Gangs of Prayagraj: Teenage students behind bomb blasts outside city schools, say police

PRAYAGRAJ: Tandav, Jaguar, Tiger, Immortal, Rangbaz....One can easily take these as worthy successors of Hindi flicks Shamshera, Pushpa and Bahubali. But this is not the case. These are names of the gangs, or WhatsApp groups, of high school and intermediate students from Prayagraj found to be involved in at least six bomb-hurling incidents outside various schools in the past three months.
Bombs were hurled to establish supremacy, or to win the ongoing turf war among them, police say. The last such incident took place on July 22.
According to police, they learnt bomb-making from online videos and social media platforms. They not only hurled crude bombs outside three prominent convent schools' gates to prove their group’s supremacy, but also uploaded videos of the act on the social media, police say.
Three days ago, the city police, with the help of CCTV footage, nabbed 11 students -- 10 of them minors -- for their involvement in the crime. They were booked under appropriate sections of the IPC and Explosives Act.
Two motorcycles, 10 mobile phones and two crude bombs were also seized from their possession. While one was sent to jail, the rest were sent to juvenile homes.
Inspector general of police (Prayagraj range), Rakesh Singh, says: “After forming groups on popular social media apps, these students from three different convent schools of the city were in a race for proving their supremacy in their areas. Hurling bombs at the gate of a rival school was their way of doing so.
For making crude bombs, they would buy fire-crackers, take out the explosive material and mix it with glasses, bricks, etc, to make crude bombs. "Most of those who have been arrested are academically poor and scored 45% to 55% in their examinations," the IG added.
"We have been counseling them and have also appealed to their parents and guardians to take better care of their wards," he said.
Officials of crime branch, who have interrogated these students, told TOI that they are aged between 14 and 17 years. There are at least 10 such groups with more than 2,000 students as their members, they say.
The first such bombing incident was reported on May 22, 2022 under the limits of Civil Lines police station when students of two rival groups clashed and hurled crude bombs. Later, similar incidents were reported on July 4, 15, 16, 22 and 25 outside other schools.
“These students would take money from their parents on the pretext of educational tour and extra-curricular activities to fund bomb-making and lavish lifestle," the IG said.