Pressure cooker bomb: Explosion at Malappuram Collectorate

Malappuram: A low-intensity pressure cooker bomb exploded on the premises of the district collectorate here on Tuesday noon triggering panic among hundreds of officials and the public.   Nobody was hurt in the incident. Two vehicles were partially damaged. The police  found a paper box a few metres from the blast site from which a leaflet and a pen drive were recovered.  The leaflet in the name of an organisation called ‘The Base Movement,’  which was allegedly behind the Kollam collectorate blast in June, said,  “Mohamad Akhlaq was killed by terrorists of India became shame in front of world next count your days” along with a small photograph of Osama Bin Laden and an Indian map.

The police have handed over the pen drive to the cyber cell.   The blast  took place  behind a car  around 1.10 p.m.  in the parking area of a three-storied block in which many offices, including the district first class magistrate court, are functioning.  The car was being used by the district medical officer (homoeo) on contract for more than two years. 

“The exploded object is suspected to be a pressure cooker bomb and ammonium nitrate and gun powder were  also used in it. The police will also investigate the involvement of terror outfits in the incident,” said Mr Debesh Kumar Behera, district police chief  Malappuram: ...who visited  the site. The police  cordoned off the area immediately after the blast. Experts from the bomb squad, dog squad and forensics department  examined the spot and the police took the statements  from many eyewitnesses,  including the drivers of the cars which were damaged.

District collector A. Shainamol’s office is  a few metres from the blast site. She also rushed to the spot along with the police.  Shinamol was Kollam district collector when a similar blast  occurred on the premises of the  collectorate there in June. The blast took place in a deserted parking area on the premises of the court and district PSC office. The employees in the building ran out in panic after hearing the loud noise of the blast.

Special team to probe it
State police chief Loknath Behera said in Thiruvananthapuram that a special intelligence team will probe the explosion with  the assistance of central investigation agencies. The  incident was serious as it was similar to the explosions at Kollam collectorate, Mysore and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. “A special intelligence team would be constituted to probe  the matter.  A special team of state police chief was also sent to Malappuram. The service of central agencies will be also sought in view of the other similar blasts,” Mr. Behera said in a statement.

Security tightened
The Malappuram district administration  on Tuseday decided to beef up the security and surveillance arrangements at the  civil station.  A security review meeting convened by the collector  decided to establish more surveillance cameras at selected points inside the collecotrate compound. Special identification stickers will be provided to vehicles of the staffers and officials. Separate parking areas will be demarcated for the vehicles of the visitors to various offices.  The department vehicles should be parked at the allotted areas only. Measures have been taken to regulate the traffic on the roads inside the civil station and illegal parking would be prevented, she said.