Another blast in Delhi

Two weeks after serial blasts ripped through the capital, it was hit by a low-intensity crude bomb, which went off on Saturday afternoon in the crowded Sarai Market, near Aulia Masjid in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area. A nineyear-old boy, who innocently picked up a black polythene bag containing a tiffin box bomb, was killed on the spot as it exploded in his face. Twenty-five people were injured. According to late night reports from AIIMS hospital, a 60-year-old man succumbed to his injuries.Police have ruled out the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen. Six people were detained in connection with the blast as security was stepped up in the capital. Delhi Police was not willing to confirm that it had received warning of a strike from an anonymous caller in Faridabad or that it had received an email to that effect on September 24. According to eyewitnesses, the electronic goods market was packed with shoppers when a black Pulsar motorbike went through the narrow lane intent on its deadly business. It had two helmeted riders, who dropped the bag with its deadly payload in the middle of the road, in front of a shop, Anisha Electronics. Out on an errand, the nine-year-old boy, Santosh, thought the men had unknowingly dropped the bag. In a heartbreaking act of kindness to strangers, Santosh rushed to pick it up, running after them as he shouted for them to stop. It was then that white smoke began to pour out of the bag. The boy dropped it, but too late to save his own life. This happened around 2.05 pm. The victims were rushed to AIIMS and Fortis hospitals, where 10 of them are reported to be critical while others are out of danger, said hospital sources. The police were called seven minutes after the bomb went off. Teams of officers and ambulances rushed to the spot. The blast left a trail of panic with shops in the area closing for the day.