Egra Blast: Factory owner arrested in connection with firecracker explosion that claimed nine lives in WB

Authorities have apprehended Krishna Pad Bagh, also known as Bhanu, the main accused factory owner, in connection with a devastating firecracker factory explosion in Egra, West Bengal.

The incident resulted in the tragic deaths of nine individuals, with seven others sustaining injuries. Bhanu and his son had been on the run since the explosion, but they were apprehended by a special team of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Cuttack, Odisha in the early hours of Thursday.

The blast occurred at approximately 12:30 pm on Tuesday in Khadikul village, Egra, leaving a trail of destruction. Two of the injured individuals are in critical condition and have been admitted to the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for urgent medical attention.

The firecracker factory, allegedly operated by Bhanu for over four decades, became the focal point of the investigation. Bhanu was known to have affiliations with political parties, having initially joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) during the Left Front rule and later switching allegiance to the Trinamool Congress after Mamata Banerjee's government assumed power in 2011. From 2013 to 2018, he served as a Panchayat member for the Trinamool Congress.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the incident, while Mamata Banerjee has ordered a CID investigation. Concerns have been raised regarding the absence of charges under the Explosives Act in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the state CID. The inclusion of this section could have potentially triggered an NIA inquiry into the case.