Blasts in Gujarat and Maharashtra

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 3:09 am

The ordeal seems to be never ending as terror once again came visiting, this time in Maharashtra and in Gujarat almost at the same time on Monday (September 29).

At least five persons, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed and 80 injured yesterday, as terrorists set off bomb blasts in the communally-sensitive town of Malegaon in Maharashtra and Modasa town in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.

Curfew was imposed in the eastern part of communally-sensitive powerloom town of Malegaon town after the blast and stone-pelting by a mob. In both the incidents, explosives were suspected to have been placed on motorcycles.

Four persons perished and more than 70 were injured when a bomb went off at a hotel at busy Bhikhu Chowk area in Malegaon, police sources said. A silver coloured motorcycle was found parked near the site of the blast, police said.

Two of the four dead in Malegaon were identified as Sayed Zaheer Sayed Nissar and Rafiq Mustafa.

The mob pelted stones on police force and jeep of the sub-divisional-magistrate was also damaged in the stone-pelting, police said. Police also fired in the air to disperse the crowd.

Five policemen, including Addditional SP Viresh Prabhu were, among the injured in stone-pelting by a mob, police said. The blast in the powerloom town came two years after a powerful explosion in a mosque left 38 dead in September, 2006.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil appealed for peace in Malegaon which witnessed mob violence in the aftermath of a blast.

“Over 20,000 people gathered at the spot where the blast took place. We have rushed State Reserve Police Force personnel to Malegaon,” Patil, who also holds the Home portfolio, told reporters here.

“At this moment it is difficult to say whether the blast was an accident or a deliberate ploy to create panic,” Patil said, adding an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team has also rushed to the spot in North Maharashtra.

In Modasa, a 15-year-old identified as Nizamuddin Ghori was killed and ten others were injured when an explosive device fitted to a motorcycle went off, Banaskantha district SP RB Brahmbatt said.

“One boy was killed and ten injured in a low intensity blast in the Suka Bazar area of Modasa town,” Sabarkantha District Collector N Narsan said. “Our primary investigation shows that two guys had kept a bag on a parked motorcycle which exploded. Suka Bazar is a congested area,” he said.

Brahmbhatt said the blast took place the Muslim-dominated locality of Modasa town at around 9.30 hours when the place was crowded following the breaking of the Ramzan fast. “The type of explosives used is still not known. It will be known only after the forensic lab reports come in,” Narsan added.

The bomb and dog squads have reached the spot, police said, adding the entire area has been cordoned off. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah said a red alert was sounded and security stepped up in the entire state where Navratri festival is beginning from today.

He said there was no prior intelligence input about the blast in Modasa. The explosion at Modasa came over two months after 55 people were killed in serial blasts in Ahmedabad in July this year.

Earlier on Monday, 17 crude bombs were found near the communally-sensitive locality of Kalupurdarvaja in Ahmedabad.

(With inputs from PTI)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Blasts in Gujarat and Maharashtra

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