Contai (WB): At least three people were killed and several others injured in a blast near the venue of senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee’s rally in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place in Block 2 of Arjunnagar in Bhupatinagar area, 1.5 km from Contai town where TMC national general secretary Banerjee’s public meeting venue, a police officer said.
“The blast was reported in a house around 11.15 pm on Friday and three bodies were recovered on Saturday morning. A few others are injured. The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained and further investigation is underway.
“The impact was so powerful that the mud house with a thatched roof was blown off in the incident,” the senior officer of Bhupatinagar Police Station said.
The three deceased were identified as Rajkumar Manna, who is reportedly a TMC worker, Debkumar Manna and Biswajit Gayen, he said.
A forensic team later reached the spot and collected samples and a huge police team was deployed there.
BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh held the TMC responsible for the incident and said that “only bomb-making industry is flourishing in the state”.
Senior CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty questioned why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was silent on such incidents and demanded a statement from her.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said it is very easy for the opposition to blame the ruling party in West Bengal without any evidence.
—PTI

Press Trust of India