In connection with the Wednesday's Delhi High Court blast, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested the owner of a cyber cafe from where the email of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) was purportedly sent to media organizations.
The owners of the Global Cyber Cafe at Malik Market in Kishtawar, Jammu and Kashmir was identified as Khwaja Mehmood Aziz and his brother Khalid Aziz are being questioning by authorities.
HuJI sent emails to media organization claiming the responsibility for the blast. The email states, "We owe the responsibility of today's blasts at high court Delhi..... our demand is that Afzal Guru's death sentence should be repealed immediately else we would target major high courts... THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA..........".
Meanwhile, the death toll in Wednesday's blast increased to 12 with the death of a 40-year-old man on Thursday at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Many of the 73 injured are battling for their lives.
"Eight patients are undergoing reconstructive surgery, there are seven other trauma patients, five patients in the Intensive Care Unit, 12 in the ICS and 13 of the injured have been discharged. Most of the injuries were to the lower
part of the body due to the impact of the blast. The victim who died on Thursday was identified as Pramod Kumar from Loni in Ghaziabad," reported NDTV.
Doctors at RML have expressed concern at the number of VVIPs visiting the hospital. They said there was a fear of infection spreading with too many visitors. Angry relatives of those admitted at RML protested loudly when an endless stream of politicians came visiting Wednesday - there was Rahul Gandhi, LK Advani,
Sheila Dikshit and many others. They heckled Rahul Gandhi and raised slogans against Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.
The explosion took place at 10.15 am - "rush hour" for the courthouse which usually starts hearings at 10.30 am. Wednesday, Public Interest Litigations (PIL) are heard in the High Court, drawing larger than usual crowds. In the seconds after the blast, lawyers and litigants were seen running for help, their blood-soaked clothes clinging to them, mentioned the report.
"Two kilos of explosives were used in the bomb," said Home Ministry Special Secretary UK Bansal.
Speaking about the intensity of the bomb, "Ammonium nitrate was used; so was high-grade PETN which is an extremely powerful explosive which can cause considerable damage even if used in small quantities," he added.
The low intensity blast in May had underscored the need for security cameras. Yet, security wasn't increased. No CCTV cameras have been installed outside the court's nine different gates.
"The proposal to install security cameras was stuck with court officials," said Delhi police.
However, according to the Delhi Bar Association, "The High Court has even written to Delhi Police for installation of CCTV cameras at all gates."
On the failure to install CCTV at the Delhi High Court gates, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit says, "We will have to wait for the investigation to tell us exactly who is at fault over the CCTVs."
The Public Works Department (PWD), which is the agency to install the cameras maintained that they haven't got any plan or instructions to do so.
Hours after the blast, the Chief Justice of India went and reviewed the security. Urgent promises and assurances are now being made that the cameras will be placed within a week.
Terming the Delhi High Court's explosion as "a cowardly act of a terrorist nature", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, currently in Bangladesh on an official visit, says "We will deal with it...we will never succumb to the pressure of terrorism...this is a long war."
Charging the ruling UPA government as "lethargy" Opposition BJP called for a combine front across party lines to fight the war against terror need.
"The government's lethargy had been exposed by the fact that the High Court has been attacked twice and there are still no security cameras," said BJP leader Sushma Swaraj who visited the High Court.
People can call on the emergency helpline numbers to know the whereabout of the injured.
RML hospital: 011-23348200, 23404446, 23743769, 23404478
AIIMS: 011-2658870
Safdarjung Hospital Helpline: 011- 26707444
