Dozens dead in temple attack

GANDHINAGAR, India -- Commandos stormed a Hindu temple Wednesday and killed the two attackers who had fatally shot 30 people and took dozens hostage in a raid that raised fears of new Hindu-Muslim rioting, officials said.

The end of the 14-hour siege at the sprawling 23-acre Swaminarayan Temple complex came after gunmen eluded the National Security Guard commandos for nearly 14 hours, returning fire and lobbing grenades, said K.N. Nityanand, the top security official of western Gujarat state.

Two police officers and one commando of the National Security Guard were killed during the operation, Nityanand said.

Nityanand dismissed news reports that said there were three attackers, saying there were only two inside the complex. He said the television reports may have mistaken the slain commando for a third attacker.

The attackers raided the temple as the faithful were praying Tuesday evening. Witnesses said they leaped out of a car, jumped a fence to enter temple complex, and then sprayed gunfire. Hundreds of commandos quickly swarmed into the compound and set up positions, said R.B. Brahmabhatt, the city's acting police chief.

Bloody bodies were carried away on stretchers and many wounded limped out, their clothes stained with blood. About 45 people were wounded in the initial attack.

Deputy Prime Minister Lal K. Advani, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, described the shooting as a suicide attack. He said the attackers, armed with hand grenades and AK-47 rifles, had taken up positions on the roof of a building inside the complex.

Hospital officials said 30 people were dead, including at least six women and four children. The wounded included five police officers who were hit by bullets.

While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, fears spread across western Gujarat state that Islamic rebels would be blamed -- which could set off anti-Muslim mob violence.

Gujarat witnessed religious rioting in February, when a Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu activists. That attack set off a wave of reprisal killings and riots.