New Delhi: Australian High Commissioner Peter Verghese on Tuesday met Home Minister P Chidambaram here and is understood to have discussed cooperation in security and the fight against terrorism.
"We discussed a number of bilateral issues concerning both the countries," Verghese told reporters after meeting Chidambaram which he described as a "courtesy call".
Asked whether cooperation in terrorism was discussed, Verghese declined to give details of his nearly 30-minute talks with the Home Minister and said "international cooperation against terrorism is essential."
He said the meeting was "cordial and constructive".
Australia has been keen on enhancing security cooperation with India and the issue was discussed during the visits of its Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith recently.
On June 4, 2008, there was a blast in the basement parking of Gadkari Rangayatan in Thane where Marathi play `Amhi Pachpute` was being staged. Probe revealed that members of the Sanstha had threatened the playwright not to stage the play which was a satire on Mahabharat.
Around the same time there were two minor blasts in theatres at Panvel and Vashi in Navi Mumbai where hindi film `Jodha Akbar` was being screened. Investigations linked these blasts to Sanstha members.
Regarding the blast in Goa, ATS chief Raghuvanshi said, "our team has gone to Goa but we are yet to receive feedback from them".
The purpose of sending the team is three-fold. First, the ATS has to update its data bank, second, the blast has occurred in an adjacent state and ATS needs to find out if there were similarities with explosions that have occurred in Maharashtra earlier. And finally, ATS has to cooperate with Goa police as some names from Maharashtra have figured in the probe, he said.
Raghuvanshi said that with the death of Yogesh Naik, the critically injured suspect in the October 16 blast, this morning, police had lost an opportunity to examine him.
"Police were waiting to hear from him about the blast. Had he survived he might have made the task of police easier," Raghuvanshi said.
Bureau Report
