Patna: The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has written to the Centre demanding that the Patna serial blasts probe be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This comes as Indian Mujahideen operative Tehseen Akhtar has emerged as the main suspect in Sunday's serial blasts. Sources have now told CNN-IBN that it may be possible that Tehseen placed the bomb at Gandhi Maidan himself.
CNN-IBN has also learned that three other bombers have been identified as Hyder, Noman and Taufiq along with the fourth suspect who died while planting one of the bombs. The investigation reveals similarities between the Patna and the July's blasts in Bodh Gaya and police suspect Hyder could be the man whose sketch was released after the Gaya blasts.
In both cases, sources say the timer devices were used were also made by a company called Lotus.
The police are conducting searches in North Bihar and Jhakhand. A second suspect, Mohammed Imtiaz, was produced in court on Tuesday night and has been sent to seven days of police remand.
The Bihar Police has also claimed that one of the suspects in custody has confessed to his involvement in the blasts that left six dead and over 50 injured.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is facing flak because he had chosen to attend a music launch in Mumbai even after the serial blasts in Patna. And now instead of him going to Patna on Tuesday, the Union Home Secretary will be visiting the city.
The Congress and the government, though, continue to defend Shinde. "Sushil Kumar Shinde has a life beyond Patna, yes, what happened in Patna is very sad. Is someone trying to dilute attention or has done this to gain political mileage out of it, we are not in the position to say it as investigations are on," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said.
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