Terrorism charges dropped against Kalamassery explosion accused

The incident came as a shock to us, but we move forward: Jehovah’s Witnesses

Although there is a possibility that Martin may be released on bail after the UAPA charges are dropped, he has not yet appeared in court. Prison officials said Martin, lodged in Ernakulam District Jail in Kakkanad, was living a lonely life.

“We applied for the appointment of a government lawyer to represent him in court. However, he wants to pursue the case himself. He did not apply for any bail. He does not interact with other inmates and spends most of his time reading and writing. A prison official said he only saw close relatives during visiting hours.

The investigation ruled out the involvement of a second defendant. “So far it has not been established that anyone else was involved in the explosion. Martin was a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses and had a strong grudge against the group. Sudarshan had knowledge in using electrical equipment and learned how to make IEDs by watching online videos,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jehovah’s Witnesses are holding meetings to cope with the loss of eight of their members in the explosion. Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesperson Sreekumar TA said the group is currently holding conventions in different parts of the state. “Without a doubt, the incident came as a shock to us. But we are moving forward.

53 people, including the families of 8 people who died, were affected by the incident. The treatment costs of the injured are covered by the sect. Some were seriously injured and would take years to recover. “The state paid compensation to the families of the dead,” he said.

Sreekumar said that they organized a grand convention in Angamaly recently. “We now thoroughly screen participants before allowing them entry,” he said.

However, the cult was not convinced of Martin’s motive for carrying out the explosions. “He joined the sect a few years ago, but he was not regular in his activities. He did not tell us anything about the reform of the sect. We learned all this through the media after the explosions,” he said.