Are Ahmedabad schools the next terror target?

After Mumbai and Delhi, is Ahmedabad the next "cruel" target? A third email claiming responsibility for the Delhi high court bomb blast on Wednesday, allegedly sent from West Bengal, threatens a cruel attack on Ahmedabad. The mail was sent to media houses in Delhi.

This has sent the city's police into frenzy of meetings to strengthen security measures.  For the first time since Ahmedabad serial blasts in July 2008, even schools have been told to remain extremely alert.

"The email has threatened a 'cruel' attack on the city, which would be remembered for a decade. We are alarmed by the use of the word cruel. Although, there is no mention of any schools, we believe they could be a possible target," Ahmedabad police commissioner Sudhir Sinha told DNA on the sidelines of a press briefing on Friday afternoon. He also said that the email is being taken very seriously and that the cops would not allow any chances of the city being targeted. The email has used coded language which was eventually deciphered as a possible attack on Ahmedabad. To instil confidence, he said a closed-group meeting was conducted among all the deputy and joint commissioners of police to discuss the security measures in the city.

"We have requisitioned additional police force to boost the security," Sinha said.  The first crackdown is on the possible sleeper cells in the city. Gujarat ATS and DCB had, through their sources, already begun getting details leading to any of the sleeper cells of terrorist outfits in the city. "It is not easy to detect a sleeper cell, but regular inquiry with the locals and vigilant citizens can help," he said.