Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Ajmer blast

The blast in the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti dargah of Ajmer, which claimed two lives, reiterates how vulnerable we are as a nation. The terrorist is always a step ahead of us and succeeds in what he does. Once again, we have lost to the enemies of humanity.

Abhinav Anand,

Gorakhpur

I was relieved on reading Union Home Minister’s statement that “condemnable designs of elements inimical to the country to cause communal discord should not be allowed to succeed.”

I admire him for using new words every time there is a terrorist attack. Information on what the terrorists aim at (causing communal discord) is just what the people expect from him.

S. Sudhir Kumar,

Hyderabad

The whole nation is shocked and stunned. Who could be behind the Ajmer blast? It could be a terrorist group or a group that has been critical of Sufi saints. Hindus and Muslims should form squads to protect their places of worship and fight together against terrorists and enemies of communal harmony.

Mumtaz Ali Khan,

Bangalore

Although the blast was not very powerful, it was enough to create fear in the minds of people. Such incidents take away the joy of festivals. Governments should be more alert during this time, when huge crowds gather at some places.

Shailesh Kumar,

Bangalore

It is said of the Ajmer dargah that people who pray there never come back empty-handed. The ancient dargah is a symbol of peace and harmony. By targeting it, terrorists have proved that the so-called jihadis are against the very basics of Islam. Intelligence agencies, as usual, failed when their services mattered most. It is a shame for a country that claims to be progressing in all fields to be targeted by terrorists at will.

Krishna Kumar,

Ahmedabad

The author of the article “The war against popular Islam” (Oct. 12), as some others, attributes terrorist attacks in India to organisations operating in Kashmir. There are, no doubt, fundamentalist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and some others that are trying to provoke a pan-India communal war. But by blaming them for every attack, the media are endorsing the government’s manner of washing its hand of its failure to prevent such attacks.

There are fundamentalists on this side too. Else, there would have been no Babri Masjid demolition and Gujarat riots. Muslims perhaps form the only community that does not have a strong leader to voice its concerns on the need to bring the real perpetrators to justice.

Shariqh Khaleel,

Azusa, California

The article toes the line of the investigative agencies that name the culprits even before the debris of terrorist attacks is cleared.

You ask an ordinary Muslim how humiliated and stigmatised he feels after incidents such as the Ajmer blast. Are Islamists the only enemies of Muslims in India? Why is the needle of suspicion stuck at the beleaguered community?

M.Y. Khan,

New Delhi

Another bomb blast at a religious place, and an instant claim has been made of its being the handiwork of Islamist terrorists — even before the investigation has begun. Such baseless claims are disturbing and reflect the media’s wish that some misguided Muslim youth should be behind the attacks. It is surprising that the needle of suspicion never points to right wing Hindu fanatics.

Sandeep Ghiya,

Mumbai

It is incredible that within minutes of blasts such as the one at the Ajmer dargah, the media and the intelligence services know who the perpetrators are. With such instant judgments, there is no scope for fair-minded investigation into the blasts. Violent Hindu groups are automatically absolved of all blame despite their well-known virulence against symbols of Hindu-Muslim harmony like the dargah.

Jawid Laiq,

New Delhi

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