New Delhi - Initial investigations into the serial blasts in the northern Indian city of Jaipur that left over 60 people dead indicate that it was a well-planned operation by a terrorist cell, officials and news reports said Wednesday.
Govind, who was injured in the blast, mourns the death of his father Ram Prasad who was killed in the bomb blast, during funeral at a cremation ground in Jaipur, India on 14 May 2008. A curfew was imposed in large parts of the old walled city area of the northern Indian city of Jaipur. At least 60 people were killed and nearly 150 injured as terrorists set off a series of bomb blast at crowded markets in India's northern city of Jaipur on 13 May. EPA/MONEY SHARMA
Eight bombs went off within about 20 minutes Tuesday night in an area with a 2-km radius in the walled quarter of the Rajasthan state capital, leaving a trail of death. A ninth bomb was defused and has provided vital clues for investigators.
All the bombs are believed to have been packed with explosive chemicals and iron pellets attached to timers and placed on bicycles in some of the busiest locations in the city, a popular tourist destination, NDTV news channel reported.
'Slender leads' had been picked up by state agencies and some people had been detained, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said at a press briefing in Jaipur, PTI news agency reported. She said it was too early to name any terrorist outfit as being responsible for the blasts.
The chief minister said so far 63 people have died including several women and children and 118 were being treated for injuries. Unofficial sources quoted by PTI, however, said the toll could be as high as 85.
Most of the blasts took place near some of the city's most popular spots - a famous sweetshop in jewellery market Johari Bazaar, two temples to the monkey god Hanuman that draw the largest number of devotees on Tuesday, and an 18th century palace called the Hawa Mahal which is a major tourist attraction.
The blasts also occurred at the time of the evening when people were out shopping, returning home from work or on their way to the temples.
Officials said the blasts were clearly aimed at fomenting violence between Hindus and Muslims and imposed a curfew in the old city on Wednesday as a precautionary measure. Jaipur, which is predominantly Hindu but has a sizeable Muslim population, has no history of communal violence.
Anxious relatives were joined by well-wishers and blood donors at the hospitals through the night as Jaipur rallied to deal with the tragedy. Unlike bigger metros like Delhi and Mumbai, Jaipur has not been a terrorist target so far.
The pink-walled old quarters wore a deserted look through the day Wednesday with only the police and news reporters moving around amid the debris of the blasts.
The explosives used and modus operandi indicated that the Bangladesh-based Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islamia (HUJI) may have been involved, NDTV reported citing sources among investigators. It is believed that local groups also assisted in the operation.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced compensation of 100,000 rupees (2,353 dollars) for the kin of each of the victims and 50,000 rupees for the seriously injured from his relief fund.
The country's governing United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil are scheduled to visit the city on Thursday.
Messages condemning the blasts and pledging support to India in its fight against terrorism have been coming in from across the world including from the United States, Britain, Japan and Israel, PTI reported.
Bomb blasts, usually ascribed to Islamic extremist groups based in Pakistan or Bangladesh by Indian investigative agencies, occur regularly in India. Pakistan, however, has consistently denied charges of aiding Islamic terror groups.
Serial blasts in law courts in northern Uttar Pradesh state in November 2007 claimed 13 lives and similar explosions left 40 dead in southern Hyderabad city in August, 2007.
The most deadly attack in recent years has been a series of explosions on financial hub Mumbai's rail network that killed 180 people in July 2006.
The Jaipur blasts came just days before Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukerjee is scheduled to visit Pakistan to hold talks that are a part of an ongoing bilateral dialogue to resolve differences over borders and the disputed region of Kashmir. The issue of terrorism would come up in the talks, IANS news agency reported citing Foreign ministry sources.
Rajasthan, with its forts and palaces, is one of India's most popular tourist destinations, with thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visiting every year. However, summer, when temperatures hover around 40 degrees centigrade or more, is the low season, with fewer tourists visiting the state.
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