Kurseong wakes up to twin bomb scare

Amitava Banerjee, OI, September 12, 2017, Siliguri: Kurseong woke up to a twin bomb scare in the wee hours of Tuesday, the day of the second round of talks between the State Government and the Gorkhaland agitators at Uttarkanya near Siliguri. 

According to police sources, police received information that two suspecious packages were sighted in Kurseong. One was near the Kurseong Railway Station and the other in front of the Bata shoe store in the heart of the town.

A large police contingent rushed to investigate. A package wrapped in paper, tied with string and adhesive tape was sighted in front of Bata. 

A shopping bag with a plastic packet containing an object lay in front of the Railway Station. 

Both the sites were cordoned off. The bomb squad was called in from Siliguri. At around 11am the bomb squad team arrived and went about inspecting the objects.

After the routine procedures including scanning both the packages were taken away by the bomb squad.

It is believed that the package in front of the Railway Station contained an emergency light. 

Incidentally there has been a series of IED blasts in the Hills recently. The blast at the Kalimpong Police Station on August 19 had resulted in the death of a civic police along with a home guard personnel seriously injured. 

Police have unearthed two IED manufacturing units from near Darjeeling town. Cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act have been initiated against key Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders including President Bimal Gurung in connection with the IED blasts. Gurung remains untracable. The CID has issued lookout notices against Gurung and others.