NIA team going to Chennai to gather data relating to bomb blast

The Centre has asked National Investigation Agency (NIA) to collect data about the twin blasts in a train at Chennai Central railway station that left one woman dead and 14 injured.

The decision of the Centre to rush a NIA team was taken after Tamil Nadu Government was assured that the central probe agency would be only collecting data about the blasts as it was probing several cases pertaining to terrorism in that region.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said a team of NIA was being sent to the spot for collection of data.

"We wanted to send the NIA team but the state government told us that CB-CID will probe the matter. Until the state government allows us for a NIA probe, we can't take the matter in our hands.

"But we are sending the NIA team for data collection," Shinde said.

The comments of Shinde come a day after Tamil Nadu government had refused any help from the Centre and made it clear that the case would be handled by the CB-CID of the state police.

In the meantime, security agencies were examining the CCTV footage at the Bangalore railway station and also examining those present in the S-4 and S-5 coaches of Bangalore-Guwahati Express to get some lead about the person who planted the explosive material under the seat.

The explosive material was strong but the brunt of its impact was neutralised by the iron seats as well as the flooring of the coaches that were examined by NIA as well as Bomb Data Centre of NSG.