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A bomb blast in an old place of worship in Saharanpur town of western Uttar Pradesh early on Monday created much tension in the communally sensitive city.
Only minor damage was caused to the shrine. The blast did not result in any human casualty either.
A Saharanpur police officer told rediff.com on the telephone that the blast was caused by a crude bomb planted on the roof of the shrine and damaged the plaster and some tiles.
But what has caused concern, he said, was the recovery of more explosives, a battery, detonator and timer device from the gate of the mediaeval shrine, known locally as the Mughalwali masjid, suggesting that "there was a bigger design".
According to the police, "the recovery of some pamphlets along with the explosive material clearly shows that it was the handiwork of some unknown Hindu fundamentalist organisation called Arya Sena".
The pamphlets left behind by the culprits were evidently aimed at inciting communal trouble, carrying messages saying 'we are here to protect Hindu dharma' and 'our mission is to fight against those who want to spread Islam in this country through terrorism'.
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