Blast at slain MLA's house: bombs were stocked to target another MLA

Ghazipur/Lucknow, June 26 (UNI) A blast which rocked the house of a slain BJP MLA this morning in Ghazipur was due to an accidental explosion as explosives were stocked there to target the vehicle of a sitting legislator, police said.

At least one person was killed and three others injured in blast at the residence of former BJP MLA the late Krishnanand Rai.

The disclosure was made by the state Home department in the state capital.

Secretary (Home) J N Chamber told mediapersons here that police suspect that the blast was result of an accidental explosion of explosive material stocked at the residence of Rai. ''Interrogation of a person detained after the explosion has revealed that a sitting legislator's vehicle was to be targetted,'' he said.

He said one Babudhan, a resident of Rohtas in Bihar, told police that Manoj Rai's gunner Nand Lal Thakur had recently claimed that a MLA's vehicle was to be targetted and people from Bihar would carry out the task.

Interestingly, SP MLA Sibagtullah Ansari, brother of controversial Independent MLA Mukhtar has alleged that the explosives were been stored at the residence of Krishnanand Rai in order to eleminate his two brothers when they come out of the jail to appear before court in the case. The other brother being Afzal Ansari. Mukhtar Ansari is to attend the Budget session of the state legislature tomorrow.

Mukhtar and Afzal are prime accused in the murder of Krishnand Rai.

According to DGP office in the state capital, the blast occurred at the residence of late Mr Rai at Sidhashway Nagar which was being used by former BJP MP Manoj Sinha as his party office.

Two rooms and the boundary wall of the building collapsed following the blast. It also caused a minor fire.

The gunner of Manoj Rai, Nand Lal Thakur, was killed in the explosion. His body was pulled out from the debries of the house. Thakur was reportedly sleeping at the time of the incident.

The three injured were nephew of late Rai, Manoj Rai, a cook, Manoj Kanaujiya of Bihar, and a security personnel Ram Kumar Thakur.

Manoj Rai is a witness in the Krishnanand Rai murder case.

However, at the time of the explosion, Mr Sinha and wife of Krishnanad Rai, Alka were not present in the house.

Explosive experts of UP police along with senior officials have been rushed from Varanasi. Police said it could take assistance of the National Security Guard (NSG) to ascertain the type of explosives which went off.

Krishnanand Rai was shot dead by a group of assailants on November 29, 2005. Controversial Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari is the prime accused in the assassination of Rai.

UNI