Nobody has claimed responsibility for the explosions

Monday's bombings in the Indian city of Bombay - also known as Mumbai - have provoked shock and outrage in India's press, but there is little agreement on who is to blame.

Lax security, Bombay's criminal underworld, Muslim-Hindu tension, divisive politicians, Pakistan, global terrorism and even the United States' war on terror all come in for criticism.

This is not the time for rhetoric, or politics, but of sombre unity... Be it Jammu and Kashmir, the North-east, Punjab and Mumbai, the terrorists have a common goal: to strike terror and create social conditions that will further their agenda in a country that has always taken pride in her pluralism and sovereignty.

The Asian Age - Bombay, English-language

The finger of suspicion, according to initial reports, is said to be pointing at the city's underworld. But underworld operations, especially in this region, are often carried out in collusion with terrorist networks.

The ongoing global war against terrorism knows no fixed boundaries or battle-fronts; the Hydra-headed serpent of terror can strike with equal venom anywhere in the world.

Times of India - Delhi, English-language

There can be little doubt that the terrorists are encouraged by Pakistan's attitude... With Independence Day going off peacefully even in Kashmir, the mercenaries are obviously under some pressure to perform. They may well be responding to elements in Pakistan who are unhappy with the recent thaw in Indian-Pakistani relations.

Hindustan Times - Delhi, English-language

Islamist terrorism of the kind Mumbai is witnessing is part of a tragic cycle of communal terror and counter-terror. For the carnage we are now witnessing, politicians who have built their career on hate must be held to account.

The Hindu - Chennai, English-language

Such incidents are not only a threat to the communal harmony of the country, but they also have economic implications. The Mumbai blast was promptly followed by a crash in the stock market.

We need to exercise religious tolerance to ensure that the Mumbai blast does not trigger the shameful incidents that took place in Gujarat.

Rashtriya Sahara - Hindi-language

It can be said that Mumbai has also been caught in the globalisation of terrorism. The politics of destruction unleashed by the US all over the world is also a reason for the growing terrorism. National boundaries cannot stop terrorism.

It would not suffice to consider the prevailing tension between Hindus and Muslims as the only reason for these blasts.

Lokasatta - Bombay, Marathi-language

It is high time for the Maharashtra government to stop counting the number of deaths caused by the explosions at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Market, and start looking into the drawbacks in its security system... The country's commercial capital now requires a comprehensive policy for security.

Navbharat Times - Delhi, Hindi-language

The very fact that the terrorist managed to see the success of their evil designs in broad daylight highlights the failure of the state administration and the inefficiency of the central government in providing security to innocent people.

Amar Ujala - Hindi-language

The bomb blasts that rocked Mumbai yesterday have exposed the loopholes in the internal security system.

The state and central governments suspect the terrorist organisations that have already been accused of earlier blasts. However, what comes as a surprise is the government's inability to break their backbone and to stop them from repeatedly making a mockery of the internal security system.

Dainik Jagran - Delhi, Hindi-language

Civil society must close ranks in solidarity against the terrorist goal of spreading panic and disorder, to back official action to crush disruption either by terrorists or as a reaction... The guilty must be caught and punished, and the state instil public confidence in its ability and will to take effective action.

The Economic Times - Delhi, English-language

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