38 killed, 150 hurt in Malegaon; curfew clamped

Mumbai/Malegaon, Sept 9: At least 38 people were killed and more than 150 wounded in twin bomb blasts this afternoon in the communally-sensitive town of Malegaon in north-western Maharashtra, leading to clashes with the police which forced the authorities to impose curfew.

However, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh put the toll at 31. But hospital sources at Malegaon said 38 people had died and 11 of the wounded were still critical.

Describing it an act of ''terrorism'', the Chief Minister , however, said the terrorist outfit behind the crime would be known during the course of investigation being undertaken by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the State police.

The Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh each for the bereaved families and Rs 50,000 for the wounded, adding medical expenses of the seriously wounded would be borne by the government.

Appealing to the people to maintain peace, Mr Deshmukh urged the electronic media not to telecast '' disturbing visuals'' of the crime which could hurt sentiments of the people.

The blasts occured at Bada Kabristan (graveyard) and Mushrawat Chowk, in a radius of one km, in the old town when at least 2,000 people had assembled at Fateh Maidan adjoining the Kabirstan to remember their dead relatives today on the occasion of 'Shab-e-Barat', considered holy under Islam.

Briefing newspersons after holding a high-level meeting at his official residence at Mumbai this evening, Mr Deshmukh said it would be extreme to describe it an intelligence failure. He said the government had made adequate security in Malegaon where two companies of the Special Reserve Police (SRP) were deployed today. He said four more SRP companies have reached the town.

The Chief Minister said the Union Home Ministry has accepted the State government's request to retain 20 companies of the CRPF for deployment in sensitive areas, adding these paramilitary personnel had come to Maharashtra in view of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations which concluded yesterday.

UNI

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