Thousands of police and paramilitary troops guarded New Delhi's markets and shopping centers Sunday after foreign embassies in India issued warnings of imminent militant attacks.
|
The U.S., British, Australian and other Western embassies issued urgent alerts, advising their nationals to avoid busy parts of the city, which was hit by blasts in 2008 that killed 22 people in attacks on upmarket shopping areas. Commandos backed by armored cars guarded metro stations, shopping malls and crowded marketplaces across the sprawling city of 16 million people. Police with automatic weapons patrolled Delhi’s four most popular shopping districts, and explosives experts used tracker dogs to sweep sensitive areas. New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat urged residents to inform the police of "any suspicious object, person or vehicle." Canada and New Zealand were among the countries warning citizens to take precautions in New Delhi, a rapidly expanding and chaotic city. The U.S. advisory issued on Wednesday spoke of "increased indications that terrorists are planning imminent attacks" in some of New Delhi’s crowded markets frequented by foreigners. Some of these markets have been attacked in the past. It named popular city centre shopping zones such as Connaught Place as being "especially attractive targets for terrorist groups." The high commissions (embassies) of Britain and Australia issued similar warnings, leading the India’s Ministry of Home Affairs to say that its security precautions were satisfactory. Australia asked its citizens to be vigilant. "Specific and credible information indicates that terrorist attacks in New Delhi, especially in markets, may be imminent," said the advisory from the Australian High Commission. Indian police officials say they take these warnings seriously, especially as the city is hosting the Commonwealth Games in October. Threats to sporting events were underscored last month when bombs exploded outside a packed cricket stadium in south India. India raised security in the aftermath of a bombing that killed 17 people in western India in February, the first major attack in the country since the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. |