The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu has decided to temporarily postpone the state-wide bandh that was planned on October 31, Coimbatore district president Balaji Uthamaramasamy announced in a press release. “The party decided to observe a day-long bandh on October 31 to condemn the car blast that occurred in Coimbatore on October 23,” he said in the statement. However, while several BJP leaders in the state had called for a bandh in the wake of the blast, state party president K Annamalai told the Madras High Court on Friday, October 28, that no such call was officially given by the BJP.
According to Balaji, traders and industrialists in Coimbatore contacted Annamalai to rethink the bandh, citing the economical situation. "Annamalai consulted the same with National Executive Committee Member CP Radhakrishnan, Vanathi Srinivasan, Coimbatore south MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) and party treasurer SR Sekhar and advised the party to not create inconvenience to the people of Coimbatore," the statement read. Leaders of the party including Vanathi Srinivasan and CP Radhakrishnan had called for a bandh alleging the ruling DMK’s “lackadaisical” attitude regarding the blast, however, Annamalai later said that no such announcement for a bandh was officially made. However, in the statement, Balaji mentioned that Annamalai spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to explain the situation and also demanded the NIA investigation into the issue.
The Coimbatore car blast case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin made a recommendation to the Union government. To strengthen security, the state government ordered three new police stations to be set up in Karumbukadai, Sundarapuram, and Goundanpalayam in Coimbatore. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed the NIA to initiate the probe on October 27. Tamil Nadu Police have so far arrested six people in connection with the incident.
On October 23, a car exploded near the Kottai Easwaran temple in the Ukkadam area of Coimbatore, in which one Jamesha Muubin was killed. He had been under the NIA radar for a while in 2019. Tamil Nadu police have arrested six persons in connection with the incident, and the UAPA has been invoked in the case. All six accused have been remanded to judicial custody. 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 fifth Judicial Magistrate court in Coimbatore remanded Mohammed Thalha (25), Mohammed Azarudeen (23), Mohammed Riyaz (27), Firoz Ismail (27), Mohammed Navaw Ismail (27) in judicial custody on October 28. They were produced before the court after three days of police custody. Afsar Khan (28) the seventh accused in the case, was remanded in judicial custody on the evening of October 27.
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