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Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, April 13: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde today ordered a probe by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police (IGP) into the incidents wherein detonators and explosives were found in different forms at public places in various parts of Maharashtra in the last few months.
Munde, who also holds the Home portfolio, was replying to a heated debate on a calling attention motion about a related subject in the Legislative Council. The notice of motion was given by members Chhagan Bhujbal, Vyamkappa Patki, Krupashankar Singh, Hussein Dalwai, Makhram Pawar and others. The visibly worried members pointed out that explosives were found at public places in Aurangabad, Nevasa, Pune, Rahuri and Ahmednagar in the last few months. They alleged that the explosives, mostly concealed in transistors or television sets, were left at places like bus stands and thus posed great danger for the public. Patki asked if Pakistan-based Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was behind these incidents andasked what action the Government had initiated in the matter.
Minister of State for Home, Prabhakar More, read out a list of such incidents. A bomb was found at Abhay Book Centre at Aurangabad on December 12, 1998. A transistor bomb was found opposite Suyog Lottery Centre at Aurangabad on February 24 this year. On March 1 this year, a bomb was found in a table lamp on a road of Aurangabad. About 12 detonators were found concealed in a tape recorder in a bus of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation at Nevasa bus stand on December 4, 1998. There was a letter addressed to the Education Officer in Aurangabad along with the bomb.
On February 19 this year, 9 sticks of gelatine and the same number of detonators were found in a box addressed to the State Education Minister Sudhir Joshi. The box was found on the Rahuri bus stand in Ahmednagar district. Another bomb kept in a table lamp exploded at Vallabhnagar bus stand in Pimpri, Pune on January 16 this year.
“But the most serious case was detected onMarch 3, 1999 at Ahmednagar bus stand. A set of detonators and gelatine sticks were found hidden in a old portable television set on a semi-luxury bus of the MSRTC. The box which carried the bomb was addressed to Chief Minister Narayan Rane. A message on the box read: `Pad aur niyamon ka galat istemal karnewaloke khilaf sanghtan Indian Tiger (Indian Tiger: an organisation against those misusing office and rules)’. The bomb was defused by the police and a disaster was averted,” More said.
The Opposition then demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the matter, saying the lives of citizens as well as political leaders were at stake.
At this point, Munde denied any such inquiry and assured that an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police (IGP) will thoroughly probe the incidents and submit a report to the State Government.
