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Don't label Hyderabad as a terror hub: Chidambaram

Last updated on: July 01, 2009 14:34 IST

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today strongly denied Hyderabad had become a terror hub and said that it was wrong to brand any city of the country as terrorist hub.
 
Talking to the media on the sidelines of inauguration of the regional hub of National Security Guards in Hyderabad on Wednesday, Chidambaram confirmed the government had received the intelligence input that there could be a threat to the West Coast from terrorists.

He said as per the practice recently established the input was immediately shared by the Centre with Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra.

"These inputs are intended to prepare us in case it materializes but let me hasten to assure you that does not meant that there will be imminent terror attack", he said.
 
When a reporter asked whether Hyderabad became a terror hub, Chidambaram quipped, "It is a wrong word. No city is a hub of terrorist. I don't think you should bran any city as hub of terrorism".
 
"Hyderabad came up on radar screen about three weeks ago and we shared the input immediately with the state government and commissioner (of police) made a public alert and they were looking for some people but nothing materialized.You see all these inputs do not mean that immediately there would be a terrorist attack," he said adding that the intelligence input the central government was picking up was being immediately shared with the state governments.
 
On a question about the special security for Tirumala temple, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was present in the press conference said, the state government was considering a proposal to raise a special security force for the purpose. 

 

Mohammed Siddique in Hyderabad