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Eight perish in Bengal train blast
BY A CORRESPONDENT
November 21, 2006
As many as eight people perished and 65 were injured when a powerful explosion ripped through a train in West Bengal on Monday. The blast hit two crowded coaches near the Belakoba railway station, at a distance of about 665 km north of Kolkata.
The number of casualties could increase, it is feared. The explosion took place around 6.10 pm when the train stopped at Belakoba station on its way to the tourist town of New Jalpaiguri.
Police and emergency workers were rushed to the area and hundreds of panic-stricken passengers were being evacuated. Though no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the police suspect that ultras belonging to the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation from the neighbouring state of Assam could be the culprits.
Meanwhile, there are also reports that the banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) may be involved in the explosion. According to sources the JMB, which has been operating its camps in northern Bengal since 2002, had joined forces with Indian militants belonging to the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to carry out the explosion.
JMB's involvement is suspected in the context of the volatile situation in Bangladesh where the interim government of President Iajuddin Ahmed, preparing for parliamentary elections in January, has been struggling to handle the worsening political situation. The ultra outfit is suspected to have carried out the blast as it could benefit by making a presence at a place close to Dhaka.
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