Lucknow: The white powder found in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly might not be the powerful plastic explosive known as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) as earlier claimed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, citing an initial forensic report from a lab in Lucknow.
Sources in the Vidhan Sabha have also indicated that the Agra forensic lab has found no traces of any explosive in the powder and that the samples have now been sent to Hyderabad for testing.
The UP government is now claiming that no samples were sent to the Agra lab and only the Lucknow lab’s primary investigation claimed a positive for PETN.
“Detailed analysis of the case is still going on using infrared spectrum and gas chromatography. The final report on the materials found inside the UP assembly is expected by Thursday," said the source.
The Agra laboratory is the only one in the state which has expertise in examining explosives.
On July 12, around 60 grams of the PETN was detected near Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary’s seat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by the dog squad during a security sweep, following which a forensic investigation was launched.
Speaking in the Assembly on Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called for an NIA investigation. “The National Investigation Agency (NIA) should investigate the matter. A response team to act on such threats should also be immediately put in place. It should have been done a long time ago," the CM said.
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate or PETN can easily dodge metal detectors and its colourless crystals are hard to detect in sealed containers. It is a powerful explosive, 100 gram of which is enough to blow up a car to pieces, say experts.
It also acts as a major ingredient in Semtex bombs and belongs to the same chemical family as nitro-glycerine.
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