A view of the house which was damaged due to a fire,in Pathar Pratima block in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district late on Monday (March 31, 2025).
| Photo Credit: PTI
Eight persons including four children died in a fire at a house in Pathar Pratima block in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district late on Monday (March 31, 2025).
The house caught fire after an explosion and the presence of fire crackers stacked inside the house increased the intensity of the fire.
Seven persons died on the spot after the fire on Monday (March 31) night and one person succumbed to injuries at a state-run hospital. The local MLA of Pathar Pratima Samir Kumar Jana said the family owned an authorised firecracker manufacturing unit a few metres away from the house.
On Tuesday (April 1, 2025), a large amount of fire crackers were found near the house where the explosion occurred. The factory where crackers was manufactured is located about 100 metres from the residence. The explosion ripped off the walls of the house and other articles were strewn around the site of the explosion. Eleven members of the family of Chandrakanta Banik and Tushar Banik used to reside in the house located at Dakshin Raipur under Sundarban Police district.
The deceased were identified as Prabhabati Banik (80), Arabinda Banik (65), Swantana Banik (28), Arnab Banik (9), Anushka Banik (6), and two six-month-old babies and their mother Sutapa Jana. The locals alleged that not only firecrackers but crude bombs were also manufactured at the site. The people of the locality said that whenever they raised objections to the cracker manufacturing unit, the owners said they had a licence. One family member has said the police used to regularly take money from the owners of the cracker unit.
There have been a number of similar incidents in West Bengal where cracker manufacturing units have caught fire leading to several deaths. Only a few weeks ago on February 12, 2025 four persons, including women, died in a massive explosion at an illegal firecracker factory at Kalyani Rathtala in State’s Nadia district.
At Purba Medinipur’s Egra eleven people, including several women, had died in May 2023. In August of the same year, another explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in the Duttapukur area of North 24 Parganas district claimed seven lives. The State government in May 2023 set up a committee headed by the State’s Chief Secretary to look into such illegal units.
BJP seeks NIA probe
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president Sukanta Majumdar said that the entire State is on a pile of gunpowder and he will seek an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the building where the incident happened was a “crude bomb manufacturing unit”.
“How many more tragedies will take place before serious action is taken? The DGP @WBPolice must answer why the State of West Bengal is sitting on a pile of crude bombs?” he posted on X.
Published – April 01, 2025 12:02 pm IST
