New Delhi:

Two low intensity blasts in two months in Delhi’s Prashant Vihar – one on October 20 at a CRPF, or Central Reserve Police Force, school and another Thursday morning near a movie theatre – have set alarm bells ringing.

No casualties or injuries were reported from the former incident, but the blast today injured the driver of a parked three-wheeler. In both cases an unidentified, as yet, white powder was recovered.

Police sources said it is too early to link the blasts but have acknowledged a similarity.

What We Know About Blast Near PVR

According to Delhi Police spokesperson SK Tyagi, an emergency call was made at 11.47 am informing the cops of a loud noise near a mithai store. Police teams were rushed to the spot, as were four teams of firefighters and bomb disposal officers with sniffer dogs.

CCTV footage of the moment of the blast; a grey Honda City is parked by the side of the street and a white two-wheeler is driving past when the blast is heard (the blast itself was off camera) and it triggers the anti-theft alarms of other cars parked nearby.

READ | Explosion Heard In Northwest Delhi, Police Rushes To Spot

Another video showed a large cloud of white smoke billowing across the area and covering the open market area – a Domino’s Pizza sign can be seen in the background – in dust.

“The investigation is ongoing. There are no suspects for now,” Mr Tyagi told reporters.

What We Know About Blast Near CRPF School

The October 20 blast took place nearly four hours earlier – at 7.50 am.

October 20 was a Sunday.

In that case too there was CCTV footage, and it showed the moment the explosion tore through the boundary wall of the school. Nearby shops and a car were damaged.

READ | On CCTV, Moment Huge Explosion Ripped Through Wall Of Delhi School

As this morning, a forensics team and a bomb disposal squad were deployed.

In addition, a team of NSG, or National Security Guard, commandos were also called; they deployed drones to scan the area for more explosives.

And, apart from finding the same white powder found today in the PVR blast, the cops also collected data to identify mobile phones in the area when the explosion took place.

Political Fallout

Hours after the blast Thursday morning (the second one), Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led centre of failing to maintain law-and-order in the city.

“This is a breakdown of law-and-order in the national capital,” she declared, pinning the blame on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to whose office Delhi Police reports.

Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi’s predecessor and the National Convener of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, criticised the BJP for a “growing sense of fear and insecurity” among Delhi’s residents.

READ | Atishi Blames BJP For Law & Order Failure After Delhi Blast

The twin attacks come as the AAP and the BJP prep for the Delhi election next year, with law-and-order in the national capital among many topics on which the two will clash.

The Chief Minister had also hit out at the BJP after the first blast; in a post on X, she said the blast had exposed Delhi’s “crumbling” law-and-order system. “But the BJP ignores this… this is why Delhi is now like Mumbai during ‘underworld era’…bullets are being fired in the open,” she declared.

READ | Atishi’s “Underworld” Jab Over Delhi Blast, BJP’s “Puppet” Reply

Responding to the charge, the BJP’s Shazia Ilmi told NDTV, “The puppet Chief Minister is known for this…. if you make her speak on any topic it is always about the centre. Something very serious has happened (but) instead of expressing anxiety a political blame game has begun. It is immature…”

CRPF Schools Get Bomb Threats

A day after the October 20 blast, CRPF schools across the country received an email warning of more explosions. Delhi has two such schools; the second is in Dwarka.

READ | After Blast In Delhi, All CRPF Schools Receive Hoax Bomb Threats

Fortunately, the email was found to be a hoax, although it came at a time when hundreds of similar threats were made to passenger flights, domestic and international.

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