A low-intensity explosion took place inside a mosque in Beed district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Sunday ahead of Eid ul-Fitr festivities, prompting the police to swiftly arrest two persons in connection with the incident.
The blast occurred inside a mosque Ardh Masla village in the Georai tehsil in Beed district at around 2.30 am, causing damage to flooring and a small portion of the structure of the mosque. Some gelatin sticks were used to trigger the blast. However, there were no injuries or deaths in the incident. The incident took place hours after a procession was taken out in Ardha Masla village on Saturday evening, in which people from various committees participated.
Identifying the two persons arrested in connection with the minor explosion as 22-year-old Vijay Rama Gavhane (22) and 24-year-old Sriram Ashok Sagde (24), the police said that both the arrested persons are residents of Georai taluka in Beed district. Preliminary investigations have revealed that some time ahead of the incident, a man entered the mosque on Saturday from its rear side and allegedly kept some gelatin sticks there, which triggered an explosion.
Talking to media persons, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: “The police have received the infomation as to who was behind the blast. The Superintendent of Police concerned will share the information with the media”.
Earlier at around 9.30 on Saturday, two unidentified persons created a commotion in front of the mosque, by making casteist remarks and alleging that the mosaque was an illegal construction.
Confirming that the village Sarpanch informed the Talawada police station about the incident, Beed district’s Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat said: We received a call from the village sarpanch, and the local police rushed to the scene within 15 to 20 minutes. Within an hour, our Additional Superintendent of Police, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad team and other officials reached
the spot.
The incident involved a blast at a mosque using gelatin sticks. An FIR was filed based on the complainant’s statement”.
The police identified the suspects after one of them posted a video on Instagram, suggesting that the explosive used to trigger a crude explosion.
On Sunday, Muslims from the village staged a protest against the blast in front of the police station. “The bomb detection and forensic teams have gathered considerable evidence from the blast site. We are invoking stringent charges against the accused,” a senior police officer said.
In a related development, the police have identified heavy security in the blast-hit village to ensure against untoward fall-out of the incident.
