Blast in mosque, violence rocks Hyderabad, 12 killed

Hyderabad, May 18 (UNI) At least 12 people were killed and more than 60 others injured as violence erupted in the old city area here following a blast in the historic Mecca Masjid, near Charminar, during Friday prayers today.

At least eight people were killed when a bomb ripped through the mosque and four others died in police firing on a rampaging mob.

The Centre has rushed additional security forces to the state to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.

An alert has been sounded in sensitive states including Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Andhra Pradesh DGP M A Basith said the bomb was kept in a tiffin box and exploded using a remote control. Three live bombs were also recovered from the premises and defused immediately.

Four people were killed on the spot when the bomb, reportedly a ''crude one'', exploded in the mosque and four others, who were injured, died in various hospitals where they were admitted.

The more than 60 injured, including children, were rushed to the Osmania hospital and a private hospital where the condition of several was stated to be critical.

Violence broke out in the old city area after the blast. Four persons were killed and several injured when police opened fire and resorted to lathicharge to disperse a frenzied mob, which pelted stones at the police personnel and ransacked shops. The agitators torched a wine shop and attacked State-owned Road Transport Corporation buses, forcing the closure of Falaknuma depot.

Personnel from the paramilitary forces, Rapid Action Force (RPF) and city police were deployed in the area.

A red alert has been sounded in the state and pickets were posted in sensitive areas.

Violence also broke out in Maharashtra after the blast. A rampaging mob smashed the windshields of seven Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses at the Kurla bus terminal in Mumbai.

In New Delhi, President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi denounced the explosion.

Condemning the blast, Dr Singh urged members of all communities to maintain peace and communal harmony.

The Left parties also condemned the bomb blast and appealed to the people to maintain communal amity and peace.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy, who rushed to Hyderabad along with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil from the national capital, condemned the blast, saying it was an ''intentional sabotage'' of peace and tranquility efforts. He, however, declined to comment if the act was a terrorist action or internal sabotage, saying he was no yet in possession of all the facts. He also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 500,000 for the families of the deceased and Rs 20,000 for the injured.

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