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(*.6(9, .3(*6;('/<3-( ) &'(#))! #?@ A * 1 $ 22123-45 -/2 ,*-(*)./ string of eight devastating Ablasts, including suicide attacks, struck churches and luxury hotels frequented by for- eigners in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 215 people, including three Indians an American, and shattering a decade of peace in the island ,*-(*)./ Their names are Lakshmi, nation since the end of the bru- Narayan Chandrashekhar and tal civil war with the LTTE. ondemning the “cold- Ramesh, Sushma said adding The blasts — one of the Cblooded and pre-planned details are being ascertained. deadliest attacks in the coun- barbaric acts” in Sri Lanka, Sushma tweeted, “I con- try’s history — targeted St Prime Minister Narendra veyed to the Foreign Minister Anthony’s Church in Colombo, Modi spoke to Sri Lankan of Sri Lanka that India is St Sebastian’s Church in the President Maithripala Sirisena ready to provide all humani- western coastal town of and Prime Minister Ranil tarian assistance. We are ready Negombo and Zion Church in Wickremesingh and offered to despatch medical teams.” the eastern town of Batticaloa the southern neighbour all Sushma said, “In all eight around 8.45 am (local time) as possible help and assistance to bomb blasts have taken place the Easter Sunday mass were in deal with the situation. — one more in a guest house progress, police spokesman “Strongly condemn the in Dehiwela near Colombo Ruwan Gunasekera said. horrific blasts in Sri Lanka. and another in a housing Explosions were reported There is no place for such bar- colony in Dematagoda in from three five-star hotels — barism in our region,” Modi Colombo." the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon tweeted. In a statement, the Grand and the Kingsbury in External Affairs Minister Ministry of External Affairs Colombo. Sushma Swaraj said, “Indian said there can be no justifica- Gunasekera confirmed 207 High Commission in tion for any act of terror and deaths. However, the News 1st Colombo has conveyed that called for concerted global channel said that 215 people National Hospital has action to effectively deal with have died in the blasts. informed them about the the menace, including cross- Chairman of Sri Lanka death of three Indians.” border terrorism. Tourism Kishu Gomes said 33 foreign nationals have been killed in the coordinated attacks believed to be carried ) out by a single group. Director of the National Hospital Dr & Anil Jasinghe identified 12 of !" # the 33 foreign nationals, which include three Indians, two Chinese and one each from * P - ! ! . Washington: US President Poland, Denmark, Japan, Colombo: The Sri Lankan Donald Trump yet again com- Pakistan, America, Morocco ern and eastern provinces of looked like a suicide attack. Later in the day, a power- police said. said. Government on Sunday mitted a faux pas on Sunday as and Bangladesh. the island nation for nearly 30 An unnamed official said a ful blast in the capital’s south- Soon after the eighth blast, President Maithripala blocked social media platforms he erroneously tweeted “138 Around 500 people, years before its collapse in suicide bomber blew himself ern suburb near the Colombo the Government imposed cur- Sirisena has appealed for calm. like the Facebook and million people” were killed in including Indians, were injured 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army up at the restaurant of the Zoo killed two persons, few with immediate effect. “I have been shocked by this Instagram to prevent the spread a string of blasts in Sri Lanka. in the attacks. killed its supreme leader Cinnamon Grand hotel. Gunasekera said. The curfew will be in force totally unexpected incidents. of false news reports after a “Heartfelt condolences from No group has claimed Velupillai Prabhakaran. Gunasekara said that 66 When a police team indefinitely until further The security forces haven been series of blasts killed 215 peo- the people of the US to the responsibility for Sunday’s Briefing reporters, bodies were kept at the entered a house in the notice, officials said. asked to take all action neces- ple. The Presidential Secretariat people of Sri Lanka on the hor- attacks. However, most of the Gunasekera said the police National Hospital while 260 Colombo north suburb of State Minister of Defence sary,” Sirisena said. said the decision to block social rible terrorist attacks on deadly attacks in the past in Sri was not able to confirm at the injured were receiving treat- Orugodawatta to conduct a Ruwan Wijewardene said Prime Minister Ranil media was taken in reaction to churches and hotels that have Lanka were carried out by the moment if they were all suicide ment there and 104 bodies search, a suicide bomber blew seven persons had been arrest- Wickremesinghe termed the false news reports spreading on killed at least 138 million peo- Liberation Tigers of Tamil attacks. He, however, said that were placed at the Negombo himself up causing a concrete ed in connection with the blasts as “cowardly attacks” social media. Meanwhile, ple. We stand ready to help!” Eelam (LTTE) which ran a mil- one of the blasts at the Hospital and 100 injured were floor of a two-storey building blasts. “We believe these were and said his Government is Facebook has activated its Trump said in a tweet which itary campaign for a separate Katuwapitiya (Negombo) receiving treatment at the to crash on them, killing three coordinated attacks, and one working to “contain the Crisis Response tool for the was taken down after more Tamil homeland in the north- church has signs of being what Hospital. policemen in the eighth blast, group was behind them,” he situation.” blasts, CNN reported. PTI than 20 minutes. PTI )* + !" #$ $ % # Sources said Deol could be the % &' (" " &# '$ BJP candidate from Gurdaspur earlier represented by late () Vinod Khanna. Congress has ,*-(*)./ already fielded Gurjit Singh # # Aujla from Amritsar which head of the third phase of # *% earlier represented by Punjab Apolling for 116 con- Chief Minister Capt Amarinder stituencies across 15 States, the !! Singh who had defeated Election Commission (EC) on ,*-(*)./ Finance Minister Arun Jaitely. Sunday issued a showcause !" ##$ Speculation remained for notice to BJP candidate from ureaucrat-turned-politician the New Delhi, East Delhi and Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, & BUnion Minister Hardeep North West (Reserve) seats for her controversial remarks Singh Puri has been fielded currently held by Meenakshi about the Babri Masjid demo- from the Amritsar Lok Sabha Lekhi, Mahesh Giri and Udit lition, hours after she was cen- seat by BJP while it announced Raj, respectively. sured for her remarks on 26/11 the candidature of Shankar BJP also announced four of Delhi, Pravesh Verma from Party sources said there are martyr Hemant Karkare. This Lalwani as its candidate from the seven candidates for the West Delhi and Ramesh likely to be a change in candi- is the second poll panel notice ## $ Indore in place of Lok Sabha Lok Sabha election in Delhi Bidhuri from South Delhi. dature of the remaining seats against Sadhvi since the saffron % Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. and renominated its four sitting Delhi goes to polls on May 12. and cricketer-turned-politician party announced her candida- ! ' ( Lalwani is Chairman of Indore MPs from Delhi. While Union Puri’s candidature came as Gautam Gambhir who joined ture on Wednesday. She has " Development Authority and it Minister Harsh Vardhan will a surprise amidst the specula- the ruling party recently may been asked to reply by &) * is believed that with the contest from his sitting seat of tion that BJP can decide to field be fielded from New Delhi Lok Monday. remarks on the 1992 Babri she was among those who announcement of his candida- Chandni Chowk, the State unit Bollywood actor Sunny Deol Sabha seat. Lekhi, Raj and Giri Thakur was served the Masjid demolition. had razed the disputed struc- " ture it can be the end of poli- BJP chief Manoj Tiwari will from Amritsar who met BJP are likely to be dropped from notice by the Chief Electoral In an interview to a TV ture, which “was a blot on the tics for Mahajan. seek reelection from North-east chief Amit Shah recently. the BJP list. Officer (CEO-MP) for her channel, she had claimed that country”. / .,(/56. didates including former CM lier nominee MLA Lalit Nagar Bhupinder Hooda’s son, three- with former MP Avtar Singh 0)1*2-3,(4 nding the suspense over its time MP Deepender from Bhadana from Faridabad seat. ,*-(*)./ Ecandidates, the Congress Rohtak, CLP leader Kiran ! Bhadana had represented the on Sunday sprung a major Choudhry’s daughter former ! seat in 1991, 2004 and 2009. mid speculation that she surprise by fielding former MP Shruti from Bhiwani- "P The four-time former MP Acould be pitted against Chief Minister Bhupinder Mahendragarh, former Bhadana, who is considered an Prime Minister Narendra Singh Hooda from Sonipat Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav " influential Gujjar leader having Modi from Varanasi in the Lok Sabha constituency. from Gururgam, Rajya Sabha a stronghold in Haryana and Lok Sabha poll, Congress gen- Apart from Hooda, the MP Kumari Selja from Ambala. western Uttar Pradesh had re- eral secretary Priyanka party also announced to field Haryana has 10 parliamen- constituency with the com- Janta Party’s candidate joined the Congress in Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said former Minister Nirmal Singh tary seats that will go to vote on munity having more than 5 Dushyant Chautala. February. she will be happy to contest from Kurukshetra, former May 12 in the sixth phase of lakh voters while there are Dushyant, who was the Notably, the Congress against the PM if asked by Speaker and MLA Kuldeep ongoing general elections.