Blasts kill 65 in Delhi; Terror turns Diwali black

NEW DELHI: Neeraj Chawla, a garment shop owner who was at the Pahargunj main baazar where the blast occurred at around 5.30pm, considers himself lucky to be alive - he had just walked back to his shop from the spot where the bomb exploded. Chawla's shop stands bang opposite OP Garments, the shop outside which the bomb exploded.

"The deafening sound brought me out," said Chawla. "It took some time for me to understand the enormity of the situation. As the dust and the rubble settled, we saw the dance of destruction. Three kids were lying with their head separated from their bodies. Along with the kids were some four ladies who were lying dead."

Chawla, along with some other shopkeepers, gathered around to pull out the dead and help the injured. "The injured were also in serious condition. Some had lost their ears, others had hands missing."

The police, who took a while to arrive at the spot, quickly cordoned off the area and rushed the injured to the hospital. Chawala did not know if any of his acquaintances were dead. "There was no time to find out. There was panic and chaos all around. We could hardly recognise any one as everyone's face was blackened with the dust, smoke and rubble."

An hour after the blast, as the dead and injured were being carried away, Chopra and other shopkeepers were trying to find out if any of their acquaintances were among the victims.

Terrorist groups make a point after earthquake

Arati R Jerath and Josy Joseph

NEW DELHI: Saturday's serial blasts in the heart of the capital were a brutal reminder to the nation that the October 8 Kashmir quake has failed to dampen the determination of terrorist groups suspected to be operating out of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Although the authorities refused to say anything on record, they believe the Lashkar-e-Tayiba could be behind the terror strike. Intelligence sources said that only two groups, the LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, have the network, ammunition and capacity to carry out multiple high-intensity bomb attacks in heavily protected areas.

Significantly, intelligence agencies and defence authorities have been warning the government to prepare for an increase in terrorist activities after the quake, despite reports that several terrorist camps across the Line of Control were destroyed and scores of operatives killed.

In fact, just two weeks ago, the cabinet secretary is believed to have chaired a meeting in New Delhi where intelligence officials stressed the need for extra caution during the upcoming festival season. Interestingly, the Delhi Police are said to have received a tip-off about a possible bomb blast in Paharganj on Saturday. Unfortunately, the warning came a bit too late because the bomb went off even as police officers were searching for it.

Intelligence sources admitted that while they had general information about a likely spike in terrorist activities, they did not have any credible inputs about specific dates or places.

This is why the police were not able to take adequate precautions.

The reading among intelligence agencies is that both the Lashkar and Jaish are determined to prove that they are alive and kicking despite the damage their networks may have suffered in the earthquake.

They sent out their first message on October 18 with the bold assassination of Jammu & Kashmir Education Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone. The second message came on Saturday in Delhi, which, as a VIP city, has policemen swarming all over.

What is making the government sit up is the extent to which these Kashmir-based groups have managed to penetrate the heartland. It has been happening gradually with LeT and Jaish striking in small ways in Delhi. The Lashkar was behind the December 2000 attack on the Red Fort and the Jaish was responsible for the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001.

Saturday's meticulously planned serial blasts, however, indicate that these groups may have set up a far more developed network in the capital than the authorities had suspected. Intelligence officials believe that Delhi could well become the springboard for these groups to spread themselves out in the other metros of the country.