Dhubri, July 24: The Dhubri district administration banned the sale of kerosene from today after several kerosene stoves and lamps burst at homes, leaving two dead and 15 injured over the last two days.

The ban will remain in effect till further orders.

The kerosene that caused the stoves and lamps to burst is suspected to contain an explosive-like substance.

The manager (sales) of Indian Oil Corporation, B.K. Roy, today collected samples of kerosene from houses where the incidents took place and from the tanker from which it was supplied to vendors.

Roy told this correspondent that he had already collected samples and would take them to Bongaigaon for laboratory test. “It will also be sent to Guwahati for tests to ascertain whether the kerosene contained some other substance that caused the incidents,” he added.

Sources in the administration said the last consignment of kerosene had arrived from the Bongaigaon station of IOC on July 19.

Dhubri district deputy commissioner Sunil Dutta said although samples of kerosene had already been collected for tests, the sale of kerosene was banned as a precautionary measure. He added that it would take around 48 hours to confirm whether there was any other substance in the kerosene that led to the bursting of stoves and lamps.

He said ex gratia compensations could be released after ascertaining the cause. Till then, some financial assistance would be provided to the next of kin of the deceased and injured.

Around 18 burn cases, resulting from bursting of stoves and lamps in this town, have been reported so far at the Dhubri civil hospital.

Tapas and Rina Saha received serious burn wounds when a kerosene stove burst in their house at Shantinagar around 8pm today. The flames engulfed the house. The duo have been admitted to Dhubri civil hospital.

Ameroon Nesa, 28, of Ward 3 (Kasaipatty) sustained serious injuries. She was referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital yesterday. Her husband, Samiulla Kuresi, said he had bought kerosene from a hawker on Wednesday and the moment his wife lit the lamp, flames engulfed her.

“We somehow put off the fire and brought her to hospital. However, there is no facility here to treat burn patients, so she was referred to the GMCH,” he said.

Rina Das, 40, of Santinagar was injured while lighting a lamp last night. Her brother, Asit Kumar Paul, alleged there was no facility to treat burn patients in Dhubri civil hospital and all the patients were kept in one dormitory that made them vulnerable to infection. Mongali Baidyakar, 21, and Archana Ghose of Golokganj died in the hospital of burn injuries.

BJP leaders, led by president Bimal Oswal, visited the hospital today. He met Dutta and urged upon him to ensure that the patients received proper treatment.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the incidents were caused by the mixing of some highly inflammable substance with the kerosene sold to residents of this town since Wednesday by hawkers under the public distribution system,, which is allotted by the Dhubri district food and civil supplies department.