NEW DELHI: A day after a bomb exploded in Bihar's
Bodh Gaya, a team of
National Investigation Agency (
NIA) officials, including one SP and one explosives' expert, arrived at Mahabodhi Temple to investigate the matter.
On Friday, the NIA had received an information that a blast has taken place opposite the Kalchakra ground at 4.45 pm in Bodh Gaya.
The blast happened in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop/kitchen opposite the ground. The police found some wires coming out of the flask, a NIA report said.
Following the explosion, an intensive combing operation was conducted by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar and two objects, suspected to be IEDs, were recovered.
Shortly before the discovery of the objects, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama had completed holding discourses at the ground.
"The explosion had taken place shortly after the Dalai Lama had completed his discourse and retired for the day at the Tibetan monastery," according to Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, N H Khan.
Following the discovery of the objects, a team of forensic experts was dispatched to the site of the incident from Patna to ascertain the nature of the explosives found, he said.
Earlier, The Times of India had reported that terror outfits like Islamic State, al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad may try to target Buddhist religious sites in India to avenge the alleged atrocities against the members of the Rohingya community in Myanmar.
The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month.
A host of VIPs, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere have visited Bodh Gaya recently to receive blessings from the Buddhist monk.
Significantly, in 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated on the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured.
(With inputs from agencies)
