Two low-intensity bombs went off in quick succession in two coaches of Bangalore-Guwahati Super Express train at busy Chennai Central railway station on Thursday morning killing a software engineer who was travelling from Bangalore to Vijaywada and injuring over a dozen other passengers.
The 24-year-old woman passenger identified as P Swati was killed on the spot and 14 others were injured in the blasts on coach number S4 and S5. The injured have been admitted to the nearby Chennai General Hospital, where the condition of two victims is stated to be critical.
Two bombs exploded at 7.15 am when the train was at Chennai Central Station and three coaches were affected due to the explosion. The damaged coaches are undergoing detailed forensic analysis, officials said.
The train was scheduled to arrive at Chennai by 5. 40 am and was to depart at 6.20 am for its onward journey. “This is not a major blast. Chennai could not have been the target of those who were behind the blasts as the train was running late. Some other location could have been the target,” said K Ramanujam, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police.
BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was scheduled to campaign at Guntur, Nellore, Madanapalli, Bhimavaram, and Vizagapattinam on Thursday. The train was expected to pass through these regions with stops at Vizag and Vijayawada.
The blasts occurred close on the heels of the arrest of Mohammed Zakkir Hussain on Tuesday, a Sri lankan Tamil, who was reportedly on a reconnaissance mission. Sources in the Chennai Police said Hussain took pictures of the US Consulate in the city and the Israeli consulate in Bangalore at the behest of his Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) masterminds based in Colombo. Hussain is reported to have confessed to the Chennai Police that Amir Subair Siddiqui, counsellor (visa) in Pakistani High Commission in Colombo recruited him for setting up base in South India.
Tamil Nadu has been on the terror radar during the last few months with the State police in September arresting Tameen Ansari, another Sri lankan Tamil operative working at the behest of the ISI. He was arrested with CDs featuring the pictures of vital installations in South India like IGCAR, Kalpakkam and the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant.Southern Railway announced a monetary compensation of Rs 50,000 as immediate relief to the deceased, while the two seriously injured persons would be given Rs 25,000 each. Those who suffered minor injuries would get Rs 5,000 each.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who strongly condemned the blast announced Rs 1,00,000 as ex-gratia to Swathi’s family and Rs 50,000 to those suffered serious injuries. The passengers who suffered minor injuries were given Rs 25,000 each by the Tamil Nadu Government.Jayalalithaa, who is camping at Kodanadu in the Nilgiris, said in a statement that she had asked the Crime Branch-CID to probe the matter and to coordinate with the Railway Police to nab those behind the incident.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Government has refused to take any help offered by the Centre in the probe into the twin explosions in an apparent indication that the State police are not treating the incident as an act of terror as of now.
The Centre had to abort its plans to send in forensic experts and investigators from NSG and NIA to Chennai in the wake of the blasts as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa strongly opposed any interference from Central agencies on the subject of law and order. She also refused to take any help from the Centre, saying its police was well equipped to handle the blast probe.
In response to a Union Home Ministry request seeking a complete report on the incident, the State Government merely gave some details like the explosions took place at 7:05 am in train number 12509 at platform number nine.In its reply, the State also said that a case had been registered by the Tamil Nadu Police and the matter was handed over to CB-CID of the State. The case has been registered for murder, causing grievous injury, attempt to murder, theft after causing murder or injury, damage to railway property under sections of the IPC and the Explosives Substance Act.
Union Home Ministry sources said the Tamil Nadu did not appear to be treating the explosion as a terror attack and were also silent about an offer for joint probe of State Police and a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The Home Ministry officials still decided to send a team of forensic experts on Friday to ascertain the nature of the blasts as well as the triggering mechanism used to detonate the explosives. The Ministry had earlier directed the National Investigation Agency, National Security Guard and forensic experts to get ready to go to Chennai. While the NIA team was supposed to go from Hyderabad, the NSG and forensic experts were being readied in New Delhi.
In the wake of the suspected terror incident, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on his part made a strong pitch for National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), saying the mechanism would have helped plug loopholes in coordination.Chidambaram as Union Home Minister had pushed hard for NCTC but the plan was shelved due to reservations by a number of States.