Singh condemns serial blasts in UP

Lucknow: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned Friday's serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh and expressed sympathy to the victims.

Singh issued a statement from Uganda where he was attending a summit of Commonwealth leaders.

In New Delhi, the US embassy also condemned the attacks.

"Such acts strengthen the resolve of all well-intentioned people, including India's friends in the international community, to defeat terror and build peace based on the rule of law," Singh said.

Six blasts ripped through the civil court premises in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow within minutes of each other at 1.30pm on Friday.

A series of bombings have hit India in the past two years. In August, two explosions killed 43 people in the southern city of Hyderabad. In July 2006, bombs in seven Mumbai commuter trains killed more than 200 people.

Security tightened

Lal Krishna Advani, the leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said in Parliament that "the attacks were an intelligence failure".

Security was tightened in the Supreme Court, high court and lower courts as well as sensitive installations in New Delhi.

Police have been instructed to keep a strict vigil at the borders and areas adjoining the capital, particularly at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.

"Though there are no specific inputs about possible terror threats in the city, we have taken unprecedented security measures and are fully prepared. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads are already on high alert," said Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat.

Additional police personnel have been deployed along with bomb disposal squads at Delhi Metro stations, at railway stations and bus terminals.

Delhi Police have put road barricades at various intersections and sniffer dogs have been deployed at railway stations. Metal detectors are in place at entry points in busy markets and security agencies are keeping a close watch over all VIP areas.

Simultaneous bombs were exploded in a gap of five minutes in each place of the cities. The terrorists have targeted the judiciary and the bombs exploded in the court premises of the three cities.

Compensation

Chief Minister Mayawati has strongly condemned the bomb blasts and ordered stern action against the terrorists. She has announced an ex gratia of Rs200,000 (Dh18,180) each to the kith and kin of those killed in the blasts and Rs50,000 each to those injured in the blasts.

Mayawati told journalists in a hurriedly convened press conference at her official residence that the central intelligence agencies did not provide any prior information to the Uttar Pradesh Government regarding the blasts.

This indicated failure of the central agencies, she said and appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony in the state.

The police said that in Varanasi and Faizabad, the bombs placed close to tin sheds housing chambers of lawyers were either of low intensity or did not explode with full intensity if they were of high intensity.

The bi-cycles on which the bombs were placed were not blown away. They were only partially damaged, thereby reducing the damage. The bomb that exploded in court premises of Lucknow was of very low intensity, the Inspector-General of Police, Lucknow Zone, A.K. Jain said.

The bombs were exploded a week after the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police along with central security agencies arrested three terrorists belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad that allegedly planned to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

The lawyers thrashed the three militants arrested in Lucknow when they were being produced before a court in Lucknow. The lawyers held demonstrations in Lucknow and Allahabad and blocked the roads in protests.

- With inputs from agencies