A POWERFUL bomb placed in a briefcase outside the high court in New Delhi killed at least 10 people and wounded 47 today, the deadliest attack in India in almost two months, prompting the government to put the capital on high alert.
Home minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told parliament the bomb, which dug a three-four-ft deep crater, exploded at the main reception gate where passes are issued for visitors to enter the court compound before the main security checkpoint.
"Delhi is a target of terrorist groups…(but) we shall never be intimidated by terrorist groups," the minister said, pledging to track down those responsible.
"At this stage it is not possible to identify the group that caused the bomb blast today."
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, less than two months after near-simultaneous triple bomb attacks in India`s financial hub Mumbai killed 24.
There is still no word on who was behind the Mumbai attacks, although police have focused their investigation on the Indian Mujahideen, a home-grown militant group know for its city-to-city bombing campaigns using small explosive devices.
"I was near the gate at that time," said lawyer KK Gautam. "There was an orderly queue when a loud blast occurred. I saw many injured and dead. I saw 20-25 injured and around 10 dead.
"I saw some dead bodies and some dismembered body parts."
The court building compound is in a leafy, usually tranquil and upscale part of the city. The outside gate is usually manned by a handful of policemen armed with automatic rifles and hand-held scanners.
Lawyers in black suits and starched white collars stood around shocked on one of the busiest days of the week when the court hears public interest petitions.
About 120 soldiers, police and bomb squad specialists were at the scene, with ambulances whisking the injured away to hospitals.
"There was panic everywhere. Now we are on the way to the hospital," witness Kriti Uppal told CNN-IBN. "It seems to be very powerful (blast). Seems to be many casualties."
Television images showed scores of lawyers running from one of the main gates of the building just after the explosion. Police cordoned off the area, not far from parliament and the prime minister`s office.
"The site has been fully secured and Delhi has been put on high alert. Whatever precautions need to be taken are being taken," said UK Bansal, in charge of internal security at the home ministry.
