At least 9 killed in blast; IC Egra showcaused

KOLKATA: At least nine persons were killed after an explosion occurred inside a house at Egra in East Midnapore district on Tuesday.

State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been directed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take over the investigation which will be headed by Additional Director General (ADG) Gyanwant Singh. The IC of Egra has been showcaused. Banerjee also announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for each of the injured.

Around 12:30 pm, an explosion took place inside the house of Bhanu Bag at Khadikul village in Egra. It had been alleged that Bag used to manufacture firecrackers illegally. The intensity of the explosion was so high that the sound was audible from a distance of over a kilometre.

When cops from Egra Police Station reached the spot, villagers started agitating against their alleged negligence. They chased away the cops, including the Inspector in-Charge (IC) of the Egra Police Station. One of the policemen reportedly sustained injuries after being assaulted by the villagers.

Later, a large contingent of police force was sent to the spot to recover the bodies. Till Last reports came in, nine persons had died while two are critical. Among the nine dead, eight persons have been identified so far.

Sources informed that Bag was earlier arrested by the police several times for running the illegal cracker factory. But after getting bail, he again started his illegal business. According to sources, a huge quantity of explosives was stored inside the house. Forensic experts have been asked to visit the spot to collect samples.