Blast on Dera chief’s cavalcade, 8 injured

A tyre stuffed with explosives is hurled on the cavalcade of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, which triggers a blast near a vehicle, injuring 8 persons, reports Hitender Rao.

The cavalcade of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh came under attack on Saturday when a blast took place just a few metres from his vehicle on National Highway-1 at Manakmajra near the Karnal-Kurukshetra border in the afternoon.

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Though the Dera chief escaped unhurt, eight of his followers who were in a vehicle piloting the cavalcade sustained injuries. Two of them, Deepen and Dayal, were rushed to the trauma centre in Karnal. Three vehicles were also damaged in the attack.

The police said explosives bundled in a tyre were tossed from a truck just as the Dera chief’s cavalcade approached it.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) VB Singh told Hindustam Times that the injured Dera followers told the local police that the tyre was hurled from a truck moving ahead of the cavalcade, following which an explosion took place.

Singh said a team of forensic experts from Madhuban was collecting samples from the spot. “The suspected truck and the persons travelling in it have been rounded up. They are being interrogated,” the ADGP said. Police officials said the nature of explosive material would be ascertained after the forensic examination.

Meanwhile, Dera spokesperson Aditya Arora said it was a clear-cut case of a terrorist attack. “Bombs were dropped from the truck,” he said. Arora said despite repeated threats having been issued to the Dera chief by persons living in Punjab, the Badal government had failed to take any action.

“The Scorpio vehicle piloting the cavalcade, was severely damaged. Two vehicles behind the Scorpio were also damaged,” Arora said.

BS Malik, Deputy Commissioner of Karnal, said the forensic experts have collected samples from the blast site. Further investigations are on and actual position could only be known after receiving the forensic report, he added.