Mistaken for Ball, 7-year-old boy killed, another injured while playing with crude bomb in West Bengal's Barrackpore

West Bengal: Tragedy struck, when a seven-year-old boy was killed while another minor boy (10) was grievously injured after a crude bomb exploded. The kids mistook the bomb for a ball. The tragic incident occurred near Barrackpore on October 25.

Meanwhile, Police including the Criminal Investigation Department’s bomb disposal squad recovered another unexploded crude bomb from the same spot. The explosives were hidden in a bush along the railway tracks, media reported.

“My grandson woke up in the morning and went out to play along the railway tracks. As it was Kali Puja last night, he and his friend were trying to find out if there were any unburnt firecrackers which they may use later today. His hand was ripped apart in the explosion,” said the injured



child’s grandmother.

This incident also triggered a political outrage with the BJP attacking the ruling TMC alleging deterioration of law and order in the state.

Meanwhile, the investigation has been initiated. According to a senior official of the Government Railway Police (GRP) from Naihati, the incident occurred around 6:30 am and 7am on Tuesday. “Locals said that two children were playing when the bomb exploded. They mistook the bomb as a ball. The police have started an investigation,” said an official.

In similar cases, a kid lost his life in Andhra Pradesh. An 11-year-boy died while bursting firecrackers in Machilipatnam in Krishna district whereas in another case, a minor boy lost an eye while bursting Diwali crackers in Hyderabad.