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New Delhi: Delhi Police has been put on high alert after serial blasts during a prayer meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses at a convention centre in Kalamassery, Kerala today. Delhi Police said, “The Special Cell is constantly in touch with intelligence agencies and any input will not be taken lightly. Security arrangements are being made at crowded places. Special vigilance is being maintained at crowded places.”
Apart from Delhi, Mumbai has also been put on high-alert and increased security in view of the festive season, upcoming cricket matches, and the recent blasts in Kerala. Police vigilance was increased at Jewish places of worship. After the blast in Kochi, teams of National Security Guard (NSG) and Counter Terror ATC have been dispatched to the spot.
The presence of IED is being suspected behind the blast. Security has already been stepped up at Chabad House, a Jewish centre in Mumbai, owing to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that the incident of bomb blast at the prayer meeting of the Christian community in Kochi is a heartbreaking incident. It is troubling that Kerala is becoming a place where such incidents are happening.
The Home Minister has already spoken to the Chief Minister of Kerala. I also had a conversation with the Chief Minister. Kerala Police said that an improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the attack and that a special investigation team (SIT) would be formed to investigate the case. Sources have claimed that the explosive was placed in a tiffin box.
One person was killed and 36 were injured in a series of explosions at the convention centre shortly after a prayer meeting began today. The meeting, held in Kalamassery which is about 10 kilometres from Kochi, was attended by nearly 2,000 people. Today was the final day of a three-day prayer meet which began on October 27.
Mr Shah ordered the heads of the NIA and NSG, two central agencies specializing in counterterrorism investigations and operations, to dispatch their specialised teams to the scene to begin an inquiry. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on the Kochi blast, it is a very unfortunate incident. We are gathering details regarding the incident. All the top officials are in Ernakulam. DGP has left for the spot. We are taking it very seriously. We need to get more information after investigation.
