A Kolkata court has granted bail to Asfar Middya and Entajul Middya, whom the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified as prime accused in a 2022 crude bomb-making case in West Bengal's Amta, less than two weeks after the agency filed its charge sheet against them.
The two men were arrested in June, around four years after the incident, and were granted bail within three months of their arrest. The special NIA court directed each of them to furnish a bond of ₹50,000 and ordered them not to leave West Bengal until further orders.
The court observed that the nature and gravity of the allegations emerging from the NIA's investigation did not make the case against the two accused eligible for a custody trial. It also noted that no incriminating material had been directly recovered from their possession.
Court cites lack of direct recovery
The NIA had opposed the bail applications, arguing that releasing the accused at this stage could hamper the trial because of the possibility of witness intimidation.
The court, however, rejected the agency's argument. It noted that the charge sheet did not state that any part of the investigation concerning Asfar and Entajul remained pending.
The court said the NIA had only mentioned that its investigation was continuing in relation to other suspected offenders. The two accused were therefore allowed to leave custody subject to the condition that they remain within West Bengal.
The bail order came a little more than a week after the NIA filed its charge sheet against the duo.
NIA had called duo prime accused
The agency had arrested Asfar and Entajul on June 23 following searches at three suspected locations in the Amta area. In a statement issued the following day, the NIA identified both men as prime accused who allegedly directed the illegal manufacture of crude bombs near Chandrapur Bazar in the Amta police station area on February 23, 2022.
According to the NIA, the two accused, both from Amta in Howrah (Rural), were controlling the bomb-making operation. The agency alleged that the devices were intended to threaten and terrorise people in the area.
The agency also told the court that the explosive devices had been manufactured under the direct command, supervision and instruction of Entajul and Asfar Middya.
The NIA had taken over the investigation from the local police in April 2024. Before the arrests of Asfar and Entajul, four other people had been arrested and charge-sheeted in the case, while the wider investigation continued.
2022 blast left one dead, three injured
The case relates to an explosion during the illegal manufacture of crude bombs near Chandrapur Bazar on February 23, 2022.
Four people, Jahadhar Mollah, Mohabbat Mollah, Moinur Rahaman and Sk Maharam, were severely injured when some of the bombs exploded. Sk Maharam later succumbed to his injuries. The NIA said he was among those involved in the bomb-making activity.
After taking over the case, the NIA alleged that the bombs were being manufactured as part of an operation intended to create fear in the locality. The agency subsequently identified Asfar and Entajul as the two men allegedly controlling the operation.
Despite the NIA's allegation that the duo had directed the manufacture of the explosives, the special court concluded that the material placed in the charge sheet did not warrant their continued custody for trial. The court's order also specifically recorded that there had been no direct recovery of incriminating material from either accused.