An assistant sub-inspector of police suffered injuries when a bomb exploded during a clash between two groups of criminals at Bhatpara town in North 24-Parganas late on Sunday night.

ASI Subrata Goswami was part of a police team trying to control the situation. A bomb exploded near the police officer who suffered multiple splinter injuries. He was rushed to Bhatpara state general hospital and later shifted to a nursing home in Barrackpore.

Police and local sources said a clash had broken out between two gangs of criminals in areas adjacent to Railgate-29 under ward 8 of the town around 10pm on Sunday. The clash panicked local residents who called the police.

The presence of cops did not deter the goons, who continued to attack each other with bombs and bullets, leading to the ASI’s injury.

Personnel of the combat force of the district police later brought the situation under control and arrested Sambhu Sonar and Ram Pandit for their alleged role in the violence.

The incident unleashed panic in the district’s jute belt that has been on the boil since the announcement of the Assembly poll results with incidents of armed clashes becoming a regular affair.

The frequent clashes have revived memories of violence that had erupted in the belt after BJP candidate Arjun Singh had won the 2019 Lok Sabha poll.

“We have to spend sleepless night on most days as goons frequently clash with each other in the area. Bombs explode throughout the night, leaving the residents here in panic. The entire belt has turned into a stockpile of bombs,” said a person who lives in Bhatpara and was part of a crowd that had blocked the Barrackpore-Kanchrapara road demanding arrest of the goons.

A section of Trinamul Congress leaders is annoyed with police inaction and blames some party office-bearers for instigating the clashes.

“After we lost the Barrackpore seat in 2019, we began to blame Arjun Singh for creating tension. But after the Assembly polls, Arjun’s control over the goons has largely decreased, particularly following the defeat of BJP candidates in most seats in the jute belt. Now, people will not accept that violence in the area is being orchestrated entirely by Arjun,” said a senior Trinamul leader in Naihati.

However, Trinamul MLA from Jagaddal Somnath Shyam said: “Arjun has been trying to create tension for political interest.”

Arjun, however, said: “People know who is creating tension. Everything will become clear if police act in a non-partisan manner.”

A senior officer of Barrackpore police commissionerate said: “We had arrested a number of goons but most of them got bail because of the pandemic.”