Indian PM visits bomb-hit city, more attacks feared

Bombs ripped through 16 crowded places in Ahmedabad, the commercial hub of western Gujarat state, on Saturday, killing 49 people and injuring more than 160. The targets included markets, buses and hospitals treating the victims.

The Gujarat attacks, claimed by a little-known group calling itself the "Indian Mujahedeen," came the day after a string of bombs went off in the southern tech city of Bangalore, leaving one dead and eight injured.

"We will rise to the challenge and I am confident we will be able to defeat these forces," Singh told reporters after visiting a bombed hospital in Ahmedabad and meeting victims of the attacks.

He urged all political parties, the state and central governments, and security forces to cooperate in the hunt for those responsible.

"In this hour of tragedy, my heart goes out to those who have lost their dear and near ones. I offer my sympathies to those injured," said Singh, who visited the city with Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and was ringed by heavy security.

Police reported progress in their investigation.

"We have got some definite leads and we are pursuing them but we cannot predict as of now when we will be able to crack this case," the city’s top detective, Ashish Bhatia, told AFP.

"We have now picked up 10 to 12 people on various suspicions and they are being put through sustained questioning," Bhatia said, reporting "good" progress in the probe.

Police added that the situation was now "totally normal" in the city, which was the scene of major Hindu-Muslim riots six years ago. Leaders appealed for calm in the wake of the attacks, fearing new sectarian violence.

The army, which was deployed after the attacks to avert any fresh religious riots, were taken off the streets Monday as life began to return to normal.

"It’s been quiet for two days so my mother said it’s all right to go to school," said 15-year-old Athar Kothawala as he walked to class.

Many states around the country put more police on the streets after the "Indian Mujahedeen" threatened more attacks.

Security was particularly tight in the capital New Delhi, with an additional 3,000 police called out to man random check posts across the city.

India’s Bollywood movie industry, based in the financial hub Mumbai, has also faced threats from the shadowy group which, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper, sent another e-mail Sunday threatening top Muslim superstars.

Indian cities have been hit by a string of apparently well-planned bomb attacks in recent years. New Delhi has frequently pointed the finger at militants backed by Islamabad -- charges that Pakistan vehemently denies.

Fears were initially high the attacks could spark violence in Gujarat, where riots in 2002 left an estimated 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead.

But locals said they were hopeful there would be no repeat this time.