, Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for Ahmadabad and Surat serial blasts. It has also issued death threats to Bol­lywood's Muslim actors, Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif asking them, to stop acting in movies immedi­ately or "we are ready for order to kill you”.

On Terrorism in Karnataka, Bangalore, Gujrat, Ahmedabad and Surat in the last week of July, 2000

Possible Headings,

Doctor, Give A Strong Medicine

The terrorists have struck again, in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Surat, in July, 2008 sending a reminder that they can strike at will at any place in the country. They have  used Integrated circuits, timers  and chips, for the first time in their attacks, revealing that it is the highly educated and technology savvy terrorists, groups, who are behind this mayhem.

Another new factor, is the use of  gas cylinders placed with the bomb that killed 26 persons at the emergency ward of a civil hospital in Ahmedabad. Such a technique was used in last year's Glasgow airport terror attack in UK, where Indian engineer Kafeel Ahmed, in­doctrinated by Al Qaeda, and his accomplice rammed a jeep laden with explosives and gas cylinders into the airport terminal, of Glasgow in 2005. THE use of integrated circuit (IC) chips in bombs unearthed in Bangalore and Surat, and gas cylinders in car blasts at an Ahmedabad hospital, have confirmed suspicion of intelli­gence agencies that the attacks, though planned and executed by local outfits, may have been inspired by an highly-organised for­eign mastermind.

.. Eight  blasts rocked Bangalore on Friday, July 25, 2008 between 1 PM and 3 PM, and 19 in Gujrat next day.

 Central Government claims in all such cases that State Governments were advised to take preventive measures, about the likelihood of such terrorists attacks. Unfortunately, all such advisories, are only a sort of general sermons, which include all possible targets, which anybody, without even being, in the Intelligence Agencies  can envisage.

There is no specific or actionable intelligence. 

               To recapitulate, 57 Bomb blasts in Bangalore, Ahmedabad , and Surat, which left about 70 dead and over 200 injured, in the last week of July, 2008 shows that the terrorists are now striking at the hubs of Indian Economy, in South and West. Both Karnataka and Gujrat have been attracting a lot of investment in IT, Biotechnical and manufacturing and power sectors,.  As many as  19 Bombs were diffused in Surat in one day.

The May, 2008 attack in Jaipur was also a part of the above series to scare away foreign tourists from Rajasthan, which attracts more than 1.2 Million tourists.  The case has been reportedly cracked by Gujrat Police and SIMI is said to be at the back of all blasts. The reason for the blasts in hospitals is that Doctors, reported there turned away the injured and seriously sick Muslim victims, of alleged atrocities on them.

It is reported that in the Union Cabinet Meeting held, after the blast, the first salvo was fired by a non-Con­gress Cabinet minister, who brought up the" issue of back-to-back serial bomb blasts in Ban­galore and Ahmedabad over the week end. So perturbed was he that he did not even care for conventional niceties. Another Minister confided to some reporters, before asking them about the latest news in Surat,  "I think there is more in­formation in the newspapers than in what the Home Min­ister told us, ( in the Cabinet Meeting}" . Unfortunately, we have Ministers in the Union Cabinet, who for the sake of votes, welcomed the lifting of the ban on SIMI. They did it in the hope that they would be regarded as the Messiahas of SIMI and their followers and would automatically get their votes.

The following other recent and important terrorist attacks have left a lot of deadly trail behind.

 Jaipur serial blasts (May 13,2008) Sixty-nine killed, 100 injured.

■ Attack on CRPF Group Centre at Rampur January 1, 2008)

Seven CRPF personnel & a civilian killed, five injured.

■ Ajmer blasts {October 11, 2007)

Three killed, 28 injured.

 Mecca Masjid blasts (May 18, 2007), Hyderabad Ten killed, 50 injured.

  Samjhauta    Express    blasts (February 18/19, 2007)

Sixty-seven killed, dozens injured.

Whatever quibbling, may be done, in apportioning the blame, that the law and order is a State subject, there is no doubt, that there has been and is a continuing  major failure, of  counter-terrorism response   of the Government.

The political response of  the country determines its response to militancy. The only person to come against terrorism and advocating "bullet for bullet" approach to combat terrorism, apart from Mr. Advani, is the  Jammu and Kash­mir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. He says  "How can you initiate talks with terrorists, who after attaining training from across the border, come to kill you? Either you have to kill him, otherwise you will be killed… We may have talks with the neighbouring country but as far as terrorism goes, there can be no tolerance towards terrorists and they should be dealt with a stern hand. We are in favour of talks and peace but cannot tolerate talks and terror together."

The terrorists group calling itself, Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for Ahmadabad and Surat serial blasts. It  has also  issued death threats to Bol­lywood's Muslim actors, Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif asking them, to stop acting in movies immedi­ately or "we are ready for order to kill you”.

. The targeting of Bangalore,  the IT capital of the country, Ahmedabad , the emerging financial hub, next to Mumbai and Surat, the capital of India’s diamond industry shows, that the terrorist were clear in their mind about the targets, objectives and their strategies of crippling India, both economically and politically .

Unfortunately, whenever a terrorists incident happens, you can anticipate the standard response and even the language.  from the leaders. They use the following sentences; “It is a cowardly attack, and that innocents have been made target and that very strict action will be taken against the perpetrators”. But the ground reality, is that after a visit to the scene of terrorists attack, a few statements, and announcement of compensation, by the Government to salve its own conscience, and to pay for its failure, things are back to the usual routine, till the next incident.

The sufferer in this is the common man, who has to bear the brunt of the burden of such attack, as the leaders are safe with their huge paraphernalia of security. The steps to rectify,  the situation, need to be taken, at the legal , diplomatic and people’s level.

At all sensitive places,  either the Government or the Association of the Traders, and businessmen, or Residents,   CCTV ( Close Circuit Television Cameras), be installed who should record quietly, whatever is going on in any given market or place. New York has more than 50000 such camera. Incidentally perpetrators of London Bombing of 2005, were nabbed with the help of CCTV Camera recordings. These cameras, apart from keeping a record of suspicious activities of likely terrorists, can also help in detecting the incidents of traf­fic violations, eve-teasing and other crimes like  pick pocketing, chain-snatchers and  rash driving.

The Central Government should set up world class Forensic Science Laboratories in every State Capital, of which there is a woeful dearth, apart from pulling up Intelligence Agencies, for their failures. The technology expert terrorists need to be  met at their own turf,  

              The Government is giving an impression of being soft on terrorists. All over the world, including in the oldest democracies, laws have been turned upside down to deal with terrorists. But in India, we still have the laws given to us, by the British, in 1863, on the ground that the old laws are sufficient. It is time to bring the new laws on terrorism, throwing the onus, on the terrorists to prove that he is not involved in the incident alleged. Every arrested terrorist must be got subjected to Narco Analysis test, to find out his other colleagues and associates involved in the crime. Political parties naturally play politics in every thing they do. It is for this reason that a MOCOCA type of law, which is in force in Maharashtra, has not been allowed to in place in Gujrat, Rajasthan, and  Himachal Pradesh. It is the use of Central Power to deny to some States, the legal weapon

It is now,  more than over due, that the National Security should be kept outside the politics and terrorism should be treated as a National Threat and not an excuse for vote politics. We have been hearing for a long time, about the need to have a National Federal Investigating Agency, to cover crimes like terrorism. The Centre-state conflict over the proposed federal agency seems all the more untenable considering that if  US A can have an FBI despite a full-fledged federal system in which states have far greater autonomy than they do in India, why not India?
In fact, the top investigative priority of FBI is "protect the United States from terrorist attack". There is simply, no such investigative agency in India mandated to take on terror at the national level. The CBI, which is primarily meant to deal with corruption, comes in if and when a state refers a terror case to it.
 If the Central Government wishes, and has a will, it  can have an ordinance issued, creating a Federal agency, which will function in the States, with their consent. In this climate, there is hardly any State, which will not give its consent. The Centre should strike to create such an agency, when the iron is hot. It must be clearly understood, that in a country of our size and population, it is almost impossible to get any consensus on any issue. But it is the job of the leaders, to lead the country and show  the will,  in the National Interest. Our leaders must understand, that they are leaders and not managers. Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.

Joginder Singh, IPS (Retd.) Former Director, CBI, India, 123-124, Nav Sansad Vihar, CGHS, Sector 22, Plot Number 4, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077  Telephone; 28052742, Number and Address, in Punjab Jalalabad (west) District; Ferozpore, Pin code; 152024,

 ( Correspondence by E Mail, cuts time and is  prompt. Please use E Mail, if possible)

, Email;  jogindersinghfdips@hotmail.com

          jogindersinghfdips@rediffmail.com

Joginder Singh, IPS (Retd.) Former Director, CBI, India, 123-124, Nav Sansad Vihar, CGHS, Sector 22, Plot Number 4, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075  Telephone; 28052742,  Number and Address, in Punjab Jalalabad (west) District; Ferozpore, Pin code; 152024, Email; jogindersinghfdips@hotmail.com

Mobile  98107 55087