| Separatists in Assam did not even spare children The death of more than twenty people, mostly children, marred India's Independence Day celebrations yesterday. In the city of Dhemaji in the eastern state of Assam, terrorists detonated a radio-controlled bomb during the ceremonial hoisting of the national flag. At least 13 children and three women were killed. 40 people were injured, some of them very seriously. Prior to this, groups seeking secession of the tea-rich state from India called for a boycott of all-India independence celebrations. Militant activities have claimed more than 10,000 lives in Assam over the past decade.
Not expecting anything good from numerous separatist movements on the occasion of the holiday, the Indian government threw maximum effort into ensuring security in the hottest spot - the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Since 1989, according to various estimates, from 65 to 80 thousand people have died there. In the east, where Indian states border Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Myanmar, authorities were also on alert, especially as unrest has continued for a month in the state of Manipur. Thousands of people have died there over the past 30 years.
More than 70 thousand military and police guarded the capital New Delhi yesterday. The historic 17th-century Red Fort, where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke in the morning, was cordoned off so that not even a mouse could get into it. Protected by missile launchers, the prime minister said that, given the existing territorial disputes, developing relations with neighboring states is a priority in India's foreign policy. The Prime Minister noted that terrorism and violence hinder the establishment of trusting bilateral relations.
The new coalition government of India, led by the Indian National Congress party, is actively improving relations with Pakistan. However, negotiations between the Indian government and the Hurriyat alliance of Kashmiri separatist parties and religious organizations have been postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, on the Indian side, wire fences are being hastily completed along the dividing “line of control” in Kashmir, about 560 km long. Islamabad must fight "cross-border terrorism" more decisively, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday.
On the occasion of the holiday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is preparing to visit India in December, sent his congratulations to the people and government of India. “I am convinced that the established practice of regular meetings at the highest level will continue to make a significant contribution to strengthening relations between our countries,” the Russian President emphasized. Putin's previous visit to India took place quite recently - in December 2002. And in November 2003, the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to Moscow . Valentina KULIABINA |
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