Terror struck Jaipur on Tuesday evening when six serial blasts rocked crowded areas including one near a temple in the space of a few minutes leaving at least 15 killed and scores injured.
Police sources said that 15 persons perished in the attack that triggered a stampede in the affected areas in the walled city which are frequented by foreign tourists. Six women were among the dead.
It is for the first time that the Pink City is coming under terror radar.
Unofficial figures put the toll at around 20. Scores of wounded people were ferried to several hospitals soon after the low-intensity blasts hit at Tripolia Bazar, where large number of devotees turned up at a Hanuman temple, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal in the walled part of the city.
Rajasthan Director General of Police A S Gill said it was "obviously a terror attack." Police sources said the attack was meticulously planned and the first blast occurred around 7.40 PM and the remaining blasts were set off in quick succession.
The Union Home Ministry reviewed the situation while Mumbai and Delhi were put on high alert. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed in Jaipur to help deal with the situation as security was beefed up. One of the blasts took place in a car and another near a handloom shop in Kotwali area of the city, home department sources said. There were also reports that a live bomb was defused by a bomb disposal squad.
Police sources said that cycles may have been used to trigger the blasts that occurred in the space of 12 minutes at the crowded areas.
One of the blast sites is near the famous 'Hawa Mahal'. Both President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. Home Minister Shivraj Patil who is touring the North-East is likely to cut short his visit to Meghalaya.
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