In a shocking incident on October 1, 2024, seven children were injured—three of them critically—in an explosion near a garbage dump in the Khilafat Nagar locality of Bhagalpur, Bihar. The blast occurred around 12:30 PM while the children were playing outside, igniting immediate panic in the area.
According to police reports, the children stumbled upon a homemade bomb, which they accidentally detonated while playing. Witnesses described the explosion as powerful enough to be heard over a kilometer away, leading to chaos and confusion as families rushed to the scene. Local authorities quickly responded, with the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Bhagalpur, Anand Kumar, and other senior officers arriving at the site to assess the situation and investigate the incident.
The injured children were promptly taken to Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital for treatment. While three of them sustained serious injuries, the remaining four suffered minor injuries. The swift action of the medical team and local authorities was critical in managing the situation, but the community is now left grappling with the aftermath of such a devastating event.
To further investigate the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed, led by City SP K. Ramdas. The team will focus on collecting evidence and determining how the explosive device came to be in the vicinity. Forensic experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were also called in to gather samples from the explosion site, which could provide vital clues.
Local residents expressed their shock and concern over the incident. Mariyam, a mother of one of the injured children, recounted the terrifying moment: “I was inside the house when we heard a loud noise. We immediately rushed to the scene and found several children injured”. Such sentiments were echoed by others in the community, who are now questioning the safety of their surroundings and the presence of dangerous materials in their neighborhood.
This incident is not an isolated case; Bhagalpur has a history of bomb-related violence. In March 2022, a similar explosion led to multiple fatalities, raising ongoing concerns about public safety in the area. The current investigation aims to uncover not only the source of this particular explosive but also to understand the broader context of such dangers within the community.