25 injured in Kaithal blast
From Our Correspondent

KAITHAL, Nov 16 — At least 25 persons were injured, five of them seriously, when a bomb exploded at the Haryana Roadways bus stand here this afternoon.

The blast, which occurred around 2.30 p.m. near the exit gate of the bus stand damaged two rehris and the window panes of a private bus parked near the site. According to the Director-General of the Haryana Police, Mr S.K. Sethi, the bomb, a low-intensity device, was apparently left between the bus and a rehri by someone.

Mr Sethi said from the nature of the injuries it was apparent that the bomb was a crude device and had no splinters.

Karamveer, near whose rehri the bomb exploded, told this correspondent that he was attending to a customer when the blast took place.

The private bus (HR-45 0549) was to go from Kaithal to Kuraarh village. As soon as the driver started the engine, the blast took place. The driver mistook it as a tyre burst. A lot of smoke was also seen at the bus stand.

Immediately after the incident, the police cordoned off the area. A large crowd gathered and the police had to use force to control the crowd.

While 20 persons were discharged after first aid the five seriously injured have been admitted to the hospital. They are out of danger.

Mr Ram Niwas, a Chandigarh police constable, who was also seriously injured, said he had come on leave and was waiting for bus to go to his native village when there was a loud explosion.

The seriously injured have been identified as Jeevan Devi (Geong), Bohti (Dubal), Sheela, wife of Ram Mehar of Patti Afghan; Murti, wife of Shamsher of Karora and Ram Niwas of Kultaran.

A large number of people from various social organisations reached the hospital and volunteered to donate blood.

A team of forensic science experts from Madhuban has reached here and started investigations.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mrs Jaiwanti Sheokand, and the S.P., Mr Sudhir Choudhary, visited the blast site and the injured in the hospital. The DIG, Ambala Range, Mr Resham Singh, has also reached here to supervise the investigations. The police has launched a manhunt to nab those behind the blast but no arrest has so far been made.

The Lok Dal MLA from Pai, Mr Ram Pal Majra, visited the injured in the hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, a yellow-coloured plastic carry-bag in smithereens and dry batteries were found near the blast site. The police has seized the remains of the bag and the batteries.

Meanwhile, security arrangements in the town have been tightened.

Congress and Lok Dal leaders have demanded the dismissal of the Bansi Lal government for its alleged failure to control the law and order situation in the state.

1.25 kg RDX, 1.75 kg PETN recovered
in Shahabad
By Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 16 — Today's bomb blast at Kaithal, attributed to a "low-intensity device" by the Director-General of the Haryana Police, Mr S.K. Sethi, and the DIG, CID, Mr Satyendra Kumar, is a pointer to more sinister designs the Pakistan intelligence agency, the ISI seems to have for Haryana.

This theory is strengthened by the recovery of huge quantity of high explosives at Shahabad in Kurukshetra district, which is adjacent to Kaithal district. The high explosives were recovered by the Kurukshetra police today from near a religious place in the heart of Shahabad town, through which national highway No. 1 passes.

According to Mr Sethi, the high explosives include 1.25 kg of RDX and 1.75 kg of PETN. The police also recovered a timing device and a detonator.

The timely detection of the high explosives by the Haryana Police has averted a tragedy which could have been far more serious than that in Kaithal.

When militancy was at its peak in Punjab, Kurukshetra and Kaithal had been among the worst affected districts of Haryana. About 20 persons were gunned down by militants in Kaithal town. Militants had attacked the family members of the then CPM MLA from Shahabad, Mr Harnam Singh. Certain family members and a militant were killed in the attack, while Mr Harnam Singh was injured.

Mr Sethi told The Tribune that the high explosives recovered from Shahabad seem to have been hidden there for future use. The detonator recovered from the site was not in working condition which strengthens the belief that the explosives were not to be used immediately.

He said for past some time the Haryana Police had been getting information from its intelligence agency about the increasing activities of the ISI in the state. Acting on a tip-off, the Kurukshetra Police today recovered the high-explosives and registered a criminal case.

Mr Sethi said after the intelligence reports were received instructions were issued to the district police units to step up vigil on subversive elements. He said it was a wrong notion that the ISI sponsored only high-intensity bomb blasts. Involvement of the ISI-trained men had been found in low-intensity blasts also in the past.

The Kurukshetra SP Mr Yash Pal Singal, was not available on the phone even last in the evening as he was camping at Shahabad to supervise raids on suspected hide-outs of militants in the surrounding areas.