From poll violence to terror supply chains: West Bengal’s crude bomb industry under NIA scanner
New Delhi: The bomb factories in West Bengal are back in the spotlight following the recovery of 79 crude bombs at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district.
The probe has been taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the central agency would go into the larger picture as this does not appear to be an isolated incident.
Officials say that the timing of the recovery is interesting as the agencies discovered the bombs just three days before the final phase of voting for the West Bengal Assembly elections.
An official said that hurling of bombs during an electoral process is not a new phenomenon in West Bengal. In in previous cases, it was found that bombs have been used as a political tool by political parties against their opponents.
An Intelligence Bureau official pointed out that there are multiple such units across the state which prepare these bombs. Production does tend to increase ahead of elections in the state, be it state or Lok Sabha.
These factories, on most occasions, have been found to be operating under the guise of firecracker units. Since these persons are associated with political parties, on many occasions, the administration, too, looks the other way.
Another official said that it is not on all occasions that these bombs are being manufactured to be used as a political tool. If one looks at cases like Burdwan, the bombs were manufactured in huge numbers. Only a small part of it was meant to be diverted to goons to disrupt an electoral process.
It was learnt in that case that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) had ordered a large number of bombs. It was to be transported to Bangladesh where a series of attacks were planned.
Officials probing the Bhangar case say that this place has a history when it comes to the manufacturing of crude bombs. They have been used largely in political clashes and hence a deep probe would be required.
An official said that the agencies would also revisit the Burdwan case to get more details. The official said that these bomb making factories which are spread across the state are meant to cater to goons and also terror groups.
To run these factories these people have hired a large number of illegal immigrants who have come in from Bangladesh and Myanmar. They are paid anything between Rs 70 to Rs 100 a day to prepare these bombs.
The agencies are also closely looking into possible links of these bomb making industries with outfits such as the JMB. The JMB has been instructed by the ISI to carry out attacks in West Bengal and the northeastern states.
These groups would rely heavily on such bomb making industries to procure the ammunition, an official said. Another official said that these factories operate all through the year and not only at the time of elections.
When there are no elections, these factories supply crude bombs to gangs, rowdy elements and terror groups. In a nutshell these bombs are in demand all through the year.
The NIA would look closely into how the material was procured to produce so many bombs. The agency would not just look into the supplier market, but also the patronage these factory owners enjoy.
The Burdwan case was however an eye-opener. Not only were over a 1,000 bombs found, but these factories managed to operate for several years without any problem from the law enforcement agencies.
Another official said that it would be important to look at the larger picture. How these factories are linked, who supplies the material and how did they manage to escape the law enforcement agencies is what would shape the case by the NIA, the official added.