KOLKATA: West Bengal witnessed another incident of a crude bomb blast, on Wednesday, resulting in three children being severely injured who mistook the bomb as a ball at Farakka Imamnagar Panchayat in the Murshidabad area.
The blast took place in the morning while the children were playing outside an Anganwadi centre before heading towards their school. One of the children had picked up the bomb thinking it to be a ball when it exploded. The other two children were also in the bomb’s close proximity.
Residents had rushed to the spot upon hearing the blast, finding the three children lying in a pool of blood.
Presently, the three children have been rushed to the hospital, with all of them suffering severe burns on their bodies. The child who picked up the bomb has been deemed to be in critical condition having sustained fatal injuries.
BREAKING: #NCPCR writes to #Murshidabad DM regarding Wednesday’s blast that severely injured the three children, who mistook the crude bomb for a cricket ball while playing in front of the Anganwadi centre.
Reports @joymalabagchi pic.twitter.com/eDlc9Vua4R
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) November 22, 2023
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also taken suo motu cognizance of the situation directing the District Magistrate of Murshidabad to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within “the next 48 hours”. The NCPCR also highlighted that the blast had violated the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, alongside other relevant provisions of the law.
Similar incidents had been reported from the state on two instances in November, 2022, when Malda district witnessed a bomb explosion after children started playing mistook a bomb for a ball. On the other hand, another incident took place in the same month when a few miscreants threw a crude bomb at children in the Narendrapur area of South 24 Parganas district.
These incidents have led to questions being raised regarding the law and order situation under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress government.