Deadly Explosion at Fireworks Stockpile in Duttapukur Village Claims Eight Lives

An explosion tore through a hoard of fireworks in Duttapukur's Mojpole-Paschimpara village, North 24-Parganas, resulting in the sad loss of eight lives on a Sunday morning. This event happened just three months after a similar blast took twelve lives in an illegal fireworks plant in Egra, East Midnapore.

Emergency services, alongside the cops, managed to collect six burned bodies from a house working as a stockyard. Additionally, a person severely hurt in the blast passed away at the Barasat State General Hospital. Unfortunately, the names of the dead workers remain unknown.

Samsur Ali, the 50-year-old owner of the house and a motor van operator, who was seriously hurt when the building fell, also died to his injuries at the same hospital.

The blast caused injuries on at least eight more people, including a woman and two boys aged eight and 14. They were struck by debris as they were passing near the blast site.

However, the exact death toll was not quickly ascertainable. Barasat district police chief Bhaskar Mukherjee and North 24-Parganas district judge Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, who visited the scene, were unable to provide a correct count.

Mukherjee stated, "We are thoroughly combing the blast spot and adjacent places, and clearing the debris to trace victims, if any, to give a comprehensive figure later."

The strength of the blast led to the total fall of the single-story building where it started, causing major damage to about a dozen nearby houses. Disturbingly, cut body parts of workers were found on roofs close by.

Relatives of the house owner revealed that approximately a year ago, he had rented a room in his house to two traders, Keramat Seikh and Jiyat (last name unknown), who utilized the space as a stockyard for finished fireworks and explosive materials. They also built manufacturing units in his neighboring garden for the fireworks plant. Villagers from the village were hired by these sellers to make the explosive mixture into fireworks from their homes.

Both Keramat and Jiyat are currently fleeing law enforcement.

This event incited anger among the locals, leading to fights with the cops. The locals accused the police of having links with the sellers, claiming that despite repeated pleas for closure, the illegal unit was allowed to operate. The locals also damaged a car owned by a brick kiln operator, fearing his participation in bomb-making after explosives were found in the kiln.

The exact reason of the blast remains unclear. Sources say that around 10 am, an explosion happened when workers were moving dangerous chemicals into small bags for delivery. The blast made a loud sound and resulting in the fall of the house, followed by thick smoke.

Following the Egra blast, the people of Duttapukur had voiced worries about a similar catastrophe. Despite complaints from locals about the use of the house and garden for keeping and handling explosives, the sellers promised them of safety.

Hafizul Islam, Samsur's nephew, claimed, "After the Egra blast, we were scared. So when we found Keramat and Jiyat were using Samsur’s home and garden to stock and process explosives, we protested. But the duo assured us of safety."

Recent complaints from local Trinamul workers erupted when they found bombs in the house. Despite warning the cops, no action was taken. Local sources showed that Keramat and Jiyat had hired at least ten local and Murshidabad workers to work in Samsur's garden.

Rathin Ghosh, a local Trinamul MLA and food minister, claimed that the local ISF leadership had placed a substantial explosives order, forcing the traders to hire workers from Murshidabad. Ghosh, claiming ignorance about the unit, said, "I came to know about it now, and also that an ISF leader had given an order since they won a seat in the local panchayat."

ISF MLA Nawsad Siddique denied the claims, claiming that his party placed an order and called for an NIA probe. Local Trinamul workers rejected Ghosh's claim, claiming that he was aware of the situation and that the ISF's participation came much later.