Kolkata, 1 April (H.S.):

The explosion in the firecracker factory in Patharpratima should be investigated by the NIA. Union Minister of State and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar made this demand on Tuesday. Nabanna has also sought a report on the incident.

Sukanta reached Bagdogra airport by road from his Lok Sabha constituency Balurghat on Tuesday. From there he left for Delhi. Speaking to reporters at Bagdogra airport, he targeted the law and order situation in the state in connection with the explosion in a firecracker factory in Patharpratima.

Sukanta Majumdar said, Such incidents are seen in the state every two to three months. The Chief Minister has put the state on a powder keg. It is necessary to investigate whether any anti-India force is involved in this incident or not. With the inspiration of Mamata Banerjee, South 24 Parganas has completely gone into the hands of Jihadis. Now Jihadisation is going on in North 24 Parganas. There may be a connection between Jamaat and Bangladeshi forces in this. This should be investigated. After returning to Delhi, I will write a letter to the Home Minister Amit Shah and request an investigation. If needed, NIA investigation should be conducted.

After that, he blamed the police administration for the incident and said, Everyone knew about this incident.

On the other hand, according to Nabanna sources, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is very worried about the Patharpratima incident. She herself is monitoring the investigation of the incident. On her orders, Nabanna has summoned a report from the District Magistrate on this matter.

According to administrative sources, the illegal firecracker factory was operating for a long time in a densely populated area in Dholahat, Patharpratima. It is alleged that this firecracker factory was running without any administrative monitoring for more than a decade. Only Chandrakant Banik and Tushar Banik have been arrested in this incident. According to government sources, the interrogation report of the arrested Chandrakant will also be sent to Nabanna.

Meanwhile, this incident has again stirred up the politics of the state. On the other hand, local residents allege that a section of the police is supporting the activities of illegal factories. Local residents claimed that the police regularly take money from factory owners.

However, the state government has announced several initiatives in the last few years to bring firecracker factories under the legal framework. Licensing, training and even the construction of 'green firecracker hubs' were also announced. But in reality such illegal factories are still spread across various districts. The opposition is vocal about how these factories are running smoothly under the nose of the administration. Now it remains to be seen what action the administration takes on the basis of the report sent to Nabanna.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey