Delhi On High Alert After Blast Outside CRPF School, Police Probing Khalistan Link

Picture source: ANI

New Delhi is on high alert after a powerful blast ripped through the wall of a CRPF school in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area on Sunday morning. A multi-agency probe is underway to deduce the cause of the blast and identify the perpetrators. According to a senior official, authorities are also exploring a possible Khalistan connection in the incident, reported PTI. 

The explosion was a low-intensity IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast, that was controlled with a timer or remote without shrapnel or ball bearings, PTI quoted a Police source. While no casualties were reported, the blast shattered windowpanes of nearby cars, damaged shops in the vicinity. A senior official cited by the news agency revealed that the conspirators wanted to send a message to the authorities, hence they ‘intentionally’ chose the location to avoid harming people. 

Potential Of Khalistan, Pakistan Link 

The incident follows a string of bomb threats made to several airlines in recent days. The potential of a Khalistani link surfaced after a social media post claimed the blast was in retaliation for Indian agents allegedly targeting pro-Khalistan separatists. 

Later in the evening, a screenshot of a Telegram post from Justice League India circulated on social media, featuring a clip of the blast with a "Khalistan Zindabad" watermark at the bottom. The post originated from a Pakistani Telegram channel, according to Zee News TV. 

"If Indian coward agency and their master think they can hire filthy goons to target our members to silence our voice then they live in fools world. They can't imagine how close we are to them and how capable we are to strike anytime #KhalistanZindabad #JLI," the Justice League India mentioned in the post alongside the clip. 

Delhi CRPF School Blast 

The bomb was likely planted late Saturday night, said police officials. According to local residents, the blast was heard between 7:35 and 7:40 a.m. on Sunday. 

Following the explosion, teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Security Guard (NSG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Delhi Police quickly secured the area and collected samples for further investigation. NSG commandos used robots to search the area for additional explosives. Samples of ‘white powder’ and soil collected from the site were sent to a laboratory to determine the bomb's composition. 

"A senior police officer said, 'The white powder could be a mixture of ammonium nitrate and chloride.'" 

Videos from the scene captured thick plumes of smoke rising from the blast site. Residents described the explosion as 'intense' and reported a foul odor in the area afterward.