Tension in Punjab again over sacriligeous act

ROPAR (PUNJAB), Oct 10 (UNI) burning of accessories around the holy Granth Sahib in a Gurdwara at village Gharuan, where an incident of sacrilege of the holy Sikh book had occured last week, today again threatened to disturb peace and harmony but timely steps taken by the district administration curtailed inflaming of passion of the devout.

Attributing the torching of Rumala and Chaur Sahib to electric short-circuting, deputy commissioner Gurinder Singh SGrewal and SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the Rumala (cloth to cover the holy book) caught fire due to short-circuting of electrified portrait of Golden Temple kept in the Palaquin of Granth Sahib.

Mr Bhullar said he along with police rushed to the spot this morning and after probing the cause of fire summoned a team of forensic experts from Chandigarh.

He said the experts preliminary findings said the fire was caused by electric short-circuting but detailed report would be submitted later.

J & K situation Responsibility to combat terrorism lies with India: Sonia NEW DELHI, Oct 9 (UNI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said the primary responsibility of countering terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir lay with India even though the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US and the October one bomb explosion in Srinagar had united world opinion against this menace.

"While the statements in Washington, London and Paris in response to the tragedy in Srinagar may mark a new development and herald greater understanding of Indias position, we must recognise that the primary responsibility for combating terrorism remains with us," Mrs Sonia Gandhi said at a seminar on International cooperation against terrorism : implications and choices for India.

She said the world may be at one of historys cross-roads, "One of those moments on which the future hinges," and the US may have to look again at its policies, notably in West Asia, which have caused so much resentment and suffering and fuelled such deadly hatred.

Hoping that the international community would be able to work out a common goal to fight terrorism in all its forms, Mrs Gandhi said last months events had focussed world attention on terrorism as never before.

Mrs Gandhi said the suicide attack outside the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in Srinagar on October one which left 38 people dead and about 60 injured, had given new urgency to Indias concerns about terrorism.

The condemnation of the incident may have heralded a greater understanding of Indias position, but the primary duty for combating terrorism remained with New Delhi.

She however said there were no simple solutions and even as the armed forces had to be vigilant, every possible avenue had to be explored for reconciliation in the state.

At the same time it had to be ensured that Pakistan did not continue to play its deadly game.

"We expect the leaders of the west not to lose sight of this reality in developing the global coalition against terrorism." Calling for cooperation between the centre and states in the fight against terrorism, she said it must be examined whether the countrys national institutions like the National Security Council (NSC) could deal effectively with terrorism.

"Is the Council capable of bringing focussed and undivided attention on the issue based on a recognition that terrorism is more than just a law and order problem," she asked.

She regretted that different departments, agencies and ministries had become competing power centres in institutional and professional rivalries and did not work in coordination on a common cause.

She also also regretted the lack of quick and effective decision-making and stressed the need to be more alert and responsive.

"With the threat of increased terrorism, we need to look carefully at our structures and anti-terrorist forces and institutions to see how they can be more effective," she said.

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