New Delhi/Mumbai, Dec. 7: A two-year-old girl was killed and at least 25 people were injured in a blast at Dashashwamedh ghat, in the holy city of Varanasi, on Tuesday evening. The injured included some foreigners. While agency reports earlier said the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the terror attack and had warned of more attacks, sources in the Mumbai police said the email was sent by a group that calls itself Al-Fateh. A nationwide alert has been sounded, particularly in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The blast occurred around 6.20 pm, when hundreds of devotees, including foreigners, had gathered to watch the ceremonial aarti of the river Ganga at the ghat. “We had gathered here for a Ganga Mayee aarti and were getting ready to leave when a loud noise was heard and we ran for our lives. The ghats had been the target previously also,” said an eyewitness.
Forensic teams are being flown in from Agra to Varanasi for investigation.