M A I N   N E W S

Blast ahead of Clinton visit
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, March 16 — Eight persons were injured, two of them seriously, in a ‘‘low intensity’’ bomb explosion in the crowded wholesale market of Sadar Bazar in North Delhi this morning, three days ahead of US President Bill Clinton’s arrival here.

The explosion, the second in a month, occurred at 11:50 a.m. close to a ‘piao’ (public drinking water facility) near Rui Mandi (cotton market) area, where a large number of vendors had put up carts for selling colours on the footpath for Holi.

The incident took place in front of Swatantra Bharat Store. The owner of the store, Jaswant Rai, had installed a cooler for cold drinking water. The explosion occurred near the cooler.

The injured, two of them shopkeepers, were admitted to Hindu Rao Hospital. They were identified as Shakir, Nazim (both shopkeepers), Ganesh, Kale, Satpal, Dalip Pandit. Nazim and Shakir are stated to be in a serious condition.

Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma has ruled out involvement of any terrorist outfit in the blast and said it should not be linked with US President Bill Clinton’s upcoming visit to the country.

As per investigations, some local people were suspected to be behind the blast and there was no terrorist angle into it, he told newsmen here.