India beefs up security for Idul Fitri<\/p>\n
Neelesh Misra, Associated Press\/New Delhi<\/p>\n
Authorities stepped up security across India on Friday as
\nmillions of Muslims celebrated the Idul Fitri festival nearly a
\nweek after triple bombings killed 60 people ahead of a major
\nHindu celebration.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting of top
\nofficials late on Thursday to review security arrangements for
\nIdul Fitri, as well as to take stock of the investigation so far
\ninto last weekend's bombings in two markets and on a bus.<\/p>\n
Saturday's blasts occurred as thousands of people crowded the
\nmarkets to shop for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights that saw
\nsubdued celebrations on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
About 3,000 additional police and paramilitary soldiers were
\ndeployed across New Delhi in public places and at high security
\ninstallations for Idul Fitri, police said. Security checkpoints
\nwere set up along major roads leading into and out of the
\ncapital, and cars were being randomly stopped and searched.<\/p>\n
Police in some Indian cities were deluged with calls about
\npossible suspects after investigators in New Delhi released
\nsketches of a man who allegedly left a bag, which later exploded,
\non a passenger bus.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Indian police widened their search for militants
\nsuspected in the deadly New Delhi bombings, searching hotels and
\nquestioning people in the technology hub of Bangalore after
\nreceiving intelligence reports that suspects might be hiding
\nthere.<\/p>\n
\"There is no specific security threat perception, but we have
\nraised the level of general alertness. All our senior officers
\nare on the field, overseeing patrols,\" said Ajay Kumar Singh,
\nBangalore's police commissioner.<\/p>\n
\"We have put hundreds of our men all over the city to guard
\nsensitive areas and important buildings,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Thousands of Muslims offered prayers at mosques across the
\ncountry, including at the 17th century red sandstone Jama Masjid,
\nthe country's largest mosque, located in New Delhi.<\/p>\n
Muslims are the largest minority in India, a Hindu-majority
\nnation of more than one billion people. With 140 million Muslims,
\nIndia has the world's second largest Muslim population after
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Separatists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir -- the
\nHimalayan territory claimed in full by India and neighboring
\nPakistan, but divided between them -- have been widely blamed for
\nthe bombings. A little-known Kashmiri group, Islamic Inquilab
\nMahaz, claimed responsibility on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Police say they haven't yet confirmed the group was behind the
\nattacks.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/india-beefs-up-security-for-idul-fitri-1447893297",
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