Bomb blast at Belur Mutt

There was a low intensity bomb blast at Belur Mutt yesterday. Who was responsible, and what was the motive ? The matter is still being investigated, but I will hazard a guess.

It was probably some agent provocateur who wanted to create the impression that it was the work of some Muslim organization, so that all Muslims may be painted as terrorists and bomb throwers, thus increasing communal tension.

Some years back in my interview with Karan Thapar ( on his programme Devil's Advocate ) I blamed a section of the media for creating communal tension. I told him that whenever a bomb blast occurs in India, within an hour or so many T.V. channels start displaying a scroll which stated that an email or sms has been received stating that the Indian Mujahideen or Jaish-e-Mohammed or some other Muslim organization has claimed responsibility.

 Now an email or sms can be sent by any mischievous person. But by displaying it on the T.V. screen what subtle message is being conveyed ? The subtle message is that all Muslims are terrorists. In this way the entire Muslim community is demonized, and communal tensions aggravated.

  The truth is, as I have repeatedly said, that 99% people in all communities, whether Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, etc are good and peace loving.  But certain vested interests want to demonize the entire Muslim community, and create hostility between Hindus and Muslims, as they thrive on this.

 Often after such blasts in India the police, which is incapable or unwilling to apprehend the real culprits, apprehends some innocent Muslims on bare suspicion and chargesheets them, and usually their bail applications are rejected, as the public prosecutor says in Court that these are terrorists. 

Often such persons spend many years, sometimes over 10 years, in jail, but are ultimately found innocent. Who will restore them these years of life ? This travesty of justice naturally creates hatred with all its consequences,

 I appeal to all patriotic Indians to expose such conspiracies by agent provocateurs and spread awareness among our people of these wicked designs of some vested interests who are enemies of the nation, so that the Indian people may not become victims of such false propaganda against any community or section of our people. We have to maintain our unity at all costs