Step up security at Buddhist shrines, states told

The central government has asked the states to heighten security at Buddhist places of worship and Tibetan settlements in view of the serial blasts at Mahabodhi temple in Bihar's Bodh Gaya, officials said Sunday.

Official sources said that the home ministry had sent an advisory to states that adequate security must be provided to Buddhist places of worships and Tibetian settlements in the wake of blasts at the temple and violence between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar.

They said the advisory has asked the states to bolster intelligence and personnel strength at police stations whose domain includes Buddhist population and shrines.

The sources said that the advisory lays emphasis on security measures in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune and Bangalore.

Nine near-coordinated explosions shook the serenity of the world-renowned Mahabodhi temple complex in Bihar's Bodh Gaya early Sunday, injuring two monks but not causing much damage

Officials said the Bihar government had been given intelligence inputs about the possibility of terror attack on the Mahabodhi temple.

They said there were inputs of radical elements trying to attack the place which receives a large number of national and international tourists.

The officials said that inputs were being sent to the state on a regular basis and one such input had been given less than a month back.

The officials said a security review meeting was held in Bodh Gaya on July 2 between the monastry and police but it was not yet clear if security measures suggested had been implemented.