Varanasi blast: Security agencies clueless even after a year

A year after an explosion had rocked the Dashashwamedh ghat in Varanasi during evening prayer time, security agencies are clueless about the module that was used to trigger the bomb blast that left a 2-year-old girl dead and over three dozen injured in the temple town.

Those behind the blast, for which banned Indian Mujahideen had claimed responsibility, continued to remain a mystery for investigators as did the nature of explosive material used to trigger the bomb.

The recent modules busted by the Delhi Police in which six persons allegedly belonging to Indian Mujahideen were arrested have expressed their ignorance about the Varanasi explosion.

Security forces have rounded up many people and jailed terrorists were questioned without any results.

There was a move to handover the probe to National Investigation Agency (NIA) but it was dropped because of issues between the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government.

The blast had occurred at around 6:20 pm when thousands of devotees and some foreign tourists had assembled at the Dashashwamedh ghat for having darshan of the Ganga Arti ritual.

The bomb used in the Varanasi blast was a 'unique' one as it did not have shrapnels in it. Forensic experts examined the blast scene to find clues to the exact nature of explosives used but the opinion over the explosive material was not unanimous.

Indian Mujahideen (IM) had claimed responsibility for the blast in e-mails sent to media houses and said the incident was in response to demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.