Democratic front's legacy? Seven blasts and counting

Yesterdays serial blasts the seventh since the CongressNCP combine assumed power in the state are set to earn it flak from the citizenry as well as the Opposition YESTERDAYS serial blasts have shaken not only the common citizenry but also the foundations of the Democratic Front government which has now seen seven blasts in Mumbai see box since it took over the reins of the state in 1999 And this count is excluding the daring 2611 attack and the blasts in Mazgaon and Vile Parle that accompanied it Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Leader of the Opposition Eknath Khadse along with his partyman Raj Purohit andu00a0Home Minister RR Patil made a quick visit at the blast sites PICSSANTOSH NAGWEKAR AND SATYAJIT DESAIYesterdays blasts are all set to make life difficult for the government as it has already begun facing public ire over repeated security lapses and can be certain to face a ferocious Opposition when the Monsoon Session of the state legislature begins on July 25 said Mantralaya officialsu00a0Leaders from the Congress and the NCP admitted off the record that the chinks in the citys armour had been exposed repeatedly and that there was feeble hope of preventing such a disaster in the future as wellu00a0This despite huge financial provisions being made for the commissioning of elite forces the working of the Intelligence Bureau and the strengthening of the state as well as Mumbai policeThe general consensus in both parties is that Congress and NCP leaders in general and Home Minister R R Patil in particular will have a lot of explaining to do about their failure to ensure the safety and security of the peopleDamage controlBoth Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had left Mantralaya by the time the news of the blasts came in On being informed about the developments however they headed straight back to the seat of power to confabulate with senior officialsThe CM asked secretarylevel officials to rush to hospitals to supervise the medical assistance Soon Public Health Minister Suresh Shetty too left for JJ Hospital to do a review of all the JJ group hospitals which also include GT and St GeorgeState Home Minister R R Patil had reached Nagpur around 830 pm as part of his planned visit to Gadchiroli The news of the blasts made him decide to cancel the visit and return to Mumbai Union Home Secretary R K Singh was meanwhile in touch with State DGP Ajit Parasnis to take an update of the situation and rescue operations to pass it on to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P ChidambaramMumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh asked his colleagues from the city unit to rush to hospitals and offer necessary help with arrangement of blood for victimsCM saysAddressing media persons at Mantralaya not too long after the blasts CM Prithviraj Chavan said at least 17 people were killed and 81 injuredu00a0These are terror attacks It is an attempt to disrupt peace he said City police Chief Arup Patnaik said that the blasts at Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar were of higher intensity than the one at DadarIt is an act of terror All three blasts occurred between 650 and 7 pm and the Zaveri Bazaar blast was a result of an IED kept in an abandoned umbrella NSG BDDS ATS and other agencies are on the spot and relief work is on The entire city has been cordoned off said PatnaikLeader of Opposition Eknath Khadse visited the blast sites along with BJP legislators Vinod Tawde and Devendra Phadanvis Khadse used the opportunity to lash out at the government which he called insensitive and inefficient Repeating mistakesDecember 2 2002 Two persons were killed and 31 injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a BEST bus outside the Ghatkopar railway station December 6 2002u00a0 25 people were injured when a bomb exploded in a food plaza at Bombay Central railway station The bomb was planted in an airconditioning duct January 27 2003 30 people were injured when a crude bomb planted in a bicycle exploded at a shopping complex outside Vile Parle railway station March 13 2003u00a0Eleven people were killed and 65 injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a ladies special train when it was entering Mulund railway station during peak hours August 25 2003 Twin blasts at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar killed 46 people and injured over 160 RDX was planted in taxis parked at both these placesJuly 11 2006 Seven blasts took place in local trains in seven locations across Mumbai leaving 181 deadGruesome numbersAround 930 pm 12 of the injured were admitted to JJ Hospital while one was brought dead 26 of the injured were admitted to GT hospital where two were brought dead At St George three injured people were admitted and one was brought dead ReactionsThe news of terrorists striking in the commercial capital of India in the evening rush hour is shocking and shows the desperate levels to which the terrorists have stooped The people of Mumbai have borne the maximum brunt of terrorism and yet they have shown remarkable resilience in the face of constant provocation No religion on Earth justifies violence against innocent people and I condemn the blasts in the strongest possible words I convey my sympathies to the families of the victims of the blasts and wish speedy recovery to the injuredK Sankaranarayanan GovernorPeople should not rely on the government and protect themselves from such terror attacks Mumbai has been attacked once more The only weapon we seem to have is issuing high alerts and people are paying the price of having an inefficient government 2611 terrorist Ajmal Kasab is enjoying himself in Arthur Road jail here The death sentence of Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru too is yet to be carried outu00a0Bal Thackeray Shiv Sena chiefu00a0 We condemn the Mumbai blasts and request the citizens of Mumbai to maintain peace and help the agencies maintain law and order Citizens are advised not to touch anything unidentified and report suspicious and unclaimed goods to the police They are also requested not to believe in any type of rumours and to abstain from forwarding such messages The police are doing their best to keep everyone safeNationalist Congress Partyu00a0 The Mumbai BJP strongly condemns the bomb blasts which prove that nobody is safe in the city Law and order has completely collapsed The home minister and Mumbai police commissioner should take responsibility and resign immediatelyu00a0Avdhut WaghBJP spokesmanThere is chaos everywhere This must be a terrorist act as it has happened in three places at once I want the government to take immediate steps and find out who is behind the blastsManohar Joshi Shiv Sena leader We condemn the attacks aimed at creating panic and hatred among the people Police officers should not jump to any conclusion Any wrong reference might result in eroding the peoples confidenceu00a0Abu Azmi Samajwadi Party leaderNo words are strong enough to condemn the attacks This menace called terrorism something has to be done Something drastic This is not acceptableJaved Akhtar Lyricist