargram on Sunday night.

Though the police have yet to ascertain the exact cause of death, prima facie it is suspected that he was beaten to death.

TMC leader Debangshu Bhattacharya told The Indian Express, “Some BJP people passed comment on his wife; when he protested he was beaten up brutally… Local police are acting at the behest of the BJP.”

The BJP leadership, however, dismissed the allegation and said it had nothing to do with the incident.

In a separate incident, the house of an Indian Secular Front (ISF) leader was set on fire in Shapa in South 24 Parganas district’s Bhangor area on Sunday night. Molla has alleged the TMC carried out the attack.

BJP won’t fulfil promise of free ration: Mamata

Kolkata: A day after the BJP released its West Bengal Assembly election manifesto, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the saffron party of making a false promise of supplying free ration and said they would “never fulfil it”. “The BJP has made a false promise of free ration. They will never fulfil it. BJP goons will come to your house and will seek votes. Be ready with household utensils to chase away such people if they try to force you or threaten you,” Banerjee said at a rally in Bankura district. ENS