Delhi school blast: Police probe Khalistani link after Telegram post

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The Delhi Police were probing a possible Khalistani link in the blast that ripped through the wall of a CRPF school in Delhi's Rohini after a threatening social media post went viral. 

Delhi Police have written to the messaging app Telegram, seeking details of a pro-Khalistani channel that claimed responsibility for the blast on Sunday, officials said.

The blast sent shockwaves across the national capital. No one was injured in the incident.

Delhi Police have said they were investigating the connection after the Telegram post claimed the explosion was in retaliation for the alleged targeting of pro-Khalistan separatists by Indian agents.

The probe team has sought details about the Telegram channel 'Justice League India'. A video of the blast with a "Khalistan Zindabad" watermark at the bottom appeared on the channel on Sunday evening.

The video carried a message which claimed that Khalistani operatives were behind the attack and gave open threats.

As soon as the video was purportedly posted, it was instantly circulated on many Telegram channels operating in Pakistan. The Pakistani Telegram channels through which the message was spread are the ones often used to share terrorist activities in Kashmir.

Police sources have said preliminary investigations into the explosion have revealed that it was an IED likely controlled with a remote or a timer without deadly shrapnel and was most probably placed late at night on Saturday.

The blast occurred between 7.35 a.m. and 7.40 am on Sunday, locals said. The residents said there was an explosion, followed by a foul smell that engulfed the neighbourhood. They also said that vibrations were felt in the house.

The ongoing probe by Central agencies has revealed traces of low explosives near the site. Apart from the powder-like substance, wires were also found at the scene. NSG officials also found a battery and wire near the blast site and were investigating if these were part of the incident, sources have said.

--IANS

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