A man weeps at an Ahmedabad hospital. (AFP)

New Delhi, July 26: The floors were washed and the lights were beginning to go off in North Block for the weekend when news of the explosions in Ahmedabad reached the hub of the home ministry.

The desolate surroundings reflected the sombre mood of the government as it watched another industrial city coming under attack.

Being a weekend, one of the few persons present in North Block in the evening was Prithviraj Chavan, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, who left soon after news of blasts trickled in. “It is deplorable,” he said before rushing out. Chavan was scheduled to visit China tomorrow to deliver the Prime Minister’s letter on the nuclear deal to President Hu Jintao.

After a quick briefing to the media at his official residence, home secretary Madhukar Gupta rushed to meet national security adviser M.K. Narayanan and the Intelligence Bureau chief, sources said.

Gupta had already spoken to chief secretaries and directors-general of police of several states after the blasts in Bangalore yesterday.

How many paramilitary forces companies would be sent to sensitive Ahmedabad was to be decided. Sources said the army’s 11th infantry division, which is stationed between Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, has been alerted in case it has to be deployed.

By late evening, home minister Shivraj Patil arrived from Pune. Patil will call an emergency meeting of home ministry officials and DGPs of several states tomorrow morning.

The home minister appealed to the people to maintain peace and restraint. Condemning the blasts, Patil requested political parties to desist from a blame game (“tu-tu, main-main”) and let security agencies, including state police, proceed with investigations.

“This is a time when we should not feel frightened,” he said. Patil said police forces of all states were doing their duty and working under immense pressure. “It is not the time to shift blame or blame the police,” he said.

Patil said he had some information on the blasts today but would not like to share it now. He did not take any questions from the media.

Gupta said that prima facie, the blasts did not appear to be of high intensity.

Hard-pressed for manpower after the Bangalore blasts, the headquarters of the national bomb data centre in Manesar near here had to muster all its experts for the assignment in Gujarat.