Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been asked to assist the Bihar Police to probe the Patna serial blasts. Nitish Kumar met Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde here today to discuss the recent blasts in Patna. “We discussed the serial bomb blasts in Patna, and we have asked for Anti-Terrorism Squad’s (ATS) help. Bihar police has limited database on such terrorist activities. NIA has more information on this. Our Director General of Police (DGP) recommended NIA’s involvement and Bihar Police officials will be associated with them in the investigation,” he told media here. “The festival season is on with Diwali, Muharram, and taking all these things into consideration, we need Centre’s help, and he assured us that we will get the required aid,” he added. He further said that a lot of information was revealed from the first suspect who was arrested after the blast at the Patna railway station. “As far as investigation is concerned, one suspect was arrested when he was trying to escape after the first blast at the Patna Railway station, and the police recovered important information after he was interrogated. After the meeting with the Bihar Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde confirmed that the Patna serial blast case has been given to the NIA. “Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met me, and has officially written to give this case to NIA. And we are giving the case to NIA,” he said. . Shinde, who was scheduled to travel to Patna to assess, the situation in the aftermath of Sunday’s serial blasts, said yesterday that he did not go there as the Bihar Chief Minister was busy in some meeting in Rajgir. Shinde reiterated that the Bihar Government had received intelligence inputs from the Centre on specific threats to political rallies. “We provide both general and specific information regarding possibility of blasts and other incidents. The state police must be alert while rallies are being organized,” he said. The Home Minister also said that the agencies are conducting a thorough enquiry. Bihar Police has arrested two suspected terrorists, including one believed to be mastermind behind the blasts. Several others have also been detained in connection with Sunday’s serial blasts in Patna in which six people were killed and 83 injured. Kumar, who announced Rs. 5 lakhs as financial assistance for the families of the deceased in the Patna serial blasts, confirmed that there was no intelligence input about the explosions. Kumar also said the Bihar Police is confident of gaining pivotal information from the suspect regarding the investigation, and was confident of reaching solid conclusions about the perpetrators soon. The low intensity blasts rocked Patna between 9.30 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. on Sunday shortly before Narendra Modi’s address to a ‘Hunkar rally’ in Gandhi Maidan. (ANI)
