By IANS,
Lucknow, Dec 8 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday refuted Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s claim that the state had been forewarned against a possible terrorist strike on the ghats of Varanasi like Tuesday’s blast that killed a small girl.
“There was no specific actionable input from central intelligence agencies regarding the blast that rocked the Shitla ghat near Dasashwamedh ghat on the Ganga banks in Varanasi on Tuesday evening,” state Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said at a press conference here on behalf of Chief Minister Mayawati.
A two-year-old girl was killed and many people, including a few foreigners, were injured Tuesday evening when a bomb exploded on the banks of the Ganga during ‘maha aarti’ watched by hundreds and sparked off a stampede.
Chidambaram, who visited Varanasi Wednesday, blamed the Uttar Pradesh government for ignoring a specific warning issued about terrorists planning an attack at Varanasi’s Shitla Ghat.