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Published : 07 Oct 2013, 06:51 PM
The blast took place at 11am Monday inside a room on the first floor of the four-storey dormitory of Jamayetul-Ulum-Al Islamia Madrasa, which is run by Hifazat-e slam leader Mufti Izaharul Islam in the port city’s Lalkhan Bazar.
The explosion gutted everything in the room and injured five madrasa students.
Police have already detained two injured from a hospital.
Students and instructors of the madrasa claimed that a laptop or a UPS exploded to set fire to the room.
“Fire-fighters put out the flames from the blast,” Chittagong Metropolitan Poilce Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told reporters after visiting the madrasa building.
“Explosives were found under the ashes in various places.”
“We are certain that there was a large stockpile of explosives here. There were some very powerful home-made grenades. They are quite dangerous.”
The Commissioner said the numbers of explosives were not counted but police’s bomb squad was already on the job.
“This incident right before the Prime Minister’s trip to Chittagong raises heavy concerns,” he said in reply to a question.
“Two injured students of the madrasa have been arrested. There will be an operation against the others,” he said when asked if tough measures will be taken against those involved.
Hifazat-e Islam Nayeb-e-Amir Mufti Izhar’s son Mufti Harun Izhar after the morning’s incident had told bdnews24.com, “I wasn’t in the madrasa when it happened. But I have heard an UPS exploded setting fire to things in the room.”
Mufti Izhar is the president of Nezame Islam Party’s central committee.
Police, meanwhile, on Monday noon arrested two individuals injured in the blast from Halishahar General Hospital where they were getting treated.
Halishahar Police Station OC Shahjahan Kabir told bdnews24.com, “Two were getting treated at the private hospital. They were detained and sent to Chittagong Medical College and Hospital.”
One of them has been identified as ‘Salman’, 25 who hails from Sunamganj. The other wounded is around 22 years old, police said.
The OC said both of them were injured in the blast at madrasa.
They both sustained burns, said a member of the police sub-post at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital.
Police have cordoned off the dormitory of the madrasa’s Darul Ittah division and evacuated students from there. Detective police, CID, Fire Brigade and the bomb squad had been working there until afternoon.
