RAF conducts flag march in Malegaon

Malegaon: Rapid Action Force personnel on Tuesday conducted a flag march in Malegaon, which was hit by four bomb blasts on Friday.

"They (flag marches) are just being done to dispel the fear among locals. The RAF is also getting familiarised with the local area," Nashik's Superintendent of Police Rajvardhan said.

The flag march by the RAF at the Bada Kabrastan area, the site where two blasts occurred on Friday, was aimed at boosting the people's confidence, Rajvardhan added.

Police are questioning 40 to 50 people in connection with the bomb attacks that killed 31 and injured nearly 300, and teams of investigators have fanned out to various places, he said.

"We are also checking all out-station calls made from Nashik and Malegaon on that day," he said. Rajvardhan said police have also got leads from outside Malegaon.

Reports from two forensic laboratories on samples collected from the blast sites in the town are expected in 48 hours, he said. A report received on Monday has said that the bombs used in Malegaon contained RDX.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil on Tuesday rejected the opposition's demand to hand over the probe in Malegaon and Mumbai bomb blasts to the CBI.

Patil said that all the central agencies were working in co-ordination with the state police to probe the blasts in both cities.

Refusing to divulge any details on the progress of investigations in both the cases, Patil said the probe was progressing in the right direction. "The perpetrators of crime are not far away from the police dragnet," he added.

Patil said the police are probing as to how those who at aim at provoking Hindus and inciting communal violence failed in Mumbai and wanted to try their luck with Muslims in Malegaon.

Similarly, the role of Hindu outfits given the background of the Nanded blasts where members of the certain Hindu organisation were found to be in possession of clothes worn by traditional Muslim men and were also involved in making explosives, he added.

Stating that people of Mumbai and Malegaon have displayed impeccable standards of communal peace and harmony, Patil said some attempts are being made to create trouble by calling for bandhs and morchas in protest against the blasts.

He warned that damages caused due to such incidents would be recovered from those who organised such protests.

When asked about Samajwadi party leader Abu Asim Azmi's reported provocative statements in Bhiwandi, Malegaon and Akola, Patil said Azmi had not made any provocative remarks in Bhiwandi.

"I have read about his statements in the newspapers and asked for a report from the police before taking actions," he added.