Bihar: 1 killed, minor injured in blast; police probe illegal firecracker factory

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a madarsa in Bihar’s Saran district late on Wednesday, killing an imam (Muslim religious preacher) and injuring a 15-year-old student, the police said on Thursday.

According to Saran superintendent of police Gaurav Mangla, the incident took place in Motirajpur locality under Garkha police station area. The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Imamuddin, a resident of Olhanpur village, while the injured was a resident of Muzaffarpur. The Imam died during treatment.

“According to the statement given by the boy, he found an item that looked like a ball near the madarsa and handed it over to the Imam when it went off,” the SP told HT, adding that a preliminary probe suggested the presence of gunpowder or explosives at the site of the incident.

Olhanpur is notorious for making illegal firecrackers. The explosion was so powerful that people staying 1km away could also hear the sound, said Mohammad Iqbal, who lives near Garkha police station.

Locals told the police that the Imam was involved in manufacturing firecrackers inside the madarsa.

Mangla said a team of forensic experts and a dog squad are examining the site to ascertain the exact cause of the blast, and an SIT has been constituted to probe all angles.

The police have registered an FIR under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) of the IPC, along with Section 5 of Explosive Substances Act, against unknown persons.