The Hindu : Front Page : Six killed, 25 injured in Ludhiana cinema hall blast

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Monday, Oct 15, 2007
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Six killed, 25 injured in Ludhiana cinema hall blast

Appears to be the handiwork of some terror outfit, say police

— Photo: AP

Another tragedy: Police officers and officials assess the damage caused by the blast inside the cinema hall in Ludhiana on Sunday.

Ludhiana: Terror struck Ludhiana on Sunday night when six people were killed and 25 injured in a blast in one of the three cinema halls in a multiplex in a busy shopping area of this industrial town.

It was not immediately known what caused the explosion in the multiplex on Sarmala road, which was teeming with hundreds of people.

“Janan Janam Ke Saath” was being screened in the hall, which has a capacity for an audience of 600, when the explosion occurred at 8.40 p.m. The show started at 7 p.m.

The police, who did not rule out the hand of terrorists, said the casualties could go up. Limbs of some of the dead were seen.

Chandrashekar, ADGP (Law and Order), said the blast appeared to have been caused by a bomb.

Victims yet to be identified

Ludhiana DIG Ishwar Singh said half of the injured were critical and the victims were yet to be identified. “The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained.”

DGP N. P. Singh said four people died on the spot and two in hospital.

One person came inside the theatre during interval time and the needle of suspicion was on him.

Windowpanes in the multiplex were smashed and several chairs in the cinema hall destroyed. The blast took place under a seat in the third row of second block of the theatre.

Immediately after the blast, panic-stricken people rushed out of the theatre, officials said.

Creates a crater

The intensity of the blast was such that it created a big crater in the hall and smashed the window panes.

The Union government is closely monitoring the security situation in Punjab.

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta spoke to Punjab’s Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police to have first hand information about the incident, official sources said.

Mr. Gupta apprised Home Minister Shivraj Patil of the situation. The Centre has assured all assistance to the State government. It was also rushing bomb experts from the National Security Guards to Ludhiana.

Only on Thursday last, two people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in a bomb attack on the Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan. — PTI

“Handiwork of terrorists”

Sarabjit Pandher reports from Chandigarh:

Punjab police chief N.P.S. Aulakh said that from the preliminary investigations, it appeared to be the handiwork of some terror outfit.

The exact nature of the device and the explosive used would be confirmed by forensic experts.

Keeping in view the coming festival season and the blast in Ajmer, the police have sounded an alert all over the State.

Vigil at sensitive places had been tightened and night patrol intensified.

Talking to reporters at the site of the incident, police chief of Ludhiana district R.K. Jaiswal, said it was suspected that RDX was used.

The incident has sent a wave of scare across the State. Senior officers were closeted in meetings.

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