A rchive Date
[ 30-10-2005 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ India ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/10/29/1284095-ap.html
Explosions shake New Delhi
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG
October 29, 2005
NEW DELHI (AP) - Near-simultaneous explosions rocked the Indian capital Saturday evening, tearing through a bus and two markets crowded with people shopping for gifts for a Hindu festival. At least 58 people were killed and dozens wounded in the blasts, which the government blamed on terrorists.
Police declared a state of emergency and closed all city markets. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged calm, while denouncing the apparently co-ordinated bombings, which came amid unprecedented Indian-Pakistani talks on opening the Kashmir border to facilitate aid for survivors of the region's devastating Oct. 8 earthquake.
"These are dastardly acts of terrorism," Singh said in a brief televised statement. "We shall defeat their nefarious designs and will not allow them to succeed. We are resolute in our commitment to fighting terrorism in all forms."
Asked who was responsible, he would only say "there are several clues." However, the Indian government faces opposition from dozens of militant groups - particularly Kashmiri separatists, some of whom also oppose the peace process between Pakistan and India.
The explosions erupted just hours after India and Pakistan began the talks on opening the heavily militarized border in disputed Kashmir to help move food, shelter and medical aid to victims of the Himalayan region's quake, which killed about 80,000 people, most in Pakistan.
Opening the border is extremely sensitive for India because of a 16-year insurgency by Islamic militants in Kashmir who seek to make the Indian portion independent or unite it with Pakistan.
But despite the blasts, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said early Sunday the two sides agreed to open the frontier at five spots beginning Nov. 7. Shipments of aid supplies will be allowed to cross at those points and Kashmiri civilians will be allowed to cross on foot, with priority given to those with families divided by the border.
Pakistan condemned the multiple attacks in New Delhi.
"The attack in a crowded market place is a criminal act of terrorism. The people and government of Pakistan are shocked at this barbaric act and express deep sympathy with the families of the victims," a Foreign Ministry statement said.
Prime Minister Paul Martin called the explosions "a cowardly act of violence clearly aimed at innocent civilians."
"Canada strongly condemns this act, and indeed all such terrorist attacks, which have killed and injured countless men, women and children," Martin said in a statement Saturday.
The Canadian High Commission in India is working with the Indian authorities to determine whether any Canadians were among the victims and to offer assistance, said the statement.
Canadian consular officials said there were no reports of any Canadian casualties.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the blasts "appear to have been targeted at heavily populated areas to produce maximum carnage."
"This is yet another example of terrorists' cynical and callous disregard for human life," Straw added. "On behalf of the British government, I would like to offer the people of India my support and deepest sympathy."
The first explosion hit New Delhi's main Paharganj market, leaving behind bloodstained streets and mangled stalls of wood and twisted metal. Within minutes came an explosion at the popular Sarojini Nagar market and the bus blast in the Govindpuri neighbourhood. Police said at least 60 people were wounded in the first blast and dozens in the other two.
The attacks targeted the many people shopping just days before the festival of Diwali, a major Hindu holiday during which families exchange gifts, light candles and celebrate with fireworks. The markets where the blasts occurred often sell fireworks that are elaborate and potentially dangerous.
"When I got up, there were people everywhere - they were bleeding and screaming," said Anil Gupta about 45 minutes after the blast as he sifted through the wreckage of his jewelry store. Scattered around his feet were bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil said 39 people were killed in Sarojini Nagar, popular shopping district in southern part of the city filled with everything from knockoff designer clothing to kitchen crockery.
Sham Lal, an official with New Delhi's fire department, said at least 16 people died in the Paharganj market blast, and another three were killed on the bus. He had no further details.
The blast occurred in small square in the market and badly damaged a row of shops, including Khandelwal's clothing store. About an hour later, investigators stood around a small, debris-filled crater about three metres from the string of shops.
All around, broken glass and other wreckage littered the street, shops signs were ripped and twisted and clothes - mostly T-shirts and scarves - hung from low-strung power lines.
A witness to the second blast, Satinder Lal Sharma, said some boys warned him about an unclaimed bag near a tree and he "started shouting 'Run! Run!"' just before the explosion. It destroyed several shops and left the tree charred and without leaves.
Govind Singh, who sells wallets and toys on cart next to a juice shop devastated in the explosion, said at least five people from his village were killed.
The explosion was "so loud that I fell down. Then a fire started," he said.
"I took out at least 20 bodies, most of them were children," Singh said. He and others wrapped the bodies in sheets that were being sold by one of the destroyed shops.
As he spoke someone asked him, "Where is Lal Chand?" "He is gone," Singh replied, and then started crying.
At Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Dr. S.K. Sharma, the emergency room chief, said his team had received four victims from the first blast who arrived dead and "charred beyond recognition." They were treating another 30 injured from the same explosion, he said.
He explained that burns were not caused by chemicals and most shrapnel injuries were from flying glass - not the screws or ball bearings sometimes packed into crude bombs. As he spoke, an ambulance pulled up and paramedics wheeled more victims into the hospital.
Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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