The remains of the kerosene stove that exploded under an NBSTC bus in Kalimpong on Tuesday. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, July 26: The floor of a North Bengal State Transport Corporation bus parked at the motor stand in the heart of town was damaged in a minor blast caused by a kerosene stove apparently kept beneath the rear portion of the vehicle early this morning.

The ventilators of the corporation’s ticket counter right behind the bus were also shattered in the explosion.

It is not clear yet if the stove was lit by somebody or burst because of any other reason. A police officer said the blast was a minor one and was unlikely to cause injuries even if it had occurred during the day.

A night guard, Padam Subba, engaged by the NBSTC from a private agency was woken up by the blast around 2.45am.

“I was inside the ticket counter when I heard a loud explosion outside. I rushed out and saw flames at the bottom of the only bus parked there. I immediately used the floor mats in the ticket counter and flung them over the flames. Water was also used to douse the flames. The blast caused a dent in the rear floor of the bus. The stove was lying all twisted and mangled,” said Subba.

The guard soon informed the police station that is just about three minutes’ walk from the motor stand. “I did not see anyone in the vicinity when I came out of the ticket counter,” he said.

The superintendent of police of Darjeeling, D. P. Singh, visited the spot around 10.30am.

“It is a stove that exploded and we have asked the Central Forensic Laboratory in Calcutta to send experts to find out more about the nature of the explosion. The forensic team will be here either tomorrow or the day after to inspect the remains of the stove that are kept at the Kalimpong police station,” said Singh.

The district police chief said an investigation had started to find out who had kept the stove under the bus. He also said the police would patrol the area from tonight.

A senior Kalimpong police officer said the stove that had exploded at the bus stand was one with a wick.

“I have heard of kerosene stoves that can be started off with pumps bursting, but never a wick one exploding. It is still a mystery as to how and by whom the blast was caused,” said the officer.

The officer said had the explosion taken place even during the day, the damage it would have caused to humans would have been very minor. “It looks like that a metal part of the stove perforated the floor of the bus. But that could not have caused any serious injuries as the intensity of the blast was not big enough,” he said.

The explosion, however, has caused some concern among people.

Neel Kamal Chhteri, an education consultant who uses public transport, said he felt scared when he heard about the incident.

“It is scary that the blast took place at a spot that is used by the public. Such spots are always chosen by trouble-makers all over the world. Railway stations, bus termini, trains — all are targeted by these people,” said Chhetri. He said the police should be more vigilant as far as public places were concerned.