‘Makar Sakranti’ could have turned bloody in 4 Indian states 

The festival of Makar Sankranti could have turned bloodstained on Friday if the intelligence agencies had not been on high alert mode. From Srinagar in J&K to Ghazipur in Delhi, big cities of the country reported news of RDX and IEDs being discovered in public places, suggesting, it was part of a coordinated attack.  

In the national capital, two weeks before Republic Day, Delhi Police recovered an improvised explosive device (IED) from the Ghazipur Flower Market area. 

Officials with the Fire Department received the report of the suspicious bag, which was found in the flower market, at 10:19 am. An iron box containing the explosives was concealed in a black backpack.  

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the IED was planted on the main gate to inflict mass casualty. However, the officials from Delhi Police‘s Special Cell, the NSG’s bomb detection and disposal team, and fire tenders worked in unison to ensure that no untoward incident happened. A controlled explosion was performed, away from the public and the crisis averted.   

An NSG official was quoted as saying, “We were informed by the Delhi Police about the suspicious object at around 11 am. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has been destroyed by using a controlled explosion technique. The samples of the IED have been collected and the explosive will be ascertained and informed to the Delhi Police,” 

 Meanwhile, the Delhi Police took to Twitter to inform about the episode, “Ensuring no casualties, #DelhiPolice recovers IED in Ghazipur Phool Mandi. Device was disposed of by NSG’s Bomb Disposal Squad using a controlled explosion.” 

5 Kilogram RDX recovered in Amritsar

Meanwhile, in Punjab’s Amritsar, ahead of the crucial assembly polls, 5 kilograms RDX, concealed in a bag lying on the Attari-Bachiwind road, close to the India-Pakistan border, was recovered. 

Besides the RDX, the Amritsar Special Task Force (STF) also recovered six AK 47 rifle rounds, two grenades, three UBGL, seven detonators, three fuses, a pouch, and a bag.  

The DGP was quoted as saying after the incident, “The recovery was made on the disclosure statement of accused Amandeep Kumar alias Mantri of village Lakhanpal in Gurdaspur, who is the prime accused in the two recent incidents of grenade attacks in Pathankot,”  

Grenade and a pressure cooker bomb destroyed in Srinagar

Meanwhile, another attempt to create unrest in the union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir was foiled by the authorities. According to local reports, a grenade was found inside a bag in which a pressure cooker was fitted by wires in the Khawjabazar area of Nowhatta, Srinagar.

However, the authorities promptly reacted after receiving the news of the suspicious item and destroyed it.  Prasar Bharati News Services took to twitter to inform about the incident, “Jammu and Kashmir: A grenade placed inside a pressure cooker was found in Khwaja Bazar of Nowhatta, Srinagar earlier today. The grenade was later diffused by a bomb disposal squad.”

Bomb Disposal Squad called on Prayagraj

As people thronged the ancient city of Prayagraj for the Magh Mela, the train services were stopped briefly after a suspicious object with a timer-like device fitted into it was spotted at the Meja Road Railway underpass.

According to a Hindustan Times report, commuters spotted the suspicious object and alerted the Meja police. SHO of the Meja police station, Tushar Dutt Tyagi, reached the spot and informed senior officials.

A Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was called on the spot, with SP Saurabh Dixit stating, “The bomb disposal squad was called to the spot for dismantling the device and check if it contained any explosive substance.”

While reports of the sighting of aforementioned IED’s and suspicious objects made it to the national news, several other attempts must have been thwarted by the intelligence agencies which will never see the light of the day. Thus, if one joins the dots, it can be ascertained that something big was planned.