Blast near TMC neta's office kills kid, injures 10

KOLKATA: A blast 35 feet from South Dum Dum Municipality chairperson and Trinamool Congress leader Panchu Roy's office at Nagerbazar in north Kolkata on Tuesday morning claimed the life of an eight-year-old boy and injured his mom and nine others.

The blast, initial investigations revealed, was caused by a "socket bomb" that comprised a pipe about six inches long, which contained ammonium nitrate and metal shrapnel. It shook up the entire Nagerbazar residential-cum-commercial neighbourhood and was powerful enough to shatter window panes 60ft away and pierce the metal shutter of a shop across the lane. Witnesses recalled being engulfed in thick smoke that reduced visibility to near-zero.

The blast caused a political constroversy, with Trinamool and BJP trading conspiracy charges and Roy himself claiming that the bomb - kept in a sack next to a fruit stall - was planted by BJP and RSS workers and was meant for him.

Cops picked up a few men for interrogation but officials said they would be able to throw light on the detailsonly after a proper probe. CM Mamata Banerjee did not issue any statement till late Tuesday night.