New Delhi: The Centre on Friday put a number of states, including Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, on alert and asked them to step up security in the light of intelligence inputs suggesting possible terror strikes on places of worship.
Union Minister of State for Home Shriprakash Jaiswal said his ministry had issued a similar advisory earlier to all states. This suggests that the Centre did have intelligence inputs about possible terror attacks of the kind that occurred in Hyderabad on Friday.
Asked about the involvement of terrorist elements in the Mecca mosque blast, Jaiswal did not rule out the possibility. The blast left eight people dead.
"Though no terrorist organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the Hyderabad explosion, the purpose of such an attack is definitely to disturb communal harmony," he pointed out.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil denounced the blast and cautioned the people about the "evil designs of the forces which are trying to foment communal trouble."
He appealed to people to remain calm and cooperate with the government in maintaining peace and harmony, while reiterating the government's resolve to sternly deal with the perpetrators of such incidents.
He asked the states to be vigilant about the anti-social elements seeking to use the Mecca Masjid incident to whip up communal passion and create disturbances to upset peace and harmony.
Patil spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y Rajasekhara Reddy about the situation, who was in the capital city, and pledged all support of the Centre in tackling the situation.
National Security Advisor MK Narayanan and Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta also reviewed the security situation in the country in the wake of the explosion at the Mecca Masjid during Friday prayers.
During the hour-long meeting, they discussed the steps to be taken to ensure that the communal violence that erupted in some parts of Andhra Pradesh does not spill over to other parts of the country.
A spokesman of the Home Ministry said there was no information about who could be behind the Mecca Masjid blast. "However, we suspect terrorist angle."
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment