One person died and at least three policemen were injured in a blast near Kalimpong police station in Darjeeling on Saturday, reported NDTV. Officials identified the deceased as civic policeman Rakesh Routh, reported the Hindustan Times.

Kalimpong Police Superintendent Ajit Yadav confirmed the attack, which took place at 10.45 pm. The police said the grenade was thrown towards the police station, but got deflected after it hit an electric cable.

This happened less than 24 hours after a high-intensity blast shook Darjeeling’s Chowkbazar on Friday night. “We prima facie feel it was an IED blast and some special teams are coming in from Siliguri,” said Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Chaturvedi, according to NDTV. “The area was empty and there were no casualties.”

Advertisement

The police on Saturday booked Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung (pictured above) and several others under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their alleged involvement in the Chowkbazar blast, reported The Indian Express.

Gurung said it was the handiwork of people who did not want “Gorkhaland state to be formed”. “Every Gorkha today is worried and wondering where we are headed,” he said in a statement. “GJM condemns and protests against the blast that took place in the heart of Darjeeling town. We believe it was the handiwork of those who do not want Gorkhaland state to be formed. This was a planned move aimed at bringing disrepute to the movement and the demand for Gorkhaland.”

Gurung also wrote to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, requesting for a high-level inquiry into the matter. “Since the blast is a national security issue, we kindly request you to constitute a high-level security committee immediately, to be comprised of National Investigate Agency, with a Supreme Court judge monitoring the entire investigations,” he said.