Advani NOT the target of pipe bomb

As investigations in the case related to the pipe bomb that was planted on L K Adavani's yatra route progress, the Special Investigation Team said that the Bharatiya Janata Party leader was not a target. The police now suspect that the incident was carried out either by the People's Democratic Party leader Abdul Madani's faction or its rival group.

"These two groups, which have been at loggerheads in Tamil Nadu, often carry out such attacks only to embarrass each other. The target was never Advani," said an official investigating the case.    

The police are now probing if the anti-Madani faction planted the pipe bomb to put the rival body in trouble. However, they are not ruling out the role of Madani's followers as well. 

However, there has been no concrete evidence against any of these groups. Those detained are not divulging much information and they continue to maintain that the operation was carried out by individuals. The police have not been able to zero in on any terror modules operating in Madurai and have ruled out the possibility of extremists being involved.

Madani and his rival faction are at war in Tamil Nadu. Both are always finding opportunities to malign each other. They could have possibly planted the pipe bomb and the intention was only to create panic, said the police.