HYDERABAD, June 6: Senior police officials strongly suspect Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) involvement in violent incidents on Thursday in the old city of Hyderabad going by the circumstances which led to the outbreak.The cause for the violence was a mischievous pamphlet circulated in the communally sensitive old city by unknown elements during the last one week. But the police do not have an answer yet as to from where the pamphlet emanated and the provocation for it.In fact, Intelligence and Special Branch wings have failed to trace the origin of the pamphlet though it was in circulation in the city since a few days. City police commissioner R P Singh said that special teams had been formed to identify those responsible for bringing out the pamphlet and distributing it. No arrests have yet been made.The old city has a history of ISI activities. An officer of the rank of superintendent of police was shot dead by ISI militants in the city a few years ago. Since then, there were stray incidents inwhich the role of ISI was established."But with the ISI playing safe by not resorting to any incidents, the city police too became complacent as far was the intelligence service activities are concerned. But when the pamphlet came out of the blue, we were caught offguard," admitted a senior official of the city police."The timing of the pamphlet is equally significant as it happened in the wake of the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan," remarked another senior police official, on condition of anonymity."There are several youths who were lured and trained by the ISI. These include sons of a senior politician of the city. But we have no evidence to book them," he said, talking about how the ISI operated in the city.According to police sources, the pattern of the disturbance effected pointed to ISI mischief - mobs attacked people and damaged private property and all the incidents were reported simultaneously from selected pockets in the old city. The mobs set fire to 13 buses at a single placedespite the presence of a huge posse of policemen. Apparently, they were well trained on how to take the police by surprise, complete the operation and disappear.According to some of the victims, they were attacked by masked miscreants who even dared to attack the vehicle of city police chief. "This incident should be an eye-opener to the city police. We were a bit relaxed and the ISI seems to have strengthened its base," the senior official admitted.Premature to judge Pak ultras' role: NaiduChief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday felt that it was premature to say that the Pakistani-based ISI was behind the incidents in the old city. "I cannot say anything now without any substantial information on the issue. The government's first priority is to control violence and I will provide all the details once normalcy is restored," Naidu said at a press conference held in Hyderabad.The CM, however, suspected that some anti-social elements hatched a predetermined plot to instigate communalviolence and create a law and order problem in the city. "The government will spare no efforts to defuse the tension in the city. The home minister, director-general of police and a host of senior officials are camping in the old city to restore law and order."
