Kochi: The police team probing the Kalamassery blast in which eight people were killed has submitted the charge-sheet to the trial court.
The charge-sheet has named Dominic Martin as the lone accused. It states that the Thammanam native committed the grievous crime to mark his protest against the Jehova's Witnesses sect with which he was associated once.
The 3,578-page charge-sheet was submitted to the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court by the Kochi city deputy police commissioner, the investigation officer in the case.
Martin has been slapped with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosive Substances Act. He has been charged with murder and attempted murder. There are 294 witnesses in the case. As many as 137 material evidence and 236 documents have been submitted to the court.
The police have found that Martin wanted to bring Jehova's Witnesses to the government's and the public's attention and get it banned.
The blast, which sent shock waves across the country, took place on October 29, 2023, at a convention centre during a prayer meeting of the Christian sect. Two people were killed on the spot, and the others succumbed to burn injuries while undergoing treatment. Over 50 individuals were injured in the blast.
A few hours after the incident, Martin surrendered before the police in Thrissur and confessed to the crime. He committed the crime using an improvised explosive device he had made.
