Three explosions at a conference centre in Kalamassery, Kerala, on Sunday morning, resulted in three fatalities and fifty-two injuries, according to authorities. A 12-year-old girl, identified as Libina from Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Monday at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital, increasing the death toll to three.

Kerala health minister Veena George informed, “We have 17 persons in different hospitals, 12 of them are in ICU, 4 are critically ill, 3 of them are on ventilator. We are giving every possible support... Those who are critically ill have burns above 50-60%... Four are critically ill, rest are almost stable... All of them have burns, but no other injuries are found. They have burns. Let the police conduct the inquiry, they will answer all the questions.”

She directed all health workers, including doctors, who are on leave to return immediately. She has also informed the Director of the Health Department and the Director of the Medical Education Department to provide the best treatment for those injured in the explosion in Kalamassery.

Three consecutive explosions rocked a 2,000-person Jehovah's Witness prayer gathering in Kalamassery, Kerala's Kochi on Sunday. The blasts were initially suspected to be a terror attack but were later declared to be the alleged handiwork of a disgruntled former member.

A man, identified as Dominic Martin, surrendered before the police claiming responsibility for the serial blast. Before surrendering to the police, Martin released a video on social media, explaining why he decided to target the Christian sect.

He stated in the video that he wanted to put an end to Jehovah's Witnesses' operations and that he disagreed with their doctrines. He declared that their ideologies are "poisoning young minds" and "dangerous to the country".

The improvised explosive devices (IEDs) allegedly planted at the Zamra International Convention and Exhibition Centre by Dominic Martin, went off in the middle of prayers at 9.35 am, police said. The centre was the venue of a three-day Jehovah’s Witnesses event since Friday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has termed the multiple explosions that took place in Kochi's Kalamassery area as “unfortunate".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday directed the National Investigation Agency and National Security Guard to commence a probe into the blast.

Following the explosion, the National Security Guard (NSG) dispatched a bomb disposal unit from Delhi to Kerala in order to gather and investigate the materials used in the detonation.

Following a series of explosions, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary M V Govindan has stated that the incident has to be looked into to see whether it has anything to do with the Palestine conflict.

"Kalamassery incident should be seen as a very serious incident. In today's time when the world is expressing solidarity with Palestine, the people of Kerala are standing for the people of Palestine. Whoever takes a stand, capable of diverting attention from it will be dealt with seriously. The state government and the democratically aware people should stand together and condemn this," M V Govindan said.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan called an all-party meeting on Monday morning in the Secretariat to discuss the serial blasts.

The public information department of Jehovah's Witnesses India issued an official statement stating Jehovah's Witnesses are deeply saddened by a horrific attack on our peaceful community in Kerala, India.

Jehovah’s Witnesses of India are very grateful for the authorities who are investigating this crime and providing protection for our places of worship. At this time, it is unwise for us to speculate about the perpetrator(s) or the motive.

Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide grieve for the victims of this traumatic event and are praying for the victims’ families. During this time of tragedy, we are comforted by the Bible’s hope of a future when violence will no longer occur, the statement said.

Image source: PTI