9 Killed In Bengal Bomb Explosions - Police said the ones killed were making bombs in Birbhum district

Nine people killed in crude bomb explosions during clashes over the control of sand mining in Labhupur area in Birbhum district of West Bengal today afternoon. Several people were also injured during the clashes.

Police told local news channels that the explosions happened at the time of making the crude bombs. Tension prevailed in the vicinity following the incident.

Bengali news channels reported that students and teachers at a nearby school ran for cover after the bombs exploded.

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While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was directing her comrades to work together and unitedly from an organizational meeting in Kolkata on Friday afternoon, two rival groups of her party engaged in a deadly tussle with each other in state's Birbhum district, killing at least nine people and leaving several others injured, reports said.

According to reports, two groups of local miscreants, allegedly sheltered by ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), engaged in a clash with each other at Durbarpur and neighbouring Dawaraka villages under Labpur Police Station limits in Bibhum district since Friday morning over the occupation of sand mines at the area.

Fighting sand mafias allegedly fired several rounds of bullets and hurled crude bombs aiming at each other.

At least 9 persons were killed and several others were seriously hurt when one or more crude bomb(s) suddenly went off inside a hut, where bombs were allegedly being made, at Darbarpur village, during the deadly tussle in evening.

Later, a heavy police force along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) rushed to the scene and rescued the injured.

"Two local miscreants' groups engaged in a tussle with each other over a local issue today at Dawaraka village under Labpur PS limits and there is a report of crude bomb explosion in a house at neighbouring Durbarpur village, where bombs were stored or being made that time," a police source said.

"A heavy police force, led by Bolpur's SDPO and Officer-in-Charges (OCs) of all nearby police stations, along with RAF and Combat Force have been deployed to the scene and few bodies have been recovered from the explosion site while, police rescued few persons seriously injured and sent them to nearby hospitals," the source added.

A large number of security personnel have been posted at these villages as the situation remains tense till the last update came in.

A senior police official said that police have been started probe into the matter while state Criminal Investigation Department (CID)'s bomb disposal squad has been called in to check and examine the house, where the crude bomb(s) went off.

Meanwhile, local leaders of West Bengal's ruling party denied its involvement in the clash.

TMC's Birbhum district president, Anubrata Mondal, told, "TMC was not involved in the tussle and CPI-M's miscreants were behind the incident."