Varanasi: A girl child was killed and more than 20 people, including a few foreigners, were injured when a bomb exploded on the banks of the Ganga during Tuesday evening's 'maha aarti' watched by hundreds and sparked off a stampede, authorities and witnesses said. The Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the incident, saying it was in retaliation for the Babri verdict.

                  MAHA AARTI

A doctor said the girl was two years old. As security forces went on high alert all across the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh denounced the bombing and appealed for peace and calm. The Bharatiya Janata Party also condemned the terror attack.

Police officials said an explosive device had apparently been concealed in a crevice on the steps where hundreds of men and women were seated. As several people fell down bleeding and injured, others desperately tried to escape, triggering a stampede that injured more people.

"It was such a powerful blast that we did not even know what had happened," said Aveek Kumar Jain, who was at the ghat. "Nobody knew what had happened, whether it was a gas cylinder or a bomb." Jain said he saw one foreigner injured in the leg.

A man who suffered head wounds told reporters in the hospital that a nearby wall collapsed because of the impact of the blast. "I was telling my wife to see the river when this massive blast took place," he said. Home Secretary G.K. Pillai in New Delhi initially called it a "low intensity blast", but in no time Uttar Pradesh Police officers classified it as a "medium intensity" explosion.