The Indian holy city of Varanasi was rocked by a blast on Tuesday evening at 6.30 pm near the Vishwanath Temple at the Dashashwamedh Ghat. An infant was killed and more than 30 people, including four foreigners were injured in the attacked reportedly carried out by the Indian Mujahideen. The improvised explosive device (IED) was said to have been placed in a milk container near the temple. The organization claimed responsibility for the attack in an email that said that the blast was being carried out against the recent court verdict in the Ayodhya Babari Masjid case. Hindu nationalists had razed the Babri Masjid 18 years ago on Dec 6.
The Indian Mujahideen was responsible for other attacks including the 2008 attack in Jaipur that killed 63 people, and a gun attack on a tourist bus outside Delhi’s Jama Mashjid in September 2010. A father-son duo from Mumbai was arrested by the police in connection with the email earlier today. Indian Home Secretary Gopal Pillai has said that it was too early to comment upon weather individuals operating from Pakistan were responsible for the attacks. Intelligence agencies had reportedly issued an alert about possible terrorist activities during the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary. Security measures such as metal detectors were not in place near the site of attack.
The US embassy has issued an alert and asked its citizen to practice good security and maintain heightened situational awareness. No U.S. nationals have been reported to have been injured in the attack.
