India Bombs A 'Giant' Conspiracy

Police on Monday charged three people with terrorist acts in India's financial hub, accusing them of setting off three deadly bombs to avenge the deaths of Muslims in religious riots last year.

All three were arrested under India's tough anti-terrorism law.

The city of Bombay, officially known as Mumbai, was the target of twin bombings last week which killed 52 people and wounded 150 others.

The three were part of a local unit of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, one of the main militant groups active in violent attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir, said Bombay Police Commissioner Ranjit Sharma.

"They call themselves the Gujarat Muslim Revenge Force," he told reporters.

Although many Muslims died in last week's blasts, the government believes the attacks could be linked to the religious riots in western Gujarat state last year. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed after Muslims set a train on fire and killed 60 Hindus.

"After the Gujarat riots, some of them went to Dubai and met people there. This is a big conspiracy," Chhagan Bhujbal, the state's deputy chief minister, told reporters. "There cannot be only two or four people behind it. Police are still investigating."

Judge A.P. Bangale ordered the three into custody until Sept. 15. They have been charged with involvement in the Aug. 25 bombings and a July 28 blast on a public bus in which three people were killed and 31 others were wounded. The accused had also placed a bomb at an industrial enclave outside Bombay but it failed to explode, police said.

Police recovered 205 gelatin sticks, 20 detonators, 12 timers, wires and soldering machines, police said.

The suspects could face the death penalty if found guilty.

"They have been charged ... for striking terror in the minds of people and committing terrorist acts," said public prosecutor Rohini Salian.

In the Aug. 25 explosions, two taxis packed with explosives blew up within minutes of each other, one at the Gateway of India arch — a colonial-era tourist attraction — and the other at a busy market.

The Indian government has blamed the attacks on pro-Pakistan Muslim militants from Kashmir. Bombay police officers have said RDX, an explosive favored by Kashmiri separatist guerrillas, was used in both Bombay attacks.

Pakistan, India's rival and neighbor, condemned the dual bombings.

India accuses Islamic Pakistan of arming and funding Muslim militants who've been fighting since 1989 for Muslim-majority Kashmir's independence from predominantly Hindu India. More than 63,000 people have been killed in the insurgency.

Pakistan says it backs the rebels with ideology, but not weapons or money.

Security has been tight in India since the attacks. Police in the capital, New Delhi, said on Sunday that security forces prevented a "spectacular" attack there by a Pakistan-based militant group.

Police killed two suspected members of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammed group in a New Delhi park Saturday, hours after explosives were seized and three people were arrested elsewhere in the city.

Sharma, the police chief, said investigations were able to move ahead quickly because of the account given by the driver of one of the blasted taxis who said he was hired by two men and a woman for a two-day sightseeing tour. He gave detailed descriptions of his passengers, who are reportedly those produced Monday.

The driver said the couple asked him to go and have lunch while they did the same, leaving the taxi before the blast. The couple's 3 1/2-year daughter, who was allegedly also in the car before the explosion, was in the care of relatives, police said.
By Ramola Talwar Badam