Explosive set off in Bodh Gaya to show solidarity with Rohingyas: NIA

Two persons arrested near Bengaluru in connection with the bomb blast in Bodh Gaya in January last had allegedly planned to set off the explosives to express solidarity with Rohingya fighting the Myanmar government and wage war against the government of India, the National Investigation Agency said.

A low-intensity blast was reported at a kitchen set up at a ground in the temple town of Bodh Gaya on January 19, causing panic among devotees gathered to hear Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's discourse.

The explosion was supposed to be carried out when the Dalai Lama and the governor of Bihar were at the Bodh Gaya Buddhist temple premises, NIA said in a release.

Their objective was to "carry out explosions at the symbols of Buddhist faith in order to show solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims fighting with Myanmar government and cause loss to public life and property, to wage war against Government of India," according to the NIA.

The NIA has so far arrested seven people including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen's top leader Mohammed Jahidul Islam and Sheikh while Arif Hussain alias Anas of Assam is still absconding.

The NIA had arrested Jahidul Islam, resident of Jamalpur in Bangladesh, and Adil Sheikh alias Asadullah, resident of Murshidabad in West Bengal, on August 6 and August 7 this year respectively, from Ramanagar near Bengaluru.

Islam with the help of other co-accused allegedly made three Improvised Explosive devices and two hand grenades while Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain and Arif Hussain allegedly planted the bombs on the premises of the temple on January 19, the release said.

The agency had filed a chargesheet in the case in the special NIA court in Bodh Gaya, it added.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the state governments have been asked to identify Rohingya refugees in their regions and collect their biometric details.

The Centre will send the biometric reports collected by states to the Myanmar government through diplomatic channel for the resolution of the issue, he said.

"We have already issued a concerned advisory on this issue. The states have been asked to identify them and collect their biometrics," Singh told reporters in Kolkata after the meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council.

The Union home minister chaired the 23rd meeting of the Council to discuss issues related to inter-state relations and security matters, including the Maoist menace.

The meeting was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik sent their representatives to the meeting.

While Bihar was represented by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi the Odisha finance minister Shashi Bhusan Behera participated from his state.

Senior officials of the respective states and the Union home ministry were also present at the meeting.

Acknowledging the states' need of central forces, Singh said the Centre would provide central forces to the states as per their requirement.

"I admit that states need central forces. But the Centre has some compulsions. When states start having elections we have to provide central forces to the maximum number pertaining to the demand of election commission by withdrawing them from somewhere," the Union home minister said.

On whether the central government would review its decision to withdraw some CRPF companies from the naxal-affected districts of West Bengal and re-deploy them to Left-wing extremist affected area of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand besides the insurgency-hit Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said the Centre was taking appropriate measures to counter Maoism as well as terrorism.

"The government is taking appropriate measures to address security threats like Maoism, extremism and terrorism. We are also working out and will continue taking such measures to plough out other challenges," he said.