Belur Math blasts: Not a prank with firecrackers

The West Bengal police are examining metal pieces and also CCTV footage in the wake of two explosions that took place at the Belur Math yesterday. Investigators say that prima facie it appears as though these were two crude bombs which were placed in a bid to scare away the devotees.

On being asked if these were firecrackers as had been claimed initially by some, the officials say that they are still looking into it.

However the point that is to be noted here is that it was a security breach and some person has attempted to terrorise a large number of devotees and hence it cannot be termed as an ordinary prank, an official also informed.

Not a prank

The police in West Bengal are not taking the issue lightly. It is not a prank and it was aimed at terrorizing the people. Moreover the person who placed the explosive was well aware of the crowd that gathers there on Friday evenings.

Friday evenings witness the highest crowd during the week and the explosive was planted with an intention of injuring and scaring the people. Initial reports however do not suggest that the explosives were of high intensity. They appear to be crude in nature, investigations have suggested.

There are various angles that are being investigated. While one angle is to find out if this incident was a result of personal rivalry the others are regarding the sending out of a strong message to the establishment. It could also be a straight forward attempt to target the devotees, officials pointed out.

Security stepped up

Following this incident, security has been stepped up at the Belur Math. Devotees who have started to come in and everything looks normal around the area although there is heavy security presence.

Belur Math has not been on any terror group's radar, Intelligence Bureau officials say. However considering the large number of devotees who visit the place on a daily basis, security needs to be high at all times, the IB official also said.