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Militants struck during prayer time

It was the evening prayer [aarti] time, and as devotees thronged the magnificent Swaminarain temple on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, militants struck.

Within minutes, gunshots were heard amid utter confusion as unsuspecting devotees found themselves trapped in the six-storeyed temple which is located in a sprawling 23-acre complex.

Cries of children could be heard as makeshift stretchers were quickly arranged carrying the blood spattered injured to hospitals. The task of volunteers carrying the stretchers was all the more difficult as they had to run more than 100 metres to reach the nearest vehicles.

Scores were injured and they included several old people as a 70-year-old woman stared emptily capturing the suffering of scores of injured in the sudden attack on the huge Swaminarain temple.

A couple of eye witnesses narrated gory accounts of how they saw a few bodies scattered in the temple premises and spent bullets lying around.

The temple itself is located in a high security area near the residences of the chief minister and the state governor. The state secretariat is just two km away.

Panic quickly gripped the area, as anxious people wanted to know the fate of the chief priest of the temple, who is revered by many important personalities. President A P J Abdul Kalam had met the head priest during his recent visit to Ahmedabad.

The sprawling lush green area made it difficult for the scores of commandos to secure the area in phases from any further threats as they slowly zeroed in on the main precincts of the temple.

Complete Coverage: Gujarat Temple Attack

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