Delhi Police said they are probing a possible Khalistani link to a blast at the CRPF school in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area. It has written to Telegram, a messaging app, seeking information about a group claiming responsibility for the explosion in a purported social media post on the platform.
The purported message, posted on Sunday evening (October 20), said the blast was in retaliation to the alleged targeting of pro-Khalistan separatists by Indian agents. The claim was made by Justice League India using a clip of the blast with a “Khalistan Zindabad” watermark at the bottom, and circulated on social media platforms.
“If Indian coward agency and their master think they can hire filthy goons to target our members to silence our voice then they live in fools world. They can’t imagine how close we are to them and how capable we are to strike anytime #KhalistanZindabad #JLI,” (sic) the Justice League India said in the post along with the clip.
The Delhi Police, however, has not yet received a response from Telegram. So far, during the investigation, no organisation’s name has surfaced while the authenticity of claim on Telegram is still being verified.
The strong explosion on Sunday morning ripped through a wall but no one was hurt in the incident, which is also being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This comes against the backdrop of a series of bomb threats sent to several airlines in the last few days.
According to police sources, the blast device was a low-intensity improvised explosive device (IED) controlled with a timer or remote without shrapnel or ball bearings. It looks like the perpetrators wanted to send a message to the authorities, a senior police officer said.
The officer further said the perpetrators “intentionally” chose the spot not to harm the people but to send a message. After the explosion, teams from the NIA, National Security Guard (NSG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Delhi Police cordoned off the area and forensic experts collected samples from the site.
The blast, which destroyed a portion of the school wall, window panes of nearby shops, and damaged a few cars parked nearby, was captured in a CCTV camera. Police suspect that the bomb might have been placed late at night as local residents said it went off between 7.35 am and 7.40 am.
The sound of the blast was heard several hundred metres away. Videos from the spot showed thick plumes rising from the site. Residents called the explosion “intense” and reported a foul smell in the area.
Police have filed a case under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of “mischief through explosion” and under the Explosives Act.
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