A series of explosions at a Jehovah’s Witnesses meeting in Kerala’s town of Kalamassery resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including a 12-year-old girl. The event, held near the port city of Kochi, also left over 50 attendees injured.
The incident occurred during a prayer session organized by Jehovah’s Witnesses, with more than 2,000 attendees present for the three-day gathering. Initial investigations suggest that the explosions were caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) placed inside a tiffin box.
Shortly after the tragic event, a 48-year-old man named Dominic Martin publicly confessed to orchestrating the attack through a Facebook video, which has since been removed. Martin subsequently turned himself in to the police. He alleged dissatisfaction with the religious group’s “anti-national” teachings as his motive, although he claims to be a registered member of the movement. However, TA Sreekumar, a regional spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, refuted this claim, stating they had no knowledge of Martin attending the event.
Recalling the harrowing moments, Sreekumar said, “The explosions occurred seconds after the end of a prayer as part of the day’s event. The first blast took place in the middle of the hall. Seconds later, two more explosions rocked simultaneously on either side of the hall.”
Kerala’s Health Minister, Veena George, reported that post-blast, 17 individuals were admitted to various hospitals, with 12 currently in intensive care. She detailed, “Four are critically ill, three of them are on ventilators. Those who are critically ill have burns above 50-60%.”
In response to the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has instituted a 20-member team, spearheaded by the additional director general of police, to conduct a thorough investigation.
In light of the explosions, security measures have been enhanced in major Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses movement, with an estimated 60,000 followers in India, is recognized for its belief that traditional Christian churches have deviated from genuine Bible teachings and that world destruction is impending. They are prominently known in Kerala for their door-to-door evangelism. Notably, in 1986, the movement made headlines when the Supreme Court of India ruled in their favor, allowing their children to abstain from singing the national anthem in schools, deeming it as “idolatry” and against their religious beliefs.
