Dominic Martin, the man who claimed responsibility for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kerala-serial-blasts-delhi-mumbai-up-on-alert-centre-sends-nsg-team-to-kerala-652672">deadly blasts</a> in the Indian state of Kerala at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention in Kochi was arrested earlier on Monday (Oct 30). This comes a day after the 57-year-old former English teacher said that he was behind the blast that killed three people and injured dozens of others.&nbsp;

The Kerala Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) formally arrested Martin under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as well as the Explosives Substances Act and charges of murder.&nbsp;

Kochi Police Commissioner A Akbar, as per reports, said that the 57-year-old was arrested after a detailed questioning and that the investigation team has reasonable doubts to believe that he is the one who committed the crime.&nbsp;

<h2>What are the charges against the accused?</h2>

According to Kerala’s Director General of Police, the blasts took place due to an improvised explosive device (IED). Hours after the incident, Martin, who had surrendered, released a video of himself on Facebook in which he can be heard spewing hatred against a community.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kerala-serial-blasts-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-threatens-legal-action-against-bjp-minister-over-posts-on-tragedy-652812">Kerala serial blasts: CM Pinarayi Vijayan threatens legal action against union BJP minister over posts</a>

He also claimed that the community teaches “anti-national ideas to children,” and that it spreads “hatred” while citing unverified claims related to the preaching conventions of the community. The blasts occurred during the convention of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/explained-who-are-jehovahs-witnesses-the-christian-community-targeted-in-kerala-serial-blasts-652790">Jehovah’s Witnesses</a>, a Christian religious group that originated in the United States in the 19th century.&nbsp;

The Kochi police commissioner said Martin has been charged with Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Section 16 of UAPA.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Detailed questioning’</h2>

The 57-year-old’s arrest came after hours of questioning by the state police and other law enforcement agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA).&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-kochi-man-claims-responsibility-for-ied-blast-at-religious-gathering-terror-angle-being-probed-652715">India: Kochi man claims responsibility for IED blast at religious gathering; terror angle being probed</a>

The police also said that the initial probe indicates that Martin acted alone to gather the materials, build the IED bomb, planting and detonating them when the group had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting.&nbsp; 
 
“The accused was questioned in detail. Apart from that, other evidence was also collected by the investigation team. Based on that, the team has reasonable grounds to believe that the person has committed the crime,” a SIT official&nbsp;told reporters.&nbsp;

He added, "Whether there was any assistance rendered by anybody or if there were any other person involved, all these will be subjected to a detailed investigation."&nbsp;

The suspect is expected to be presented before a court on Tuesday (Oct 31) while the investigation team may collect more evidence, including if there was another person involved in the blasts and probe if there are other reasons for Martin’s anger towards the Jehovah’s Witnesses community.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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Dominic Martin, the man who claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts in the Indian state of Kerala at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention in Kochi was arrested earlier on Monday (Oct 30).

Dominic Martin, the man who claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts in the Indian state of Kerala at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention in Kochi was arrested earlier on Monday (Oct 30). This comes a day after the 57-year-old former English teacher said that he was behind the blast that killed three people and injured dozens of others. The Kerala Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) formally arrested Martin under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as well as the Explosives Substances Act and charges of murder. Kochi Police Commissioner A Akbar, as per reports, said that the 57-year-old was arrested after a detailed questioning and that the investigation team has reasonable doubts to believe that he is the one who committed the crime. What are the charges against the accused? According to Kerala’s Director General of Police, the blasts took place due to an improvised explosive device (IED). Hours after the incident, Martin, who had surrendered, released a video of himself on Facebook in which he can be heard spewing hatred against a community. ALSO READ | Kerala serial blasts: CM Pinarayi Vijayan threatens legal action against union BJP minister over posts He also claimed that the community teaches “anti-national ideas to children,” and that it spreads “hatred” while citing unverified claims related to the preaching conventions of the community. The blasts occurred during the convention of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian religious group that originated in the United States in the 19th century. The Kochi police commissioner said Martin has been charged with Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Section 16 of UAPA. ‘Detailed questioning’ The 57-year-old’s arrest came after hours of questioning by the state police and other law enforcement agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA). ALSO READ | India: Kochi man claims responsibility for IED blast at religious gathering; terror angle being probed The police also said that the initial probe indicates that Martin acted alone to gather the materials, build the IED bomb, planting and detonating them when the group had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting. “The accused was questioned in detail. Apart from that, other evidence was also collected by the investigation team. Based on that, the team has reasonable grounds to believe that the person has committed the crime,” a SIT official told reporters. He added, "Whether there was any assistance rendered by anybody or if there were any other person involved, all these will be subjected to a detailed investigation." The suspect is expected to be presented before a court on Tuesday (Oct 31) while the investigation team may collect more evidence, including if there was another person involved in the blasts and probe if there are other reasons for Martin’s anger towards the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India: Man who claimed responsibility for Kerala blasts arrested by police, UAPA invoked

On Sunday (Oct 29), the Indian state of Kerala was rocked by serial blasts at a meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Ernakulam. Two women were killed and more than 50 were injured in the attack.

On Sunday (Oct 29), the Indian state of Kerala was rocked by serial blasts at a meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Ernakulam. Two women were killed and more than 50 were injured in the attack. The man, identified as Dominic Martin, was behind the attack and he was a former member of the community. Martin surrendered at a police station in Thrissur, around 40 kilometres from the site of the blasts. This explosion in Kerala caused India's national capital New Delhi, and the country's financial capital Mumbai, among others to be on alert. The explosion has raised safety concerns about members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in India. The group has about 60,000 followers in India. Who are Jehovah's Witnesses? Jehovah's Witnesses are an international Christian denomination founded in the United States around 1870. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the community is known in many countries for door-to-door evangelism. It accepts some ideas of Christianity and believes that the world will end very soon. The community believes in Jesus Christ but does not believe that he is the Almighty God. Jw.org, a website that provides all details about the community, says that the community offers prayers in Jesus' name, adding, "We believe that Jesus is the Head, or the one appointed to have authority, over every man." Also read: Kochi man claims responsibility for IED blast at religious gathering; terror angle being probed However, the website adds that it is different from other religious groups that are called Christian. "For example, we believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a Trinity. We do not believe that the soul is immortal, that there is any basis in Scripture for saying that God tortures people in an everlasting hell, or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others," the website further says. The community's presence in India According to jw.org, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been present in India since 1905. The community established an office in Mumbai (then called Bombay) in 1926 and obtained legal registration in 1978. The community benefits from the guarantees of the Indian constitution, which include the right to practice, profess, and propagate one’s faith. "Jehovah’s Witnesses generally worship without hindrance in India. However, in some states, they have been victims of mob attacks and other acts of religious intolerance," the website adds. A landmark case involving the community was Bijoe Emmanuel vs State of Kerala. The case was about three children from the community- Bijoe, Binu Mol and Bindu Emmanuel, who were expelled from school in 1985 after they refused to sing India's national anthem. As per court documents, when the anthem was played during the morning assembly, the children stood respectfully but did not sing since it was against their religious faith as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Upon expulsion, their father filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court, contending that the expulsion of his children was an infringement of their fundamental rights to freedom of expression under Article 19 and freedom of religion under Article 25. The court dismissed the case, finding that “no words or thoughts” in the national anthem were capable of offending religious convictions. The father later filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. The apex court discussed the applicability of Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act of 1971, under which: “Whoever, intentionally prevents the singing of the National Anthem or causes disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished." However, the court held that standing up silently “clearly does not either prevent the singing of the National Anthem or cause disturbance to an assembly engaged in such singing.” It ruled that the expulsion from school violated the children’s rights to freedom of expression and religion. It accordingly set aside the High Court’s judgment and ordered the then Kerala government to readmit the children to school Jehovah’s Witnesses in India continue to meet with government officials and apply to the courts to protect their right to practice their religion freely. The serial blasts that shook the community The serial blasts at the three-day-long Jehovah's Witnesses convention in Kalamassery killed two women and injured more than 50 others. Addressing a press conference, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 17 people were in intensive care with five in critical condition. Earlier, state Health Minister Veena George told the news agency Reuters that a 12-year-old girl with 95% burns was also in a critical state. Dominic Martin posted a video on Facebook claiming responsibility for the attack. "I am taking full responsibility for this. I carried out the bomb explosion. I am making this video to make it clear why I did this," Martin said in the video which was on Facebook for four hours before it disappeared. He shortly surrendered at the police station in Thrissur. Speaking to Reuters, police public relations officer Pramod Kumar said, "Dominic is still being questioned in Kochi. He is in our custody but we have not recorded his arrest so far." "We are still trying to ascertain the veracity of his statement, it will take some time. We are not in a position to confirm his involvement in the case right now, investigation is ongoing," Kumar added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Explained: Who are Jehovah's Witnesses, the community targeted in Kerala serial blasts?

At least three killed and several were injured in a series of explosions at a convention centre in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday where a Christian group was holding a prayer meeting. Now New Delhi and Mumbai are put on high alert.

Kerala blasts: CM Pinarayi Vijayan orders investigation; alert sounded in New Delhi, many states

Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of southern Indian state of Kerala, on Monday (Oct&nbsp;30) convened an all-party meeting a day after blasts hit a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Wintnesses in Kochi district. The all-party meeting was organised in the State Secretariat in state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The all-party meet adopted a resolution for social unity and also appealed&nbsp;people of Kerala to stand united against attempts to malign image of the state.

The resolution said that Kerala was a peaceful and harmonious state.

“At the same time, we know there are people who are intolerant about Kerala’s social situation and want to eliminate it in one sweep. This meeting wants to make clear that the state will go ahead, overcoming such isolated attempts at disintegration,” the resolution said.

“A situation of spreading hatred against a faith, or of viewing a community or a person with suspicion cannot be allowed. The forces that try to whip up such thoughts of disintegration should be seen as common enemies of our country and our people. All political parties and individuals are committed to take this thought to society,” the resolution said.

It also urged people to not pay heed to rumours.

Among the attendees were Congress leader VT Belram, IUML leader PK Kunjalikutty, NCP leader PC Chacko, Kerala Congress leader Monce Joseph, JDS leader Mathew T Thomas, CPI leader P Sudheer, BJP leader C Krishna Kumar and ministers K Rajan, Roshi Augustin, Antony Raju, A K Sasindran, Kadannapally Ramachandran, CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan and opposition leader V D Satheesan.

"The major concern of all the parties is that Kerala should not be communally divided...Such an incident is unusual in Kerala, and the state government has agreed to strengthen vigilance," said PK Kunhalikutty, leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

The multiple blasts in Kalamassery area of Kochi District have hit national headlines with leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticising CM Pinarayi Vijayan for what they say is failure of the state government.

A man by the name of Dominic Martin has claimed responsibility for the blasts and surrendered to police in Thrissur. The police said that they were still in the process of verifying Martin's claims.

Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was&nbsp;used to trigger the blasts that led to death of 1 woman and injured 56. A 12-year-old girl succumbed to burn injuries on Monday morning. The death toll is now at 3. Four others are in critical condition in hospital.

Kerala chief minister has formed a 20-member probe team to investigate the blasts.

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Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of southern Indian state of Kerala, on Monday (Oct 30) convened an all-party meeting a day after blasts hit a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Wintnesses in Kochi district.

Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of southern Indian state of Kerala, on Monday (Oct 30) convened an all-party meeting a day after blasts hit a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Wintnesses in Kochi district. The all-party meeting was organised in the State Secretariat in state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The all-party meet adopted a resolution for social unity and also appealed people of Kerala to stand united against attempts to malign image of the state. The resolution said that Kerala was a peaceful and harmonious state. “At the same time, we know there are people who are intolerant about Kerala’s social situation and want to eliminate it in one sweep. This meeting wants to make clear that the state will go ahead, overcoming such isolated attempts at disintegration,” the resolution said. “A situation of spreading hatred against a faith, or of viewing a community or a person with suspicion cannot be allowed. The forces that try to whip up such thoughts of disintegration should be seen as common enemies of our country and our people. All political parties and individuals are committed to take this thought to society,” the resolution said. It also urged people to not pay heed to rumours. Among the attendees were Congress leader VT Belram, IUML leader PK Kunjalikutty, NCP leader PC Chacko, Kerala Congress leader Monce Joseph, JDS leader Mathew T Thomas, CPI leader P Sudheer, BJP leader C Krishna Kumar and ministers K Rajan, Roshi Augustin, Antony Raju, A K Sasindran, Kadannapally Ramachandran, CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan and opposition leader V D Satheesan. "The major concern of all the parties is that Kerala should not be communally divided...Such an incident is unusual in Kerala, and the state government has agreed to strengthen vigilance," said PK Kunhalikutty, leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). The multiple blasts in Kalamassery area of Kochi District have hit national headlines with leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticising CM Pinarayi Vijayan for what they say is failure of the state government. A man by the name of Dominic Martin has claimed responsibility for the blasts and surrendered to police in Thrissur. The police said that they were still in the process of verifying Martin's claims. Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to trigger the blasts that led to death of 1 woman and injured 56. A 12-year-old girl succumbed to burn injuries on Monday morning. The death toll is now at 3. Four others are in critical condition in hospital. Kerala chief minister has formed a 20-member probe team to investigate the blasts. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Kerala: All-party meeting, convened after blasts, adopts resolution for social unity 

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India: Man who claimed responsibility for Kerala blasts arrested by police, UAPA invoked

Explained: Who are Jehovah's Witnesses, the community targeted in Kerala serial blasts?

Kerala blasts: CM Pinarayi Vijayan orders investigation; alert sounded in New Delhi, many states

Kerala: All-party meeting, convened after blasts, adopts resolution for social unity