Kolkata
The Calcutta High Court has dismissed two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that sought a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the illegal firecracker unit blast in Duttapukur, North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The PILs were filed by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP leader Rajarshi Lahiri. The division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya ruled that the investigation into the matter will be conducted by the state police. The bench noted that the state police can proceed with the investigation, considering it is at an early stage, and that there is no immediate requirement to transfer the investigation to a central agency. The court, however, granted the petitioners the freedom to approach the court again if they come across fresh information related to the incident. The firecracker blast occurred on Sunday morning, resulting in the reported deaths of nine individuals and several injuries. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the police administration downplayed the death toll and claimed that those responsible for the illegal firecracker unit had close ties with the ruling Trinamool Congress. The ruling party, on the other hand, accused the opposition of politicizing the incident and emphasized that it was an accident. The National Commission for Child Rights (NCRC) has also sought a report from the state government about the minors who lost their lives in the blast.
