High explosive caused blast at eatery in Shimla: NBDC

Shimla, November 9

The report of the National Bomb Data Centre has said the July 18 blast at an eatery in Shimla’s Mall Road in which two people died and over 10 were injured was caused due to a high explosive and not a gas leak.

The report of the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC), under the National Security Guard, differs from that of the State Forensic Science Laboratory, Junga, and the police investigation according to which a gas leak had caused the blast.

The blast occurred at the Himachali Rasoi restaurant in Middle Bazaar adjacent to the fire brigade office in the heart of the city.

An NBDC team visited the blast site on July 23 for investigation. “The two (preliminary and confirmatory) reports of the NBDC pointed out that it was a high explosive and not a gas leak that led to the blast,” Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu said.

Investigation in the case has been handed over to the CID, which has been instructed to take help of central agencies to unravel the truth, he added.

Keeping in view the sensitivity of the case and to ensure thorough investigation, the Himachal Pradesh Police had requested the additional secretary of the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation Division, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, to depute the National Security Guard’s Post Blast Investigation team to visit the spot,he added.

The police had earlier said detailed examination of evidence collected at the blast site and adjacent places by experts of the State Forensic Science Laboratory, Junga, concluded that an LPG leak led to the explosion.

As per report, neither any fragments of exploding devices like detonator or timer devices were found at the blast site nor any evidence of high temperature as generally found in the blast, triggered with the help of detonator or explosive materials surfaced.