Police recovered 23 crude bombs from Janipur, soon after a bomb exploded at the Malda village on Friday morning.

Two persons have been detained in this connection.

Sources said the police reached Janipur, located under Chanchal police station of the district, after the explosion and barricaded the spot. Also, the bomb squad of CID stationed at the district headquarters in Malda town was informed.

“The squad during inspection found a jar — containing 23 crude bombs — buried under the soil. They retrieved all the explosives, took those to a deserted location and defused them in a controlled manner. They also combed the entire village with the police force to find out whether such bombs have been kept anywhere else in the locality,” said a source.

A villager said there many villagers collect water from a tube-well from near the spot where the bombs were recovered. “People might have gotten injured or even lost their lives if the bombs had exploded,” he added.

Locals claimed that in 2020, a similar explosion had occurred at the village, barely 200 metres away from the spot where the bombs were found today. Three persons had died in the incident.

The police have detained two local people for interrogation.

Following the incident, the Opposition parties in thedistrict have alleged that ahead of the panchayat elections, crude bombs are being stocked in the village to create unrest during the polls at the behest of the ruling party of the state.

Trinamul leaders, however, have denied the charge.

“Police are probing the case. We believe they will unveil the truth. The parties in the Opposition are simply indulging in politics,” said a district Trinamul leader.