Toll touches 45 in Ahmedabad blasts, emergency meeting summoned

Ahmedabad/Delhi, Jul 27 (UNI) The death toll in the serial bomb blasts that rocked the business capital of Gujarat yesterday rose to 45 with 15 more people succumbing to injuries today even as Home Minister Shivraj Patil convened a high-level meeting in the national capital to review the security situation in the country.

The Army took out a flag-march in the communally-sensitive areas of Ahmedabad this morning. Several companies of the Central Reserve Police Force patrolled several parts of the city.

Thirty people had been reported killed in the 20 explosions that ripped through the city yesterday, a day after Bangalore was hit by serial blasts.

Crime branch sleuths have so far detained at least 50 people for questioning.

Fear gripped the textile city of Surat as two explosive-laden cars were found by crime branch officials here today.

According to police, authorities first spotted a black Wagon R car, with RTO passing in Vadodara, near Puna General Hospital here.

Two cars laden with bags full of splinters, detonators, explosive material, nut bolts, gelatin powder and a battery were seized.

Security has been tightened at all strategic points and important places, including the thermal power station at Tarapur, Somnath temple, Sardar Patel International airport here and Railway stations. Vigil has been increased in the Kutch region, along the Pakistani border.

Calling for an united fight against the scourge of terrorism, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K Advani, who flew to the blast-hit city said terrorism is a conspiracy against humanity, threatening the whole world.

Condemning the serial blasts in the city, he told reporters that Human civilisation must stand united to fight terrorism and root it out.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Shivraj Patil convened a high-level meeting in ther national capital today to review the security situation in the country.

The meeting at the Home Minister's residence was attended by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekar, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, Director Intelligence Bureau P C Haldar, Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal and several other senior officials of the Home Ministry.

Later the Home Minister drove down to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's house to brief him on the latest situation in the country and the discussions held at the meeting.

Security has been beefed up and red alert sounded across the nation, including Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Himachal, Bihar, Tripura and the commercial capital Mumbai.

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