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May 14, 2008
Terror-hit
Jaipur Calm, 63 Dead, 216 Injured
By Anil Sharma, Sahil Makkar, Kavita Bajeli-Datt
Jaipur
Police and paramilitary forces Wednesday enforced a strict curfew in
a large swathe of Jaipur as authorities put the toll in the city's
first and horrific terrorist attack at 63 dead and 216 injured.
Tens of thousands of people were shuttered in their homes as an
uneasy calm descended on the city where eight bombs went off Tuesday
evening in 15 minutes within a one kilometre radius, causing a
bloodbath Jaipur had never witnessed.
But even as one country after another denounced the terror attacks -
the US, for instance, offered help in the investigations -
Rajasthan's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government accused the
central government of failing to provide focussed intelligence that
could have foiled the coordinated bombings.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje put the number of dead at
63, including seven women and eight children, and the injured at
216. Doctors said many of the wounded were in a serious condition.
Most were in two hospitals, where doctors worked through the night
performing emergency surgeries. Many victims had shrapnel wounds
caused when the bombs kept in bags and concealed in nine new
bicycles went off without any warning.
Many Jaipur residents crowded the hospitals to offer blood, creating
welcome scenes of brotherhood amid sorrow and grief.
Once the curfew in the walled city came into effect at 9 a.m., the
streets became deserted. With schools, offices and markets shut,
even other parts of the city saw poor traffic on the roads.
A handful of foreign tourists clicked away but refused to speak to
journalists.
Addressing her first press conference after the Tuesday mayhem, Raje
said: "The bombers targeted crowded places. They wanted to inflict
maximum damage. They wanted to raise Hindu-Muslim tensions.
"But I am confident that Jaipur will be back on its feet, there will
be no problem. The situation is now completely under control."
Police said all the dead and injured were Indians. The tourist
landmarks of Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar are in the
curfew-bound areas and thus now out of bound for visitors. But this
is not the tourist season for the Rajasthan capital, popularly known
as the pink city.
The chief minister said the terrorists had used high velocity RDX
explosives and ammonium nitrate. "We have got slender leads, not
definite leads. We have detained two or three people for
questioning."
Raje said that with a 1,000-km long border with Pakistan, Rajasthan
needed a tough law to tackle terrorism, akin to the now defunct
Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). "We have sent a similar bill to
the central government but it has been lying there for two years."
Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria told IANS: "The central
government is equally responsible for the terror blast in
Rajasthan." He was asked if Rajasthan had been lethargic to warnings
from the central government about possible terror attacks.
Inspector General of Rajasthan Police Pankaj Singh said: "We have
imposed curfew in the areas under 13 police stations to maintain law
and order. During the curfew only those holding funerals for their
loved ones who died in the blasts will be allowed to move about."
One of the carefully choreographed blasts went off near a Hanuman
temple that draws a large number of devotees on Tuesdays. The
affected areas are home to both Muslims and Hindus. The police
defused one explosive.
One police officer said the police were looking for a woman who
allegedly promised Rs.100,000 to a rickshaw puller to carry out the
terror attacks.
"We are looking for a woman, identified as Meena, who tried to lure
a rickshaw puller, Vijay, to carry out the attacks," the officer
said on the condition of anonymity.
Vijay, a resident of Mumbai who suffered minor shrapnel injures,
told the police that Meena lives near one of the blast sites. No
further details of the woman's role were available.
May 14, 2008
IANS | Top
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