Over 50 people got hurt in explosions on Sunday at an event organized by a Christian group called Jehovah’s Witnesses near the city of Kochi in India.
A man was taken into custody after he admitted to carrying out the attacks and gave himself up to the police. However, the police are still checking if his confession is true.
The incident happened during a prayer meeting by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kalamassery, which is about 6 miles away from Kochi. There were more than 2,000 people attending the three-day event.
Two women who were at the meeting died on Sunday, and a 12-year-old girl with severe burns passed away on Monday.
Preliminary investigations suggest that homemade explosive devices in a lunchbox might have caused the blasts.
Shortly after the incident, a man named Dominic Martin claimed he was behind the attack in a video on Facebook, which has been removed. He turned himself in at a nearby police station. He said he was a member of the religious group and was angry about their teachings.
However, a spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses denied Martin’s claim, saying they were not sure if he was even present at the event.
After the explosions, 17 people were taken to hospitals, with 12 of them in critical condition.
The police are investigating the incident with a 20-member team.
Security has been increased in cities like Delhi and Mumbai as a precaution.
Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious group with around 8.7 million followers worldwide and approximately 60,000 in India. They are known for going door-to-door to share their beliefs.
In 1986, India’s Supreme Court ruled that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ children couldn’t be forced to sing the national anthem in school because it went against their beliefs.
Source: BBC
