Explosion in Kolkata's Nagerbazar kills 7-year-old boy, injures 9: Cops downgrade 'high-intensity' blast to 'low-intensity'

A blast in Kolkata’s northern suburbs on Tuesday killed a seven-year-old boy and injured nine people, including the child’s mother. The explosion occurred in front of a multi-storey building in the city’s Nagerbazar area, police said. The cause has yet to be ascertained.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Barrackpore Commissionerate, Ananda Roy said, “A child, who was severely injured in the blast, has died in hospital. A total of nine people are injured.”

As per initial investigation, ammonium nitrate was used in carrying out the low-intensity blast outside the building, which also houses the office of South Dum Dum Municipality chairman Panchu Roy. “It was a socket bomb explosion. Forensic team and the bomb squad of CID are examining the spot. We have started further investigation,” a police officer told PTI.

However, initial reports had quoted the police as saying that it was a high intensity blast. “It was a high-intensity blast,” an officer of the Kolkata Police said.

West Bengal: Police says, "It was a high-intensity blast. 4 people seriously injured, 6 injured. Found some iron nails but can't ascertain cause of blast yet as there is no smell of gunpowder."; Visuals of CID bomb disposal squad at site of explosion in Dum Dum's Nager Bazar area pic.twitter.com/S06xWaGvi7

— ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2018

The explosion occurred around 9 am on Tuesday outside a fruit shop on the ground floor of the building in the congested neighbourhood, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Dum Dum Police Station. The injured were taken to the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

A forensic team and sniffer dogs are at the spot, trying to ascertain the nature of the explosion, the police said. “Initially, we thought it was a gas cylinder blast, but it wasn’t. We are trying to find out the details. Forensic experts, along with the CID bomb disposal squad, are examining the area,” a senior officer of the Barrackpore City Police Commissionerate said.

The building where the blast took place also houses the office of South Dum Dum Municipality Chairman Panchu Roy, who claimed to be the actual target of the explosion.

Stopping short of naming any political party, Roy said the forces currently attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress across West Bengal were behind the attack. “I think they tried to target me. Today is 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. We all know which group was involved in Gandhiji’s killing. I will not be surprised if that same group was involved in this blast,” he told IANS.

Asked whether the explosion was a result of infighting within the TMC, Roy said there was no such issue in South Bengal.

Furthermore, ANI quoted West Bengal minister Purnendu Basu as comparing the explosion in Dum Dum’s Nagerbazaar to the “to the ones carried out by RSS elsewhere”.

With inputs from agencies