05-14-2008, 06:16 AM
<b>60 killed as terror hits Jaipur </b>
Jaipur, May 13: Eight bomb blasts triggered by terrorists over just 12 minutes on Wednesday night killed at least 60 people in the heart of Jaipur and injured 200.
The explosions, the first terror strikes in the Pink City, occurred in markets usually teeming with people and near the Hanuman Mandir in the walled city. The bombings took place as India marked the 10th anniversary of nuclear tests conducted on May 13 in Rajasthan, but it was unclear if there was any link.
âAccording to the information I have received, 60 people have died and 150 have been injured,â said the Rajasthan chief minister, Ms Vasundhara Raje. <b>The Bangladesh-based Har-kat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJI) is suspected to be behind the blasts, home ministry sources said</b>. The sources ruled out the use of RDX in the carefully orchestrated low-intensity explosions, which were suspected to have been set off from cycles in areas frequented by tourists, including near the historic Hawa Mahal.
The blasts took place at Tripolia Bazar, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal, all located within a two-km radius in the old city. Inspector-general of police (Jaipur) Pankaj Singh said in all there were eight blasts, a couple of them in the same area. <b>The police said one explosive device was defused by the bomb disposal squad near the Hanuman temple.</b>
One of the blasts took place in a car and another near a handloom shop in Kotwali area of the city, home department sources said. Most of the injured were rushed to Sawai Man Singh hospital. The bodies of several victims lay strewn in the corridors of hospitals. The blasts triggered a near-stampede situation at the blast sites, which were crammed with peak-hour shoppers as panic-stricken people ran helter-skelter in search of a safe place.
Doctors said many of the victims of Tuesdayâs blasts had shrapnel injuries. They feared that the toll may rise further. The bomb explosions left blood splattered on the street and cycles and rickshaws in a mangled heap, television showed. âItâs a terror attack. There was no (intelligence) report of this,â the Rajasthan director-general of police, Mr A.S. Gill, told reporters.
<b>The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, condemned the blasts and appealed for calm</b>. Jaipur, which has a population of more than two million, is one of the nationâs top tourist resorts and a favourite attraction for foreigners. State borders were sealed and a high alert sounded in Rajasthan state and neighbouring areas, the police said. They said there were no immediate reports of any backlash. âThere is peace in the town. Nobody should worry,â Arvind Jain, a senior police official, told NDTV. The US ambassador to Delhi, Mr David Mulford, condemned the attacks, saying, âThere can be no possible justification for the murderous attack on innocent people.â
The Centre rushed the bomb data squad of the National Security Guard (NSG) to Jaipur. The Union Home Ministry reviewed the situation. The bomb blasts came eight months after terrorists struck at Ajmer, killing two persons. The blasts triggered panic and a stampede-like situation amid allegations by Opposition parties that there was a total intelligence failure. IPL chief Lalit Modi said a league match scheduled to be played in Jaipur on Saturday will go on as planned. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed in Jaipur to help deal with the situation as security was beefed up.
Meanwhile, the ministry of home affairs on Tuesday night declared a nationwide alert. <b>The home ministry advisory asked all states to be âextra vigilantâ where crowded areas are concerned and ensure that âadvantage is not taken of the situationâ. </b> <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Jaipur, May 13: Eight bomb blasts triggered by terrorists over just 12 minutes on Wednesday night killed at least 60 people in the heart of Jaipur and injured 200.
The explosions, the first terror strikes in the Pink City, occurred in markets usually teeming with people and near the Hanuman Mandir in the walled city. The bombings took place as India marked the 10th anniversary of nuclear tests conducted on May 13 in Rajasthan, but it was unclear if there was any link.
âAccording to the information I have received, 60 people have died and 150 have been injured,â said the Rajasthan chief minister, Ms Vasundhara Raje. <b>The Bangladesh-based Har-kat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJI) is suspected to be behind the blasts, home ministry sources said</b>. The sources ruled out the use of RDX in the carefully orchestrated low-intensity explosions, which were suspected to have been set off from cycles in areas frequented by tourists, including near the historic Hawa Mahal.
The blasts took place at Tripolia Bazar, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal, all located within a two-km radius in the old city. Inspector-general of police (Jaipur) Pankaj Singh said in all there were eight blasts, a couple of them in the same area. <b>The police said one explosive device was defused by the bomb disposal squad near the Hanuman temple.</b>
One of the blasts took place in a car and another near a handloom shop in Kotwali area of the city, home department sources said. Most of the injured were rushed to Sawai Man Singh hospital. The bodies of several victims lay strewn in the corridors of hospitals. The blasts triggered a near-stampede situation at the blast sites, which were crammed with peak-hour shoppers as panic-stricken people ran helter-skelter in search of a safe place.
Doctors said many of the victims of Tuesdayâs blasts had shrapnel injuries. They feared that the toll may rise further. The bomb explosions left blood splattered on the street and cycles and rickshaws in a mangled heap, television showed. âItâs a terror attack. There was no (intelligence) report of this,â the Rajasthan director-general of police, Mr A.S. Gill, told reporters.
<b>The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, condemned the blasts and appealed for calm</b>. Jaipur, which has a population of more than two million, is one of the nationâs top tourist resorts and a favourite attraction for foreigners. State borders were sealed and a high alert sounded in Rajasthan state and neighbouring areas, the police said. They said there were no immediate reports of any backlash. âThere is peace in the town. Nobody should worry,â Arvind Jain, a senior police official, told NDTV. The US ambassador to Delhi, Mr David Mulford, condemned the attacks, saying, âThere can be no possible justification for the murderous attack on innocent people.â
The Centre rushed the bomb data squad of the National Security Guard (NSG) to Jaipur. The Union Home Ministry reviewed the situation. The bomb blasts came eight months after terrorists struck at Ajmer, killing two persons. The blasts triggered panic and a stampede-like situation amid allegations by Opposition parties that there was a total intelligence failure. IPL chief Lalit Modi said a league match scheduled to be played in Jaipur on Saturday will go on as planned. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed in Jaipur to help deal with the situation as security was beefed up.
Meanwhile, the ministry of home affairs on Tuesday night declared a nationwide alert. <b>The home ministry advisory asked all states to be âextra vigilantâ where crowded areas are concerned and ensure that âadvantage is not taken of the situationâ. </b> <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->