November 09, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 27, 1428

NEW DELHI, Nov 8: Indian authorities deployed extra security across the country on Thursday ahead of Diwali. Shoppers crammed into markets in New Delhi to buy sweets and gifts ahead of Friday’s festival of lights, causing major traffic snarls across the city.

In 2005, three bombs were detonated at crowded markets ahead of Diwali, killing 63 people and injuring over 180 others.

This year, New Delhi police said they were not taking any chances.

“Our rank and file are on duty for Diwali. Dog squads are checking in the markets and commandos are posted at the railway station, airport, and the main bus station,” police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

“There are police at all public places and at temples and mosques,” Bhagat said.

Security officials in New Delhi’s new underground rail system put commuters through thorough checks, asking them to unwrap their gifts, witnesses said.

The southern technology hub of Hyderabad, which was hit by a series of bomb blasts this year that killed more than 50 people, was also on high alert ahead of the festival, with sporadic checks being carried out across the city.—AFP