Prime accused in Bengal firecracker factory blast dies in hospital in Cuttack

Prime accused in the illegal firecracker factory blast case in West Bengal, Krishnapada Bag, died in a hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack on Friday, police said.

Bag alias Bhanu was traced to a hospital in Cuttack by the police on Thursday, where he was undergoing treatment.

“He was admitted with 80% burn injuries. He died on Friday due to multiple organ failure,” a doctor at Rudra Hospital in Cuttack told media persons.

According to police, Bag was the owner of the illegal firecracker factory at Egra in the East Midnapore district, where an explosion on Tuesday killed at least nine people and injured seven others.

According to the people familiar with the matter, Bag was also present at the time of the blast and received burn injuries. He had escaped to Odisha after the blast and was admitted to a hospital in Cuttack where the Bengal police traced him on Thursday and were awaiting to make an arrest.

“The hospital was told that he was a resident of Balasore and had sustained injuries due to an LPG cylinder blast,” a police officer said.

Villagers, including those who lost their family members in the explosion, had alleged that crude bombs were made at the factory in the garb of fireworks.

Meanwhile, another illegal fireworks factory close to the blast site in Kamardigha village in East Midnapore was traced and cordoned off by the locals who later informed the police.

“It is not just Kamardigha. Raids are going on and such illegal factories have been traced in a few other places,” said Amarnath K, superintendent of police (SP), East Midnapore.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed the state police to crack down on such illegal factories manufacturing fireworks.