Aska: Two students suffered injuries after a bomb went off on the premises of government upper primary school at Magura village under Kotinada outpost of Aska police limits in Ganjam district Saturday morning.
The injured students have been identified as Chandan Swain of Class VIII and Raja Nayak of Class VII.
According to headmistress Babita Acharya, 53 students out of 64 ones studying in eight classes were present at the time of the incident. Morning classes were going on since it was Saturday. Both the injured students noticed something buried underground near the toilet during a break and out of curiosity tried to dig it out leading to the explosion that left them injured.
The injured students were immediately rushed to Aska government hospital and after first aid they were shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
On being informed, Aska sub divisional police officer Suryamani Pradhan, tehsildar Subash Chandra Sethia, IIC Pitabasa Dharua, block development officer Gayatri Dutt reached the school.
Police have collected some soil from the spot. They will get it tested at a lab for more information. SDPO Pradhan, however, said it was not a bomb but a detonator that went off injuring the students.
Notably, in an earlier incident, 28 students of Aayatpur High School under Sadar block in Cuttack district sustained injuries after a bomb exploded in Class IX room. A student is said to have kept the bomb in his bag. The state legal aid cell had provided compensation to the injured students and the accused student was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
PNN