Mumbai:
Mumbai's most popular temple is allegedly on the hit-list for terrorists tasked to strike before President Barack Obama leaves India on January 27.
The Intelligence Bureau has alerted the Maharashtra Police that Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha, could be targeted on a Tuesday, the most popular day of worship at the temple in the heart of the city. An estimated 60,000 devotees visit on Tuesday, twice the daily average.
Intelligence sources say that Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups have dispatched four cells to strike during President Obama's trip to grab attention and embarrass Delhi. Security agencies are concerned of an attack outside Delhi.
In 2000, on the eve of President Bill Clinton's trip to India, 36 unarmed Sikhs were killed in a village in Kashmir. India blamed the Lashkar and Hizbul Mujahideen for the massacre.
In recent weeks, the Home Ministry has warned that phone intercepts of Lashkar terrorists point to plans to strike in the run-up to President Obama's arrival.