MUMBAI, Mar 30:
Gelatin sticks kept allegedly by a man at a mosque triggered a blast in Maharashtra’s Beed district early on Sunday, police said.
The police have arrested two persons in connection with the explosion that occurred around 2.30 am at the mosque in Ardha Masla village in Georai tehsil, an official said.
According to the police, one of the arrested accused had earlier shot a reel with the explosives and a cigarette in his hand before placing them inside the mosque.
While no one was injured in the blast, the internal portion of the structure was damaged, he said.
The police have arrested Vijay Rama Gavhane (22) and Sriram Ashok Sagde (24), both residents of Ardha Masla village, an official said.
“Gavhane is involved in digging wells. He shot a reel earlier while smoking a cigarette and playing with a bundle of gelatin sticks. He might have obtained the sticks from a licensed seller,” he said.
In rural Maharashtra, gelatin sticks are used to carry out blasts in wells, quarries and mines.
The local crime branch is probing into the incident, it was stated.
The incident led to tension in the village.
An official said heavy security was deployed in the village to prevent law and order issues.
The accused entered the mosque from the back and allegedly kept some gelatin
Gelatin sticks trigger
sticks there, which triggered a blast, as per officials.
The village head alerted the Talawada police around 4 am.
The internal portion of the mosque was damaged in the blast, an official said.
Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat and other senior officials rushed to the spot.
A bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS), along with a forensic science team, also reached the spot, the official said.
Kanwat said the Beed Police have apprehended two persons in connection with the blast, and a case has been registered against them.
He also appealed to people not to spread rumours and help the police maintain law and order.
According to locals, there was a scuffle between two groups on Saturday night during a ‘Sandal’ procession at the village.
The village has a tradition of celebrating festivals together, they said.
During the Gudi Padwa festival, Hindus visit Hazrat Sayyad Badshah Dargah near the mosque, a villager said.
As the joint celebration for Gudi Padwa and Ramzan Eid was scheduled on Sunday morning, the accused persons tried to blow up the mosque using gelatin sticks, he said.
A portion inside the mosque was damaged in the blast, but locals who have lived in harmony for decades decided to repair the structure, the villager said.
The damaged portion was repaired with new tiles, another villager said, adding that a peace committee meeting also took place in the village in the morning.
The Muslim community of the village performed their afternoon prayers in the mosque this afternoon.
A video of an elderly villager appealing for peace has been circulated on social media.
“The police have nabbed the accused in just three hours and have promised to nab the remaining culprits in two days. People should maintain peace,” he appealed in the video.
