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Location of Varanasi in India

Map of blast locations

The 7 March 2006 Varanasi bombings were a series of bombings that occured across the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in India on 7 March 2006. Twenty people are reported to have been killed and as many as 101 others were injured^[1]. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the main page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... Image File history File links WikiprojectIndiacities_varanasi. ... Image File history File links WikiprojectIndiacities_varanasi. ... Desaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, crowded with pilgrims at sunrise. ... Image File history File links Varanasi_blasts_map. ... Image File history File links Varanasi_blasts_map. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit/Hindi: ; also known as Sanatana Dharma - , and Vaidika Dharma - ) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas, and is generally regarded as the oldest major religion still practiced in the world today. ... Desaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, crowded with pilgrims at sunrise. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Blasts

Blast at the Temple

The blasts occured nearly simultaneously shortly after 6:00 PM Indian Standard Time (12:30 PM UTC). The first blast took place at 6:20 p.m at the crowded Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple near the Benaras Hindu University. Hundreds of pilgrims were in temple as it was a Tuesday, believed to be particularly holy by the devotees of Hanuman, a deity at the temple. The bomb was placed in a container near a gate at the temple where women usually sit. ^[2] Indian Standard Time (IST) is the time zone for India. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is a temple of Hindu god Hanuman in the city of Varanasi, India. ... Benaras Hindu University was founded by Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya (Malviyaji) through the establishment of three engineering and technological institutions: the Benaras Engineering College (BENCO) in 1919, the College of Mining and Metallurgy (MINMET) in 1923, and the College of Technology (TECHNO) [at what year?]. These institutions offered degrees... Lord Hanuman In Hinduism, Hanuman (Sanskrit: हनुमत् hanumat; nominative singular हनुमान् hanumān) is a vanara who aided Rama (an avatar of Vishnu) in rescuing his wife, Sita, from the Rakshasa king Ravana. ...

Blast at the station

One other blast followed at the Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station — It occurred in the waiting area next to the travel office. Initially another blast was reported inside the stationary Shivganga Express bound for Delhi, however this was later discounted. (The Shivganga express departure was delayed by 2 hours, eventually arriving in Delhi 4 hours late but intact). Six bombs were reported defused from other areas in the city, including a restaurant frequented by foreigners, in the vicinity of the railway station. ^[3] Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station is a railway station in the city of Varanasi. ... This article deals with the metropolis of Delhi. ...

Timing of the blasts

It is conjectured that the date and time of the explosions was selected for causing maximum damage. The CBSE and ISC Examinations (India's school leaving examinations) were in progress and therefore there were many students and worshippers at the temple when the bombs exploded during the Aarti ceremony. Tuesday was also a holy day of the deity at the temple. It is further conjectured that the bomb at the railway station was orchestrated to coincide with the throng of passengers waiting for Shiv Ganga express. The Central Board of Secondary Education is a board of school education in India. ... ISC can refer to: Companies or institutions: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, a (defunct) Unix vendor International Speedway Corporation, the owner of numerous American racetracks including Daytona USA. Internet Systems Consortium, an organization that develops Internet software (previously known as Internet Software Consortium) Internet Storm Center, a Cooperative Cyber Threat Monitor and... Aarti, ãrti, arathi, or ãrati is a Hindu ritual in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. ...

Rescue and relief operations

• The railway ministry announced ex-gratia of IN Rs 1,00,000 to the next of kin of those who died in the explosion at the Cantonment railway station in Varanasi.
• Seriously injured would be sanctioned IN Rs 25,000 each while those with minor injuries will get IN Rs 1,000 each.
• The railway ministry would bear all expenses of food, medicine and accommodation of the injured persons during the period of treatment.

Investigation

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit, whose member was shot dead in an encounter with police near Lucknow on Wednesday, appeared prima facie behind the blasts in Varanasi, a senior Uttar Pradesh government official said in Varanasi on Wednesday. ^[4] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Lucknow (Hindi: लखनऊ Lakhnau) is the capital city of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. ...

Official response

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. A state of high alert was declared in India's major cities. Police were sent to all major places of worship in New Delhi. India's Cabinet Committee on Security met in emergency session. Varanasi shut down Wednesday to protest the blasts; shops and businesses closed, and authorities closed schools and colleges. ^[5] It reopened on March 9. ^[6] The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Dr. Manmohan Singh (Punjabi: , Hindi: ) is the 14th, and current Prime Minister of India. ... The Humayuns Tomb, situated in New Delhi, has an architectural design similar to the Taj Mahal. ...

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, claimed that UP Police killed one of the suspected Pakistani millitants who turned out to be a resident of Madhya Pradesh, but he was part of Lashkar-e Toiba Islamic millitant group and police were on the lookout for him in context of Delhi blasts of 2005. Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: उत्तर प्रदेश, Urdu: اتر پردیش), also popularly known by its abbreviation UP, is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Union of India. ...

World reaction

•  United States - has condemned the blasts in Varanasi that killed at least 20 persons and injured scores, calling them "acts of terrorism".
•  United Kingdom - said it remained determined to work closely alongside India in its fight against the evil of terrorism. "I was horrified to hear of today's bombings in Varanasi, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives, and injury to many other victims," British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said in a statement in London.

•  Australia - "We remain determined to work closely alongside India in its fight against this evil." Australian Prime Minister John Howard, currently on a visit to India, said in Chennai that the incident reminds the need for both India and his country to work together in the fight against the scourge of terrorism.

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Dr Kim Scott Howells (born November 27, 1946 in Merthyr Tydfil) is a Labour politician in Wales, and member of Parliament for Pontypridd. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... For other uses, see John Howard (disambiguation). ...

Suspects

A little known group calling itself the Lashkar-e Kahar/Qahab has claimed responsibility for the attacks. ^[7]. A spokesperson for the group who identified himself as Abdullah Jabbar alias Abu Feroz called a local news agency in Srinagar on Thursday morning to claim responsibility for the blasts and threatened similar attacks in other cities unless the government stopped its "catch and kill" campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. A staff of the TV channel said that Feroz spoke in Urdu with a heavy Punjabi accent. ^[8]. It is speculated that the bombings were carried out in retaliation of the arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba agent in Varanasi earlier in February 2006 ^[9]. Some analysts see a connection between the bombings and Hindu-Muslim clashes in the city of Lucknow on March 4, 2006 that left four people dead. These clashes started due to protests against the President of the United States George Bush's India visit ^[10]. It is also believed that these attacks were a part of a series which included an attack at the IISc, Bangalore and also at the Akshardham Temple, Gujarat. Jammu and Kashmir, (often abbreviated as Kashmir), is the northern-most state of Republic of India, lying mostly in the Himalayan mountains. ... Urdu () is an Indo-European language of the Indo-Aryan family that developed under Persian, Turkish, and Arabic influence in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire (1200-1800). ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, Panjābī in Shāhmukhī) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Desaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, crowded with pilgrims at sunrise. ... February-James Pattersons 5th book in the Womans Murder Club Series comes out; it is called The 5th Princess. ... Lucknow (Hindi: लखनऊ Lakhnau) is the capital city of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The presidential seal was first used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... The administrative department of the Indian Institute of Science. ... The Akshardham Temple attack occurred on September 24, 2002 when three heavily armed gunmen arrived at the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar, the capital of Western Gujarat state at around 16:30 local time. ...

Timeline

• The first blast took place around 6:20 pm (IST) at the Sankat Mochan temple.
• Minutes after the first blast, another blast took place at a waiting room at the Varanasi cantonment railway station.
• Soon after the blasts, three live bombs were recovered from the temple complex and one was recovered from a nearby restaurant.
• Live bombs were also recovered from Godolia and Dashaswamedh ghat.

Helpline phone numbers

• 0091-0522-2234533
• 0091-0522-2234620
• 0091-0522- 2637226
• 0091-0542- 2505896
• 0091-0542- 2509805
• The Benaras Hindu University Hospital helpline number: 0091-0542-2369242

References

Wikinews has news related to:

Three explosions in Varanasi, India

1. ↑ New York Times - Bombings in India Raise Fear of Sectarian Violence
2. ↑ The Telegraph - Serial blasts in Varanasi
3. ↑ CNN - India rail, temple blasts kill 15
4. ↑ Rediff - Lashkar behind blasts: UP official
5. ↑ Reuters - Indian holy city shuts down in protest over blasts
6. ↑ VOA News - India's Holy City Hums with Life as Kashmiri Group Claims Responsibility
7. ↑ Rediff - Little known group owns up Varanasi blasts
8. ↑ Lashkar-e-Qahab owns up for Varanasi blasts
9. ↑ Rediff - 2 blasts rock Varanasi; 20 dead
10. ↑ Washington Post - Blasts in Indian Holy City Raise Fears of Sectarian Violence