Home minister under fire over Hyderabad blasts, BJP dismisses ‘routine’ statement

The government will make all possible efforts to apprehend the perpetrators and masterminds behind the twin blasts in Hyderabad in which 16 people were killed and 117 injured, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde told Parliament today. Making a statement in Lok Sabha after touring the blast sites, Shinde said the situation was under control and the government was committed to combat such cowardly terror attacks.

He said twin blasts took place in a busy locality of Dilsukhnagar area of Hyderabad city at a local bus stop and a canteen, which were about 150 meters from each other at 6:58pm and 7:01pm on Thursday.

“Preliminary investigations reveal that the IEDs were placed on bicycles causing explosion at both the places,” he said, adding 16 persons were killed and 117 injured, four of them critically, in the blasts.

He said two cases have been registered by the police and the National Investigation Agency would investigate the it in conjunction with Andhra Pradesh police.

Shinde said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced Rs. two lakh as ex-gratia for next of kin of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the injured.

The state government has announced Rs. 6 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh for the injured besides bearing all expenses for treatment of the injured, he said.