Police have arrested four more people, including two of the main accused, in connection with the death of a 13-year-old girl in a bomb blast during TMC's victory rally in Kaliganj, Nadia district, following their by poll victory.
The arrests were made on Friday night during raids conducted in two separate locations. According to a senior police officer, Rahibul Sheikh and Nabab Sheikh were apprehended from Berhampore, while the other two were arrested from Katwa in Purba Bardhaman.
“All four were named in the FIR related to the Kaliganj blast incident. We arrested them last night, and they will be presented in court today. Interrogation will begin shortly,” the officer told The Telegraph.
Police said the accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those pertaining to rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, and culpable homicide.
The incident occurred on June 23, when bombs were allegedly thrown during a Trinamool Congress (TMC) victory rally at Molandi village in Kaliganj. The rally had taken place even before the official announcement of the assembly bypoll results. Thirteen-year-old Tamanna Khatun was killed in the explosion.
Earlier, five people from the local area had been arrested in connection with the case. With the latest arrests, the police have now taken into custody nine accused out of the 24 named in the FIR. According to reports, all four are associated with the TMC.
Meanwhile, Tamanna’s grieving parents, Sabina Seikh, a homemaker, and Hossain Seikh, a migrant labourer, have expressed deep mistrust in the state police and are demanding a CBI inquiry into their daughter’s death.
Speaking through tears, Hossain said, “I want a CBI inquiry so that nothing remains uncovered and no one is spared. I don’t trust the police. I will knock on every door for justice for my daughter.”
Sabina echoed his concerns and alleged that the family had been repeatedly threatened and attacked for being CPM supporters in an area where TMC-backed miscreants allegedly operated with impunity.
“The initial response from the police was good. But it won’t last. Once the protests die down, everything will return to what it was,” she said. “Our daughter would still be alive if the police had acted in time. We had been warning them for months.”
