On a Saturday morning in December 2022, a bomb exploded in a village in Purba Medinipur, following which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took prompt action, resulting in the arrest of two suspects. A team of NIA officers was conducting a raid in Bhupatinagar in East Medinipur, where the blast took place when they were attacked by villagers. In the ensuing brawl, an NIA forest officer sustained injuries.
Tension mounted after raids at five different locations, including the residences of suspects Balaicharan Maiti and Manobrata Jana, both of whom were accused of making crude bombs and plotting the blasts. However, the NIA team faced unexpected resistance while attempting to capture their suspects in the village. The situation quickly deteriorated as the mob attacked the NIA officers, resulting in property damage, including breaking the windshield of a vehicle.
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The attack was aimed at thwarting the efforts of the NIA team to reach Bhupatinagar police station and complete the official procedures. In response, NIA has complained to the local police station regarding the incident.
According to the NIA, rumors spreading about the involvement of Maiti and Jana in bomb-making and planning the blast are being investigated. Three people, including Rajkumar Manna, Vishwajeet Gayen, and Buddhadeb Manna, lost their lives in the December 2022 blast.
Initially, the West Bengal Police registered the FIR on December 3, 2022, but did not invoke the Explosive Substances Act in the case. Subsequently, a writ petition was filed in the Calcutta High Court, urging the inclusion of relevant sections of the Act and the transfer of the case to the NIA.
After NIA officers faced protesters during probe in Bhupatinagar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they… pic.twitter.com/4zzpUIqoyz
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024
A large number of police teams were deployed at the spot to quell the unrest
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the NIA of working for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He questioned, “Why did they conduct the raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Why are they arresting people just before the elections? Do you think the BJP will arrest every booth agent? NIA has What right?” They are doing all this to support BJP, we urge the world to fight against the dirty politics of BJP.”
The Chief Minister blamed the residents of Bhupatinagar instead of those responsible for starting the violence.
The Trinamool Congress chief urged the impartial functioning of the Election Commission and cautioned against BJP-controlled commissions.
The NIA team had taken Maiti and Jana into custody in the morning and accused them of “actively participating in the conspiracy to make crude bombs and providing assistance for their explosion”. This incident has been thoroughly investigated and local authorities are under pressure to resolve it swiftly.
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