Delhi
bombs probe 'makes headway'
India grieves in the aftermath of deadly blasts
Police say they have made progress in their investigations into
Saturday's bomb blasts in the Indian capital Delhi which killed 59
people and injured 210.
They also say it is likely that one group was behind all three
attacks.
Heavy security is in place across India ahead of two major
religious festivals which take place next week.
A previously little-known group called Inqilabi has said it carried
out the attacks. Police say they are trying to verify the
claim.
"From the timing, it seems the same group was behind all three
cases," Karnail Singh, joint commissioner of police, told a news
conference in Delhi.
Press captures Delhi chaos
A number of people have been questioned but no arrests have been
made as yet, Mr Singh said.
The three blasts came within minutes of each other at dusk on
Saturday, when many people were out shopping ahead of the Hindu
festival of Diwali and the Muslim Eid celebration.
Two of the explosions ripped through crowded markets. A third
exploded on a bus but killed no-one, police say.
'Dastardly acts'
Police have raided guest houses and hotels in Delhi for clues. Home
Minister Shivraj Patil said "lots of information" had been
gathered, but refused to give details.
"Our people are making good progress. The investigation is going
well," he said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday.
All leave has been cancelled for medical staff as hospitals
struggle to deal with the injured. More than 100 people are being
treated, some of them in critical condition.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has visited victims in hospital and
has held emergency talks with top security advisers.
In a brief televised address, he said: "These are dastardly acts of
terrorism. We are resolute in our commitment to fighting terrorism
in all forms."
It is particularly tragic that this has happened just days before
Diwali
Steven Bake, London, UK
Chaos and confusion
Security officials said they could not rule out the involvement of
Lashkar-e-Toiba, one of the leading groups fighting Indian rule in
Kashmir.
India is home to a huge variety of militant groups, some with very
localised campaigns of violence.
But Islamists have been able to mount a number of spectacular
headline-grabbing attacks in the past.
Some observers believe militants might have been trying to scupper
improving relations between Pakistan and India, who hours after the
attacks decided to open the Kashmir Line of Control to help victims
of the recent earthquake.
Pakistan condemned the explosions as a "criminal act of
terrorism".
Police said on Sunday that 43 of the 59 people confirmed dead
perished in the blast at Sarojini Nagar.
A further 16 died in the first explosion, minutes before, in the
crowded central neighbourhood of Paharganj, close to Delhi's main
railway station.
The third blast, at Govindpuri, killed no one but the bus driver
and his conductor were seriously injured, reports said.
Correspondents say the explosions were intended to cause maximum
damage in places frequented by people from all religions.
MAJOR INDIAN ATTACKS
Delhi, Oct 2005: More than 60 die in three explosions in busy
markets
Delhi, May 2005: One killed and 49 injured in blasts in two
cinemas
Mumbai, Aug 2003: 52 killed in twin bomb attacks in the financial
capital
Delhi, December 2001: 14 die, five of them gunmen, in militant raid
on parliament
Mumbai, May 1993: More than 250 die in a series of bomb
blasts
