At least three crude bombs were allegedly hurled at Bharatiya Janata Party MP Arjun Singh’s house in Bhatpara town of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported. The MP told the newspaper that a few people sustained injuries.
The blasts took place around 6.10 am, said the BJP leader. Singh was in Delhi when the explosions took place, but his family members were inside the house at the time, according to India Today.
Police officials reached the spot and examined the CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
“On enquiry, we found that six to seven people came out of Mazdoor Bhawan, thrashed a boy and again entered the building,” said Deputy Commissioner (North) of Barrackpore Police, Srihari Pandey, according to ANI. “The boy then came with some people and hurled bombs at the Bhawan’s gate.”
Two people have been detained and are being interrogated.
West Bengal BJP party unit chief Dilip Ghosh said the assailants were most likely from the ruling Trinamool Congress, the channel reported.
Singh said on Twitter that Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to him after the explosions and inquired about his well-being. “I do not expect the West Bengal Police to conduct an impartial probe,” he said. “The National Investigation Agency should be asked to investigate the matter and find the culprits.”
The MP said that he had written to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar two months ago saying that the state government had told a senior official to murder him. “Just yesterday, the West Bengal BJP made me the in-charge for the Bhabanipur bye-election,” he said. “Today, bombs were hurled to intimidate me. But I will not be intimidated.”
The Bhabanipur bye-polls will be held on September 30. Mamata Banerjee needs to win the bye-elections to get elected as an MLA in order to continue as the chief minister. The results of the bye-polls will be announced on October 3.
Governor Dhankhar in a tweet said that the explosions were worrisome and added that he expected the West Bengal Police to take prompt action. He said that Singh’s security concerns had been flagged to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier.
In October 2020, Singh’s close associate Manish Shukla was shot dead in the Titagarh area of the North 24 Parganas district, according to The Indian Express.
The Trinamool Congress alleged that the attack at Singh’s house was the result of an internal feud in the West Bengal BJP unit, according to NDTV.
Singh had left the TMC and joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He was earlier considered to be a close aide of Banerjee, India Today reported.
He won the Lok Sabha election from the Barrackpore constituency in West Bengal.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!