One dead in Indian cinema blasts

Bombs exploded inside two cinemas showing a controversial Hindi-language film in the Indian capital today, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more.

Both cinemas are in the western Karol Bagh neighbourhood of Delhi and the explosions occurred 15 minutes apart, said Junior Home Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal.

At least 43 people were injured in the first blast at the Liberty Cinema around 8.30pm, according to a list posted by police outside the building. One of the injured died later at a hospital, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet to assess the situation and security was tightened in the neighbouring Sikh populated state of Punjab.

The explosive in the first blast was planted under a seat in the front rows, Chief Fire Officer R C Sharma said.

About 15 minutes later, a bomb went off in the bathroom of the nearby Satyam Cinema, wounding at least seven people, Sharma said.

The film, titled “Jo Bole So Nihal”, was released more than a week ago, but it was pulled from most cinemas shortly afterwards in northern India after Sikh groups demanded a ban on it.