Bomb explosion kills teenager in Hooghly; BJP MP blocks road demanding NIA probe

Kolkata: A teenage boy was killed and two others were injured in a bomb explosion in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Monday, prompting the local BJP MP Locket Chatterjee to block the arterial for over two hours demanding NIA probe into the incident.

The incident occurred at Pandua in Hooghly district near a pond where a group of boys were playing.

Police said the boy succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Pandua while two other injured persons were transferred to a healthcare facility in Chinsurah for better treatment.

An investigation into the explosion that occurred at around 8.30 am has started, police said.

The BJP MP, accompanied by hundreds of party workers, blocked GT Road alleging that TMC goons were involved in the blast in their bid to create an air of panic ahead of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's campaign in the area later in the day.

"Along with the people of Pandua, I demand justice for the families of the innocent boys. The state police are incapable of conducting a thorough, impartial probe into the incident. We want an NIA probe," she told PTI.

Chatterjee had an altercation with the police officers who requested her to lift the blockade.

TMC spokesperson Trinankur Bhattacharya said it was an unfortunate incident having no relation with politics and police were conducting investigations.

"She (Chatterjee) wants to play politics over the dead body of a child. The BJP seeks NIA probe into each and every bomb blast incident in West Bengal," Bhattacharya said.