No one has yet claimed responsibility for the two blasts in Hyderabad, India on Saturday that left 42 dead.  Authorities have been quick to blame Islamic rebels in neighbouring countries, labelling the incidents as ‘terror attacks’, but according to media reports, they have no substantial leads.

Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have strongly rejected accusations that mujahideen forces from their countries were responsible. Tasnim Aslam, a Pakistan foreign ministry spokeswoman, told Al Jazeera: "They have been making these allegations and nothing ever came out of those allegations and yet they continue maligning Pakistan… Only the Indians have these kinds of supernatural powers that as soon as some terrorist act takes place they know how it happened and who is responsible," she added sarcastically.

The blasts occurred on Saturday in two separate locations, just minutes apart. The first was in an open-air auditorium where people were watching a laser show and the second was at a popular outdoor restaurant.  Most of the victims have already been identified and police have begun handing them over to their families.

Chief Minister of the Andhra Pradesh state YS Rajasekhara Reddy said, "Available information points to the involvement of terrorist organisations based in Bangladesh and Pakistan."  However, no groups were named and no proof was provided.  According to Al Jazeera, Indian media reports quoting unnamed security officials, went so far as to name the Bangladesh-based Harkatul Jihad al-Islami group, also known as Huji, as being behind the attack.

India’s Interior Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said the attacks were part of attempts to stir up religious tension in the city's mixed Hindu-Muslim community.  Muslims are the minority in India as a whole, making up only 13 percent of the 1.1 billion population.  But in Hyderabad, Muslims make up 40 percent of the population.

India's main opposition party, Bharatiya Janata Party, has called a shutdown in the city of Hyderabad in protest against the bombings.  Schools and colleges are still closed and media reports have indicated that there is little traffic on the roads.  The party announced that it will take a zero tolerance stance when it comes to terrorism and security personnel has been deployed in numbers to maintain peace in the city.

The last time India experienced such an incident was just three months ago when 11 people were killed in a bombing at the city's 17th Century Mecca Mosque.

Islamouna