8 injured in low-intensity blast on Haryana bus

Eight passengers, possibly more, were injured on Thursday when a low-intensity bomb went off in a Haryana Roadways bus on National Highway 1 near Pipli in Kurukshetra.

The bus that had 25 people on board was travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh when the blast took place.

All the injured, including the bus driver and conductor, have been admitted to local hospitals, according to the Hindustan Times.

Kurukshetra SP Simardeep Singh said: "Forensic experts have been called to collect samples. The reason could be ascertained only after the forensic exam."

Preliminary investigations however revealed that the blast was of low intensity and the explosives were kept in a bag, said deputy superintendent of police Krishan Kumar.

Called in at the request of the Haryana Police, a National Investigation Agency team is trying to learn if two earlier blasts at Panipat railways station on 13 May, one in a train coach and another in a diesel engine, are linked to this blast. The state government has constituted a four-member SIT to investigate the incident.

According to ABPLive, the Haryana Police have registered a case of attempt to murder under the Indian Penal Code, the Explosives Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Haryana transport minister Krishan Lal Panwar visited the Civil Hospital in Kurukshetra to meet those injured in the bus blast, and announced financial aid of Rs 50,000 to each one.