The victory celebrations of the Trinamool nominee from Nadia’s Kaliganj Assembly seat allegedly took the life of a child on Monday afternoon keeping intact Bengal’s record of election-related death and blood-spilling.

Kaliganj candidate Alifa Ahmed won the bypoll by 50,049 votes bagging over one lakh votes.

A class IV student in a local school, Tamanna Khatun was on her way home when splinters from a bomb allegedly hurled at a CPM supporter’s residence hit the child in Kaliganj’s Melendi.

A bleeding Tamanna was rushed to a nearby health centre but succumbed on the way.

Police have so far arrested one person in connection with the incident. The accused has been identified as Aftab Sheikh.

“Today, a 13-year old girl succumbed to her injuries sustained from an explosion is Kaliganj police station area of Krishnagar police district. We shall spare no stones unturned to nab the culprits who were behind the incident. Raids are on in full swing to arrest those responsible for this extremely unfortunate death,” the West Bengal Police said.

Despite chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s assurance of a swift probe, the Trinamool and the BJP blamed each other for the death.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened at the death of a young girl in an explosion at Barochandgar in Krishnagar police district. My prayers and thoughts are with the family in their hour of grief. Police shall take strong and decisive legal action against the culprits at the earliest,” wrote the chief minister on her X handle.

Referring to the explosion, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya said, the death was the blood price of Mamata Banerjee’s violent, vote-bank driven politics.

“West Bengal has no law and order left. Mamata Banerjee, ironically the state’s home minister, has failed spectacularly as an administrator. Worse, she fuels radicalised politics to polarise and retain her Muslim vote bank – only for innocent children like Tamanna to pay with their lives,” alleged Malviya. “This is not governance. This is criminal neglect.”

BJP state secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay asked why the Trinamool was celebrating with live bombs.

The Left and Congress which contested the poll in an alliance alleged the ruling Trinamool had targeted the houses of their supporters despite a clinching victory.

The Election Commission has sought a detailed report on the incident. With the Bengal Assembly polls less than a year away, the central poll panel is mulling on curbs to be introduced in election victory celebrations.

(With inputs from PTI)