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“Nitric acid, nails used in Malegaon blast”

Rahi Gaikwad

— PHOTO: Vivek Bendre

TEARS OF DESPAIR: Afrin beside the bed of her injured father, Shaik Ismil, at a hospital in Malegaon on Monday .

Malegaon: Nitric acid and nails were used in the crude bomb that went off at 9. 35 p.m. on Monday in the marketplace of Bhikku chowk at Malegaon, according to a source in the control room there.

The blast, which occurred when hundreds were offering namaz at the nearby Noorani masjid, claimed four lives — Syed Akhtar (18), Rafiq Akbar (30), Sheikh Mushtaq Sheik Yousou (28) and Shagufta Bano Sheik Liaqat (10). The dead were not from the masjid but were locals who came to the market.

The Maharashtra police are awaiting forensic reports.

The bomb was kept on a motorbike which, locals said, was lying outside a shop owned by Abdullah Jamaluddin Ansari, 70. After a couple of hours, Ansari asked a worker in a hotel opposite to his premises to report about the bike at the police chowk, 30 feet from the blast site. But the police paid no heed, it was alleged. Ansari is among those critically injured.

In the impact of the blast, shutters of shops caught fire though there was no damage to the property inside. An old clock in Ansari’s shop stopped after the explosion, indicating the time of the blast as 9.37 p.m. Windowpanes of a hotel were shattered up to the second floor.

Mufti Nizamuddin, administrative member of the All Sect Organisation of Malegaon, who was at the Noorani masjid at the time of the blast, said: “Seeing the chaos and angry at the police inaction in moving away the motorcycle, some youths gathered outside the police booth and started protesting. The police then started firing from inside. The locals got further irritated as the police, instead of helping the people, resorted to firing. By this time, some went to the masjid, where the evening namaz was drawing to a close, and reported to people there about the blast. A little after 10 p.m., people started gathering on the street. More police vans were called in. There was a huge crowd and the people started throwing stones at the vans. The police fired some more shots. Some came forward to pacify the crowd.”

Following the blasts, there was tension in the area, which led the police to fire in the air. Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil said 58 rounds were fired, all in the air.

Seventy-four civilians and 10 police personnel were injured. The injured were taken to the Noor, Farhan and Wadia hospitals.

Assistant Superintendent of police Viresh Prabhu was injured in the firing, according to the control room. The police claimed that the mob attacked the police, while the locals said they threw stones at the vans.

According to official reports, no civilian was dead in the firing. However, local activist Syed Asif Ali of Citizens for Peace and Justice claimed that two people died in the firing and 50 were injured. Sheikh Rafiq Sheikh Mustafa was killed in the firing, he said. The other name could not be confirmed.

Ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakh

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has announced an ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the next of kin of those who died in the blast. Those seriously injured will get Rs. 50,000. Each of the other injured will get Rs. 25,000-Rs 50,000.

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