Child Killed by Bomb During TMC Bypoll Victory Rally in West Bengal
Joydeep Sarkar
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Kolkata: A ten-year-old girl was killed in a bomb explosion during a victory procession held by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal’s Kaliganj on Monday (June 23), moments after the party successfully retained the assembly seat in a recent by-election.
The celebrations turned violent as TMC supporters hurled bombs at the homes of supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).
Votes cast in the Kaliganj bypoll were being counted when the incident took place. Following confirmation of TMC’s win, the ruling party organised a celebratory rally in Kaliganj's Melendi area.
Eyewitnesses and the victim’s family state that bombs were hurled from the procession, causing explosions that spread panic. One of the crude bombs exploded and fatally injured Tamanna Khatun, a class 4 student walking home with her mother.
“I saw who threw the bombs. My daughter was with me. We are CPI(M) supporters. They hurled the bombs targeting us. We fell down. When I got up and looked for my daughter, I saw her lying in a pool of blood. I may not know all their names, but I recognise their faces, they are all TMC members,” alleged Sabina Yasmin, Khatun’s mother.
“TMC workers started rallying with bombs and firearms. They targeted the house of local CPI(M) [supporter] Hossain Sheikh [Khatun's father] with socket bombs. Tamanna, who was outside, was hit in the chest by a bomb. The ten-year-old girl died,” said eyewitness Shaonawaz Ahmed.
Following statewide outrage over the killing, chief minister Mamata Banerjee in a brief statement expressed concern over the incident and assured that the culprits would be swiftly brought to justice.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened at the death of a young girl in an explosion at Barochandgar in Krishnanagar police district. My prayers and thoughts are with the family in their hour of grief. Police shall take strong and decisive legal action against the culprits at the earliest,” Banerjee posted on X.
Sheikh, Khatun's father and a CPI(M) supporter, held the ruling party directly responsible. He said, “They carried deadly bombs in victory rallies and killed our only child. I have nothing but hatred for them.”
“Tamanna means ‘hope’. She was her parents’ only hope. Those who once said ‘We want change, not revenge’ have now filled poor people’s villages with the horror of bombs right after the results. This is a clear reflection of how the TMC governs the state,” stated CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim.
The Election Commission has sought a detailed report in response to the tragic incident.
The authorities have confirmed one arrest in connection with the explosion, and a search operation for other culprits is currently underway.
Under fire for the incident, the West Bengal police took to X, issuing a statement saying, “We shall spare no stones unturned to nab the culprits who were behind the incident. Raids are on in full swing to arrest those responsible for this extremely unfortunate death. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family members of the deceased.”
The TMC's Alifa Ahmed – daughter of previous MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, who died of cardiac arrest – won the Kaliganj bypoll with over one lakh votes. The BJP's Ashish Ghosh was second, trailing by a little over 50,000 votes. The Congress's Kabil Uddin Shaikh came third, losing by over 74,400 votes.
Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.
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