CRPF school blast: Delhi cops write to Telegram seeking details of pro-Khalistan channel

Delhi Police, who are probing a possible Khalistani connection with the Sunday’s explosion near a CRPF school in Delhi’s Prashant Vihar, have written to Telegram Messenger, seeking details of the Telegram channel ‘Justice League India’ that along with a clip of the blast posted a message accusing Indian agencies of hiring “goons” to target its members.

While no one was injured in the explosion, it ripped through the wall of the CRPF school and shattered window panes of vehicles while causing considerable damage to nearby shops.

The government has launched a multi-agency probe into the incident, and Delhi Police are trying to ascertain if any Khalistani group is involved in the blast.

Suspect seen in CCTV footage

According to ANI, besides Telegram, police have also sought information from other social media platforms.

“Telegram is yet to respond to the Delhi Police. Investigation is underway, no organisation's name has come to light yet in connection with the blast. All angles are being investigated,” Delhi Police sources told ANI.

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Meanwhile, CCTV footage of the explosion spot have revealed details of the suspect who planted the bomb. According to police, one of the clips shows a suspect in a white T-shirt at the spot the night before the blast.

Bomb placed in polythene bag, covered with garbage: Cops

According to Delhi Police sources, the explosive was planted by wrapping it in a polythene bag and planting it in a half to one-foot-deep pit. After planting, the pit was covered with garbage.

Police have taken all the CCTV DVRs of the nearby and front market in the area in their possession.

Reports quoting sources also said that police have seen the movement of two suspicious people near the spot even though they are still verifying if the individuals gave any role in the blast.

What the viral post said

In a post on Telegram, the channel named ‘Justice League India’ while issuing a threat to Indian agencies, claimed that it was capable to strike anytime. It also shared a video of the explosion at Prashant Vihar with the caption of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’.

“If Indian coward agency and their masters 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,” said the viral the post.

The post seemed to be a reiteration of Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau’s charges that the Indian government is helping organised criminal gangs like that headed by Lawrence Bishnoi to perpetrate crime and violence in Canada – a charge that has been rubbished by New Delhi.

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A FIR has been filed into the case. “From the inquiry conducted so far, inspection of the crime spot, a case of explosion caused by an unknown explosive substance found to have taken place, and prima facie an offence U/s 326(g) BNS, section 3, Explosive Substances Act and section 4, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act have been registered," reads a copy of the FIR.

Perpetrators wanted to send message: Police

Sources in Delhi Police said it was a low-intensity IED (Improvised Explosive Device) controlled with a timer or remote without shrapnel or ball bearings.

It is suspected that the perpetrators wanted to send a message to the authorities, a senior police officer told PTI.

The explosion came at a time when the aviation sector has been left rattled by a wave of hoax bomb threats over the past week, causing significant disruption to flight operations and prompting authorities to switch on strict security checks.

Multi-agency probe underway

After the explosion, teams from the National Investigation Agency (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.

Also read: More than 20 flights receive bomb threats on Sunday

According to police and witnesses, the blast, captured in a CCTV camera, destroyed a portion of the school wall, windowpanes of nearby shops, and damaged a few cars parked nearby.

The sound of the blast was heard several hundred metres away.

The bomb might have been placed in the late night, police suspected. It went off between 7.35 and 7.40 am, locals said.

Videos from the spot showed thick plumes rising from the blast site.

Residents termed the explosion "intense" and reported a foul smell in the area after it.