IED used in Agra hospital blast

Barely 10 days after a bomb blast at the Delhi High Court, another blast rocked an Agra hospital 3km away from the Taj Mahal on Saturday evening, leaving at least 15 people injured, three of them seriously. Top police officials in Lucknow said it was a low intensity blast, though they refused to confirm if it was a terrorist attack.

Police sources here said the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had alerted the UP police last month about a possible blast in the Taj city. One theory is that it could have been a rehearsal for a bigger attack.

The blast occurred at 5.45pm at the reception counter of the Jai Hospital in Agra. “Explosives were recovered from the spot and have been sent for forensic examination,” special DG (law and order) Brij Lal said, adding that witnesses told the police that the bomb went off in a cloth bag at the hospital’s reception counter. Lal said pieces of what looked like a tiffin box were also found near the blast site.

Agra’s Inspector General of police, however, said the tiffin box had nothing to do with the blast. He told reporters that the blast could have been triggered off by an IED (improvised explosive device). A battery and wire were recovered from the blast site.

Witnesses said the impact of the blast was such that several glass panes in the hospital were shattered. The blast also caused a mini crater on the ground. The hospital was evacuated immediately after the blast.

Police officials are questioning witnesses present at and around the reception, including the injured. A bomb squad and a team of the UP ATS (anti terrorism squad) rushed to the blast site to investigate. Police said they have no clues as to who is responsible for the attack.