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New Delhi: At least 80 people were killed and more than 200 injured when a series of seven blasts rocked the tourist hotspot of Jaipur last evening, police and television reports said.
The bombs, many of them strapped to bicycles, went off in a crowded area in the central province of Rajasthan’s capital city within a span of 15 minutes. Rajasthan is a state in western India and it was the deadliest bomb attack in the country for nearly two years.
The first blast occurred at about 7.45pm near a Hindu temple which attracts a large number of devotees on Tuesdays; another temple too was targeted. The other bombs went off in areas such as Tripolia Bazaar, Johari Bazaar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal in the walled part of the Pink City, as the northern India town is known to tourists.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the attacks and called for calm.
UAE condemns attacks
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Foreign Minister, in a statement, condemned the attacks. Britain and the United States said there could be no justification for killing innocent people.
Police said the explosives on bicycles were detonated by timers. An eighth bomb was defused by the police bomb squad.
Among the dead and injured were devotees and shoppers who were thronging the popular markets.
"We have information that 80 people have died," state home minister Gulab Chand Kataria told reporters. "One suspect was detained and is being investigated.”
Appeals for blood
Director General of Police in Rajasthan, A.S. Gill, called it a terror attack, although no group has claimed responsibility. Television channels quoted government and intelligence officials as blaming Pakistani or Bangladeshi militant groups.
Delhi and Mumbai put on high alert
Local television stations and police officials appealed for blood donations as people flocked to the main government hospital in Jaipur in search of missing relatives.
The state police have sealed all borders and launched an investigation. Major Indian cities including the national capital Delhi and western metropolis Mumbai have been put on high alert.
"An alert has been sounded in the wake of the series of blasts in Jaipur," Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.
Additional police personnel were deployed along with bomb disposal squads at Delhi Metro stations, railway stations and inter-state bus terminals.
"An extra security cover has been extended to all the religious places, including the Jama Masjid, Akshardham and Iskcon temples," the spokesman said.
Police erected road barricades at various intersections and sniffer dogs were deployed at railway stations. Metal detectors were in place at entry points in busy markets and security agencies were keeping a close watch in all VIP areas.
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh immediately condemned the blasts that occurred within just 12 minutes in a radius of 50 metres in an area that is inhabited by both Hindus and Muslims.
Injuries
"There was total chaos after the explosions and many have been injured," said an eyewitness, Lakshmi Narayan.
"I was standing at Manas Chowk [one of the areas targeted] when a huge and thundering explosion occurred," he added, even as he was being treated at a hospital.
Jaipur annually attracts thousands of visitors, many of them foreigners, as it forms part of the tourist golden triangle with Agra and New Delhi.
The blasts targeted among others a Hanuman temple that was packed with devotees for the weekly Tuesday prayers, and a popular sweetshop, the Lakshmi Mishtan Bhandar.
"The first blast took place at 7.35pm in the Manik Chowk Police Station area, the second has been in Johari Bazar area near the famous Lakshmi Mishtaan Bhandar, the third blast took place in Tripolia Bazar [where the Hanuman temple is situated] and one has been reported near Sanganeri Gate area", another police official said.
Police immediately cordoned off the affected areas and rushed the victims to the Sawai Man Singh hospital.
All entry and exit points from Jaipur have been sealed, police said.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil cut short his visit to the northeastern region and was rushing to Jaipur to review the law and order situation in the wake of the blasts.
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