Blasts @ Bodh Gaya

Nine low-intensity serial blasts targeted the world renowned pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya and Maha Bodhi Temple complex, one of the holiest Buddhist shrines, injuring two monks. However, the temple and the Bodhi Tree, under which Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment,did not suffer any damage .
The monks, Tenzing Lama and Bala Sanga, have been admitted to the Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital at Gaya and their condition is stable, hospital superintendent Sitaram Prasad said. While Lama sustained leg injuries, Sanga’s right hand was injured in the blast.
The explosions took place between 5:30 am and 5:58 am. No group has claimed responsibility for what the centre and state government have described as a terror attack in a region where Maoists have a strong foothold.
“While four blasts took place inside the Maha bodhi Temple complex, three occurred in Karmapa monastery, one each near near the famous 80-foot Buddha statue and at the bus stand near the bypass,” DIG Magadh range Nayyer Hussnain Khan said.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami said the serial explosions were a terror attack and NIA and NSG teams have been sent for investigations.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who rushed to the blast site from Patna, demanded deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force.
“The serial blasts deserve strongest condemnation in strongest possible words as the perpetrators targeted a place of religious faith for crores of people with the aim of spreading fear among them,” he said.