UP blasts: In all, sketches of four suspects released

The Uttar Pradesh police has released sketches of four suspects in connection with the Fridays multiple blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow.

Lucknow, Nov 24 : The Uttar Pradesh police has released sketches of four suspects in connection with the Friday's multiple blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow.

The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P P Srivastav today released the sketch of a 25-year-old youth wearing spectacles who had allegedly picked up a bicycle from the cycle stand at the railway station and after loading it with explosives allegedly kept it in the compound of the Faizabad civil court.

The state police last night released sketches of three suspects believed to behind the blasts in Lucknow and Faizabad courts.

The sketch of the suspect who purchased the bicycle from a shop on Thursday and kept it at the railway station stand was among the three sketches released last night.

The sketches were prepared on the basis of the statements of eyewitnesses including lawyers.

The Uttar Pradesh government today said that lawyers were the target of Friday's serial blasts, possibly because of their refusal to represent terrorists arrested in connection with various blasts in the State.

State's Principal Secretary (Home) J N Chamber referred to the lawyers' assault on three JeM militants, who were arrested from Lucknow recently, while being produced in the court.

He also referred to the lawyers refusal to represent the accused in the Sankatmochan temple blast in Varanasi, and Faizabad lawyers' refusal to represent the accused in the Ram Janambhoomi complex blast in July 2005.

In the wake of Friday's blasts, security at court premises will be steeped, he said, adding that directives have been issued in this regard.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) sponsored shutdown called to protest against the Friday's serial blasts evoked a mixed response.

No violence has been reported during the state-wide shutdown.

Varanasi, Kanpur and Faizabad were the worst affected areas with most of the shops and business establishments remaining closed.

In Varanasi, where at least nine people were killed in Friday's blasts, Bajrang Dal activists took to the streets.

The activists forced the shopkeepers to close their shops in the city.

However, Samajwadi Party workers halted a train in Allahabad in protest against the state Government and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mayawati.

In some parts of Lucknow, shops and business were closed, while public transport in the city was normal.

But the attacks couldn't deter the faith of thousands of devotees who turned out in large numbers on the banks of Ganges River in Varanasi to take a holy dip on the occasion of Kartik Purnima, the full moon day.

"Terrorism can never affect the faith of people. History reveals that devout Hindus are always ready to sacrifice their life for their faith," said Mridul Mishra, a devotee.

Similar scenes were visible in Ayodhya, where four people were killed in Friday's blast.

"Security arrangements are very good here. We are not scared at all," said Sachidanand Pandey, a devotee.

Meanwhile, Special Task Force has been asked to probe the near-simultaneous blasts in court premises at Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow, that killed 15 people, four of them lawyers, and injured over 80.

Six bombs - three in Varansi, two in Faizabad and one in Lucknow - some planted on cycles, went off within a span of 15 minutes.

The blasts came a week after the Uttar Pradesh police along with central security agencies busted a Jaish-e-Mohammed module, which wanted to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

ANI