Bihar police issues alert after blasts in illegal cracker units

The Bihar police have said that illegal firecracker manufacturing units could be exploited by anti-national forces to carry out nefarious activities.

PATNA: Back-to-back high intensity blasts in unlicensed firecracker manufacturing units located in densely populated areas of Bhagalpur and Gopalganj within a fortnight has alarmed the Bihar police prompting its Special Branch to issue a state-wide alert saying that such cracker units could be exploited by anti-national forces to carry out nefarious activities.

Bihar has witnessed back-to-back high intensity blasts in unlicensed firecracker manufacturing units located in densely populated areas of Bhagalpur and Gopalganj within a fortnight. (Representational Image)

The confidential communique issued on Thursday to all the zonal IGs, range DIGs and railway police says there is a potential threat of such illegal firecracker units to be misused by Pakistan-based terror groups, who look for local supply chains to carry out their activities.

“Earlier inputs have indicated that the Pak-based terror operatives look for local supply chain mela and networks for carrying out sabotage activities. The presence of sleeper cells and their reach in Bihar has manifested in various violent incidents and blasts in the past, viz. serial bomb blasts in Bodh Gaya and Gandhi Maidan in Patna during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally,” it says.

The Special Branch has further underlined the inputs indicating that “the terror elements may use improvised explosive devices ((IEDs) fabricated in tiffin boxes to perpetrate violent activities in the hinterland”.

“Easy availability of explosive material and persons having expertise in handling explosive material could also be exploited by the terror elements for causing large-scale damage and loss of lives in Bihar. Hence, unchecked illegal trade of firecrackers may be detrimental to the security of the state. It is imperative that such illegal manufacturing and trading units may be identified in all the districts of the state as well as persons involved in such illegal activity and their supply network,” says the confidential communication.

It has also emphasised the need to check the rampant supply of chemicals/ raw materials being used in fabrication of crackers to keep such illegal activities under control and defeat the nefarious plan of anti-national elements.

The alert is significant, as the major blast in Bhagalpur earlier this month, which led to the collapse of three houses due to its high impact and caused 15 deaths and 10 injured, had brought the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) into picture. The ATS Chief Additional director General (ADG) Rabindra Shankaran had visited the spot and carried out detailed investigation. The intensity of the blast and recovery of seven kgs of iron nails from there had raised doubts if the place was also being used for making bombs, as crackers use mostly low intensity explosives for sound only. After that, the alert has been issued.