West Bengal: 5 children hurt after miscreants hurl crude bombs to scare them off

In yet another instance of violence in West Bengal, five children, all aged between 10 and 12 years, were injured on Friday morning after miscreants hurled two crude bombs at them to scare them off in South 24 Parganas’ Narendrapur, around 20 km south of Kolkata.

Police said the children sustained minor burn and splinter injures, and some cuts and bruises after they fell down while fleeing. They are yet to make arrests.

“None of the injuries were serious. All the children were out of danger. They were given first aid at home and later taken to the hospital for further treatment,” said a senior police officer.

The police said the children were playing in a field when they spotted four men arriving on two motorcycles and trying to break open the lock of a hut in the field. When the children went near, they tried to scare them off and threatened them.

“When the children refused to go away the men hurled a bomb. The first one didn’t explode properly. But the children understood the danger and tried to flee. The men, however, started laughing and verbally abusing the children before hurling a second bomb,” said a local.

“We have not received any complaint yet from the parents of the children as they were busy with their treatment. If they don’t lodge any complaint, we will start a suo motu probe,” said the officer.

Also Read:West Bengal: 7-year-old killed, another injured while playing with crude bomb

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress, alleging deterioration of law and order in the state.

“West Bengal is now in a state of anarchy. After the Bogtui (Birbhum) massacre in March this year, the chief minister had directed the police to crack down on illegal arms and ammunition and a ten-day special drive was conducted. The TMC government can’t control the miscreants but oppose central agencies such as the NIA and CBI,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

The TMC was quick to hit back.

“There is peace and democracy in West Bengal. Unlike Uttar Pradesh here police don’t do encounter. They investigate in an impartial manner. The BJP controls the central agencies,” TMC MP Santanu Sen said.

This incident comes just three days after a seven-year-old boy was killed and a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured when a country-made bomb exploded near Barrackpore, around 35 km north of Kolkata on Tuesday morning. The two were playing with the bomb, thinking it to be a ball, when it exploded.