What led to Kerala serial blasts, and who is Dominic Martin?

On Sunday (October 29), three serial blasts rocked a Christian prayer meeting in Kerala's Kalamassery, claiming three lives and injuring nearly 50 people.

The incident occurred at 9:30 am, just ten minutes after the prayer session commenced at the Zaman International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Kalamassery.

The blasts targeted a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination with a significant following in Kerala.

Kerala Blasts: 3 dead, 12 injured admitted to ICU #ITVideo #Kerala #ErnakulamBlasts | @snehamordani pic.twitter.com/5aT3KqR4F5

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 30, 2023

What

• Kerala's Director General of Police (DGP), Shaik Darvesh Saheb, confirmed that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were used in the blasts.
• In response to the incident, the Kerala State Police are on high alert. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called for an all-party meeting at the Secretariat.
• The CM expressed deep concern about the unfortunate incident and underlined the seriousness with which the police are treating it.“Senior officials including the State DGP, have moved to Kochi,” Indian Express quoted CM Pinarayi Vijayan as saying.

  #WATCH | Kalamassery blast: An all-party meeting chaired by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is underway at the Chief Minister's Conference Hall in the Secretariat, in Thiruvananthapuram.
  
  Three people died in an explosion that took place yesterday at Zamra International Convention &… pic.twitter.com/XONIPM8aOe

  — ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2023

• According to, The News Minute, around 2,500 followers had gathered at the prayer hall, and the blast occurred within the first ten minutes.
• The three-day convention had commenced on Friday, October 27, and was scheduled to conclude on Sunday, October 30.

Who is Dominic Martin?

• The police have not yet revealed a specific cause for the blasts, and the investigation is ongoing.
• However, a man named Dominic Martin posted a video on Facebook in which he claimed responsibility for the attack. In the six-minute video, Martin admitted to conducting the blast, stating, "I take complete responsibility for that. It was me who conducted the blast there."
• The video was deleted, and Martin later surrendered himself at the Kodakara police station in Thrissur.
• In the video, Martin expressed his disagreement with the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses and his desire to halt their activities, believing their ideas to be "dangerous to the country" and "poisoning young minds."
  Kerala ADGP Ajith Kumar confirmed that the man is from Kerala.
• The police have not yet officially endorsed Martin's claims, and the investigation is ongoing.

Union Home Ministry's response

• Following an order from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Security Guard (NSG) were dispatched to Kerala to assist local law enforcement with the investigation.
• An NSG team, along with two officials from Delhi, was sent to Kerala to assess the situation.
• In the wake of the blasts, security has also been heightened in Delhi and Mumbai.