Gujarat makes no headway in Modasa case,so NIA steps in

With Gujarat police making no headway in the probe into the September 2008 blast near a mosque in Modasa which killed a 15-year-old boy and injured othera...

With Gujarat police making no headway in the probe into the September 2008 blast near a mosque in Modasa which killed a 15-year-old boy and injured others,the Centre has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the case.

Confirming that the NIA will now probe the case,Union Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran told The Indian Express: It is a Central decision,it has been communicated to the Gujarat government.

This is the first Gujarat case to be handed over to the NIA. The state had left the Modasa case to the local police and,unlike other blast cases,had not turned it over to its Anti Terrorism Squad.

Story continues below this ad

The ATS was never involved in investigation of this case, said ATS chief Ajay Tomar. He said the ATS never went to Mumbai to check on the Modasa case because the probe was with the local police.

The Mumbai ATS,probing the Malegaon blasts involving a radical Hindu outfit,had pointed to parallels with the Modasa blast,including the vehicle used,the timing of the blast and the location. But Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah had claimed that the state police could not proceed with the case because the Mumbai ATS was not cooperating.

Dy SP K K Mysorewala,heading the police probe,conceded there had been no headway.We have not arrested anyone so far. We could not find the actual chassis number of the motorcycle used to carry the bomb or trace its owner. The Gujarat Forensic Science Laboratory could give us no lead in the case, he said.

DGP S S Khandwawala said: If the NIA wants to take over investigations,they have every right to do so. It appears they have more information on the case. Hence,they want to probe it. It is routine for investigations to go from one agency to another. It is fine with us.