Blast outside CRPF school in Delhi: Authorities investigating alleged Khalistani link to explosion

The Delhi police and other authorities in India’s national capital began investigating a possible Khalistani link to the explosion that happened outside a school of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Rohini on Sunday (Oct 20), the news agency PTI reported on Monday.

The PTI report said that authorities began probing the Khalistani link after a post went viral on social media claiming the blast was in retaliation to the targeting of pro-Khalistan separatists allegedly by Indian agents.

In a post on Telegram, pro-Khalistan group Justice League India said, “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.”

The Delhi police had received a call about the explosion at around 7.47 am IST on Sunday. No one was injured in the blast. However,  the school building, the glass of nearby shops and a car were damaged.

In a statement, the police said, “The Station House Officer (SHO) and staff reached the spot, where the school wall was found damaged with a foul smell. The glass of nearby shops and a car parked near the shop were found to be damaged.”

“Fortunately, no one was injured,” the statement added.

The initial investigation revealed that the material used in the explosion resembled a crude bomb.

The sewer line was being checked, and CCTV footage was also under review to identify the type of blast involved, the police further said.

Teams of the National Security Guard (NSG), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also present at the spot.

Following the explosion, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government for its handling of law and order.

“The incident of a bomb blast outside a school in Rohini is exposing the crumbling security system of Delhi. The responsibility of law and order in Delhi lies with the BJP’s central government. But the BJP, leaving this work, spends all its time obstructing the work of the elected government of Delhi,” Chief Minister Atishi said in a post on X.

“This is the reason why the situation in Delhi today is like the Mumbai underworld era of the 1990s. Bullets are being fired openly in the city, gangsters are extorting money, and the morale of criminals is high,” she added. 

(With inputs from agencies)