Meet thosands of people from Orissa Created by a oriya engg. student www.easydosti.com
Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 (IANS) At least three Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Orissa's Koraput district Friday, police said.
The shootout took place at Turli hillock in Narayanpatna area, over 550 km from here. The gun battle lasted about an hour, Deputy Inspector General of Police Soumendra Priyadarshi told IANS.
A joint police team of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh raided the hideout in Koraput, considered a Maoist stronghold. A gun and 25 Maoist kit bags were recovered in the operation, Priyadarshi said.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Raipur court holds Human right activist guilty of treason
A Raipur sessions court on Friday found human rights activist Binayak Sen and two others guilty of treason, waging war against the state and helping Maoists.
Activists across the world, including Nobel laureates, were demanding Sen's release. However the court went by the prosecution's view that Sen was involved in establishing an urban network for the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist and went on to deliver its verdict amid high security.
Along with Sen, Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata-based businessman Piyush Guha were also held guilty of treason.
Sen was arrested under the stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act from Bilaspur in May 2007 on charge of having link with Sanyal. He was released on bail two years later on the order of the Supreme Court.
His trial started in May 2008 and 97 witnesses were examined. The Raipur court had completed its hearing last week.
The prosecution claimed Sen met Sanyal in Raipur central jail several times. It said Sen was a conduit for letters and passed on letters between Sanyal and Guha.
Activists across the world, including Nobel laureates, were demanding Sen's release. However the court went by the prosecution's view that Sen was involved in establishing an urban network for the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist and went on to deliver its verdict amid high security.
Along with Sen, Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata-based businessman Piyush Guha were also held guilty of treason.
Sen was arrested under the stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act from Bilaspur in May 2007 on charge of having link with Sanyal. He was released on bail two years later on the order of the Supreme Court.
His trial started in May 2008 and 97 witnesses were examined. The Raipur court had completed its hearing last week.
The prosecution claimed Sen met Sanyal in Raipur central jail several times. It said Sen was a conduit for letters and passed on letters between Sanyal and Guha.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
probe nrega scam in orissa: Supremecourt orders
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday has asked for a thorough investigation into utilization of NREGA funds by the Orissa government and asked why the probe into it be not entrusted to the CBI.
The Centre said it has already requested CBI to do so. But, it also has admitted that states are struggling to implement NREGA-mandated schemes.
Earlier, livid at the allegation of diversion of funds sent by the Centre to states for NREGA-mandated schemes, the Supreme Court on Monday had warned to make an example out of Orissa to force other defaulting states to fall in line.
"What nonsense is going on? The Centre must take steps to ensure that funds released under NREGA reaches the target population. We want action in this regard and will not allow any fund to go waste," a Bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar had said.
The SC minced no words in expressing displeasure over allegations that NREGA funds were being diverted with impunity by state governments, especially Orissa.
Taking into account the charges made by NGO 'Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS)' on the basis of surveys conducted by it in 100 villages of Orissa, the Bench said, "Orissa says officers have been suspended. That means they are admitting to diversion of NREGA funds. We want to know what steps the Centre, which sanctions the funds, has taken. It must hold an inquiry and take officers responsible to task."
Warning that it would call the chief secretary of Orissa to personally answer the diversion charges once the Centre conducted an inquiry and gave a report, the SC said, "Once we take action against Orissa, other states will fall in line."
The Centre said it has already requested CBI to do so. But, it also has admitted that states are struggling to implement NREGA-mandated schemes.
Earlier, livid at the allegation of diversion of funds sent by the Centre to states for NREGA-mandated schemes, the Supreme Court on Monday had warned to make an example out of Orissa to force other defaulting states to fall in line.
"What nonsense is going on? The Centre must take steps to ensure that funds released under NREGA reaches the target population. We want action in this regard and will not allow any fund to go waste," a Bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar had said.
The SC minced no words in expressing displeasure over allegations that NREGA funds were being diverted with impunity by state governments, especially Orissa.
Taking into account the charges made by NGO 'Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS)' on the basis of surveys conducted by it in 100 villages of Orissa, the Bench said, "Orissa says officers have been suspended. That means they are admitting to diversion of NREGA funds. We want to know what steps the Centre, which sanctions the funds, has taken. It must hold an inquiry and take officers responsible to task."
Warning that it would call the chief secretary of Orissa to personally answer the diversion charges once the Centre conducted an inquiry and gave a report, the SC said, "Once we take action against Orissa, other states will fall in line."
Monday, December 13, 2010
Why My India is great?
If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India. ~ Romain Rolland (French Nobel Laureate)
India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border. ~ Hu Shih (Chinese ambassador to the US)
India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. ~ Mark Twain
So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. ~ Mark Twain
India has two million gods, and worships them all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire. ~ Mark Twain (Following the Equator)
India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. ~ Will Durant
India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of mature mind, understanding spirit and a unifying, pacifying love for all human beings. ~ Will Durant
There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds. It was as if all my life I had been seeing the world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor. ~ Keith Bellows (photographer and vice president of National Geographic Society)
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. ~ Albert Einstein
It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. There are perhaps very few nations in the world with the enormous variety that India has to offer. Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else. ~ A Rough Guide to India (a travel book [1])
Ancient civilizations of Greece, Egypt and Rome have all disappeared from this world, but the elements of our civilization still continue. Although world-events have been inimical to us for centuries, there is something in our civilization which has withstood these onslaughts.-Allama Iqbal (1873-1938)
Lord Ram is the Imam of Hindustan (India).- Allama Iqbal (1873-1938)
Greeks, Scythians, Parthians, Kushans, Huns, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, Muslims, Portuguese, French, English, all went after one civilisation: India and prospered. It lost everything except its soul (spirituality). It will regain its true place in this world and its Sun will rise again. – Aggyatt Manav
India of ages in not dead’ nor has She spoken her last creative word; She lives and still has something to do for herself and the human peoples. – Sri Aurobindo
India is the guru of the nations, the physician of human soul in its profounder maladies; she is destined once more to new mould the life of the world and restore the peace of the human spirit. – Sri Aurobindo
No Indian ever went outside his own country on a warlike expedition, so righteous were they – Arrian, Greek historian, philosopher, and statesman during the Roman period
This also is remarkable in India, that all Indians are free, and no Indian at all is a slave. In this the Indians agree with the Lacedaemonians. Yet the Lacedaemonians have Helots for slaves, who perform the duties of slaves; but the Indians have no slaves at all, much less is any Indian a slave – Arrian, Greek historian, philosopher, and statesman during the Roman period
India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border. ~ Hu Shih (Chinese ambassador to the US)
India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. ~ Mark Twain
So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. ~ Mark Twain
India has two million gods, and worships them all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire. ~ Mark Twain (Following the Equator)
India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. ~ Will Durant
India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of mature mind, understanding spirit and a unifying, pacifying love for all human beings. ~ Will Durant
There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds. It was as if all my life I had been seeing the world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor. ~ Keith Bellows (photographer and vice president of National Geographic Society)
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. ~ Albert Einstein
It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. There are perhaps very few nations in the world with the enormous variety that India has to offer. Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else. ~ A Rough Guide to India (a travel book [1])
Ancient civilizations of Greece, Egypt and Rome have all disappeared from this world, but the elements of our civilization still continue. Although world-events have been inimical to us for centuries, there is something in our civilization which has withstood these onslaughts.-Allama Iqbal (1873-1938)
Lord Ram is the Imam of Hindustan (India).- Allama Iqbal (1873-1938)
Greeks, Scythians, Parthians, Kushans, Huns, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, Muslims, Portuguese, French, English, all went after one civilisation: India and prospered. It lost everything except its soul (spirituality). It will regain its true place in this world and its Sun will rise again. – Aggyatt Manav
India of ages in not dead’ nor has She spoken her last creative word; She lives and still has something to do for herself and the human peoples. – Sri Aurobindo
India is the guru of the nations, the physician of human soul in its profounder maladies; she is destined once more to new mould the life of the world and restore the peace of the human spirit. – Sri Aurobindo
No Indian ever went outside his own country on a warlike expedition, so righteous were they – Arrian, Greek historian, philosopher, and statesman during the Roman period
This also is remarkable in India, that all Indians are free, and no Indian at all is a slave. In this the Indians agree with the Lacedaemonians. Yet the Lacedaemonians have Helots for slaves, who perform the duties of slaves; but the Indians have no slaves at all, much less is any Indian a slave – Arrian, Greek historian, philosopher, and statesman during the Roman period
Wikileaks: Singapore diplomat calls India ‘stupid’
Singapore, Dec 12, (PTI):A top Singaporean diplomat described India as ”stupid”, saying the country was ”half in, half out” of the ASEAN grouping, according to leaked US cables.
The whistle-blower website WikiLeaks released several US State Department cables that contained controversial comments by senior Singaporean foreign affairs officials on India and other Asian allies like Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.
The cables containing comments made during Singaporean diplomats’ meetings with senior US officials such as Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney between 2008 and last year were exclusively leaked to Australia’s Fairfax Media Group.
In one of the cables, Singapore’s Ambassador at large Tommy Koh called Japan “the big fat loser” in the context of improving ties between China and ASEAN. According to Australian newspapers which carried the contents of the cables, Koh attributed the relative decline of Japan’s position in the region to its “stupidity, bad leadership and lack of vision.”
Koh was “equally merciless towards India, describing his ‘stupid Indian friends’ as ‘half in, half out’ of ASEAN,” a leaked cable said.
ASEAN — the Association of South East Asian Nations in which India has an observer status — is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The leaked cables also contained comments from former permanent secretary at Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Peter Ho and permanent secretary Bilahari Kausikan on the political situation and leadership in Malaysia and Thailand.
“A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia,” Kausikan told Sedney, according to a cable dated September 2008. As such, “the situation in neighbouring
Malaysia is confused and dangerous,” fuelled by a “distinct possibility of racial conflict”
that could see ethnic Chinese “flee” Malaysia and “overwhelm” Singapore, Kausikan was quoted as saying.
Peter Ho reportedly described Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as “an opportunist” who “would not hesitate” to be critical of Singapore if “it is expedient for him to do so.”
He said allegations linking Najib to the murder of a Mongolian woman in 2006, which the leader has strongly rejected, would continue to “haunt” his political fortunes, the leaked cables showed.
Kausikan was also critical of the Thai government in 2008, labelling then premier Thaksin Shinawatra as “corrupt” along with “everyone else, including the opposition.” He also said the Thai crown prince was “very erratic, and easily subject to influence,” and warned of continued instability in Thailand.
Other notable comments about regional affairs made by Kausikan in September 2008 included his reported claim that Myanmar’s neighbours, including China and India, are “more concerned with stability than justice” and they feared the Burmese junta’s demise could produce “an Asian reprise of the breakup of Yugoslavia,” according to the Australian media.
Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed deep concern over the damaging actions of WikiLeaks. The “selective release of documents, especially when taken out of context, will only serve to sow confusion and fail to provide a complete picture of the important issues that were being discussed amongst leaders in the strictest (norm) of confidentiality,” a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the ‘Straits Times’. Deccan Herald. Singapore diplomat calls India ‘stupid’: Leaked papers
The whistle-blower website WikiLeaks released several US State Department cables that contained controversial comments by senior Singaporean foreign affairs officials on India and other Asian allies like Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.
The cables containing comments made during Singaporean diplomats’ meetings with senior US officials such as Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney between 2008 and last year were exclusively leaked to Australia’s Fairfax Media Group.
In one of the cables, Singapore’s Ambassador at large Tommy Koh called Japan “the big fat loser” in the context of improving ties between China and ASEAN. According to Australian newspapers which carried the contents of the cables, Koh attributed the relative decline of Japan’s position in the region to its “stupidity, bad leadership and lack of vision.”
Koh was “equally merciless towards India, describing his ‘stupid Indian friends’ as ‘half in, half out’ of ASEAN,” a leaked cable said.
ASEAN — the Association of South East Asian Nations in which India has an observer status — is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The leaked cables also contained comments from former permanent secretary at Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Peter Ho and permanent secretary Bilahari Kausikan on the political situation and leadership in Malaysia and Thailand.
“A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia,” Kausikan told Sedney, according to a cable dated September 2008. As such, “the situation in neighbouring
Malaysia is confused and dangerous,” fuelled by a “distinct possibility of racial conflict”
that could see ethnic Chinese “flee” Malaysia and “overwhelm” Singapore, Kausikan was quoted as saying.
Peter Ho reportedly described Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak as “an opportunist” who “would not hesitate” to be critical of Singapore if “it is expedient for him to do so.”
He said allegations linking Najib to the murder of a Mongolian woman in 2006, which the leader has strongly rejected, would continue to “haunt” his political fortunes, the leaked cables showed.
Kausikan was also critical of the Thai government in 2008, labelling then premier Thaksin Shinawatra as “corrupt” along with “everyone else, including the opposition.” He also said the Thai crown prince was “very erratic, and easily subject to influence,” and warned of continued instability in Thailand.
Other notable comments about regional affairs made by Kausikan in September 2008 included his reported claim that Myanmar’s neighbours, including China and India, are “more concerned with stability than justice” and they feared the Burmese junta’s demise could produce “an Asian reprise of the breakup of Yugoslavia,” according to the Australian media.
Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed deep concern over the damaging actions of WikiLeaks. The “selective release of documents, especially when taken out of context, will only serve to sow confusion and fail to provide a complete picture of the important issues that were being discussed amongst leaders in the strictest (norm) of confidentiality,” a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the ‘Straits Times’. Deccan Herald. Singapore diplomat calls India ‘stupid’: Leaked papers
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Orissa chromite mines among US's secret interest: WikiLeaks
Two little known chromite mines in Orissa and Karnataka, besides a factory in Gujarat that manufactures critical chemotherapy drugs are among global "key infrastructures" which could pose a danger to America's national security if they come under terrorist attack, a secret US cable released by WikiLeaks has revealed.
The classified State Department cable dated February 18, 2009 asks its diplomatic posts to update a secret list of key infrastructures across the globe which are vital of America's national security interests and needs to be protected from any terrorist attacks.
The secret list includes only three infrastructure projects from India. "Orissa (chromite mines) and Karnataka (chromite mines) Generamedix Gujurat: Chemotherapy agents, including florouracil and methotrexate," the cable said.
The February 2009 cable from the State Department requested overseas US missions update a list of infrastructure and resources around the globe "whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security and/or national and homeland security of the United States."
The list includes undersea cables, communications, ports, mineral resources and firms of strategic importance in countries ranging from Austria to New Zealand.
The cable said the State Department, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, was seeking input from embassies on "critical infrastructure and key resources within their host countries which, if destroyed, would likely have an immediate and deleterious effect on the United States."
It said diplomats were "not being asked to consult with host governments with respect to this request."
The request came under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, which aims to enhance protection of key resources "to prevent, deter, neutralize or mitigate the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate or exploit them; and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery in the event of an attack, natural disaster or other emergency."
The cable reveals a vast range of sites and firms seen as vital to national interests and security, ranging from major infrastructure such as the Panama canal and oil pipelines to Belgian medical firms and Italian and Australian companies which produce snake-bite treatments.
In Europe, the Ludwigshafen plant of German chemical giant BASF was the "world's largest integrated chemical complex" while Siemens AG in Erlangen was responsible for "essentially irreplaceable production of key chemicals."
The cable describes Russia's Nadym gas pipeline junction as "the most critical gas facility in the world."
In the Middle East, it notes that "by 2012 Qatar will be the largest source of imported LNG (liquefied natural gas)" to the US.
The hundreds of entries in the document leaked on Sunday also include mines and mineral resources in Africa and South America, undersea pipelines, cables and ports in China and Japan, French medical and pharmaceutical companies and shipping terminals and crude oil refineries in the Middle East.
In addition the list includes Danish and German suppliers of smallpox and rabies vaccines, British defence contractors and telecommunications facilities, chromite mines in India, and dams and hydro-electric projects in Canada which supply power to the United States.
WikiLeaks created an international firestorm when it started releasing more than 250,000 classified State Department cables on November 28, which have included embarrassing details of American diplomats' private assessments of foreign leaders
The classified State Department cable dated February 18, 2009 asks its diplomatic posts to update a secret list of key infrastructures across the globe which are vital of America's national security interests and needs to be protected from any terrorist attacks.
The secret list includes only three infrastructure projects from India. "Orissa (chromite mines) and Karnataka (chromite mines) Generamedix Gujurat: Chemotherapy agents, including florouracil and methotrexate," the cable said.
The February 2009 cable from the State Department requested overseas US missions update a list of infrastructure and resources around the globe "whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security and/or national and homeland security of the United States."
The list includes undersea cables, communications, ports, mineral resources and firms of strategic importance in countries ranging from Austria to New Zealand.
The cable said the State Department, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, was seeking input from embassies on "critical infrastructure and key resources within their host countries which, if destroyed, would likely have an immediate and deleterious effect on the United States."
It said diplomats were "not being asked to consult with host governments with respect to this request."
The request came under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, which aims to enhance protection of key resources "to prevent, deter, neutralize or mitigate the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate or exploit them; and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery in the event of an attack, natural disaster or other emergency."
The cable reveals a vast range of sites and firms seen as vital to national interests and security, ranging from major infrastructure such as the Panama canal and oil pipelines to Belgian medical firms and Italian and Australian companies which produce snake-bite treatments.
In Europe, the Ludwigshafen plant of German chemical giant BASF was the "world's largest integrated chemical complex" while Siemens AG in Erlangen was responsible for "essentially irreplaceable production of key chemicals."
The cable describes Russia's Nadym gas pipeline junction as "the most critical gas facility in the world."
In the Middle East, it notes that "by 2012 Qatar will be the largest source of imported LNG (liquefied natural gas)" to the US.
The hundreds of entries in the document leaked on Sunday also include mines and mineral resources in Africa and South America, undersea pipelines, cables and ports in China and Japan, French medical and pharmaceutical companies and shipping terminals and crude oil refineries in the Middle East.
In addition the list includes Danish and German suppliers of smallpox and rabies vaccines, British defence contractors and telecommunications facilities, chromite mines in India, and dams and hydro-electric projects in Canada which supply power to the United States.
WikiLeaks created an international firestorm when it started releasing more than 250,000 classified State Department cables on November 28, which have included embarrassing details of American diplomats' private assessments of foreign leaders
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Indian mujahedin blasts at Hindu festival in Varanasi
The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, appealed for calm tonight after a bomb hidden in a metal canister exploded as thousands gathered for a Hindu ceremony, killing a toddler and triggering a stampede that left many wounded in the holy city of Varanasi.
"This unfortunate incident ... is an attempt to weaken our resolve to fight the evil forces of terrorism," Singh said.
A five-page claim of responsibility sent to media organisations from the Indian Mujahideen, a network of Islamic militants operating within the country, was being studied by experts from security services tonight. Such claims have proved authentic in the past.
Despite frequent alerts and intelligence suggesting imminent strikes either by radical Islamic militant outfits inside India or run from neighbouring Pakistan, there had been no major incident since the bombing of a popular tourist café in the central city of Pune in February this year.
Threats to bomb the recent Commonwealth Games had been unfulfilled.
Senior figures in Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based Islamic extremist group responsible for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, are known to have discussed attacks on Hindu holy sites or festivals in India. However no confirmation was immediately available of the identity of the bombers.
The device appeared to have been hidden inside a milk pail on one of many stone staircases leading to the Ganges river, the site of daily spiritual rituals, according to police official Brij Lal.
A two year-old girl who had been sitting on her mother's lap when the bomb went off died in a hospital, Lal said. Her mother and two others were in a serious condition.
The explosion set off a stampede, and 21 people, including two foreigners, were injured, home minister P Chidambaram told reporters. It was not immediately clear how many were hurt in the blast and how many in the subsequent chaos.
The force of the explosion ripped away a metal railing and damaged stones up to 200 feet away, said Ramatama Srivastava, a witness.
The Indian government issued a nationwide alert. Varanasi, the holiest city in the Hindu religion, has been attacked before. In March 2006, twin bombings tore through a train station and a temple in the city, killing 20 people.
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