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| India-Pakistan |
| Terror strikes Varanasi; 20 killed in serial blasts |
| 2006-03-07 |
| A series of explosions rocked the ancient city of Varanasi on Tuesday evening. According to initial reports, 20 people were killed and at least 60 people were injured, 10 of them seriously. The Government has appealed to all citizens to maintain peace. The Home Ministry has convened an emergency meeting. The first blast took place inside famous Sankatmochan temple adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath temple when it was teeming with devotees at the evening aarti time killing four persons on the spot. Minutes later, another blast took place at the holding area of platform number one of the Varanasi Cantonment railway station when Delhi-bound Shivaganga Express was stationary. The temple has been closed and all entry and exit points of Varanasi have been sealed. Bombs have been recovered from the Godaulia market area of the city too.The injured have been rushed to the SS Hospital of Benaras Hindu University. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has denounced the incident and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will be visiting the holy city to assess the situation there. High alert has been sounded across all public places and major religious institutions across the nation. While police initially attributed the explosion to a cylinder blast, intelligence sources later said advanced explosive devices were used in both the blasts. The sources have also said that the hand of Lashkar-e-Taiba was suspected behind the blasts. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has announced ex gratia relief for the victims and appealed to the people to maintain peace and order. In a statement issue, Yadav condemned the incident and appealed to the people exercise restraint and said the culprits will not be spared "Stern action will be initiated against all those found involved in the incident," he said. Yadav announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to those killed in the blasts, Rs 1 lakh to those seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries. A red alert has been sounded throughout Uttar Pradesh in view of Varanasi incidents, an official release said. Patrolling has been intensified throughout the state specially in sensitive areas including those in the state capital where communal clashes had taken place on Friday last. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has called for a bandh on Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Well calculated to cause maximum offence to Hindus. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2006-03-07 15:10 |