Fresh blast in West Bengal as train bombing toll rises

Jalpaiguri/Kolkata: The death toll in Monday's train bombing in West Bengal rose to seven yesterday even as a landmine exploded in a rural part of Midnapore in the eastern state injuring two paramilitary personnel.

"The death toll in the train blast has touched seven and the number of injured is 50-odd," Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia said yesterday.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who spoke to Home Minister Shivraj Patil about Monday's deadly blast, told the state assembly that seven people were killed and 52 injured.

The blast occurred on the Haldibari-New Jalpaiguri Passenger train at around 6.30 pm at the Belakoba station in Jalpaiguri, about 650 km north of Kolkata.

"We are probing the blast. It was powerful and we cannot say right now whether RDX was used. A high-level CID (Criminal Investigation Department) team has left for the spot. Forensic experts have also gone there," said Kanojia.

"We have beefed up vigil in stations, bus terminals and other vital places," he said.

A Maoist-triggered landmine explosion broke morning peace at Hatidoba in Belpahari of West Midnapore district yesterday, injuring at least two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on patrol.

Police said the Monday explosion, which ripped through the coach of the passenger train travelling from Cooch Behar district's Haldibari, went off near the toilet of a general coach.

The affected coach was after two other coaches that were to be added to the Kolkata-bound Darjeeling Mail at the New Jalpaiguri station, the gateway to the northeast.

"The blast was so powerful that pieces of metal and glasses entered our rooms," said a resident of Belakoba whose house is near the track.

The needle of suspicion remained pointed towards the militant organisation Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), based in the area, as well as the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa).

The objective of the KLO is to carve out a separate Kamtapur state comprising six north Bengal districts.