New Delhi: One person has died and nearly 36 have been injured in a series of blasts that occurred at a Christian prayer meeting in Kerala on Sunday (October 29). Hours after the incident, a man named Dominic Martin turned up at Kodakara police station in Thrissur and surrendered himself, claiming responsibility for the incident,
Kerala ADGP Ajith Kumar said the man claimed to belong to the same sabha.
The state police is on high alert after the blasts took place at a prayer convention of Christian denomination Jehovah’s Witnesses near Kochi, the Indian Express reported.
Director General of Police (DGP) Shaik Darvesh Saheb confirmed that the device used for the blasts were Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
Around 2,500 devotees had gathered at the Zamra International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Kalamassery. According to the News Minute, the first explosion happened around 9:30 am, 10 minutes after the prayer started, and was followed by two more explosions.
Eyewitnesses told reporters the blasts happened in the middle of the convention centre.
“Luckily, they had an evacuation plan. Every time the group meets, they discuss and prepare an evacuation plan. But there was a lot of smoke, which led to a stampede,” Kalamassery MP Hibi Eden told NDTV.
The three-day convention had begun on Friday (October 27) and was going to end on Sunday.
The blasts will now be probed by the National Investigation Agency. The agency’s forensic team has already reached the spot and is collecting evidence, the NDTV report said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media the incident was unfortunate and the police have taken it very seriously, the Indian Express reported. “Senior officials, including the state DGP, have moved to Kochi. Among the injured, the condition of two is serious,” the chief minister said.
The Kerala Police have issued a statement saying strict action will be taken against those spreading fake news. This happened after some people falsely referred to Jehovah’s Witnesses as Jews and tried to link the incident to what is happening in Israel-Palestine.