Dark Days of Diwali

In the grim, brief history of modern terror, there was little special about last Saturday's serial bomb attacks in New Delhi that killed at least 55, save this: there may never have been softer targets. Policewho received a warning of the attacks 20 minutes before the initial blastsaid the first bomb was driven by scooter or rickshaw into Paharganj, a run-down food-and-clothes bazaar containing a handful of backpacker hostels. The second was planted in the Sarojini Nagar market, a ramshackle collection of open-air stalls crammed with knock-off designer wear and cheap plastic knick-knacks. Both areas were favorites of lower-middle-class Indians. And...

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