Bomb Blasts In India - 1

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>36 killed in twin blasts </b>

Hyderabad, Aug. 25: At least 36 persons were killed and 42 were injured in near-simultaneous blasts that ripped through [bLumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bandar in the city on Saturday evening[/b]. The death toll is likely to go up further. Police officers said they had seized an unexploded bomb tied to a scooter near a theatre in Malakpet at 10.30 pm.<b> The first blast occurred at 7.38 pm, police and bomb experts said. It shattered the eating joint at Koti near the VHP office, where hundreds were enjoying a relaxed Saturday evening. As many as 26 people died in the blast and scores were injured.</b> 

Four minutes later, at 7.42 pm, a bomb exploded at the Lumbini Park where a laser show was going on, killing 10 people. <b>The park abuts the Hussainsagar, right in front of the high security zone of the State Secretariat.</b> Police suspects that the blasts were caused by bombs which were connected to timer devices. <b>“These were powerful blasts but I cannot confirm now whether they were acts of terror or not,” </b>said commissioner of police Balwinder Singh. “We are sure that the blast in the Lumbini Park was caused by a bomb, but we are not sure of the nature of the blast in the eatery.” 

Most of the injured were rushed to Mediciti Hospital and the Osmania General Hospital in the city.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy and home minister K. Jana Reddy visited the blast spots. Three bodies were still lying at Lumbini Park when the VVIPs rushed to the blast site. The blast in Lumbini Park was so powerful that more than a dozen chairs were blown to bits. Bodies were strewn all around the place. People rushed out, gripped by panic, causing a stampede.

It was blood-soaked chaos in the emergency ward of the OGH too where 26 persons, including two children, were brought in dead. Another 35 persons were rushed in with injuries. The blast had disfigured the faces of some of them. Others are feared to have lost their eyes. Cleaning staff were straining their sinews to wash away the blood which had made the ward floors crimson.

“The bomb went off as I entered Gokul Chat Bandar with my daughter,” said S. Vimala, one of the injured. “It was a huge blast with a deafening sound. I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I could not spot my daughter.” However, her 10-year-old daughter escaped with minor injuries and later searched out her mom. “Most of the injured are in shock,” said OGH chief medical officer Dr D. Manohar. “We are giving the best available treatment. All the doctors are on duty and additional medical teams have been called in.” Meanwhile, top officials and a Telugu Desam delegation led by MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy reached the hospital.

Relatives and friends of the injured and dead were milling outside in a state of grief and panic as police did not allow them in. Many did not even know whether their dear ones were alive or dead.The families and friends of the victims were too rattled to pin blame on anyone. Ravikumar, a friend of Shyam Rao of Seethaphalmandi who died in the blast at Gokul Chat Bhandar, was at a loss for words after seeing his friend’s body at the Osmania General Hospital. “He was about to get married soon,”said Ravikumar. “I am unable to express my feelings.” K. Krishna Chaitanya, who also died at Gokul, was to celebrate his birthday on Sunday.

“I was watching the news when I saw my friend Chaitanya and rushed to the hospital,” said his friend K. Krishna Chand. “It is absolutely shocking.” Apsa Jahan and her daughter Farhana had gone to Gokul after buying books from Koti. Jahan died and the daughter was seriously injured.  Their relatives were inconsolable. There were heart rending scenes at Mediciti and Yasodha hospitals too.

“I am searching for my missing relatives, Mohammed Saleem, Fareeda and their children Mohammed Ameer and Mohammed Ali,” said Asia Sultana a resident of Mehidipatnam. “They had gone for the laser show. But now I can’t trace them.” Meena, who came from Rajkot along with her family, was injured in the blast. “But I am more worried about my son, who is in critical condition,” she said. Police identified three persons who died at Yashoda Hospital as Mohammed Basith, 21, Ibrahim Khan and N.K. Jain, inspectors of railway police in Madhya Pradesh. Most of the victims were tourists.


<b>Explosive made at Nagpur plant </b>
Hyderabad, Aug. 25: <b>The explosive chemical used in the Hyderabad twin blasts was manufactured at Nagpur, police said on Saturday. Investigators also confirmed that the twin explosions were carried out by crossborder terrorists. Bomb experts who worked on the unexploded bomb found near the Malakpet foot overbridge near Veknatadri theatre, identified the explosive as Neo Gel 90, a slurry and emulsifier (class 2 explosives) manufactured by Ameen Chemicals at Nagpur. A wooden container was used to stuff the slurry. The bomb was fitted with an alarm clock manufactured by Prince Company.</b>

Police is suspecting the role of sleeper cells of the Harkat Ul Jihad Al Islami (HUJI) and Jaish-e-Mohammed combine based in Bangladesh. These two terror organisations were suspected of triggering the Mecca Masjid bomb blast on May 18. A police official said that they were examining the role of Shahed alias Bilal, a main accused in the May explosions. <b>The twin explosions are clear cases of intelligence failure according to experts. Though the Masjid bomb blast was a clear indication of terror group activity and the presence of sleeper cells, officials did not sustain their efforts to nab the terrorists.</b>

A senior police official said,<b> “The counter intelligence department that is supposed to keep tab on ISI sponsored terror activities failed miserably. There was an attempt to divert the police attention with bomb hoaxes.” </b>The improvised explosive device made of slurry and detonated mechanically were earlier made by modules belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed. “Huge amounts of fake currency was caught in the city.<b> A Dubai and Pakistani angle is being suspected in this,” said an intelligence official.</b>

Home minister K Jana Reddy said that the State police are investigating the role of the ISI in the twin explosives. “By analysing the previous incidents it can be suspected that ISI is involved. We will verify during the investigation. I appeal the people to remain calm,” said Jana Reddy.


<b>Bomb timed with anthem </b>
Hyderabad, Aug. 25: The bomb in Lumbini Park was timed to go off while the national anthem played at the end of the laser show. And as the audience stood to render the anthem a powerful blast rent the night. Lumbini Park security officer in charge of the night shift on Saturday, Vijay Kumar, told this correspondent,<b> “The music of the national anthem was being played and the audience rose to sing the anthem. It was then that the bomb went off,” he said. Security personnel had not frisked visitors to the park. </b>

<b>Rain saved many lives </b>
Hyderabad, Aug. 25: Had it not been for the rain god, the tragedy that struck the city on Saturday night would have been much worse. There was a sharp drop in the number of visitors at Lumbini Park, a relatively inexpensive entertainment park alongside Hussainsagar, where one of the bombs exploded.
The bomb went off at the famous laserium when a laser show was on. The laserium can seat about 2,000 people. However, due to heavy rain in the evening, only 500 people turned up for the show. Lumbini Park director Chandra Mohan Reddy told this correspondent that 500-odd tickets were sold.

“On weekends, the laserium is usually packed to capacity. The seats are usually sold out an hour before the show. However, today only a few hundred people turned up because of the downpour,” he said. Though the Lumbini Park is open to the public from 9 am to 9 pm, the laser show is held twice after 6.30 pm on weekends, and once on weekdays. The park is also the gateway for boating in Hussainsagar. However, there were not many takers on Saturday.

‘When we tried to lift a kid, his hands came off’

Hyderabad, Aug. 25: A Saturday night outing on a rainy day for a favourite hot chat proved deadly for many at the famed Gokul Chat Bhandar in Koti where a powerful blast killed 26 persons including three women and two children. Among the dead was a student who had come to the city with his parents to attend counselling for an engineering seat. “It was a gory sight. I saw the bodies of two persons without their heads. When we tried to lift one kid, his hands came off,” Sameer Vora, the owner of a ready-made garment shop near Gokul Chat told this correspondent.

Mr Vora and other shopkeepers including book stall owners were among the first to rush to the spot after hearing the blast which occurred inside the eatery at around 7.40 pm, during peak hours.
“We stopped two RTC buses, requested the passengers to get down, and shifted the dead and the injured to Osmania General Hospital. We also stopped six autorickshaws who readily obliged to shift the bodies,” he said.

<b>Another eyewitness alleged that though some policemen were standing nearby none dared to come near the dead for some time. It took over 40 minutes for the 108 ambulance to reach the spot. </b>

Being the weekend, a large number of chat lovers had made a beeline to Gokul Chat on the busy Koti Road. The shop was closed by the health department for violation of norms and had reopened recently.
If terrorists had intended to cause maximum damage, the eatery was the perfect setting as huge crowds gather there daily.

“The blast was so powerful that the entire area shook like a tremor. There was no fire, only smoke,” said Mukesh Gana, a shopkeeper. The entire place was blood-soaked and human parts were strewn all around. “I haven’t seen such a gory sight in my entire life,” Mr Vora said. Vasantha, a resident of Saroornagar, was seen frantically searching for her son Sadasiva Reddy. “We were just entering the shop when the blast took place,” Ms Vasantha said while crying uncontrollably. She said she called up her son’s mobile phone but there was no response. “His mobile is ringing but he is not picking up. I don’t know to which hospital he has been shifted,” she said.


OGH floor turns red
Hyderabad, Aug. 25: It was a blood-soaked nightmare in the emergency ward of the Osmania General Hospital, where 26 persons who died in the twin blasts were brought in. Two of them were children. Another 35 persons were rushed in with severe injuries. The blast had disfigured the faces of at least 10 of them. Others are feared to have lost their eyes. Cleaning staff were straining their sinews to wash away the blood which turned the floors crimson.

“The bomb went off as I entered Gokul Chat Bandar with my daughter,” said S. Vimala, one of the injured. "It was a huge blast with a deafening sound. I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I could not spot my daughter.” However, her 10-year-old daughter escaped with minor injuries and later searched out her severely shaken mom. “Most of the injured are in a state of shock,” said OGH Chief Medical Officer Dr D. Manohar. “We are giving the best available treatment. All the doctors are on duty and additional medical teams have been called in.”

Meanwhile, top officials of the district administration and a Telugu Desam delegation led by MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy reached the hospital. Relatives and friends of the injured and dead were milling outside in a state of grief and panic as police did not allow them in. Many did not even know whether their dear ones were alive or dead.


<b>Cops checks spot nothing </b>
<b>Hyderabad, Aug. 25: How effective are the nakabandis that the police sets up frequently on the city's main roads? Not very, if the experience of this correspondent is anything to go by. Recently, the police set up checkposts on either side of Tank Bund. But this correspondent could enter Tank Bund without being stopped by using the lane opposite Vivekananda Statue. Worse, several drivers spotted the police nakabandi from afar and simply turned back and drove away. Nothing was done to stop them.</b>

This is a routine practice on almost all roads where the police puts up checkposts at night. Drivers, sometimes risking their lives against oncoming traffic, turn tail and the police makes no effort to follow. Even at the checkposts, the police merely looks for the licence and helmet in case it is a two-wheeler rider. These days, the focus is on getting drunk drivers. There is no checking of vehicles, no frisking, nothing. There were no checks on Lower Tank Bund, none on any other road leading to Tank Bund. In the RTC Crossroads-Station road, police had set up three sets of barricades but bored constables merely looked as the traffic flowed past. Did one of those vehicles carry Saturday’s bombs?


<b>Tight security for weddings today</b>
Hyderabad, Aug. 25: <b>More than 30,000 marriages are taking place on Sunday on an auspicious muhurat coinciding with the birth star of Lord Venkateswara</b>. Police has tightened security in view of Saturday’s bomb blasts, and has asked people to report suspicious objects. <b>The day’s highlight would be the marriage of Nara Lokesh, son of Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, with Brahmani, daughter of film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna in Hitex at 8.30 am</b>.

<b>The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is also holding mass marriages of about 10,000 couples as part of their Kalyanamastu programme. “About 3,000 marriages</b> are going to take place in the twin cities alone,” said P. Ram Babu, secretary of Andhra Pradesh Archakas’ Samakhya. There have been no marriages in the last couple of months since they were inauspicious. The bad period ended on August 15 with the beginning of Sravana and this phase will continue till September 16.

TTD fixed August 26 as the best muhurat of the month and others followed suit. “There is usually a huge rush after a lengthy inauspicious period,” said senior priest Pingali Venkata Sastry. “We have more than two lakh priests. There will be no shortage.” Mr Naidu will be inviting 15 members of the politburo for the wedding which he wants to be a simple affair. Separate functions have been arranged in the city, at his native Naravarepalli in Chittoor district for regional leaders. From the bride’s side, Balakrishna, who is also Mr Naidu’s brother-in-law, will host a reception at his father N.T. Rama Rao’s birthplace Nimmakuru village in Krishna district on August 29.
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