'Like all acts of terrorism, this is also work of devilish forces'

LONDON: Condemning the blasts in Malegaon that claimed 31 lives as an "outrageous" act of violence, the Council of Indian Muslims, UK, on Saturday said the attack was aimed at destroying the communal fabric of Indian society.

"In order to curb the disease of terrorism we urge the Government to set up a public inquiry and punish those found responsible for the crimes," CIM's chairman Munaf Zeena said.

"This is an extremely cowardly and outrageous act. Like all previous acts of terrorism this is also the work of devilish forces aiming at destroying communal fabric of Indian society," Zeena said.

"They have cleverly chosen the time when the Vande Matram controversy is on so that the fire ignited by them in Malegaon spreads everywhere in India," he said.

Zeena said "we have always maintained that Indian society is too mature to fall into the trap of these conspirators. Terrorists have failed in the past and God-willing they will fail again.

"They have failed to put the slightest dent on inter-communal relations after 7/7 in London or in Mumbai recently. These two experiences show that for diverse societies, maturity, patience and wisdom is the most effective weapon to defeat terrorism," Zeena said.