KOZHIKODE: The residents of Kozhikode city have not yet fully recovered from the shock generated by the twin blasts on March 3 even though these did not inflict serious damage on human life or property. And the spate of anonymous telephone calls received almost every day about bombs being planted in public places has stoked public fears and put the police on their toes.

On Tuesday, the police bomb squad was rushed to the Sales Tax Office Complex near Jawahar Nagar after the City Police Commissioner received an anonymous call that a bomb had been planted in the building. It turned out to be a false alarm like the other calls received after the twin explosions.

It remains a mystery why the police have not been able to crack open the case even though they claim to have identified eyewitnesses who had seen the persons involved in the twin explosions nearly 10 days ago. It was on the basis of descriptions given by them that the police released two sketches of the suspects. There is growing concern among the public about the failure of the police to nab the culprits, who are now believed to be terrorists. The blasts have strengthened the fears that terrorists have been active in north Kerala and even speculation that they might be enjoying political support. Such fears are strengthened by the inability of the police to unravel the mystery behind the explosion that destroyed a fishing boat at Beypore and seizure of lethal gelignite sticks at the KSRTC bus stand recently.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a retired IAS officer who had served in Jammu and Kashmir said the numerous hoax bomb threats, detection of unexploded country-made bombs from city and its suburbs and the more recent explosions in the city were clear signs of the presence of terrorists here. A similar situation had prevailed in Kashmir before terrorism reached unmanageable proportions there.

An Army official in the city who has participated in anti-terrorist operations said the frequent hoax calls were a ploy employed by terrorists to keep the police on a high pitch of activity so that after some time it would cease taking these threats seriously. This would create a congenial condition for them to pull off an attack.

He is surprised by visuals on TV channels which showed that the police had allowed people to gather in large numbers around explosives found by them. A common practice among terrorists is to first set off low-intensity blasts and follow it up with more lethal explosions minutes later when curious onlookers gather at the site of the first blast.

``Tough and ruthless action is the need of the hour. But that is what is missing," he said.

The general impression is that "we have policemen, bomb squads and sniffer dogs. But we do not have the political will to crush terrorism."

Top police officials have been reluctant to share information with mediapersons and this has given rise to suspicions that there is pressure on them from their political masters not to divulge details of the ongoing investigation.

Ten days have gone by since the explosions took place at the KSRTC and mofussil bus stand in the heart of the city. But the culprits are still at large.

Even the Indian Union Muslim League, a major constituent of the ruling United Democratic Front, believes that the Government's image has dimmed by the police failure to nab the perpetrators of the violent incidents.

Investigations by security agencies including the Army have found grounds to suspect that terrorists are active in this part of the State. The General Officer Commanding, South Zone, is among those who have warned of terrorists' presence in the region. Besides, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kasaragod have been put under close watch since these places have been found to be frequented by trouble-makers.

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