Sibal tightens defence

After Abu Bashar was arrested by the Gujarat Police in connection with the Ahmedabad bomb blasts, leaders of several political parties made a scramble for his native village in Azamgarh. They were conspicuous by their absence in Jamia Nagar though, where two alleged terrorists were killed in a police encounter. The exception was Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, who visited Jamia Nagar last Friday, exactly one week after the encounter, to meet the local populace. Sibal may be hoping that his gesture does not go unnoticed in his Chandni Chowk constituency, which has a large minority population.