The blast took place when some prisoners were being brought to the court lock-up and it seems to be a plot to help prisoners escape.
The police said a woman was carrying the bomb and was killed when it exploded.
Patna: A suspected woman suicide bomber detonated a crude bomb at the Ara Civil Court, in the Bhojpur district of Bihar, killing herself, a police constable and an undertrial, and injuring 16 others on Thursday.
The blast took place when a van carrying undertrials for production in the court entered the premises and they were being taken to the court lock-up. The police suspect the woman, aged 35-40, was a human bomb.
Local officials said that two undertrials escaped in the chaos following the blast. One out of the two under-trials, who fled was identified as Lambu Sharma, according to a PTI report.
Sixteen others, who sustained serious injuries in the incident, have been rushed to the local hospital. Two of the injured are said to be in a serious condition. Police officials are at the blast site and are investigating the case. The injured include lawyers and policemen.
Agencies reported that R K Singh, the Member of Parliament from Ara, confirmed the blast saying that it seems to be a plot to help some prisoners escape. The police, however, ruled out the possibility of the blast being a terror attack, according to television reports.
According to an official at the Bihar chief minister’s office, the Union Home Ministry has sought a report on the incident.
Agenceis said that the woman entered the court premises at Ara carrying the bomb in her purse. She detonated the crude bomb when the undertrials being brought to the court were disembarking from the van.
There was panic in the court premises following the bomb blast and in town of Ara. Security in the court premises has been beefed up following the blast.
