, RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008 !-!-. /00 !&*!)102 %/.1'*20$34 00 )*' + !" # $%$&'($)*$(, --.&(/.* !!!"#$% !&'(" ! " #$% &' ( 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. President Maithripala 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, Sirisena has appealed for calm. 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- “I have been shocked by this 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. The totally unexpected incidents. Instagram to prevent the spread a string of blasts in Sri Lanka. in the attacks. killed its supreme leader Cinnamon Grand hotel. Gunasekera said. curfew will be in force indefi- The security forces haven been of false news reports after a “Heartfelt condolences from No group has claimed Velupillai Prabhakaran. Gunasekara said that 66 When a police team nitely until further notice, offi- asked to take all action neces- 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 cials said. sary,” Sirisena said. 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 Prime Minister Ranil 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 seven Wickremesinghe termed the 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 persons had been arrested in blasts as “cowardly attacks” 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 connection with the blasts. and said his Government is 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 “We believe these were coor- working to “contain the situa- 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 dinated attacks, and one group tion.” 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, was behind them,” he said. Continued on Page 4 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 fter much controversy, the already fielded Gurjit Singh ABJP has on Sunday finally # # Aujla from Amritsar which head of the third phase of declared its Lok Sabha candi- # *% earlier represented by Punjab Apolling for 116 con- date for Indore. Former Indore Chief Minister Capt Amarinder stituencies across 15 States, Development Authority (IDA) Singh who had defeated the Election Commission (EC) Shankar Lalwani has been Finance Minister Arun Jaitely. on Sunday issued a showcause fielded against Congress’ Speculation remained for notice to BJP candidate from Pankaj Sanghvi. ureaucrat-turned-politician the New Delhi, East Delhi and Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, With the candidature of BUnion Minister Hardeep North West (Reserve) seats for her controversial remarks Lalwani, it has become official Singh Puri has been fielded currently held by Meenakshi about the Babri Masjid demo- that political career of Lok from the Amritsar Lok Sabha Lekhi, Mahesh Giri and Udit lition, hours after she was cen- Sabha Speaker Sumitra seat by BJP while it announced Raj, respectively. sured for her remarks on 26/11 Mahajan’s has come to an end. the candidature of Shankar BJP also announced four of Delhi, Pravesh Verma from Party sources said there are martyr Hemant Karkare. This It was widely speculated 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 that the BJP which has denied 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 ticket to various BJP leaders Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. and renominated its four sitting Delhi goes to polls on May 12. and cricketer-turned-politician party announced her candida- ! could also deny the same to Lalwani is Chairman of Indore MPs from Delhi. While Union Puri’s candidature came as Gautam Gambhir who joined ture on Wednesday. She has " Mahajan fondly known as Taai Development Authority and it Minister Harsh Vardhan will a surprise amidst the specula- the ruling party recently may been asked to reply by Monday. on age factor. Taai has turned is believed that with the contest from his sitting seat of tion that BJP can decide to field be fielded from New Delhi Lok Thakur was served the Masjid demolition. razed the disputed structure, 76 on April 12. announcement of his candida- Chandni Chowk, the State unit Bollywood actor Sunny Deol Sabha seat. Lekhi, Raj and Giri notice by the Chief Electoral In an interview to a TV which “was a blot on the coun- After subsequent BJP lists ture it can be the end of poli- BJP chief Manoj Tiwari will from Amritsar who met BJP are likely to be dropped from Officer (CEO-MP) for her channel, she had claimed that try”. had failed to name Mahajan tics for Mahajan. seek reelection from North-east chief Amit Shah recently. the BJP list. remarks on the 1992 Babri she was among those who had Continued on Page 4 Continued on Page 4 ) * $+,-&" a trained agent and he also kingpins are many Delhi-based couldn’t satisfactorily reply as SC fixers or those who engage n a big twist to the contro- to what was his relationship in cash for judgments,” said Iversy related to the allegation with the ex-SC staffer and then Bains. of sexual harassment leveled by suddenly offered me 50 lakhs “I then finally went to CJI an ex-Supreme Court woman as my legal fees if I agreed to be residence yesterday evening mid speculation that she staffer against Chief Justice of lawyer and again he asked me (Saturday) to inform him about Acould be pitted against India Ranjan Gogoi, an advo- specifically to organise a Press the bribe offer and the con- Prime Minister Narendra Modi cate who had represented the conference at the PCI after I spiracy, around 7 pm.