A village police volunteer deployed to maintain law and order during the immersion of Durga idols, placed a firecracker on the mouth of a local youth and lit it.

The explosion left Hemanta Bagdi, a resident of Margram grievously injured.

Bagdi is being treated at the Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital, while the accused Sajal Marjit has been arrested.

Police suspect Marjit held a grudge against Bagdi and committed the act while Bagdi along with his wife went to see the immersion on Dashami, the last day of Durga Puja.

After the incident the irate locals stopped the immersion process.

Marjit was promptly caught by the cops on duty and taken to the Margram police station. Sources in Birbhum police said the accused is yet to make any statement explaining his actions.

On the same day, a civic police volunteer in Malda’s Gajole was caught on CCTV camera stealing ornaments from a Durga idol at a puja pandal in Gajole’s Eklakhi Durga More.

Two civic volunteers and another person have been arrested in connection with the theft.

The role of the civic police volunteers have often been questioned by the state’s opposition.

Early this year, a former civic police volunteer of Kolkata Police was given the life sentence by a special CBI court for the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

After Sanjoy Roy’s arrest details on the privilege’s he enjoyed for his proximity to the officers in Kolkata Police started emerging.

Roy lived in the barracks of the Kolkata Police’s 4^th battalion and rode a motorbike, with ‘police’ mark.

The civic police volunteer was the Mamata Banerjee government’s attempts to woo the youths, struggling to make a living to assist the police in managing traffic and helping citizens.

Over the years it has turned into a parallel law and order management system. Their proximity to the cops as well as the local leaders of the ruling party grants them a protective shield not available to most citizens.

Criticisms against the system range from their lack of training in maintaining law and order, policing and human rights.

The “village police” was likewise introduced in 2012 with a paltry pay of Rs. 310 per day for 22 days a month.