The assault has as soon as once more highlighted the convenience with which a restricted chemical like Ammonium Nitrate could be weaponised with officers making an attempt to hint the logistics and procurement community of the not too long ago busted inter-state terror cell.
The Pink Fort blast on Monday night got here hours after eight individuals, together with three docs, had been arrested and a pair of,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Ammonium Nitrate is a dual-use chemical, broadly valued as a well-liked nitrogen fertiliser and used extensively within the development sector for managed blasting in stone quarries.
Nonetheless, because of its risky nature when mixed with different chemical compounds together with Potassium Chlorate and Sulphur, it turned a favorite element for improvised explosive units (IEDs) utilized by terror teams. It's also blended with gasoline oil that leads to Ammonium Nitrate Gasoline Oil Explosive (ANFO), which causes speedy hearth.
The chemical was additionally used alongside RDX within the 2019 Lethpora (Pulwama) assault, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. The automobile bomb assault was carried out by banned Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit.Earlier, the chemical was utilized by banned Indian Mujahideen terror outfit in varied assaults in Mumbai and the nationwide capital throughout 2000-2011.Involved over its frequent use by terror teams in making bombs, the federal government in 2011 declared fertilisers having greater than 45 per cent of Ammonium Nitrate as an explosive substance.
“… the central authorities hereby declares that Ammonium Nitrate or any mixture containing greater than 45 per cent of Ammonium Nitrate by weight together with emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels shall be deemed to be an explosive,” a gazette notification of Division of Industrial Coverage and Promotion (DIPP) had stated in 2011.
In 2015, the federal government additional tightened the norms for import and transportation of Ammonium Nitrate, misused for terror actions, and ordered that its shipments will likely be allowed in “bagged type solely” and its motion throughout the nation have to be accompanied by armed guards with GPS automobiles.
