Tamil Nadu govt refuses Centre`s help in train blasts

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu government has refused to take any help offered by the Centre in the probe into the twin explosions in a train in Chennai Central railway station and it appears that the state is not treating it as a terror attack "as of now".

The Centre had to abort its plans to send in forensic experts and investigators from NSG and NIA to Chennai in the wake of the blasts as the state government, whose Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is strongly opposed to any interference from Central agencies on the subject of law and order, refused to take any help from the Centre, saying its police was well equipped to handle the blast probe. In a terse reply to the Centre, the Tamil Nadu Government merely gave some details of the incident that took place inside Bangalore-Guwahati Express at the busy Chennai Central Railway station today. The reply, which was sent in response to a request from the Home Ministry for a complete report on the incident, said the explosions took place at 07:05 AM in train number 12509 at platform number nine. The two blasts took place in coach number S-4 and S-5 in which one woman died and 14 others were injured who were being treated at Rajiv Gandhi General Government Hospital. The reply also said that a case had been registered by Tamil Nadu Police and the matter was handed over to CB-CID of the state. The case has been registered for murder, causing grievous injury, attempt to murder, theft after causing murder or injury, damage to railway property of IPC and three sections of Explosives Substance Act. Union Home Ministry sources said the Tamil Nadu did not appear to be treating the explosion as a terror attack and were also silent about an offer for joint probe of state police and a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). "What to do when the state government is not treating it as a terror case as of now," a senior Home Ministry official said. The Home Ministry officials still decided to send a team of forensic experts tomorrow to ascertain the nature of the blasts as well as the triggering mechanism used to detonate the explosives. A 24-year old woman techie was killed and 14 others injured when a twin bomb blast rocked the Bangalore-Guwahati Express at the busy Central Railway station today, an act which was condemned by President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as Jayalalithaa. The two low-intensity bombs that went off in quick succession in S4 and S5 coaches about ten minutes after the train chugged into the platform in the morning, triggered of chaotic scenes with panic stricken passengers running for safety. The Home Ministry had earlier directed the National Investigation Agency, National Security Guard and forensic experts to get ready to go to Chennai. While the NIA team was supposed to go from Hyderabad, the NSG and forensic experts were being readied in New Delhi. On record, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said he has directed his officials to provide all assistance to the state government. Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami also said that the Central government was in regular touch with the Tamil Nadu government and was ready to provide it all possible help. NSG`s bomb data centre is mandated by to collect forensic evidence of all explosions in the country.