Hyderabad: The third anniversary of the
bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid here passed off
peacefully, even as security forces maintained a tight vigil
on suspected terror elements, who have been targeting
policemen in particular.
A cellphone-triggered pipe bomb placed at the Mecca
Masjid during Friday prayers on May 18, 2007 had claimed nine
lives, and five people were killed in police firing,
subsequent to the bomb blast.
In view of the recent terror attack that claimed the
life of U Ramesh, a police constable on picket duty at
Shah-Ali Banda on May 14, security was tightened at important
places, including the Mecca Masjid and other parts of the Old
City, as a precautionary measure to avert any untoward
incidents.
"Security had been beefed up and the day passed off
peacefully and no untoward incidents were reported," DCP South
Zone Madhusudan Reddy told PTI, adding frisking and vehicle
checking were conducted by the police in different areas.
It was for the third time in the past 17 months that
suspected terrorist elements attacked policemen on duty,
killing two and injuring as many in Hyderabad city and the
role of Viqaruddin alias Viqar Ahmed, is being strongly
suspected behind these attacks.
Police suspect terror operatives are targeting their
personnel to "avenge" the death of five Muslims during the
police firing immediately after the blast in the Mecca Masjid.
Even as the police are yet to achieve any breakthrough
in the present and the previous cases (attacks on cops), a
little known city-based outfit Tehrik Galba-e-Islami, has
again claimed responsibility for killing the policeman.
Tehrik Galba-e-Islami, is the same outfit, which had
left behind a pamphlet written in Urdu, after suspected
terrorists fatally opened fire on a police picket near
Falaknuma on May 18 last year, killing a home-guard and
injuring a constable.
The shootout at Falaknuma on May 18 last year
coincided with the second anniversary of Mecca Masjid blasts.
CBI, which probing the Mecca Masjid bomb blasts case
had recently indicated that there was a link between the
Ajmer, Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts.
Following these developments, some organisations here
have demanded fresh probe into Mecca Masjid blast.
PTI
