What Maha Bodhi blasts augur for Sri Lanka and India
If leaked intelligence warnings that were cited by India’s political opposition in the aftermath of the bombing inside the Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar are anything to go by, they remove the pro-Tiger lobby in Tamil Nadu from the equation. It appears the pro-Tiger rump, chaotic and impudent as it may be, is not among the likely culprits.
The likely catalyst for the attack, according to intelligence warnings, is the anti-Muslim violence in Burma, where at least 200 people were killed and over 150,000, largely Rohingya Muslims, were displaced in violence in the Rakhini State. So the finger is pointed at Islamic extremists, be they home grown or foreign.
2013-07-08
If leaked intelligence warnings that were cited by India’s political opposition in the aftermath of the bombing inside the Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar are anything to go by, they remove the pro-Tiger lobby in Tamil Nadu from the equation. It appears the pro-Tiger rump, chaotic and impudent as it may be, is not among the likely culprits.The likely catalyst for the attack, according to intelligence warnings, is the anti-Muslim violence in Burma, where at least 200 people were killed and over 150,000, largely Rohingya Muslims, were displaced in violence in the Rakhini State. So the finger is pointed at Islamic extremists, be they home grown or foreign.
The Barathiya Janatha Party (BJP)which last month ended a 17-year-old alliance with the Janatha Dal (JD)Party, blamed Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar of JD, for ignoring repeated intelligence warnings against a terror attack on the Mahabodhi Temple
Porous borders enable violence
BJP Spokesman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, who blamed the Janatha Dal Government and the Centre for ignoring intelligence warnings, had this to say to the media: “There had been repeated intelligence inputs about possible terror attacks. The State government had also been told about recess that had been conducted by terror elements of the place, especially in context of the violence in Myanmar.”
Porous borders enable violence
BJP Spokesman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, who blamed the Janatha Dal Government and the Centre for ignoring intelligence warnings, had this to say to the media: “There had been repeated intelligence inputs about possible terror attacks. The State government had also been told about recess that had been conducted by terror elements of the place, especially in context of the violence in Myanmar.”
India’s porous borders enable violence in Burma to spill into its neighbours’ territories. And that anti-Muslim violence in Burma had, to a great extent, been fuelled by articulate Buddhist monks, most notably, Wirathu, dubbed the Burmese Bin Laden, would make the Maha Bodhi, one of the most sacred Buddhist places, a target of Islamic extremists. Indian media had reported that India has increased vigil over its border with Nepal, and beefed up security in several other temples, including the famous Devipatan Temple.
The media also reported that the attack had placed the neigbouring State of Gujarat on high security alert, ahead of a traditional Ratha Yatra planned for today.
The media also reported that the attack had placed the neigbouring State of Gujarat on high security alert, ahead of a traditional Ratha Yatra planned for today.
Such security precautions are proof that the security agencies tend to suspect the culpability of Islamic extremists in the Maha Bodhi blasts. Gujarat’s turbulent recent past and the violent conflagration in 2002, highlight the State’s delicate ethnic relations.
The series of low-intensity blasts rocked the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya District in the early hours yesterday. The first blast ripped through the premises at 5:30 a.m. followed by seven successive explosions within the next half hour. Four blasts occurred inside the temple while three others exploded outside.
Three live bombs were later found near the temple, and had been defused. Reports say that blasts were of low-intensity and made of commercially available ingredients, and not of the military grade explosives. There has been no damage to the temple shrine.
The series of low-intensity blasts rocked the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya District in the early hours yesterday. The first blast ripped through the premises at 5:30 a.m. followed by seven successive explosions within the next half hour. Four blasts occurred inside the temple while three others exploded outside.
Three live bombs were later found near the temple, and had been defused. Reports say that blasts were of low-intensity and made of commercially available ingredients, and not of the military grade explosives. There has been no damage to the temple shrine.
The explosions, according to preliminary investigations, had been caused by crude time bombs, which may point to the lack of sophistication and capability of a probable home-grown terror group, whereas India’s main terrorist enemy, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the perpetrator of the devastating Mumbai attacks of 2008 had shown their capability to carry out high attrition, coordinated attacks.
Maha Bodhi, home to Buddhagaya, where Buddhists worldwide pay homage, is a picture postcard target for religiously driven extremism. Such attacks also aim to elicit violent reaction from the target audience, in this instance, most likely from the Buddhists in Burma, where religious fervour had taken a violent tilt even before the blasts.
Maha Bodhi, home to Buddhagaya, where Buddhists worldwide pay homage, is a picture postcard target for religiously driven extremism. Such attacks also aim to elicit violent reaction from the target audience, in this instance, most likely from the Buddhists in Burma, where religious fervour had taken a violent tilt even before the blasts.
Tamil Nadu
In February this year, President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Mahabodhi Temple, as part of his special pilgrimage to India. The President was accompanied by Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Though there had been attacks on Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims by pro-Tiger activists, such attacks had been confined to Tamil Nadu.
In February this year, President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Mahabodhi Temple, as part of his special pilgrimage to India. The President was accompanied by Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Though there had been attacks on Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims by pro-Tiger activists, such attacks had been confined to Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, in 2011, the Maha Bodhi Temple in Chennai was ransacked by a group of men carrying clubs.
Four monks were injured and Sri Lankan nationals who tried to intervene were also targeted. However, pro-Tiger rhetoric in Tamil Nadu was largely in the form of chaotic protest rallies and street thuggery, the latter reminiscent of Tamil movies. They never crossed that line; nor did they appear to have the intent or the capability to do so.
However, any sign of Tamil involvement in the latest blasts would compel the Sri Lankan Government to harden its policies. Any evidence of a nascent Tamil militancy in Tamil Nadu would drive the government on a rethink on its security preparedness, at a time it is gradually relaxing its grip. And any such scenario would also provide a mission for the government’s security apparatus which is now clinging onto the Tamil diaspora bogeyman.
Four monks were injured and Sri Lankan nationals who tried to intervene were also targeted. However, pro-Tiger rhetoric in Tamil Nadu was largely in the form of chaotic protest rallies and street thuggery, the latter reminiscent of Tamil movies. They never crossed that line; nor did they appear to have the intent or the capability to do so.
However, any sign of Tamil involvement in the latest blasts would compel the Sri Lankan Government to harden its policies. Any evidence of a nascent Tamil militancy in Tamil Nadu would drive the government on a rethink on its security preparedness, at a time it is gradually relaxing its grip. And any such scenario would also provide a mission for the government’s security apparatus which is now clinging onto the Tamil diaspora bogeyman.
