A boy was seriously injured when an object he was playing with exploded in the southern part of Kolkata's Patuli area on Friday, police said.

The class 9 boy found the object in a playground and thought it was a ball.

The boy was admitted to a Baghajatin State General Hospital.

"We are not sure about what exploded. It could be some firecracker. We are investigating the matter. The boy is a local whose condition is a bit critical," the police officer told PTI.

The incident sparked protests by local people who complained of inadequate police vigilance in the area leading to such an incident.

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