Bhubaneswar, June 10: One policeman was killed when a bomb exploded while being diffused at Gambhari village, 45km from Puri, on Sunday. Five others, including three civilians, were injured.

The accident took place when a bomb disposal squad from Puri district headquarters was diffusing explosives seized at the village near Brahmagiri police station.

The deceased policeman was identified as Ranjan Sarangi, a havildar. He was part of the four-member bomb disposal squad. Sources said four out of the six injured, including the deceased cop, were admitted to the district headquarters hospital in Puri. Two others, who were critical, were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The explosives seized today included 42 country bombs, one tiffin bomb and 12 detonators. Puri district police conducted the raid early on Sunday at various huts meant for fishing around the Chilika lake. During the raid, the police found the explosives hidden inside a crater and covered with sawdust. No arrests have been made.

“We conducted a raid on the huts around the lake that are used for fishing. We found the explosives this afternoon. The search operation is on and we expect to find more explosives,” said inspector in-charge of Brahmagiri police station Devi Prasad Das.

The police suspect that the bombs had been stored there to create disturbances in the village because two platoons of forces had been withdrawn from the village owing to the ongoing festivities at Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri.

The village had witnessed a group clash last week in which two persons were killed. On May 11, two persons were killed there following a clash between supporters of the Congress and the BJD. The area has been witnessing frequent group clashes since the BJD lost the panchyat polls. On February 24, nearly 50 people were injured and 50 houses were set on fire in a group clash. Policemen had been camping at the village following the clashes.