Kolkata, 4 October (H.S.).

Panic gripped Murshidabad district once again after a powerful explosion rocked the Raninagar area on Friday night. The incident took place at Chetiani Ghoshpara under the Raninagar police station, shaking the entire locality. Police rushed to the spot upon receiving the information, but no one dared to step out of their homes due to fear.

When police resumed their investigation on Saturday morning, it was revealed that the blast had occurred inside an under-construction house where crude bombs were allegedly being manufactured. Following the explosion, one person was reported missing. The missing individual has been identified as Usman Biswas, a resident of Takipur Pilkhana.

According to police sources, Usman’s wife, Samira Bibi, told investigators that around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, three men arrived at their house on a motorcycle and took her husband along to help in bomb-making. She claimed to recognize one of them, while the other two had their faces covered with scarves.

On Saturday morning, locals found four plastic jars containing bombs and explosive materials near the blast site and immediately informed the police. A team from Raninagar police reached the spot and began an investigation. The Murshidabad district bomb squad was called in to defuse the recovered explosives.

Preliminary investigation suggests that several plots of vacant land in the area may be at the center of a local dispute. Police are probing whether the blast was linked to a land conflict or if there was another motive behind the bomb-making activity.

It may be recalled that a similar explosion recently occurred in the Domkal area of Murshidabad, in which a 49-year-old woman, Chiddatan Bibi, lost her life after accidentally touching a container filled with explosives. The two consecutive blasts have raised serious concerns over law and order in the district.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh