Marriage ceremony footage to help identify terrorists

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Varanasi/Lucknow, Mar 8: Uttar Pradesh Police is likely to get significant leads from the video tapes of a marriage ceremony, which was being solemnised at the Sankatmochan temple when the first bomb exploded in Varanasi last evening.

The video footage would help assess the movement of people and identify suspects, Director General of Police (DGP) Yashpal Singh told reporters in Lucknow.

Police were also issuing computer sketches of two persons found roaming in a suspicious manner in the Godaulia area, where two live bombs were found.

''Apparently, the miscreants failed in their nefarious designs to carry explosion at Godaulia,'' the DGP said.

Comparing the blasts with the ones that rocked the national capital on Dhanteras last year, Mr Singh said if one went by the modus operandi of terrorists, there was a striking similarity and the involvement of the same terror module could not be ruled out.

Analysing further, the DGP said even the blast in Shramjeevi Express in UP last year was of the same nature with improvised devise used on all the occasions.

With the video tapes, computer-generated sketches, besides some other vital clues, the investigating agencies could zero in on the group behind the blasts, Mr Singh claimed.

At least 17 people, including several devotees, were killed and over 90 injured in twin blasts in Varanasi -- first at Sankatmochan temple followed by another powerful blast at Varanasi Cantonment railway station around 1830 hrs yesterday.

''No terrorist organisation has owned the blasts so far, but we have some vital clues with us as pointer towards a definite breakthorugh in the ghastly incident,'' Acharya Palanivel, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, had earlier told UNI here this morning.

The Special Task Force (STF) of UP Police had started a probe last night itself and had got vital clues, he claimed.

The STF was also trying to establish links of Varanasi blasts with the encounter of a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist in the state capital early this morning, he noted. The terrorist was gunned down in an encounter when he was coming from Varanasi in a truck.

While stressing upon an action plan for preventing such terror acts on the eve of festivals, Mr Singh said the UP government would formulate it very soon. ''We have to have an insight into the pattern of such crimes, which are timed around religious festivals, like bomb blasts in New Delhi before Deepawali and now blasts in Varanasi before Holi,'' he pointed out.

The security plan before Holi, which was scheduled to be in place by March 10, was being implemented right away with the central forces been already requisitioned, he said.

Even as the alert had been sounded all over UP, special emphasis was being given to the security of Mathura, another sensitive towns like Ayodhya and Kashi, Mr Singh added.

Meanwhile, the STF sources said they were studying the pattern of the blast to ascertain the modus operandi of the terrorists group.

Last year's blast at the Ram Janambhoomi complex in Ayodhya was also subject of study in the investigation, sources added.

The holy town of Varanasi is limping back to normal with temples abuzz with devotees since morning. People in large numbers were seen taking holy dip at various ghats on the banks of river Ganga and the general traffic in the city ws normal.

Sankatmochan Temple was also thrown open to public, although the security had been tightened and close watch was being maintained on visitors. The situation at Varanasi Cantonment railway Station -- the other site of the blasts -- was also normal, a district official said.

The famous Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex is also kept open for devotees. It was closed for half-an-hour immediately after the blasts last evening to avoid stampede, a report quoting Additional Suprintendent of Police (ASP) of the complex Jugal Kishore Tiwari said.

Police had to use mild force on BJP activists, who tried to enforce their state-wide bandh call by forcing shops and business establishments to down shutters.

Raising black flags during the visit of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today in the temple town, BJP workers indulged in stone pelting at police. An unconfirmed report said police used tear gas to disperse the mob ahead of the CM's visit.

Mr Yadav took rounds of both the blast sites and met the wounded at BHU and district hospitals.

Earlier, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil visited Varanasi last night. They had announced to take strict action against the culprits responsible for the blasts.

Ms Sonia and Mr Patil had visited the BHU Hospital to meet the victims. Uttar Pradesh government had already announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to wounded, of which 10 were in serious condition.

UNI

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