Six people have been killed and at least 32 injured in a blast in Shringar cinema hall in Ludhiana on Sunday.The blast occurred about 8:45 pm. The hall, where the blast took place, is located in a busy shopping area of the city and the whole area has been cordoned off.
The injured were immediately admitted to the Christian Medical College in the city. Sources say the condition of ten injured is critical.
There were 1000 people in the multiplex when the blasts took place. According to police sources, it was a high-intensity explosion.
''We were watching a film Bhool Bhulaiya, when we heard a loud noise. Everyone ran out. We didn't know what it was. The film wasn't even stopped for 10 minutes, because people thought it was something electrical. It's a mess inside. Five or six people are dead,'' said an eyewitness.
''One child has been killed, there are other people killed as well and many are injured,'' said another.
Ludhiana
Range DIG Ishwar Singh told reporters that the ''single'' blast was
caused by a bomb and it was a terrorist attack, though no outfit had
claimed responsibility.
He added that the bomb was planted
between the second and third seat in the third row of second block on
the right side of the lower stall in the blast affected hall.
Maximum damage was done to the ''lower class'' area of the hall, which is usually frequented by migrant labourers.
Need for vigilance
Meanwhile, the Centre also got in touch with the Punjab government seeking details about the explosion.
Official
sources in Union Home Ministry said that the Centre had spoken to
officials in Punjab government, asking a complete picture of the
incident.
The Union Home secretary, after talking to Punjab chief secretary, apprised the home minister Shivraj Patil about the situation.
Police
did not rule out the hand of terrorists in the blast. Punjab was in a
state of high alert after the recent bomb blast in the revered Dargah
in Ajmer.
The latest blast had left the officials puzzled as
they were unable to ascertain so far that whether it was resurgence of
Sikh militancy or a handiwork of Pakistan-based militant outfits.
Strongly
condemning the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said
that fundamental and anti-national forces inimical to peace and
communal harmony will not be allowed to succeed in their nefarious
designs.
Badal said that law and order in the state will be maintained at all costs and appealed to people to remain calm.
He
also directed the civil and police officials in the state to remain
vigilant and added that government will provide free medical treatment
to the injured and will give adequate compensation to the next of those
who had died in the incident. (With PTI inputs)