Two people were killed and four injured in an explosion in West Bengal’s Kankinara in North 24 Parganas district, which was rocked by clashes during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Locals said unidentified miscreants lobbed a crude bomb on Monday night, leading to the blast. “We are scared. There have also been robberies in the area and we demand that the administration help us,” they were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The incident comes in the backdrop of heightened political violence in the state. Clashes between workers and supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Sandeshkhali on Saturday led to three deaths.
The clashes began at a hatchery in Sandeshkhali, which was also used as an informal meeting ground for BJP supporters. The Trinamool supporters allegedly barged in on Saturday afternoon when most of the villagers were celebrating ‘Jamai Sasti’ — a Bengali tradition where the son-in-law is treated to a meal at his in-laws’ house.
After the violence, shops remained closed in most parts of Basirhat after a 12-hour bandh called by the BJP on Monday to protest against the killing of two of their supporters. The saffron party also observed a ‘Black Day’ across the state as a sign of protest.
The political slugfest took yet another turn when the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory expressing concern over the violence. The TMC called it “politically motivated”, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blaming the BJP for creating unrest.
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