Why Saturday?

The low-intensity blast in Mehrauli shared an uncanny similarity with the September 13 blasts, and the July 26 Ahmedabad blasts two months ago –– all of them occurred on Saturdays, reports Abhishek Sharan.

The low-intensity blast in Mehrauli shared an uncanny similarity with the September 13 blasts, and the July 26 Ahmedabad blasts two months ago –– all of them occurred on Saturdays.

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In fact, the serials blasts three years ago in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and Govindpuri happened on a Saturday too.

Is there something, then, about Saturdays and blasts, especially if orchestrated by terror groups? The answer is yes, if you ask anti-terror officials.

“Perpetrators prefer doing it on a Saturday, since the idea is to kill as much civilians as possible. It is well-known that for a layman, Saturday is for shopping and entertainment,” said an Intelligence Bureau officer.

Officials say, unlike Naxalism or insurgency that target symbols and forces of the state, terror strikes consciously at civilians in a bid to spread fear. “And civilians are out on the street in a relaxed mood on Saturdays”, said another officer.