Is security a joke? Bomb at Bodhgaya recovered 8 months later

New Delhi, Sep 16: Eight months into the investigation of the Bodhgaya blasts case, the National Investigation Agency recovered a grenade from a public toilet.

The recovery was made at the public toilet which is barely a few metres away from the Mahabodhi Mahavira in Bodhgaya. The locally made hand grenade was recovered on Saturday.

It may be recalled that a blast had taken place following which two bombs were recovered from the vicinity of the temple on January 19. The incident occurred at a time when the Dalai Lama was holding a discourse at the temple.

The recovery of the grenade triggered panic among the locals and also raised a pertinent question about the security especially outside the highly sensitive zone. This is not the first time that Bodhgaya has been under the radar of terror groups.

In 2014, a module of the SIMI had triggered off a blast at the temple. In 2018, it was the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh which carried out this incident. In both cases, the motive was same and that was to avenge the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims, National Investigation Agency officials probing both the cases told OneIndia.

The grenade in the toilet was planted around 8 months back. The information was revealed by prime accused Dilawar Hussain, who is being questioned by the NIA. He was taken to Bodhgaya following which he led the agency to the toilet where the grenade was planted. The bomb was planted inside a non-functional cistern.

The NIA has so far arrested 8 persons in connection with this case. All are from the proscribed JMB, which has a strong presence in West Bengal, Bihar and the north-eastern states.