2 bombings in India leave 31 dead

NEW DELHI -- Two bombs rigged to bicycles exploded yesterday in the town of Malegaon in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, killing 31 people and injuring 125 more, most of them Muslim worshipers leaving a mosque after prayers.

The first bomb went off in a graveyard, and the second in a crowded street a short distance away, police officials said.

Thousands of people were out on the streets yesterday to mark Shab-e-Barat, also called the night of atonement or forgiveness, a Muslim religious event during which people go to graveyards to offer prayers for the souls of dead relatives.

The chief minister of the state called the explosions a terrorist act. `` It is done by people who don't want peace," Vilasrao Deshmukh said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Fearing revenge attacks, authorities placed a curfew on Malegaon and put security forces on alert. Late yesterday, the city's streets were empty, with thousands of police on patrol and checkpoints set up around the perimeter.

India has a long history of violence between Hindus and Muslims. In July, a series of bombs that ripped through the commuter train network of Mumbai, previously known as Bombay, killed 182 people and wounded more than 800, most of them Hindus. Malegaon is about 160 miles northeast of that city.

Television footage from Malegaon showed chaos yesterday as hundreds of people rushed around in panic. There were scenes of people carrying the bodies of the dead and injured.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned the blasts, the BBC reported, adding that he has appealed for peace and harmony.

Federal security forces, including personnel from the antiriot Rapid Action Force, were being sent to Malegaon, according to the Press Trust of India.

Malegaon, a center of India's textile industry, has about 500,000 people, of which 75 percent are Muslim. It has long been the scene of violence between Hindus and Muslims.

Both bombs were attached to bicycles, Deshmukh said. ``We found packets with the explosives attached to these bicycles," he said.

The explosions came as Muslims celebrated the Shab-e-Barat, when they hold nightlong prayers seeking divine blessings, exchange sweets with neighbors and relatives, and set off fireworks.

At least some of those killed were beggars who came to the mosque because worshipers are known for their generosity on festival days, said Raees Rizvi, a Malegaon social worker.

He said community leaders had been meeting with authorities since the blasts, in an effort to stop further violence. ``This was to spread tension in the area," Rizvi said.

India has suffered through a series of terrorist bombings over the past year, including the attacks on commuter trains in Mumbai in July, which were attributed to Pakistan-based Muslim militants.

This week, Singh warned that India may be facing even bloodier attacks.

``Reports also suggest that terrorist modules and `sleeper cells' exist in some of our urban areas, all of which highlight the seriousness of the threat," Singh told India's state chief ministers during a conference on internal security.

``The situation is tense," said Nashik's superintendent of police, Rajvardhan, who uses only one name. Nashik is about 60 miles from Malegaon.

The US ambassador to India, David C. Mulford, deplored yesterday's bombings. ``There can be no justification for such heinous acts," he said. ``The United States stands with India in its fight against terrorism."

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.