A torn polythene bag containing silver colour powder, pencil batteries and wires discovered outside a women’s college today triggered a security scare in New Delhi, hot on the heels of an explosion outside the Delhi High Court last week.
The bag was detected at a bus stand near Gargi College on Khel Gaon Marg in south Delhi around noon, police said on the incident that happened five days after the crude bomb explosion outside the High Court.
Police said one of its patrolling vehicles saw the unattended bag containing suspicious objects lying in the bus stand and made a call to the Control Room at around 12:15 pm following which bomb disposal squads were rushed to the spot.
However, college authorities claimed a girl student made a call to police.
Amulya Patnaik, Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range), said it resembled a cracker and did not contain any explosives. It could not have exploded at all, he said.
“It appears that somebody played a sort of prank or mischief. This could not have exploded as there was no arrangement which could have led to an explosion. It was a fire cracker kind of assembly. It would not have worked,” Mr. Patnaik said.
Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, “This could neither burst nor explode. No explosive substances have been found. It is a prank or mischief. It has no link to the May 25 explosion outside the High Court.”
Bomb disposal squads and forensic experts were rushed to the spot and collected samples. Police have cordoned off the area where the admission process was on in the college and there were a number of students.
A senior police official said the bag contained silver coloured powder, probably used to make crackers, some loose wires and two pencil batteries and nothing was connected.
