Trinamool leader held with bomb-making materials in East Midnapore
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Kolkata: A Trinamool Congress leader, named in an NIA probe into the 2022 Arjun Nagar bomb blast case, has been arrested in East Midnapore district with bomb-making ingredients, police said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Subir Maity of Arjun Nagar village, was picked up by Bhupati Nagar police on Friday night following a tip-off. He is due to be produced before a court in later in the day.
In December 2022, a blast in Naduabila village of the Arjun Nagar gram panchayat killed three people, including a Trinamool leader. The Calcutta High Court later directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the case, during which Maity’s name surfaced.
Police said bomb-making materials were seized during the raid. “Investigation is on to ascertain whether such ingredients were meant for making firecrackers or crude bombs,” an officer said.
The arrest has triggered political sparring, with BJP MLA from Bhagabanpur, Rabindranath Maity, alleging that Trinamool was preparing to stockpile bombs ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. Local Trinamool workers staged protests against the arrest, while party spokesperson Aparesh Santra said he was unaware of the details and would comment later.