M A I N   N E W S

Bomb found on parade route

NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (PTI) — The police today detected and defused a bomb near the route of the Republic Day Parade on Rajpath here just before the start of its final rehearsal, averting a major tragedy.

An improvised explosive device (IED), concealed in a plastic jar and timed to go off within two hours, was recovered from near a wooden pole along the barricades near the India Gate at around 8.30 am, half-an-hour before the start of the rehearsal, a top police official said.

The jar contained a hand-grenade which was connected with an extra detonator along with a timer, Joint Commissioner of Police R.K.Niyogi said.

Two constables on anti-sabotage check duty saw loose earth and a light flashing. On suspicion they dug up the place and cordoned off the area. The Bomb Disposal Squad was immediately summoned which defused the bomb, he said.

A case under the Indian Explosive Substances Act has been registered and a massive man-hunt launched to apprehend the culprits responsible for the incident, he said.