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Class-4 Girl Killed In Bomb Attack During TMC's Celebrations Over Kaliganj Bypoll Results
ABP Live News | June 23, 2025 8:11 PM CST

An election process in West Bengal without violence has seemingly become unimaginable. Every major election over the last few years has seen violence. Even the bypolls are not spared from this evil. On Monday, the state's Kaliganj Assembly saw a minor's death in violence that ensued during the counting of votes.

The young girl was killed in a bomb explosion before the results were officially declared.

Election Commission Seeks Report

According to police sources, the blast occurred in Molandighi, Kaliganj, allegedly during a celebratory procession by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers. The deceased, a Class-4 student, was caught in the explosion reportedly triggered by a bomb hurled at a CPI(M) supporter's house. One person has been taken into police custody so far, and police have launched a search for others involved. The Election Commission has sought a report on the incident.

Preliminary reports allege that the bomb was thrown at the house believed to belong to a CPI(M) supporter. Political analysts and locals of the area are now questioning how such violence could have taken place during celebrations, even before the official declaration of results.

Mamata Banerjee Slams Violence

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her shock and grief: "I am shocked and deeply saddened at the death of a young girl in an explosion at Barochandgar in Krishnanagar police district. My prayers and thoughts are with the family in their hour of grief. Police shall take strong and decisive legal action against the culprits…"

Locals claim the area is known to have strong CPI(M) support and tensions were high even before results were declared. "TMC workers knew they were leading by a big margin and had taken out a victory procession," said one resident. "The girl had just stepped out to bathe when a bomb was thrown in the direction of the house. She was killed instantly."

Locals allege that officers only reached the site after the incident began drawing media and social media attention. Multiple homes were reportedly targeted in the bombing spree.

BJP Calls TMC 'Criminal Syndicate'

Reacting to the incident, Bengal Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari said the TMC has transmorphed from a political party into a criminal syndicate in power. He said: "Not speeches, not sweets -  bombs were thrown in the name of 'victory' in a bypoll! A minor girl was blown to death even before the counting ended in Kaliganj. Only in Mamata Banerjee's Bengal can an election celebration look like a terrorist attack."

He further called Mamata the "patron saint of blood and fear".

The Kaliganj bypoll was won by TMC's Alifa Ahmed. She won by a margin of over 50,000 votes against the BJP's Ashish Ghosh.

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