The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday rejected the Centre’s offer to order a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the twin blasts in the Bangalore-Guwahati Express at the Chennai Central station, making the Centre “stand-down” a team of detectives preparing to leave for Chennai, the Home Affairs Ministry said.
Director-General of Police (in charge of Elections), Tamil Nadu, Anoop Jaiswal said there was no Centre-State confrontation on the issue, wondering how two agencies could investigate one case. The CB-CID was confident of achieving a breakthrough soon.
Ministry sources expressed the apprehension that the decision could make other State governments also resist Central intervention in terrorism-related cases, opening the way for a damaging Centre-State row.
Mr. Jaiswal said National Security Guard (NSG) experts would assist the Tamil Nadu Police. An NSG team from New Delhi would arrive in Chennai on Friday.
T.N. ‘no’ to NIA help may derail anti-terror efforts
Union Home Ministry sources said here on Thursday that acts such as Tamil Nadu’s refusal to allow a National Investigation Agency probe into the train blasts at the Chennai Central railway station could lead to a confrontation between the Centre and the States.
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, meanwhile, said: “It is an uncoordinated action of State governments which is creating gaps in the fight against terrorism.” The setting up of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, blocked by State governments, could have plugged key “loopholes in intelligence.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said no efforts should be spared to bring the perpetrators of the train blasts to justice, and added that the Centre would provide the Tamil Nadu government all assistance. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told presspersons that the Centre had offered Tamil Nadu full assistance.
Mr. Jaiswal, said: “It is not a clueless case ... we are following some leads. We will be able to crack the case on our own.” Investigators would develop computer-aided portraits of the accused based on the account of eyewitnesses and CCTV footage, he said.
In 2012, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa opposed the creation of the NIA, saying it was “clearly a case of the Centre usurping the powers of the States.” She wanted the agency, set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, wound up, saying it would lead to “an autocracy consisting of a government of the Centre, by the Centre, for the Centre.”
Intelligence Bureau sources told The Hindu that no intelligence advice was there on a possible attack, but noted that Tamil Nadu had seen increased activity by Islamist groups in recent years. Earlier this week, the Chennai Police arrested an alleged Inter Service Intelligence operative, Mohammad Sakir Hussain, on charges of plotting to attack diplomatic missions in the region.
Top Indian Mujahideen commander Muhammad Ahmad Zarar Siddibapa is reported to have stayed in Chennai as a fugitive, and two men linked to the group were arrested from the city in 2011.
(With additional reporting by Anita Joshua and Smriti Kak Ramachandran in New Delhi)
