The West Bengal Police has suspended two more officers, including the Inspector-in-Charge (IC) of Duttapukur Police Station, in connection with the illegal firecracker factory blast that killed nine people in North 24 Parganas district on August 24.
The IC, Subhash Biwas, has been suspended for dereliction of duty. The other officer, Sub-Inspector (SI) Nirmal Mondal, has been suspended for negligence.
The blast had occurred at an illegal firecracker factory in Duttapukur on the night of August 24. Nine people, including four women and two children, were killed in the blast.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had ordered a high-level probe into the incident. The probe team has found that the police had prior information about the illegal firecracker factory, but they did not take any action to stop it.
The suspension of the two officers is seen as a major step by the police to take action against those responsible for the blast.
The police have also arrested the owner of the illegal firecracker factory, identified as Md. Amir Ali. He has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The police are still investigating the matter to find out if there are any other people involved in the incident.
