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Detonators seized at Mughalsarai station

LUCKNOW: Large-scale recovery of detonators at Mughalsarai railway station in Chandauli district of eastern Uttar Pradesh twice within a space of three days has alerted the police authorities to the possibility of a big strike being planned by naxalites in the region.

In both the cases, the detonators were being taken to Mirzapur before they were seized by the police from persons belonging to the naxalite-affected Rohtas district in the neighbouring Bihar.

Mirzapur along with Chandauli and Sonebhadra districts bordering Jharkhand and Bihar has been the base of naxalite activities in U.P. Intelligence reports have indicated that they are spreading their base in the State.

Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order and STF) Brij Lal said here on Monday that although prima facie it appeared that the detonators were being taken for mining purposes, the naxalite angle has not been ruled out. “Investigations are underway,” Mr. Lal said.

Among the points of reference was the route map of the shipment of detonators to the State, the ADG added. He said the district police chiefs of Mirzapur and Chandauli have been alerted.

Monday’s catch at Mughalsarai railway station accounted for 2,400 detonators which were seized from Ravikant Kumar and Shrawan Kumar belonging to Rohtas district. Mr. Lal said they were intercepted by the police when they alighted from the Gaya-Mughalsarai Passenger at around 12-30 p.m. While Ravikant, who was carrying 1,400 detonators in a bag, was nabbed by the police, the other person managed to escape leaving behind a consignment of 1,000 detonators. The detonators were manufactured by AP Explosive Private Limited, Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh, and Haryana Explosive Private Limited, the U.P. Police officer said.

Interrogation revealed that the two persons were carriers who had been given the consignment by an unidentified person at Dehri in Rohtas district. Ravikant told the police that twice before in May he had delivered two separate consignments of 1,000 and 700 detonators in Mirzapur.

On the night of June 12-13, a pile of 3,100 electronic detonators was seized by the police on Platform No. 3 of Mughalsarai station. Two persons carrying the consignment managed to flee after dropping the bag. These detonators were also made in the Nalgonda explosive manufacturing factory.

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