An explosion that occurred at the residence of a civic volunteer, who was in the helium balloon business, killed his neighbour at Balsa village in Birbhum district on Sunday morning.

The deceased man, Bipodtaron Bagdi, 42, was helping civic volunteer Durga Prasad Bhattacharya refill a helium cylinder when the blast took place.

Bhattacharya, 36, was a civic volunteer at Sainthia police station.

Alleging that the blast was because of negligence on the part of Bhattacharya, neighbours vandalised his house in Balsa village.

Bagdi was rushed to the Sainthia Block Primary Health Center, where he was declared dead by doctors. Bhattacharya fled the scene and Sainthia police are searching for him.

The incident came to notice when a loud explosion startled the neighbours. They rushed to the spot to find a severely injured Bagdi lying on the ground and writhing in pain. The angry residents then began vandalising Bhattacharya’s house, questioning how a civic volunteer could store such a dangerous device in his home.

“I came running as soon as I heard the explosion. When I arrived, I saw Bipodtaron lying on the ground. When I asked what had happened, he said he was filling the gas in the balloon when suddenly the cylinder exploded. Right after the explosion, people from Durga Prasad’s house rushed inside,” a resident said.

Despite a large police presence, the mob threw brickbats and shattered windows and doors.

The president of the Trinamul Congress’s Sainthia block committee, Sabir Ali Khan, arrived at the scene. He also faced the protest from the mob which demanded punishment for Bhattacharya and compensation for Bagdi’s family.

Birbhum district police chief Raj Narayan Mukherjee said the law enforcers were yet to arrest anyone in connection with the explosion. “We have started a probe. Nobody has been arrested so far,” he said.