Troops on alert after gunmen kill 32 in temple attack

INDIA deployed thousands of troops to prevent an eruption of Hindu-Muslim rioting yesterday after gunmen attacked a major Hindu temple complex in a raid that left 32 people dead, most of them worshippers.

India blamed its bitter rival Pakistan for the assault, which lasted 14 hours until Indian commandos stormed the temple at dawn and killed the two gunmen. Pakistan denied the accusation, which hiked up tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

In the western state of Gujarat, where the temple is located, fears were high that the assault would re-spark sectarian bloodshed that tore the state apart earlier this year. At least 1,000 people were killed in Gujarat, most of them Muslims slain by Hindu mobs, in riots after a Muslim attack on Hindu train passengers in February.

After visiting the temple, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called for an end to the cycle of violence. "First there is a violent incident in one place, then there is mindless revenge," he said. "We need to end this. The spirit of amity should also prevail in Gujarat."

But the World Hindu Council, a hardline Hindu group, demanded the government act against what it called "jihadi terrorism" referring to attacks by Islamic militants. If it doesn't "people will take the law into their own hands," said Mohan Salekar, the council's general secretary. The group, allies of Vajpayee, called for a nationwide strike today.

The Indian army sent 3,000 soldiers to Gujarat yesterday on a request from the state government, which had been criticised for not acting quickly to quell the earlier rioting. Schools, colleges and most businesses were shut in Gandhinagar and the adjoining commercial capital of Ahmadabad amid an opposition strike. New Miss Universe crowned after predecessor sacked for no-shows