CHENNAI, January 22: A crude explosive device went off in the early hours today in the office of the "All India Jihad Committee" in north Chennai, causing "minor" damage to a staircase but injuring none.A portion of the staircase was chipped off, and a couple of bricks were dislodged, but there was no other damage, city joint police commissioner (north) Radhakrishna Raja said.
He told newsmen here that the matter was being probed from various angles, including the possibility of somebody throwing the device from outside.
A police constable, who heard the loud noise and saw some smoke emanating from the premises, informed Flower Bazaar deputy police commissioner N Chidambarasamy and assistant commissioner N Bhaskaran who rushed to the spot. They found a damaged 10-inch long plastic pipe, Raja said. Apart from a couple of pieces of wires, the pipe contained the unexploded portion of a gelatine stick. A detonator forming part of the device was still intact.
A group of persons staying in the Jihad
committee office, including its activists Akram Khan and Noor Mohammed were questioned, he said.
This is the second explosion occurring in the city within a span of 12 days, apart from at least four such incidents in the last six months.
On January 10 night, an explosive went off under the Anna flyover in the heart of the city.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
