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TERROR IN NEW DELHI….BRIEFCASE BOMB SUSPECTED 66 INJURED

Posted By Ruth King on September 7th, 2011

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904900904576555690461844986.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLETopStories

By AMOL SHARMA, VIBHUTI AGARWAL and GEETA ANAND

NEW DELHI—A bomb exploded outside New Delhi’s High Court on Wednesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 66, 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 at 10:14 a.m. near the courthouse reception area. Officials said they believed the bomb was placed in a briefcase.

Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesMedical attendants rush a wounded man to the trauma centre at the RML Hospital in New Delhi on September 7, 2011, following a bomb blast at the Delhi High Court.

Addressing reporters in Bangladesh, where he has been visiting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “We will never succumb to pressure from terrorists. All political parties must unite to crush the scourge of terror.”

Indian news channels said the Islamist militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami had claimed responsibility for the attack in an email to media organizations. But 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 are initiating a probe.

There were large crowds gathered at the High 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 when he looked outside the window of the courthouse after the blast.

The injured were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, among others. The government said it would offer about $8,700 in compensation to families of those killed, Press Trust of India reported.

The bombing appears to be 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 three months after a low-intensity explosion outside the same courthouse in New Delhi, reflecting a lackluster response by the government. The May blast didn’t result in any injuries.

“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, where staff are typically poorly paid and have sparse resources. 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.

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 lot of people crying.”

Lawyers who frequent the New Delhi High Court were in shock. Some 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 advocate 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?”

–Krishna Pokharel and Tom Wright contributed to this article.

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