India on alert after bombing in holy city

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and China's President Hu Jintao shake hands before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing — Reuters Photo

NEW DELHI, Dec 8 (VOA): Indian authorities have appealed for calm and sounded a nationwide alert following a bomb attack in the Hindu holy city, Varanasi, which killed a child and injured 37 other people, including foreign tourists.
An Indian Islamist group has claimed responsibility for the bomb - the second in an Indian city this year.
Security was tightened because of the havoc caused by a bomb blast the previous evening, as hundreds of devotees gathered for prayers in Varanasi.
The bomb, hidden in a metal canister, had exploded close to a group offering ritual evening prayers along the Ganges River, Tuesday. A two-year-old girl died in her mother's lap and dozens were injured in a stampede that ensued in the wake of the explosion. Seven foreigners were among the wounded. Varanasi, in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, is a popular tourist destination. Fearing more attacks, authorities put police on high alert, across the country.
Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram visited Varanasi Wednesday to meet victims of the terror strike. He is appealing for calm. He said the scene of the bomb blast was identified as a militant target, earlier this year.
" I think there is a lesson for the police, there is no question of relaxing the vigil," he said.
Police have questioned several people in connection with an e-mail, in which a local Islamist group called the Indian Mujaheddin claimed responsibility for the explosion. Police say the e-mail was sent to local media from Mumbai.
In the message, the group says it carried out the bomb blast in retaliation for a recent court ruling which divided a religious site at Ayodhya claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. The blast took place a day after the anniversary of the 1992 demolition of the mosque which stood there.
Authorities in India say the Indian Mujaheddin has been trained by terror groups in Pakistan, such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which New Delhi blames for many of the terror strikes in Indian cities in recent years.