By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The temple town of Varanasi has maintained peace and communal harmony for long. The target of today’s blast at Sheetla Ghat on the bank of river Ganges in the UP town soon after aarti was peace, but like the past, the culprits will fail this time also as there is complete peace, say peace activists from the UP town.
A blast occurred at 6:25 pm soon after aarti at Sheetla Ghat wounding about 20 people including some foreigners. The blast has occurred a day after the 18th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition.
“The situation is completely peaceful and under control. The fundamentalist elements have targeted peace of the town. They want to sabotage the communal harmony, but they will fail. They failed even after the devastating Sankat Mochan Temple attack couple of years
back,” said Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi, noted human rights activist, while talking to TCN from Varanasi.
He said the intension of the culprits is clear. They executed the blast around Babri demolition anniversary. By doing so they wanted to instigate communal violence.
Talking to TCN from Lucknow, Dr Mohd Arif, who heads Centre for Harmony and Peace and resides in Varanasi, said there is complete peace in entire Varanasi. The local people are peaceful and they have thwarted the vicious plan of those who are behind the blast. “There hasn’t been any communal violence in the town for a long time; that’s why some people want to sabotage this communal harmony but they will not be successful,” Dr Arif said.
Meanwhile, an email has reached media houses from Indian Mujahideen. The terror group has claimed responsibility for the blast and attributed it to the 6th December when Babri Masjid was demolished 18 years ago. The police have traced the email to Malad in Mumbai. The mail dated 6th December was sent today barely half an hour after the blast.