NIA chief holds meeting on Bodh Gaya blasts case

The NIA chief's meeting is taking place on a day when co-founder of IM Yasin Bhatkal and his associate have been nabbed

Failing to crack the serial blasts case at Bodh Gaya even after lapse of one month, NIA chief Sharad Kumar today held a meeting with officials of his agency and Bihar police over the terror incident and directed officials to speed up the inquiry.

The NIA chief's meeting is taking place on a day when co-founder of Indian Mujahideen Yasin Bhatkal and his associate have been nabbed by a team of Bihar police and NIA from Indo-Nepal border in Raxual in East Champaran district.

During the closed door meeting, it was decided to keep a close eye over role of both Left and Right extremists groups in the 10 explosions that rocked Bodh Gaya on July 7, sources said.

Besides the NIA Chief, others who participated in the meeting were IG of the agency Satish Kumar, DIG Jyoti Narayan, Bihar police officials including Magadh range DIG Nayyer Hussnain Khan and Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Ganesh Kumar.

Later, the NIA chief visited the Mahaboddhi shrine to take stock of the situation on the spot, the sources said.

His visit here is seen as part of efforts to speed up the probe in the blasts case in which two monks were injured. Three unexploded bombs were also found from the complex.

Two sketches of a suspect in a monk's robe were also released by the NIA.

The bombs planted at the highest seat of Buddhism were manufactured in crude form and timers were set barely one hour before triggering the explosions.

Seeing the gravity of the incidents, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had sent a formal request to the Centre to hand over the probe into the blasts to NIA (National Investigation Agency).