Visiting the blast site at Varanasi, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the incident was a lesson for the police.
?Unfortunately, despite the presence of our platoon, somebody was able to plant an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in the Sheetla Ghat. I think there is a lesson for the police,? Chidambaram told reporters here.
?There is no scope for relaxing the vigil any day?everyday is a new day and every day one must be vigilant,? he said.
Asked about his immediate plan of action, the minister said: ?Police told me it is a low to medium intensity blast. Forensic experts have already collected evidence from the crime scene; another forensic team is also coming to Varanasi. We will await their report.?
?The next step is to ensure that the patients are treated, some compensation is given to them?all that will be taken care of when I go back to Delhi. We will talk to the government of Uttar Pradesh.
?According to my numbers, a total of 31 patients are admitted to the hospitals; nine were discharged after being given first aid. Of the 31, there are four who are foreigners.
Of the discharged, two were foreigners. The UP Chief Minister has already said that the state will bear all expenses for the medical treatment,? he said.
He further said: ?I congratulate the people for Varanasi for maintaining peace. I am sure police will investigate the case and the culprits will be found in near future.?
Chidambaram said this is the fourth terror attack in Varanasi since 2005.
?This is the fourth incident in Varanasi; we had one in 2005, then the Sankatmochan in 2006, had another incident in 2007. The last three years have been relatively peaceful. It?s unfortunate that this kind of incident happened again yesterday.?
?After 26/11 in Mumbai, 2009 was completely free from any terror attack. In February 2010, we had one terrorist attack in Pune and I was hoping and praying that the year will come to an end without another such incident,? he added.
Meanwhile, an email that claimed responsibility for the Varanasi blast of Tuesday evening was traced to an unsecured Wi-Fi in Navi Mumbai, police said.
While reports said a father-son duo was taken into custody for questioning after the terror mail reached media offices from Indian Mujahideen (IM), according to one TV report the email was sent by Al-Fateh, which could be a front of IM.
It was sent from unsecured Wi Fi and possibly from a mobile phone, reports said.
According to reports, an 18-month-old girl was killed and at least 25 others were injured in the blast on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Karamvir Singh said according to preliminary investigation the explosive was kept in the wall between two ghats.
The stampede that followed the explosion, collapsing a railing on the ghat, added to the injured toll while the explosion itself was a ?medium-intensity? blast, authorities said.
The explosion took place around 6:30 pm at the Sheetla Ghat, where over 5,500 people had gathered to watch the ?Maha Aarti? and offer prayers.
According to reports four foreigners are among those injured.
Major cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore have also been put on alert.