30 March,2025 11:05 PM IST | Beed (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondent
People gather after gelatin sticks trigger blasts at a mosque in Beed. Pic/PTI
The police on Sunday said that two people were held in connection with the Beed mosque blast case and the accused had shot a reel with the explosives, reported the PTI.
Gelatin sticks kept allegedly by a man at a mosque had triggered a blast in Maharashtra's Beed district early on Sunday, the police said.
The police have arrested two persons in connection with the explosion that occurred around 2.30 am at the mosque in Ardha Masla village in Georai tehsil, an official said, as per the PTI.
According to the police, one of the arrested accused had earlier shot a reel with the explosives and a cigarette in his hand before placing them inside the mosque, according to the PTI.
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While no one was injured in the blast, the internal portion of the structure was damaged, he said.
The police have arrested Vijay Rama Gavhane (22) and Sriram Ashok Sagde (24), both residents of Ardha Masla village, an official said, the PTI reported.
"Gavhane is involved in digging wells. He shot a reel earlier while smoking a cigarette and playing with a bundle of gelatin sticks. He might have obtained the sticks from a licensed seller," he said, the news agency reported on Sunday.
In rural Maharashtra, gelatin sticks are used to carry out blasts in wells, quarries and mines.
The local crime branch is probing into the incident, it was stated.
The incident led to tension in the village.
An official said heavy security was deployed in the village to prevent law and order issues.
The accused entered the mosque from the back and allegedly kept some gelatin sticks there, which triggered a blast, as per officials.
The village head alerted the Talawada police around 4 am.
The internal portion of the mosque was damaged in the blast, an official said.
Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat and other senior officials had rushed to the spot following the incident.
A bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS), along with a forensic science team, also reached the spot, the official said.
Kanwat said that the Beed Police have apprehended two persons in connection with the blast, and a case has been registered against them.
He also appealed to people not to spread rumours and help the police maintain law and order.
According to locals, there was a scuffle between two groups on Saturday night during a 'Sandal' procession at the village.
The village has a tradition of celebrating festivals together, they said.
During the Gudi Padwa festival, Hindus visit Hazrat Sayyad Badshah Dargah near the mosque, a villager said.
As the joint celebration for Gudi Padwa and Ramzan Eid was scheduled on Sunday morning, the accused persons tried to blow up the mosque using gelatin sticks, he said, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
