3 children injured in crude bomb blast in Farakka

Kolkata, Nov 22 (PTI) Three children were grievously injured near Farakka in West Bengal when ball-like objects they were playing with exploded on Wednesday, police said.

The incident took place at Imamnagar village in Murshidabad district and is the second incident of crude bomb blast within two months, the police said.

The three children are under treatment at the nearby Jangipur divisional hospital.

'Some children found several round objects kept in a bag lying unattended beside a road. They started playing with them thinking they were bolls when one of the bombs exploded badly injuring them. Their condition is critical,' the police official said. A huge police contingent was posted at the spot and a probe was started into the blast, he said.

In the earlier incident on October 6 five children were injured after a crude bomb exploded at Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas district.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has meanwhile written to the Murshidabad district magistrate Rajarshi Mitra urging her to initiate an inquiry and take legal action in the blast. It also urged her to pay compensation to the victims.

'The Commission requests your good offices to inquire into the matter urgently by lodging an FIR against the perpetrators. Simultaneously, it may also be ensured that proper specialised medical treatments to the children who are admitted in the hospital are administered, besides grant of necessary compensation to the victims,' the NCPCR wrote to Mitra.

The NCPCR also sought an action taken report from the DM within 48 hours. PTI SCH KK