By IANS,
Kolkata : Four people, including a three-year-old child, were killed and six others injured in an explosion near the Sarbamangala Ghat in the northern part of the city Sunday evening, the police said but denied it was a terrorist act.
The explosion occurred in Jyotinagar, a ragpickers’ colony under the North Port police station, when some of its inhabitants were rummaging through some scrap iron materials which they had brought for sale.
Two people died on the spot when the explosion occurred around 6 p.m., while two more succumbed to their injuries at the state-run R.G. Kar Hospital. The condition of three of the six admitted to the hospital was described as serious.
“It was only a crude bomb. It is not linked to any subversive activity,” deputy commissioner (detective department) Javed Shamim said.
However, a police source said the explosion could have been triggered by a live shell from the nearby Kashipur Gun and Shell factory.
A large police contingent, including bomb disposal squad personnel, rushed to the area, which was sealed off. City Police Commissioner Goutam Mohan Chakraborty and Shamim were also at the spot. Sniffer dogs were also pressed into service.
A police officer said the nature of the explosion indicated no chemical substances were used.