Bomb blast damages shops in Darjeeling, no injuries

Darjeeling, Aug 19 : A bomb ripped through the heart of West Bengal's hill town of Darjeeling damaging a few shops early on Sunday, police informed.

No injuries were reported in the incident that caused panic among locals.

"There was a bomb blast in Darjeeling's motor stand area post midnight. No one got injured as the place was empty at the time of the blast. We are investigating the incident," Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi told IANS.

The blast took place on the 69th day of the indefinite shutdown called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which has demand a separate Gorkhaland state be carved out of the north Bengal hills.

According to sources, a number of shops and the road in front of the motor stand area have been damaged.

Fire tenders, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel rushed to the spot after the blast. The police have been deployed in the area.

No individual or organisation has so far taken responsibility of the blast.