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India readies for festivals, police hunt bombers
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-10-31 09:15

HIGH ALERT

Amid a high alert over the bombings, a special court is due to sentence seven people on Monday convicted over a 2000 attack on Delhi's 17th Century Red Fort landmark that killed three people and which was blamed on Lashkar.

Saturday's blasts came as Indian and Pakistani officials in Islamabad agreed to open the Kashmir frontier to help victims of this month's devastating Kashmir quake, the latest step in a sometimes unsteady peace process opposed by some Kashmiri rebels.

The attacks are also not seen hurting robust stock markets.

"The blasts are negative but I don't see a major fall in stocks ... as the market has already been through a tailspin in the past few sessions," said Arun Kejriwal, strategist at Mumbai research firm KRIS.

But in a week crammed with Hindu and Muslim festivities, security has been stepped up for a one day cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in the western city of Jaipur.

India has blamed previous militant attacks on Pakistan-based rebels. However, the country is also racked by scores of revolts and in May two blasts blamed on Sikh separatists killed one person and wounded dozens at Delhi cinemas.

Speculation centers on Lashkar and other Kashmiri groups seen as having the skills and resources needed for such an attack.

But Kashmir's largest rebel group, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, has said Islamic militants would never strike at civilians.

Delhi's chief minister has appealed for people to stay away from public areas for the next few days ahead of Diwali and Eid.

While cheap hotels and lodges in a popular backpackers' area hit by one of Saturday's blasts report a dramatic drop in foreign bookings, the scene at India Gate, a monument in the heart of the city was like any other holiday on Sunday.

Dozens of teenagers played cricket on the lawns, and domestic and foreign tourists wandered around taking photographs.

"It is a sad event but life has to go on," said Meenakshi Dutta, visiting from Kolkata, formerly Calcutta.


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