A powerful explosion occurred around 7:30 pm on Wednesday near a mosque in the densely populated Moolganj area of Kanpur, causing widespread panic and chaos.
The blast, which originated from two parked scooters, injured six people, including a woman and damaged several nearby shops.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion that echoed across a 500-meter radius. The force of the blast shattered the walls of multiple shops and sent plumes of fire into the air, setting off a stampede-like situation in the busy market.
Bystanders and shopkeepers fled in fear, leaving behind scattered goods and damaged storefronts. The incident occurred outside a toy shop owned by Abdul Hameed, a resident of Mishri Bazaar.
According to witnesses, both scooters exploded simultaneously. The fire and debris from the blast injured people standing nearby and gutted the scooters completely.
Shahbaz Akhtar, who runs a nearby café, said, “The explosion was so powerful that the roof of Abdul Aamir’s shop collapsed. Shops belonging to Mohammad Kashif, who sells birthday party items, and plastic goods shopkeeper Abdul were also severely damaged.”
Shopkeeper Mohammad Uwais recounted, “We were inside the shop when the blast occurred. There was sudden panic on the street. We rushed outside and saw everything in disarray. The injured were immediately sent to Ursula Hospital.”
Senior police officials, including Police Commissioner Raghuveer Lal and Joint Commissioner Ashutosh Kumar, visited the scene. Forensic and bomb squad teams collected evidence to determine the cause of the explosion.
“The blast occurred in two scooters. We are investigating whether it was due to a battery explosion or if there were any explosives involved,” said JCP Ashutosh Kumar. An investigation is currently underway.