Over the last three decades, at least 565 children in the Indian state of West Bengal have been injured or killed by homemade bombs, a BBC Eye investigation has revealed.
These deadly devices, which are often linked to political violence, have claimed the lives of many children. Why are so many Bengali children paying such a high price for this violence?
As per the sources of Leaders team, the story begins on a bright summer morning in May 1996, when six boys from a slum in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, ventured out to play cricket in a narrow alley. Their slum, nestled in the middle-class neighborhood of Jodhpur Park, was bustling with life. It was voting day during a general election, and nine-year-old Puchu Sardar, one of the boys, quietly slipped past his sleeping father, grabbed a cricket bat, and joined the others.
While playing, one of the boys hit a cricket ball over the boundary and the group set off to retrieve it from a small garden nearby. There, in a black plastic bag, they found six round objects. Believing they were leftover cricket balls, they returned to their game. Puchu was the first to bowl one of the “balls,” and as he struck it with his bat, a deafening explosion tore through the alley. It was a bomb.
The blast left Puchu and five of his friends severely injured, with two of the boys, seven-year-olds Raju Das and Gopal Biswas, dying from their injuries. Puchu narrowly survived, suffering severe burns and shrapnel wounds. His family, unable to afford more medical care, used kitchen tongs to remove shrapnel from his body.
Puchu and his friends are among a long list of children maimed or killed by crude bombs, which have been used in West Bengal’s political violence for decades. A BBC World Service investigation found at least 565 child casualties – 94 deaths and 471 injuries – between 1996 and 2024. This means a child is injured or killed by bomb violence in West Bengal on average every 18 days.
As per the reports received by Leaders team, the use of crude bombs in West Bengal dates back to the early 1900s during the rebellion against British rule. Today, these bombs, known locally as peto, are typically used in violent political clashes and are employed by political activists, particularly in rural areas, to intimidate opponents, disrupt elections, or assert territorial control.
Children like Poulami Halder and Sabina Khatun bear the brunt of this violence. Poulami, then seven years old, found what she thought was a ball near a water pump in her village and brought it home. It was a bomb, and when it exploded in her hand, it left her with devastating injuries, including the amputation of her left hand. Similarly, Sabina, 10 years old, stumbled upon a bomb while taking her goat to graze and was severely injured when it detonated. Her hand had to be amputated as well.
These tragic incidents reflect the deep-rooted culture of political violence in West Bengal, where bombs are often used to terrorize populations during election periods. Despite the terrible toll it has inflicted, there is little sign of this violence ending, as political parties continue to deny involvement, and no party admits responsibility for the use of bombs.
The widespread and ongoing use of bombs as political tools has left many children traumatized, maimed, or dead. Yet, for some of the survivors like Poulami and Sabina, hope remains. They continue to fight for a better future despite the immense challenges they face. However, as the tragedy continues, the community grapples with the question: why are children still paying the price in this violent political conflict?
