Bodh Gaya blasts: four people who were detained released, investigators back to square one

Patna/New Delhi: Another trail has gone cold in investigations into the multiple blasts on Sunday at the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar's Bodh Gaya. Four people who were detained and questioned yesterday by the National Investigation Agency or NIA for suspicious movement, have been released.

The four people had checked into a hotel 200 metres from the Mahabodhi temple at 4 am and checked out at 6:30 am on Sunday. The multiple blasts took place shortly after 5 am. The hotel has shared details of the four people with the investigators.

In the three days since the blasts, there has been more politics than headway in investigations. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde visited the heritage site today, a day after BJP president Rajnath Singh and other party leaders toured the temple and slammed the Central government for failing to tackle terror.  

Investigators have been combing through footage from 15 CCTV cameras installed at the temple and have not come up with any significant leads. They say that the attackers might have strategically evaded the cameras.

The investigation was formally handed over to the NIA last evening by the Centre. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought Central help for investigations and for security at the temple.

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A team each from the anti-terror squads of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are among the five different teams set up by the NIA to investigate the multiple blasts.

On Sunday morning, there were ten synchronised blasts in different parts of the temple. Two monks were injured. Three unexploded bombs were later found, one even placed 20 feet high on a Buddha statue.

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