ONE person was charred to death when a gas cylinder in a car in which he was travelling exploded in a communally sensitive area in the city on Sunday, prompting the State’s top cop to rush here and take stock of the situation. DGP C Sylendra Babu said probe is on from various angles to ascertain if the incident was an accident or a ‘conspiracy,’ when asked by reporters in this connection, even as the identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained. The incident happened near the Kottai Easwaran Temple and all the shops in the vicinity were closed and a large number of police personnel have been deployed in the area. Being a communally sensitive area, a tense situation prevailed in the Ukkadam locality where the explosion happened in the early hours of Sunday.

 

“There were two cylinders and one exploded. We are investigating from where it was purchased. The car involved has changed ownership (many times) and we are tracing the owner. The identity of the deceased is being ascertained and investigation is on. The probe is on under the supervision of senior officials,” the police chief said. Six special teams under Coimbatore Commissioner V Balakrishnan are probing the incident, even as the bomb disposal squad from the TN Commando School has joined the investigation.