The unexploded bomb with a timer gadget discovered on the TVS bus cease on Anna Salai in Chennai on February 25, 1998. Photograph Credit score: The Hindu Archives
On a sunny morning, 27 years in the past, an explosion may have killed policemen contained in the Anna Salai police station in Chennai. What saved them was the bomb’s defective timer gadget.
This incident that befell in Tamil Nadu on February 25 in 1998 is value recalling in gentle of the unintended blast of seized explosives on the Nowgam police station in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, this Youngsters’s Day, which led to loss of life of 9 individuals and left 32 others injured,
It was a busy morning. Scores of women and men have been ready to board buses on the TVS bus cease on the arterial Anna Salai (Mount Street), one of many busiest commute level within the State capital. Somebody observed an unclaimed bag on the bus cease reverse the Spencer Plazaa well-liked hangout in these days. Since a serial bomb explosion had taken place in Coimbatore solely 11 days earlier, individuals panicked on the sight of the bag.
A police constable who arrived on the spot casually picked up the bag and took it to the Anna Salai police station, positioned simply yards away. He positioned it on a desk contained in the station and knowledgeable senior officers.
‘Tiffin field bomb’
A bomb skilled, who examined the bags, was taken again to seek out it was a bomb. It later got here to be known as the ‘tiffin field bomb’. The explosive materials was packed inside a stainless-steel container, lined with a plastic cowl and related to a small plastic field pitted with a timer gadget. The metal field and its cowl have been strapped with pink and yellow tape and positioned inside a Rexine bag.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the bomb, which might have an effect over a radius of 300 meters didn’t explode due to a defective timer gadget,” mentioned a report in The Hindu dated February 26, 1998. It contained 5 kg of gelatine materials and was hooked up to batteries and a detonator. “The timer has been set within the reverse path which delayed the explosion which was aimed to happen round 9.30 am when the bus cease is normally a lot crowded. Within the influence a number of buildings would have been broken within the space,” the report quoting a bomb skilled mentioned.
The ‘tiffin field bomb’ was later taken to an open floor and defused by the bomb detection and disposal squad.
Sensitization
The informal dealing with of the bomb by the constable, nevertheless, grew to become a dialogue level throughout the police circles. It underlined the necessity to sensitize police personnel on dealing with unclaimed baggage.
“Although police have launched an consciousness marketing campaign amongst merchants, theater managers and safety personnel of buying complexes concerning the precautions to be taken throughout ‘bomb menace’ conditions, by means of a sequence of public conferences, it’s ironic a number of males in uniform are unaware of the fundamental precautionary measures,” The Hindu wrote in a follow-up report.
‘Drive of behavior’
“A police officer admitted that fortunately the timer gadget was defective and the bomb was crude, and the policeman was maybe unaware that there are specific units which might explode if even moved. He added by behavior police personnel are likely to take ‘mysterious parcels’ to their respective stations for verification, as police are but to take the specter of bombs very severely. Even on Thursday, it’s realized that the police took a parcel discovered within the Buckingham Canal to the Pulianthope police station. Nevertheless, for a change, it was taken after it had been checked on the spot, it’s realized. The frequent observe adopted by station degree officers is to dump the ‘deserted parcels’ into water tanks or sumps throughout the premises of police stations,” the report mentioned.
However the TVS Bus Cease case was not an remoted one. A day later, some policemen have been seen kicking round an object with a fuse, resembling a gelatine stick, close to the Music Faculty on Greenways Street, Chennai, whereas many motorists have been passing by and a few seemed on curiously.
As for the supply of the ‘tiffin field bomb’, the police suspected the position of 1 Amanullah, who was earlier arrested from Vepery in Chennai for storing a consignment of detonators. Amanullah and his confederate Shah Jahan had managed to flee from police custody.
Revealed – November 19, 2025 05:30 am IST