Mumbai, July 29 : Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has stated that the serial bomb blast in Ahmedabad was a challenge thrown by Muslim fanaticists at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Thackeray stated this in an editorial in the party mouthpiece ''Saamana''.

“Modi should take up the gauntlet and crush Islamic terrorism with an iron hand and not just ask the army to do a flag-march,” said the Shiv Sena supremo.

Mumbai, July 28 : Heavy monsoon downpour flooded streets and disrupted life in Mumbai on Monday.

Many commuters were stranded on the flooded streets as their vehicles broke down.

In the worst hit areas, pedestrians waded through filthy knee-deep water facing lots of difficulty in commuting.

Thiruvananthapuram/Ernakulam/Mumbai/Tirupati, July 28 : Major cities have been on high alert over fears of more terror strikes after at least 46 people were killed in two days of bombings in Ahmedabad and Bangalore.

Police conducted security checks and sounded a high alert in Kerala following the threats.

Reportedly, a television channel in Karnataka received an e-mail threatening that Kerala would be the next target of the terrorists.

Mumbai, July 27 : The Navi Mumbai Police today raided an apartment in Navi Mumbai after a 14-page e-mail was sent to select TV channels from that area by a terror group named as “Indian Mujahidden” just minutes before the serial blasts took place in Ahmedabad last night.

In the email the terror outfit claimed responsibility for the blasts and called it a revenge for the Gujarat riots in 2002 following the Godhra carnage killing 52 Hindus.

About the email, a senior official from Mumbai’s Anti Terrorism Squad said, “We are investigating whether the e-mail was sent from a residence. Presently, personal verifications of the persons living there are being carried out and it would be too premature to comment on it.”