NEWS

Are Haryana cops equipped to probe blasts?

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
February 24, 2007 12:21 IST

Annoyed by the different versions being given by police officers of different states involved in the investigations of the India-Pakistan train blasts, the home ministry has directed Delhi, Haryana and Mumbai police to coordinate with each other.

The main investigations will however continue to remain with the Haryana police.

The Delhi and Mumbai police departments will lend a helping hand.

The Intelligence Bureau that is helping in the investigation is not too happy with the manner in which some of the important clues are being leaked to the media.

A senior ranking official of the Delhi police touted the recovery of a cassette from railway station in Panipat as big achievement.

"What is amazing is that the train had stopped well before the station. Why should someone leave an audiocassette there?" an officer of the Intelligence Bureau told rediff.com.

The Punjab police's claims during the initial stages that the bombs used were similar to the ones used earlier in a train blast case added to the confusion and it was later found that the officer was not even aware of the nature of blasts in the Samjhauta Express.

Political pressure is adding to the chaos. "There is a pressure to deliver but the Haryana police lacks the expertise to deal with terrorist cases," sources in the Delhi police claimed.

Officers of the Special cell of Delhi are concentrating on picking up clues to piece together a full picture as to how the terrorists managed to sneak into the Samjhauta Express.

They are going through the pictures taken by the closed circuit television cameras installed at the Old Delhi railway station to find out if the suspects are visible in any of the frames.

The government has already promised Pakistan to give whatever evidence it has on the investigations on 6th of March when the two countries would discuss formulation of joint mechanism against terror.

68 passengers were killed in the blasts on February 18.

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

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