Scooter explosions rock Kanpur market, 8 injured

Kanpur, Oct 8 (PTI) Two scooters parked in the congested Mishri Bazar near a mosque here exploded seconds apart on Wednesday evening, injuring eight people and damaging nearby shops, police said.

The blasts occurred around 7:30 pm in the crowded Moolganj area. The sound of the explosions, which took place near the Markaz mosque, was heard up to 500 metres from the spot.

Police Commissioner of Kanpur Raghubir Lal told PTI that eight people were injured in the blasts that took place in two scooters parked in Mishri Bazar.

The injured were rushed to hospital. Two of them were discharged after first aid and four others, who suffered serious burn injuries, were referred to King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow. The remaining two are under observation at the Kanpur hospital and are said to be out of danger, he added.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that one of the scooters belonged to Ashwani Kumar, who was among the injured shifted to Lucknow. He told police that he had gone to the market to buy decorative lights for Diwali, the commissioner said.

The second scooter belongs to Vijendra Prasad Rastogi, a resident of Govind Nagar. Police have not been able to contact him so far, he said.

Multiple agencies, including Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Special Task Force (STF), have been roped in to investigate the incident from all possible angles.

"Nothing is being ruled out at this stage. Forensic experts and specialised teams are examining every aspect to ascertain the source and nature of the blast," Lal said.

"Since Diwali is approaching, we are exploring the possibility of a firecracker-related explosion as well," he said, adding that a terror angle is also not being ruled out.

Security has been tightened in the neighbouring areas and all precautionary measures are being taken to curb rumour mongering, the officer said.

A bomb disposal squad, forensic experts and anti-sabotage teams are at the spot to comb the site and collect samples.

Intelligence units have been tasked with analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify any possible suspects, police said.

The blast damaged the walls of nearby shops.

A shopkeeper, Mohammad Uwais said, "We were sitting inside the shop when suddenly there was a loud blast. People were startled and items of shops were scattered all over the road." PTI COR CDN DIV DIV