Bajrang Dal leaders killed while making bombs in Kanpur

Bajrang Dal Training Camp

Kanpur: A powerful explosion killed two Hindutva terrorists in a mixed colony of Kanpur. The powerful explosion destroyed the door and walls of the room where it occurred on Sunday.

Rajiv alias Piyush Mishra (25) and Bhupinder Singh (32) are among the dead, they both are reported to be Bajrang Dal core members. Bhupinder was Bajrang Dal’s city chief 10 years ago and according to Hindi daily Hindustan Piyush was present in RSS’s morning shakha the day of the blast, quoting a Sangh activist Surendra Mishra.

Police found eleven live bombs, and enough material to make nine additional bombs, seven timer devices, and batteries. Ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate was also recovered from there.

The explosion occurred at a hostel in Kalyanpur area of Kanpur, about 80 km from Lucknow. Piyush Mishra is the son of SS Mishra who own this hostel. Piyush worked in Lucknow but used to come to Kanpur every weekend.

Piyush came home with Bhupinder and asked the residents of the hostel to vacate the rooms on the pretext of checking the electric wiring. As soon as the occupants left the hostel, a massive blast took place, AK Singh told IANS.

“The recovery of timer device and prohibited explosive raw material indicates a major terror plot and police teams have begun a probe,” S.N. Singh, inspector general (Kanpur zone), told IANS on phone.

Bhupinder used to run a photo studio in the Sarvoday Nagar locality of Kanpur and his shop was close to the city’s popular J.K. temple, police said.

“Many people visit this temple on Janmashtami and as his shop was close by, we suspect the explosives were meant to spread terror during Sunday’s celebrations,” a police official said.

27 August 2008