Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Eleven Killed, 66 Injured in Delhi Terror Attack

By AMOL SHARMA, VIBHUTI AGARWAL and GEETA ANAND

NEW DELHI—A bomb exploded outside New Delhi's High Court, killing 11 people and injuring more than 60 in an act of suspected terrorism in the heart of India's capital that further heightened concerns about the nation's security vulnerabilities.

The high-intensity blast occurred Wednesday at 10:14 a.m. near the courthouse reception area. Officials said they believed the bomb was placed in a briefcase.

Terror Strikes New Delhi

Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

A police officer carried a bombing victim at a hospital in New Delhi.

Terrorist Attacks in India

Take a look at a chronology of major terrorist attacks in India.

Addressing reporters in Bangladesh, where he has been visiting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "This is a cowardly act. We will deal with it. We will not succumb to pressure of terrorism." He added, "This is a long war in which all political parties, all people of India should stand united so that the scourge of terrorism is crushed."

Home Minister P. Chidambaram told Parliament the government has not yet identified the group responsible for the blast. He said investigative teams from the central government and New Delhi police have initiated a probe. Police released two sketches of potential suspects, based on interviews with eyewitnesses.

Some Indian news channels said they had received an email in which the militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami claimed responsibility for the attack. Government officials said they were trying to determine if the email was genuine. The group, which has its roots in the mujahedeen war against Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s, has had close ties in the past to Pakistani security forces. The group's leader, Ilyas Kashmiri, was reportedly killed in a U.S. drone strike in a Pakistani tribal region in June.

There were large crowds gathered at the court Wednesday, the day of the week when the court hears public-interest litigation.

"It was a pile of bodies and broken bones," said Mayank Mishra, a High Court lawyer, describing the scene looking out the window of the courthouse after the blast.

The injured were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, among others. The prime minister announced compensation of 200,000 rupees each (about $4,300) to the next of kin of those killed in the attack and 100,000 rupees each to those who were seriously injured.

The bombing was the worst attack in India's capital since blasts at shopping centers in 2008 that left 22 people dead. Security experts say Wednesday's bombing is particularly worrying because it comes after a low-intensity explosion in late May outside the same New Delhi courthouse, indicating that the government response had been inadequate. The May blast didn't result in any injuries.

Delhi police

Delhi police released the sketch of two suspects based on accounts of eye witnesses.

"The fact they've struck there in the same place a second time shows they are quite confident they can penetrate whatever security measures are in place," said Prakash Singh, a security expert and retired senior police official. "Security officials will have to look at what instructions were given at the High Court and whether they were followed."

India vowed to redouble efforts to crack down on terrorism after the country suffered its worst-ever terrorist attack nearly three years ago in Mumbai, when Pakistan-based gunmen rampaged through the city and killed 166 people. But despite some moves to beef up intelligence-gathering coordination and strengthen police capabilities, attacks have continued. In July, a series of bombs ripped through crowded shopping areas in Mumbai, killing 20 people and injuring 131. Police have yet to name any suspects for those blasts.

Some national-security experts say Indian police and intelligence agencies are having a difficult time keeping track of terrorist organizations as they evolve, break into smaller cells and form splinter groups. Finding good leads in terrorist cases is getting tougher, they say. "The difficulty is in intelligence collection and surveillance," said Vikram Sood, a national-security expert at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation. "When it comes to terrorism, unless you have preventative information, you're merely doing guard duty."

Mr. Sood added that India needs dramatic reforms to professionalize police forces, with officers typically poorly paid and resources sparse.

Mr. Chidambaram said New Delhi police have improved their capabilities in recent years and had been on high alert Wednesday, as is usual when Parliament is in session. "Despite the capacity that has been added and despite Delhi police remaining on high alert, this tragic event occurred today," he said in his speech to Parliament, adding, "We must remain resolute and united."

The powerful blast came from roughly two kilograms of explosives, a Home Ministry official told reporters. Initial forensic analysis showed the bomb to be nitrate-based, similar to devices in other recent blasts.

Eyewitness Brijmohan Bhushan, a staff member at the High Court, said the blast took place near the first security checkpoint. "I saw huge smoke at the front gate, he said. "There was blood all around and a lot of people crying."

Some lawyers who frequent the New Delhi High Court were angry that the court had been targeted for a second time. "Now we should take some strong steps to counter these things," said Ashish Virmani, a High Court lawyer. "Now isn't the time to back down."

Some lawyers were resigned to the reality that they aren't entirely secure. "Security is tight inside the court, but outside, you know, things can happen," said Sumit Agarwal, who arrived on the scene shortly after the blast. "How far should we extend the security cordon, to India Gate?" he asked, pointing to the monument a quarter mile down the road. "There will be no end to it."

Ravi Shankar Prasad, spokesman for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, told reporters the attack "is a matter of great pain and agony" and "is deeply regrettable. Why is the government not doing anything?"

—Tom Wright
and Krishna Pokharel
contributed to this article.

Write to Amol Sharma at amol.sharma@wsj.com, Vibhuti Agarwal at vibhuti.agarwal@wsj.com and Geeta Anand at geeta.anand@wsj.com

via online.wsj.com

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