May 14, 2008

Jaipur Bomb Attack Tuesday Night, Deadliest in Two YearsNews

A series of eight bombs exploded within twelve minutes of each other in Jaipur Tuesday night, leaving 60 dead and at least 150 wounded.

One blast struck near Hanuman Temple, which was crowded with Hindus worshipping Hanuman, the religion’s monkey god.
Another struck near a market area inside Jaipur’s walled city where tourists and locals frequent restaurants and shops. link

A ninth bomb was defused. No group has claimed responsibility, but the Minister of State for Home Affairs has labeled this a terrorist attack.

According to the U.S. State Department, India ranks among the countries where terrorism is most common.

“The conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, attacks by extreme leftist Naxalites and Maoists in eastern and central India, assaults by ethno-linguistic nationalists in the northeastern states, and terrorist strikes nationwide by Islamic extremists took more than 2,300 lives this year,” the agency said.

It said India’s counterterrorism efforts “are hampered by outdated and overburdened law enforcement and legal systems,” and described the country’s court system as “slow, laborious, and prone to corruption.” link

Motorcycles parts were found at each bomb site and might have been used in the attacks. Are motorcycle bombs replacing car bombs these days? This is all so terribly tragic. Whoever is responsible for this, whatever the cause, how can random violence like this continue to be justified? This is the deadliest attack in nearly two years, and for now, this is a likely explanation:

Officials said the apparent motive for the bombs was to undermine a peace process between India and Pakistan or foment communal violence in India. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is due to visit Islamabad in just over a week to review the four-year-old peace process, his first since a new, civilian government took over in Pakistan. link

The BBC sums up local Indian newspaper coverage here.

cicatrix on May 14, 2008 02:31 AM in News · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post