Terror hits India capital, yet again

By Vincent Van Ross

A serial blast ripped through Delhi leaving 30 dead and 90 injured on Saturday the 13th of September 2008. Within 45 minutes of the first blast at the Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh at 6.10 p.m. there were four more blasts. Two blasts went off in Greater Kailash and two in the Connaught Place area sending shock waves in the capital of India.

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All the major malls and shopping centres in the city downed their shutters soon after the blasts. This is the fourth major terror attack on India after Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad this year. And, this is the second major attack in Delhi within three years.

The three locations where the bombs went off in Delhi were all busy market places which attract a huge number of shoppers during the weekend. With major festivals around the corner, the crowd of shoppers was even larger. The explosives were planted in garbage cans, cycle rickshaw and auto rickshaw.

Apart from the five blasts, four bombs were defused by the bomb disposal squad near India Gate, Regal Cinema and Central Park before they went off. Otherwise, the casualty would have been much more.

The Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police, Dhariwal, told the media that Delhi Police had carried out dummy drills in Greater Kailash to educate the people and shopkeepers on what to do in the event of a bomb blast. So, the first blast site in Greater Kailash was evacuated within minutes after the blast with the result that there was no casualty when the second blast went off near the site.

The first blast was of a low intensity whereas the second blast was of a much higher intensity. Just imagine what would have happened if a curious crowd had gathered to watch the activities at the site after the first blast.

A group claiming to be the Indian Mujahideen sent e-mails to the Indian media warning of these blasts. Strangely their e-mail IDs contained the word Gujarat and the numerals 123 which is confusing. Is this a retaliation against the post-Godhra riots? Or, is this a retaliation for the 123 nuclear agreement entered into between India and the USA which is seen to be an anti-Islamic deal by some Islamic groups?

Like the terror e-mail that was sent before the Ahmedabad blasts and the e-mail conveying threat to the Times of India Building by hacking into a wi-fi accounts in Mumbai, the mail sent by the Indian Mujahideen has also been traced to Mumbai and the same technique has been employed here as well. The little known Indian Mujahideen which has shot into prominence in recent times is believed to be a front for other Islamic terror outfits.

In the meantime, hospitals in Delhi saw a rush of victims after the blast. The appeal to blood donors belonging to the universal donor group O+ to rush to the hospitals was aimed at doing away with the need to conduct blood tests on the victims and donors to determine their blood groups as the victims were in urgent need of blood transfusion.

A 12-year old boy who sells balloons in Greater Kailash was witness to activities of a suspect. The police enlisted his help in getting the description of the man who is believed to have planted the bombs in Greater Kailash. Unfortunately, the media is exposing the boy to danger by focusing on him. One hopes that the police do no dump him after getting the information from him. He certainly deserves some recognition and reward for his assistance in providing a lead to the police.

The Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi apparently met prime minister Man Mohan Singh, home minister Shivraj Patil and national security adviser M.K. Narayanan and warned them of this impending attack.

The suspects arrested after the Ahmedabad blasts had disclosed during their interrogation by Gujarat Police that the next terror destination is Delhi. They also revealed that all the preparations for the attack were in place and that only the order to carry out the attack was being awaited. However, they had no information about when and where the attacks would be carried out. But, Delhi was clearly on their hit list.

Though the security in the capital was beefed up by the Delhi Police, it was not sufficient to prevent what happened on Saturday. We do not seem to have learnt much from the serial blasts in Delhi three years ago just before Diwali. Also, the fact that the CCTV installed at Karol Bagh to monitor such activities was inoperative goes to show the apathy of the security agencies.

The red alert which was sounded in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh following the Delhi blasts was later extended to the whole of India. Twelve people have been detained for questioning in connection with the blasts, so far.

No RDX was used in the Delhi blasts. The bombs are believed to contain Ammonium Nitrate, Gun Power and ball bearings and were set off with the help of a timer.

In all major terror attacks this year except for Surat, where the bombs fortunately did not go off, the modus operandi and the construction of the bombs were strikingly similar. This gives rise to the stipulation that all the attacks may have been planned and carried out by the same group and that if the security agencies had nabbed the culprits soon enough some of these attacks could have been thwarted.

September 13 may not have been Friday the 13th which is associated with many disasters. But, it was the 13th indeed and it was a Saturday—the day of Saturn or Shani Dev. Could the Shani Dev have cast his shadow in 2008 which is said to be the year of Shani Dev?

Is this the end of it? May be or may be not. With major festivals around the corner the security agencies cannot take chances. The repeated terror attacks must pressure the government to find lasting solutions this perennial problem.

In the meantime, the security agencies need to pull up their socks and ensure that they do not slip up on preventive measures and ensure that they do not let down their guard.