At least four were killed in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Nadia district of West Bengal on Friday.
The factory was located in a congested residential area of Kalyani. "Our officers are inspecting the incident. The cause of the explosion is not known," a police officer was quoted as saying by the PTI.
Those who were injured "have been sent to a nearby hospital", he added.
While firefighters rushed to the scene to douse the blaze, local media confirmed that at least four had succumbed to the disaster in Kalyani's Rathtala.
News reports listed two women among the deceased. The entire factory was reduced to ashes due to the intensity of the explosion.
The exact cause of the explosion is under investigation. Repeated concerns have been raised about firecracker factories in the state, with frequent allegations that many of them operate illegally. Protests against such factories in densely populated areas have yielded little success.
There are also allegations that these operations continue under the nose of the police and administration.
Ward 20 councillor Subrata Chakraborty claimed he was unaware of the factory’s existence and only learned about it after the explosion. Meanwhile, local MLA Ambika Roy alleged that the police failed to act despite having prior knowledge. He said, “When such incidents happen, the police take action. But they already knew everything. I trust God. There is no such thing as law and order.”
Earlier on Friday, a fire broke out at a jute factory in West Bengal’s Howrah district. Reports indicated no casualties.
In May 2023, an explosion in an illegal firecracker factory in East Midnapore’s Egra killed 11 people. The government had announced Rs 2.5 lakh compensation to the victim’s families. The unit was operating illegally, per reports.
This incident prompted the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to set up a committee and order a crackdown on illegal firecracker manufacturing units.
In August 2023, an explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in the Mochpol area under Duttapukur Police Station killed approximately eight people.
Both these incidents led to a political mudslinging between the BJP and the TMC, with the Opposition party demanding a National Investigative Agency investigation.
West Bengal firecracker industry employs over 3.1 lakh people and has a turnover of Rs 8,000 crore, but the state has approved only 232 manufacturing units and only 14,800 workers have undergone safety training, according to a report in The Indian Express.
