05-07-2025
1 killed, 3 injured in crude bomb blasts in Bengal; TMC leader says devices were meant to target him, party offices
One person died and three others were critically injured in crude bomb blasts in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman on Friday night, the police said, adding that they have cordoned off the blast site and are investigating the materials used in making the devices.
Following the incident, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Rabindranath Chatterjee alleged that the crude bombs were being made to target him and other party leaders, and claimed that a suspended party leader was behind it.
The deceased has been identified as Barkat Sheikh, while the injured are Sheikh Toofan Chowdhury, Ibrahim Sheikh, and Safiq Mondol. They were taken to Katwa sub-divisional hospital. Officer said Chowdhury is a notorious criminal who was recently released from jail.
According to the police, the blasts took place in an abandoned house at around 9 pm at Rajour village in the district's Katwa region. 'The police is on the spot and we have stated an investigation,' Kashinath Mishra, Sub-divisional Police officer (SDPO), Katwa, told reporters.
Prima facie, it appears that people were making crude bombs in an abandoned house in the village which blew up, officers said. The roof of the house was damaged in the impact of the explosion.
Reacting to the blasts, TMC's Purba Bardhaman district president Rabindranath Chatterjee said, 'They were planning to kill me and the others. Jangal Sheikh is behind all this. Toofan Chowdhury works for him,' he told media persons.
Suspended TMC leader Jangal Sheikh is the former councillor of Ward 13 in Katwa municipality. He was arrested in 2015 in a murder case and is presently in jail.
'They were making and stockpiling crude bombs which would have been used to attack our party offices in the region. They also planned to start illegal sand mining in the area,' Chatterjee claimed.
Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting.
Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
