Controlled blast of seized firecrackers by police triggers massive blast in West Bengal's Naihati

Kolkata: A massive blast rocked North 24 Parganas district’s Naihati town on Thursday amidst an attempt by local police to detonate seized firecrackers.

Officials of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate reached Naihati town to detonate the seized firecrackers but the impact was so massive that two police vehicles were damaged and houses on the other side of the river – Chuchura in Hooghly district too felt the impact.

Rooftops of houses situated a few kilometres away were damaged and glass window panes were shattered due to the impact. Infuriated locals gheraoed Chandannagore Police Commissioner Humayun Kabir who went to assess the situation.

While locals near the site of the blast were left wondering what led to the massive blast.

On reaching the spot, Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Verma said, “We are investigating the matter. We have been detonating firecrackers and explosives for the last three days. We did not face any trouble in the last two days. We will investigate what went wrong, it is difficult to comment now.”

Meanwhile, BJP leaders including state president Dilip Ghosh demanded NIA enquiry into the incident.

This apart, the West Bengal Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar took to Twitter and demanded a serious probe. “The explosion leaves nothing to the imagination. It calls for a thorough probe in view of its seriousness, intensity and damage caused. Only expert investigation can unearth issues involved. This ominous development should be an eye-opener for law enforcing and regulatory regime in State,” he wrote on Twitter.