A powerful blast ripped through BJP leader Jagdish Gautam’s vacant plot in Chitrakoot, where severed human legs were later found. Police suspect explosives were being mishandled, even as locals fear a larger conspiracy.
A major explosion at an empty plot owned by a BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district has triggered panic in the area after police found the severed legs of an unidentified person near the blast site.
The explosion took place near Ashoh village under the Pahari police station area, along the main road connecting Karwi and Pahari. The blast was so powerful that it left a crater several feet deep inside the plot owned by BJP leader Jagdish Gautam.
Police were informed about the incident on Monday night, two days after the explosion reportedly took place. When a search operation was conducted on Tuesday, officers found a large crater inside the boundary wall and a severed human leg in the grass some distance away.
Another leg was later found outside the boundary wall. However, the rest of the person’s body could not be located, prompting police to treat the incident as a major explosion and launch a detailed investigation.
Chitrakoot Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh inspected the spot along with a dog squad, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Pahari police personnel. He directed the teams to establish what caused the explosion and identify the deceased person.
According to Singh, BJP leader Jagdish Gautam informed police on Monday night that the person guarding his plot had initially said lightning had struck the premises a day earlier. The guard later reported that an explosion had occurred and that a human leg was lying inside the plot.
Police reached the spot that night but could not find anything because of darkness. During a fresh search on Tuesday, they found the large crater, a severed leg and a piece of torn clothing. Some bricks from the upper layer of the boundary wall had also been dislodged and were covered with soil.
Leaves from a tree near the crater had been completely blown off, indicating the intensity of the blast.
The SP said the circumstances at the scene prima facie suggested that the explosion may have occurred while an unidentified person was handling explosives and that the device may have detonated accidentally, killing the person handling it.
“No person from any village has so far been reported missing,” Singh said, adding that police were trying to establish the identity of the deceased and determine exactly what happened.