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Rediff.com  » News » We will get them in 48 hours: Jaiswal

We will get them in 48 hours: Jaiswal

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
October 30, 2005 12:04 IST
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Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal has said the government is determined to foil the nefarious designs of terrorists who on Saturday evening set off three bomb blasts in New Delhi, killing more than 60 peopel and injuring 200.

Speaking to rediff.com on phone from his residence in Kanpur, Jaiswal said the Delhi police was on the job. "We have some clues and we shall reach the perpetrators of the crime in the next 24-48 hours. We will defeat the designs of the terrorists who have struck with the purpose of spreading terror among the people," he said.

Delhi police commissioner Dr K K Paul, who was among the top officials who briefed Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh about the blasts and the nature of investigations late last night, said some people have been picked up for questioning.

"Nobody has claimed responsibility, but some people are being questioned. Raids are being conducted and suspects are being picked up," Paul told rediff.com in New Delhi on Sunday.

B Raman: Message from the Delhi blasts

Asked if they had got any tipoff about terrorists sneaking into the capital and striking around Diwali time, Dr Paul said there was a general sort of alert but there was no specific information. "We had maintained a fairly high degree of alert but the incidents have happened," he said.

According to senior officers in the intelligence network, the Delhi police special branch, which is supposed to keep tabs on antisocial elements, may have got some inputs about the impending terrorist threat. Interestingly, the Intelligence Bureau had no clue about the terrorist strike.

"We had got some inputs about terrorist strikes from a source in the US embassy but on checking we did not find credible evidence of the presence of some top Al Qaeda presence in the capital," the officer said.

Jaiswal did not rule out the possibility of the Lashkar's hand in the terrorist attack. "It is too early to say who was behind it. We are looking into all angles," he said.

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Onkar Singh in New Delhi