LUCKNOW, Mar 7: Anti-terror operations to flush out two terrorists, suspected to be linked with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast, holed up in a house in the outskirts of Lucknow continued late tonight, police said.
It said it had found that two terrorists, instead of one, were hiding in the house and had earlier resorted to intermittent firing. An Anti Terror Squad (ATS) officer said “we have withheld firing from our side” to try to catch them alive.
At least 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in the IED blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh early today.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary tonight said “after drilling a portion of the roof of the house (where the terrorist are holed up), we were surprised to know that actually there are two terrorists holed up in the house. Initially, we had thought that there was only one terrorist.”
“Both of them are very much alive. Two weapons have also been spotted lying there,” he said.
Chaudhary said that adequate time was given to the suspected terrorists to surrender, but they did not choose to do so.
The ADG also said that the UP Police want to capture them alive. “We still want to arrest them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to UP DGP Javeed Ahmad, who briefed him about the incident and the action taken.
Commandos of paramilitary forces are being rushed to assist the anti-terror squad and local police in capturing the person hiding here.
The ATS operation was launched hours before the final phase of polling in Assembly election covering 40 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
According to the locals, at around 3.30 PM , over 30 policemen started vacating the houses in the locality to corner the suspects.
The residents said as the suspect got wind of police plans, he started firing at police party and gunshots were fired from both the sides.
IG ATS Aseem Arun summoned elite commandos from Bijnaur police facility.
The ATS team is trying to ensure that the suspect runs out of ammunition before barging inside.
IG Lucknow Zone A Satish Ganesh said, “The suspect was not surrendering.
Instead he was resorting to firing. Chilli bombs were used to smoke him out.”
Arun, who was conducting the operation, said, “When the police knocked the door (of the house where the terror suspect is holed up), he closed the door, and then there was a sound of pistol cocking, which proved that he has weapons.”
He said the suspect resorted to intermittent firing. “We have withheld firing from our side. It appears only one person is hiding inside the house,” he said.
Meanwhile 10 people were injured, three of them seriously, in an IED blast on a passenger train near Jabdi station at Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh today, in what is suspected to be a terror attack.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said that “the initial investigation suggests the blast is a terror attack and investigation is underway to unravel the conspiracy behind the incident.”
Police have detained three persons from Pipariya town in Hoshangabad district.
Railway PRO, Indore, Jitendra Kumar Jayant said the explosion took place in a general coach of the train between 9.30 AM and 10 AM when it was on its way to Ujjain from Bhopal.
Ratlam Divisional Railway Manager Manoj Sharma said 10 people were injured in the blast, three of them seriously.
While two of the seriously injured were rushed to Bhopal, five injured persons were discharged. “Two others are being treated at Kalapipal town in Shajapur district,” he added.
He said the Commissioner Railway Safety has been informed about the incident and he will take a call on conducting a probe.
A suitcase has been found in the coach and a bomb disposal squad was examining it. Due to the impact of the explosion, two coaches got separated from the train, which later left for its onward journey.
The glass panes of the windows in the general coach were shattered in the blast, which occurred when the train was about to reach Jabdi station, which falls between Kalapipal and Sehore railway stations. Following the blast, the train came to a halt.
Smoke engulfed the general coach, causing panic among the passengers who rushed out to save themselves.
Madhya Pradesh Inspector General (IG) Intelligence Makrand Deoskar said the blast was carried out “by planting an Improvised Explosive Device”.
When asked whether name of any terror group has cropped up during initial investigation, he said, “I am unable to say anything right now on the issue. But we have detained three persons and are interrogating them.”
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked the state DGP, forensic experts, and officials of the Special Task Force and Anti-Terrorism Squad to conduct an enquiry.
The State Government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured persons and Rs 25,000 each to the other injured passengers.
The Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the state government on the blast.
In a communication, the Home Ministry asked the State Government to send a detailed report about the incident and action taken so far to nab those involved in it, sources said.
The Government was also told to inform the Home Ministry as early as possible whether any terror group was suspected to be involved in the incident.
The Railways has made available helpline numbers for those seeking information about their relatives in the train.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
