Gorakhpur, May 22
Three serial blasts of low intensity in a span of 15 minutes in a crowded shopping area of this temple city this evening left four persons including a woman injured.

The crude bombs kept in tiffin boxes and tied to cycles went off at five minutes interval after 7 pm — near Baldev Plaza, Ganesh crossing and and Jalkal building in the busy Golghar area creating panic and confusion.

Immediately after the explosions that occurred within an area of 500 metres shopkeepers in the locality and other markets downed their shutters.

According to Inspector General of Police Dilip Trivedi four persons, including a woman, received minor injures in the blasts. The injured, some of them bleeding, were rushed to the district hospital where doctors said the injuries were minor in nature.

Some motor cycles in the vicinity of the blasts were damaged. P K Agarwal, Additional District Magistrate, said security has been beefed up in sensitive areas of the city which recently witnessed communal violence.

All exit points from the city has been sealed. Security around the famous Gorakhnath temple, which has been on the hit list of terrorists, has also been tightened.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the UP police has been handed over the investigation into the blasts.

Police headquarter sources said the senior STF officials have rushed to Gorakhpur for starting the investigation.

The officials have instructed all the district magistrates to maintain law and order and take stringent action against rumour mongers. — PTI