Intelligence agencies at the Centre and in the states have a new motto: better safe than sorry. Or so it seems, especially with their dismal track record in preventing terror attacks. All this while, they have been more concerned that the blame doesn’t fall on them should terrorists manage to cause mayhem. Intelligence alerts are the surest way to fend off any blame, but among the several sent out by agencies, Jaipur was somehow never on the list. With no excuses this time, the agencies naturally drew a lot of flak. The fallout: soon after the Jaipur blasts, a series of intelligence alerts were rushed to almost every city in India warning against a possible attack. The logic: every emerging town is now a terror target as demonstrated by Jaipur. Were the alerts based on specific intelligence? Not really, but then caution is the flavour of the season.

editor@expressindia.com