Police face mob fury in Bengal after cracker deactivation damages houses

Two police vehicles were torched while one constable was beaten up by a mob after several houses were damaged following a loud explosion when a bomb disposal squad of the West Bengal CID was deactivating firecrackers on the banks of Ganga in Naihati in North 24 Parganas district on Thursday.

Angry locals torched two vehicles outside the Naihati police station and beat up a police constable, triggering tension in the area.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confirmed that a number of houses developed cracks due to the intensity of the explosion and promised to help the dwellers.

"I have received reports that some houses developed cracks due to the intensity of explosions that took place while bombs were being disposed in water. I can assure you that if indeed some houses have developed cracks, we will definitely help them after reviewing the situation.

"I am giving instructions to the District Magistrate in this regard. Don't be worried. If anybody suffers losses during our work, it is our responsibility to take care of that. We will do our duty, you can be rest assured," the Chief Minister said as she instructed local MLA Partha Bhowmick to visit the affected area.

Over the past few days, the police have been raiding illegal firecracker factories and seizing crackers and explosives following the death of four persons at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Naihati last week.

On Thursday, when the Criminal Investigation Department's (CID) bomb squad was deactivating the crackers at Ramghat on the banks of Ganga, there was a loud explosion leading to thick smoke filling the horizon over a large area.

"The entire area shook. The window panes of a number of houses were shattered. Some houses also developed cracks," said an eyewitness.

The locals, who had been asking the police not to deactivate the bombs so close to thickly populated areas, then went berserk and torched the vehicles of the security personnel.

"I would like to ask the police how can they carry out such explosions in an unplanned way when there are so many thickly populated areas around," said a youth.IANS