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'Lashkar-e-Toiba behind blasts in Marathwada'

The Maharashtra government said Thursday the militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind recent bomb blasts in Marathwada and affirmed that it was maintaining a strict vigil and will deal firmly with any eventuality.

The government is also co-ordinating with neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and a meeting of director generals of police of the three states was recently held to chalk out a joint strategy to tackle the situation, Minister of State for Home Manikrao Thakre told the assembly.

Thakre was replying to a calling attention notice moved by Shobha Phadanvis (Bharatiya Janata Party) and others regarding the militant organisation's activities in Dharmabad and Nanded. The notice sought to know the action taken by the government in connection with bomb blasts in a room in Dharmabad on November 7, 1998 and in a cinema hall in Nanded last February.

Azam Gauri, self-styled commander of the Indian Muslim Mohammadi Mujahideen was behind the blasts, he said, adding that investigations had established Gauri's links with the Lashkar-E-Toiba. Gauri was killed in an encounter with the Andhra Pradesh police last April, Thakre said.

Based on a diary found on Gauri, police raided the premises of the organisation in Nanded and recovered around Rs 1.5 million, four foreign-made revolvers, two country-made pistols and a detonator, he added.

Ten persons have been arrested while Roshan Baig and Abdul Wahi are at large, the minister added.

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