First Arrest Made in West Bengal Illegal Firecracker Warehouse Blast Case

In connection with the explosion at an illegal firecracker warehouse in Duttapukur, West Bengal, that claimed the lives of seven individuals, the police have arrested a partner of the warehouse. The detained individual, Shafiqul Islam, is identified as the second partner and owner of the land where the illicit firecracker factory was operating. The principal partner, Keramat Sheikh, remains missing, with conflicting reports about his fate circulating among locals.

The official death toll stands at seven, but residents claim that around 10 more people who were present during the explosion remain unaccounted for. The leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, alleges that the police are downplaying the death toll, asserting that at least 10 individuals lost their lives.

Similar illegal firecracker operations, like that of Sheikh’s, were shut down by the police in the past, only for the operators to resume the business after being released on bail. This incident shares similarities with a previous explosion in Egra, where nine people died earlier this year in a similar illegal firecracker unit, operated by Bhanu Bag, who also faced prior arrests on similar charges.