Kerala blast: Amit Shah directs NIA, NSG to begin probe

According to the sources, intelligence agencies have given three alerts to Kerala government for possible attacks on members non-Muslim communities in the last week. The blasts took place a day after former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal surfaced to make a virtual address supporting a pro-Khalistan rally in Malappuram

New Delhi:Teams of National Security Guards (NSG) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached Ernakulam in Kerala after a massive blast took place inside a Christian Convention Centre on Sunday morning.

Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and took stock of the situation following the blasts. Shah also instructed the NIA and the NSG to reach on the spot and start an inquiry into the incident. “A massive blast took place inside a Christian Convention Centre at Ernakulam in Kerala which is a habitat for several Jewish people. The blast was followed by multiple rounds of firing. Teams of NSG & NIA are headed towards the blast site on the orders of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” sources told ETV Bharat.

According to the sources, intelligence agencies have given three alerts to Kerala government for possible attacks on members non-Muslim communities in the last week. The blasts took place a day after former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal surfaced to make a virtual address supporting a pro-Khalistan rally in Malappuram. Initial reports suggest that radical Islamic terrorists are behind the serial blasts at Ernakulam which left several injured. Following the incident, a high alert has been sounded across India. Security agencies have been asked to intensify patrolling in Jews-populated areas of the country. ETV Bharat has recently done a story quoting officials from central intelligence agencies on the possible terror attacks in Jews-populated areas.

Leaders cutting across party lines have already started condemning the incident. “Shocked and dismayed by the news of a bomb attack on a religious gathering in Kerala. I condemn it unreservedly and demand swift police action. But that is not enough. To see my State falling prey to the mentality of killing and destruction is tragic. I urge all religious leaders to unite in condemning such barbarism and teaching their followers that violence achieves nothing but more violence,” said Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor.