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Gunmen Kill 29 Hindus in Temple Raid

Indian troops besiege militants as worshippers remain trapped

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
By Luke Harding
The Guardian

New Delhi has persistently accused Islamabad of allowing Pakistani-based militants to infiltrate the country and attack the Indian army and civilians. Following intense pressure from Washington and London, Pakistan's military leader, General Pervez Musharraf, announced five months ago that infiltration had ended - but there are increasing signs that it has quietly resumed.

NEW DELHI, India -- The Guardian
Indian security forces were engaged last night in a ferocious gun battle with suspected Islamist militants who stormed a Hindu temple in western India, shooting dead at least 29 people.

The militants, armed with AK-47s and grenades, burst into the complex where about 100 Hindu worshippers had gathered yesterday afternoon. They opened fire indiscriminately before seizing control of the main temple building, where they were still holed up last night.

Five hundred commandos swiftly surrounded the Swaminarayan temple in the city of Gandhinagar, the administrative capital of the troubled state of Gujarat.

Witnesses reported several loud explosions from inside the building at 8.20pm local time.

"I saw five gunmen inside," said Balwant Shukwant Patel, 25, who was among 65 people rescued by security forces soon after the shooting began. "We were sitting under a tree when they started firing indiscriminately. We thought someone was setting off firecrackers. People started running here and there."

Gurumukh Palwani, 40, who managed to escape from the temple with his two children, said: "I heard a loud noise and gunshots. I didn't know what was happening. Then we were told by the temple trustees to get inside a room. Thank God I am alive."
(More: Guardian.co.uk News Source)
2002 Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited.

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