The India chapter of Jehovah’s Witnesses has said that it is unwise to speculate about the motive of the perpetrator(s) behind the multiple blasts at their prayer convention held at Kalamassery in Kochi, Kerala, on October 29.
Martin Dominic, a resident of Kochi, had since then surrendered claiming responsibility for the blasts. In a social media post prior to the surrender, he claimed that he was enraged at the ‘teachings’ of the Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation that “degraded” members of other beliefs. The post had since been removed.
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“I was a non-serious member of the congregation for 16 years. Six years ago, I found that their teachings were anti-national. The denomination’s leadership refused to pay heed, although I had requested them to stop this type of preaching which even exhorted children to refuse sweets and food items offered by their classmates. They also tell members of their congregation to desist from singing the national anthem. All this was nothing but equivalent to injecting poison in the minds of people, including children,” he said.
In a release issued in Kochi on October 30, Jehovah’s Witnesses India said that over 2,200 attended the event “simply meant to benefit from free education about the Bible.”
“Jehovah’s Witnesses of India is very grateful to the authorities who are investigating this crime and providing protection for our places of worship. We are also thankful to the emergency medical personnel who promptly arrived at the scene to render aid, as well as hospital staff who are caring for the critically injured. Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide grieve for the victims of this traumatic event and are praying for the victims’ families,” the statement said.
Three persons were killed and scores suffered burns in the twin blasts that ripped through the convention centre that hosted the event.
