Who is Saokat Molla? Former West Bengal MLA and prime suspect in Bhangar bomb blast case sent to 14-day NIA custody | Today’s news
Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Saokat Molla, accused of being a key suspect in the Bhangar bomb blast case in West Bengal, was produced before a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Saturday.
According to ANI, he was sent to NIA custody for 14 days.
The case relates to a crude bomb blast that allegedly took place during the manufacture of explosive devices ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections. The incident resulted in the death of one of the people involved in making the bombs and several others were injured.
Molla, who was allegedly evading arrest, was arrested in South 24 Parganas district following persistent search operations by the NIA as part of its ongoing investigation into the case.
According to the NIA investigation, former MLA Saokat Molla, the fourth person arrested in the case, has been identified as the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy. Investigators say he instructed the other accused to make crude bombs and later ordered them to change the blast site in an attempt to tamper with evidence.
His arrest closely followed the capture of another accused, Sainur Molly, who was allegedly transporting the deceased and injured persons in his Scorpio vehicle after the blast.
Who is Saokot Molla?
Saokat Molla entered the West Bengal Legislative Assembly after winning from the Canning Purba constituency in the 2016 state elections. He secured a second consecutive term from the same seat in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
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Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal elections, a song titled “Saokat Toh Mach Chor” (“Saokat is a fish thief”) went viral on social media and sparked a political row. Molla claimed that the song was the work of the Indian Secular Front and accused the party of orchestrating a smear campaign against him.
He called the content offensive, harmful and defamatory and told the media that he intended to take legal action against those responsible for what he called a degrading political smear campaign.
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NIA investigators found that after the blast, the accused Sainur Molla was allegedly behind the wheel of the Scorpio vehicle used to transport the deceased and injured in the blast. According to the probe, he first took the victims to a nearby hospital before moving them to another location where they were later taken to an ambulance.
The ambulance driver, who was previously arrested in connection with the case, is currently in judicial custody.
Investigators are continuing to question those arrested to determine if a wider conspiracy is connected to the incident.
The NIA, which took over the case on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is probing the role of all the accused persons and their possible involvement in the larger conspiracy surrounding the blast.
The counter-terrorism agency formally took over the investigation on April 26 after authorities decided to investigate the incident as terrorism.
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As directed by the MHA, the NIA lodged a fresh FIR and formally took over the investigation.
On the orders of the MHA, the agency took charge of the case involving the seizure of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by the Kolkata Police. Investigators alleged that the explosives were stored at the site in a manner that seriously endangered public safety and endangered lives and property.
