Pro-Khalistan group claims Delhi school blast in a Telegram post, police seek details

A pro-Khalistani group has claimed responsibility for the blast near a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) school in New Delhi's Rohini area on Oct 20.

Delhi police on Oct 21 said that they are probing the alleged involvement of the group and have reached out to the social media platforms and the messaging app Telegram, requesting details about the channel where the post about the blast was published.

The Telegram post claimed the explosion was in retaliation for the alleged targeting of pro-Khalistan separatists by Indian agents, according to police.

“It is difficult to say anything more at this stage… investigation is underway,” Amit Goel, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rohini was quoted as saying.

The investigation team have requested details about the Telegram channel named 'Justice League India'. They are yet to receive a response from Telegram, another police official was quoted as saying.

The message read, "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 post appeared to refer to New Delhi's stance against the global anti-India activities of Khalistani terrorists, specifically set against the backdrop of the recent diplomatic row with Canada, according to media reports.

The explosion was caused by a low-intensity IED (Improvised Explosive Device) controlled by a timer or remote, without any shrapnel or ball bearings, police sources were quoted as saying.

The blast damaged a section of the school wall, shattered windowpanes of nearby shops, and damaged some parked cars. The sound of the explosion was heard from several hundred meters away.

The explosive material believed to be a crude bomb and traces of potassium chlorate, hydrogen peroxide, and some electrical wires were found at the site. Top police officials were quoted as saying that the perpetrators likely intended to send a warning to the authorities.

Following the explosion, teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Security Guard (NSG), CRPF, and Delhi police sealed off the area, while forensic experts collected evidence from the site.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the Rohini blast probe from Delhi police, officials were quoted as saying.