Twin blasts could be reaction to twin hangings: Shinde

Kolkata: Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Sunday said the twin blasts in Hyderabad could be a "reaction" to the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Mumbai attack convict Ajmal Kasab. Shinde said the government was apprehending some sort of reaction from terror groups following execution of the lone surviving Pakistani gunman in the 2008 Mumbai attack and Afzal and it had been issuing alerts in this regard.

"We were expecting that after the two executions, some reaction had to come," Shinde said, referring to the execution of Kasab and Afzal. "We had been giving alerts throughout the country," he told reporters. Kasab was hanged in a Pune jail in November 2012 while Afzal was hanged in Tihar jail early this month.

Shinde said the culprits involved in the Hyderabad last last Thursday which killed 16 persons and left over 100 injured would be booked soon. "We have got some materials there (at the blast site) and tests are being done in the forensic laboratory. Soon we will get the results and the culprits will be booked soon," he added.

Asked whether the Centre would push for setting up of National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) following the Hyderabad blast, he said, "I have told the Rajya Sabha that we will pursue the NCTC. Many states are still opposing. We have to do it."

On whether he will take up the NCTC issue with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during their meeting on Monday, he said, "I have already taken up this with the CM. Mamataji is very cooperative on this issue and others like Unlawful Activities Prevention Act." "Whenever the country faces difficulty, the CM is very cooperative," Shinde said.

The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) gave a memorandum to Shinde alleging deterioration of law and order in the state and harassment of Congress workers by the ruling Trinamool Congress. Asked to comment on this, the Home Minister said, "I explained to them there are issues of Centre-State relations. However, I will take this up with the CM."

PTI