Seven bomb blasts rock Jaipur, 60 dead

Manek Chowk is choc-a-bloc with shoppers at 7.35 pm. Suddenly, a blast rips through its heart, there's a stampede as panic struck people run helter-skelter. Within minutes, seven similar blasts - all within a 50 meter radius - rip through the crowded localities of Tripolia Bazaar, Johri Bazaar, Badi Choupal, Choti Choupal and Kishanpol. For the first time, terror has striken the Pink City.

AS Gill, the DGP of Rajasthan believes "It was a meticulously planned terror attack.''

The city's police manages to defuse a ninth bomb; as the civil machinery swings into action, most of the injured are taken to the Sawai Man Singh Hospital. A few people have been detained for questioning. State borders have been sealed, prohibitory orders issued in Jaipur's Walled City. The Home Ministry calls for a red alert in neighbouring states of Haryana and Delhi. A team of the national security guards is called in, and the army is put on standby.

Vasundhara Raje, CM, Rajasthan, said, "I have spoken to the Prime Minister and Home Minister to send their teams to the state."

The Government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for families of the dead. The state is observing a day of mourning on Wednesday, all schools and Government offices will be closed. The immediate suspects in these blasts are the Students Islamic Movement of India or SIMI and the Bangladesh based Huji. This is the deadliest serial explosion in the country after the Mumbai train blast of 2006 that killed more than 200 people and the terror footprint is now becoming clearer, targetting capital cities - Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and now Jaipur.