PTI
New Delhi, Mar 8: The terror attack in Varanasi rocked Parliament on Wednesday as the angry BJP-Shiv Sena combine shouted slogans against the Government, forcing abrupt adjournment of both Houses of Parliament. Editor's Choice
The agitated members trooped into the well soon after the two Houses assembled and raised slogans "Har Har Mahadev", "Jai Bajrang Bali" and "UPA Government down, down", disrupting the proceedings.
Amid the din, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the temple was "targeted understandably to cause communal tension in the country" and assured Lok Sabha that Government remained firmly committed to combating terrorism.
Strongly condemning the twin blasts in Varanasi on Tuesday as "senseless acts of violence", Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee affirmed the country’s strong resolve to maintain peace and tranquillity and unitedly fight terrorism and violence.
In Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan said such outrageous acts of terror were intended to "test our patience and secular credentials" and appealed to all sections of society to maintain peace and calm.
Patil, who visited the blast sites along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and met the injured in Varanasi hospitals, said everyone should ensure that such acts of terror by "some desperate anti-national elements" do not disturb peace and public order.
Varanasi unfazed by terror attacks
PTI
Unfazed by overnight blasts, people in large numbers thronged the Sankatmochan temple and the Cantonment Railway Station this morning as the authorities launched a probe and a vigorous manhunt to nab the perpetrators of the dastardly act.
Security has been beefed up across the city, specially in the temple areas, with the deployment of additional police and paramilitary personnel in the wake of BJP-VHP-sponsored general strike across the state.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who visited the town late on Tuesday along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, said explosives hidden inside a pressure cooker and a timer device were used to trigger blast at Sankatmochan temple.
He said casualty was less at the temple but more people lost their lives at the Railway Station.
At least 20 people were killed and over 50 injured in the twin blasts which UP Principal Secretary (Home) Alok Sinha said was a handiwork of terrorists.
Calling it a "very sad moment", Sonia Gandhi asked people to maintain communal harmony. She said that the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh would work jointly to bring perpetrators of the blasts to justice.
A Lashkar-e-Taiba militant, suspected to be involved in the conspiracy behind the blasts, was killed in an encounter jointly carried out by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Gosaiganj area of Lucknow.
Patil, in a statement to Parliament, said that the temple was targeted to create communal tension in the country. He said additional forces — five companies (500 personnel) of Rapid Action Force and 10 companies (1,000 personnel) of PAC have been deployed in Varanasi for maintenance of peace and public order.
Security across the country, especially at places of worship, was tightened to ensure that there was no communal flare up. Investigators, trying to collect evidence form the blast site, found melted parts of a pressure cooker in which the bomb was kept.
Markets wore a deserted look and educational institutions and business establishment across the city remained closed.
Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse a mob which showed black flags when Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav visited the city to take stock of the situation.
Special squads were pressed into service at the railway station and passengers were subjected to extensive checking before being allowed in the station premises.
The blast at the hall of platform number one was so powerful that it completely destroyed the tourist information centre, PCO booth and the central enquiry counters.
The impact of the blast was such that patches of cement from the roof fell off and a three-foot crater was formed on the floor.