Explosion heard in Darjeeling's Mirik, no explosives found

A powerful explosion reportedly rocked Darjeeling district's Mirik subdivision, but no evidence of explosives was found in the area, police said on Thursday.

"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," a senior officer from Mirik Police Station told IANS.

"No injuries or damage to property was reported in the suspected explosion. We are investigating the case," he said.

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.

--IANS

mgr/nir/bg