3 killed in blast near TMC rally site

THE POLICE suspect that the victims, along with others, were trying to make crude bombs for the panchayat election in the state, which is due in the next few months

Three Trinamul Congress workers, including two members of the same family, were killed and several others were injured in a blast in East Midnapore, West Bengal, late on Friday night. The blast took place near the venue from where TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee addressed a public meeting on Saturday in the home turf of Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

The explosion took place at the house of the Mannas in Narua Birla village in the Bhupatinagar area at around 11.15 pm on Friday. Three bodies were recovered on Saturday morning. The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained and further investigation is underway.

“The impact was so powerful that the mud house with a thatched roof was blown off in the incident,” the senior officer of

Bhupatinagar Police Station said.

The three deceased were identified as Rajkumar Manna, TMC booth president of Bhagabanpur Block II, his cousin Debkumar Manna and their party colleague Biswajit Gayen.

A forensic team later reached the spot and collected samples and a huge police team was deployed in the area.

The police suspect that the victims, along with others, were trying to make crude bombs for the panchayat election in the state, which is due in the next few months.

Posting the photos of the affected house Mr

Adhikari tweeted, “3 Dead & 2 others grievously injured as TMC leader’s house blows up in explosion at Bhupatinagar, Bhagabanpur II Block, Purba Medinipur District. TMC leader Rajkumar Manna was making bombs at his home when this high intensity explosion happened. I demand @NIA_IndiaInvestigatio.”

He alleged, “Bombs are WB’s most successful cottage industry products & are widely produced in TMC leaders’ homes across Bengal.”

BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh held the TMC “responsible” for the incident and said that