People stand outside a convention center where multiple explosions occurred during a religious gathering in Kochi, India, Oct. 29, 2023. Portal/Sivaram V acquires license rights
KOCHI, India, Oct 29 (Portal) – A former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses group was arrested for his alleged involvement in detonating homemade bombs at a meeting of the group in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday, killing two women and dozens More people were injured, the police said.
A 53-year-old woman died from her burn injuries, said Health Minister Veena George, and there were two fatalities. A 12-year-old girl with 95% burns remains in critical condition, George said.
Dominic Martin posted a video on Facebook claiming responsibility for the attacks before surrendering shortly after noon at a police station in Thrissur district, about 40 kilometers from the site of the blasts.
“Dominic is still being interrogated in Kochi. He is in our custody but we have not registered his arrest so far,” police public relations officer Pramod Kumar told Portal.
“We are still trying to determine the veracity of his statement, it will take some time. We are currently unable to confirm his involvement in the case, investigations are ongoing,” he added.
The incident occurred during a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in Kalamassery, about 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) northeast of Kochi city.
TA Sreekumar, regional spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, told Portal that Martin was not a registered member of the group. He said about 2,300 people attended the three-day event, but he did not know whether Martin was present.
Sreekumar confirmed to Portal that there had been at least two explosions at the center.
“I take full responsibility for this. I carried out the bomb explosion. “I’m making this video to make it clear why I did this,” Martin said in a nearly six-minute Facebook video that was online about four hours before it disappeared.
Martin said that he thought the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings were “anti-national” about six years ago and that he tried to talk to the group about changing their views.
Preliminary investigations revealed that an improvised explosive device was used, Kerala Director General of Police Shaik Darvesh Saheb told reporters earlier.
Local newspaper Mathrubhumi reported, citing witnesses, that there were at least three explosions in the convention hall.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said police were taking the incident seriously.
“The explosions occurred seconds after the end of a prayer as part of the day’s event. The first explosion occurred in the middle of the hall. Seconds later, two more explosions simultaneously rocked both sides of the hall,” Sreekumar had earlier told mathrubhumi.com.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are an international Christian denomination founded in the United States around 1870. They are best known in many countries for their door-to-door evangelism.
The group said it had about 60,000 followers in India.
Writing by Swati Bhat; Edited by Gerry Doyle and Bernadette Baum
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