NEW DELHI: 18 Persons were injured when a minor intensity bomb exploded at Odeon Cinema Hall in Connaught Place on Jan. 30.
The bomb was placed below a seat in the fourth row of the rear stall of the hall. It exploded at about 6:10pm just when the matinee show was about to be over
People engrossed in watching the climax part of the movie suddenly received the shock of their lives as thunderous sound of the blast rocked the cinema hall. The panic stricken crowd rushed towards the exit door.
In the general stampede the glass door was broken and people raced out through the broken splinters. The fear of another blast forced even the badly injured to get out of the theater. Following the herd they too tried to run leaving bloodied foot-prints on the floor
It was a horrifying experience said Naval Gupta who was slightly injured in the stampede that followed the blast I jumped out of my seat and rushed towards the exit trading many feet on the way. The loud background music of the movie combined with the blast is still resounding in my cars i will never be able to watch a movie in a theater again
According to the police it was a minor intensity crude-type of bomb All the injured have been hit on the lower portion of their bodies mostly legs and feet said Dharmendra Kumar DCP New Delhi District.
He said we have found a few splinters that have penetrated the seat of the chair. But the fact that the person sitting on the chair was not hit anywhere except his legs and feet indicates that the bomb was probably country made.’
The police have no clue yet as to the suspect in the planting of the bomb. It was planted basically to generate fear and panic than killing people Only four persons were injured in the blast said Dharmendra Kumar rest were either oden in the stampede or got hunt when the exit door was broken and they tried to walk on the broken glass splinters.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 4, 1994
