WB Panchayat Elections 2023: Two children injured in Bhangor after mistaking crude bomb for ball

A distressing incident unfolded on Saturday (July 8) during the panchayat elections in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district. Two children were injured when they mistook a crude bomb for a ball and picked it up from the roadside. The unfortunate event took place in Bhangor, highlighting the potential dangers lurking amidst the ongoing polling activities.

According to an official who spoke to a news agency, the two children mistakenly identified the crude bomb as a ball. Tragically, as one of them touched it, the bomb detonated. Following the incident, security forces were promptly dispatched to the area to conduct a thorough search for any additional explosives that might be present.

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The injured were swiftly admitted to a hospital. According to reports, one of the wounded victims was an eight-year-old, while the other was ten years old. Meanwhile, residents in the area staged a protest, voicing their allegations that crude bombs had been recklessly deployed overnight with the intention of intimidating voters.

They further alleged that during this whole episode, no police officer was seen in the area.

State Election Commission (SEC) secretary Nilanjan Sandilya said, "We have asked for details of the incident." The area, adjoining Kolkata, witnessed several incidents of violence ahead of the polling day as well. Two people were killed during the filing of nomination on June 15.

As the three-tier panchayat polls were underway in West Bengal, incidents of violence marred the electoral process. In the state's Birbhum district, chaos erupted, leading to the unfortunate act of setting numerous vehicles ablaze. Officials reported that the violence that unfolded since midnight resulted in the tragic loss of at least 11 lives in election-related clashes.

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Among those killed were five Trinamool Congress members, and one worker each of the Bharatiya Janata Party, CPI(M) and Congress, and a supporter of an independent candidate, they said. Besides violent clashes that injured several people, ballot boxes were destroyed in at least two polling booths, they added.