BBC September 15, 2008
South Asia Page last updated at 05:35 GMT, Monday, 15 September 2008 06:35 UK

India media for tough terror laws

More than 400 people have died since late 2005 in bombings in Indian cities

The Indian media has called for tougher laws and strategies to combat attacks by militant groups in the country.

This comes after serial blasts over the weekend killed at least 20 people in the capital, Delhi.

About 90 people were injured when five explosions went off in busy shopping areas within minutes of each other.

A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility in an e-mail to the media. Over 400 people have died since late 2005 in bombings in Indian cities.

The Hindustan Times newspaper said that it was time that "firmer anti-terror laws are put in place - never mind where the suggestions come from".

"Going by the way we conduct our post-attack investigations and put into place barriers against future attacks, one would be forgiven for thinking we are new to terrorism," the newspaper said.

The Times of India also hinted at the need to impose tougher anti-terror laws.

"At this time of crisis, some of the liberties that we take for granted might have to be curbed to ensure that terrorists, who follow no norms and rules, are effectively restrained," the paper said.

This is not an ideology as much as a "dare" - daring the state, daring ordinary citizens, daring democracy

Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Analyst

"Such measures must be debated -if needed, in a special session of Parliament- by the major political parties and implemented as quickly as possible."

The Indian Express criticised the federal government for not doing enough to prevent such attacks.

"... they have simply not done enough to bring closure to any of the terrorist incidents of the past four years, to follow leads thoroughly, to crack the organisations behind the incidents and, consequently, their ability to surprise at another time, another place," the newspaper wrote.

The Hindu said the spree of attacks "demonstrates that India's police and intelligence services simply do not have the resources they need to confront an urban terror offensive, unprecedented in its scale and significance".

Policeman at scene of bomb blast in Delhi

The blasts scattered debris across a large area

The newspaper said that "no state affected by the bombings had upgraded its police forensics facilities, or hired counter-terrorism experts or created specially trained investigators".

Mail Today said the authorities "must resist the temptation to blame the Muslim community" while carrying out their investigations.

"We do not need to point out that among those dead and injured [in the Delhi blasts] are Muslims."

Analyst Pratap Bhanu Mehta, writing in The Indian Express, said: "No state has more experience of handling terrorism than India, yet there seems to have no institutional learning, reorganisation or innovation in dealing with it."

Mr Mehta said it was unclear what groups behind these attacks were wanting or looking for.

"If this is a battle on behalf of Muslims, what sort of battle is this? For if nothing else, these acts make life more, not less, difficult for Indian Muslims.

"It is as if the terrorist is besotted more with the cult of violence than genuine care for Muslims whom he uses as a pretext."

Mr Mehta said the "silver lining" is that these attacks had failed to provoke the backlash and trigger off religious rioting between Hindus and Muslims.

"Insofar as this polarisation does not become visible, at least something of a resistance to terrorists is being offered."

Link to BBC