Two killed, seven injured in Bengal explosion

Two persons were killed and seven others were injured in an explosion that turned a thatched house into rubble at Lahbpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Monday.

With the explosion taking place at the house of a local Trinamool leader, investigators suspect party supporters were preparing an arsenal to disrupt the parliamentary elections in the area on April 30.

The incident took place at the house of Sheikh Ismail, a local Trinamool leader and the two dead were also known Trinamool activists, claim local sources and accuse opposition parties, Congress, Left and the BJP. The incident took place at Kusumberia village in the later afternoon, the district’s Superintendent of Police, RM Khan said.

While the police were investigating the explosion, the Election Commission has sought a report on the incident from the district magistrate at the earliest. “Two people were killed when some explosives kept inside their house exploded. Prima facie it appears they were trying to make bombs,” Khan said. He, however, refused to comment on the political allegiance of the victims.

Although the police are yet to ascertain the reason behind the blast, preliminary probe is reported to have revealed that a group of men were making crude bombs at the house