Pune blast a soft target attack; no intelligence failure: PC

Pune, Feb 14 (PTI) The blast in India's western city of
Pune was not the result of any intelligence failure but an
"insidious" planting of a bomb in a "soft" target
establishment, India's Home Minister P Chidambaram said
Sunday.

After a visit to the blast site here and meeting the
injured in hospitals, he made it clear that the area of
Koregaon Park, housing Jewish Chabad House and Osho Ashram in
the city, had been sensitised by police since it was on the
"radar of terrorists" but it was difficult to provide 24/7
security to all soft targets.
Chidambaram said such establishments have to themselves
adopt security measures since it was not possible for police
to check every person, bag or place at all times.
"There is no intelligence failure, but please remember
this is not an overt attack by gunmen. This is an insidious
bomb that had been planted in what appears to be a backpack,"
the Home Minister said.
Terming Osho Ashram and the Chabad House as "hard
targets", he said, "But apart from hard targets, there are
soft targets...All these (the German bakery and an Italian
restaurant nearby) are soft targets where foreigners and
Indians congregate especially during the peak hours."
The Home Minister said the Anti-Terrorism Squad of
western Indian state of Maharashtra has taken over the case
and constituted teams to investigate Saturday night's blast
that left nine people dead and 57 injured. He announced a
compensation of Rs five lakh to the families of those killed
in the attack.
The improvised explosive device, kept in a packet outside
the kitchen of the German bakery, exploded at around 7.30 pm
when a waiter attempted to open it.
India's Home Secretary G K Pillai said in Delhi that none
of those killed was a foreigner. (More) PTI HBJ
MRD


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