A youth was injured when a crude bomb exploded in Murshidabad’s Islampur on Monday night, hours after a team from the National Investigation Agency had reached the district to probe into the death of a 50-year-old following a blast on January 17.

Eyewitnesses told police that the injured Sanarul Sheikh, 22, was in a crowd that was attending a function in Nalbatta in Islampur on Monday night.

With loud speakers blaring, Sanarul had moved a few steps away to receive a call when suddenly a bomb exploded filling the air with thick smoke. After the haze cleared out, some of those present spotted Sanarul writhing in pain in a pool of blood.

He had first been admitted to a super-speciality hospital in Domkal and later shifted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital.

“It appears to be a case of crude bomb explosion. We are trying to find out if this was an accidental explosion or intended to hurt the victim,” said a senior police officer.

A team of officers from the NIA who had reached Murshidabad earlier in the day in connection with a probe into the death in a bomb blast in Beldanga in January said they would visit Nalbatta shortly to collect information about the nature of the explosion. The sleuths spoke to the wife of 50-year-old Yeasuddin Sheikh who had died in the January 17 blast.

“We will seek a forensic report on the Nalbatta blast,” said an officer.

Murshidabad has been at the centre of a debate following several bomb blasts in recent months, including the one that had left 22 people injured in March last year.

Then minister of state Jakir Hossain was among the injured persons. The NIA had taken up the investigation into the blast.

The January 17 blast had ripped off a portion of Yeasuddin's home and shocked Rameswarpur village in Beldanga. Police had arrested 10 persons for their alleged involvement in the blast.

The NIA officers said over the next few days, they would be visiting Rameswarpur again and collect more evidence.

“The nature of the blast and the fact that such incidents are quite frequent in this district will be a part of our probe,” one of the officers said.