NEW DELHI: Within days of the city police claiming they had neutralised the mastermind of the Indian Mujahideen in an encounter, terror gripped the capital when a bomb went off two kilometers from the Qutab Minar, killing a boy and injuring several others. The blast came two weeks after the September 13 serial blasts, in which 24 people were killed and over 100 injured.

The blast occurred around 2.15pm in a busy lane of the prominent Sarai market of Mehrauli. Eyewitnesses claim two men came on a black Pulsar motorbike and placed a polythene bag outside an electrical equipments shop in the crowded market and left.

Just as the bikers, wearing helmets and dressed in blue jeans and black T-shirts, were leaving the spot a boy picked up the bag and called out to the bikers saying aapka bag gir gaya hai. "A sound from the bag made the boy throw it to the ground. The next second, there was a huge explosion that killed the boy instantly," said Amit Kumar, a shop owner.

A couple that was passing by the lane on a motorbike was grievously wounded in the blast and their condition is stated to be critical. The area known as Mehrauli Sarai is situated near Delhis landmark Qutab Minar. The Aulia Masjid is 500 metres from the blast site and a few metres away is the Jahaj Mahal, a historic monument where Mughal Delhis famous festival Phool Walon Ki Sair is still held every year in October.

Eyewitnesses said a cloud of thick black smoke enveloped the area after the blast and a choking, pungent smell filled the air. About 20 injured people lay strewn around the blast site that was splattered with blood.

"It was a huge explosion. Its impact shattered the glass panes of several shops. I could not hear or see anything for a few minutes, but as I came to my senses I saw injured people screaming in pain, lying on the road. Pools of blood had formed on the road and chaos gripped the entire market," said Amit Kumar.

The explosion also brought into focus the callousness of the Delhi police, which until yesterday was harping on its success in cracking the September 13 serial blasts case. Angry residents and traders in the Sarai market claimed that the cops took over 45 minutes to reach the blast site and help the injured, even though a PCR van was stationed just a kilometre from the site.

"A PCR van is always stationed near the Andheria More crossing. I along with several others from the market ran to the cops and told them about the blast. Initially they didnt react and we had to plead with them for help. They were asking us questions like when it happened and how it happened rather than visiting the site themselves," said Syed Haider, who works in a furniture shop in the market.

Many of the injured had to be rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital by locals in the area as ambulances failed to reach the spot in time.
"We had to take the injured to the hospital in our cars and autos as there were no ambulances. The police too were not forthcoming with help," said Usman Ali, a resident of the Islam Colony, which is a few metres away from the blast site.

As anger against the cops swelled, political leaders and top brass of the Delhi police arrived at the blast site. A team of the National Security Guards (NSG) arrived at the blast site only around 4 pm. Delhi police commissioner YS Dadwal put the official death toll at one and said about 20 people were injured, with four being critical. There were three women amongst the injured.

The police said ammonium nitrate was again used in Saturdays blast and the bomb was packed with one-and-a-half inch nails, which acted as shrapnels leading to injuries. Unlike the previous terror attacks, there was no terror e-mail warning about the blast this time.

Delhi's chief minister Sheila Dixit announced compensation of Rs5 lakh for the relatives of the boy killed in the blast, and Rs50,000 for each of the injured. She said their treatment would also be free.

Source : DNA