THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A suspected bomb blast during a Christian prayer meeting in India’s southern state of Kerala killed two people and wounded more than 35 others, police said Sunday. More than 2,000 people were attending a three-day Jehovah’s Witnesses prayer meeting at a convention center in Kalamassery near the port city of Kochi when the blast ripped through the crowd.

“At about 9:40 am (0410 GMT) approximately there was an explosion in Zamra International Convention Centre in which one person died and 36 are undergoing treatment,” Director General of Police of Kerala Darvesh Saheb told reporters. “We will find out who is behind this and take stringent action ... preliminary investigation shows it was an IED (improvised explosive device) blast.” Local assistant police commissioner PV Baby, speaking to AFP, said one women died in the initial explosion, and a second woman later died of her wounds.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported at least three “blasts” had occurred inside the convention center. Videos filmed shortly after the explosion and posted online showed flames inside the building and rescuers helping people clear out. “We are examining all angles and will find out who is behind this,” Saheb added.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) law and order, MR Ajith Kumar, said during a news conference that a person named Dominic Martin, who claimed responsibility for the explosion, had surrendered at a police station in Thrissur district about 65km north from the site of the incident. The suspect is “claiming that he has done it,” saying that “he belonged to the same group of sabha”, Kumar told reporters, adding that police is “verifying” the claims. The man had released a video message on social media and aired on television channels, in which he claimed to be a former member of the church who now disagreed with its beliefs.

Around two percent of India’s 1.4 billion people are Christian, according to the last census. There are nearly 60,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in India, according to the church’s website. Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a US-based Christian evangelical movement, who are best known for knocking on doors around the world, bible in hand, trying to convert people to their beliefs. It is a millennial faith, meaning its members believe that the end of the world is near and that God’s kingdom will soon rule over the Earth. The movement, which preaches non-violence and is politically neutral, has a long history of persecution.

The blast comes against a backdrop of tensions within the prosperous southern state of more than 31 million people, 26 percent of whom are Muslims, according to the last census in 2011. “I would request everyone to maintain peace, remain calm, and I also request that no provocative posts are made on social media,” Saheb added.

Several journalists based in India have pointed to a number of social media accounts on platform X spreading misinformation about the attack. Mohammed Zubair, fact-checking expert and co-founder of altnews, said in a post on X that the accounts suggested the bombing was carried out by Muslims with the aim of targeting a few Jews who were allegedly present at the event. “Strict action will be taken against those who spread fake news, promote religious rivalry and communal hatred through social media,” said Kerala police in a statement. — Agencies