A 13-year-old girl was killed in West Bengal’s Kaliganj area on Monday after a crude bomb explosion during the victory rally, which was being carried out by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following their win in a recent by-election.
The young girl, Tamanna Khatun, was found injured on the verandah of her house in Barochandgar village, a region known for supporting the Congress and CPM. She had sustained a serious injury to her neck and later died from the wound, The Indian Express reported.
The police have detained a TMC worker named Adar Ali Shaikh into custody for questioning. Superintendent of Police (Krishnanagar) K Amarnath confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.
The police official added that the girl’s body has been sent for a postmortem to help determine the exact cause of death. A senior police officer, speaking anonymously to The Indian Express, said that although it appears to be the result of a crude bomb, no splinters were found at the site.
According to residents, the explosion happened when a bomb was thrown from the victory rally targeting the house of a CPM supporter. The victim’s family also blamed the TMC directly, stating that their home was targeted because they are known to support the CPM. “They had been hurling bombs since morning. Those who did this are from the TMC. We are CPM supporters. My whole family votes for CPM,” the deceased’s mother was quoted by IE as saying.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep sorrow over the incident. In an official statement, she said, “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.”
The incident has also sparked a major political controversy in the state. The Election Commission has asked for a detailed report, while the opposition leaders have criticised the TMC government, accusing it of allowing violence to overshadow democratic processes.
Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddiqui blamed the ruling party, alleging that the TMC uses its minority support base for violent purposes and then evades responsibility. “They have kept Muslims as their voters so that they can be used for violence and beaten up. When I speak about this, they frame me in cases. The TMC government should apologise for this and ensure that those involved are sent to places like Tihar Jail.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Mohammad Selim also lashed out at the TMC, calling the party’s slogan "Badla noi, badal chai" (No revenge, we want change) hollow. He demanded answers from the ruling government about how such violence could happen during a democratic celebration.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar strongly condemned the incident on social media. ‘Not speeches, not sweets – bombs were thrown in the name of ‘victory’ in a bypoll! A minor girl was blown to death even before counting ended in Kaliganj. Only in (Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee)’s Bengal can an election celebration look like a terrorist attack! How brutal, how sick, how inhuman do you have to be to throw bombs while kids are on the street?’ BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar posted on X.
The by-election in Kaliganj was held following the death of the sitting MLA. TMC’s candidate Alifa Ahmed won the seat with a wide margin, and the result was declared earlier on the day of the incident.
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