New targets?

Today we received advice that we should stay in our hotel another day rather than get out into the city or elsewhere. There were no more bombings, but we received the disconcerting news that a man had been apprehended with trigger mechanisms that were bound for Chennai. This evening after work, we stayed at the hotel for dinner and socializing.

One rumor is now circulating that targets in Bangalore and Ahmedabad were related to the IT industries in those cities. We are located in a section of Chennai where there is a heavy concentration of IT companies comprising many thousands of people. Since the other cities experienced the bombings at bus stops and other areas with high concentrations of people, driving past these areas on the way to work is especially unnerving. There are several sections of the road where there is heavy congestion and traffic slows to a crawl or stops altogether. These areas would be easy targets in my estimation.

Another rumor is that Chennai is the next target, and Kolkatta (previously Calcutta) is next. This spells out the anagram BACK (Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkatta). I am not sure of the significance of that word.

At work, we are relatively safe. The campus of the host company has many security guards patrolling. This occurred even before the bombings occurred. Driving into the campus, our SUV is always stopped. A security guard opens the back hatch and looks inside. Another guard has a mirror positioned on a flat board with wheels used to check the undercarriage of the vehicle. The same process happens on our way out. The host company provided the first guidance that we should stay in our hotel on Sunday. We received that word Saturday night. It shows me that they are staying aware of happenings in the city and elsewhere because of their focus on security.

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1591571
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