Death toll soars to 3, CM to hold all-party meeting today: Top updates on Kerala serial blasts

As the death count has climbed to 3 in the Kerala serial blasts on Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called an all-party meeting at 10 am today in order to nab the responsible behind the explosion incident.

On Sunday, three blasts ripped through a convention centre in Kalamassery, where hundreds of followers of the minority Christian group Jehovah’s Witnesses had assembled on the concluding day of a three-day-long prayer meeting. Three people have died and over 50 others have sustained injuries in this explosion incident.

Amid these blasts, a 20-member team is formed to investigate the serial blasts case in Kerala's Ernakulam, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday. Besides, an FIR has also been lodged in the case. Vijayan said that an all-party meeting will take place at 10 am on Monday and efforts will be made to nab those behind the explosion incident.

Here are top updates on the Kerala serial blasts:

• Another person has died following the serial blasts that shook Kerala’s Kalamassery convention centre on Sunday. The 12-year-old victim, identified as Libina from Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, succumbed to her injuries in the wee hours of Monday at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital.

• According to the official statement by the hospital’s medical board, the girl was admitted on Sunday morning with severe burns covering 95 per cent of her body. Despite receiving ventilator support, her condition continued to deteriorate, leading to her death at 12.40 am, it said.

• Meanwhile, a man, identified as Dominic Martin, has claimed responsibility for these blasts and surrendered to the police in the Thrissur district. However, the police have not confirmed his involvement in this case and are questioning him. Before surrendering to the police, Martin released a video on social media, explaining why he decided to target the Christian sect.

  In the video, Martin stated that the ideas and teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses are "dangerous to the country" and that they are "poisoning young minds.” He said he wanted to stop their activities.

• A senior Kerala officer has said that a preliminary probe showed that these blasts were caused by an IED (Improvised explosive device) device. The device contains an explosive component that triggers a fire, said the officials. Despite that, there is no definitive information yet and a conclusive identification of the explosive material can only be determined after a detailed forensic examination. 

  According to the sources, this device was found in a tiffin box.

• Taking notes from this shocking blast incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called an all-party meeting at 10 am on Monday in the Secretariat. He is likely to chair a high-level meeting over the blasts.

  "It's a very unfortunate incident. We are collecting details regarding the incident. All top officials in Ernakulam are there. We are taking it very seriously. I have spoken to the DGP and we will get more details after the investigation," the CM said.

• Following an order by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Security Guard (NSG) were sent to Kerala to assist the local police in the investigation of the case.

  An NSG team with two senior officials from Delhi also went to Kerala to take stock of the situation. Sources told India Today that the team includes officials from the National Bomb Data Center.

• Meanwhile, Union Minister Anurag Thakur has slammed Congress Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi over his silence over Kerala serial blasts, saying, “Who are these people who want to create chaos here from outside."

  "I condemn the bomb blast incident in Kerala...," Thakur told media in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur on late Sunday evening.