terrorist strike in Mumbai,2 Indians arrested

MUMBAI, India Indian police said Sunday they prevented a major terrorist strike in Mumbai by arresting two men who were preparing to attack several targets in the city, the country’s financial and entertainment hub.K.P. Raghuvanshi, chief of Mumbai’s anti-terrorism squad, said the two Indian men – both residents of the city – had targeted a popular shopping mall, a market and a state-owned gas facility. He said Abdul Latif Rashid and Riyaz Ali were arrested late Saturday in Mumbai’s Matunga suburb.

Police said the men had links with terror groups in Pakistan and were acting on directions from handlers there.”They were getting instructions from Pakistan to execute their activities here,” Raghuvanshi said.India has blamed Pakistan-linked Islamist militant groups for a deadly November 2008 terror attack on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed. Last month, 16 people were killed in a bombing in a popular bakery in the nearby city of Pune.

It was not immediately clear whether the men were preparing to attack the offices, oil tankers or a housing estate belonging to the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Raghuvanshi said.The suspects will remain in custody until Thursday, when they will appear before a judge and be assigned lawyers, Raghuvanshi said.Mumbai has been on high alert since the Pune bombing. Following the latest arrests, police have further tightened security measures with additional police patrolling markets and cinemas. (AP)

63 people dead and dozens injured in Indian temple stampede

LUCKNOW, India A stampede broke out at a Hindu temple in northern India Thursday as thousands of people jostled with each other to get free clothes and utensils, leaving at least 63 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said.The force of the stampede was so great, it knocked down a gate at the temple compound in Kunda, a small town 110 miles (180 kilometers) southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.About 44 worshippers were injured in the crush of people at a Hindu temple belonging to a popular local religious leader, said Ashok Kumar, a senior government official.Thousands of farmers and villagers had gathered at the temple around noon to receive free goods to mark the anniversary of the death of the wife of the religious leader, Kripalu Maharaj, said Brij Lal, a local police official.By late afternoon police had cleared the compound and started the process of identifying the bodies, Kumar said.Hundreds of people gathered at a nearby hospital for news of their family members.

“She had just wandered in to see what was happening,” said Gudal, a 38-year-old farmer whose 7-year-old daughter, Ranjana, was killed. Gudal, who uses only one name, wept as she spoke.Deadly stampedes are a relatively common occurrence at temples in India, where large crowds – sometimes hundreds of thousands of people – congregate in small areas lacking facilities to control big gatherings.In 2008, more than 145 people died in a stampede at a remote Hindu temple at the foothill of the Himalayas.(AP)