By IANS,
New Delhi : President Pratibha Patil Tuesday cancelled the Iftar reception scheduled for Friday due to the serial blasts in the national capital that killed 24 people and the devastating floods in Bihar.
A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said: “The Iftar reception scheduled to be hosted by the president of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sep 19 has been cancelled in view of the recent tragic events in New Delhi and the unprecedented floods in Bihar.”
More than 100 people were injured in the series of five explosions Saturday evening that hit crowded markets in Karol Bagh and Greater Kailash-I and the city’s central business district Connaught Place.
A group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the bombings.
In the devastating Bihar floods, nearly three million people have been rendered homeless after the Kosi river broke its embankment three weeks ago and swamped hundreds of villages.
About 971,000 people have been evacuated to safer places till date. Around 279,000 people have taken shelter in over 300 relief camps in flood-affected areas, officials said.