10-Year-Old Girl Killed in Crude Bomb Blast During Vote Count in Bengal’s Kaliganj
In a tragic turn of events during the counting of votes for the by-election in West Bengal’s Kaliganj constituency, a 10-year-old girl was killed after a crude bomb exploded in the Barochandgar village of Nadia district on Monday. The incident occurred as the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) surged ahead in the vote tally, leading to widespread shock and political outrage.
The victim, identified as Tamanna Khatun, was a Class 4 student and a resident of the area. Local authorities confirmed that she succumbed to her injuries shortly after the explosion. The blast happened while the counting of votes was underway, with TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed heading for a decisive win.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep sorrow over the child’s death. “I am shocked and deeply saddened at the death of a young girl in an explosion at Barochandgar. My prayers and thoughts are with the family in their hour of grief,” she said in an official statement. Banerjee further assured that strict legal action would be taken against those responsible, directing police to investigate the matter thoroughly.
While the state administration promised swift action, the incident quickly snowballed into a political flashpoint, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching a scathing attack on the TMC government. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya accused the ruling party of fostering an environment of violence, even during a routine democratic exercise like vote counting.
“TMC’s celebration ends with blood on its hands. Again,” Malviya posted on X (formerly Twitter). “A child. Murdered. While TMC danced to the tune of their ‘victory’. TMC is not a political party. It is a gang of vultures. They cannot win—even a bypoll—without shedding blood. Is this the price of victory under Mamata Banerjee’s rule?” he added.
Malviya further alleged that the explosion occurred during a TMC victory procession, in which bombs were hurled, creating chaos that led to the fatal injury of the child.
The violent incident cast a dark shadow over what was otherwise a landslide electoral victory for TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed. Ahmed, the daughter of late TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed whose death in February had necessitated the bypoll, won by a significant margin. She received 1,02,759 votes, while her closest rival, BJP’s Ashish Ghosh, trailed far behind with 52,710 votes. Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh came third with 28,348 votes, according to the Election Commission.
Despite the grim developments, Banerjee hailed the bypoll outcome as a reflection of popular will. “People of all religions, castes, races and walks of life in the area have blessed us immensely by exercising their right to vote in the by-elections. The main architects of this victory are ‘Maa, Mati, and Manush’,” she said on social media.
Meanwhile, police and forensic teams have been deployed to Barochandgar to investigate the blast site. Senior officers are looking into whether the explosion was politically motivated or the result of stockpiled crude bombs stored irresponsibly.
As tension continues to simmer, the tragic death of Tamanna Khatun has reignited concerns over political violence in Bengal, even during local electoral processes. Calls for greater security and accountability are now growing louder across party lines.
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