Indian police have stepped up security
in major cities as they hunt down those responsible for Monday's twin car bombs
in Bombay that killed at least 46 people and injured close to 150 others. India
is still reeling from the shock of the massive explosion that shook the country's
commercial capital.
Funerals have been held for some of the victims and clean up operations continue
at the two bombing sites - a crowded jewelry market and Bombay's most famous
landmark, the Gateway of India.
Tuesday morning most of the city had returned to normal with shops, schools
and businesses open. However, some shops in the jewelry market where one bomb
went off were closed, and the area around the Gateway of India was cordoned
off.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks and police say they have
no direct evidence yet of who may have been behind the bombings.
They reportedly are looking into possible links to two Islamic groups - the
banned Islamic Students Movement of India and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba,
one of a number of militant groups fighting Indian forces in the disputed area
of Kashmir.
In the past, India has quickly blamed neighboring Pakistan for being behind
such attacks, a charge Islamabad has repeatedly denied.
This time, Bombay Police Commissioner Ranjit Sharma implicated what he termed "the
enemy nation," an apparent reference to Pakistan. But, senior government officials
have refrained from such finger pointing. Pakistan has condemned Monday's bombings.
Almost immediately after the bomb attacks in Bombay, Indian police stepped
up security in major cities across the country, especially around religious
sites. Bombay has suffered a series of bombings in recent months, most targeting
the city's crowded public transportation system. The attacks have generally
been blamed on Islamic militants.
There is a good deal of speculation about the motives for Monday's bombings
and many Bombay residents are quoted as saying the attacks were designed to
heighten tensions between Hindus and the country's Muslim minority. They point
out, however that both Hindus and Muslims were among the victims of Monday's
bombings.