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Thursday, Jul 07, 2005

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Terrorists: U.P police clueless

Venkitesh Ramakrishnan

Partial response in Ayodhya, Faizabad to Sangh Parivar-sponsored bandh

LUCKNOW: Thirty-six hours after the terrorist attack in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh Government and its law enforcement agencies were clueless about the identity of the slain attackers or the forces behind them.

The U.P. Director-General of Police, Yashpal Singh, told reporters on Wednesday that the documents and other materials seized from the baggage of the militants were not sufficient to provide a clue to them or their organisation.

Mr. Singh said that Rehan, driver of the jeep used in the attack, and another driver Rajkumar — who was involved in "transporting" the militants from nearby Akbarpur — had not provided any clue to the identities of the attackers. The attackers had apparently reached Akbarpur by train.

Police claim that Rehan was approached by the militants while he was filling fuel at a petrol pump in Faizabad. The DGP, however, said there were contradictions in Rehan's statement and expressed the hope that the interrogation of various people associated with the attackers and also those who had witnessed them in action could provide vital clues.

Responding to queries whether the investigators had any knowledge why the attackers had chosen Akbarpur as their base, Mr. Singh said the might have wanted to avoid getting down at the Faizabad railway station, where security was tight.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil gave a clean chit to the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government, saying that "intelligence failure" or "security lapse" could not be attributed as reasons for the attack.

He said terrorists had always the advantage of the elements time and surprise. But it was creditable that the security personnel were able to foil the attack so fast , he told reporters after a brief visit to the temple complex in Ayodhya. Investigative agencies at the Central and State levels were working in concerted to unmask the outfits behind the attack and denied that there was any lack of coordination. It was not yet time to divulge the details of the investigation. ``You will come to know about it when we gather evidence to this effect," he said.

In the evening, Mr. Patil met Mr. Yadav in Lucknow.

Meanwhile, the bandh called by the Sangh Parivar against the Ayodhya attack evoked only a partial response.

Though senior Sangh Parivar leaders such as Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal, had camped in Ayodhya since Tuesday evening to lead the agitating Hindutva activists, the response was partial even in the twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad.

The response was lukewarm in the State capital of Lucknow too. Other reports were no different. Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party moved from street to street in towns and villages across the State forcing shopkeepers to down shutters, but schools, banks and Government offices were open despite thin attendance.

Significantly, pilgrimage to Ayodhya was not affected either by the bandh or the tense atmosphere following the attack.

The influx of devotees to various temples remained unaffected and a large number of people prayed at important temples. `Darshan' at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple, which was stopped on Tuesday following the attack, was resumed on Wednesday.

A large queue of devotees was seen at the main entrance point.

Sources in the State Home Department told The Hindu that the barricade near the makeshift temple, which collapsed after the terrorists rammed it with an explosive-laden jeep, had been re-erected. Additional security forces had been deployed in and around the complex.

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