Parcel meant for Pune activist explodes during transit

In a shocking incident, a parcel meant for Pune-based peace activist Sanjay Nahar exploded at a courier centre in Ahmednagar district injuring two persons.

Over the last three decades, Nahar, the founder of Sarhad, which provides education to Kashmiri children, has been working with people and authorities of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and North-Eastern states.

The 'parcel bomb' explosion late on Tuesday night had come as a shock to Maharashtra Police, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has launched a massive probe into the incident. The Military Intelligence (MI) of Southern Command is also looking into the issue.

The explosion took place around 10 pm in the office of Maruti Courier Company located in Maliwada area in Ahmednagar  town  when a staff member was handling the package. The sorting process was underway when the blast occurred. The blast was heard from neighbouring buildings.

Nahar's office is in the  neighbouring  Pune district. "We are checking the details, we are trying to zero in on the sender….and whether the address was fake or  not," said Ahmednagar's Superintendent of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma.

On Wednesday, top officials met Nahar and also offered him security; however, the activist has refused it.  "The officials who met me told that the matter was serious….I have no clue as to who he or they could be," Nahar told Deccan Herald over telecall from Pune.

Nahar said that police told him the courier was meant for me, it had exploded and a couple  of persons were injured. Asked whether ATS and NIA officials met him, he replied, "Yes."

Veteran activist Jatin Desai, who knows Nahar closely, said that the issue is serious. "He had received threats in the past. He had openly spoken against some Right-wing organisations...and now this bid on his life." He urged the Centre and Maharashtra government to take "serious cognizance" in view of the fact that in the past activists like rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, veteran Marxist leader Govind Pansare, writer Prof MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh had been killed.

Nahar had founded the Sarhad School – Sarhad College of Arts, Commerce & Science at Katraj, Pune which provides education to Kashmiri children. All the expense for lodging and boarding of these students are borne by Sarhad without any help from government or foreign agencies.