Terrorists Bomb Malegaon…

malegaon.gif …which is about 160 miles northeast of Bombay. Via the news tab (Thanks, Chickpea and kaur):

Two bombs struck in the crowded streets of the western Indian city of Malegaon as Muslim worshippers were returning from Friday afternoon prayers, killing 30 people and wounding 56 in what a top official called “a terrorist act.”[yahoo]
Authorities quickly clamped a curfew on Malegaon, said D.K. Shankaran, a top Maharashtra state official. The city has a long history of religious violence between Muslims and Hindus.[yahoo]

The bomb may have been lashed to a bicycle which was recovered at the scene. The BBC has more:

One of the first journalists to reach the scene of the blasts in Malegaon, Vaishali Balajiwale, told the BBC that the explosion inside the town’s main burial ground for Muslims happened on a day when Muslims pray for their dead.[Beeb]
One eyewitness told her: “There was a big noise when the prayers were on. And then people began running helter skelter for their lives.”[Beeb]

The BBC went on to report that outraged people threw stones at the police after the bombing, which only further stokes my fears of retaliatory violence in an area already affected by tension between Hindus and Muslims. Anti-riot forces are being deployed.

India’s Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has strongly condemned the blasts.[BBC]
He has appealed for peace and communal harmony and has urged police to remain calm.[BBC]

Malegaon, known for its weavers, is a city where Muslims are the majority.

Developing…

51 thoughts on “Terrorists Bomb Malegaon…

  1. If Hindus showed so much restraint after the previous bombings, I hope Muslims will show the same restraint now…especially when it is very possible that Muslim terrorists are behind this too, trying to cause communal violence.

  2. Cycle of violence continues! I fear the social fabric of India will be shredded to pieces if this continues. With exploding population, saddled with abject poverty and “self serving” neta’s & the populace…it forebodes a tragic unfolding of events to come.

  3. Anyone expecting firm action against terrorist groups by the Indian government will be waiting a helluva long time.

  4. With exploding population

    That paradigm shifted a few years ago. Most countries now would do anything in the world to have an exploding population. China is regretting its one child policy. Russia and Japan are in trouble. And everyone seems to be envious of India’s young demogracphics. You need more and more people to sustain economic growth.

  5. Increased tension, even a contained skirmish/war with India, would be god send to Mushy at this juncture. Let us hope, India grants him the favor. But, unlike Kargil, this time on Indian “terms”.

  6. Increased tension, even a contained skirmish/war with India, would be god send to Mushy at this juncture. Let us hope, India grants him the favor. But, unlike Kargil, this time on Indian “terms”

    You can forget about being invited to the next chi chi party!

  7. First I read this at google, and immediately came to SM to check out if it got here already but you guys are fast. Just fed up for the cowards killing innocent

  8. Terrible. Death toll is now 38..and expected to rise. Most of those killed were ‘fakirs’ praying during “shab-e-barat”.

  9. Shab-e-barat means the night of forgiveness. On this day, people pray and ask for forgiveness for the sins commited by them. It more like a celebration in the night…fireworks and local “meal” (fair).

    shab = night barat = procession.

  10. thanks brown_fob..

    this is all the more terrible since the terrorists targeted these folks at a time of personal reflection and dialog with the almighty. i am so sorry.

  11. Anyone expecting firm action against terrorist groups by the Indian government will be waiting a helluva long time.

    Terrorism is a law and order problem. The Indian government can invest in better policing and terrorism prevention measures. I am not sure that there is any terrorist group sitting out there with a return address which the Indian government can strike against.

  12. Amfd – Is terrorism a law and order problem, even when sponsored by a nation state?

    It’s the voice of the oppressed!

  13. My heart goes out to the families of those who were injured or killed.

    These guys [most likely ISI] will keep coming at us, until hit back, and hit back hard.

    Until this has been investigated, please refrain from incendiary statements like this. It serves no purpose.

  14. Terrorism is a law and order problem. The Indian government can invest in better policing and terrorism prevention measures. I am not sure that there is any terrorist group sitting out there with a return address which the Indian government can strike against.

    To an extent – it is too early to tell if any foreign elements were involved in this. But keep in mind – improved training, equipment, closed circuit television – all of that costs money. It is simply cheaper to let people die – which is why road, rail, construction have such poor safety records. And enforcing the law against criminal elements may run up against their political backers – which would be politically expensive.

  15. Amfd – Is terrorism a law and order problem, even when sponsored by a nation state?

    Yes. Good police work is the only thing that can stop domestic terrorism . If a nation state is sponsoring terrorism, it will be that much more difficult to prevent it from happening, but when it comes down to it, only good police work can stop terrorism. It does not make that much difference to a terrorist group about where they get their support from. Whether they get their support from allies in their own country or some other country, as long as they have the resources to commit these attacks, they will do that.

  16. In some instances, Al M, there is an address to strike at. It sits just the other side of the LOC and is covered by a nuclear umbrella….

    But let me say that we do not know at this time who the perpetrators and saying anything more than that would be stoking fires that don’t need to be stoked.

  17. Amfd – So, you must definitely not approve of American retaliation against the taleban – alqaeda nexus in Afghanistan?

  18. In some instances, Al M, there is an address to strike at. It sits just the other side of the LOC and is covered by a nuclear umbrella….

    Who would that be? Musharraf? India should bomb his house or something?

  19. Don’t know who the culprits are, usual finger pointing at Pakistan, SIMI & RSS.

    Time for India to provide Diplomatic and Moral support for an Independent Baluchistan. India needs to be a player and not just a spectator.

  20. Amfd – That just begs the question, for which, I am sure you have a ready answer.

    What is the difference between, Pakistan [a world renowned sponsor of terror ] and Afghanistan?

  21. I am not generalizing about all terrorist situations. For example, the situation in Iraq cannot probably be improved by only good police work. What I was referring to is the radical salafist terror against the West, in the West, which I believe is mostly a law and order problem. No amounts of bombs on the Middle East or South Asia will stop the radical Salafists from attacking in the West for at least another generation. Only good police work, like the one we saw in London, can stop these people from blowing up trains, buildings etc.

  22. We don’t know who is behind this one. The usual suspects are out there and I’m sure as more information develops one may find out. Until then, hold the horses folks.

    Have tactics of attacking Muslims at their shrines/burial grounds been used previously by [enter your suspect here]? What type of explosives were used? More importantly, if any evidence of how the bomb was wired is found, it would give the strongest indication of who/what is behind this. If a bomb’s parts aren’t completely destroyed it can lead to information on who the bomb maker is (they have a signature/pattern, kinda like a finger print).

    NONE of us have the relevant information yet.

  23. Yes. Good police work is the only thing that can stop domestic terrorism .

    When it comes to fighting terrorism, particularly the brand in vogue, defense can go only so far.

  24. This isn’t the time, Al M, but I did bring it up. Wish I hadn’t, but you are being disingenious. You know what I mean.

    I second Gujudude, hold your horses folks, until we know more.

  25. When it comes to fighting terrorism, particularly the brand in vogue, defense can go only so far.

    Good intelligence, heightened security, tracking terrorists and their networks, breaking up terrorist cells and gathering information are the most effective way of breaking up big terror plots in the West. How else are you going to stop them? Home grown terrorists in Madrid, London (and US possibly in the future) can only be dealt with good police work.

  26. Terror knows no religion. There have been attacks in Varanasi, Akshardham temple in Guj…and now in a mosque in Malegaon.

  27. I hope the government can catch these thugs. This is terrible for the people and their families. It is also bad for Indian economy in the long run. Too many incidents like this can make foreign investors weary.

    If a nation state is sponsoring terrorism, it will be that much more difficult to prevent it from happening

    This is precisely why sometimes a nation’s military needs to get involved. Also, a nation state has far more and better quality resources (money,weaponry, training facilities) and an incident involving these kind of resources can cause a lot of damage.

  28. I actually doubt that some Muslim terror group is behind this unless there’s a Shia Sunni angle.

  29. jilted_manhood,

    You never know…. ISI plans are to cause religious strife in India, can require bombing of both sides.

  30. Time for India to provide Diplomatic and Moral support for an Independent Baluchistan. India needs to be a player and not just a spectator

    .

    Wasn’t the US a player in that region and we all know how it paid off in the end.

  31. Nara,

    The US was fighting Communism in that part of the World, seems to have paid off nicely.

  32. The US was fighting Communism in that part of the World, seems to have paid off nicely

    Also created the conditions for Taliban and Al-qaeda to take control of Afghanistan.

  33. Amfd – that still doesn’t answer my query – Why is it ok for America to retaliate against Taleban regime in Afghanistan? And not ok fro India to do the same against Pakistan, which besides providing “moral and political” support to the terrorists, also invaded India in 99.

  34. Why is it ok for America to retaliate against Taleban regime in Afghanistan? And not ok fro India to do the same against Pakistan, which besides providing “moral and political” support to the terrorists, also invaded India in 99.

    Taliban was harboring Al Qaeda and were pretty open about it. Pakistan was harboring militant groups which were fighting for self-determination from India. Now some of these groups were obviously targeting civilians etc. but the nexus between Pakistan and these groups is murkier. Pakistan also has claims on Kashmir which arguably have some merit. I donÂ’t think the Salafist Jihadist Al Qaeda members that Taliban was openly harboring is the same as the situation in Pakistan.

  35. Amfd – Are you deliberately ignoring facts? Pakistan was/is the puppet master of the Taleban. Witness, the recent deal Musharraf made with the Taleban in Waziristan, which, btw, is an integral part of Pakistan. Moreso, than Jammu and Kashmir ever was or ever will be. And, over the last 17 or so years, Pakistan has allowed hundreds of non-Kashmiri/Foreign terrorists to be trained on its territory, and sent across the border to “bleed India with a thousand cuts”. For a person, who ridicules desis who profess to lean Republican, you surely are discriminating when it comes to valuing brown vs white life.

  36. For a person, who ridicules desis who profess to lean Republican, you surely are discriminating when it comes to valuing brown vs white life.

    Its not a question of brown life versus white life. You obviously believe that there is no difference between the Taliban government and the Musharraf led Pakistani government. I disagree. I have always seen conflicting reports on the level of past and current Pakistani involvement though I must say that even though I know quite a bit about the history of the Kashmir conflict, I am not very knowledgeable on what has happened there in the last couple of decades.

  37. Pardon me, Amfd – If you do not know much about the last two decades, then you really do not know much about Kashmir. The first thing that the Jehadis/Militants/Terrorists did in Kashmir, was to ethnically cleanse [by, murdering the men and raping the women] the minority Kashmiris, who are Hindu, popularly known as Kashmiri Pandit. Those Pandits are the indegenous Kashmiri and had been living on that land for more than two thousand years. And, all this was carried out at the behest of the Pakistani establishment.

  38. Taliban was harboring Al Qaeda and were pretty open about it. Pakistan was harboring militant groups which were fighting for self-determination from India. Now some of these groups were obviously targeting civilians etc.

    There is nothing murky about the situation. Pakistan supports terrorist organizations and hosts terrorist training camps on its soil. This isn’t a secret anymore but since America’s hand is on Pakistan’s head, they have been getting away with it.

  39. I meant – the first thing thay did in 1989, when the so called kashmiri freedom struggle began. Anyways, the point being that Pakistan is worse than taleban and al qaeda combined for some people. In this case these people happen to be a from a developing country.

    p.s. i know, because i was there in kashmir in 1989

  40. Have you guys heard that now some people want to separate the Mid-North part of India into “Mughalistan”?

  41. The government of India is not innocent in all of this. It has taken no action against those targetting minorities, from Gujarat to the facist anti-conversion laws. It continues to oppress the people of Kashmir and doesn’t give a toss about the aspirations of the people in the North Eastern states. All this mean that radical Hindu groups are emboldened to continue with their attacks on minorities – raiding, burning and killing Christians, annhilating Muslims in riots, controlling and dominating Buddhist places of worship, ridiculing and demeaning Sikhs and setting off bombs at Muslim places of worship.

  42. have spend my vacations in malegaon as a child and for the ppl who havent visited this place dont know , its just a bomb abt to blow up if such a thing happens against Muslims….Me being a Hindu but not really that religious, I really appreciate the patience shown by Muslims in this case…Hopefully people all over india try to mantain communal harmony and live as one country…Specially after the stupid stuff going abt regarding Vande Mataram…