Day after Kerala blasts, all-party meet calls to fight against efforts to spread intolerance

An all-party meet, called by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the multiple blasts at a religious gathering in the state that claimed three lives, on Monday (October 30) resolved to resist attempts to create mistrust and intolerance in society.

The meet, held at the conference hall in the Secretariat complex, also unanimously resolved to urge people not to indulge in baseless accusations, speculative campaigns and rumour-mongering in the wake of the blasts, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

The blasts

The blasts occurred at a convention centre in Kalamassery near Kochi that was hosting a prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses — a Christian religious group that originated in the US in the 19th century — on Sunday. Two women died and 50 people were injured, some seriously, in the series of blasts.

The toll in the convention centre blasts has risen to three, after a 12-year-old succumbed to burn wounds on Monday. State health minister Veena George said 52 were injured; 30 were admitted to various hospitals in the state and, of them, 18 were in ICUs.

A man called Dominic Martin, who claimed responsibility for the blasts, surrendered at the Kodakara police station in Thrissur. He said he is an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who he termed as ‘anti-national’ before carrying out the blasts. The police, however, have said that they are yet to verify Martin’s claims.

Police sources later told The Federal that they had collected evidence to connect Martin to the blast. They have traced his internet activities back to activities related to bomb-making.

Before surrendering to the police, Martin also put out a video message on a social media platform claiming responsibility for the blasts and giving reasons for his act.

All-party meet

The all-party meet was attended by all major political parties in the state and they also resolved that Kerala will, at any cost, overcome the isolated attempts to fragment it by those who cannot tolerate the special social situation of peace, brotherhood and equality in the southern state, the statement said.

They urged every person in the society to nip in the bud any attempts to spread speculations, myths and rumors to create divisions in the society and thereby alienate the people from each other.

Initially, one woman had died and 52 were injured, six of them critically, in the blasts.

Subsequently, one of the six critically injured — a 53-year-old woman — succumbed to her injuries.

By Monday morning, the death toll rose to three with the death of a 12-year-old girl who had suffered 95 per cent burns in the incident.

State Police Chief DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb had on Sunday confirmed that the blast was caused due to an improvised explosive device (IED).

A few hours after the incident, a man claiming to be a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, surrendered before police in Thrissur district of the state, saying that he had carried out the multiple blasts.

(With agency inputs)