Panic grips Guj as police recover more bombs

In a déjà vu of 2002, dark memories of the post-Godhra riots came to haunt Gujarat again.

The day after 16 serial blasts rocked Ahmedabad, killing 46, a sense of panic gripped the state as army flagmarched on Ahmedabad streets and police intensified patrol.

Even as malls and multiplexes wore a deserted look—in some cities like Surat and Rajkot, the administration directed multiplexes to stop late evening and night shows, the police recovered two cars with explosives from Varaccha and Puna in Surat and one bomb in City Light area of the diamond city which was diffused.

Late on Saturday night, the police recovered a live bomb from a state transport bus near Khatraj area in Gandhinagar district. Early on Sunday, city police diffused a bomb which was planted in a garbage cabin in Hatkeshwar area of Maninagar.

The state government called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss the blasts and formed a special committee led by principal secretary (home) to look into the inquiry of the terror strike.

“The committee will co-ordinate information of such incidents from security agencies and will also study all the details regarding such incidents, available with the union government. It will also ensure that this information becomes useful to investigating agencies inquiring into terrorists incidents in Gujarat,” said a government spokesperson.

As many as 16 blasts ripped six areas in the eastern Ahmedabad, including seven in chief minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, apart on Saturday. The modus operandi: a low-intensity blast, followed by a bigger one ensured that there were more casualties.

For the first time in history of terrorist attacks in India, the Indian Mujaheedin, which sent out warning mails to media minutes before the deadly attack.