Seven injured in cylinder blasts in Meghalaya
July 20th, 2011 - 10:12 pm ICT by IANSShillong, July 20 (IANS) Seven people were injured, two of them critically, in twin LPG cylinder blasts Wednesday at two cafes here in Meghalaya, police said.
The first blast occurred inside Banana Leaf Cafe kitchen around 2.15 p.m. and 15 minutes later another cylinder exploded inside a kitchen at Madras Cafe in Police Bazaar.
Police ruled out the possibility of involvement of any rebel group in the explosions.
“We have completely ruled out the possibility of a bomb blast or the involvement of GNLA (Garo National Liberation Army) in it, but we are not ruling out the possibility of foul play,” said A.R. Mawthoh, district police chief of East Khasi Hills.
Preliminary investigations indicate the cylinders exploded due to gas leakage, he said.
A mangled gas cylinder from Madras Cafe has been seized, while police are searching for the gas cylinder that exploded at Banana Leaf.
Meanwhile, a team of Forensic Scientific Laboratory (FSL) officials has examined the explosion sites and police have questioned Raja Ratnam, the owner of the two cafes.
The injured, all staffers, have been admitted to hospitals.
Incidentally, the two explosions occurred after the military-wing chief of GNLA, Sohan D. Shira, threatened to trigger serial blasts across Meghalaya.
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Tags: banana leaf, bazaar, bomb blast, cafes, district police, east khasi hills, explosions, foul play, garo, gas cylinder, gas leakage, lpg cylinder, national liberation army, police chief, rebel group, serial blasts, shillong, shira, sohan, staffers