A youth was killed in a village in Farakka, Murshidabad, on Tuesday night when “locally made” firecrackers at a Kali Puja pandal exploded in his face.

Members of the Akura Kali Puja committee said they saw Pallab Sarkar, 32, a newlywed home painter, peering to check why some crackers, kept on a brass plate, were not getting lit.

The crackers suddenly exploded in his face, the brass plate getting flung on impact and giving his neck a deep gash. Pallab was rushed to Tarapur Hospital, 5km away, but was declared dead on arrival.

“One of the crackers had been lit but we couldn’t judge it from afar. Pallab took the risk of going forward to check, knowing well the unpredictable nature of the crackers,” said an eyewitness.

Farakka and Samserganj police, acting jointly, arrested 10 persons on Tuesday night.

They were produced on Wednesday at the Jangipur additional chief judicial magistrate’s court and sent to 14 days in jail custody.

Puja committee head Ujjal Ghosh admitted that the crackers were locally made.