NEWS

Jaipur blasts: 'Certain leads have been picked up'

Source:PTI
May 14, 2008 14:52 IST

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the serial blasts in Jaipur on Tuesday evening, which have left 63 people dead, was the handiwork of an international terrorist gang.

Raje said the blasts in Jaipur had similarities with the ones carried out in Lucknow, Faizabad and Varansi as the bombers used new cycles and other vehicles to plant the bombs.

Certain leads have been picked up and some people have been detained in connection with the serials blasts triggered by terrorists, Raje said on Wednesday.

There are some "slender leads" on which the state agencies are working and it is difficult to name any terror outfit at present, she told a press conference in Jaipur.

While no one has yet been arrested, some people have been detained for interrogation, the chief minister said in a second press meet since the blasts, but did not give out the number of those being questioned.

So far 63 people have died -- 56 in SMS hospital and 7 in SDM hospital, she said, adding that the dead included several women and children. The number of those who sustained injuries in the blasts is 118, she said.

Raje said 44 bodies have been identified and handed over to the relatives.

Replying to questions, the chief minister said there was no specific information with regard to the terror strike from Central agencies except some regular notices sent on Republic and Independence days to every state.

Earlier, Prime Minisiter Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil spoke to Raje on phone and assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the terror strike.

Observing that the blasts were part of a terrorist design to disturb peace in the state, Raje said, "Never in the history of Rajasthan has such a heinous incident happened and this is not an attack on the state, but on the nation."

She also stressed the need for an anti-terror law like Prevention of Terrorism Act.

"I am not playing politics on the issue, but we require Central-state cooperation to work against global terror," Raje said.

She said a bill on organised crime passed by Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha in 2006 was still awaiting the President's consent, while similar bills from Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh were cleared long back.

Were you in Jaipur when the blasts occurred? Please mail us your report and/or photographs to citizen.reporter@rediffmail.com and we will feature it on rediff.com

Additional Reportage: UNI

Source: PTI
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