Lucknow, September 17
At least 12 persons were injured in a low-intensity explosion in the reception area of a private hospital in Agra today evening.

The blast took place in the reception area of Jai Hospital on Agra’s Sikandra Road at around 5.45 pm. Police sources said that the bomb had been placed under one of the chairs there.

The blast came less than two weeks after a powerful bomb in a briefcase ripped through the reception area of New Delhi's High Court killing 15 people and wounding dozens.

Dr Sanjiv of Jai Hospital said only three or four people suffered injuries from the bomb and the rest were hurt by splinters of glass panes shattered by the explosion. The blast was so loud that movie goers in the adjacent Bhagwan Cinema rushed out in terror.

Two unclaimed tiffin boxes and several bicycles have been found from the blast spot.

DIG Agra Aseem Arun said that prima facie it appeared to be a bomb blast and not an explosion in the generator or oxygen gas cylinder as earlier rumoured. Later, an official said improvised explosive device was used in the blast.

Immediately after the blast, an area of 700-800 metres was cordoned off and made accessible only to forensic experts, police personnel, fingerprint experts and bomb disposal squads. While ambulances shifted the injured to other Agra hospitals, the 97 indoor patients in the hospital were also hurriedly referred to other hospitals.

Describing the incident as “serious”, Special DG Brij Lal said that while the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) had been rushed to Agra, preliminary reports suggest that it may not be a terrorist blast. He said that useful information would be available after footage of the CCTV camera installed in the lobby area of the hospital was examined.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at hospitals and public places, including the railway station, bus stand and shopping malls, in the tourist city.