In Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, a 19-year-old boy was killed, and six of his family members were left seriously injured by the explosion of an improvised bomb they were trying to make. The deadly blast took place late on Tuesday, 21st October evening, around 10 pm, during Diwali festivities at Dharmabad village, in Dera Baba Nanak sub-division.
According to police, the victim, Manpreet Singh, and his brother, Lovepreet Singh, were attempting to create the explosive device in their home. The two reportedly built the device by filling an iron pipe with potassium and sulphur. The device exploded when they tried to light it.
The explosion killed Manpreet instantly. His brother Lovepreet is reportedly in critical condition at a hospital in Amritsar. Five other relatives of his were seriously injured in the explosion, too.
The injuries were severe as one of the victims reportedly lost eyesight, another lost both her arms, and the third suffered serious jaw injuries. The explosion was so powerful that it shattered the window glass of the houses nearby.
Police arrived in the village on Wednesday morning to perform an inquiry. One of the village residents told reporters that the explosive materials, including potassium and sulphur, were bought from an uncontrolled seller.
The village’s former official criticised both the family’s lack of carefulness and the government’s failure to control the sale of such dangerous products, and called for the punishment of the trader.
The Dera Baba Nanak police have also confirmed that the FIR is being filed. They are currently working together with forensic experts to determine the exact mix of the explosives used.
Police further added that this lethal trend of self-manufacturing explosive devices by stuffing iron pipes with gunpowder is perilously observed on a large scale in some areas of northern India. The investigation into the exact method of the blast is ongoing.
Media reports portrayed the incident as ‘poor’ youths trying to make their own firecrackers due to lack of money. But the fact that the youths bought potassium and sulphur from the underground market contradicts that claim. Moreover, the fact that they were packing the explosive materials in an iron pipe also questions the firecracker theory, because such pipe bombs are generally made only for terror activities.
In the state with the history of terrorism, the incident of such home-made bombs is a matter of grave concern. Notably, several such incidents of pro-Khalistani activists getting injured while trying to make IEDs have taken place in the past.
