Huge blast at Balanga Police Station in Puri, no casualty
A massive explosion inside the Balanga Police Station in Odisha's Puri district last night damaged the building severely, the police said on Tuesday. A portion of the roof and walls of the police station building caved in due to the high-intensity blast. There were cracks all along the wall of the police station building.
Most police personnel were out on by-election duty
"There was no casualty though a policeman was present in the police station when the explosion had occurred," said Pipili Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Debabrata Baral. Fortunately, other police personnel were not present as they were out on by-election duty in the Pipili Assembly constituency where polling is scheduled to take place on September 30.
Explosive materials may have triggered the explosion
While the exact reason behind the explosion is yet to be ascertained, based on the preliminary inquiry the police suspect explosive materials seized earlier and stored at the Malkhana (store) inside the police station may have triggered the explosion.
Documents, furniture and other materials were destroyed in the fire
Saroj Behera, a sentry, who was present during the mishap, said he ran away from the place as soon as he heard a loud blast and survived. "I left the place before a portion of the building was blown up," he said. Many documents including computers, furniture and other materials in the police station were damaged and items were also destroyed in the fire.
Scientific team has been engaged to inquire into the incident
Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh and other senior police officials reached the spot and took stock of the situation. A scientific team has been engaged to inquire into the incident, the police said. The blast triggered panic in the area. Local residents have started asking why huge quantity of explosive materials was stored in the police station located at the heart of Balanga town.
