On Tuesday morning, a huge explosion took place at a three-storeyed Beleghata club, near Gandhi Bhavan in Kolkata, West Bengal.
During the blast, which took place between 6:30 -6:45 am at Beleghata Gandhimath Friends Circle, the wall of the terrace was demolished along with the sewer pipeline and the asbestos roof. No casualties have been reported so far. According to ABP Ananda, traces of explosives were found on the rooftop. It was also reported that ‘sutlis‘ (threads), attached to explosives, was found lying in large quantities, on the road, beside the building.
While speaking about the incident, a club member stated, “There is no question of having explosives in the building. When the explosion took place, people sitting at the nearby tea stall saw two masked men running away. We have no idea what happened here. We are waiting for the police investigation.” Ruling out the possibility of the presence of explosives in the building, the club member reiterated that there is a computer training centre for children downstairs and as such no chance of having explosives within the club.
BJP accuses TMC of hoarding explosives ahead of Assembly elections
Following the incident, the BJP slammed the Trinamool Congress of conspiring to stir up political violence in West Bengal. BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted, “Ahead of assembly elections, TMC wants to create anarchy in West Bengal. Today, we even saw the proof of it after a blast took place at a club on Beleghat main road. The roof of the club got destroyed and its remains fell to a far-off place. We have suspicions that a large quantity of explosives was hidden in the building.”
विधानसभा चुनाव से पहले #TMC पश्चिम बंगाल में बड़ी अराजकता फैलाने की कोशिश में है। आज उसका सबूत भी मिल गया जब तृणमूल के बेलियाघाट मेनरोड स्थित एक क्लब में भयंकर धमाका हो गया। क्लब की छत उड़कर कई मीटर दूर जा गिरी। आशंका है कि यहां बड़ी मात्रा में विस्फोटक छुपाकर रखा गया था।
— Kailash Vijayvargiya (@KailashOnline) October 13, 2020
Police initiates probe
On being informed, the local police along with the Deputy Commissioner (Beleghata) rushed to the spot. A probe has been initiated into the case. The cops are now investigating whether explosive materials were present within the premises of the building. They are also examining the CCTV footage of nearby houses to further the probe in the case. Meanwhile, the security in the area has been increased, and the dog squad have been summoned to aid in the investigation.
