Panic and fear spread across West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Friday morning after villagers reportedly discovered a large cache of live crude bombs stacked near a bamboo grove close to a pond embankment in Kot village.
According to local residents, villagers first noticed suspicious objects piled near the field and immediately alerted police authorities after realising they appeared to be explosives. The discovery triggered alarm throughout the surrounding area as people gathered near the site while maintaining distance due to fear of a possible blast.
Police sources later confirmed that approximately 31 live bombs were recovered from the location. Soon after receiving information, a large police contingent reached the village, cordoned off the entire area, and initiated security measures to prevent any accidental explosion or untoward incident.
Authorities stated that the site was immediately sealed for public safety while the Bomb Disposal Squad was called in to safely defuse and remove the explosives.
One villager who reportedly first spotted the suspicious objects described the shocking scene by saying that the bombs were stacked in such a manner that at first glance they resembled palm fruits scattered together.
The recovery of such a large number of live bombs has generated fear, tension, and speculation among residents of the village, particularly because the incident comes shortly after the conclusion of the state Assembly elections.
Police have now launched a detailed investigation to determine who stored the explosives at the site and for what purpose they were allegedly intended. Search operations and inspections are currently being carried out in nearby areas and surrounding villages as part of the investigation.
The incident has also intensified concerns regarding continuing political violence and instability across West Bengal following the Assembly election results announced earlier this month.
In the recently concluded elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a major victory in the state by winning 207 Assembly seats, dramatically altering West Bengal’s political landscape.
Since the declaration of the results on May 4, multiple districts across the state have reportedly witnessed political clashes, incidents of vandalism, bomb attacks,s and retaliatory violence. Leaders and workers from both the BJP and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) have repeatedly accused each other of instigating unrest and violence.
The Birbhum bomb recovery follows several recent violent incidents reported from different parts of the state.
One major incident occurred in Howrah, while another violent episode was reported from Panihati in the North 24 Parganas district. In the Panihati case, at least five BJP supporters reportedly sustained injuries after unidentified motorcycle-borne attackers allegedly hurled crude bombs at them late on Wednesday night.
According to police, the attack took place near St Xavier’s Institution while BJP workers were interacting with local residents. Authorities stated that the attackers fled immediately after throwing the bombs.
The Panihati violence itself occurred only hours after another major political incident in which Chandranath Rath, a close aide and personal assistant to senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in Madhyamgram.
Taken together, the latest recovery of 31 live bombs in Birbhum has further heightened concerns regarding law and order, political rivalry, and the growing use of crude explosives in post-election violence across West Bengal.
Police officials said the investigation into the source and intended use of the explosives remains ongoing.
