Two minor-intensity bomb blasts today rocked the Guwahati-Bangalore Express at Chennai Central
Railway station claiming a woman's life and leaving 13 others injured, as police detained a suspect in this
connection.
A 22-year-old woman passenger, identified as Swathi, bound for Guntur via Vijaywada, was killed in the explosions that occurred in the S4 and S5 coaches in quick succession.
The injured, including two grievously hurt, have been rushed to the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, where doctors said the injured were out of danger.
The train arrived from Bangalore for a ten-minute halt at the Railway station, at about 7.05 AM, and the explosions occurred in the coaches at about 7.15 AM.
As panic-stricken passengers rushed out of the train in platform No 9 and also others in the neighbouring platform, police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the entire area.
Police said a suspect has been detained in connection with the explosions and he was being questioned.
Tamil Nadu DGP K Ramanujam said a special investigation team would investigate the blasts and added that Chennai was not the target.
He said police had no immediate information on who was responsible for the explosion.
Southern Railway General Manager Rakesh Mishra described it as a minor blast.
Railway Minister M Mallikarjun Kharge, expressing shock over the incident, announced one lakh rupees ex-gratia to the family of the woman killed in the explosion.
He said 25,000 rupees will be given to those seriously injured and 5,000 rupees to those with minor injuries.
Kharge said the Railway will bear the entire treatment expenses of the injured.
Commissioner Railway Safety (southern circle)will conduct an inquriy into the incident, a Railway
Spokesperson said.
The incident comes in the wake of the arrest of Mohammed Zakir Hussain a Srilankan who was arrested by the Tamilnadu Police yesterday. He was suspected to have links with the ISI and had allegedly conducted a reconnaisance mission as part of a conspiracy to attack foreign missions in South India.
