Centre puts on hold sending NIA, NSG, forensic experts to Tamil Nadu

The Centre was today forced to put on hold dispatch of teams of NIA, NSG and forensic experts to Chennai in the wake of twin blasts in a train after the Tamil Nadu government spurned its help.

Tamil Nadu, whose Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is strongly opposed to any interference from Central agencies on the subject of law and order, refused to take any help from the Centre, saying its police was well equipped to handle the blast probe.

Following the stand taken by the Tamil Nadu government, the Home Ministry immediately put on hold sending teams of NIA, NSG and forensic experts to Chennai to help in the probe into the two blasts at Chennai railway station. 

Official sources said the Home Ministry had earlier directed the National Investigation Agency, National Security Guard and forensic experts to get ready to go to Chennai. While the NIA team was supposed to go from Hyderabad, the NSG and forensic experts were being readied in New Delhi. Jayalalithaa has meanwhile ordered a CB-CID probe and the state government conveyed to the Home Ministry that it was equipped to handle the investigation.

On record, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said he has directed his officials to provide all assistance to the state government. Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami also said that the Central government was in regular touch with the Tamil Nadu government and was ready to provide it all possible help.

NSG's bomb data centre is mandated by an Act to collect forensic evidence of all explosions in the country.

A woman was killed and 14 others injured, two of them critically, when two low-intensity bombs exploded in a span of five minutes on two coaches of the Bangalore-Guwahati train at the busy Chennai Central Railway station today.