Shocked Indian-Americans call for calm

Apprehensive of the communal riots in Mumbai that followed the serial bomb blasts in 1993, the large Indian-American community here has urged people back home to remain calm and peaceful, despite the shocking series of bomb blasts that killed some 200 commuters on Tuesday evening. Individually, Indian-Americans telephoned their relatives and friends in Mumbai to know about their safety, but it is the communal harmony of Mumbai in particular and country in general that remained top in the minds of NRIs when they made the calls.

This was obvious by appeals made by a large number of associations representing the community in various parts of the country. The apex body — National Federation of Indian American Associations — urged the people of India to remain calm and peaceful despite this tragedy. ‘‘Such actions and reactions to them in order to avenge these acts will only lead to the loss of more innocent lives. We must apprehend the people who are responsible for these blasts and punish them and only them,’’ said Rajen Anand, its president.

In separate statements, Indian Muslim Council-US and the Association of Indian Muslims urged the Government to arrest perpetrators of this terrorist act and ensure that the situation was not exploited by political parties.