Date:02/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/02/stories/2008010260321200.htm

National

Uttar Pradesh put on high alert

Special Correspondent

— PHOTO: PTI

“COWARDLY ACT”: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati addressing the media on the terrorist attack on the CRPF Group Centre in Rampur on Tuesday.

LUCKNOW: A high alert was sounded in Uttar Pradesh following Tuesday’s terror attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Group Centre in Rampur.

This is the second major terrorist incident in the State after the November 23, 2007 serial bomb blasts in Varanasi, Lucknow and Faizabad civil courts.

Security has been tightened around vital installations in the State.

Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Mishra reviewed the security arrangements at the Secretariat and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Annexe Bhawan housing the Chief Minister’s Office.

Describing the attack as a cowardly act, Chief Minister Mayawati told a news conference here that the terrorists would not succeed in their larger game plan as the Government was determined to stamp out terrorism.

Centre blamed

She blamed the Centre for the spurt in terrorist activities in the State. She said the international borders were not secure and that allowed the terrorists to infiltrate.

The Chief Minister later visited Rampur and inspected the site of the attack. Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh and senior party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also visited Rampur, but were not allowed to enter the CRPF camp. The Samajwadi Party, BJP and Congress have criticised the Bahujan Samaj Party government for its failure to curb terror attacks.