NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD, 30 August 2007 — Indian police released the sketch of a 25-year-old man yesterday who they said was a suspect in bomb blasts that killed 43 people in the southern city of Hyderabad at the weekend.
The man, who wore spectacles in the sketch, was suspected in the explosion at the Lumbini amusement park in Hyderabad during a laser light show in which nearly a dozen people were killed late Saturday.
The rest were killed by a bomb minutes later at a small but popular restaurant in the heart of the city’s commercial district.
Police said the sketch was based on information from one of those hurt in the attack but gave no details.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks but police suspect militants in Pakistan or Bangladesh, who were also blamed for bombing a mosque in the city in May, could be responsible.
Both Islamabad and Dhaka have rejected the accusation, saying Indian authorities were jumping to conclusions without evidence.
With pressure mounting to tackle terrorism with a firm hand, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to constitute an elite anti-terror force.
The decision was taken late Tuesday at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to review the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the twin terror bombings in Hyderabad.
The chief minister later told reporters that the proposed force would be on the lines of the Greyhounds, the special anti-Maoist police force.
The new force will have two wings, one for gathering intelligence and the other for field operations.
The decision came amid criticism for failing to prevent the blasts despite a high threat perception following the May 18 blast at the historic Makkah Masjid that claimed nine lives. The chief minister said the force would be powerful, vibrant and dynamic to deal firmly with terrorism and threats to the security of the state.
“It will be developed as a world class organization equal to the union government’s Research Analysis Wing (RAW), giving the much needed teeth to the intelligence network,” he said.
Reddy said those recruited in the anti-terror force would be paid 25-50 percent higher salaries than the regular police. Around 50 percent of its candidates would be recruited directly and the other half filled by deputations from other wings of the police department. A committee of experts has been constituted to work out the details of the proposed force and it is to submit its report in a week.
The move to have a special force is seen as an attempt to instill a sense of security among people and rebuild the confidence of the industry, especially the IT sector, which is demanding tight security arrangements to prevent terrorist attacks in future.
