BJP MP writes to Amit Shah for NIA probe into Beleghata blast

    Kolkata, Oct 16 (PTI) Iterating her demand for a probe
by the NIA into the Beleghata blast here earlier this week,
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee has written to Union Home Minister
Amit Shah, stressing that an investigation by the agency was
the need of the hour, as the matter concerns public safety.
    Chatterjee, in a letter to Shah on October 15, said
the blast indicated that explosives have been stockpiled in
different areas, "which might be used to cause terror attacks
in Bengal" at some point.
    An explosion early on October 13 blew off a club's
asbestos roof and damaged a portion of its wall at Beleghata
in the eastern part of the city, sparking fear among locals.
    No one was injured in the blast, which occurred on the
second floor of the club around 5 am.
    The BJP demanded a probe by the National Investigation
Agency (NIA), while the ruling TMC had said the Kolkata Police
was competent enough to carry out the investigation.
    Chatterjee, however, said the "Kolkata Police might
suppress findings under pressure from the state government,
which may later prove disastrous for public safety".
    "Hence I request you (Shah) to order an NIA probe into
the bomb blast at Beleghata in the interest of preserving
India's sovereignty and internal security," she wrote.
    The BJP MP also apprehended that explosives were being
hoarded in several areas, ahead of 2021 Assembly elections.
    Citing another case, she said, "We had witnessed a
similar situation in October 2014 at the house of a local TMC
leader in Khagragarh, Burdwan, where two people were killed in
what the state police had initially said was a gas cylinder
blast," she said.
    However, the NIA took over the investigation, and
subsequently a terror module of Bangladesh-based terror group
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen was busted and 19 people were held
guilty, she recounted.
    Earlier, BJP's Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya, had
in a tweet, accused the city police of trying to suppress the
case and shield the "conspirators". PTI SUS
RMS RMS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)