MUMBAI, 9 October 2007 — Taking a review of the past incidents of bomb blasts at mosques and Muslim shrines in different parts of Maharashtra state and in Hyderabad recently, the state police are not willing to take chances and have beefed up security at these places on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr which is just days away.
The police have also requested Muslim community leaders to assist the police and provide volunteers to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the Eid. State Intelligence Department (SID) officials have asked the police to remain alert during the Muslim festival as they have reports of terrorists likely to create trouble during Eid.
There are more than 3,000 mosques and shrines throughout Maharashtra. Intelligence sources say that the top security threat is to the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Nashik, Beed, Parbhani, Solapur and Nagpur, In view of the police advisory, Muslims have set up groups of volunteers to guard the mosques and shrines,, and are in constant touch with the police authorities.
Muslim clerics say that they are aware of the threat perceptions from terrorists and the security beef up by the police around the mosques and shrines during the holy month of Ramadan. Police are also briefing Muslim community leaders of the safety measures to be taken around their religious places. A top ranking police official said that the police have requested caretakers of mosques, Muslim graveyards and shrines to ask their volunteers to maintain surveillance.
Meanwhile, the police have already taken necessary security and safety measures during the month of Ramadan and for Eid.
The ablution places are being checked frequently taking a clue from the a bomb explosion that had taken place near the ablution place in Hyderabad. Policemen in plainclothes and in uniform are posted at foodstalls located near the mosques and different places were the Muslims throng to buy fruits and food items to end the fast. Plainclothes cops mingle with the crowd while the uniform cops maintain vigil outside the mosques.
Though senior police officials held a meeting with community leaders and discussed the security threat concerns, they were unwilling to disclose further details on the grounds that security threat information is a “classified matter” and any leak would help the anti-social elements to take advantage.
