Neogel-90 not RDX used in Jaipur blasts

Central Security agencies on Wednesday claimed that Neogel-90, an explosive used for commercial purposes, was used in Tuesday evening's serial blasts in Jaipur despite Rajasthan Police's assertion that one kilogram RDX had been used to carry out the explosions.

Senior officials of the Bomb Data Squad and Central Security agencies said the samples collected so far did not show any traces of deadly RDX, but resembled to Neogel-90.

Neogel-90, an ammonium nitrate-based material, were covered with copper plates and it is hazardous when it comes in contact with metals like copper.

Neogel-90 is usually used in the construction of roads.

The use of Neogel-90 in terror attacks might be new to India though there were reports of two isolated seizures of similar explosives in the country and its neighbouring region -- one in Vadakkaenchery in Palakkad district in Kerala on February two, 2005 and another at Kantipur in Nepal in February 2006, when 475 kg was recovered.

Rajasthan Director General of Police A S Gill and Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal were claiming that nearly one kilograms of RDX had been used in one of the blasts.

However, analysts said this was not possible as the magnitude of damage by one KG of RDX would have been too high.

According to the sources, 90 per cent of the causalities in last night's blasts in Jaipur were caused by the puncturing of vital organs like the skull and heart by metal balls that were packed into the explosive devices.

May 13 being the anniversary of Pokhran-II nuclear tests, there was a talk that militants could have chosen Jaipur as the target as Pokhran was located in this state. On this day in 1998, India conducted its second test two days after shocking the world.