Though the news of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cutting short his visit to India was made official only on Wednesday morning, indications that he may not be travelling to Mumbai had begun coming in on Tuesday afternoon.

Sharon's India Visit: The Complete Coverage

Sharon is returning home on Wednesday evening following Tuesday's twin bombings near Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem that left 14 people dead.       

Israeli journalists, part of Sharon's official delegation, were heard asking Indian newsmen if it was safe to travel to Mumbai in view of last month's twin blasts in the city.

"We have been told that Mumbai is not a good place to visit. Terrorists manage to sneak into security cordons and explode bombs," said a senior Israeli scribe.

Besides, the Israelis were not too happy with the security arrangements made for their prime minister by the Delhi police.
 
They were particularly miffed with anti-Israel demonstrations being allowed just 500 metres fom Hotel Taj Mansingh, where Sharon is putting up.

On more than one occasion the Israeli securitymen insisted on body searching Indian security personnel.

Even an official of the Press Information Bureau was not allowed access to the Taj Mansingh Hotel without frisking.

The paranoia of the Israeli security was visible when television teams at Rajpath were told to aim their cameras away from the direction from where Sharon's cavalcade was coming.

Television networks were not allowed to direct telecast any function attended by the Israeli prime minister.

Israeli security personnel could be seen pacing up and down even in secure places like Hyderabad House, where Sharon attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

They insisted on having more than four dozen fire extinguishers within their reach at all times.