Blasts in seized illegal firecracker dump at police outpost in Bengal’s Barasat, no casualties

Kolkata, July 28 (AHN) Consecutive blasts took place at a police outpost at Barsat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Tuesday morning.

Although initially the reasons behind the blast could not be ascertained, later it was found that the blasts occurred from a stock of illegal firecrackers seized by the cops, which were stored in a room within the police outpost premises.

However, cops posted at the police station had a close shave as they somehow managed to move to a safe distance from the point of the consecutive blasts. At the time the report was filed, no casualty or major injuries had been reported from the blast.

However, there was a major panic in the area following the blasts, in which the room where it was stored was damaged. The debris was being cleared to check whether anyone was trapped in there when the first blast occurred.

According to local sources, a large quantity of illegal firecrackers was recovered from different areas during the last couple of days and brought to the Nilganj police outpost. The firecrackers suddenly caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday. Then, one after another, explosions began. The intensity of the explosions terrified the residents of the area. The fire spread quickly after the explosion, and the outpost premises were covered in smoke.

Several fire-tenders immediately rushed to the spot. After a couple of hours of rigorous firefighting, the fire was ultimately brought under control.

Senior police officials from the district also reached the spot to keep the situation under control. The entire area was cordoned off, and the general public was kept at a safe distance to avoid any untoward incident.

The police claimed that no casualties or serious injuries have been reported in the incident so far. Questions are also being raised about the decision to store a large quantity of firecrackers at the police outpost in the middle of a populated area.

A section of local residents alleged that if the recovered firecrackers had been kept in a safe or specific storage place, such an accident could have been avoided.

To recall, in August 2023, nine people died in a massive explosion at an illegal firecracker factory at Barasat-adjacent Duttapukur area. The incident sparked a huge controversy over the role of the police then, as it was alleged that timely action was not taken against the illegal firecracker factory.