India terror blast toll at 34, rising

ploink

I have no words (the photos were ...) but I'm relieved that my friends in Hyderabad are safe (again).

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But rather, ten times rather, die in the surf, heralding the way to that new world, than stand idly on the shore! -Florence Nightingale

capt_mahajan

All movie halls closed today (those 19 bombs reported found outside movie halls, bus stops and other public places). This is being played down by the media/administration.

A 'bandh'(protest, general strike called by a political party) tomorrow. Some schools already declared closed.

Administration says HUJI, ISI and LeT responsible for the bombs.

70s-80s overlander

Scanning the web on this topic suggests that those in Hyderabad are NOT "taking the bait" that would lead to violence between the various religious groups but ARE developing a united irritation that outside terrorists are hitting these civilian "soft [undefended] targets". The intelligence community appears to sense that the terrorists will move to hitting more economically important "soft targets" -- ie major Indian companies that are not in well-defended compounds.

It is to be hoped that the Hyderabadies will speak out with one voice against extremists of all kinds, while continuing to foster tolerance for moderates of all persuasions.

This main issues are world-wide.

Diana

Exactly. And their brothers and sisters throughout India (and beyond for that matter) should join them.

__________________
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” - Rabindranath Tagore

global_yatri

wow - no words really. just prayers for peace. travel safe and stay peaceful everyone; difficult when hatred sows such potent seeds of anger.
"an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind" -gandhi

evilnyberg

does anyone in hyderabad have any intel on this?

though things were obviously a bit messy around the blast areas when it happened - we were passing koti on a 158 bus just after the gokul chaat bomb - and i heard mentions (in passing) of a stoning by the women's college which was stopped by police...

with the exception of a small demonstration that passed our house earlier this morning (anti-govt, i'm guessing), things seem calm.

how are things looking where you are now? what about in the old city?

a

70s-80s overlander

http://deccan.com/home/homedetails.asp#Resilient Hyderabad bounces right back
Hyderabad, Aug. 26:

For what it's worth, these are the last sentences of the article:
...
The Sultan Bazaar-Koti area, where one of the two bombs went off, did not show any signs of panic, leave alone terror. Women were seen in large numbers shopping in the locality. ...

The All-India Religious Leaders’ Association conducted a prayer meeting at Masab Tank in which representatives of all religions participated. Moulana Muhammad Hafiz Fayyaz Ali, imam of Masjid al-Jabir in the holy city of Mecca, who was in the city on a private trip, led the all-religious prayer meeting. “Hyderabad is a historic city known for its tolerance. The Hyderabadi tehzeeb teaches us peace and brotherhood. Hyderabadis have once again proved that no one would shake them with acts of fear,” religious leaders’ association president Moulana Peerzada Shabbir Naqshbandi said.

Rev Samuel Jakr of the Methodist Church said terrorists had no religion and they would do anything to create a sense of fear psychosis among people. “But we will not be affected by such threats. Hyderabad has sent a strong message by returning to normalcy immediately after the blast. The city is known for communal harmony and it will stand by it come what may,” he said. Senior priest Pandit Krishna Murari of Sri Mahalakshmi temple in Mangalhat called upon people to expose the sinister designs of terrorists to create discord between Hindus and Muslims.

Politicians too joined the religious leaders in promoting peace and communal harmony in the aftermath of the bomb blast. Leaders of all political parties have decided to hold a peace meeting at Ravindra Bharati on Monday at 4.30 pm to announce that Hyderabadis are one and no one could separate them on the basis of religion and caste.

capt_mahajan

The problem has never been lack of platitudes from either politicians or religious 'leaders'.

The problem is that politicians have often played cynical and calculated communal games.

And religious extremists have sanction from small quarters within their own communities.

Heres what I know, a lot of the closed shops etc are in response to the strike.:

-Bomb scares in 4 places today, so far.. at least one fake. Others unknown. Areas widespraead. (edit: police statement later says there were 3, all were hoax calls)
-Yesterday's 19 bombs finds no mention in todays newspapers, but is on the Times of India, Indian Express and International Herald Tribune websites. At least one bomb threat yesterday was genuine, I know somebody who had to clear a movie hall, after which all movie halls were closed in the city.
This I find suspicious and dangerous; it means censorship is on, only this kind of censorship impacts the common man's safety.
-Shops around where I am are mostly closed but were open briefly in the morning.
-No buses running in the city, or most of it.
-People are otherwise moving normally. Very glad to see some of them in obviously identifiable religious clothes; shows a lot of confidence in their fellow citizens.
-Old city tense since four people reported arrested from there.
-BJP workers going around asking open shops to be closed in some areas.
-Bombs being found mainly in plastic bags, with ball bearings as shrapnel. Seem to be fertiliser based to me, the IED types.