Terror blasts cut to the core of humanity
Wed, September 17 2008
The penetrating sirens of ambulances, the cry of the innocents, the creaking sounds of stretchers carrying the terror victims and busy doctors inside the hospitals were grim signs that another tragedy had occurred — an inhuman act of terror that resulted in a chilling sense of fear gripping the capital.
On entering the Jassa Ram Hospital in central Delhi, the tragic scene took one back to Jaipur and Ahmedabad — cities that have witnessed similar serial bombings in the last three months.
“Take him to the operation theatre...quick,” said a young doctor at the hospital, where victims were pronounced dead and another 20 were struggling to survive.
At the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where over 50 people suffered blast injuries, the scene was no different: a woman crying outside the main gate, a child sitting silently near a group of people, a stray dog moving through a corridor, sniffing at the blood that had dripped from a victim’s body.
It was a sad reminder of how the weekend had proved fatal for many. “We were planning to go to a movie Sunday. I don’t know when he will be able to accompany me,” said Ravi, whose friend had been wheeled into the emergency ward at the hospital.
“Why make beautiful women widows and children orphans?” remarked a nurse at the hospital.
A old woman cried aloud, a young girl could not hold back her tears and a group of shell shocked men were giving sound bytes to a TV crew outside the Sir Gangaram Hospital.
“You know, journalism is painful sometimes. Neither can you hold yourself (from crying) nor can you console a bereaved family,” said a TV journalist as he asked his cameraman to pan the camera towards a blood splashed body.
The pain, the tears and the busy mortuaries forced one to ponder: What do these heartless terrorists gain by killing innocent people?
Five serial bombings shook the capital last Saturday evening, killing at least 20 people and injuring nearly 100 others.
A few hours after the five serial blasts ripped the national capital killing at least 20 people, the police said they got vital leads in the investigations and traced the e-mail threat by the Indian Mujahideen claiming the blast responsibility to Mumbai.
“We have got vital clues in the serial blasts and investigations are on right track. We hope to crack the case very soon,” said Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.
According to senior Delhi Police officials, seven people have been detained from Karol Bagh and Connaught Place centres and raids were conducted in different parts of the capital.
The police officials said the low intensity bombs were filed with ball bearings to cause maximum devastation.
The investigating agencies have also traced the email sent by Indian Mujahideen, which is now stated to be part of banned terror outfit Students Islamic Movement of India, claiming to be behind the blasts of a Mumbai suburb and anti-terror squads were making investigations into it.
On Monday, Ottawa issued a statement condemning the terrorist bombings in New Delhi.
“Such indiscriminate targeting of civilians is senseless and deplorable,” said the circular issued by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
“We extend condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives, and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”
A day of terror
Following is the chronology of the six terror blasts that rocked crowded market places in Delhi killing 18 people and injuring 100 in little over 20 minutes Saturday evening.
• The first blast in central Delhi’s Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh occurred at 6:15 p.m. At least 16 people were killed and 50 injured.
• At 6:30 p.m, two blasts ripped through downtown Connaught Place’s Central Park within a span of 10 seconds. At least 30 people were injured in the blasts apparently kept inside garbage bins.
• The fourth blast, which also occurred in Connaught Place, went off near Gopal Dass Bhavan in Barakhamba Road. Two people were killed in this blast.
• Two more blasts — first at 6:30 p.m. and second at 6:37 — were triggered in the M-Block market of south Delhi’s posh Greater Kailash. At least 20 people were injured in these explosions.
• At 6:30 p.m, two blasts ripped through downtown Connaught Place’s Central Park within a span of 10 seconds. At least 30 people were injured in the blasts apparently kept inside garbage bins.
• The fourth blast, which also occurred in Connaught Place, went off near Gopal Dass Bhavan in Barakhamba Road. Two people were killed in this blast.
• Two more blasts — first at 6:30 p.m. and second at 6:37 — were triggered in the M-Block market of south Delhi’s posh Greater Kailash. At least 20 people were injured in these explosions.
Bombers sent e-mail prior to explosions
The Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the Delhi bombing in an e-mail to the media, though the police said they were unsure about the perpetrators.
Earlier, the outfit had also claimed responsibility for the serial bombings in Ahmedabad on July 26 and Jaipur on May 13, as well as in three towns of Uttar Pradesh last November.
The Indian Mujahideen, believed to be a front organization of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI) outfits, had even sent out prior warnings on all the three occasions.
Last Saturday, when Delhi’s market places were crowded with weekend shoppers, six blasts were triggered minutes from each other creating panic in the capital.
The latest e-mail dubbed, the “Message of Death,” sent to various media outlets five minutes before the first blast in Gaffar Market said: “Indian Mujahideen strikes back once more within five minutes from now. Do whatever you want to stop us if you can.”
Delhi Police joint commissioner Karnail Singh said: “The Indian Mujahideen has claimed something but we are not very sure about it.”
The Intelligence Bureau claims the Indian Mujahideen is a ploy by terror outfits to misguide probe agencies. Intelligence sources said the outfit is just a new name used by terror groups banned by the government in the last few years.
The sources said that the Indian Mujahideen comprises activists from banned outfits like HuJI and the SIMI.
The heat was on the HuJI, which masterminded the Hyderabad blasts and in the Muslim shrine Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan last year, the sources said, adding it became imperative for them to give their outfit a new name in India.
The Indian Mujahideen also has youths who are part of the SIMI. There are reports that several youngsters from the banned outfit had been recruited into various terror outfits including HuJI.
At least 20 synchronized bombs went off within two hours, rocked the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat on July 26, killing 15 people and injuring over 70.
The modus operandi used in Ahmedabad was similar to the ghastly blasts in Jaipur which claimed 68 lives..
The Indian Mujahideen had e-mailed video clips to two Delhi-based media organizations of a bicycle, which it said was packed with explosives and similar ones were set to go off at half a dozen sites in Jaipur, with an aim of disrupting the tourist industry.
The claim was also sent to the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), which rules Rajasthan.
The Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the Nov. 23, 2007, serial bomb blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow where at least 13 people were killed.
Over 650 killed in terror attacks
Over 650 people have been killed in terror attacks in India in the past eight years. The following is a chronology of the major terror strikes in India:
• New Delhi, Sept. 13, 2008: Nine people killed in six blasts across the city.
• Ahmedabad, July 26, 2008: 57 people killed after 20-odd synchronized bombs went off within less than two hours.
• Bangalore, July 25, 2008: One person killed.
• Jaipur, May 13, 2008: 68 people killed in serial bombings.
• Hyderabad, Aug. 25, 2007: 42 people killed in two blasts.
• Samjhauta Express, Feb. 19, 2007: 66 people killed after two firebombs went off on the India-Pakistan friendship train.
• Malegan, Maharashtra, Sept. 8, 2006: 40 people killed in two blasts.
• Mumbai, July 11, 2006: 209 people killed in seven blasts on suburban trains and stations.
• Varanasi, March 7, 2006: 21 people killed in three blasts including one at a temple and another at a railway station.
• New Delhi, Oct. 29, 2005: 61 people killed in three blasts on the eve of Diwali.
• Mumbai, Aug. 25, 2003: 46 people killed in two blasts including one near the Gateway of India
• Gandhinagar, Sept. 24, 2002: 34 people killed in the attack on the Akshardham temple
By Prashant K. Nanda and Sahil Makkar
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