A nine-year-old boy suffered critical burn injuries on his legs after a crude bomb hidden inside a container exploded while he was playing in Murshidabad on Wednesday morning.
On the same day, a gram panchayat chief in Deganga, North 24-Parganas, narrowly escaped a fatal attack after spotting a crude bomb placed at his doorstep, disguised inside a sweet box.
The two incidents have raised serious concerns over police surveillance as stockpiles of crude bombs continue to surface across the state, claiming multiple threats and injuries.
Police said the injured boy, Shafiqur Rahman, mistook the bomb for a toy while visiting his grandfather’s house in Bahra village under Berhampore police station.
While playing near a canal, he discovered a small bag containing two ball-like objects.
Unaware of the danger, he brought them home and showed them to his grandmother, Manowara Bibi.
As the bag accidentally struck a bamboo post in the courtyard, an explosion occurred, leaving both severely injured.
Shafiqur’s legs were completely burnt, and his grandmother sustained severe burns on her hands and legs. Neighbours rushed to the scene after hearing the blast and took them to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Berhampore.
Police have launched an investigation to determine who planted the bomb, though no significant leads have emerged so far.
“A case has been registered, and investigations are underway. Anti-social elements are leaving bombs in random places to evade police raids,” said Uday Shankar Ghosh, IC of Berhampur police station.
In the second incident in Deganga, unidentified miscreants left a crude bomb at the doorstep of panchayat pradhan Bappa Mondal, sparking panic in the area. His mother discovered a packet, appearing to be a box of sweets, while collecting flowers in the morning. On closer inspection, they found a bomb inside the packet.
“Mother had gone up in the morning to pick flowers when she saw the sweet packet on the steps of the house. There was a bomb inside!” Mondal said. He immediately alerted the police, who have begun an investigation into the motive and identity of the perpetrators.The incident has left the neighbourhood on the edge, though Mondal remains baffled.
“I have no enemy. I don’t understand who did this,” he said.