Two people have been killed and three injured in an bomb explosion which took place in West Bengal's Kankinara area (North 24 Parganas) on Monday, 10 June, news agency ANI reported.
“Unidentified miscreants lobbed a crude bomb last night. We are scared. There have also been robberies in the area. We demand the administration to help us,” locals said, according to ANI.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The incident took place on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday at about 1 am in Baruipara, which is part of the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.
The deceased have been identified as Mohammed Mukhtar and Mohammed Halim, the police said.
According to NDTV, 68-year-old Mukhtar was sitting outside with some family members and neighbours in Baruipara when the attack happened.
“Halim died on the spot while Mukhtar succumbed at the hospital. Mukhtar’s critically injured wife is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital along with two others,” a senior police officer said.
TMC AND BJP’S CONTRADICTORY CLAIMS
The TMC claimed that the victims were party supporters and were targeted by miscreants hired by the BJP, a charge which the saffron party has denied.
State minister and TMC's district president Jyotipriya Mallick alleged that the victims were targeted by the miscreants because they had voted for the TMC in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.
BJP MP of Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency Arjun Singh, however, dismissed the allegations saying that the incident was part of a family feud and has no connection to politics.
WHAT ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN?
A number of policemen along with RAF personnel have been deployed in the area.
When contacted, state ADG (Law and Order) Gyanwant Singh said that he was collecting detailed information about the incident.
Three people have been arrested for alleged involvement in the incident, the police added.
Reports of violence have been coming out of Kankinara since the Lok Sabha elections last month, with clashes reportedly taking place between BJP and TMC workers.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI and NDTV)
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