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Suspected terror attack wounds 10 train passengers in Madhya Pradesh

Police have detained three people from Hoshangabad district

bomb blast

People attend to an injured person after a blast in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train near Jabdi station in Shajapur district in Madhya Pradesh.<b>(Photo: PTI)<b>

Press Trust of India Shajapur
Ten people were injured, three of them seriously, in an IED blast on a passenger train near Jabdi station on Tuesday, in what is suspected to be a terror attack.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh told PTI that "the initial investigation suggests the blast is a terror attack and investigation is underway to unravel the conspiracy behind the incident."

Police have detained three persons from Pipariya town in Hoshangabad district.

Railway PRO, Indore, Jitendra Kumar Jayant said the explosion took place in a general coach of the train between 9.30 AM and 10 AM when it was on its way to Ujjain from Bhopal.
 
Ratlam Divisional Railway Manager Manoj Sharma said 10 people were injured in the blast, three of them seriously.

While two of the seriously injured were rushed to Bhopal, five injured persons were discharged. "Two others are being treated at Kalapipal town in Shajapur district," he added.

He said the Commissioner Railway Safety has been informed about the incident and he will take a call on conducting a probe.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad launched an operation to flush out a suspected terrorist holed up in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow following inputs that he may be linked to the blast.

ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary said the terror suspect belongs to a localised group, influenced by ISIS and its literature.

The suspect was hiding in Kakori area. The densely populated neighbourhood was cordoned off and at least 20 commandos were involved in the operation, police said.

A suitcase has been found in the coach and a bomb disposal squad was examining it. Due to the impact of the explosion, two coaches got separated from the train, which later left for its onward journey.

The glass panes of the windows in the general coach were shattered in the blast, which occurred when the train was about to reach Jabdi station, which falls between Kalapipal and Sehore railway stations. Following the blast, the train came to a halt.

Smoke engulfed the general coach, causing panic among the passengers who rushed out to save themselves.

Madhya Pradesh Inspector General (IG) Intelligence Makrand Deoskar said the blast was carried out "by planting an Improvised Explosive Device".

When asked whether name of any terror group has cropped up during initial investigation, he said, "I am unable to say anything right now on the issue. But we have detained three persons and are interrogating them."

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked the state DGP, forensic experts, and officials of the Special Task Force and Anti-Terrorism Squad to conduct an enquiry.

The state government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured persons and Rs 25,000 each to the other injured passengers.

The Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the state government on the blast.

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First Published: Mar 07 2017 | 10:33 PM IST

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