Manmohan Visits Hyderabad Blast Sites, Consoled Victims

Three days after twin blasts rocked Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh visited the blast sites and also called on the victims who were undergoing treatment in two hospitals on Sunday. As many as 17 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in the blasts which were triggered around 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The Prime Minister, who landed at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad by a special aircraft from Delhi around 11 a.m., was received by Governor E S L Narasimhan, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Dr J Geeta Reddy, P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Union Ministers Panabaka Lakshmi and Sarve Satyanarayana, Chief Secretary Minnie Mathew, Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy and other senior officials.

From Begumpet, Manmohan Singh took a chopper to Victoria Memorial Home in Saroornagar and from there, he went to Dilsukhnagar to the scene of the twin blasts. After spending few minutes at the scene of attack, Manmohan Singh went to Yashoda Hospital in Malakpet where 16 of the injured were admitted.

The Prime Minister spent more than 15 minutes in the hospital enquiring with the doctors about the condition of patients, spoke with the family members of the injured and assured them of full support to them. In a brief statement at Yashoda Hospital, the Prime Minister called upon the people to observe restraint in this hour of crisis.

While condoling the death of so many innocent people, he said that the officials were directed to provide the best medical care to the injured. When one of the injured started crying during Manmohan Singh’s visit, the Chief Minister promised all help and a visibly moved Prime Minister too assured that the government will take care of them. He also expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the state government following the incident.

From Yashoda Hospital, the Prime Minister and his entourage visited Omni Hospital at Kothapet where some 10 blast victims were admitted. After spending times with the injured, he flew back to Begumpet airport in the chopper and left for Delhi.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi ought to have visited Hyderabad along with the Prime Minister or at least should have deputed her son and AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi.

She was among the first Congress leaders to land in Assam when communal riots took place seven months ago but showed no concern when so many people died in the terror attack. Meanwhile, a handful of BJP activists, who tried to stage protests were taken into custody by the local police.