Blast exposes Bengal's illegal factories making bombs and firearms

The massive blast that took place last week, in an alleged firecracker factory in West Bengal’s East Medinipur district, killing at least nine people, has once again brought out how illegal firearms and bomb-making factories flourish in the hinterlands of Bengal, often with the patronage of local politicians and police.

- DIBYENDU MONDAL

This particular “firecracker factory” in East Medinipur’s Egra, that exploded on 16 May at around 12:30 pm had witnessed at least three blast incidents in the past, say sources in the local police.

The owner, a muscleman from the area, Bhanu Bagh, who lost his life that morning in the blast, was in this business for almost two decades. Locals say that with the blessings of the local politicians and the police, he grew his business, which flourished despite he having at least six cases under the Explosive Substances Act pending in various courts in the state.