The incident took place when sleuths of Haldibari police station were defusing a live grenade recovered from the local Town Club grounds on November 15 (Google Maps) The incident took place when sleuths of Haldibari police station were defusing a live grenade recovered from the local Town Club grounds on November 15 (Google Maps) Sixty-eight girls were injured on Monday in a stampede at their school in Cooch Behar’s Haldibari, located near a police station, where a hand grenade exploded while it was being defused. Sources said the noise of the explosion and fumes billowing out of the police station created panic among students, as many of them mistook it for an earthquake. Students and teachers tried to rush out and in the melee, 68 students sustained injuries. The incident took place when sleuths of Haldibari police station were defusing a live grenade recovered from the local Town Club grounds on November 15. The students in the adjacent Haldibari Girls High School were appearing for exams at that time. While students of Class IX were taking their annual examination, students of classes X and XII were appearing for their Board prelims, officials said. Around 11.30 am, the hand grenade reportedly exploded, resulting in some students becoming unconscious and some throwing up, sources said. “We thought that there was an earthquake. Our school is located adjacent to the police station. The noise and the fumes made the students panic and sick. There was a pandemonium and everyone was trying to get out. We did not know what to do. Police should have alerted us or taken precautions,” said assistant headmistress of the school, Ishita Deb Sinha. Haldibari police station in-charge Pravin Pradhan, however, said: “All precautions were taken while defusing the explosive.” Officials said that in all, 68 students were taken to hospitals and 20 of them were discharged. At present, while 14 students are admitted to Jalpaiguri Super-Speciality Hospital, 34 are in Haldibari Gramin Hospital. According to the hospitals, none of the students are in a serious condition. While some have fractured their limbs and head, some are suffering from trauma. Some fell sick after inhaling the fumes that entered their classroom, said doctors. For all the latest Kolkata News, download Indian Express App

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