Agartala, Tripura: Four back-to-back terror strikes on 1st October, a Wednesday evening in Agartala, the capital of Tripura state which shares an 856 km porous border with Bangladesh, left at least four people dead and 76 others injured, several critically, according to hospital sources. The state police confirmed only one death but said the toll was likely to rise.While Tripura has long been a conduit for smuggling and terror merchandise, most violence in the state has been related to insurgencies of tribal groups. But the blasts on Wednesday, security officials said, were likely to be the work of the Bangladesh-based Harkat ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI), a terror group which has been frequently blamed for attacks in UP and Hyderabad. Investigators are still probing the possible connection between HuJI and the Indian Mujahideen, the SIMI splinter group which has claimed responsibility for the serial blasts in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi in recent weeks.The first explosion in Agartala took place at about 7.30 pm at Radhanagar bus stand and a few minutes later, there was another blast at Maharajganj Bazar in the heart of the city. The two places are about 2 km apart. Two live bombs were found at Motor Stand and Colonel Choumohany near the palace compound. As the injured were being taken to the Agartala government medical college hospital, another blast rocked G B Bazar, which is on the route of the ambulances taking the injured to the hospital. The fourth blast at 8.15 pm was near Kathiababa Ashram on the outskirts of the state capital. There was a heavy rush of puja shoppers at Radhanagar bus stand, Maharajganj Bazar and G B market, all in the heart of the city. As in Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Delhi, news of the blasts triggered citywide panic and all telecommunication links were jammed with people calling to check if their family and friends were safe. Quoting eyewitnesses, police sources said two persons riding a motorcycle were seen moving about suspiciously at the Radhanagar bus stand. The blast took place there two to three minutes after they had left.
Modasa,Gujarat: Blast-scarred Gujarat was jolted just days before Navratri on Monday when a bomb went off in Modasa town of Sabarkantha district in north Gujarat, leaving a 17-year-old boy dead and more than ten injured. The incident occurred hours after the recovery of 17 crude bombs in Ahmedabad’s Kalupur area. Police said a bomb left in a motorcycle in a crowded market went off around 9.30 pm, killing Zainuddin Ghori. “An electronic gadget was found from the site. Forensic experts have been called in to ascertain whether it was a timer device and what sort of explosive substance was used,’’ said Sabarkantha district collector M Thennarasan. “One person was killed and ten injured in the blast that took place at Suka bazaar. Police reinforcements have been rushed to the spot. The injured are being shifted to hospital,’’ he added. The area was immediately plunged into darkness, triggering panic among shoppers thronging the area before Id and nearby residents. “It is Ramzan and Suka bazaar is usually bustling at this time. Some seven bikes were parked near a closed shop. One of them had a bag close to its petrol tank. This exploded. The bike was blown to bits,’’ said eyewitness Razzak Khan. Some other eyewitnesses said two persons were seen parking the Splendor bike (GJ 9R 2896) there. Moderate Muslims of Modasa , a north Gujarat town, which has long been regarded as a SIMI bastion, were perhaps targets of Monday night’s bomb attack, which killed one person and injured ten others near a mosque as people were streaming out after their late evening prayers. Police are viewing Modasa bomb blast on Monday as part of the feud between Bareilvi and Deobandhi factions of Sunni Muslims, rather than an act of terror by some hardline Hindu outfit. The attack was targeted at devotees coming out of Shahi Kot Masjid of moderate Bareilvis which draws around 2,500 faithfuls for Ramzan prayers.This mosque is located close to Hidayat Masjid, which is under the control of hard-line Tablighi-Jamaat and draws only 200 people. While prayers at Shahi Kot ended just before the blast, the last ‘namaz’ at Hidayat ended 15 minutes after the explosion. After the blast, police rounded up several known SIMI activists from a list, which was prepared by the intelligence wing of Sabarkantha police. “The Tablighi-Jamaat of Deobandhis was trying to extend its influence over Modasa for some time, but their numbers were not growing. We are questioning some suspects,” said a cop.
Malegaon, Maharashtra: Two mysterious blasts in the heart of Malegaon killed seven persons, including a 12-year-old girl and a woman, on Monday night and injured 30. The blasts occurred outside the SIMI office at about 9.30 pm when a Ramzan special prayer was being offered in all mosques across the textile town. Two of those wounded were reportedly injured when police opened fire to disperse a mob that had barged into the Azad Nagar police chowky located barely 15 metres from the blast site. Three policemen were also reportedly hurt. Curfew has been imposed in central Malegaon.The wounded, among them a 16-year-old student, Azhar Ahmed from Islampura, were rushed to nearby hospitals.Inspector general of police S P Gupta (Nasik range) said it appeared to be a lowintensity IED blast. Senior police officers had earlier described these as cylinder blasts while angry locals insisted that bombs had been set off. A Hero Honda motorbike, which was parked at the blast site, was completely mangled. The historic Bhikku Chowk area in which the blasts occurred is located among three mosques and is barely 300 metres away from Mushwerath Chowk where four powerful cycle bombs had exploded in September 2006, killing 31 people and injuring 297. Nine SIMI suspects had been arrested in those blasts. Additional SP (Malegaon) Sanjay Patil said the blasts took place on a motorcycle. “Soon a huge mob gathered and pelted stones at the police. We fired five rounds in retaliation. The crowd prevented the police from entering the area. There is tension and we have summoned additional forces. The mob attacked us brutally,’’ he added. Four companies of the State Reserve Police have been deployed in the troubled area. Malegaon sub-divisional magistrate Ajay More said that the situation on Monday night was quite tense. “Three policemen, including an IPS probationer Viresh Prabhu, are injured. Prabhu was hit by a stone and has a big gash on his head. We have admitted the policemen to Wadia Hospital,’’ he said. Residents of Malegaon have alleged that Monday’s blasts were a conspiracy to disturb the law and order situation two days prior to Eid. “I saw people running helter-skelter on the road and youths taking the injured to the hospital,’’ said Khaleel Ahmed who lives in the vicinity. This area is near Anjuman Chowk, which happens to be Malegoan’s women’s market. Thousands of women were shopping at the time of the blasts. The SIMI office had been functional until the outfit was banned on October 24, 2001. Bhikku Chowk also houses about six tea stalls. A team of forensic experts from Nashik is headed for Malegaon to gather evidence. A team from the anti-terrorism squad has also arrived in Malegaon, ATS chief Hemant Karkare said.
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