A live hand-grenade was found without a detonator around 9:40 AM on Saturday in the premises of a district civil court in Varanasi. It was recovered by the bomb disposal squad and diffused.
The bomb was discovered when a passerby noticed an unclaimed polythene bag under a chair near gate number one of the court, and informed the police. All court matters were postponed to Monday, as the police vacated the area and initiated a search of possible suspects.
Officials of the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) suspect links to a possible gang war as mafia group leaders such as gangster-turned-politician Brijesh Singh frequent the court often. The police are also inspecting links to terrorist activity, as in 2007, three bomb blasts took place in this exact same court, killing 11 people, including four lawyers, and injuring 42 more.
Varanasi is on high alert, as police continue to sweep the city, the ghats of River Ganga and sensitive religious sites such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple.
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