Kolkata’s Birbhum district turned into the scene of a thrilling police operation on Tuesday night. Around 20,000 gelatine sticks – powerful explosives used mostly in mining – were seized from a pick-up van near Nalhati. Birbhum Superintendent of Police, Amandeep, confirmed the catch, saying the vehicle was stopped during a naka check on the busy Sultanpur–Nalhati Road. The van was coming all the way from Pakur in Jharkhand, reportedly carrying 50 bags packed with these illegal gelatine sticks. "The vehicle was detained during a naka check on the Sultanpur–Nalhati Road. It was coming from Pakur in Jharkhand with 50 bags or approximately 20,000 gelatine sticks that were procured and transported illegally," SP Amandeep said. The police have arrested one man, Narayan Ghosh, a local resident of Birbhum. On Wednesday, he was presented before the Rampurhat court and sent to police custody for three days. Birbhum is no stranger to such explosive busts. The gelatine sticks and detonators are widely used in stone quarries across Rampurhat. Often, when quarry owners exhaust their government-approved quota, they illegally source these explosives from nearby Jharkhand miners. “No terror connection was ever found in any of the seizures in the past. These explosives are sometimes used for illegal mining,” revealed a state intelligence officer who wished to stay anonymous. This area is famous for Deocha Pachami, one of the world’s largest coal blocks, adding to its mining frenzy. The issue gained national attention earlier when in July 2022, West Bengal’s special task force seized 81,000 detonators and ammonium nitrate in Muhammad Bazar, Birbhum. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over that investigation in April 2023. They found the detonators were sold to unauthorized people who had no license for explosives storage. The latest seizure in Nalhati reminds us of the ongoing challenge in controlling illegal transport and use of explosives, crucial for mining but dangerous if in the wrong hands. Police are working closely with their counterparts in Pakur to unravel the full story behind this massive haul. The hunt continues, but one thing is clear: Birbhum’s crackdown on illegal explosives is fierce and untiring!