GAYA, July 15, 2013: There are few takers to the denial issued by the Maoists about their non-involvement in the recent Bodh Gaya serial blasts. Besides international terrorist modules, the Maoists figure prominently on the investigating agency's radar.

Going by the reported thinking among investigators, the Maoist organization by issuing a belated denial about their involvement in the Bodh Gaya blasts has further strengthened the perception the organization or that some of its activists (in their individual capacity) may have executed the serial blasts as a diversionary tactics. Another school of thought among investigators is that either the Maoist organization or some of its members in their individual capacity could have carried out the blasts for some other terror module for monetary consideration.

The alibi given by the Left wing extremists group about the delay in issuing the denial attributing it to remote location of its leadership and its inaccessibility to channels of modern communication does not cut much ice with the investigators given that the extremist outfit has developed an effective communication network in recent times.

There are several reasons why the Maoists cannot be given a clean chit at this stage of the investigation. Besides the modus operandi and use of technique bearing a typical Maoist mark (use of gas cylinders, ammonium nitrate and detonators etc), the low intensity of the blasts and its timing, fits in with the Maoist scheme of things.

If the Maoists were, indeed, behind the Bodh Gaya blasts, their motive must only have been to divert the attention of the government from the ongoing anti-Maoist operations and not cause real damage either to the shrine or the devotees and that explains the low intensity of the blasts and the odd timing of triggering the blasts when there were few people in the Bodh Gaya temple complex.

Ever since the Senari massacre, the Maoists have taken a policy decision to avoid killing of innocents and that explains the deliberate choice of low-intensity blasts and odd hour timing. Moreover, if the Maoists really did it, they have at least partially succeeded in diversionary objective given that soon after the blasts, quite a few of the CRPF personnel engaged in anti-Maoist operations were withdrawn and deployed in Bodh Gaya.

However, the officials soon realized the consequences of lowering the guard on the Maoist front and a couple of days later, the CRPF personnel were re-deployed for anti-Maoist operations. The intensity of the operations against the Left wing extremists too appears to have weakened and that way the blasts have given Maoists the much needed breathing space to re-draw their strategy.

In case, the CPI (Maoist), as an organization did not plan and execute the Bodh Gaya blasts, the probability of its activists lending their services to the real operatives for monetary consideration has not been entirely ruled out. Given the falling level of discipline in the Maoist body and the low level of indoctrination of its squad members, the rebels falling to the temptations of easy money is not a far-fetched proposition.

Whereas, at the macro level, international terror modules remain the prime suspects, the time tested 'benefit theory' of crime detection tilts the nail of suspicion towards the Maoists and anti-Nitish political forces in almost equal measure. All that can be said at this stage is that it is uphill task for NIA - currently investigating the Bodh Gaya blasts - to nab the culprits and the agency needs a bit of luck to find out tenable evidence to solve the case.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 15, 2013.