BBC: Blasts 'kill 30' in Indian town

[Eugene]

Last Updated: Friday, 8 September 2006, 14:54 GMT 15:54 UK

Blasts 'kill 30' in Indian town

At least 30 people have been killed in two blasts at a Muslim graveyard
in western India, police and medics say.

More than 125 others were hurt in the explosions after Friday prayers
in Malegaon. The hospital in the town says 20 of them are in a serious
condition.

State police chief PS Pasricha said a curfew had been imposed and police
reinforcements sent to the town.

It is not clear what caused the blasts as Muslims left prayers. The town
has seen religious violence in the past.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5326730.stm

[IronLionZion]

1. any word on who did it yet?

keep in mind the victims are mostly muslims and it is a muslim-majority city.

[David__77]

2. Hindu chauvinists.

They are India's fascists.

[Codeine]

3. India's *other* fascists.

The Muslim chauvinists are just as bad. A pox on both their houses.

[varun]

4. Some interesting information about Malegaon (where these blasts occurred)

http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/003765.html#more

Malegaon is a city of between 400,000 and 650,000 (the numbers I found vary) in inland Maharashtra northeast of Mumbai. The city is majority (about 75 percent) Muslim and its main economic activity is textile mills, which have been hit by a long lasting recession that has led to numerous job losses. Socio-economic indicators are poor; both male and female literacy are well below the state average, for example.

Malegaon was the site of the first communal riots after September 11, 2001. On October 19, a local politician seeking re-election led a 15,000 person anti-US rally at which “slogans were raised” in support of Osama bin Laden. However the riots took place a full week later and were sparked by what should have been an innocuous incident. Activists were handing out “swadeshi” leaflets outside a mosque that urged “Be Indian, Buy Indian.” There were police outside the mosque, as the police presence in the town had been strengthened after the previous week’s rally. The leaflets had an English banner but the text was in Urdu, which none of the police could read. Assuming the content was subversive, the police attempted to confiscate the leaflets and roughed up the youths who were distributing. The crowd grew agitated, a lathi charge ensued, an...

[Igel]

5. We can count on hearing lectures against communalism

in the S. Asian press.

Somehow we only hear those lectures, however, when there's an attack on Muslims by non-Muslims, or on Sunnis by non-Sunnis.

Very strange, that asymmetry.

[Radioactive]

6. Coverage on Western news?

I'm always baffled by the lack of coverage or interest in terrorist attacks on India in Western countries, why is this? I mean if this happened in a America or Western Europe it would be huge news?

[intaglio]

7. There is a problem

Most of the news organisations in Europe and the USA do not report such attacks if the victims are "brown". Funny that ... :grr: