INDIAN POLICE DETAIN THREE OVER DEADLY COURTHOUSE EXPLOSION

[The bombing at the courthouse, the second deadly attack in two months in India, has renewed concerns about the country’s vulnerability to terrorism. The country’s rapidly growing cities have endured a series of bombings in recent years, and the authorities have come under renewed criticism in recent months about their preparedness to prevent terrorism.]

By Jim Yardley

Vijay Mathur/Reuters

A nurse tried to assist a wounded woman on 

the way to a hospital on Wednesday in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI — The police questioned three people on Thursday in connection with a deadly bombing that struck New Delhi’s High Court, Indian media reported.

Investigators arrested the three at a cyber cafe in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, according to local media reports. The arrests are apparently connected to e-mails believed to have been sent by the militant terrorist group HuJI, or Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, claiming responsibility for the Wednesday blast.

HuJI is based largely in Pakistan, and also in Bangladesh.

On Wednesday morning, an explosion struck a reception area of the High Court, located in central New Delhi. The number of dead on Thursday rose to at least 11, Indian media reported, while more than 60 were reported injured.

The bombing at the courthouse, the second deadly attack in two months in India, has renewed concerns about the country’s vulnerability to terrorism. The country’s rapidly growing cities have endured a series of bombings in recent years, and the authorities have come under renewed criticism in recent months about their preparedness to prevent terrorism.

In July, more than 20 people were killed in Mumbai from three blasts during the evening rush hour. That attack raised memories of the bloody November 2008 attacks on Mumbai, in which militants trained in Pakistan swept through luxury hotels, a railway station and a Jewish center in a rampage that left more than 160 people dead.

In May, a smaller bomb detonated near a parked car outside the same High Court in New Delhi. Witnesses at the time told local media of seeing a black bag in flames after the blast.


@ The New York Times

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NEW DELHI — An explosion ripped through a reception area of an Indian courthouse on Wednesday morning, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 60 others in a bombing that renewed concerns about India’s vulnerability to terrorism. It was the second bombing of the courthouse in less than four months.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene at the Delhi High Court after the blast at 10:14 a.m., outside a reception area used by litigants, lawyers and visitors to enter the courthouse.

“It was in shambles,” said Ajay Mehrotra, a lawyer who witnessed the explosion. “There was total chaos. There was blood. People were running for their lives.”

The Indian home minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, called the explosion a terrorist attack and noted that New Delhi was already in a high state of alert with Parliament in session. Mr. Chidambaram said Indian intelligence agencies had received information in July about a possible terrorist threat to the city, which had been turned over to the local police. He did not elaborate about the intelligence report and said investigators had not yet identified a suspect in Wednesday’s explosion.

“The bomb blast took place just outside the reception center,” Mr. Chidambaram said at a news conference. “It is suspected that the bomb was placed in a briefcase.”

Reuters reported that a militant terrorist group called HuJI, for Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, based largely in Pakistan, and also Bangladesh, had claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing security officials.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking to reporters during a visit to Bangladesh, condemned the explosion as “a cowardly act of a terrorist nature.”

“We will deal with it,” Mr. Singh said. “We will never succumb to the pressure of terrorism.”

Indian authorities have come under renewed criticism in recent months about their preparedness to prevent terrorism. Terrorist attacks are a persistent concern in India, particularly in the country’s rapidly growing cities, which have endured a series of bombings in recent years.

In July, more than 20 people were killed in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, from three blasts timed to the evening rush hour. That attack raised painful memories of the bloody November 2008 attacks on Mumbai, in which militants trained in Pakistan swept through luxury hotels, a railway station and a Jewish center in a rampage that left more than 160 people dead.

Wednesday’s attack at the Delhi High Court exposed anew the weaknesses in the courthouse’s security. In May, a smaller bomb detonated near a parked car outside the courthouse, causing no injuries. Witnesses told local media of seeing a black bag in flames after the blast.

Rakesh Tiku, chairman of the Delhi Bar Association, criticized the Delhi police, saying “the low-intensity blast in May should have served as an eye-opener.” Mr. Tiku said hundreds of litigants and clerks passed through the gate where the blast took place each day, making it a vulnerable location. “The Delhi High Court requested the Delhi police to install CCTV cameras as well as personnel to man the entrances three or four months ago, but no action has been taken,” he said.

The latest explosion occurred near Gate 5 of the High Court, outside a reception center where visitors wait for passes to enter the building. Lawyers said Wednesday was an especially busy day because the court heard public-interest litigation.

“What are the police doing?” asked Mr. Mehrotra, the lawyer. “The lives of lawyers, litigants and judges are at stake.”

Another witness, Brijmohan Sharma, described a “very loud sound, the reverberations from which caused me to lose my balance. I got up and was surrounded by people running.” He added: “It was like a scene from a film. People were lying on the floor with their hands cut off, their legs broken and bleeding.”

The last serious attacks in New Delhi took place in 2008, when coordinated blasts in a park and in shopping areas killed more than 20 people and injured nearly 100. In those attacks, the Indian Mujahedeen, an Islamic militant group, claimed responsibility.

The Delhi High Court is in the heart of the capital, a short walk from the city’s landmark India Gate. Rahul Gupta, a local resident, said he was standing near the courthouse entrance when the ground shook from the blast, throwing people onto the road outside the reception area.

“Security is one area which no one can handle in Delhi at the moment,” Mr. Gupta said. “It is the fanatical people who are creating these types of problems and trying to create panic in the public.”

Mr. Chidambaram, the home minister, said many of the people taken to local hospitals had suffered severe injuries. Many had lost limbs, witnesses reported.

The Indian government said that a preliminary analysis found a nitrate-based explosive with traces of pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN, a powerful plastic explosive often used in terror plots.

“Delhi is a target of terrorist groups,” Mr. Chidambaram said. “Government unequivocally condemns the attack that took place today.”

Reporting was contributed by Nikhila Gill, Heather Timmons, Pamposh Raina and Poh Si Teng.

@ The New York Times