Jul 13, 2009, Islamabad

At least 16 people, including several children, were killed and 120 others injured on Monday when a powerful explosion in a small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province flattened a madrassa, which was being used to make bombs, officials said.

The blast, which occurred shortly before 10 am local time in the village near Mian Channu in southern Punjab, was caused by explosives stored in the home of madrassa teacher Riaz Ali, local residents said.

Ali was a member of a banned religious group, officials said.

Police and rescue service officials told reporters that 16 people, including several children, were killed in the blast, which also destroyed dozens of houses.

Muhammad Yousuf Soomra, health officer of Khanewal district, said the toll could rise as more bodies were feared to be buried under the rubble of collapsed homes.

It was not immediately known what triggered the blast. Rescue workers found parts of shells and bombs, grenades, rockets and suicide jackets in the rubble of the madrassa.

Officials said the seminary was being used to make bombs.

Doctors in local hospitals said 120 injured people had been brought for treatment. Over 40 of them were admitted to hospitals while many were allowed to go home after being given first aid. An emergency was declared in all hospitals near Mian Channu.

‘Jehadi’ material, including cassettes with militant propaganda and pamphlets of the Harkat-ul-Jehad al-Islami terrorist group, were also found in the debris of Ali’s house, Geo News channel reported.

The blast created a crater 40 feet wide and eight feet deep. The explosion flattened about 25 structures, including a rural health centre and the madrassa, a police official said.

Rescue efforts were hampered by large crowds that gathered at the site of the blast. The lack of earth moving equipment also affected efforts by rescue workers to sift through the rubble.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the blast and ordered authorities to launch an immediate inquiry into the incident so that the culprits could be brought to justice.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/16-killed-in-blast-in-pak-madrassa-used-as-bombmaking-factory/488690/

10th July 2009, a major communal riot  broke in Murshidabad district.
Till now 12 persons dead, most of them Hindus,  hundreds injured including 10
policemen and one D.S.P. rank police officer. Two  village markets and
hundreds of Hindu houses were looted and burnt. Firing  between police and Muslim
rioters still going on at 11.30 night. Curfew imposed  in the whole area.
BSF and CRPF deployed to help police and  RAF.
Perhaps the whole incident planned to welcome the proposed Aligarh Muslim
University Campus in this district.
Jhaubona High  School is a big higher secondary school in  Jhaubona village
under Nawda polie station in Beldanga sub division in  Murshidabad
district. Among total 1000 students of this school, about 50% are  Muslim students.
For long they were demanding to offer Friday Namaz inside the  school. But
school management and the Hindu students resisted it apprehending that it
will create a virtual mosque inside the school.  So, the furious Muslim
students  made objection against Saraswati Puja in the school and the school
management  has been compelled to stop Saraswati puja last year in the school. In
spite of  that, the Muslim students were not satisfied. So they planned to
offer Friday  Namaz today (10 July) by force inside the school without any
permission from Head Master or School  Management. Hindu students protested
and altercation started at 12  noon between two groups of students. Muslims
were prepared. Through cell phone  they spread the false message that Hindu
students attacked Muslim students in  the school. Within 10-15 minutes,
thousands of Muslims led by the  students of nearby Trimohini Madrasa rushed to
the school. They attacked the  school students, the big village market of
Trimohini, and two Hindu villages  Jhaubona and Trimohini. Many Hindu shops in
the Trimohini market were burnt and  looted. Many Hindu houses were burnt and
looted in the villages Jhaubona and  Garapara. In one house 4 Hindus died
in the fire including one father and his  daughter were burnt alive.
Till now, according to our sources, 12 Hindus are dead, more than one
hundred injured, though the district administration will surely give a lesser
number.
Many are missing. Nobody knows how many of  the missing persons are already
dead.
Police and RAF could not control the situation. So, BSF and  CRPF are
called in. Till evening, police fired 250 rounds. 10 policemen were  injured,
among them condition of 4 are very serious. One D.S.P. is seriously  injured.
He has been admitted in a private  nursing home to avoid media scrutiny. On
the road at Begunbari village, Muslims  burnt 2 buses and one matador. One
Tata Sumo car and its passengers were  attacked. The broken car and its
passengers have been brought to Beldanga Bharat  Sevashram Sangha for their
safety.
The injured persons have been admitted to  Baharampur and Amtala hospitals.
Till mid night, firing was going on between  Muslim rioters and security
forces at Trimohini bazaar.
As usual, the electronic media/ TV channels  are silent and totally blacked
out this major incident.
Murshidabad district is a Muslim majority distrct. All the 3 police
stations in Beldanga sub division – Beldanga, Nawda and Hariharpara – are Muslim
majority. This is a border sub division. All the Hindu villages  under
Nawda and Hariharpara p.s. are awake tonight. They are scared of possible
Muslim attack upon their villages.
In sub divisional town Beldanga, in evening  Muslims gathered in front of
Congress office. Hindus are fearing that the famous  Bharat Sevashram Sangha,
whose President highly revered Swami Pradiptanandaji  (Kartik Maharaj) may
be attacked by communal Muslims. Swamiji is now away from  Ashram. He went
pilgrimage to Mansarovar-Kailas. He is expected to return in 5-6  days.
India’s Finance Minister Mr.  Pranab Mukherjee has been elected from this
Murshidabad district. As a gratitude to the Muslims of this district, he
announced in his finance Budget in parliament  that he would allocate a huge
sum of money to establish a campus of Aligarh  Muslim University in this
district. This  Aligarh Muslim University spearheaded the separatist movement for
creation of  Pakistan in pre 1947 years.

Source:

Hindu Samhati
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