As the country?s security establishment probes the involvement of Hindu terror groups in some recent acts of terror, Union home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday officially acknowledged ?saffron terrorism? as a recently uncovered phenomenon.
Stating that there was ?no let up in the attempts to radicalise young men and women in India?, Chidambaram cited the ?recently uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts of the past?. ?My advice to you is that we must remain ever vigilant and continue to build, at the Central and state levels, our capacity in counter-terrorism,? he told a gathering of directors general of police and inspectors general of police on Wednesday.
Reacting to Chidambaram?s remarks, the BJP said that terrorism had no colour or religion and it had to be fought strongly. Taking objection to the usage of the word ?saffron? with terror, senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde said terrorism cannot be labelled saffron or green. In addition to their alleged role in the Malegaon blasts, the country?s security agencies have been suspecting the role of Hindu radical groups in at least three acts of terror ?the Samjhauta Express bomb blasts near Panipat, the Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad and the Ajmer bomb blasts.
In fact, as per government sources, the Centre has been mulling the clubbing of all the suspected cases where right-wing extremists are suspected to have engaged in subversive activities. While the Samjhauta case was recently handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the government has been considering the handing over of other terror strikes carried out by suspected Hindu outfits to the central agency.
The ministry of home affairs, sources said, is also planning a meeting of police representatives from all the states where suspected Hindu radical groups have perpetrated acts of terror. ?The idea is to enable investigators from all the states where suspected Hindu terrorists have struck to sit together and try to join the dots,? said a government source. ?If all state governments agree, we may hand over all these cases to the NIA,? the source said.
Meanwhile, the home minister also said that through 2009, and in the first eight months of 2010, the security situation was severely challenged by forces inimical to India both within and outside the country. ?Contrary to perceptions in a section of the media ? and, consequently, among sections of the people ? the Indian state has been able to stand up to these challenges and face them with confidence and courage,? he said.