KOCHI: The police on Tuesday filed a chargesheet at Ernakulam District Principal Sessions Court in the Kalamassery blast incident which claimed the lives of eight people and injured several others during the convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses on October 29, 2023. The police finding is that Palarivattom native Dominic Martin planned and executed the blast alone because of his strong resentment towards the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church.
There are 284 witnesses in the case. Over 150 material objects and documents were submitted before the court, along with the chargesheet of over 3,500 pages.
“We had investigated whether Martin received any support from others. However, no such evidence was found. It was revealed that Martin maintained a strong resentment towards the Jehovah’s Witnesses faction. He procured explosives, made the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and carried out the blast,” said K S Sudarshan, deputy commissioner, Kochi City police, who investigated the case.
The police have charged sections of the IPC, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act against Martin. Earlier, the home department had given its nod to prosecute Martin under the UAPA.
“Though the chargesheet has been filed, further investigation will continue. Now, the court will conduct the trial based on the chargesheet,” Sudarshan said.
The police checked Martin’s mobile phone which revealed that he had garnered information about the making of IEDs from the internet. Later, he procured gunpowder from high-intensity crackers. He had made two IEDs and planted them in handbags and placed them at the convention centre. Martin used fuses and remote controls to trigger the blast. The police also checked his connections abroad while working in the Gulf countries.
Martin had surrendered to police after posting a video on his social media account claiming responsibility for the bomb attack. He claimed that the Christian group repeatedly ignored his requests to go for ‘course correction.’
Martin is currently in jail and he has not approached the court seeking bail until now.
Case details
Eight people died and several others were injured in the blast which took place during the onvention of Jehovah’s Witnesses on October 29, 2023.
Over 150 material objects and documents were submitted before the court, along with the chargesheet of over 3,500 pages
There are 284 witnesses in case