Lucknow, Nov 23: Terror struck on Friday in Uttar
Pradesh when militants triggered near-simultaneous blasts in
court premises in Varanasi, Faizabad and the state capital
killing 14 people, some of them lawyers, and injuring over 50
others. UP police has released the sketch of a suspect behind the bomb blast in Faizabad.
Six bombs -- three in Varanasi, two in Faizabad and one
in Lucknow -- some planted on cycles, went off within a span
of 15 minutes in the crowded court complexes between 1310
hours and 1325 hours.
A near stampede broke out in and around the blast spots
with many injured bleeding profusely running for their life
while several other wounded lay on the floor crying for help.
Police immediately rushed to the spots and cordoned off
the area and helped people in rushing the injured to various
hospitals.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, security was put on high alert
in several parts of the country including the Delhi, Mumbai,
Bangalore and Hyderabad.
S B Shirodkar, Senior Superintendent of Police in the
temple town of Varanasi, which was the target of a terror
strike last year, said nine people were killed and 45 others
injured, some of them seriously, when two bombs planted on
cycles went off in quick succession.
He said the injured have been admitted to four hospitals
including Benares Hindu University Hospital. He said the
explosives, planted on cycles, went off when the court premises
was crowded with lawyers and litigants.
Four of the dead in Varanasi were identified as Bodh Raj
Verma (Advocate), Yagya Narain Singh, Moolchand Singh and a
11-year-old boy Sanjeev Kumar.
Priyatosh Tripathi of the bomb disposal squad in
Varanasi said the two improvised explosive devices were
planted on two new bicycles and placed in the busy area of the
court complex.
In Faizabad town, adjoining holy town of Ayodhya, five
people were killed and 25 injured when two bombs in bags
exploded in two lawyers' chambers.
Four of the dead were identified as Radhikaprasad Mishra
(lawyer), his assistant Babu Ram, Om Prakash Pandey (stamp
vendor) and Kesari Prasad (client), officials said.
They said the first explosion was minor in nature while
the second claimed casualities ripping through the two
advocate chambers. Three of the seriously injured were taken
to King George Medical College Hospital in Lucknow.
Five people were killed in Faizabad town adjoining
Ayodhya while an equal number died in two blasts that rocked
the Collectorate Complex housing lower courts in the holy town
of Varanasi.
In Lucknow, the bomb was planted on a cycle near an
electricity complex. However, there was no casuality. A live
bomb with a timer device attached to it was also found and
defused.
Calling it a terror strike, UP Chief Minister Mayawati
said security has been put on high alert and efforts are on to
nab those responsible for it. She said six bombs -- three in
Varansai, two in Faizabad and one in Lucknow -- had been
detonated by the terrorists.
She announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs two lakh to the
kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Investigations in full swingPolice in Lucknow has also launched a manhunt for Shamim, a friend of Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islamia militant Waliullah who was arrested in connection with Sankatmochan temple blast in Varanasi last year, after he was identified by a cycle shop owner as one of the customers who purchased new cycle in the state capital.
The sketch of Shamim was also being released to facilitate his apprehension.
Sources said Shamim had been frequenting Waliullah in jail.
Bureau Report