 Three powerful blasts, timed to strike within minutes of each other, killed at least 55 and injured over 155 people triggering off a wave of fear and panic across a festive city out on Saturday evening shopping for Diwali and Id. Casualty figures are expected to rise but this is already the worst single-day terrorist strike in the Capital. A nationwide alert has been issued as the Centreâs national crisis management group went into a huddle late this evening. Although Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said it was too early to say who was behind the blasts, security agencies said they were not ruling out the involvement of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Washington, too, issued an alert advisory to all its nationals to maintain a âlow profileâ in Delhi.
| You had a Qaeda big turban show up on Thursday, and Saturday there's a series of bus booms. I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions, but... |
The blasts come the day a Delhi court deferred sentencing in the Red Fort attack case. Seven, including one Pak national, were convicted earlier this week for terror crimes.
| Should have just hung them on the spot. |
Expressing his shock and distress, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: âThe target is clearly innocent citizens. Efforts to spread chaos and disturb peace will not be allowed to succeed at any cost. The government is determined to defeat nefarious designs of terrorist elements.â
| So he thinks it's Qaeda, too... |
Two hours after the police had defused a bomb at Khari Baoli, came the first explosion. At around 5.40 pm, it ripped through the busy Paharganj market near the New Delhi railway station. The market, frequented by backpack foreign tourists, was thronged with Diwali and Id shoppers. Eleven were feared killed here. Police said they suspect the bomb was planted in a rickshaw. The rickshaw-driver, who was killed, was identified late tonight as Sadanand Paswan, 35, of Bihar.
The maximum deaths occurred with the next explosion in the overcrowded Sarojini Nagar market in South Delhi where a bomb placed in a bag in a chat and juice shop went off at around 5.45 pm killing more than 39 people. Seven minutes later, another explosion rocked Govindpuri injuring 9 persons including the driver and conductor of a Delhi Transport Corporation bus on the Outer Ring Road route. The bus was packed when the blast happened. Said Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul said: âThe explosive was in a bag. There were a couple of gas cylinders which exploded too setting adjoining shops on fire. This is the handiwork of some organisation.â
| I'm only guessing, but I'll betcha I know which one... |
| Is it too late for India to withdraw its offers of quake aid? |
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