Malegaon, September 11 (NDTV.COM) Once a flourishing textile town 180 km from Nashik, Malegaon hit the headlines in 2001 for all the wrong reasons.

On October 26, 2001, communal violence flared up after an argument between a SRPF constable and a Muslim youth near the Juma masjid area in the heart of the town.

The mob reacted sharply and attacked the police who later opened fire on the mob.

What followed was the country's worst communal violence since the Mumbai riots of 1992-93. 13 people died and many others were injured. Property worth crores was destroyed.

Curfew was imposed in the township for over a week and the army deployed in Malegaon and the nearby village of Kalvan in Nashik district.

But Malegaon never fully recovered from that blow.

Clear divide

Even today there is a clear divide between the Hindu and Muslim communities who live in clearly demarcated areas on either side of a nullah.

Malegaon came back into the spotlight with the RDX haul in May this year when some former activists of the SIMI were arrested.

This time around, people are saying the terrorists should not go unpunished whatever their religion.

"There were many dead bodies here. The men responsible for this are traitors; they should be punished whether they are Muslim or Hindu. They should be made to pay for this crime," said an eyewitness.

The bombs were strapped on to bicycles, all of them brand new.

The only relief is that two of the bombs failed to explode and will now be the main focus of the investigating agencies which include a bomb detection team from the NSG.

A team of the Mumbai Anti terrorist squad is in Malegoan searching for answers to this tragedy but this attack again proves that terror has no ideology, no religion, no affiliations, only victims.