India Locks Down Jaipur After Bombs Kill 80

City locked down to prevent Hindu/Muslim clashes

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 14, 2008 7:10 AM CDT

(Newser) – Police have locked down the old city of Jaipur today after seven bomb blasts killed at least 80 people yesterday, the AP reports. Police in the western Indian city suspect Islamic terrorists were behind the carnage and have imposed the curfew to prevent any retaliatory violence from the city's Hindu majority against its large Muslim population.

The attacks come a week before the latest session in the 4-year-long peace talks between India and Pakistan, and authorities have hinted that they believe Pakistani militants are to blame. A dozen people detained after the blasts are being interrogated. "We are trying our best to unravel the conspiracy behind this dastardly attack," a government minister told AFP.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Broken bangles lie scattered at the scene of a blast in Jaipur, India, Wednesday, May 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)

The scene after a blast in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. (AP Photo)

A policeman patrols on a motor bike at the Jauhri Bazaar, a market in the old city in Jaipur, India, Wednesday, May 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)

A policeman stands at the site of a blast in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. (AP Photo)

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News footage from the aftermath of the Jaipur bombings. (RheinOnline)

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India Locks Down Jaipur After Bombs Kill 80