BJP, VHP call for shutdown in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow,
Nov
24:
The
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
(BJP)
and
Vishwa
Hindu
Parishad
(VHP)
have
called
for
a
state-wide
shutdown
today
in
protest
against
the
simultaneous
bomb
blasts
in
court
premises
in
Lucknow,
Varanasi
and
Faizabad
on
Friday.
BJP President Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Uttar Pradesh to meet injured in the hospitals and to take stock of the situation in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party workers have already begun their protest early Saturday morning, stopping the Ganga-Gomti Express at the Allahabad railway station.
In Faizabad, a four-member forensic team is examining vital clues related to the blasts as to who could be behind the serial blasts. According to sources, a terrorist group called Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the blast.
On Friday night, the Uttar Pradesh police released sketches of three suspects believed to be behind the blasts. All sketches were prepared on the basis of information received from eyewitness.
Vikram
Singh,
Director
General
of
Uttar
Pradesh
Police
has
said
that
new
cycles
could
be
likely
clues
for
probe
into
blasts.
"Special
Task
Force
will
probe
the
case.
We
cannot
rule
out
anything
and
will
soon
give
you
the
result," Singh
said.
According
to
unconfirmed
reports,
investigators
have
traced
an
email,
which
warned
of
the
attack,
to
a
cybercafe
in
East
Delhi.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati blamed the Central intelligence agencies for failing to provide any inputs about the blasts, and said that state agencies were not even asked to stay 'alert'. The Home Ministry has already issued advisory to all States and Union Territories to step up vigilance and surveillance.
Terror struck in Uttar Pradesh on Friday when militants triggered near-simultaneous blasts in court premises killing 15 people, four of them lawyers, and injuring over 80. Six bombs - three in Varanasi, two in Faizabad and one in Lucknow - some planted on cycles, went off within a span of 15 minutes. The blasts came a week after the Uttar Pradesh police along with central security agencies busted a Jaish-e-Mohammed module, who wanted to target Rahul Gandhi.
ANI
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