Posted on 07/12/2006 6:20:46 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Maharashtra tops jihadi target
Pioneer News Service | Mumbai
148 killed 8 blasts in 11 minutes ---- It was like a chronicle of a tragedy foretold. Mumbai was always a soft target. The heart of the Indian economy, the tinsel metropolis, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to turn into Shanghai has had several close shaves with terror in the last few months. The signals should have been enough to keep intelligence agencies on high alert, round-the-year, round-the-clock.
Not just Mumbai. Indeed, the whole of Maharashtra was perched on a tinderbox with reports of explosives seizure pouring in on a daily basis from across the State.
The nature of recent terror strikes in India has shown a clear pattern: destabilise the nation's growth and trigger communal clashes. Mumbai was a natural target. The communal riots that followed the 1993 Mumbai blasts could have been reason enough for a repeat jihadis strike. But, while the 1993 blasts were reportedly provoked by the Babri demolitions, the absence of any such instigation for Tuesday's explosions strengthen the fear that jihadis were working on a systematic plot to create unrest in the country.
A look at the seizure of explosives in Maharashtra during the last few months presents an alarming picture of jihadi penetration.
A major crisis was averted in Nagpur on June 1, when the police foiled an attempt to blow up the RSS headquarters and gunned down three heavily armed militants in an encounter. Had the terrorists succeeded, the repercussions could have been far reaching.
The police had also recovered twelve hand grenades, three AKM (AK modified) rifles and a large amount of RDX. The amount of explosives seized was sufficient to blow up the RSS headquarters.
On May 14, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil admitted that the recent seizure of arms and explosives from Ellora in Aurangabad and from Manmad in Nasik district proved that the whole State was on the terrorists' hit list.
"In the past, we believed that Mumbai, the economic capital of the country is on the hit list of terrorists. But, last week's incidents proved that the whole State is on their list," Patil, who holds the Home portfolio said.
The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Mumbai police arrested three suspected Lashkar-e-Tayyeba militants and seized 10 AK-47 rifles, 2000 rounds, 40 magazines and 30 kg RDX explosive from them in Ellora while it seized two boxes containing RDX and an AK-47 rifle from Ankai fort at Manmad in Nasik district on Thursday.
The quantity of explosives seized in Aurangabad and Nasik districts was far more than those used during the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
This was followed by the arrest of two persons, including a Pakistan-trained bomb maker. Two imported firearms and approximately one kilogram of highly inflammable high-grade explosive, besides maps of Maharashtra, Mumbai and Manali (Himachal Pradesh) were also recovered.
On May 14, the ATS seized five containers containing explosives after a raid on an electronic shop at Azad Nagar in Malegaon. Five boxes of explosives, including five AK-47 rifles, 13 kg of RDX, 1,000 live cartridges, 20 magazines and 50 hand grenades were recovered.
On October 22 last year, the Thane rural police seized 750 kg of ammonium nitrate and 700 detonators from a truck. The explosives packed in a gunny bag were hidden under 15 bags of onions and were being transported from Parner in Ahmednagar district to Vasai near here. Four people were arrested.
On October 6, the Thane police had found 180 kgs of ammonium nitrate, 200 simple fuses and 250 electronic triggers ostensibly meant for quarrying.
The frequent seizure of explosives in Maharashtra also figured in Parliament. Raising the issue in Rajay Sabha in the Budget session, Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi pointed out the seizure of RDX in Aurangabad, Manmad and Malegaon.
"This chain of finding out RDX, AK-47 rifles and grenades has worried everybody who stays in the State of Maharashtra. It seems that the whole of Maharashtra has become the godown of explosives. This has been brought by the terrorists and it is also suspected that these terrorists are supported by Pakistan," he had said.
March 12, 1993: Serial blasts rock Mumbai, 257 killed, 713 injured
October 29, 1993: Blast at Matunga station, two killed, 40-plus injured
February 27, 1998: Two killed in blasts at Virar
December 2, 2002: Blast in bus at Ghatkopar, two killed, 49 injured
December 6, 2002: Blast at Mumbai Central station, 22 injured
January 27, 2003: Blast near Vile Parle station, Over 30 injured
March 13, 2003: Blast in train in Mulund, 13 killed, over 80 injured
July29, 2003: Blast in bus at Ghatkopar, three killed, 30-odd injured
August 25, 2003: Serial blasts at Javeri Bazar, Gateway of India, 55 killed, over 150 injured
May3, 2006: Blast in Chawl at Ghatkopar, one killed
July11, 2006: Serial blasts on trains on the western railway at six places
Some terms here:
Maharashtra: The state in India where Mumbai (Bombay) is located
Jihadi/jehadi: Jihadists
Lashkar-e-Tayyeba: al Qaeda affiliated terrorist group in India agitating for Kashmir to be taken from India, and made a radical islamic system
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