TN govt to recommend NIA probe into Coimbatore car cylinder blast

The Tamil Nadu government said on Wednesday that it would recommend to the Centre a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the Coimbatore car cylinder explosion case. The state government also announced raising a special police force to foil sabotage and bolster its intelligence wing.

The announcement was made even as senior NIA officials held discussions with Tamil Nadu Police on the Coimbatore blast case, a day after the five persons arrested in connection with it were slapped with charges under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The blast left Jameesha Mubin dead in front of a temple in the city. Subsequent investigations revealed a huge quantity of explosives in his house and an apparent plan to attack five important centres in the city, including the railway station, town hall, and the police commissioner’s office. It was revealed that Mubin and some of his accomplices were already on the NIA’s radar.

Even as the Opposition AIADMK and BJP trained their guns on the government, the city police arrested five of Mubin’s associates. They will be in judicial custody till November 8.

NIA to visit blast site

NIA officials in the rank of DIG and SP held discussions with senior state officials in Coimbatore in connection with the blast, police said. They are likely to visit the blast site and Mubin’s house, where 75 kg of low-intensity explosives were seized, they added.

Watch: 5 held in Coimbatore cylinder blast case 

At the Secretariat in Chennai, Chief Minister M K Stalin, who also holds the Home portfolio, held a meeting with top state government officials to review the law-and-order situation. Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, Home Secretary K Phanindra Reddy, Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu, and others were reportedly present at the meeting.

Lamps to thank deity

Since the incident, the city has been under a tight security cover, as the explosion occurred in front of the Kottai Eswaran temple in Ukkdam. The area, the heart of the city, is communally sensitive, and the incident happened the day before Deepavali.

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Over 100 BJP workers and people have already taken part in a prayer meeting in front of the Kottai Eswaran Temple. Led by BJP Mahila Morcha president and Coimbatore South legislator Vanathai Srinivasan, women lit lamps to “thank the presiding deity for protecting the city and people from a big disaster.”

(With agency inputs)