Bomb Blasts Kill 45 in India
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New Delhi — India’s cities were put on high alert yesterday after 16 bombs exploded in a provincial capital, leaving 45 dead.
The terrorist attack in Ahmedabad in Gujarat state was among the worst of its kind. Bombs positioned in public spaces to cause maximum casualties exploded in quick succession.
One day before the blasts on Saturday night, seven small bombs had exploded in Bangalore, the center of India’s thriving software industry. The security forces fear that more cities may soon be targeted.
“The entire nation has been asked to step up security at vital installations,” an official spokesman said.
All the bombs in Ahmedabad exploded within the space of an hour. They detonated in the midst of teeming bazaars, congested neighborhoods, and outside hospitals, which were tending the injured from the first blasts.
While the death toll rose, at least 160 people were wounded in the relatively affluent Muslim-dominated city, including many women and children.
The bombs, fashioned from ammonium nitrate and packed with ball bearings to maximize their destructive power, were strapped to bicycles and motorbikes. Some were hidden under the seats of crowded buses. All were detonated with timers at staggered intervals.
Two doctors were killed by explosions in adjoining hospitals.
“Never before have we seen such ruthless bombings of hospitals. The terrorists’ objective was to strike the defenceless and deepen the fear,” a senior security official said.
Pankaj Patel said his son, Rohan, and daughter, Pratha, were killed at Ahmedabad hospital. “I came with my two children to cheer up my mother admitted to hospital. They were laughing when the blast occurred. Now they are dead,” he said.
The city police commissioner, OP Mathur, said one unexploded device had been found. About 30 people had been detained for questioning, he added.
The home affairs minister, Shivraj Patil, said: “Anti-national elements have been trying to create panic among the people of our country. The Ahmedabad blasts are part of the same strategy.”
The aim was to trigger communal bloodshed between Hindus and Muslims in the volatile city, he said. Six years ago, Ahmedabad and Gujarat endured a month-long pogrom, targeted mainly against Muslims, which left at least 2,500 people dead.
