A powerful explosion reportedly rocked the Mirik subdivision of West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, but no evidence of explosives was found in the area, police said on Thursday.
Police also said it is looking into the matter of posters of Gorkhaland Liberation Army (GLA) reportedly surfacing in the area.
Hand-scribbled posters flashing “Gorkhaland Birodhi Hoshiyar (Those opposed to Gorkhaland, be warned)” were reportedly found in Mirik, claiming responsibility for series of recent blasts in the Darjeeling hills.
“We are enquiring into the matter,” said Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Anuj Sharma.
On the Mirik explosion, a senior officer from Mirik police station told IANS: “We heard a sound of massive explosion near a market area in Mirik at around 7 p.m on Wednesday. However, on reaching the spot, no splinters or any other evidence of explosives could be traced.”
“No injuries or damage to property was reported in the suspected explosion. We are investigating the case,” he added.
Police said no one had been detained as yet in this connection.
The incident took place on the 84th day of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)-sponsored indefinite shutdown called in the northern West Bengal hills for a separate Gorkhaland state.
Normal life continued to be crippled in the Darjeeling hills on Thursday as rallies supporting the ongoing shutdown were taken out in the region. All schools, colleges, offices and shops, barring pharmacies, remained closed.
