66 killed in Samjhauta Exp blasts, Lalu announces ex-gratia

Diwana, Haryana Feb 19: At least 66 people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed and nearly 13 injured when terrorists triggered blasts in the Delhi-Attari Samjhauta Express at Shiva village in Panipat district past midnight, in what is seen as a clear attempt to derail the India-Pakistan peace proess.

This is perhaps the first time Indians and Pakistanis together have lost lives in a terror attack. However, both countries promised not to allow the incident to derail the peace process.

Twelve of the injured people, including 10 Pakistanis, were shifted to the Safdarjung hospital in New Delhi in a critical condition.

The fire was noticed in the last two bogies of the train when it reached the railway crossing near the village at about 0100 hours, Panipat police said.

Panic-stricken passengers jostled and jumped for safety following the blasts and subsequent fire in the two bogies as the train halted near the village in darkness. Most of the passengers were in sleep at the time of blasts, not knowing what had actually happened and were trapped in flames.

Official sources said most of the charred bodies recovered were beyond recognition. The bodies were brought to the Civil Hospital at Panipat where they have been kept for identification.

Fire tenders from the district and lcoal refinery were immediately called to put out the fire in the Attari-bound train that had originated from Delhi.

Police, Railway police and bomb disposal squads immediately reached the site and launched rescue work which was still continuing.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs five lakh each for those seriously injured in the ''dastardly terror attack''.

According to forensic experts, unlike the high-powered explosives used in Mumbai train blasts, the explosions in the Delhi-Attari Samjhuata Express past midnight were triggered with the use of low-intensity explosives and kerosene.

President APJ Abdul Kalam expressing concern and grief over the loss of lives in the blasts, conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the next of kin of those killed and prayed for the early recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also expressed anguish and grief at the loss of lives and said the culprits will soon be brought to book.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, terming it as a ''barbaric act'', appealed to the people of India and Pakistan to ''stand up firmly against such enemies of humanity''.

Mr Lalu Prasad said ''the attack was intended to tarnish the image of Indian Railways, disrupt the cordial relations between India and Pakistan and throw a spanner in the talks to be held between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries.'' The External Affairs Ministry said the immediate priority was to deal with the humanitarian consequences of the tragedy.

Two officials from Pakistan Railways were expected to come to Attari to assist the passengers who are already in Attari.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who visited the site, said explosives appeared to have been used in the incident. He said the forces opposed to the India-Pakistan peace process were behind the tragedy.

Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said special visas will be issued to the relatives of Pakistani nationals who were killed in the blasts.

''The government will do everything to help the families of the Pakistani victims on humanitarian grounds,'' Mr Menon told UNI.

He said the Railways will issue free passes to them and special trains will be arranged to bring them here.

Meanwhile, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf condemning the blasts asserted that Islamabad would not allow elements trying to disrupt the Indo-Pak peace process to succeed in their designs.

Conveying his sympathies to the members of the bereaved families he hoped the Indian government would take all necessary measures to bring the culprits of this heinous crime to justice.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said it was the responsibility of the Indian authorities to provide security to the train inside the Indian territory. ''We expect Indian authorities to punish the perpetrators,'' she added.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, who is scheduled to visit New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee, condemning the attack said it was the worst incident of terrorism. He said Islamabad is waiting for India's response to its request for a detailed investigation into the incident.

The United States also expressed shock at the incident and described it as a ''deliberate act of terrorism,'' and expressed the resolve to defeat the scourge.

The European Union expressing shock over the blasts said ''We want India and Pakistan to stay the course as far as the peace proces is concerned...let those wanting to spoil the peace proces not succeed in their evil designs.'' Political leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.

The BJP accused the UPA government of maintaining a ''soft attitude'' towards terrorism, leading to recurring incidents like the one in the Samjhauta Express. It demanded implementation of strigent laws to tackle such attacks in the country and constituted a three-member fact-finding team headed by deputy leader of the BJP in Lok Sabha Vijay Kumar Malhotra.

Separatist organisations in Kashmir have also strongly condemned the terror attack. Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani said it was an attack on ''entire humanity'' while Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chief Shabir Ahmad Shah and Liberation Front (Nanaji) covenor Javid Ahmad Mir termed it an ''attempt to derail the peace process.'' Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz demanded ''deterrent punishment'' to those involved in the ghastly crime.

Meanwhile sources at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi said four of the injured had suffered 45 per cent burns and the rest had 10 to 15 per cent burn injuries.

''All the patients are in a serious condition but -- Shamim Shafique -- is in a critical condition. He has sustained 45 per cent burns,'' the sources said.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, accompanied by Home Secretary V K Duggal and other senior officials, visited the injured at the hospital.

Two Pakistan High Commission officials also visited the injured at the hospital.

Security has been heightened in and around the hospital where anxious relatives were not allowed to meet the injured.

Two coaches of the Delhi-Attari Samjhauta Express caught fire at Shiva Village under Chandni Bagh police station in Panipat district early morning today.

A team of Special Cell of the Delhi Police also left for the site to ascertain as to how explosives made their way into the train.

Also accompanying the team was a bomb disposal squad to assist investigators.

An alert was sounded across the country in the wake of the attacks. Security has been tightened at all railway stations, bus depots and airports as well as vital installations throughout the country.

The Haryana Government has ordered an inquiry into the tragedy.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the investigation had already commenced and all facts concerning the tragic and painful incident would be revealed only after intensive investigation.

UNI