VC’s ‘bomb’ goes phus!
On Thursday, GU VC Parimal Trivedi got a ‘bomb’ to his office after he ‘saw it lying outside GU boys hostel’. It turns out the ‘bomb’ was an aerial firecracker
Yogesh Avasthi & Zahid Qureshi
Gujarat University Vice Chancellor Parimal Trivedi had an ‘explosive’ story for mediapersons who went visiting him on Thursday afternoon. He showed them a “crude bomb” in a polythene bag neatly placed on the table behind his chair.
4.25 pm: TAKE 1
The journos finally took a look at the ‘bomb’ — its cover was torn and grey-coloured powder was trickling out.
Stumped, reporters asked him why was he not calling the cops.
At this point, Trivedi asked his security incharge to inform the police about the ‘bomb’ and narrated how he stumbled across the explosive.
“The chief warden Amrut Bharwad and I had gone to the D block of GU boys hostel early in the morning to address students’ grievances. At that time I saw the bomb lying near the compound wall and got it to the office. Since I wanted to go out for some work, I kept it in my room and did not tell anyone about it,” he told the reporters around 4.25 pm.
But when journos grilled him further, the confused VC’s narration went a tad wobbly.
4.30 pm: TAKE 2
Just five minutes after he explained how he discovered the bomb, the VC reconstructed the story this way: “We had gone to the D block of boys hostel to address students’ grievances around 3.30 pm. It wasn’t I who saw the bomb, it was Bharwad..”
When the reporters said they would like to visit the D block compound, the VC reluctantly agreed. He showed them the spot from where he had recovered the ‘bomb’. “Someone must have defused it and thrown it here,” he said.
After the reporters and the VC came back to the latter’s office, the police and forensic experts arrived. The cops immediately placed the ‘bomb’ in a bucket half-filled with water.
7.05 pm: TAKE 3
Yogesh Avasthi & Zahid Qureshi
Posted On Friday, February 11, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=201102112011021102562162216be8e0f)
Gujarat University Vice Chancellor Parimal Trivedi had an ‘explosive’ story for mediapersons who went visiting him on Thursday afternoon. He showed them a “crude bomb” in a polythene bag neatly placed on the table behind his chair.“See this,” he said with the glint of childlike excitement in his eyes as the alarmed journos jumped out of their seats and reached for the door.
But the VC assured them it was defused and there was no danger. His team of security experts had told him so. 4.25 pm: TAKE 1
The journos finally took a look at the ‘bomb’ — its cover was torn and grey-coloured powder was trickling out.
Stumped, reporters asked him why was he not calling the cops.
At this point, Trivedi asked his security incharge to inform the police about the ‘bomb’ and narrated how he stumbled across the explosive.
“The chief warden Amrut Bharwad and I had gone to the D block of GU boys hostel early in the morning to address students’ grievances. At that time I saw the bomb lying near the compound wall and got it to the office. Since I wanted to go out for some work, I kept it in my room and did not tell anyone about it,” he told the reporters around 4.25 pm.
But when journos grilled him further, the confused VC’s narration went a tad wobbly.
4.30 pm: TAKE 2
Just five minutes after he explained how he discovered the bomb, the VC reconstructed the story this way: “We had gone to the D block of boys hostel to address students’ grievances around 3.30 pm. It wasn’t I who saw the bomb, it was Bharwad..”
When the reporters said they would like to visit the D block compound, the VC reluctantly agreed. He showed them the spot from where he had recovered the ‘bomb’. “Someone must have defused it and thrown it here,” he said.
After the reporters and the VC came back to the latter’s office, the police and forensic experts arrived. The cops immediately placed the ‘bomb’ in a bucket half-filled with water.
Assistant Police Commissioner N C Patel said: “As soon as we came to know of the bomb, a team of cops and FSL officials reached the office. It looked like a low-intensity country-made bomb.”
FSL’s scientific officer A V Hingrajia told Mirror: “It is a rubber ball filled with ball bearings and chemicals used for aerial fireworks. However, we need to complete the investigation.”
7.05 pm: TAKE 3
Around 7.05 pm, when this reporter called up the VC again seeking more clarity on the issue, he had this to say: “I never kept the bomb at my office. Bharwad and I saw the bomb at the hostel when we went there for a meeting with the boys. Though our security experts said it was defused, I thought it could create panic among students. We immediately informed the cops about it.”
7.10 pm: what cops said
S J Vaghasia, senior inspector at GU police station told Mirror around 7.10 pm: “The bomb disposal squad of the FSL told us that the object cannot be defined as a bomb. The chemical in it was the same used in aerial firecrackers. It could not have hurt anyone.”
When Mirror called up the police control room, an officer said on condition of anonymity: “No one has called the police control room to report about the discovery of a bomb. Cops were watching TV when they learnt of it. That is when they left for Gujarat University.”
