INNOCENT VICTIM: A 15-year-old boy, injured in Friday's bomb blasts outside a mosque in Malegaon, being tended to by his grandmother in a hospital in the powerloom town on Saturday. — Photo: AP

MALEGAON (Maharashtra): Calm returned to Malegaon on Saturday after the explosions that shook this powerloom town during Friday prayers. The death toll was put at 31 and the number of injured at 277. Curfew was lifted in the morning and although the town was still tense, no clash was reported.

The town saw a flurry of visits by VIPs, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Even as the first of the compensation cheques to victims' families was given out, some people refused to accept the money. They demanded that the State Government do something about the abject lack of infrastructure and health facilities in Malegaon.

The dead comprised 15 men, six women and 10 children. While the men and children were Muslim worshippers, the women, all Hindus, were passers-by. Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who has been in Malegaon since Friday, said some of the casualties could have been caused by the stampede after the blasts. But a mosque employee, Shaqeel Ahmed, and a worshipper, Mehfoos Rehman, told The Hindu that there was no stampede although people did panic and run.

"The targets were the people exiting the mosque to go to either the graveyard to offer special prayers for their family members or just to leave the place. Three bombs — one at the exit point of the graveyard, the second at the exit point of the main gate and a third one outside the main gate — went off almost simultaneously. Had the bombs gone off just half a minute later, they would have claimed more lives," said Mr. Rehman. He said the police picked up two unexploded bombs wrapped in a green cloth. But Mr. Patil said the objects were nothing but the packing material of the bombs.

There is still no confirmation about the number of blasts. While eyewitnesses put the number of blasts at four — three in the mosque-graveyard complex and one at Mushawarat Chowk — Mr. Patil told reporters that prima facie three blasts occurred — two at the place of worship and one at the crossroad.

At least two of the four bombs that killed innocent namazis had been placed on brand new cycles. "The bikes are so new that their polyethylene wrappings were intact," said Mr. Rehman.

The police have seized the remains from the mosque and Mushawarat Chowk. But a number of persons, particularly those who were not at the site, suspect that the bombers were among the large number of alms seekers, who gather at the mosque during Friday namaz.

The alms seekers include even non-Muslims and there was no way of checking them, said Abdul Saleem Qureshi, a social worker at the chowk. Maulana Abdul Qyum Kasir said one or two alms seekers could have been paid to plant the bombs. Mr. Patil announced Rs. 5-lakh reward to anyone who came forward with material information that could help the investigation. He said a crack team of 10 police officers, including those who served in Malegaon earlier, was formed to investigate the blasts.

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