West Bengal: Boy killed, 2 injured while playing with bomb mistaking it for a ball in poll-bound Hooghly

Kolkata: A boy was killed and two were critically wounded in a bomb explosion on Monday in West Bengal's Hooghly district, which will vote in the fourth phase Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

The bomb, which they thought to be ball, went off, while they were playing with it near a pond, police and eyewitnesses said.

Senior police officials along with a strong contingent reached the spot and began the investigation.

One of the eyewitnesses said after the explosion he came out of his home and saw a boy who died on the spot and two others were crying in pain.

One of the boys' hand was blown off and the two grievously wounded were admitted at Pandua Grameen hospital where arrangements were being made to shift them elsewhere for better treatment, sources added.

Sources said all the three injured boys were taken to the Grameen Hospital, where the medics declared one dead.

The deceased was identified as Raj Biswas, who had come to his maternal uncle's place to spend the summer vacation.

BJP's Hooghly Lok Sabha candidate and sitting MP Locket Chatterjee alleged the bomb culture was manufactured by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

She said this tragic incident happened hours ahead of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's scheduled election rally.

She said none will be spared in the incident and a thorough search is on where the miscreants stored explosives.

CPI(M) Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat candidate Sujan Chakraborty said West Bengal was sitting on explosives and police were inactive.

"Do you believe that the police do not know who are collecting bombs and storing those explosives for obvious reason to intimidate voters as well as the opposition parties in the elections," Chakraborty said.