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| Police, intelligence teams swoop on three States | | Noises continue against Samjhouta Express bombing | | BL KAK
NEW DELHI, FEB 22
Investigations into the bombing of the Samjhouta Express train have entered a new phase, with police and intelligence teams having fanned out to three Indian States to round up people for questioning. The blasts killed as many as 68 passengers on the train to Pakistan.
RC Mishra, senior police offical, who heads a special team leading the investigations, said on Thursday: “Already we sent teams to Bikaner (Rajasthan), Uttar Pradesh andDelhi".He added in reply to a question: “Some of the passport holders on the train had passports giving their address in that place". Those passengers boarded the train, but were not on the list of people who reached Pakistan nor were they among the victims, he pointed out.
The blasts took place at midnight Sunday and killed mainly passengers travelling home to Pakistan. The attack appeared to be directed against the stop-go peace process between the two countries. Detectives were also probing links to a Pakistan-based militant outfit. According to a report, a recorded telephone call made shortly after the blasts pointed to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the main Islamic group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir.
But Lashkar, which India blamed for an attack on its Parliament in December 2001 that almost pushed it to war with Pakistan, denied any role in the firebombing. Indian police late Wednesday released a Pakistani national who had been travelling on the train. The man reportedly threw an explosive-laden suitcase planted in his carriage onto the tracks.
“He was taken to Delhi the night after the blasts, after which it was ascertained that he had no role in the explosions,” a senior police official said. Indian police have issued sketches of two other men suspected of links to the attacks. India has ruled out a joint probe with Pakistan, but promised the “perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to book.”
Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs, has reiterated that "whatever information will be available will be shared" at the first meeting of a new India-Pakistan anti-terror panel starting on March 6.
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