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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, AUGUST 12: Officials in the Gujarat Government are mystified by reports of an apparent explosion in the Gulf of Khambhat on Tuesday evening. The sound of the explosion 8211; which occurred, incidentally, on the day a Pakistani reconnaissance plane was shot down over Kutch 8211; was reportedly heard in places on the coast as far apart as Bharuch, Bhavnagar and Khambhat.
The Government has ordered an inquiry into the incident, but the probe is yet to begin as the officials are reportedly uncertain of whose jurisdiction the blast occurred under. The inquiry will be conducted by Special IGP Anti-Terrorist Squad S K Saikia.
The Navy and AirForce, Saikia said, were better equipped to carry out investigation of such cases. His role was only to supervise the investigation being conducted by the Bharuch district police, which had first been informed by the public.
Police officials in Bharuch town, 50 km from the coast, say they received eyewitness accounts on Tuesday night of flames leaping hundreds of metres into the sky. The water level in the gulf was also said to have risen after the blast8217;.
Bharuch Superintendent of Police N D Solanki 8211; who subsequently sent a report to Gandhinagar 8211; said he met a number of people who claimed to have seen the flames and heard the blast immediately after the incident. He also received confirmation from Bhavnagar that people there had a similar experience.
Since the Bharuch police lack a boat, Solanki said that it is not known whether the debris of the explosion is still in the water. He said the Coast Guard and the Border Security Force8217;s water wing had been informed and activated.
Interestingly, thearea within a 50-km radius of the coastline is a hub of industrial activity. Bharuch and Ankleshwar are home to a large number of chemicals and pharmaceuticals units; the Dhuvaran Thermal Power Station is on the coast of Khambhat, the world8217;s largest ship-breaking yard is at Alang, near Bhavnagar, and the Jambusar area of Bharuch district has 600 oil wells and a refinery.
When contacted, Director-General of Police C P Singh said information received was immediately passed on to the defence authorities, including the Indian Air Force and the Navy. He denied the charge that confusion over jurisdiction had delayed the inquiry, saying it was simply down to lack of expertise and resources to reach the sea. He said that he had not yet received any information from the defence authorities on whether they had made any breakthrough in the incident.
