Kalyani, Feb. 8: A devastating explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Kalyani’s Rathtala area on Friday afternoon claimed the lives of four women and critically injured an elderly person. The blast, which occurred around 2 PM ripped apart the 500-square-foot structure, sending shockwaves through the densely populated neighborhood.
The victims, identified as Basanti Choudhury (60), Ruma Sonar (35), Anjali Biswas (60), and Durga Saha (40), were all laborers working inside the unlicensed factory. The powerful explosion triggered widespread panic, with residents describing the scene as “horrible.” Flames and smoke billowed from the site, visible for a considerable distance.
Firefighters faced significant challenges accessing the site due to the narrow lanes. “Even our smallest tender couldn’t get through,” a fire service officer from Kalyani fire station explained. Firefighters, aided by locals, resorted to carrying water in buckets from a nearby tube well to extinguish the blaze.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, though officials suspect an electrical fault may have ignited the
stockpile of flammable chemicals used in firecracker production. The factory, constructed from bamboo and corrugated sheets, housed a substantial quantity of these hazardous materials.
Police have arrested the factory owner, Sadhan Biswas alias Khokon, who was also arrested last year, for manufacturing firecrackers in the guise of making sparkles. “A probe has begun, and we will seek his remand,” stated Kumar Sunny Raj, SP of Ranaghat police district. District administration sources confirmed that Biswas possessed only a trade license and lacked the necessary permits for firecracker manufacturing. Kalyani Municipality Chairman, Nilimesh Roy Choudhuri, corroborated this, stating, “The owner only had a trade license.”
The state government has requested a report from the district administration, while the BJP is demanding an NIA (National Investigation Agency) inquiry. The incident has ignited a political firestorm, raising serious questions about how such a dangerous operation could function in a residential area, especially with the superintendent of police’s office located just a kilometer away.
This tragedy highlights the recurring problem of illegal firecracker factories in West Bengal. Over the past 11 years, at least 41 lives have been lost in similar incidents, including the 2023 Egra blast that killed 12 and the Duttapukur explosion last year that claimed seven lives.
BJP MLA Ambika Roy accused the police of complicity, alleging, “The police knew about the factory but allowed it to operate despite its illegal status and lack of a license.