In a shocking development, at least 1 died and over 20 were injured in a blast at a convention centre in Kalamassery on Sunday morning. The Kalamassery blast took place just a day after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal virtually participated in a pro-Palestine rally in Kerala. The Police official reportedly stated that Kalamassery's cause of the blast was unknown. The blast reportedly occurred at a convention centre of a Christian group. Meanwhile, a 4-member NIA team rushed to the spot for investigate the matter along with the local police.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan was quoted saying, "It's a very unfortunate incident. We are collecting details regarding the incident. All top officials are there in Ernakulam. DGP is moving to the spot. We are taking it very seriously. I have spoken to DGP. We need to get more details after the investigation."
Furthermore, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and took stock of the situation in the state after a bomb explosion took place at a convention center. He also instructed the NIA and the NSG to reach on the spot and start an inquiry into the incident.
A person present at the centre was quoted saying that there were over 2,000 people inside the hall when the incident occurred.
On Friday, a leader of the Hamas militant group, Khaled Mashal, virtually participated in a pro-Palestine rally held in Malappuram district of Kerala. The Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM)— the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Kerala) — organised a rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine. However, a video showing Hamas leader Khaled Mashal addressing the event via videoconferencing has now stirred a row. The video also shows posters carrying the tagline 'Uproot bulldozer Hindutva and apartheid Zionism'.
Watch Kalamassery blast video