NEW DELHI, July 8 – Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh have condemned the series of bomb blast that took place at Buddhist’s Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya on Sunday.
Pranab described the blasts as “a senseless act of violence targeting innocent pilgrims and monks” who had gathered to worship at the temple dedicated to the apostle of peace, Goutama Buddha.
He also called upon the people to maintain calm and restraint and to cooperate with the authorities in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“Our composite culture and traditions teach us respect for all religions and such attacks on religious places will never be tolerated,” said Manmohan in a statement.
The low-density blast at the Unesco World heritage site located 96km from Patna, Bihar has left at least five people injured and minor damage in the temple.
According to television reports, the first blast took place inside the temple at 5:30 am, followed by seven successive explosions in the next half hour.
While four of the blasts which were set off by timers took place inside the Mahabodhi temple, others exploded near the Teraga monastery. Another three live bombs were reportedly found near the temple and defused, NDTV reported.
The Mahabodhi Temple is where the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is said to have attained enlightenment.
– BERNAMA
