Agra:
Four people have been detained in connection with the blast at Agra hospital yesterday. They, along with the hospital staff, are being questioned. The explosion at Jai Hospital left four people injured; no casualty was reported.
The explosion which occurred at 5:45 pm broke the windowpanes in the reception area where 10 to 15 people were seated in steel chairs. Several patients were evacuated from the hospital and police cordoned off the entire area and conducted a combing operation.
Meanwhile, a post-blast team of the National Security Guard (NSG) has reached Agra to investigate the explosion at the hospital. Their experts visited the blast spot collecting forensic evidence.
Sources in the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad say an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used and that it was kept at the reception counter of the hospital. However, there is no confirmation yet on whether the blast was a terror blast.
Battery and wires have been recovered from the blast site.
The Union Home Ministry says it is collecting information on the blast. Minister of State for ome, Jeetendra Singh, and Raj Babbar visited the site today.
P K Tiwari, the Inspector General of Police, Agra, said yesterday that preliminary investigations suggested the use of a crude bomb, which was kept under a seat in the reception area.
Tiwari ruled out the possibility of tiffin boxes being used in the explosion, which created panic among patients and medical personnel at the hospital. He added that the injuries sustained were not of a serious nature and all of them were being treated in the hospital itself.
Police have also announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information on the attackers. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has announced Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the injured.
The blast comes just days after a bomb, kept inside a briefcase, exploded at the Delhi High Court, claiming 15 lives.