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20 killed as 3 explosions rock Varanasi, red alert in UP

Immediately after the blasts, police was put on high alert in many parts of the country with security being beefed up at places of worship and vital installations.

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VARANASI: Terror struck this temple town on Tuesday evening when three bomb  blasts in quick succession rocked the Sankatmochan shrine and the cantonment railway station here, killing at least 20 people and injuring over 50, some of them seriously.

The worst hit was the railway station where 14 people were killed and 30 injured in a powerful explosion outside the waiting room at 6:25 pm on platform one where the Delhi-bound Shivaganga Express train was, sources said.

Minutes before this, a bomb went off at Sankatmochan temple, when it was teeming with devotees. At least six persons were killed and 25 others injured in the explosion.

All the injured were rushed to various hospitals in the city, many of them taken by good  samaritans, as police cordoned off the sites.

Immediately after the blasts, police was put on high alert throughout the country, with security being beefed up at places of worship, vital installations and government buildings. The Centre issued an advisory to all states to take steps to ensure law and order and to specially see that there was no communal flareup.

The three explosions occurred between 6 pm and 6.45 pm, police said. A bomb was recovered from a residential area and was defused, they added.   

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts and officials said it was too early to pin blame. But most previous attacks on temples in India have been blamed on Islamic militants. 

Most of the injured had received injuries on their legs and abdomen.Initially, police were unsure if the blast was due to a bomb or a cylinder in a mithai shop within the complex.

As police and fire personnel were busy evacuating people from the temple, another blast rocked the holy city -- this time at the waiting room on platform number 1 of the Cantonment railway station. The station was evacuated.

Sources said 12 people died in the explosions and several were injured.

Four bombs were recovered at the Dashaswamedh Ghat, two kilometres away from the Sankatmochan temple. Bomb disposal squad were rushed to site to defuse the explosives

The blast at the railway station was so powerful that it created a one-foot deep crater on the platform. The area was splattered with blood, with parts of bodies strewn around.

The blast at temple set out panic and a near-stampede situation as devotees scrambled to rush out to safety. Two weddings were being solemnised in the complex when the explosion took place. People were seen ferrying bleeding injured persons, including old women, to the hospital.

A red alert has been sounded in across the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Orissa, Allahabad and Mumbai following the blasts as UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav announced ex-gratia for the victims and appealed to people to maintain peace and order.

Yadav announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to relatives/families of those killed in the blasts, Rs 1 lakh to those seriously injured and Rs. 50,000 to people with minor injuries.

Patrolling has been intensified throughout the state, especially in sensitive areas, including those in the state capital where communal clashes had taken place last Friday.

Cutting across the partylines, leaders from all the politcal parties have condemned the blasts in Varanasi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi condemned the blasts and appealed to the people to maintain calm.

Singh said the government was making all efforts to deal with the situation. He urged the people to maintain peace.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil spoke to Mulayam Singh Yadav and discussed the situation following the explosions. He said the Centre is in constant touch with the UP government for any assistance that they may require.

The home minister, who chaired a high level meeting here to assess the situation and decide on the steps to be taken to deal with it, said that the situation is constantly being reviewed at the highest level.

He said he would meet the prime minister and Sonia Gandhi, and was considering a visit to Varanasi on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said that the Centre had sent an advisory to all states that terrorists may target places of religious importance, so they should take precuationary measures.  He said most states, including Uttar Pradesh, have taken steps.

In a statement in Varanasi, the BJP condemned the "dastardly terrorist attack" on a Hindu temple and the railway station in Varanasi.

 "Uttar Pradesh has become yet another breeding ground for terrorists due to the continuing appeasement policies of the Central and state Government. Both Governments have failed to protect Hindu shrines and religious places", it said.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad flayed the UPA government for failing to ensure the safety and security of the majority community and its places of worship.

"The blasts at Varanasi have proved the failure of the Centre once again to fight 'Jehadi' and subversive forces and protect the Hindu community and its places of worship," VHP All India Joint Secretary Vyanaktesh Abdeo said.

RSS termed as "shocking and disturbing" the bomb blasts at Varanasi and accused the Central and state governments of being "incapable" to deal with the menace of terrorism.

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