Five bombs explode in Indian capital, 20 killed

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Five bombs exploded in quick succession in crowded markets and streets in the heart of India's capital New Delhi on Saturday, killing at least 20 people and injuring at least 90 more, police said.

The Indian Mujahideen Islamic militant group, which has claimed several major attacks in recent months, sent an e-mail to television stations saying it was responsible for the blasts.

Police and witnesses said two bombs went off in dustbins in and around Connaught Place, a shopping and dining area popular with tourists and locals in the city centre. Others exploded within minutes of each other in busy markets around the city.

"Around 6:30 p.m. we heard a very loud noise, then we saw people running all over the place," said Chanchal Kumar, a witness whose shirt was soaked with the blood of several victims whom he had helped to carry into ambulances.

"There were about 100-200 people around this place," he said. The weekend was a particularly busy one ahead of Hindu and Muslim festivals.

The Indian Mujahideen e-mail mentioned nine bombs. Police said they had found and defused four.

"We have news of 20 people killed, and the toll could rise as many people are seriously injured," Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told reporters.

In a hospital bed, Gulab Singh, his head bandaged, wailed at the death of his 2-year-old grandson.

"We were all sitting around the parking lot when suddenly there was a huge blast. We did not know what happened. My world has changed," Singh said, crying inconsolably.

WAVE OF BOMBINGS

Hundreds of people have been killed in a wave of bombings in India in recent years, mostly blamed on Muslim militants, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.

In July, at least 45 people were killed when a series of bombs ripped through Ahmedabad, the main city of the western state of Gujarat. A day earlier, one woman died when eight bombs went off in the IT hub of Bangalore.

The failure to prevent the attacks has become an embarrassment for the Congress party-led coalition government, with elections less than a year away.

Police say the Indian Mujahideen is an offshoot of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India, but that local Muslims appear to have been given training and backing by militant groups in neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh.

"I can just say that these blasts have been planned by the enemies of the country and they will be taught a lesson," junior home minister Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters at one site.