Police happy to hand over blast probe to CBI

NEW DELHI, January 11: The Delhi Police are not sure whether they should heave a sigh of relief after the Union Home Ministry's decision to ...

NEW DELHI, January 11: The Delhi Police are not sure whether they should heave a sigh of relief after the Union Home Ministry’s decision to transfer the blast probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Though the CBI contend that they have been only asked to investigate the blast near the police headquarters on Friday, several senior police officials say that they are yet to receive an official communication in this regard.

But a section of the Delhi Police, who say that they have received the communication about the CBI probing only the ITO blasts, are not happy with the Home Ministry’s decision.

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One of them, requesting anonymity, says: “This means that we are still responsible for the investigations into all the 22 other bomb blasts which occurred last year. But how can they isolate all the previous blasts after it is more or less established now that the same group is behind the incidents.”

Others are more diplomatic. They say: “For the first time on Friday, someone saw the man who could have planted the bomb. Perhaps the Home Ministry thought that the CBI would follow the lead more efficiently.”On the other hand, the CBI today started the investigation into the ITO blast which left behind one dead and 55 injured. A team headed by a Joint Director has been constituted to investigate the incident.

Sources say that the team is going to focus on the possibility of the Inter Services Intelligence Agency of Pakistan being behind the blasts.

All eyewitnesses were interrogated again today. And remnants of the bomb were being carefully analysed to establish similarities with the previous bombs.

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An official told Express Newsline that the agency would continue to assist the Delhi Police regarding investigations into the other blasts.Yesterday, the Union Home Ministry had directed the agency to take charge of the blast probe. This was decided at a meeting convened by Union Home Secretary B.P. Singh to review the law and order situation in the Capital.

The three-member special team overseeing the blast probe also attended the meeting. The special team includes two former Delhi Police Commissioners M.B. Kaushal and Nikhil Kumar. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner T.R. Kakkar returned to the city today.