Chandernagore police on Monday recovered three crude bombs from the playground of a primary school in Hooghly’s Bandel, prompting the Opposition to accuse the state government of deterioration in law and order.
Although no one was injured by the bombs, which were spotted by morning walkers early in the day, the discovery triggered panic among local residents as children play there regularly.
People said they were scared as they had heard of multiple incidents of deaths or injuries to children recently on account of crude bombs.
“It is really scary for us as those bombs were kept out in the open on the ground. Every day, the students walk through this area on the campus to reach their classrooms, and they play here too. We are fortunate enough that no one was harmed,” said a resident.
Sources said that a group of morning walkers spotted the three crude bombs on the playground of Naldanga Narayanpur Primary School near Bandel and immediately informed police. Police defused the explosives and started a probe to find out who placed them on the playground.
“Usually, bombs are kept hidden. We were surprised when we found that three bombs were kept out in the open on a playground. We have started a probe to find whether it was kept intentionally to malign the police force and showcase the allegedly poor law and order in the area,” a senior police official in the Chandernagar police commissionerate said.
BJP workers and leaders blocked a local road for about a half-an-hour in protest, demanding the immediate arrest of culprits.
“It is beyond imagination that schools are being used to keep bombs. The practice of using crude bombs in elections is a matter of habit now for this ruling establishment. It has resumed as the panchayat polls are upon us,” said BJP leader Suresh Shaw.
“These bombs are the result of Trinamul’s infighting in a bid to grab power in the rural polls,” he added. Trinamul’s Chinsurah MLA Asit Majumdar, however, accused the BJP of keeping bombs to spread panic among people.
“The BJP has no support base here and I think it is that the party is behind keeping bombs there. We want the arrest of the culprits involved in keeping bombs on a school campus,” said Majumdar.