Police focus on ISI angle, Church disagrees

Sandesh Prabhudesai
15 June 2000  

The whole focus appears to have turned upon the ISI and not the Sangh Parivar while probing into the bomb blasts in the churches in Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka simultaneously on 8 June.

Though local police authorities are tight-lipped over the whole investigation process, highly placed sources in the department reveal that enough clues have been gathered to believe that it was the ISI plot to plant bombs in the Churches.

It is also learnt that the probe is now totally being monitored by the union ministry of home affairs, in co-ordination with the police departments of all the three states. The ministry has taken over its monitoring as it is reportedly confirmed now that all the three incidents are inter-connected and not isolated ones.

While political parties like the Congress here have flayed the ISI theory projected by the BJP stating that the ISI would never plant crude bombs, police now says that the bombs were not crude but high density ones used in all the three states. The same bomb and forensic experts have reportedly visited all the places to confirm this.

The investigating authorities here also believe that Vasco, the port town, was chosen strategically to plant the bomb at St Andrews Church since it is also close to the air port and railway station while the multilingual population settled here would facilitate in not getting noted when a person moves around for the operation.

Though they have reportedly arrived at a conclusion that the outsider - and not a local Goan - was involved in the act, the police however are also working hard to find out what local connection the criminals had. But they have reportedly not succeeded so far in making any headway in this direction.

Though the investigations are moving into the direction of targeting the ISI, the local Church however refuses to digest the theory. "I find no reason to believe it. What the ISI has to do with Goa ? It appears to be a mere eyewash", quips Fr Carmo Martins, the Church spokesman.

On the contrary, he alleges that the central government appears to be siding those who are involved in the act. "Has the centre done anything in practical terms in last one year to protect the minorities while our Churches and religious persons are being attacked", he asks.

Reacting sharply soon after the blast took place in Vasco, the local Church had already said to have been suspecting a plot against the minorities while disturbing the communal harmony. The police however appear more inclined towards the BJP theory that it is the ISI plot to create communal divide among the communities here.

Your Comments Please