NIA Team Probing 2022 Blast Case Attacked In West Bengal's East Medinipur: Here's All About It

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) came under attack while conducting a raid in West Bengal's East Midnapore district on Saturday (6 April).

The car in which the NIA officials were travelling was also vandalised after two Trinamool Congress (TMC) members were picked up for questioning, Indian Express reported.

The incident, which happened in East Midnapore's Bhupatinagar area, reportedly resulted in injuries to one official.

The NIA team had arrived at Bhupatinagar to conduct a raid as part of the ongoing investigation over a bomb blast case that rocked the region in 2022. 

The anti-terror probe agency had reportedly summoned two residents, Balai Maity and Manobrata Jana, in connection with the blast that ripped apart a house in Bhupatinagar on 3 December 2022, killing three people. 

As they did not appear for questioning, NIA officials picked them up to take them in for questioning on Saturday,According to the agency, the Maity and Jana were the two key conspirators in the blast case.

"Manobrata Jana, and the other arrested accused, identified as Balai Charan Maity, were found to have conspired to manufacture and explode crude bombs to spread terror," the agency said in a statement.

"The duo, Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana, were arrested after extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where a crowd of local residents tried to obstruct the NIA team," the NIA said.

The NIA team was reportedly en route to Kolkata when their vehicle was attacked by locals.

The villagers reportedly surrounded the vehicle and launched a barrage of stones, resulting in injuries to an NIA official.

"One NIA team member suffered minor injury and the agency's official vehicle was also damaged as some miscreants in the crowd assaulted them," the agency said.

It added that the aggressive crowd tried to stop the NIA team and its security component from moving towards Bhupatinagar police station to complete the arrest formalities.

NIA has lodged a complaint at the local police station in this regard, it said.

Earlier on 5 January this year, a similar incident took place when an Enforcement Directorate team conducting a search at TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh’s house in Sandeshkhali in the state’s North 24 Parganas district was attacked, resulting in injuries to five officials.

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