Thiruvananthapuram | BJP on Wednesday took potshots at the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala over the bomb explosion in which an 86-year-old man died in politically volatile Kannur district and raised suspicion that the Marxist party leadership was deliberately trying to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the region.

According to police, the elderly man -- Velayudhan -- died when he picked up and tried to open the bomb which he found on an uninhabited property near Thalassery in Kannur district where he had gone to collect coconuts on Tuesday.

BJP state chief K Surendran said several anti-social activities had been reported in the place where the bomb blast had happened and the Left party's leadership was well-aware of it.

He alleged that bombs were made with the knowledge of the leaders of the Marxist party.

Addressing a press conference here, Surendran further said the CPI(M) was going through a tough time in the state after its debacle in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

The inner conflicts in the party and strong displeasure (among cadres) against the leadership's corruption are also haunting the Marxist party, he alleged.

"So, we doubt whether the party leadership itself is deliberately masterminding such activities and trying to push Kannur into a tense atmosphere like in the past through violence and bomb explosions," Surendran said.

The incidents, like the bomb explosion, were strengthening the doubts that the CPI(M) leadership was deliberately trying to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in Kannur, he said and demanded a comprehensive probe into the incident.

Police said Velayudhan was seriously injured in the explosion and was rushed to the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital, but his life could not be saved.

A senior police officer in Kannur district told reporters that according to the preliminary investigations, it appeared to be a crude bomb.