A Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Bablu Mondal has been sentenced by the NIA court in the 2019 Birbhum bomb blast case. The court also imposed a Rs 10,000 fine. Judge Shubhendu Saha found TMC leader Bablu Mondal guilty in an order dated 13th February 2025, under section 286 of IPC and Sections 3 and 5 of the Explosives Substances Act.
About the Incident
The blast had happened in the house of ‘Bablu Mondal’ in Gangpur village under the Lokepur Police Station precinct. In 2019, the Lokepur police arrested his two sons, Niranjan Mondal and Mrityunjay Mondal. The duo had absconded following being released on bail while Bablu Mondal had surrendered later.
In the blast, no one was injured, the residential premises of Bablu Mondal and his sons were found during the investigation to be used for the storage of illegal explosives and the making of crude bombs. According to the media reports, it was found that Mondal had been storing explosives in his house since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
During the police interrogation, it was disclosed by Bablu Mondal’s sons that their father Bablu Mondal stored explosives in a tin box which had exploded. Accused Bablu Monal had also stored two pistols. In September 2020, the NIA took over and re-registered the case in September 2020, charged all three accused on 5th September 2022. Investigations to track the absconding accused are ongoing.
The West Bengal police’s is investigating matter and raised serious questions as all three accused managed to get bail. It was only following the Calcutta High Court directed the National Investigation Agency to take over the case that the accused could finally be brought to justice.
Arup Kumar Dutta (PW1) who was the officer-in-charge of Lokepur police station in 2019 said that on 20th September 2019, he received information from one Prasanta Das that there was an incident of an explosion at the residence of Bablu Mondal.
Along with the team, the officer arrived at the accused Bablu Mondal’s tin shed residence which was completely blown away. PW1 further added that he found the smell of explosives at that place and fragments of tin. One Helaram Das of that village produced a written complaint to him against Bablu Mondal and his two sons on the spot.
Court Observation and Judgement
Judge Shubhendu Saha observed that there was an explosion at the house of accused Bablu Mondal on 20th September 2019, based on the analysis of witness statements and evidence produced before the court.
The Judge said, “Now, while I had reached to the conclusion that the fact of explosion at the home of the accused by use of explosive substance is established, the presence of the explosive substance is also automatically proved. Thus by proving the fact the prosecution is successful is discharging the burden of proof. The prosecution has asserted the fact and proved the fact exists,” the judge said.
The court further held that the offence punishable u/s 3(a) of The Explosive Substances Act, 1908 for causing the explosion of a nature likely to endanger life and serious injury to property is established and proved beyond all reasonable doubt. The court noted that while no one was injured in the explosion, it did cause damage to the accused’s residence.
The NIA court also held that the offence punishable u/s 5 of The Explosive Substances Act, 1908 for possessing explosive under suspicious circumstances is established and proved beyond all reasonable doubt.
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