NEW DELHI — A bomb blast in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, during the height of the daily sunset prayer ceremony Tuesday, injured at least 32 people and killed a 2-year-old child, officials said. Authorities said the blast was a terrorist attack.
In a four-page e-mail, a terrorist group that calls itself the Indian Mujaheddin took responsibility for the blast, writing that the bombing was in retaliation for a September court ruling that divided the Babri Masjid holy site between Muslims and Hindus.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the nation to remain calm. “The blast is an attempt to weaken our resolve by evil forces of terrorism in which terrorists will not succeed,” he said.
Deep religious fissures have haunted modern India, a predominantly Hindu but secular nation of more than 1 billion people, of whom about 14 percent — or more than 140 million — are Muslims.
The explosion took place at 6:30 p.m. on the famous Sheetla Ghat, the centuries-old steps on the banks of the Ganges river where thousands of worshipers were taking part in the traditional aarti ceremony. During the ceremony, worshipers place lighted votive candles on leaves and launch them onto Hinduism’s most revered river.
Eyewitnesses said the explosive device was hidden in a container on stairs leading to the ghat. Others said the stone steps were cracked in the blast.