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“Nitric acid, nails used in Malegaon blast”

— PHOTO: Vivek Bendre

TEARS OF DESPAIR: Afrin beside the bed of her injured father, Shaik Ismil, at a hospital in Malegaon on Monday .

Malegaon: Nitric acid and nails were used in the crude bomb that went off at 9. 35 p.m. on Monday in the busy marketplace of Bhikku chowk at Malegaon, according to a source at the control room there.

The blast, which occurred when hundreds were offering namaz at the nearby Noorani masjid, claimed four lives — Syed Akhtar (18), Rafiq Akbar (30), Sheikh Mushtaq Sheik Yousou (28) and Shagufta Bano Sheik Liaqat (10). The dead were not from the masjid but were locals who came to the market.

The Maharashtra police are awaiting detailed forensic reports.

The bomb was kept on a motorbike which, locals said, was lying outside a shop owned by Abdullah Jamaluddin Ansari, 70. After a couple of hours, Ansari asked a worker in a hotel opposite to his premises to report about the bike at the police chowk, 30 feet from the blast site. But the police paid no heed, it was alleged. Ansari is among those critically injured.

In the impact of the blast shutters of shops caught fire though there was no damage to the property inside. An old clock in Ansari’s shop stopped after the explosion, indicating the time of the blast as 9.37 p.m. Windowpanes of a hotel were shattered up to the second floor.

Mufti Nizamuddin, administrative member of the All Sect Organisation of Malegaon, who was at the Noorani masjid at the time of the blast, said: “Many came forward to carry the injured. Seeing the chaos and angry at the police inaction in moving away the motorcycle, some youths gathered outside the police booth and started protesting. The police then started firing from inside. Their shots hit a lamppost in the chowk. The locals got further irritated as the police, instead of helping the people, resorted to firing. By this time, some went to the masjid, where the evening namaz was drawing to a close, and reported to people about the blast. A little after 10 p.m., people started gathering on the street. More police vans were called in. There was a huge crowd and people started pelting stones at the vans. The police fired some more shots. Some people also came forward to pacify the crowd.”

Following the blasts, there was tension in the area, which led the police to fire in the air. Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil said 58 rounds were fired, all in the air.

Seventy-four civilians and 10 police personnel were injured. The injured were taken to the Noor, Farhan and Wadia hospitals.

Assistant Superintendent of police Viresh Prabhu was injured in the firing, according to the control room. The police claimed that the mob attacked the police, while the locals said they threw stones at the vans.

According to official reports, no civilian was dead in the firing. However, local activist Syed Asif Ali of Citizens for Peace and Justice claimed that two people died in the firing and 50 were injured. Sheikh Rafiq Sheikh Mustafa was killed in the firing, he said. The other name could not be confirmed.

Sirajjuddin (26), who was present when the firing took place, said: “My friend and I were at the market with our handcart. After the blast, my friend was speaking on the phone when a bullet hit his hand. A person next to him was also shot at. He died on the spot.”

Though the situation has eased in Malegaon, still there is strong police presence. Around 120 jawans of the Rapid Action Force have been positioned in three places along with State Reserve Police force personnel.

Malegaon is a communally sensitive area and the blast has raked up the memory of the September 8, 2006 serial blasts, — one of the blasts took place inside a masjid.

Id will be celebrated in a day or two. The security remains tight. The All Sect Organisation of Malegaon has asked the people to keep the celebrations simple and wear black bands.

Special Correspondent writes from Mumbai:

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has announced Rs.5 lakh ex-gratia payment to the next of kin of those who died in the blast at Malegaon on Monday night. Injured persons will get Rs. 25,000 to Rs 50,000.

Mr. Deshmukh, who is on a European tour, condemned the incident and appealed for peace, in a statement issued here.

Those seriously injured will get Rs.50,000.

The Chief Minister said the compensation will also apply to casualties in riots which broke out late on Monday night at Rabodi in Thane in which one person was killed in police firing.

A large number of police personnel were injured both in the riots at Thane and the Malegaon blast and the enhanced compensation has been announced in view of this.

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