Explosion at Dum Dum Cantt railway line, 1 injured

Kolkata: A person was injured when a bomb exploded beside the railway tracks in between Dum Dum and Dum Dum Cantonment railway station on Monday morning. The injured person, identified as 26-year-old Basudeb Biswas is a paper picker. The police have recovered a drum full of 29 crude bombs from there.

According to police sources, Biswas had gone to pick papers beside the rail tracks at around 7.30 am.

He found a metallic container and hit it hard on the ground in an attempt to break the same which exploded with a loud noise.

People from the neighbourhood rushed to the spot and found Biswas writhing in pain with severe injuries in his right hand with blood oozing out. He was rushed to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Doctors informed that a portion of his right hand had been badly affected due to the intensity of the blast.

He has been admitted to ICU and his condition is stated to be critical. Biswas is a resident of Sandalia in Barasat, North 24-Parganas.

A police team from Dum Dum police station and Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed to the spot and found a drum full of bombs at the spot. One of the busiest train routes Sealdah - Bongoan runs through the area where the incident occurred. However, there was no disruption of train services due to the incident.

Locals alleged that the place, in recent times, has become a haven of anti-socials who would indulge in all sorts of activities besides the railway tracks after sundown.

"We have seen them

drinking liquor or taking ganja but have never seen any firearms or bombs," a local resident said.

"We are investigating how so many bombs reached the spot and whether there was any plan in accumulating so many explosives at the place beside Bagjola Canal," a senior police official of Barrackpore Commissionerate added.