New Delhi: Government on Wednesday said 198 people were killed and 714 others injured in the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai.
"As per reports till this morning, 198 people have been killed and 714 injured, who were being treated in different hospitals and were being given the best of treatment," Union Home Secretary V K Duggal said at a press conference convened by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
Of the 198 killed, 123 bodies have been identified and 72 of them handed over to the next of kin, Duggal said.
"We are confident of getting to the culprits very soon. The investigations are going on in full swing," Duggal said, adding no terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility so far.
He said it was confirmed from the remains of shattered bogies that the explosives used were of "very high intensity and could probably be RDX".
Asked whether the terror attack would affect the ongoing Indo-Pak talks, the Home Minister said, "Anything done to disturb peace should be stopped. It is our responsibility to see that such activities are put an end."
Regarding compensation, Duggal said the Railways have given Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of those killed, while the state government has given Rs 1 lakh.
The Railways have also promised to give one job to the family of each deceased, he said.
The entire expenditure on providing medical treatment to the injured was being borne by the government, not only in government hospitals but also in the private ones, Duggal said.
To questions on Tuesday's grenade attacks in Srinagar, the Home Secretary said while two self-styled Lashkar-e-Toiba commanders were "neutralised" in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, a key supplier of explosives was also likely to
be nabbed.
Asked whether there was any connection between the Mumbai and Srinagar attacks, he said the explosives used were different and it was difficult to say that the two attacks were coordinated.
"But the purpose of the people working behind these strikes seem to be somewhat common", Duggal said.
Responding to a spate of questions on which outfit could be responsible for the blasts, the Home Minister said "we have information about many things. But it will be difficult to divulge anything. So we are not saying whether so and so is responsible or not".
Patil said, "people who were behind this activities basically have two objectives, to disrupt peace, tranquility and understanding and create divisions in various sections of the society and the responsibility of the Government is that these objectives are not achieved."
To a question on the Opposition charge that the UPA government was "soft on terror", Patil said the Opposition parties too had gone through such experiences when they were in power.
Comments
0 comment