Detection of a country-made bomb and two petrol bombs at the venue of a meeting organised by the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam here on Sunday has shocked City Police.
Though the bombs did not explode and were found much before the crowd gathered on the college premises, the venue, at Jaihindpuram, the presence of the explosives there was “disturbing”.
A casual security sweeping by the police led to the detection of a polythene bag, inside which there was another bag containing a small country-made bomb and two liquor bottles filled with petrol.
“By that time, only the workers who had made the pandal and other arrangements and a few party leaders and cadres had access to the ground. Only after a couple of hours did the actual crowd started arriving,” a senior police officer said.
When the issue was taken up with higher police officials, several policemen were rushed to the venue. They made a thorough search of the entire area under the supervision of senior police officials. However, no other explosive materials were found there, the official also said.
The police suspect that explosives sneaking into the meeting venue could be the result of intra-party squabbling in the ruling party. Only on Saturday night country-made bombs and crude bombs (kerosene-filled bottles) were hurled at the office of urban district unit of the AIADMK on Panagal Road and at the office of Madurai West MLA at Sammattipuram off Dindigul By-pass Road.
However, no one was injured in the incidents.
Minister for Cooperation Sellur K. Raju, who is Madurai West MLA and also the secretary of urban district unit, had organised the meeting on Sunday.
Mr. Raju had blamed his political opponents for hurling of bombs.
