Rohini court blast accused under observation at AIIMS after suicide bid

The condition of the senior DRDO scientist arrested for "planting explosives" inside the Rohini district court is stable and he is under observation at AIIMS, police said on Monday, a day after he allegedly attempted suicide by consuming hand wash in a washroom while in custody.

Accused Bharat Bhushan Kataria (47) was arrested for allegedly planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in a tiffin box inside the Rohini court on December 9 with an intention to kill his neighbour, who had filed several cases against him and was present on the court premises that day, they said.

A senior police officer said Kataria is under observation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and is doing good. He is out of danger and his condition is stated to be stable now, he added.

"A few tests were conducted today (Monday) as part of his treatment, while the remaining tests will be conducted tomorrow (Tuesday)," the officer said.

The accused was questioned by the Delhi Police's Special Cell on Friday and subsequently arrested. He was in police custody since then and was being interrogated, the police said.

On Saturday night, Kataria allegedly consumed liquid hand wash inside a washroom and was later found lying unconscious. When asked, he complained of vomiting and stomach ache. He was rushed to the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and referred to AIIMS from there.

The police had said that the accused constantly misled officers during interrogation.

The IED planted by Kataria triggered a low-intensity explosion in courtroom number 102. Naib Court head constable Rajeev was injured in the blast.

The IED was not properly assembled due to which only the detonator exploded, the police had said.