NEW DELHI, Oct 30: India was on the hunt on Sunday for the attackers who killed at least 61 people in coordinated blasts in New Delhi, with suspicion falling on militants opposed to the peace process with Pakistan.
The blasts ripped through a bus and two crowded markets on Saturday night just as diplomats from the nuclear-armed rivals were finalising a deal to open up their de facto border in disputed Kashmir for earthquake relief efforts.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed India would not bow to “terrorism”.
“These are dastardly acts of terrorism aimed at the people of India,” Singh told a press conference on Sunday morning after flying back to the capital from the provinces.
“These terrorists wish to spread a sense of fear and suspicion among peace-loving people. The blasts have been timed to create disaffection during the festive season,” he said.
A home ministry official said 61 people had been killed and 188 wounded. Most of the deaths happened at Sarojini, where a large number of gas cylinders used by stall-keepers apparently exploded.
A second blast hit the Paharganj area near Delhi’s main railway station while a third occurred on a bus in the capital’s Okhla industrial sector.
Police said the driver, who was critically wounded, prevented a number of deaths by stopping the bus and getting passengers off after seeing a suspicious bag. As the driver hurled it out of his vehicle, it exploded critically injuring him.
Singh said there were “some clues” in the investigation but gave no further details. Some local media disputed reports from a police spokesman that people had already been detained for questioning.
But police officials, who declined to be named, told AFP and Press Trust of India that at least 22 people had been detained in connection with the blasts.
As detectives and traders picked through the market debris, grieving relatives waited for news of their loved ones or anxiously stayed at hospitals hoping for the best.—AFP
