BHOPAL: Cops in tribal-dominated Alirajpur district are on alert following the recovery of a suspected explosive device from an auto rickshaw in Gola-Pallavi Village during the ongoing Bhagoriya Haat tribal festival.
The auto-rickshaw driver spotted the bag left behind by passengers returning from the fair at Bakhatgarh. He first enquired from the passengers about the bag, but after none of them claimed it, the auto-rickshaw driver opened it on returning to Gola-Pallavi village.
He found something resembling an explosive device inside the bag and reported the matter to the police immediately.
“The cops found a detonator connected to 50 grams of explosive material inside the bag. The two policemen took the bag to an open are and it was later defused by a bomb disposal team rushed from Indore,” said Superintendent of Police Vipul Srivastava on Wednesday.
“We’re probing the case from all angles including personal enmity with the auto driver and the possibility of someone trying to cause a disturbance at the Bhagoriya fair. A case has been lodged against unidentified persons and we’ve gathered enough evidence to help us crack the case shortly,” said the superintendent of police.
The development assumes significance as it happened at the peak of Bhagoriya tribal festival which predates Holi and is visited by hundreds of people in tribal districts, including Jhabua, Dhar and Alirajpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The Bhagoriya Fair of Bakhatgarh which came to an end on Wednesday is one of the most crowded Bhagoriya fairs in Alirajpur district.