Rohini Blast: Time & Venue Selected for Minimum Harm, Lack of Device Points to Crude Bomb

The time, date, and venue of Sunday’s blast at a CRPF school in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area was selected to cause minimum damage, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18 even as agencies look for clues to understand the motive behind the incident.

“Post-facto claims have become the norm and we are verifying those. There were no clues available from the spot and analysis is going on,” they said.

The sources added: “The place is insignificant in terms of being picked as a target for a bomb blast. This is a busy area in terms of car parking and residential locality but the logistics ensured that no damage occurred. What is most surprising is that no bomb blast material is available and neither was any device found. In this case, it becomes a crude bomb.”

Crude bomb is used in Bengal and other parts of India, sources said, adding that they had never been used in the national capital.

“The CCTV footage examination is crucial. There is no clue in CCTVs so far as no one is seen going closer to the spot where the blast took place.”

On Monday, Delhi Police said they are probing a possible Khalistani link to the blast. It has written to Telegram, a messaging app, seeking information about a group claiming responsibility for the explosion in a purported social media post on the platform.

The purported message, posted on Sunday evening (October 20), said the blast was in retaliation to the alleged targeting of pro-Khalistan separatists by Indian agents. The claim was made by Justice League India using a clip of the blast with a “Khalistan Zindabad” watermark at the bottom, and circulated on social media platforms.

The blast, which destroyed a portion of the school wall, window panes of nearby shops, and damaged a few cars parked nearby, was captured in a CCTV camera. Police suspect that the bomb might have been placed late at night as local residents said it went off between 7.35 am and 7.40 am.

The sound of the blast was heard several hundred metres away. Videos from the spot showed thick plumes rising from the site. Residents called the explosion “intense” and reported a foul smell in the area.

Police have filed a case under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of “mischief through explosion” and under the Explosives Act.