The owner of the illegal firecracker manufacturing unit at Kalyani’s Rathtala area, Sadhan Biswas alias Khokon, has been remanded in police custody for seven days following his arrest. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court issued the remand order today after Kalyani Police apprehended Biswas from his hideout on Wednesday.

The arrest comes in the wake of a massive explosion at his unauthorised firecracker unit, situated in a densely populated area. Authorities have charged Biswas under sections of BNS 105, BNS 288, 9B of the Indian Explosives Act, and Sections 24 and 26 of the West Bengal Fire Services Act.

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Following his arrest, law enforcement officials raided his residence and seized a substantial quantity of chemical substances intended for firecracker production. Police have since sealed at least 7 to 8 other firecracker units in the Rathtala area, raising questions about how such hazardous units were allowed to operate in a congested neighbourhood.

A four-member forensic team, along with officials from the Special Task Force (STF), visited the explosion site to collect evidence. Meanwhile, the former chairman of Kalyani Municipality, Santanu Jha, visited the location and criticised the state government for permitting such illegal operations. BJP MP Shantanu Thakur also inspected the site and accused the administration of negligence. “We were unaware of the existence of such illegal firecracker units in this area. The administration should conduct a thorough survey to identify and shut down these hazardous operations,” Thakur stated.

The incident has once again highlighted the recurring menace of illegal firecracker units in West Bengal. Over the past few years, the state has witnessed multiple fatal explosions linked to unauthorised firecracker factories. In 2023, nine people lost their lives in a similar blast at an illegal unit in Egra, East Midnapore. Similar incidents have occurred in Budge Budge (South 24-Parganas) and Duttapukur (North 24-Parganas), claiming several lives.

Despite repeated assurances from the authorities to crack down on these illegal units, enforcement measures often fade after initial raids. With renewed focus on the issue following the Kalyani blast, questions are being raised about whether the administration will take concrete steps to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Four women lost their lives, and another woman sustained critical injuries following a devastating explosion at the unauthorised firecracker manufacturing unit in Rathtala, under Kalyani police station limits, on Friday afternoon. The blast occurred around 1.30 pm, causing widespread panic in the densely populated area.