Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday, October 26, recommended that the investigation into the cylinder blast in Coimbatore be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A statement issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said that the state government has ordered greater security to maintain law and order in Coimbatore. On Sunday, October 23, a man named Jamesha Mubin died after a gas cylinder in the car he was travelling in exploded, near a temple in Coimbatore’s Ukkadam.
According to the statement, a meeting was held at the Chief Secretariat on Wednesday to discuss the cylinder blast and further action to be taken. The statement said, “The Chief Minister ordered police officials to tighten security in Coimbatore to maintain law and order and asked for updates on the investigation of the case.” The statement also said that the scope of the investigation of such cases can extend beyond the state’s jurisdictions and might involve international organisations. In light of such developments, the meeting decided to hand over the case to the NIA for further investigations.
Apart from increasing security in Coimbatore, it was also decided that new police stations would be opened in three areas in the city, namely Karumbu Kadai, Sundarapuram, and Kavundampalayam. A special team will also be formed by the Tamil Nadu police to prevent such incidents in the future. The statement also mentioned that surveillance will be increased in major cities like Coimbatore and in highly populated areas by installing CCTV cameras. The meeting decided to appoint more officers in the intelligence department. Apart from these measures, it was decided in the meeting to provide protection to people who give tip-offs on people indulging in anti-social activities.
The Maruti 800 which Mubin was driving, which contained LPG cylinders, exploded near the Kottai Eswaran temple in the communally sensitive Ukkadam at 4 am on Sunday. The following day, five people — Mohammad Thalka (25), Mohammad Asarudheen (25), Mohammad Riyaz (27), Feroz Ismail (27) and Mohammad Navaz Ismail (27) — were arrested. They have been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, also known as UAPA. Mubin, a 25-year-old engineering graduate, was also booked in the case. Soon after his death, police found over 75 kg of explosive materials including potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, charcoal and sulphur, which are used commonly used to make country bombs. The five accused were arrested based on CCTV footage of them carrying a gunny bag from Mubin’s house on Saturday night. With Ukkadam being a communally sensitive area in Coimbatore, top police officials including DGP Sylendra Babu, Additional DGP (Law and Order) Thamarai Kannan and forensic officials rushed to the location. Six special teams were formed to investigate the case, with each team investigating a specific aspect of the incident.