Explosion at West Bengal firecracker factory prompts call for greater enforcement

The explosion took place at a two-storey house in Mochpal Paschimpara village in Duttapukur, around 30 kilometres north of Kolkata, West Bengal, on the morning of 27 August, while several people were working at the factory.

The incident comes just three months after another massive blast at an illegal firecracker factory in Egra in East Midnapore, West Bengal, killed 12 people, mostly women.

The intensity of the blast at Mochpal Paschimpara was so severe that body parts of the victims were found several metres away from the accident spot. More than 50 houses in the vicinity were damaged, and several women and children sustained injuries.

The force of the explosion has raised suspicions about whether the factory was solely engaged in illegal firecracker production or potentially involved in manufacturing more dangerous items. Two of the factory owners, Keramat Ali and Samsur Ali, were killed in the explosion, while a third co-owner, Safikul Islam, was arrested on 28 August.

The police arrested the kingpin of the illegal firecracker supply chain in the Duttapukur area. The accused, Md Najrul Islam, was arrested by a Special Task Force (STF) unit of police outside the Dum Dum Airport in Kolkata.

Swinging into action, the police then shut down several firecracker factories, according to media reports.

Following the earlier blast at the illegal firecracker factory in Egra on 11 May, in which 12 people died, many locals alleged the Egra unit was in fact involved in making crude bombs for use for political purposes.

Eleven days after the blast in Egra, West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee from the TMC, apologised to the people of Egra for the explosion, stating the incident could have been averted if the “intelligence had worked properly”.

“The Egra incident has opened our eyes, I would like to apologise for this incident,” said Banerjee. “Our government has decided that in the next two weeks, a report will be prepared under the leadership of the chief secretary, under which a green firecracker cluster will be formed… Had the intelligence worked properly then this blast could have been averted.”

Photograph: iStock credit DarthArt

Political row
The latest fatal blast at Mochpal Paschimpara has led to a political row in West Bengal ahead of the 2024 general elections, with opposition parties swift to criticise the TMC-led state government. 

Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in West Bengal, demanded the resignation of the state’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee over the blast at the Mochpal Paschimpara firecracker factory.

A day later, the BJP staged a protest in the West Bengal Assembly and walked out of the House demanding the chief minister’s resignation. Adhikari also moved an adjournment motion in the House over the explosion and chaos erupted when BJP leaders demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident.

Following the BJP’s walkout, Adhikari called the state government “irresponsible” and accused the chief minister of failing to attend question sessions in the House. “In just a few years, more than 100 people have lost their lives [in explosions at illegal firecracker factories in West Bengal]. We want to know what steps have been taken,” said the BJP leader.

Adhikari also alleged that the ruling TMC party and the West Bengal police were failing to take sufficient action to prevent the establishment and operation of illegal firecracker manufacturing factories in residential buildings and areas.

“There is no monitoring of illegal activities by police,” claimed Adhikari in comments reported by The Tribune newspaper.

However, the TMC leader in West Bengal, Kunal Ghosh, rubbished the BJP’s claims. “They should stop jumping to conclusions and let police complete the probe [into the recent factory explosions],” Ghosh told The Tribune.

West Bengal ‘to introduce stringent licensing for firecracker factories’
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has decided to adopt more stringent measures when granting fresh licenses or renewing the licences of firecracker units.

According to government sources, the system of granting fresh licences or renewing old licences for firecracker units at the district level is likely to be abolished. Instead, the process will be done at a centralised level.

Government sources say there have been many cases of corruption at the district level when firecracker manufacturing factories and warehouses have been granted fresh licences or given renewed licenses despite failing to adopt the minimum safety precautions. As a result, the West Bengal state government has decided to centralise the system to eliminate the possibility of corruption, said sources.

Commentators say the latest fatal explosions at the firecracker factories in Mochpal Paschimpara and Egra have also highlighted how high levels of unemployment are driving people to risk their lives by working in these dangerous environments.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also criticised the West Bengal police for their perceived inactivity over closing the illegal firecracker factories and prosecuting those who run them. “Some people are involved in illegal activities, and the police are not taking any action. This cannot go on,” she said.

Banerjee also called on those who manufacture firecrackers to move to the production of ‘green’ versions, which do not contain harmful chemicals and cause less air pollution. “What is the problem in manufacturing green firecrackers? The profit might be a bit less, but it is safer and environment-friendly,” Banerjee said.

She added: “We have conducted several meetings, and I will establish a green firecracker hub. This initiative will also provide employment opportunities.”