Jaipur Bomb Blasts

Yesterday night 9 bombs went off in the old city of Jaipur, in the main parts of the busy bazaars.




Here is an article from "The Times of India":

JAIPUR: Terror struck yet again — this time in Jaipur, at the busiest market, at the busiest hour, aimed with chilling precision to kill, maim, terrify and cleave the country. At last count, the toll was 80 killed, and with over 150 injured, it could go up. (Watch)

The first blast took place at 7.20pm on Tuesday in the crowded Johari Bazaar and within 15 minutes seven more blasts occurred in adjoining areas in the walled city — near the Hanuman Mandir, which was milling with devotees, near Hawa Mahal, at Badi Chaupad, Tripolia Bazar and Chandpole.

Within minutes, the entire market was a picture of total chaos. People ran screaming, jumping over dead bodies and severed limbs, skirting mangled rickshaws and damaged cars. The piercing wail of ambulance sirens replaced the firecrackers that would go off every other day in Jaipur to celebrate its victorious Rajasthan Royals T20 team.

Terrorists displaying the telltale tactics of Lashkar-e-Taiba and SIMI struck with bombs planted on cycles and cycle-rickshaws. In the past three years, this is the 21st terror attack outside Jammu & Kashmir. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje said, "We will not tolerate this."

Police later arrested a man from Mumbai. Rajasthan's director general of police, A S Gill, said the attacks were designed to cause maximum damage and the sites had been picked with care. He confirmed that bombs had been planted on brand- new Avon cycles. Similar cycle blasts on September 8, 2006, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, had killed 38 people during a Muslim festival day. Bombs on cycles were also used for the attack on the Faizabad court.

The Malegaon attacks were blamed on LeT and the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India.

The Jaipur attack might have been worse had three unexploded bombs not been defused in the walled city area. Another bomb was defused in the upmarket Raja Park area, triggering fresh fears. Mercifully, the city was keeping calm.

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Right now the city is under the curfew, Raja Park where I live is almost all shut down. Yesterday I missed the blast in the city by 12 minutes, but I saw what was happening afterwards. Late afternoon I was doing an interview for my academic research at Johari Bazaar, then I moved on to Hawa Mahal where I left my scooter. Bomb was exactly where I have parked. I went to visit one temple across the road and then went to Govindaji Mandir. On my way out from the temple I could see that things were not right - people rushed off somewhere and police came ready for a laathi charge. Big traffic, streets closed off, shops all shut. I looked up at Radha Damodar Mandir - temple was also shut and then I knew that something awful must have hapened since it was an aratik time for them. Police vans, ambulances, riot police and dispersed, disoriented crowds confirmed my fears.

Krsna has saved me by making me to go for Govindadevji's darsan at 7pm instead of 6.15. First I was planing to see Govindadev at 6.15 and then do my things after 7pm at Johari Bazaar, Hawa Mahal, Sanganeri gate - exactly the time and place of the blasts. Somehow or other I decided to have a longer darsan at 7 o'clock, instead of a 15 minute one after 6pm. Haven't I have done it - I would be well gone, since the route I always take is where the bombs were. I saw one of my teachers yesterday during the day, and since she knows that I am always at that time in these areas on my scooter, the first thing that she did after hearing about the bombs was that she went to my house to see if my scooter was there. It wasn't - I was out. She finally reached me on the phone and spoke to me at 11.30 pm to her relief.

While I was sitting in the temple yesterday night and looking at Govindadev I felt an inspiration to chant extra rounds and Gayatri, what made me to stay longer in the temple than I was expecting. Krsna's mercy, otherwise I wouldn't be here to write this blog entry...