NIA files charges over Bhupatinagar blast, alleging it was a case of making bombs to spread terror in the region

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed charges in connection with the Bhupatinagar blast in Purba Medinipur in West Bengal in the first week of July, saying the investigation had uncovered a “criminal conspiracy related to supply of explosives for making bombs with the aim of spreading terror and violence in the region”.

“The NIA, which took over the investigation from the state police on June 4, 2023, filed charges against the accused under various sections of the IPC and the ES Act (Explosion Act),” the NIA said in a press release.

Three people were killed in the explosion in Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district in December 2022.

On April 6, 2024, an NIA team in Bhupatinagar was attacked by locals during a morning raid in connection with the investigation into a bomb blast that left three people dead. One NIA officer was injured in the attack and a press statement from the NIA said that Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana were arrested “amidst stiff resistance from an unruly crowd in East Medinipur district of the state”.

The development, which came in the midst of the Lok Sabha elections, provoked strong reactions in political circles.

Also read | NIA says there was no malice in Bhupatinagar blast case, attack on his team was ‘unprovoked’

The NIA chargesheet, filed before the special court in Kolkata on July 4, names three deceased – Raj Kumar Manna, Biswajit Gayen and Buddhadeb Manna – and three other accused, Panchanan Ghorai, Manobrata Jana and Balai Charan Maity. “Of the latter three, the first is out on bail and the other two are in judicial custody,” the NIA statement said.

According to the NIA, the six accused persons were found to be “actively involved in the criminal conspiracy related to the bomb blast that occurred in Naruabila village on December 2, 2022”.

In recent years, the NIA has been tasked with investigating a number of bomb blasts. Violent bomb blasts have been reported in various parts of West Bengal, often during political unrest, raising doubts about the legality of the case.