GAYA/PATNA : One person was detained by the NIA today in connection with the terror attack on Buddhism’s holiest shrine here even as authorities released the CCTV footage of the serial blasts at the historic Mahabodhi temple and adjoining areas.
As a team of investigators from NIA, NSG and other agencies searched for clues in yesterday’s 10 serial blasts at Bodh Gaya that left two monks injured, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the state government will make a proposal to the Centre to ask CISF to take over the security of the shrine.
A team of the National Security Guard (NSG), which picked up samples from the area, has sent a preliminary report to the Union Home Ministry, saying the low-intensity bombs worked like improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and were trigerred through analog clock timers.
The bombs contained a mix of ammonium nitrate and sulphur and were neatly packed in small cylinders, the report said.
Bihar Director General of Police Abhyanand said a person identified as Binod Kumar Barachatti has been detained on the basis of a voter Identity card in his name which was found during search inside the temple after the explosions.
He told newsmen in Patna that lab tests have so far confirmed the presence of ammonium nitrate in the crude low intensity bomb used in the blasts but there were no trace of TNT or other explosive material.
Papers containing the name of the location where it had to be planted was found pasted on each bomb, he said. “The name of the location is written in English and some words in Urdu,” he added.
The temple’s sanctum sanctorum and the Mahabodhi Tree, under which Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, did not suffer any damage in the blasts.
In the CCTV footage of the blast that took place on the left side of Mahabodhi tree in the temple premises at 5:25 A.M yesterday, a boy and a girl, aged about 25 years, were seen walking on the road immediately before the blast.
Taken by surprise at the sound of explosion, the duo were seen stopping for a brief period to find out as to what happened before fleeing from the spot to save themselves.
The footage also showed another man, aged about 30 years, walking inside the Mahabodhi temple and going upto the blast side before making a quick exit.
As many as 13 bombs were planted inside the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya of which ten had exploded, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in Talegaon in Maharashtra (AGENCIES)
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