GATHERING CLUES: Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty taking a look at the scene of the blast inside Odeon theatre on Sunday. - Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

HYDERABAD: Two persons, including a girl, were injured in a grenade explosion in Odeon theatre at RTC crossroads here on Sunday night.

The explosion took place minutes before the interval during the screening of Venkatesh starrer `Lakshmi' in the balcony aisle. Eyewitness accounts suggested that a spark preceded the shattering explosion in the second row from the balcony wall at around 9.55 p.m.

M. Radhika, 17, a resident of Saifabad who went to the movie along with her sisters, bore the brunt of the explosion. She sustained injuries on the leg. Ramesh, 25, a resident of Chikkadpally who was seated in the row before her, suffered injuries in the face. Both were rushed to Gandhi Hospital.

Crater forms

The police who rushed to the theatre and inspected the site, located a grenade lever which they described as HE-36, a foreign make. City Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty and other senior officials also visited the scene and took a look at the small crater that was caused by the explosion.

In the pandemonium that prevailed following the explosion, viewers made a dash for exit points and some desperate to get out damaged glasspanes. Angry patrons questioned the management on lack of security at the theatre and ransacked the manager's room. One of them was caught and handed over to the police.

However, the incident did not obstruct the screening of films in the two other theatres that are located in the same complex.

Eyewitness account

The Odeon theatre balcony has 400 seats of which 180 were occupied for the second show, according to theatre manager B. Appi Reddy. An eyewitness, Sandeep of Chikkadpally, said there was utter chaos after the blast and he noticed the injured girl in the aisle.

"She was unable to walk. We brought her down from the balcony and got her shifted to the hospital in an autorickshaw," he said. Secunderabad MP Anjan Kumar Yadav visited the injured persons at the hospital.

Mr. Mohanty later told the media said his men had found remnants of a grenade adding, " we are still scanning inside.''

He said it was too early to comment on who could be behind the act.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail