As his '40th' puts Mumbai on alert

Wednesday’s suicide attack in Srinagar is but a sign of things to come if an email intercept by intelligence agencies is to be believed. The email, intercepted soon after the February 21 blasts in Hyderabad, indicates that terrorists might avenge the hanging of Afzal Guru between March 15 and March 20 — a period in which Guru’s ‘Chaliswan’ (40th day) falls.

Guru was hanged to death on February 9 inside Delhi’s Tihar Jail. By the Roman calendar, March 20 is the 40th day after his hanging. However, traditionally the 40th day is calculated according to the Urdu calendar and can vary by a few days. “This is why the alert has been sounded from March 15-20,” said a senior police officer.

Sources say the email, intercepted a few days after the Hyderabad blasts, is most likely from the Indian Mujahideen because the salutation, language and contents are similar to IM emails received in the past. But agencies don’t rule out the possibility of involvement by other terror outfits. The police in the city and state are on high alert with security increased at sensitive locations and at vulnerable places including coastal areas.

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