Bombs explode in South India amidst polling

by S Venkat Narayan
Our Special Correspondent-May 1, 2014

INDIA, CHENNAI : Indian police and train station workers stand near the site of a bomb attack at a train station in Chennai on May 1, 2014. AFP PHOTO/STR

NEW DELHI, May 1: One woman was killed and at least 18 others were injured in twin blasts in one of the coaches of the Bangalore-Guwahati superfast express (Train No. 12509) at the Chennai Central railway station on Thursday morning.

The victim has been identified as Swati (22) from Guntur who was travelling from Bangalore to Vijayawada. Four passengers are said to be critical and have been admitted to the General Hospital in Chennai. Of the 14 others injured, most have injuries on the legs, while one person has a neck injury.

A multi-agency probe was launched to investigate the source and nature of the bombs. The explosions came two days after the State police arrested Mohammed Zakir Hussain, a Sri Lankan national from Kandy, who was part of an alleged plot to target vital installations in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Police say the explosions was reported shortly after the Guwahati Express pulled into platform no. 9 at the railway station at around 7-30 a.m.

The blasts have damaged three coaches (S3, S4 and S5). As of now, police are yet to confirm from which coach the blast was triggered.

Many trains approaching Chennai were detained at various stations. There was commotion in the busy Central station and traffic congestion on all roads leading to it.

Southern Railway Additional General Manager S Vijayakumaran said the three damaged coaches would be detached from the formation for detailed forensic analysis. The other coaches are being readied for onward journey.

The arrival and departures of several morning trains from Chennai Central has been delayed even as the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force have cordoned off the area and pressed in sniffer dogs and bomb detection squads. Investigators were perusing the CCTV footage in Chennai and Bangalore to look for clues.

Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police K Ramanujam said the cause of explosion was not established yet.

The Railways has opened two helplines in Chennai — 044 25357398 and 044 64502416 — and one in Bangalore 080 22876288.

One person has been detained in connection with the blast.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa on Thursday appealed to the people not to panic and remain calm in the wake of the twin blasts, even while entrusting the probe to the Crime Branch-CID of the State Police.