Blasts in Jaipur Results in Increased Patrolling at the Borders

Debdatta Chowdhury

The string of blasts that took place in Jaipur on 13 May 2008 is yet another manifestation of the extreme intolerance that India has witnessed in terms of communal, caste, class and gender violence in the last few years. While the Gujarat riots was a watershed in the history of India’s acts of intolerance, the Jaipur blasts were a brutal reminder that intolerance resulting in violence is but a regular menu in India’s plate of ‘diversity’. The Jaipur blasts, eight of them in a span of 12 minutes, claimed about 60 lives and injured many more. A Bangladeshi terrorist outfit has been accused for the blasts. This blast goes to show that small towns, and not just metros, are also being targeted for terrorist activities. Post-blast, issues like increased patrolling at the borders have started coming up, once again. While the Samjhota Express and such acts of co-operation are attempts to bridge the gap between the two lands, these acts of brutality are a worst kind of blows to these attempts at improving the relation. Stories of recovery of the survivors of the blast do not, in any way, sound like assurances that all is well. Rather they sound like the bells of death, awaiting yet another busy market, yet another city. It is just a matter of a few days.

For more detailed news click on the links on the news section
www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid
www.littleabout.com/2008/05/13/jaipur-blast-150-injured-60-dead
www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/may/26/jaipur_blast_suspect_held_bharatpur.html
www.indiaenews.com/india/20080515/118198.htm