PMCH doctors say five blast victims still critical

Doctors attending to the serial blasts victims at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) here on Monday said five injured are still critical and under observation.

PMCH Medical Superintendent Amarkant Jha said the situation is under control and all the victims are recuperating well.

"Eight will be discharged today after which 30 others would be left. Among them five are still very critical, but have shown some signs of progress since yesterday," he added.

The distressed kin of victims complain of chaos and confusion at the hospital.

"The situation is very bad in PMCH and it was the same yesterday. There is no one to listen to us," said Brijbhushan Kushwaha, the relative of a blasts victim.

"And I have been trying to locate a victim, who is the member of the bomb disposal squad and was injured yesterday, but the authorities have no information about him. There is no record of him anywhere," he added.

At least seven suspects have been detained in connection with Sunday's serial blasts in Patna in which six people were killed and 83 injured.

While four were nabbed in Patna, three persons were detained in Ranchi last night.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who ended his party's alliance with the BJP in August over the latter's decision to give Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the starring role in its campaign for the national elections, yesterday said there should be no politics over the blasts.

Kumar, who announced Rs. five lakhs as financial assistance for the families of the deceased in the Patna serial blasts, confirmed that there was no intelligence input about the explosions.

Kumar also said the Bihar Police is confident of gaining pivotal information from the suspect regarding the investigation, and was confident of reaching solid conclusions about the perpetrators soon.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condemned the blasts in Patna, and called for urgent steps to identify and take action against those responsible. He appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm.

Dr. Singh also spoke to the Bihar Chief Minister to enquire about the situation and call for immediate and firm action. He also assured the Chief Minister of all central assistance in the investigations.

The low intensity blasts rocked Patna between 9.30 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. yesterday shortly before Modi's address to a 'Hunkar rally' in Gandhi Maidan.

Six of the bombs went off inside and near Gandhi Maidan, the rally venue. The remaining two blasts took place inside a public convenience complex at Patna Junction.