Union Home Minister Sushilkumar
Shinde today said the Centre has taken a "serious" cognisance
of the August 1 multiple low-intensity blasts in Pune even
though they failed to inflict any major damage.
Shinde, who held a meeting with police officers to
review the investigation, later told reporters that "Although
it looked like a minor episode, the government is treating it
as a serious one. We will find out the threads and links in
the investigations which have started from moment the blasts
occurred".
He, however, parried the query on a terror angle to
the blasts, saying it was a "sensitive" matter.
"We are probing all possibilities. I will not comment
on this at this stage. We will come out with all information
when the investigation being conducted by central and state
agencies, is complete", the home minister said.
Asked if the explosions had anyway related to his
scheduled (subsequently cancelled) visit to the city on the
fateful day, Shinde said it could be a "coincidence".
"Route to the venue of the function I was supposed to
attend was different", he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who
received Shinde, too held a separate meeting with ATS and city
police officials.
Chavan told reporters that the investigation was going
at "full steam".
"The material sent to forensic labs is being analysed.
Our main concern is to find out who did it and with what
motive", he added.
On Wednesday, four low-intensity explosions took place
between 7.37 PM and 8.15 PM on the bustling Junglee Maharaj
Road in Central Pune, leaving one person injured.
The blasts occurred near Balgandharva Theatre, Dena
Bank branch, a McDonald food outlet and Garware bridge.
Meanwhile, as part of the ongoing probe into the
coordinated blats, a Pune ATS team has reached Karnataka as
two persons being quizzed in connection with the incident are
natives of that state, police said.
"Ramzan Shaikh and Altaf Shaikh, two friends of Dayanand
Patil, the sole person injured in the blast, are being
questioned. As they hail from Bijapur in Karnataka, a team has
rushed there, looking for some clues," a Pune ATS officer
said.
