Ravishankar, other saints condemn blast; appeal for calm

Bangalore, Mar 8: 'Art of Living' Foundation Founder Sri Sri Ravishankar and saints Swami Dayanand Saraswati and Chidanand Muni have strongly condemned the blast in Varanasi last evening (Mar 8, 2006).

In a release here, the saints asked people to remain calm and expressed dismay at the way ''political parties are playing with the security of the people''.

''Hindus feel totally unsafe in India,'' the release said, adding that terrorists were especially targeting the Hindu community and festivals. ''First it happened on the eve of Diwali in Delhi and now it is happening close to Holi.'' In a separate statement here, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Karnataka and Goa, strongly condemned the blasts in a place of worship and termed it as another black day in the country's history. He demanded a high-level investigation into the incident and appealed to the public to maintain peace.

UNI