Explosions take place at schools during HS exam

Tension gripped two higher secondary schools at Halishara and Ichhapur in North 24-Parganas on Friday after explosions took place inside the premises of both the schools during the Higher Secondary Examination.

Barrackpore police are yet to ascertain the exact motive behind the incident. They suspect that some students, who were writing their papers at both the schools, were trying to terrorise the invigilators as they prevented them from copying. 

However, no one was injured in the incidents. Both the school authorities have claimed that the incidents had hardly any impact on the examinees. 

From around 11 am, three explosions within a gap of few minutes took place inside the toilet of the Halisahar Jetia High School creating panic among the students appearing the examination and the teachers as well. The school authority called up the Bijpur police station. Later a police team reached the spot and brought the situation under control. They found that blasts took place inside the toilet situated at back of the school. According to the preliminary investigation, police suspect that some students might have placed the bombs inside the toilet to terrorise the invigilators as they prevented them from copying. They have already identified the students who were involved in the incident. Students from Hajinagar Adarsha Hindu School in Naihati were appearing the HS examination from Halisahar Jetia High School. 

Sukumar Ghosh, head master of the school, said that as per the instructions of the Higher Secondary Council, the school authorities had made adequate security arrangements for the examination. 

A staff member of the school said that a serial blast had taken place inside the toilet at around 11 am. The matter was immediately informed to the local police who reached the spot and started an investigation. 

In a separate incident, blast took place at the back side of Ichhapur North Land High School on Friday morning where the HS examination was on. 

A senior official of the Barrackpore commissionarate said that they were carrying a detail investigation into both the incidents.