Six persons were injured in a low-intensity bomb blast at the private Jai Hospital in Hari Parbat area of Agra district Saturday evening. The blast took place around 5.45 pm; the bomb was in a bag kept near the reception which was blown to smithereens. A cloud of smoke engulfed the reception area and the smell of explosive was all-pervasive.
There were no CCTV cameras and, therefore, it could not be immediately ascertained as to who had put the bag there. Agra IGP P.K. Tiwari said the blast was of low intensity but the panes of doors and windows in the hospital shattered. He said traces of explosives, wires and a battery had been found at the blast site and samples had been sent for forensic examination to ascertain the kind of explosive used.
Union home secretary R.K. Singh confirmed that the blast was a low-intensity explosion and a wire, battery and some other material has been recovered. Initial reports suggested a loosely assembled improvised explosive device was used in the blast.
Security officials in Delhi said some intelligence inputs received about a fortnight ago indicated that small cities, including Agra, may be targeted, but it was too early to link the input to the incident. Though the local police did not term the incident a terror attack, taking no chances, the Centre rushed a post-blast investigation team of the National Security Guard (NSG) to examine the blast site. Forensic teams have also been rushed to the spot.
“It is too early to arrive at conclusion because the blast has neither the magnitude nor the intensity of a terror attack, but we are investigating whether it was a test run or an act of mischief,” Mr Tiwari said.