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India: Bandits to Become Tour Guides; Stampede in Jodhpur; Bombings in Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra

By Larry Habegger | Permalink |

No Comments | October 1st, 2008 | Trackback

Bandits known as dacoits in India who have given up their lives of crime may become tourist guides in Rajasthan under a government plan to promote tourism to the region. Officials have been talking with the former criminals about engaging them to lead tours of the Chambal Valley in the Hadauti region because they know the area better than anyone. In other news, at least 147 people were killed in a dawn stampede at a temple in Jodhpur when a group of some 200 pilgrims tried to push ahead of others as the doors were being opened. The incident is a reminder that such gatherings, while inspiring to observe or participate in, can be dangerous if people become unruly or panic takes hold. In another report, two bombings occurred in Western India Sept. 29, one in Malegaon, Maharashtra and the other in Modasa, Gujarat. A third bombing occurred in Delhi Sept. 27. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but a group known as the Indian Mujahideen claimed earlier attacks in Delhi, Gujarat, Jaipur, Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad and may have been behind these recent incidents.