Indian press calls for restraint

The attack on a Hindu temple in the state of Gujarat, the commando siege and subsequent action has dominated headlines in Indian newspapers on Thursday.

The wounds of Gujarat are still too fresh for comfort

Hindustan Times

While praising the security forces for a "successful" operation against the attackers, the papers say it is a difficult time for the country and efforts should be made to strictly maintain the rule of the law.

"Victory at dawn" is the headline of the leading story in the daily Hindustan Times.

The paper lauds the role of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) commandos in rescuing devotees from the temple and killing the attackers.

"The commando strike that took out the terrorists at Gandhinagar's Akshardham temple at dawn on Wednesday was precisely the stuff the NSG is known for - quick, ruthless, decisive", the report says.

New strategy

Another front page report in the paper says that the temple attack has made leaders of India's main governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rethink their strategy for Gujarat.

"The BJP leadership has taken prompt steps to prevent fresh riots in the state, fearing more violence would give the party a bad reputation", the paper says.

Troops have been deployed to Gujarat's main towns

"BJP leaders have also advised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to be moderate in his public utterances and stress the need to maintain harmony", says the report.

In an editorial titled "Red alert India", the Hindustan Times says: "To any adversary of India, it might seem that the easiest way to set Gujarat aflame again is to organise an attack on innocent devotees."

But the paper says their hopes of a communal conflagration may not come true as the BJP seems to have learnt its lessons from the recent riots.

Another widely circulated paper, The Indian Express, says the prime minister has given a clear message to the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, that he does not want a repeat of religious violence in the state.

Cycle of violence

Under the headline "No Godhra-II: Modi is given the message", the report quotes the prime minister saying the "game of violence and counter-violence has to stop."

The recent history of Gujarat is just too calamitous to risk a repetition

The Indian Express

In a hard-hitting editorial, the paper says the militant attack "has brought Gujarat and India on the edge of the precipice once again."

The paper criticises the general strike called by some Hindu nationalist groups saying that this was no time for strikes or processions as they introduce more tension in situations that are already fraught with uncertainty.

The Times of India has also attacked the sponsors of the general strike.

"Provocations like the Gandhinagar attack are aimed at shutting down daily life and forcing citizens into a mindset of fear and uncertainty", says an editorial in the paper.

Calling a strike at this stage helps the terrorists achieve their objective, the paper says.