Holy city blast kills child

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A two-year-old girl was killed and at least 25 people were injured in a blast at Dashashwamedh ghat, in the holy city of Varanasi, on Tuesday evening. The injured included some foreigners. While agency reports earlier said the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the terror attack and had warned of more

attacks, sources in the Mumbai police told this newspaper the email was sent by a group that calls itself Al-Fateh. A nationwide alert has been sounded, particularly in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The blast occurred around 6.20 pm, when hundreds of devotees, including a large number of foreigners, had gathered to watch the ceremonial aarti of the river Ganga at the ghat. “We had gathered here for a Ganga Mayee aarti and were getting ready to leave when a loud noise was heard and we ran for our lives. The ghats had been the target previously also,” an eyewitness told the media at the scene of the blast. The blast, which took place a day after the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, was about two km from the Sankat Mochan Mandir, which was targeted by terrorists in 2006.
Forensic teams are being flown in from Agra to Varanasi for detailed investigations, additional director-general of police Brijlal said.
An improvised explosive device (IED) and live bombs were recovered from a dustbin at the site of the blast. It is suspected that the bomb that exploded had been put inside a crack in the ghat’s stairs. A minor stampede followed immediately after the explosion.
The email, titled “Let’s feel the pain together”, said the Babri Masjid demolition will “haunt” the nation “until the Muslims are paid back justly and fairly”. The email also referred to the recent Allahabad high court judgment on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit and the reported clean chit given to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi by the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team probing the post-Godhra riots.
According to police sources in Mumbai, the email, sent by a group calling itself Al Fateh, was traced, a few hours after being received, to the Inorbit Mall in Malad where a wi-fi connection was used. “Primary inquiries reveal that the email was sent from the email id alfateh0005@gmail.com [2] from an IP address that has been used twice. An Airtel broadband connection was used while using the email ID, and the email was written on Monday,” said a senior Anti-Terrorism Squad officer. Security agencies said the five-page email was signed “Al-Arbi”.
However, ATS officials believe the name “Al Fateh” could be a red herring meant to throw investigating agencies off the scent of the actual perpetrators and that the Indian Mujahideen are the top suspects behind the blast. The ATS is now conducting inquiries to trace the email sender.
Meanwhile, sources in the Malad police said there are six cyber cafes in Malad of which two have Airtel broadband connections. Inquiries are underway with both cyber cafes and other avenues of investigation are also being explored, the police said in Mumbai.
Condemning the attack, Union home minister P. Chidambaram said the attack was an “attempt to disturb peace and harmony by a misguided group”. He said the authenticity of the IM mail is being verified.
Police teams have been sent to the area to ascertain the details. Intelligence sources said the email had been prepared on Monday. The intelligence agencies are looking at the possibility of a link to the recent shootout at Jama Masjid in New Delhi in October, said Mr U.K. Bansal, secretary for internal security, home ministry. He said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and forensic teams are on standby. Home ministry sources said the NIA may take up the investigation if the UP government seeks it. “The NIA will probe the case if it is involved in the probe from day one,” an official said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a message, said: “My heart goes out to the suffering families and we will provide succour to them.” Dr Singh has sought a report on the low-intensity bomb blast in Varanasi. He said the blast was an attempt to “weaken” India’s resolve to fight the “evil forces of terrorism” and that such attempts would not succeed. He appealed to people to maintain peace and calm.
Varanasi, which was rocked by twin blasts on March 7, 2006, has been under constant threat from various terror outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.