Terror Strikes Uttar Pradesh

Back from Hyderabad

I was planning to post a blog entry as soon as I got back from my trip to Hyderabad. I wanted to write about our journey and also prepare an itinerary for travelers and others interested in visiting the city.

However, the theme changed. The terror blasts in Uttar Pradesh changed the course, content and mood. It is yet another heinous and dastardly act of terrorism, through which nothing will be gained. Killing, injuring and maiming countless innocent people is no solution to any political or any religious end. When will people realize it?

The three blasts occurred around noon in and around court premises. The terrorist attack on the Parliament is still fresh in our minds. This time the attack is on the judiciary. If I may hazard a guess – who’s next? The President? There seems to be a system – a pattern in the attack. The terrorists are focusing on the three pillars of democracy in India. They have hurt two till date.

At this juncture, the security forces must tighten their defences in and around the Presidency. And a heavy hand must come down on all terrorists captured. They must all be taught the hard lesson that the unity, the sovereignty and the social and democratic mosaic of India cannot be perturbed.

I have always spoken against capital punishment, always sided against such punishment. Today, I feel that such capital punishment is a necessity for terrorists. Bring them to the court rooms they attacked, prosecute and hang them.

Read more from Rediff

Hyderabad Bomb Blast

Around 1:30 pm today, a bomb rocked the Mecca Masjid compound in Hyderabad when the Friday Namaz was being offered. This being another ghastly and dastardly act by some terror mongers to foster a divisive influence among the masses. Clearly, the peace and harmony of the wonderful and high spirited Hyderabadis was targeted. First and foremost, I would like to urge the people of Hyderabad not to press the panic button, and not play into the hands of those willing to instigate animosities and provoke communal disharmony.

The Mecca Masjid stands 100 yards Southwest of the Charminar. The mosque is said to comprise bricks brought from Mecca built into the central arch, hence the name. The five arched facades were carved out of a single piece of granite, a stone which took five years to quarry. The courtyard houses a large pond flanked by two stone and slab seats. Legend has it that a visitor who sits on one of these seats will definitely return to Hyderabad. A room in the courtyard is said to contain sacred relics, one of which is the hair of Prophet Muhammad.

The construction of the Mecca Masjid was begun under the orders of Sultan Quli Qutub Shah in 1617 and was completed in 1694 under direct orders of Emperor Aurangazeb. The mosque is one of the largest in the country and can accommodate ten thousand people at one time. It is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad and is adjacent to Charminar just across the road. The constructions of this mosque was started by Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah, The work continued during the reign of Abdullah Qutub Shah and Abul Hassan Tana Shah and was completed in 1694 by the Moghal Emperor Aurangzeb.

The hall of the mosque is about 75 feet high, 220 feet wide and 180 feet long, Each of the two octagonal columns on either side are made out of a single piece of granite, It took about 8000 Masons and laborers and 77 years to complete.

It is said that when the foundation stone was being laid, Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah invited all the pious religious elders of the city. It was announced that the king wanted the foundation stone to be laid by one who had never missed his prayers. None came forward, therefore Sultan Muhammad himself laid the foundation for he had never missed even his midnight prayer since the age of 12.

Unfortuantely, 12 namazis lost their lives, while they were closing their prayers. That’s real sad. The bomb used RDX and is assumed to have been set off by a mobile phone as a trigger. Police rushed to the spot at the earliest and avoided a worse scare. They discovered two more similar bombs which did not go off.

While all politicians have come out to condemn the heinous act, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy have asked the citizens not to listen to rumours, nor to spread them. All caution has now been taken with Section 144 imposed in the area thereby banning the assembly of more than four people. Police remains at the spot and central RAF have been kept on stand by for the city. Also forensic experts from the Centre have been called in to investigate the site.

Following the blast at the Mecca Masjid, the injured, numbering in the 40s were rushed to the nearby Osmania Hospital. There were road blockades in different parts of the city. Police, however, rose to action to disperse any such mobs and things became normal. However, shops remained closed and not many buses were seen plying across the city. The characteristic autorickshaws were also not zipping across the city as frequently as they normally do.

It gives me such a weird feeling. I visited this place just last week. Here’s a picture that I took from the Charminar.
My condolences for the lives lost.
Peace and harmony!