Pune Blast: Coincidence again?

After facing humiliations first by the Rahul Gandhi’s startling Mumbai visit and the latest by the Mumbaikars who defying its dictates poured out in a large number to watch Shah Rukh Khan starrer My Name is Khan, the communal forces in India were searching hideouts till yesterday. Not finding ways to counter the impact of these not so-common developments, they were left with no option but to use  Sena mouthpiece Saamna to spew venom against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Chavan, and using the name of Shah Rukh Khan, the entire Muslim community in India.

It is then that the terrorists attacked German Bakery in Pune. The communal forces, clearly on back-foot till the heinous crime that took 9 innocent lives besides injuring more than 50, came in the attacking mood once again. And with them is the entire Saffron brigade that till recently was like phirte hai meer khwar koi puchta nahi. No one can support the terrorist activities especially when national security and innocent lives are at stake. But after the Pune blast, the communal forces are taking on the ruling Congress and the alliance government as if they are the only people left in the country who care for the security and integrity of India.

However, the question that comes to minds is the one raised, besides many others, by Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on more than one occasion in the past. While wondering over such coincidences, he has reportedly asked, why terrorists strike whenever the communal forces are in trouble. One specially remembers the Mumbai train blasts. The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 in the evening. Two days before on July 09, 2006, Bal Thackeray’s deceased wife Meenatai Thackeray’s bust was smeared with mud. As it normally happens, blaming the Muslims of defiling the statute, Sainiks went on the rampage in Mumbai and other cities including Thane, Panvel, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur.

The Time of India reported the incident the following day: ‘At Shivaji Park, a Volvo bus was set on fire; at Thane, another of Sena’s strongholds, the McDonald’s outlet and Big Bazaar were stoned; in Andheri, a mosque was targeted and in the ensuing clashes, a policeman was seriously injured. With Sunday shopping and leisure activity brought to a halt, the retail and hospitality sectors in the city took a Rs 25 crore hit. Pubs and restaurants awaiting guests for the World Cup Soccer final expected a weak turnout.’ (The Times of India, Mumbai July 10, 2006)

“Sainiks will not keep quiet when policemen are burnt in Bhiwandi and Maasaheb (Meenatai’s) statue is desecrated,” The Time of India, Mumbai quoted Uddhav Thackeray the same day even as then Chief Minister Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh sought to play down the charge that the riots in Bhiwandi and the desecration of the statue at Shivaji Park were linked, by terming them as two separate incidents.

The desecration incident the following day turned out even more embarrassing for the communal forces when Revenue Minister and a former Sainik, Narayan Rane openly alleged that the Sena itself had conspired the desecration as the leadership felt ‘the party’s existence is being threatened.’ In a double blow to them, Home Minister RR Patil in the state legislative assembly hinted at something of similar in nature.

The Time of India reported the entire issue in these words: ‘It was a double blow for the Shiv Sena. On Monday, not only was the party openly accused by revenue minister Narayan Rane of having plotted the desecration of the Meenatai Thackeray statue at Shivaji Park, it had to face similar censure from R R Patil as well. The deputy CM, who also holds the home portfolio, dropped hints in the state legislative assembly, saying that the Sena would be embarrassed if he began revealing parts of the investigation into the desecration incident.’ (The Times of India, Mumbai July 11, 2006)

After these developments, the communal forces found themselves in the same catch-22 situation as they were few days before. However, the series of blasts that occurred in Mumbai suburban trains in the evening on July 11, 2006 provided them an opportunity to come out of the vicious circle in the manner exactly similar to what we have seen in the previous week.

Certainly, we do not blame anyone. Nor have we any sympathy towards the terrorists who are behind these attacks. But when coincidences occur frequently questions come into minds. Surprisingly, the answer to this question didn't come even after the conspiracy of bomb blasts hatched by the militant Hindu outfits got unearthed first by the slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare and recently after the failed attempt to target the deewali eve party in Goa.

Interestingly, the media and the investigating agencies try hard to make us believe that the terrorists who are playing with innocent lives most of the time belong to Indian Mujahideen, Lashakar-e-Taiba, SIMI, HUJI and other similar names claiming to be working for some ‘Muslim cause’ best known only to them. However, looking deeper into the terror attacks and the trauma that these attacks bring along for the Indian Muslims, one just fails to realize for whose cause these ‘Jihadis’ are actually for.

Footnote:

Senior Journalist working with CNN-IBN Sagarika Ghose tweets:

Wonder which groups gain the most from communal polarisation and blasts...Blasts which leave everyone guessing…

Pune blasts: Who is the culprit? Indian Mujahideen? Sanatan Sanstha? Only investigations will reveal. Rest all speculation…

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