Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: An eight-year-old child was killed and 11 others were injured in a bomb blast outside a Trinamool Congress party office at Nagerbazar area of north Kolkata on Tuesday morning.

The intensity of the blast ripped apart shutters of shops on the other side of the road and shattered windows of the multi-storeyed buildings in the area.

The deceased child Bibhash Ghosh, was going with his mother during the explosion. His mother is also undergoing treatment. Of the 11 injured, four people have been released after primary treatment. The remaining eight people are critical and are being operated upon in state-run and private hospitals.

A black-coloured bag and a diary was found from the spot. Bomb disposal squad and state Crime Investigation Department (CID) teams cordoned off the area swept it looking for more hidden bombs.

South Dumdum municipality Panchu Roy, who sat at the TMC office, claimed that he was target of the attack.

Barrackpore commissioner of police Rajesh Kumar Singh said: "We are yet to ascertain the cause of the blast. The intensity was pretty high which has caused damage to buildings in the vicinity. We have not found any gas cylinder or found any smell of gunpowder. We have found some splinters and a tattered black bag. The CID team is investigating the matter," he said.