Illegal arms, bombs recovered from various parts of the WB following raids by police

WEST BENGAL, (PTI): A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the police to throw a dragnet to unearth bombs and illegal firearms from across the state, the police on Friday recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives from various districts of the state.

Banerjee, who on Thursday visited Bagtui village in Birbhum, where eight people were burnt alive after petrol bombs were thrown at their houses earlier this week, ordered the police to throw a dragnet to unearth bombs and illegal firearms from across the state.

“We have recovered caches of illegal weapons from various districts of the state, including Birbhum, West Midnapore. The weapons have been seized, and the crude bombs have been defused by the CID and police bomb disposal squad. Several people have also been arrested,” a senior police official said.

The official, however, said they are yet to compile the arrest figures across the state.

“Such dragnet activities are regular procedures and are nothing new. We keep on recovering such weapons regularly,” said a police official.

However, the opposition BJP cautioned its cadres that the police might plant a few bombs at saffron party offices to implicate them in false cases.

“We want our party cadres across the state to be extra cautious as there can be an attempt by the police and ruling party to plant these bombs in our party offices and implicate us in false cases. We don’t trust this state government,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

The ruling TMC, however, dubbed the allegations baseless.

“The TMC and the state administration never indulge in such cheap politics. The BJP can go to any extent to malign others,” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said. (PTI)