Six dead as bombs hit Bombay

[DuctapeFatwa]

Three simultaneous bomb blasts have rocked Bombay in India killing at least six people and injuring 10 others.

Police said one of the explosions was near the Gateway of India, a famous landmark and tourist attraction.

Another blast, also in the south of the city, was near the Pydhonie police station, said police commissioner Javed Ahmed.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_812830.html?menu=news.latestheadlines.worldnews

[QuietStorm]

1. this is bad. All happening now. huh.

how many minutes or hours ago came in this article and the bombs in russia?

[LosinIt]

2. CNN has deemed this bombing and the Russian bombing not important enough

to make the headline cut. It is more important for us to know about the recall in CA and that the blackout has been blamed for higher gas prices. Nothing to see here people, move along.

[dudeness]

3. any ideas who may be responsible?

cheers

[sujan]

12. some extremist group based in pakistan

This has much to do with Kashmir issue.

[htuttle]

13. Not necessarily

If it involves the Ayodhya site (see reply #8 below), it's possible that it's entirely domestic.

[sujan]

14. ok

Then that should further strengthen my claim
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/25ayo1.htm

[reorg]

15. Indian communalism

And how exactly does this strengthen your claim that Kashmir militants might be involved when the blasts are related to the Ayodhya issue?

The exploitation of "communalism" for domestic purposes is only in the interest of the ruling BJP fascists desperately in need for a "winning issue" in the next general election.

[varun]

16. Babri Masjid (Mosque)

was most likely built on top of an ancient Hindu temple. This is not the first mosque built on ruins of temples/churches across the world. Countless Muslim monuments in India were erected on the ruins of ancient Hindu structures (you can still see Hindu deities in some muslim structures, with their faces chopped off to prevent idol worship).

So what if it can be proven that the Muslims did destroy an ancient Hindu temple to build a mosque in the 16th century?

Should the site be handed over to Hindus to rebuild the temple?

In my opinion, this site should become a "Historic" site, and not a religious one. Introducing religion in this debate is going to increase the violence in the country.

[reorg]

17. indeed

so what if -- and that is a big IF -- it can be proven that in ancient times, several hundred years ago, the site was a Hindu temple, which the Hindu fascists are desperately trying to do.

The blame for "introducing religion" lies squarely on the RSP and the BJP, which made this a campaign issue in the last election and will do it again in the run-up to the next.

Everyone who has studied Indian party politics for some time -- and that includes the entire Indian press in English -- denounces the Hindu nationalists' despicable strategy of exploiting deep-rooted communalist divisions for political gain. These divisions mainly translate into social/class divisions: "It is the Muslims", I've heard it said, "who would not practice birth control. They are to blame for the dwindling of our resources. It is the Muslims who are responsible for all that terror. They should all be sent over the border to Pakistan." This is fascist rhetoric, and the horrible, but well-organized anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat last year testify to where this rhetoric leads.

Fortunately, opposition to that horrible nonsense is still very strong in India.

[varun]

19. people want to know...

I am an Indian, and I do not support most of BJP (ruling Party) policies...however, I do want to know what happened in Ayodhya. Just for the sake of historical accuracy, we need to rediscover the past.

Also, is is no longer a big IF ... ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) has evidence that can be examined by the whole world.

[reorg]

21. why is this important?

If this archeological untertaking had been commissioned by disinterested parties for purely academical reasons, sure, why not.

But the issue is so heavily loaded politically that even your seemingly innocent interest in "historical accuracy" sounds hypocritical to me, sorry.

What part of BJP policies DO you support?

[varun]

24. What part of BJP policies DO I support?

Not sending Indian troops to Iraq - for starters...

Not allowing foreign corporate takeover of India - for seconds...

I also liked the way they handled the Kargil situation where Pakistan had to withdraw their troops from Kashmir in 1999.

On the other hand, I oppose their "saffronization" of Education.

I oppose their attempts on imposing "Hindutva" om minorities.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

As for ASI findings, they can be examined objectively by international organizations (of course it is doubtful that this may be allowed).

Though it is a politically loaded subject, History in India is politically loaded from the start. It doesnt mean we should stop looking into the vast and ancient heritage of India.

What party do you support? Do you support the opposition? Do you support the Congress party or the Communist Party of India?

[reorg]

27. bjp

<Not sending Indian troops to Iraq - for starters...>

I certainly second that. However, the decision was hardly the consequence of a principled stance of the BJP ...

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/07/13/stories/2003071305290100.htm

"... The Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, L.K. Advani, who appeared to have favoured the troops option during his recent American tour, is now reported to have changed his views.

(...) The External Affairs Minister, Mr. Sinha, is known to be ambivalent.

The Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, is reportedly the only senior voice currently favouring the sending of Indian troops to Iraq. The National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra, is now understood to be in the 'no troops' column."


http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/14troop.htm

"The coming assembly elections and the lack of political consensus seems to have tied the government's hands on the issue despite a view in influential sections in the government that sending troops could be beneficial to India in the long run."



<Not allowing foreign corporate takeover of India - for seconds...>

Hm, from what I have read in March of this year, NRI are now allowed to withdraw their earnings from investments in India and and send them abroad ... maybe one reason why many of them turn a blind eye on the ugly sides of Hindu nationalism.

And how about that, which I just found:

http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_10/b3671199.htm

"What the BJP Is Trying to Do

INVESTMENT
Open industries including electronics, and even former off-limits sectors such as telecom, to 100% foreign investment. Welcome foreign venture capital.
(...)
PRIVATIZATION
Push more aggressively to sell off state-owned companies such as Indian Airlines, to raise money for government coffers."

---

No sell-outs?

Of course, the saffronistas are not the only ones dancing to tunes of neoliberal economics.

OTOH, from what I've read they even try to jump on the bandwagon of several campaigns in Kerala, e. g. the popular campaign against Pepsi/Coke. Of course they are an insignificant force there and have gained little respect so far, so fishing for some votes may seem in order.

If I were Indian, I would support any party with a principled and believable stance against communalism and corruption. The Communist parties are probably least likely to fall victim to such evils.

[varun]

29. We disagree here

BJP policies on National security and economy have been far better than previous governments.

The result of "Communist Raj" in the states of West Bengal and Kerela are depressing. Kolkata - once the shining cultural and literary center of India is in shambles - thanks to years of communist rule.

I guess, Indian democracy is still young (compared to American) and it will take time for it to mature. However, I am optimistic, and with time, I am hopeful that the political situation will improve.

[sujan]

30. and dont forget

India is the largest democracy in the world. I say, give it some time, the wrinkles will iron itself out over time.

And I am optimistic of that fact that Indians are very capable people in achieving just that.

[reorg]

32. wrinkles

The communalist "wrinkles" showing at India's birth reappeared time and again, not for the first time last year, finally distorting the face of this largest democracy into a gloomy mask when she was already fifty years old.

Instead of ironing out all by themselves, these wrinkles may just as well augur badly, give notice of early death.

If your shining example is what is experienced in the US right now, then I can only wish you good night. For most people I have spoken to in India this is not the paradigm. Which gives me hope that they will be capable of doing better.

[reorg]

31. not all your compatriots share your optimism

These are dark times for India. The carnage in Gujarat, Bapu Gandhi's home estate, in early 2002 and the subsequent landslide victory of Narendra Modi in the elections will spell disaster for our country. The fascist agenda of Hindu fanatics is unlike anything we have experienced in our modern history. After Partition I had thought we would never again experience a similar holocaust. I may be proved wrong. Far from becoming mahaan (great), India is going to the dogs, and unless a miracle saves us, the country will break up. It will not be Pakistan or any other foreign power that will destroy us; we will commit hara-kiri.

(...)

Apart from the assassination of the Mahatma, the RSS, VHP, BJP and RSS offshoots like the Bajrang Dal and Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram have been implicated in various communal riots all over the country. The RSS ally Shiv Sena, with its leader Bal Thackeray, believes in 'benign dictatorship' for India. BJP leaders like the late Vijaya Raje Scindia were in favour of inhuman practices like sati and believed in the Hindu caste system. Every year, 14 February, St. Valentine's Day, is marked by Shiv Sena sainiks going on a rampage all over the country. They burn buses, vandalize shops and generally make a nuisance of themselves protesting against what they call 'cultural decadence'. They wish to protect a Hindu rashtra from the evil influence of Western practices.

We talk about the Taliban using religion to stifle the social and cultural lives of the people of Afghanistan. The same thing has been happening in our very homeland and we see it in every aspect of our daily life. It is not only the Shiv Sena that foams at the mouth about 'Western influence', Minster of State for Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bhavnaben Chikalia was recently considering banning discotheques in all government hotels. She felt it was 'against our culture' and a 'bad influence on our Bharatiya sanskriti'. ...

Every fascist regime needs communities and groups it can demonize in order to thrive. It starts with one group or two. But it never ends there. A movement built on hate can only sustain itself by continually creating fear and strife. Those of us today who feel secure because we are not Muslims or Christians are living in a fool's paradise. The Sangh is already targeting Leftist historians and 'Westernized' youth. Tomorrow it will turn its hate on women who wear skirts, people who eat meat, drink liquor, watch foreign films, don't go on annual pilgrimages to temples, use toothpaste instead of danth manjan, prefer allopathic doctors to vaids, kiss or shake hands in greeting instead of shouting 'Jai Shri Ram ...' No one is safe. We must realize this if we hope to keep India alive.


Khushwant Singh: The End of India. Penguin, New Delhi 2003 (pages 3, 60 ff.)

Khushwant Singh, born 1915, is India's best known columnist and journalist. He is also an extremely successful writer and was Member of Parliament from 1980 to 1986.

[Aidoneus]

34. how strong is this movement?

What I've read of them is dated about a decade back, but even then the various fascist/Hindutva-nationalist movements had hundreds of "training camps" all across India. I guess Pakistan is their "Jew" to blame everything on as a tool to whip people up and in line.

What do you think of the Maulana's recent visit? Admittedly my knowledge of subcontinental affairs is spotty and relates mostly to Kashmir, but I found it interesting and one of the few optimistic signals if the reconciliation current gets anywhere.

[varun]

37. Indian "training camps"?

Oh yes, you see Indians bombing and terrorising innocent civilians in Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Nigeria, and deeply involved in terror cells in USA and Canada, dont you?

I am amazed that the ignorance of some Americans - perhaps justified, since you have not been victims (other than 911) of the Jihadis. Sadly, it had to take 911 to open the eyes of some Americans.

On the other hand, some still believe that 911 was a "Jewish Conspiracy".

[StandWatie]

38. one word..

Gujarat.

[varun]

39. two words...

Jihadi madrassahs....

[reorg]

45. they try to recruit tribals and others among the dirt poor

From what I recall having read, the RSS organises institutions much like the madrassas where the Taliban were hatched.

My knowledge is certainly also spotty. I happened to be in Bombay last year when this pogrom was carried out and had the opportunity to read everything about it I could get my hands on. It was widely reported, with a lot of background information and was uniquely denounced in the English language papers. In Germany however, where I live, this story made hardly the news: one or two short articles, a half-baked comment, and that was about it.

How strong this movement is I cannot say. The number of organisations alone is impressing. And they make news, the Ayodhya issue, for instance, is constantly in the headlines.

In some states the BJP seem to be not of much significance, in others, and since 1998 at the center, they are part of coalition governments, in Gujarat they rule alone. Shortly before the pogrom in 2002, in several concurrent state elections the BJP lost heavily.

Only in retrospect and after I had read that Muslim businesses and individuals were targetted systematically (they had address lists ready for that) I realized that this pogrom was allowed to happen and the mobs protected in order to reestablish public support for the BJP in their stronghold ... and indeed, Mr. Modi was reelected a little later.




The following list of "grievances" against Muslims is synthesized from propaganda leaflets, recorded cassettes and the like of the Sangh Parivar ("a combination of BJP, RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and other similar groups"), source see below:


"Muslims are traitors because they forced the Partition of India. ... 'Those who severed both the arms of Mother India ... for those hypocrites there is no place here. This Hindustran is not theirs...'

Since the vast majority of Hindus were driven out of Pakistan, and later even from Bangladesh, the Congress Party led by Mahatma Gandhi betrayed the nation by insisting that Muslims should not likewise be driven out of India.

Muslims living in India are not loyal to this country and harbour pro-pakistan sentiments.

Muslims put their religion above the nation, and the Koran above the Constitution. The refusal of Muslims to accept a common civil code, and their insistence on being governed by their religious personal laws, are proofs of their lack of nationalist spirit.

Muslims are inherently intolerant and obscurantist and do not allow even reasonable criticism of Islam.

Pakistan is constantly attempting to destabilize India by fanning secessionist movements in Punjab and Kashmir. Muslims of India are willing pawns in the games played by Pakistani rulers.

The Congress Party has followed a policy of appeasing the Muslims by submitting even to their unreasonable and anti-national demands. Muslims behave like 'a virtual nation within a nation' (...)

Muslim invaders and rulers who persecuted Hindus, such as Aurangzeb or Mahmud of Ghazni, are not condemned in the name of secularism while Hindus are constantly expected to criticize and suppress their own heritage to prove that they are modern and secular. Muslims continue to honour even those rulers who persecuted Hindus. This is seen as another proof that Muslims are anti-national.

The large-scale inflow of Muslim Bangladeshi illegal immigrants into India is jeopardizing the security of India and putting a great strain on the Indian economy, as well as upsetting the demographic balance. (...)

The mullahs do not allow Muslims to accept birth-control measures. This, together with the right of Muslim men to have four wives encourages a higher birth rate creating the danger of the Hindus being swamped by the Muslims.

Muslim leaders try to dictate on foreign policy matters to the Indian overnment. For example, they succeeded for a long time in keeping India from having full diplomatic relations with Israel and making it tilt in favour of Palestine and other Arab nations which are inherently hostile to India because they are Islamic countries.

India is surrounded by hostile and troublesome Muslim nations (...) They are all threats to the country's security. The supposed extraterritorial loyalty of Indian Muslims adds to the threat as their presence amounts to having an enemy within.

A large number of these charges are based on half truths, outright lies and paranoid fantasies."

Madhu Kishwar: Religon at the Service of Nationalism, Oxford University Press, New Delhi 1998. pp 255f

[sujan]

18. well

for one, look at the level of co-ordination....the timing with the report coming out and the succesive bomb blasts..sorry I dont see any 'communal' network powerful enough to carry out those operations.

[reorg]

huh?

What, are you seriously claiming that the ruling Hindu nationalists with their various front operations are not powerful enough to carry out a bomb attack or out-contract it to some underworld dons?

They have organized a pogrom a short while ago, remember?

[sujan]

22. huh?

give me a precedent like that (a bombing rage) and I will believe you, seriously. I was lurking thru an Indian messageboard and guess what? they even suspected CIA, and given the history of CIA, should I go blame them? Maybe.....but my money is on some Pakistani extremist group.


A 'pogrom'?...elaborate on that.

[reorg]

23. could be

I would never rule that out: It is probably in the "best interest" of the US to keep the BJP in power and continue with promising beginnings of military co-operation. Bomb blasts and the spectre of violent Islamists will help in this endeavor.

You didn't notice that there was a violent pogrom against Muslims in Gujarat in February/March 2002? Pre-planned, with the police looking the other way?

This is well documented, Google it, you will find a plethora of resources.

[sujan]

25. surely matter of opinion

my outrage on that incident was the complacency of the governor of that state (Narendra Modi) after those incidents happened that is, massacre of the muslim minorities after the burning of the hindu pilgrims. I dont think it was pre planned.

On the other hand, the timing of this incident makes me predisposed to the idea that it was the work of extremists based in Pakistan, after all, this finding was a huge victory for RSS/VHP and a defeat for the other side.

[varun]

26. Gujarat riots

were despicable. However, I dont think we can blame them on BJP only. Many hindu pilgrims were murdered on a train just before these riots.

And oh, Sujan, I just read somewhere that about 100 detonators were discovered on train tracks going from Mumbai to Nashik (where thousands of pilgrims are going everyday for a holy dip this month).

This looks eerily similar to the previous incident in Gujarat where trainload of Hindu pilgrims going to Ayodhya were targeted.

I will not rule out Pakistan based (and supported) terrorists in this...

[Aidoneus]

33. state "complacency"?

HRW produced a study on that question that may be of interesting reading to you, entitled--

“We Have No Orders To Save You”
State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat
http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/

To varun--as for this, some Indians I talk to online blame Pakistan for a cloudy day, do you have any more than suspicion about this? I know there's a fairly nasty "Maoist" group active in the NE regions--"Naxalites" I believe they're called--, do you think they could be involved?

[varun]

36. Jihadi admits to getting training in Pakistan

Well, since you have so little faith in what Indians say online, how about this (coming from a U.S. Court today)?

http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/26pak.htm

One of the three men who appeared in a United States court on charges of running a local jihad network has admitted to receiving arms training in northern Virginia and Lashkar-e-Tayiba's terror camp in Pakistan for a possible mission in Kashmir.

While the three accused pleaded guilty of 'conspiracy and gun charges' in the federal court in Virginia on Monday, Yong Ki Kwon admitted that, besides in US, he received training at a Lashkar camp in Pakistan.

At the camp, Yong said he fired weapons ranging from machine guns to rocket-propelled grenades.

Yong, Khwaja Mahmood Hasan and Donald T Surratt were among the 11 people accused of being part of a local holy war network that trained to support LeT.

Yong told District Judge Leonie M Brinkema the group possessed a variety of weapons and practiced military tactics while playing paintball in the Virginia countryside.

The 11 men are also charged with training in military tactics to support LeT and some of them, including Yong, visited Pakistan in 2001 to serve the militant group.

When asked by the judge why the group trained in secret, Yong said, "We did not want any undue attention, and we did not want any trouble with the government."

Prosecutors have viewed the case as a key step in the war on terrorism and said that the men were part of a conspiracy to support 'violent jihad' overseas.

They have presented no evidence that the men were plotting attacks on the US but, under the Neutrality Act, it is a crime to plot war against friendly countries from American soil, in this case India.
------------------------------------------------------------------

This man admitted to getting training not only in Pakistan, but in USA too.

BTW, do you also believe that the 911 terrorists were some "Jewish Conspiracy"?

:eyes:

Oh, another note...do you know that USA banned LeT (Lashkar -e - Tayyeba) as a terrorist group years after India's requests recently?

And how odd, that they seem to be a possible suspect in yesterday's blasts in Bombay?

[reorg]

41. what Indians say

Well, you need not make it clearer where you are coming from: full support for the current US administration's war'n'terror, the either you're with us or you're the enemy tactics ...

There are some Islamist terrorists out there, no question about it. Some of these movements were and probably still are supported by Pakistani secret services and thus controlled by the US, no question about it. And these Islamists were labelled "freedom fighters" by everyone in the West until not so very long ago.


You say "they" (??) "seem to be a possible suspect in yesterday's blasts" in Bombay?

That is BS, and you know it. The Hindu reported that there is not one shred of evidence so far for this assumption, other than that "anyone" might be a possible suspect.

I think there is something very fishy about this spate of bombings in Bombay, lately. Who is targetted by them? Just about anybody, it seems. Bus passengers, taxi drivers, beggars and passers-by, maybe some tourists. This is very similar to some bombings in Davao earlier this year, also quickly blamed on Islamist terrorist -- but did you read what the Manila mutineers have cited one month ago as major reason for their desperate action?

"President Arroyo, through her defence secretary and chief of the intelligence services, masterminded bombings in Davao City in March and April in order to secure funding from the United States to help fight terrorism"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3102649.stm


SOME Indians are pretty quick, too, with their assumptions and suspicions.

Please try and do not speak for all Indians.

"Some of the more pernicious views on communities and the Indian past are expressed by those Indians in the diaspora who cling even more fervently to the Hindutva ideology. This ideology provides them with a compensation for being a minority in the country of their adoption. Indians settled in the white world, however wealthy and established they may be professionally, do not command the social, cultural and political resources of the white elites among whom they live. This has led some to adopt a ghetto mentality and attempt to package Hindu religion and culture in a marketable form as provided by agencies such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad, which encourages them also in the fond belief that Hindu culture has a superiority far exceeding all other cultures in age, in quality and in unbroken continuity. (...)

The current policy of the First World of targeting Islam as the post-cold war enemy feeds into the anti-Muslim project of Hindutva.
The intervention of Hindutva from the diaspora not only finances the diffusion of a history which is no longer acceptable, but makes a bid thereby to give respectability to communal ideology in a situation where the diasporic Indian is seen as the role-model by the Indian middle class. Those who support the Hindutva ideology but are not settled in India can at a safe distance indulge in the assertion of this identity, since they are not affected by the killing of Muslims in riots, the raping of Christian nuns or the dire threats to dalits and tribals who have converted to Christianity."

Romila Thapar: The Tyranny of Labels, in: The Concerned Indians Guide to Communalism, ed. by K. N. Panikkar, Penguin India 1999, pp. 29f.

[Kellanved]

4. at least 25 dead

OMG

[DuctapeFatwa]

5. Death toll up to 24, 42 injured

Agence France-Presse
Mumbai, August 25

A string of explosions rocked the city at Gateway of India and Mumbaidevi areas of south Mumbai on Monday afternoon, police said.

The blasts occurred at 1.10 pm outside the crowded Mumbadevi temple and near Gateway of India.

A private television channel has reported that 24 people have been killed and 42 others injured.

The explosion in the vicinity of Gateway of India was so powerful that it could be heard from the entrance of nearby hotel Taj Mahal, an eyewitness said.

The explosion at Dhanji Street in Mumbadevi occurred in a residential building...

http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_349720,0008.htm

[DuctapeFatwa]

6. Bombs kill at least 40 in Bombay

Bombs have exploded in India's financial capital Bombay, killing at least 40 people and wounding scores, some seriously, police said.

It was not immediately clear who planted the bombs, one of which exploded near the historic Gateway of India, a crowded monument in the tourist heart of the city.

The blasts follow a thaw in relations between Pakistan and India, which has accused its neighbour in the past of harbouring Islamic radicals it blames for previous attacks on its territory.

Police told Reuters 40 people had been killed and 125 wounded


http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=363305§ion=news

edit to update with link etc

[thebigidea]

7. ugh...

an ugly morning...

Pervez must be practicing in front of a mirror.



"But really, I love Democracy. I do!"

[varun]

8. THe blasts occured after

the Archaeological Survey of India revealed today, that the disputed site of Ayodhya, where a mosque was razed to ground in 1993 by Hindu mobs was originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple (implying that the muslims had built their mosque on top of this temple).

I am disgusted that mainstream media in US like CNN and MSNBC and not reporting this incident (while anything happening in Israel is given prominent coverage). I dont find the newsmedia "fair and Balanced"
:eyes:

[reorg]

46. motive for some Islamist bomb throwers: revenge

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/08/26/stories/2003082607620100.htm

Abdul Karim `Tunda', nicknamed for an arm deformed when a bomb-making exercise went wrong, went on to command the Lashkar's operations outside Jammu and Kashmir. The third was Dr. Jalees Ansari, a Maharashtra Government-employed doctor who was arrested for his role in setting off seven separate bomb explosions on trains to mark the first anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Ansari claimed he acted to avenge his experiences of communal hatred and bigotry.

Many of the dozen-odd young men now arrested for the recent series of bombings in Mumbai seem to be driven by the same desire for revenge. Mohammad Nachan first encountered Bhiwandi riot victims when many of those displaced by violence there settled in his village, Padgha, near Thane. Deeply moved by their suffering, Nachan maintained contact with several riot victims until he was recruited a decade later by the now-banned Students Islamic Movement of India. From the late 1980s, Indian intelligence officials believe, Nachan began to regularly recruit Muslim youth for weapons training in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

---

no smiley

[demnan]

9. Kashmir has been fairly quiet lately . . .

I expect after this blast that will change also.

[varun]

10. Not really...

its just that American media have not been reporting the casualties in Kashmir.

On average, I would say, 30 - 40 people are dying in Kashmir from terrorism every month. Last month, terrorists gunned down scored of pilgrims going to a shrine in a Kashmiri town.

Like I said earlier,the media is not "Fair and Balanced"

[sujan]

11. shit!

[Skittles]

20. THIS IS WHERE OUR JOBS ARE GOING?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

[varun]

28. 100 detonators found on trian tracks

someone wanted to start another riot between the Hindus and Muslims like in Gujarat last year...

:mad:

http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/25blast32.htm

August 25, 2003 22:54 IST
Last Updated: August 25, 2003 23:33 IST


Hours after twin bomb blasts in Mumbai killed 46 people, more than 100 detonators were found from a railway track at a place about 60 km from Nashik just an hour before an express train carrying mostly Kumbh pilgrims was to pass, senior police and railway officials in Nashik said.

Special Inspector General (Nashik Range) K S Shinde told PTI that detonators were found inside a tunnel at Ghatandevi near Igatpuri at around 1930 hours.

A patrolman detected them, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway Sunil Jain said.

Shinde said bomb detection squads of Nashik Police have rushed to the spot.

Trains running on the route, including Delhi-Kochi Mangla Express and Panchavati Express, were halted on the tracks following the detection of the explosives, Jain said.

Meanwhile, Central Railway has given the clearance for trains to resume onward journey and was awaiting clearance from the Railway Police, which patrols the tracks.

[varun]

35. Bombay back to "Normal"

This is why I am optimistic about India. It has been attacked by invaders for thousands of years throughout history...but the essential character of the nation has remained the same - a tolerant and secular country.


http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2003/08/26/india_blame/index.html

...Terrorist attacks in the past have triggered retaliatory sectarian violence, but the metropolis of 16 million people, India's largest, appeared calm as daybreak brought the usual hectic activity.

Office-goers crowded pedestrian crossings on their way to work. Schoolchildren were seen off by their parents. Worshippers thronged the popular Siddhi Vinayak temple as part of Hindu religious festivities that will climax Sunday to honor the elephant god Ganesh.

Bombay's stock market surged Tuesday to a 30-month closing high, wiping out Monday's losses as foreign funds and local investors shrugged off the terrorist threats. The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensitive Index, or Sensex, ended 147.66 points, or 3.7 percent higher, at 4152.29 points. The Indian rupee strengthened against the dollar.

"In and of itself, the bombings have no impact on our outlook for India," said Kes Visuvalingam, Singapore-based director for Asian Equities at First State Investments.

The attack seemed aimed more at Bombay itself than any particular ethnic group.

In Zaveri Bazaar, many shops are owned by Hindus but many of its artisans are Muslims. The Gateway of India arch, a landmark built by British colonizers to mark a royal visit, is a popular lunchtime spot for both Muslims and Hindus.

Instead of arousing communal passions, they united Muslims and Hindus in their grief.

Women wailed as the body of 19-year-old tourist guide Krishna Thakur, wrapped in a white shroud and marigold flowers, was taken away for cremation.

A few miles away at a Muslim burial ground, mourners prayed as the bodies of Sadique Ahmad, 42, and his nephew, Mohammed Sohail Latif Wadiwala, 21, were lowered into separate graves.

"Even after the blasts, both Hindus and Muslims were together in the rescue," said Sohail Rokadia, a Muslim community leader and businessman. "If the aim was to create a distance between the two communities, the perpetrators have failed."

A group of 200 Muslims waving the national flag and peace banners marched in Bombay to condemn the attack....

[reorg]

42. peaceful Indian muslims

>A group of 200 Muslims waving the national flag and peace banners marched in Bombay to condemn the attack....<

Yes, remarkable isn't it?

I happened to be in Bombay in February 2002, during the bandh in response to the Godhra train fire. While Hindu mobs were raping, pillaging, burning, murdering thousands of muslims in Ahmadabad who had nothing to do with that accident or whatever it was, not one group of Hindus was seen in public waving the national flag and peace banners in Bombay to CONDEMN the attack ...

Of course, the "pseudo-secularists" in the English speaking press denounced it, and people I spoke to said: it could not have been worse in Germany under Fascism.

[varun]

40. I guess this was the handiwork of "Indian Terrorists"?

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/25/international/europe/27CND-RUSS.html?ex=1062475200&en=b5a14732d5d8380a&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

3 Bombs in Russian City Kill at Least 3
By STEVEN LEE MYERS


OSCOW, Aug. 25 — Three bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in a regional capital in southern Russia early today, killing at least 3 and wounding 17, some of them seriously, officials said.

The coordination of the explosions in Krasnodar, not far from the Black Sea, prompted senior officials to attribute the bombings to a summer-long wave of terrorist acts stemming from the war in Chechnya.

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Seven suicide bombings and one botched attempt attributed to Chechen militants have killed more than 165 people in Russia since mid-May, raising fears and heightening security across the country....

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So which "Indian Terrorist Camps" were responsible for this?

:eyes:

[reorg]

43. excuse me?

What are you trying to say?

Surely peaceful Hindus would never ever even think of killing anybody. Just like peaceful Muslims.

[fortyfeetunder]

44. Think Corp America will keep outsourcing to India?

What these dumbfarks in Corporate America seem to forget is one reason India, and most other 3rd world countries labor is so cheap is because they are located in politically unstable regions.

If this type bombing stuff continues on in a larger area of India, and starts to impact the people who work for Corporate America, we all have reason to be worried.

I am not sure how much strategic capability that has been outsourced, but for sure there is some non-core competency that might be a critical element for a company here in the States.

Perhaps the next blackout might start in India...