Pune: Two foreigners were among the nine people killed in a bomb attack on a restaurant in the western Indian city of Pune, police said on Sunday.
Pune police commissioner Satyapal Singh told a news conference that 12 foreigners were also among the 60 people injured. The rest of the victims were Indian, he said. Of the nine killed, eight of them were aged between 20 and 30.
Leopold Cafe in India's financial hub Mumbai in 2008 and the German bakery in Pune in 2010: Both are favourite eateries for foreign backpackers and young people and both have been targets of terrorist attacks in India.
There were more than 60 people in the crowded nine-by-nine metre premises, in the heart of Pune's upmarket Koregaon Park area on the eve Valentine's Day. They sat on wooden benches on cane mats eating their favourites from a largely European menu ranging from sandwiches to omelettes and puddings, accompanied by a variety of teas.
No one noticed when a backpack, like those every other person was carrying was left beneath a table, which was occupied as soon as it emptied. When the powerful device in the bag exploded it left a huge gaping hole in the wall and injured dozens.
Most of the young people at the table died, including a brother and sister from the eastern city of Kolkata who were studying at one of Pune's famous colleges. The injured included a Taiwanese man who had come to visit the Osho Ashram.
The bakery was like second home to members of the Osho commune, which was begun by the late spiritual guru Rajneesh and draws hundreds of his followers from abroad. Members of the commune in their maroon robes could be seen in the bakery all times of the day sipping tea.
Started in 1987 by a Pune resident who had lived in Germany for several years, the German Bakery is known for its wholesome food, particularly the apple strudle. It opens its doors at 6am and serves customers late into the evening.
Federal home Minister P Chidambaram admitted at a press briefing in the city Sunday that the terrorists seemed to be targeting places frequented by foreigners and young people. Besides the Taiwanese, the injured included nationals from Iran, Sudan, Germany, Yemen and Nepal.
Pune's landmark bakery has been reduced to rubble. But like Leopold's Cafe in Mumbai, which nurtures the bullet holes on its wall as a reminder of a November night that could not intimidate it into shutting down, the German Bakery too, hopefully, will reopen for its many diehard customers.
"The German Bakery was a favourite meeting place where we used to hang out with friends," said Pune student Raveesh Sharma. "We'll go back if it opens again."
What do you think this will lead to? How will this affect peace talks with Pakistan?
