Bombings in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad

[Saddle Bronc 124]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7525033.stm

'Serial bombs' hit India's IT hub

Seven bombs have hit the southern Indian city of Bangalore within minutes of each other, police say.

At least two people were killed and several people injured. Police say the bombs were detonated with timers.

The blasts have been described as low intensity and all are reported to have occurred in crowded areas.

Bangalore is the information technology hub of India with more than 40% of the country's IT and software industry based there.

Malls, schools and cinema halls across Bangalore have been shut and police have cordoned off the blast sites.

"We are conducting the investigation. Bomb squads have reached the scene. We appeal to the citizens to carry on their normal activities without any fear," Bangalore city police commissioner Shankar Bidri said.

Mr Bidri said each of the explosions were of a similar magnitude to one or two grenades.

He blamed the attack on people "disturbing the peace and tranquility of Bangalore city".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts.

The government condemned the blasts and vowed to catch those behind them.

"Such incidents will not deter the government from pursuing its policy of dealing with terrorists in a resolute manner," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.

Police said a woman died in the explosion at Madiwala area and another person died later.

Other blasts were in the areas of Nayanadhalli, Adugudi, Rajaram Circle, Anepallya and Ashok Nagar.

At least 12 people were injured and most have been taken to Bangalore's St John's hospital.

A large part of India's IT and outsourcing business is concentrated in Bangalore.

Dozens of large international firms like Microsoft, Intel and IBM also have offices in the city which is often called the Silicon Valley of India.

There have been a number of blasts in Indian cities in recent years.

They are almost always blamed on foreign militants but there have been no significant arrests or convictions in any of the cases.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7526810.stm

Bangalore police find eighth bomb

An unexploded bomb has been found near a shopping centre, a day after seven blasts killed two people in the city.

The bomb - close to the scene of two of the explosions - was defused by police outside the Forum Mall.

An investigation has been launched into the explosions, but so far no-one has claimed responsibility for them.

India's home ministry said it suspected "a small militant group", while police said the banned Students Islamic Movement of India was a suspect.

"Special squads have been formed to find out who is behind the blasts. We have not got any conclusive leads yet," Bangalore's additional commissioner of police MR Pujar told Reuters.

Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that police had blocked traffic to the road where the eighth bomb was found and were searching the area.

According to NDTV, a man in his 20s had been seen placing a bucket with the bomb. Eyewitnesses had described him and an artist's sketch was being made, a police officer was quoted as saying.

Police said Friday's serial blasts bore similarities to an explosion which occurred at a courthouse in Hubli, a city near Bangalore, in May. No-one was wounded in that blast.

Suspected Muslim militants there are being tried on charges of planning attacks in Karnataka state, of which Bangalore is the capital.

Bangalore is the IT hub of India, and also has a large outsourcing industry. Many firms have said they have increased security on their premises.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7527004.stm

Deaths reported in India blasts

At least 15 people have been killed and dozens more wounded after a series of explosions struck the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, officials have said.

More than a dozen blasts are reported to have hit residential areas, crowded markets, a train station and a bus in Gujarat state's commercial capital.

It is thought the explosions were caused by crudely-made devices hidden in boxes and on bicycles.

On Friday a series of similar blasts hit the southern city of Bangalore.

Appeal for calm

The Ahmedabad explosions came in two waves - the first occurring over a 20-minute period from about 1830 (1300 GMT).

There was another series of blasts shortly after.

"Our information is that at least 15 people lost their lives and many, many others are injured," AFP news agency quoted Gujarat minister Nipin Patel as saying.

Other officials said earlier that at least 55 people had been wounded.

TV stations broadcast images of a bus with its side blown up, shattered windows and the roof half-destroyed.

Footage also showed the body of a man lying motionless on ground next to the bus, covered in blood.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas, in India, says the explosions appear to have been a planned and highly co-ordinated attack.

Some of the bombs in the second wave targeted the hospitals where the injured were being taken, he adds.

Ahmedabad is an ethnically diverse city which has suffered from political instability in the past.

Riots broke out there in 2002 between Hindus and Muslims.

Reports suggested many of Saturday's blasts were in the city's crowded old quarter - a religiously-mixed area.

Analysts believe the attack may be linked to the Bangalore bombs and could be designed to whip up trouble between religious communities.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed for people to remain calm.

India has been hit by several waves of bombings in recent years. Targets have ranged from mosques and Hindu temples to trains and courthouses.

[Welshcookie 17]

Oh no...how terrible....my best friend has just moved to Ahmedabad a few months ago

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Where is south india's Narendra Modi?

It's time for a reminder.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Where is south india's Narendra Modi?

It's time for a reminder.

Dunno if Yediyurappa would qualify as Narendra Modi despite of being same party.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Either way. A reminder of what it's like to be fukced with, is in order.

Edited July 26, 2008 by A.J.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Either way. A reminder of what it's like to be fukced with, is in order.

I agree on that

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

F#cking scumbag terrorists.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

F#cking scumbag terrorists.

Word! Hopefully there will be connection, or alleged connection, between these bombings and Pakistan backed jihadi groups...