Varanasi, Dec 8 : As forensic experts try to fill up the pieces in the blast jigsaw puzzle at Varanasi's historic ghats, police and intelligence agencies appear to be zeroing in on Azamgarh rsident and Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shah Nawaz for being the mastermind of this heinous strike.
Home Minister P Chidambaram flew in to Varanasi on Wednesday morning to take stock of the situation, and the circumstances in which the blast was carried out. He was accompanied by senior Home Ministry officials.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati after making a late-night dash to the blast site appealed to the Centre to provide special anti-terror force as has been provided to Mumbai police.
Experts says, the low-intensity bomb used in the blast here did not have shrapnels in it and all the injured were hit by pieces of wall that broke following the explosion.
They said the bomb kept near the steps leading to the Dashashwamedh Ghat was placed in such a way that the maximum impact was directed to the ground where the 'arti' was being held yesterday evening.
Meanwhile, of the 37 injured in the blasts, one is said to be in a critical condition.Forensic experts are examining the blast scene to find clues about the exact nature of the explosives used.
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was recovered from a metal dustbin at the site of the blast.
Forensic teams were airlifted from Agra and rushed to Varanasi for detailed investigations. Senior ATS and STF team reached the spot and collected the samples from the spot.
The baby girl Swastika Mishra who died fell from the lap of her mother after the blast and succumbed to injuries in hospital.
Hospital officials said 37 people were injured, including six foreigners.20 injured were admitted to BHU Hospital, 13 in Kabir Chaura Hospital and four in Heritage Hospital.
Dr Shah Nawaz Is one of the founder members of Indian Mujahideen and is currently the operations head of its North India brigade. Shah Nawaz is the elder brother of Mohammed Asif, a Delhi blast accused who was arrested in the Batla House encounter.
Dr Shah Nawaz is reported to be regrouping the Indian Mujahideen along with German Bakery Pune blast accused Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, both co-founders of Indian Mujahideen.
Iqbal Bhatkal looks after IM's finances and is presently based in Dubai, while Riyaz Bhatkal is based in Karachi where he has taken up the jobs of training new recruits.
Tauqir alias Abdus Subhan Qureshi is a resident of Mira Road, Mumbai and is reported to be the mastermind of Ahmedabad and Jaipur blasts. Tauqir was reportedly given the job for recruiting terrorists for Varanasi blast.
Safdar Nagori is alos one of the founder members of IM. He was arrested in June 2008 from Indore and is presently in Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail. Nagori still exercises control over Indian Mujahideen cadres.
Dr Shah Nawaz Is one of the founder members of Indian Mujahideen and is currently the operations head of its North India brigade. Shah Nawaz is the elder brother of Mohammed Asif, a Delhi blast accused who was arrested in the Batla House encounter.
Dr Shah Nawaz is reported to be regrouping the Indian Mujahideen along with German Bakery Pune blast accused Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, both co-founders of Indian Mujahideen.
Iqbal Bhatkal looks after IM's finances and is presently based in Dubai, while Riyaz Bhatkal is based in Karachi where he has taken up the jobs of training new recruits.
Tauqir alias Abdus Subhan Qureshi is a resident of Mira Road, Mumbai and is reported to be the mastermind of Ahmedabad and Jaipur blasts. Tauqir was reportedly given the job for recruiting terrorists for Varanasi blast.
Safdar Nagori is alos one of the founder members of IM. He was arrested in June 2008 from Indore and is presently in Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail. Nagori still exercises control over Indian Mujahideen cadres.
