TERRORISM - 2008 - Indian Social Institute

TERRORISM - 2008
(January to December 2008)
Compiled By
K. SAMU
Human Rights Documentation,
Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, India
4 militants hit CRPF camp in UP, eight killed (12)
Lucknow, Jan. 1: Seven CRPF personnel and a civilian were killed and five persons were
seriously injured in a militant attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) recruitment camp
in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district early on Tuesday morning, giving a bloody start to the New
Year. A group of four militants armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades attacked the CRPF group
centre at around 3 am on Tuesday, CRPF and police officials said. Additional director-general of
police (law and order) Brij Lal said the militants first shot dead two CRPF men at the gate. One of
the four militants then entered the camp tossing grenades and firing indiscriminately, he said,
adding that the rest of the attackers stayed behind and escaped after some time. In the firing
inside the premises, five CRPF jawans were killed in their sleep, he said. However, he said that
gate number two, where a large amount of arms and ammunition had been kept, had not been
attacked. Among the injured was one UP police constable and one home guard and they have
been admitted to a hospital in Moradabad district. The security personnel and police patrolling the
area tried to intercept the militants and this led to a fierce gun battle in which one of the terrorists
was allegedly injured. The three militants escaped while the one who had entered the camp is
reportedly still in hiding. Security officials were, however, unable to confirm if any of the militants
had been killed. The area has been cordoned off and a combing operation is on. Top officials
have also rushed to Rampur. Senior superintendent of police Sanjiv Gupta said the civilian killed
in the attack appeared to be a rickshaw-puller and efforts were on to identify him. The recruitment
camp, which is located on the Rampur-Delhi highway, had been on the terrorists’ hit list and the
Intelligence Bureau (IB) had warned the UP government on November 28 that a "fidayeen" attack
was likely on the CRPF camp in Rampur. The attack comes about 40 days after a series of blasts
ripped through three court premises in the state, killing 13 people. The Union home ministry on
Tuesday sought a detailed report from the UP government on the militant strike. Meanwhile, in a
hurriedly convened press conference on Tuesday, UP chief minister Mayawati said the state
government had passed on information about the possibility of the attack on the CRPF camp to
the Central forces and it was up to the CRPF to remain "vigilant and extra cautious". She said the
state police was adequately alert but the CRPF personnel should have also been extracautious…….
(Asian Age 2/1/08)
Terror scarred country in 2007 (12)
NEW DELHI, Jan. 1: While terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir continued to show signs of decline,
the threat from terrorism and communal violence in the hinterland and Naxal menace in tribal
region remained a serious challenge for security agencies in 2007. If the past decade was
wracked by militancy of Kashmir, there were signs of considerable improvement last year,
security agencies said. The number of incidents were down by almost one third in Jammu and
Kashmir and there was a 59 per cent decline in civilian casualties. However, the Naxal menace
and insurgency in the north-east, mainly in Assam Manipur and Nagaland, posed a serious threat
to national security. What has worried intelligence agencies is the continuous spread of the naxal
network from tribal areas to urban pockets and their change in strategy of attacking government
establishments in a more organised and planned manner. In the north-east, where the
government initiated peace talks since 1997 and suspended operations against various insurgent
groups, the ceasefire agreements so far have not yielded much result. To tackle the Naxal
menace, in addition to joint operations, the Centre is also concentrating on development work in
the Naxal-infested areas. The main areas of Naxal influence are Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand,
which together accounted for 68.16 per cent of the total incidents and 76.42 per cent of the total
casualties. There was a decline in the number of incidents and casualties in Andhra Pradesh and

Maharashtra. In the hinterland, terrorism has seen no respite. The involvement of HuJI (Harkat-ul-
Jehadi-Islami), LeT and JeM in recent attacks including the Hyderabad, Samjhauta and Varanasi
blasts is worrying security agencies. Most of the operatives manage to escape after executing the
blasts, and the terrorists’ success rate is quite high. The silver lining in the security situation is the
initiative taken by the government to modernise the police force and improve the quality of
investigations. An amount of Rs 1065 crore was released to the state government during the last
fiscal to improve police and policing, another Rs 924 crore has been allocated for 2007-08. The
outlay for police modernisation in the 11th five year plan is almost four times that allocated during
the 10th five year plan. (Statesman 2/1/07)
Rampur strike provokes new terror fears for 2008 (12)
BARAMULLA (J&K): Shrouded by fog and diesel fumes, the highway from Srinagar to Baramulla
bears a curious resemblance to New Delhi roads at rush hour. For the first time in a decade and a
half, much of the traffic is made up of buses and jeeps bearing tourists to winter resorts like
Gulmarg — not just troops on their way to the Line of Control (LoC). But Tuesday’s terror strike
on a Central Reserve Police Force training facility in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh appears to
vindicate what some intelligence analysts have been warning for months — that the apparent
calm in Jammu and Kashmir and the lull along the LoC, both of which have led to claims that the
long jihad in the State is drawing to a close, is deceptive. Intelligence estimates suggest that up to
300 terrorists — most of them battle-hardened Pakistani nationals — succeeded in penetrating
LoC defences in 2007. But while these numbers suggest that more terrorists entered Jammu and
Kashmir than were killed in counter-terrorist operations last year, a reversal of the trends since
2002, violence within the State has continued to decline. Experts in the intelligence community
believe that groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, thought to be responsible for the Rampur strike,
are working to a plan. “One objective is to provide infrastructure and support for the Islamist terror
groups springing up elsewhere in India, and the second is to prepare for a major offensive before
this year’s Assembly elections, an intelligence analyst told The Hindu.” These fears have been
underlined by aggressive rhetoric emanating from the Lashkar leadership in Pakistan, which
operates under the banner of a political-religious formation, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. As Pakistan’s
movement towards political meltdown accelerated last month, Lashkar leaders became
increasingly vocal in their demands for a renewal of the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir. At a
December 11 address to his followers, the Lashkar’s overall religious and spiritual head, Hafiz
Mohammad Saeed, argued that while “the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, had
referred to Kashmir as the ‘jugular vein of Pakistan’, the present rulers seem to be hell-bent on
handing over our jugular vein to India with their own hands.” In Dr. Saeed’s view, the waning jihad
in Jammu and Kashmir was the outcome of the Pakistan “government’s imprudent policies after
the 9/11 events, which dealt a severe blow to the confidence and trust of Kashmiri Muslims.”
These policies made clear that “it was hopeless to expect any good from the current rulers.” None
the less, “the Kashmiris will never compromise on their freedom.” Dr. Saeed said a “plot is being
hatched at the instigation of foreign powers to roll back the Kashmir freedom movement.” Part of
this plot, he claimed, involved committing Pakistani troops against Taliban forces “to please the
enemies of Islam.” In another speech to Lashkar supporters, he said these policies succeeded
because “Muslims neglect Dawa [propagation of Islam] and jihad” Lashkar leaders have linked
their position on Jammu and Kashmir to a larger critique of President Pervez Musharraf’s policies.
On December 18, Abdul Rehman Makki, the Lashkar’s second-in-command, told worshippers at
Lahore’s Jamia Masjid al-Qudsia: “Befriending the United States and India and being servile to
them is not the solution to Pakistan’s problems.”…….. (The Hindu 3/1/08)
22 killed in Lahore suicide bombing (12)
ISLAMABAD: A suicide bombing in Lahore on Thursday killed 22 people, mostly policemen, and
left over 50 fighting for their lives in hospital. The bombing, the latest in an unrelenting wave of
terror attacks that began in late 2006, deepened the sense of gloom and uncertainty that has set
in over Pakistan since the December 27 killing of Benazir Bhutto in a gun-and-bomb attack. This
is the first time in all these months that Lahore has fallen target to a terror attack. Panic and
rumours of more bomb blasts gripped the city as emergency services and hospitals struggled to
deal with the fallout. Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said a red alert was

sounded in all four provinces of the country following the incident. The suicide bomber struck near
the gates of the Lahore High Court, at a key intersection on the city’s Mall Road, minutes before
an anti-government lawyers’ procession was to arrive there. On the court premises, members of
the Lahore Bar Association were preparing to step out to receive the procession. The police had
been deployed in large numbers, and a barricade set up to stop the lawyers who were on their
weekly Thursday protest seeking restoration of Iftikhar Chaudhary, who was removed as Chief
Justice after the November 3 imposition of Emergency, and the other judges who were sacked
with him. Police officials said a man went up close to the barricades, and on being challenged,
blew himself up. Television footage showed policemen’s bodies in their khakis and blue anti-riot
vests and riot helmets lying scattered all over the road, several damaged vehicles, and a dead
horse still attached to its mangled cart. Inspector-General of Punjab Police Nasim Ahmed told
journalists that the police were the intended target. He commended the policemen killed in the
attack for their bravery, and said such attacks would not demoralise the force. The suicide
bombing has also increased the uncertainty surrounding the February 18 general elections.
Though apparently targeted at the police, the bombing in Lahore was a violent prelude to the
month of Moharram, which sees rising Sunni-Shia tensions in Pakistan. (The Hindu 11/1/08)
Six militants involved in attacks on IISc, CRPF camp held in Uttar Pradesh (12)
LUCKNOW: Six Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, who were involved in the terror attacks on the
CRPF Group Centre in Rampur and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, were arrested in
Rampur and here late on Saturday night and early hours of Sunday by the Special Task Force
(STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police. While eight persons, including seven CRPF personnel, were
killed in the January 1 Rampur attack, one scientist died and few others injured in the Bangalore
attack on December 29, 2005 during a seminar in the J.N. Tata auditorium. Fahim Ahmed Ansari
alias Abu Zaraar alias Saquib, Mohammad Sharif alias Mohammad Anwar and Jang Bahadur
alias Baba were arrested in Rampur around 12.15 a.m. on Sunday and Mohammad Sabahuddin
alias Abu Qasim alias Sameer Singh, Amar Singh alias Abu Jaar and Abu Osama alias Aavesh,
were detained at the Charbagh Railway Station tempo stand here around 6.30 a.m. Uttar
Pradesh Director-General of Police Vikram Singh said Pakistan nationals Amar Singh alias Abu
Zaar and Abu Osama, who played a major role in the Rampur and Bangalore attacks, planned
terror strikes at Churchgate in Mumbai, the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Army convoys in
Rampur and Bareilly. Mr. Singh said the Bangalore and Mumbai police were informed about the
arrests and a joint interrogation would be held soon. He, however, denied that the militants
planned to target VVIPs. Initial interrogation showed that before the Rampur attack, the ultras
were given training in intelligence gathering and handling explosives for about a month by
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Reconnaissance was done by Jang Bahadur alias
Baba. Mohammad Sharif, Mohammad Sabahuddin and Abu Saama killed the seven CRPF
personnel sitting around a fireplace and hurled grenades, while Abu Zaar provided the cover fire.
Of the three arrested here, Mohammad Sabahuddin revealed his links to the Bangalore attack. A
one-time resident of Madhubani district in Bihar, he was trained by the ISI and LeT in Pakistan
before settling down in Patna. In 2004, he met Lashkar commander Abdul Aziz, who asked him to
take a room on rent in Bangalore and inform the LeT chief. He enrolled himself as a student in a
college in Bangalore and rented a one-room house near the college. Acting on instructions, he
went to Kathmandu and came back with Hamza, who led the attack on the IISc on the second
day of the convention. (The Hindu 11/2/08)
Since 2002, seven people are killed in terror violence every 10 days (12)
Chandigarh, February 16: As Congress and the BJP argue about national security and who can
ensure safety in the time of terror, here is a reality check: at least 1333 persons — civilians and
security personnel — have lost their lives across the country in attacks by terrorists and
separatists between January 2002 and December 2007. This works out to seven people getting
killed every 10 days. The number of injured in the same period is just under three times that
number: 3678. These numbers, obtained from the Union Home Ministry by The Sunday Express
under the Right to Information Act, show a couple of clearly new trends: • In Jammu and Kashmir,
long known as the epicentre of terrorism, there has been a marked decrease in casualties since
2002 in contrast to the trend in the rest of the country. For the period January 2002-December

2007, the total number of casualties in J&K in militancy-related incidents is 306, about 23% of the
national total, while the number of injured is 794. In fact, 2006 and 2007 saw the lowest death toll
in J&K: 14 and 11 respectively. • The number of those killed in Naxalite violence has surged since
2005 — 98 in 2006 and 160 in 2007. • In these five years, 211 persons were killed in separatist
incidents in the North-East. Incidentally, most of the terrorist-related incidents, be it in J&K, North-
East or elsewhere, have remained unsolved, with the alleged masterminds continuing to evade
the police and security agencies. That terror has gone national is evident in a string of attacks
over the last five years: in Mumbai on 7/11 (killing 187 people) and injuring 844; the attack on the
Pakistan-bound Samjhauta/Attari Express near Panipat on February 18 last year that killed 68.
The serial blasts in Delhi in October, 2005 killed 67 and injured 224. The August 2003 twin car
bomb blasts that rocked South Mumbai’s Gateway of India and busy Zaveri Bazar left 52 dead
and 184 injured. And the twin blasts in Hyderabad killed 42 people last August.Z(Indian Express
17/2/08)
POTA review panel can’t usurp judicial powers: Gujarat to SC (12)
NEW DELHI, February 28: The Gujarat Government on Thursday came out strongly in the
Supreme Court against a provision in Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) that empowers the
Central POTA Review Committee to determine the innocence of the accused, claiming that the
said provision allows the Executive to usurp judicial powers. Appearing before a three-member
Bench, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, senior advocate Arun Jaitley, appearing for
Gujarat Government, lamented how the scheme prepared by the Act completely alters the
character of both criminal law investigation and determination of innocence or otherwise of a
person charged under criminal law. He assailed Section 2 sub-section (3) of POTA, brought out
by way of an amendment in Section 60 of the principal Act, which held that the Central POTA
Review Committee’s findings were to be binding on the courts whether it had taken cognizance of
the offence or not in cases pending before it. The existing criminal law system, be it during
investigation or during trial, has consistently tried to be free of any influence from the Executive.
“The entire architecture of the criminal justice system is now sought to be demolished by Section
3,” contended Jaitley, who began his arguments on Thursday on an appeal filed by seven of the
accused in the 2002 Gujarat riots, seeking bail. Jaitley contended that a decision by the Central
POTA Review Committee in 2005 has ruled that none of the alleged offences in the Godhra train
burning case warranted invoking the draconian law. Hence, his clients too are entitled to be
released on bail, he told the Bench, also comprising Justices R V Raveendran and Dalveer
Bhandari. The composition of the Review Committee does not have the trappings of a judicial
authority as the chairman is a retired judge, he said. He recalled how preference was given to
serving judges over retired judges when the court revised the scheme of fast-track courts. “This
Committee, under any circumstance, cannot be clothed with a judicial character,” he submitted,
adding that the power to determine innocence, prime facie or subsequent to filing the report under
IPC, is a judicial function and not an executive function. “This usurpation of judicial function by the
Executive is a violation of the basic feature of Constitution,” he said. (Indian Express 1/3/08)
44 killed in suicide blast at Pak tribal peace meet (12)
Peshawar: A suicide bomber attacked an anti-Al Qaeda peace meeting attended by thousands of
tribe members in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 44 people in the third suicide
blast in the region in as many days. Five tribes had called the meeting to finalise a resolution that
would punish anyone who sheltered or helped Muslim militants, including Al Qaeda, Taliban and
other foreign extremists, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said. A young man
walked up to a group of elders and blew himself up, said Alam Khan, a tribesman at the meeting.
"It was a huge explosion and left body parts and blood scattered on the ground," said Ramin
Khan, another participant whose left leg and face were injured. He and others hurt in the attack
were brought to a hospital in Peshawar. Hamid Afridy, the area's chief medical officer, said he
counted 44 bodies, some with severed limbs and mutilated faces, at the site. "We have
dispatched more than 100 injured to hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat town," he added. He said
he feared the death toll could rise as many of the injured were in critical condition. The attack took
place near the predominantly tribal town of Darra Adam Khel in North West Frontier Province,
about 40 km south of the provincial capital, Peshawar. Television footage showed blood, shoes

and caps littering the bombing site - a tree-lined ground amid wheat fields that is only a few yards
away from brick homes. President Pervez Musharraf said the attack was an attempt to sabotage
the peace process and reiterated the Government's "resolve and commitment" in the fight against
terrorism and extremism. It was the third suicide bombing in as many days in northwestern
Pakistan, where security forces are battling pro-Taliban militants. On Friday, a suicide bomber
blew himself up at the funeral of a slain police officer in Mingora town in Swat Valley, killing more
than 40 people and injuring at least 60. On Saturday, another suicide bombing in nearby Bajur
killed one person and wounded 19 others, mostly security personnel. Friday's bombing was the
bloodiest attack in the Swat Valley since militant followers of a pro-Taliban cleric, Maulana
Fazlullah, grabbed control of large parts of the scenic corner of Pakistan's restive northwest, an
apparent reflection of how Musharraf Government has lost control of parts of the region.(Pioneer
3/3/08)
Terror activities on decline in J&K (12)
Srinagar : The success achieved by security forces against terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir is
noticeable on the ground with receding secessionist activities and improved tourist inflow into the
State. In the backdrop of perceptible declining trends in the aspects of violence in the State in
2007 in contrast to 2006, there has been some dampening effect on secessionist activities as
both the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (A) and All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) have not
been able to chart out any definite and popular course of action to engage public attention, senior
officials engaged in internal security and counter-insurgency operations in the State said. Officials
said the violence in Jammu and Kashmir continues to be substantially lower in 2007 than the
preceding year. Contrary to the increase in violence witnessed during the summer season in
2006 in the form of serial grenade attacks targeting tourists, fidayeen attacks and car bomb
blasts, such attacks witnessed sharp decline in the corresponding period of 2007. "Broadly there
has been a perceptible improvement in the overall level of violence in the State," the officials said
and maintained that they cannot lower their guard. The security forces have eliminated 64
terrorists so far this year, including 13 hardcore terror commanders of various outfits. Killing of
self-styled commander-in-chief for operations across India, Bashir Ahmed Mir of Harkat-ul-Jihad
Islami (HuJI) has been a notable success by the security forces this year. Nine security forces
personnel and six civilians were also killed in the State by the terrorists, according to the figures
of casualties in terror-related violence in the State. The security forces had neutralised 492
terrorists last year, including 75 top terror commanders operating in the State. Major successes in
2007 include neutralisation of "chief commander" of Al Badr Mujahideen for Kashmir Valley Bilal
Afghani alias Chhota Bilal, "deputy chief for J & K" and "commander" of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Qari Umar, "chief operation commander" of Jamait-ul-Mujahideen Abu Hamza and "India
commander" of LeT Mohammad Khalid-ur-Rahman. While the number of incidents has
decreased from 3,401 in 2003 to 2,565 in 2004, 1,990 in 2005, 1,667 in 2006 and 1084 in 2007,
the number of casualties suffered by the security forces spiraled down from 314 in 2003 to 281 in
2004, 189 in 2005, 151 in 2006 and 110 in 2007. Likewise, number of civilian casualties declined
from 795 in 2003 to 177 in 2007 and figures of terrorist eliminated decreased from 1,494 in 2003
to 492 in 2007. Continued inputs, however, about the presence of terrorists at launch pads along
the Line of Control, coupled with their plans to infiltrate, indicate that infiltration would continue in
the coming days. Disturbingly, reports also indicate that large groups of militants belonging to
Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba have also infiltrated unchecked, according to the
inputs with the Centre. ……. (Pioneer 11/3/08)
Twin suicide attacks rock Lahore, 24 killed (12)
ISLAMABAD: Two near simultaneous suicide attacks ripped through Lahore on Tuesday
morning, killing 24 people and wounding 170. The incidents have deepened anxiety about the
enormity of the security challenge to Pakistan and its new government that is still in the making.
Ending speculation of when he would convene the newly elected National Assembly to pave the
way for government formation, President Pervez Musharraf announced that he had set the first
session for March 17. All eyes are now on the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to announce the
name of the Prime Minister. On Tuesday, party leader Asif Ali Zardari ended days of
consultations with the PPP’s new parliamentarians. Announcing the date for the National

Assembly session during a convocation address at the Pakistan Institute of Development
Economics here, the retired General Musharraf said the two most important challenges facing the
new government were terrorism and economic development. Earlier, General Musharraf told The
Washington Post that a confrontation between the presidency and Parliament would be
disastrous for the country. He said political stability was a must for Pakistan and that he wanted to
work with the new government for its full five-year term. Tuesday’s first suicide attack took place
around 9.15 a.m. at the seven-storeyed Punjab headquarters of the Federal Investigation Agency
off the main Mall Road in Lahore. Police said an explosives-laden van broke through the main
gates and went off in the parking area close to the building. About 100 people were in the building
at the time, and 12 FIA employees were among those who died on the spot. The FIA’s main brief
is to investigate economic offences but, of late, it has also taken up terrorism-related cases. So
powerful was the blast that portions of the building came down in a heap of rubble, and the
remaining was declared unsafe. It is said to be the most powerful explosion in the wave of the
terrorist attacks that hit Pakistan since November 2006. Many other buildings in the crowded
locality were also damaged in the impact. Children in a nearby school had to be evacuated. Some
of them suffered injuries from flying debris. The second blast took place minutes later at the other
end of Lahore, in the Model Town residential area, where two men drove a car — also
explosives-laden — into a house rented by an advertising agency and set it off. Three persons
were killed and several injured. The powerful explosion left a deep crater at the site. Both Mr.
Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s two most important political leaders, have homes in Model
Town. Mr. Zardari’s house is said to be close to the place where the attack took place, but it is
unclear who the bombers intended to target. Angered by the attacks, people in some parts of the
city took to the streets raising slogans against General Musharraf. (The Hindu 12/3/08)
Anti-Terrorism Squad kills two Bangla terrorists in encounter (12)
Mumbai, March 11: The state Anti-Terrorism Squad on Tuesday night gunned down two
suspected Bangladeshi terrorists in Kashimira, and recovered explosive substance, fake currency
and two firearms from the duo. According to the ATS, Mohammed Ali and another man were
killed in an encounter between 9.15 pm and 9.30 pm. “Two persons were killed in an encounter in
the jurisdiction of the Kashimira police station in Thane (rural). Since the operation took place
barely an hour ago, the details are still awaited. While one of the men shot dead is definitely a
Bangladeshi and was carrying a Bangladeshi passport under the name Mohammed Ali, the
second man is suspected to be from Bangladesh though his identity has not yet been
ascertained. A DCP is going to the spot to get more details,” confirmed Joint Commissioner of
Police, ATS, Hemant Karkare. According to Karkare, the operation was conducted after
information was worked out by the Pune unit of the ATS with assistance from the Kalachowky unit
in Mumbai. “The two men were asked to surrender, following which they fired on the police team.
The team retaliated with 15 to 20 rounds being fired, and the two men were killed in the crossfire,”
said Karkare. According to Additional Commissioner of Police, ATS, Parambeer Singh, “We have
recovered some explosive substance from the duo, that is suspected to be RDX. However, this
can be confirmed once the bomb detection and disposal squad reaches the spot for analysis. The
two men were carrying counterfeit currency of several lakh rupees, a pistol and a revolver.”
(Indian Express 12/3/08)
Robotic warriors to tackle terror (12)
Agra : The global war against terrorism could receive a new boost by the end of this decade as a
whole new lot of 'cyber-warriors' is getting ready to launch a new world in warfare in the form of
remote-controlled combat. Emerging scientific minds of India collaborated with the international
teams of robotics experts from seven major world powers in Agra over the past week to develop
an ideal robotic solution to remote surveillance, anti-terror operations and extension of military
might into areas unsuitable for human presence. A five day conference to assess futuristic
unmanned aerial and ground vehicles was held in the town last week whose major target was to
increase inter-agency collaboration between the defence agencies of India and the US, including
the prestigious Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the nodal agency for
defence research in the US, and the DRDO. While Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to
inter-personnel discussions between the scientific organisations, on Thursday and Friday, 12

teams of scientists from academic, Government and military circles met at the Malpura aerial
dropping zone to display the capabilities of their Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV) and Unmanned
Ground Vehicles (UGV) in the fields of mine detection, surveillance, stealth and anti-terror
operations. Though both MAVs and UGVs are being used in field trials by military establishments
across the world, the futuristic concept vehicles displayed by the scientists assembled in Agra
proved to be far ahead of their times and most engineers engaged in their development believe
that there was still some time before these miniature vehicles could be put into field use. A
competition between the vehicles developed by the 12 teams - two from the US, one each from
Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, and Australia and four from India - was held on
both days, in which the scientists pitched their machines against each other to assess the
individual capabilities of the vehicles in different scenarios. According to the US defence
scientists, the MAVs which are battery operated and could fit in a small suitcase, had to fly a
distance of about 1 km, use onboard cameras to look for landmines, evade detection by patrolling
guards and use a combination of sensors to detect the room where hostages are held. Each MAV
scheduled to fly in the competition was no bigger than 30 cm. Though the bad weather posed
difficulties in operation on Thursday, the tests successfully concluded on Friday. (Daily Pioneer
16/3/08)
25 injured in Srinagar explosion (12)
SRINAGAR: Breaking a five-month lull in Srinagar, militants on Wednesday made an abortive bid
to blow up the only flyover in the city by exploding an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). It
caused injuries to 25 people, mostly civilians, of whom three are in critical condition. The blast
took place around 5.15 p.m. According to the police, the IED was kept beneath an observation
post on the flyover being manned by the CRPF. Witnesses said the IED exploded with a big bang
and shook the entire area. In the impact of the blast, the flyover was damaged and the rubble fell
on the road hitting many vehicles and injuring nearly 25 people. No CRPF jawan was injured.
Panic gripped the entire area and people ran helter-skelter. A number of vehicles were badly
damaged. There was chaos at the Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital as a large number of people
thronged the place to know about the injured. The Inspector General of Police, Kashmir zone,
Shiv Murari Sahai said: “We are investigating how it took place though the city has remained
peaceful for several months now.” He said no one was killed in the blast. Hizbul Mujahideen has
owned responsibility for the attack and claimed that heavy casualties were inflicted on the CRPF.
Hizb spokesman Khalilur Rehman, however, regretted the injuries to the civilians. (The Hindu
20/3/08)
Three LeT militants gunned down (12)
Jammu: Three Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in
Gandoh area of Doda district on Wednesday. On a specific information, a joint team of Rashtriya
Rifles troops and police launched operations in the area. On spotting the security personnel,
ultras resorted to firing which was retaliated by troops. In the subsequent encounter, three
militants of LET outfit were killed, a defence spokesman said. The identity of the slain militants
and the recoveries of arms from them was being ascertained. (The Hindu 20/3/08)
Scheme to provide relief to terror victims (12)
NEW DELHI: : The Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to launch a Central sector scheme to
provide immediate relief to victims of violence perpetrated by insurgents, Naxalites and terrorists.
The scheme would also cover civilians who suffer permanent disability in such violence. Detailed
guidelines for the scheme were being framed, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya
Ranjan Dasmunsi said after the meeting, adding that victims will be provided Rs 3 lakh as
“immediate relief”. In case of minor victims, the money will be deposited in the bank from which
the child will get a quarterly interest till the he/she matures. Dasmunsi said the scheme would be
implemented by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, adding that the scheme would
not keep victims away from relief extended by the state governments or other agencies. In an
another major decision, the Cabinet gave its nod to sign an MoU with Malaysia on employment of
workers. The MoU, coming in the backdrop of recent violence against ethnic Indian workers in

Malaysia, will stipulate broad procedures for employment of workers; responsibility of employers,
workers, and recruitment agencies; protection and welfare of workers under the law and
cooperation in orderly recruitment. (Indian Express 21/3/08)
Gunbattle in Srinagar: Top Lashkar man, 4 cops killed (12)
Srinagar, March 23: Four policemen and a top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander were killed in a
major gunbattle between separatist militants and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s
summer capital Srinagar on Sunday. Two policemen including a sub-inspector and a militant were
injured during the clash, officials said. The injured militant, however, succeeded in breaking out of
the police dragnet, driving the security forces into a massive search operation launched in and
around Telbal, the scene of the encounter, to hunt him down. The gunbattle broke out after the
police learnt about the presence of Lashkar’s divisional commander Abu Faisal and an
accomplice in a private house at Kashi Mohalla Dangarpora, Telbal, on the outskirts of the main
city. Members of the local police’s counter-insurgency Special Operation Group (SoG), along with
CRPF personnel, quickly laid siege to the area. While they were zeroing in on the target house,
two holed-up militants rushed out, targeting the policemen with rifle fire and grenades. The slain
policemen have been identified as Bashir Ahmed, Irshad Ahmed, Muhammad Kabir (all from
SoG) and Sham Singh of 122 Battalion of the CRPF. The injured policemen are sub-inspector
Umesh Thakur and constable Mushtaq Ahmed. The clash comes days after the militants set off a
powerful bomb at Srinagar’s only flyover at Jehangir Chowk intersection, killing one pedestrian
and wounding about two dozen civilians and a policeman. Officials said that before taking on the
militants, a police party was sent into the area to evacuate the residents and shift them to safer
areas in order to prevent civilian casualties. "The slain commander was responsible for militant
activities in Kangan and Ganderbal area, including a grenade attack at the tourist resort of
Sonamarg and firing on an Army convoy at Kangan," a police press release issued here said.
(Asian Age 24/3/08)
Militants kill 3 railway workers (12)
Guwahati, March 25: Three Northeast Frontier Railway employees were killed when tribal
militants of Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa) group, also known as the Black Widow, hurled
grenades at Harangajao railway station in the North Cachar Hills district of Assam late on Monday
night.The attack has come close on the heels of the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Dima
Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa) group. When contacted, principal secretary (home) Subhas Das
told this newspaper that the DHD militant group, through a communication on Monday to the state
government, had announced that it was declaring unilateral ceasefire but later in the night it killed
three railway employees."I don’t think they are serious about the ceasefire. It seems to be a
tactical move of the militant outfit, which is now under tremendous pressure of the counterinsurgency
operations launched by the security forces in the district," he said.The superintendent
of the Northeast Frontier Railway Police, Mr Surendar Kumar, who rushed to the spot, said that
two railway employees, K.C. Malakar and M.M. Palayya, died on the spot.Another employee,
whose identity was yet to be ascertained, succumbed to his injuries later in the Lumding Railway
Hospital.The incident took place at a small station, located at a remote place in the foothills of
Borail range, about 25 km away from Haflong, the headquarters of the North Cachar Hills district.
The security forces have launched massive combing operations in the area. The Army has also
launched counter-insurgency operations in the hill district suffering from the onslaught of Dimasa
separatist groups for the past two months. The rampaging Black Widow militants have forced the
Northeast Frontier Railways authorities to suspend work in various parts on the mega gauge
conversion project on the Lumding-Badarpur section. Several personnel, including securitymen,
railway employees and personnel from private construction companies, have been killed in the
past few months. The tribal ultras operating from hills of the district are putting pressure on all the
developmental activities of the district for extortion from contractors engaged in the railway gauge
conversion project as well as the East-West Corridor project of the National Highway Authority of
India. (Asian Age 26/3/08)
At least 75 LTTE militants killed in Sri Lanka (12)

COLOMBO: At least 75 LTTE militants have been killed in fierce clashes as Sri Lankan Air Force
fighter jets on Sunday pounded a key sea Tiger base in the island's embattled northern region,
official said. A sea Tiger base at Chilawatta in Northern Mullaithivu was shelled on Sunday by Air
Force jets which caused heavy damages on the base, the defence ministry said. In ground
clashes, troops killed four LTTE rebels in the Navathkulam area of Vavuniya, the army said. The
army troops gunned down 10 rebels on Friday when the security forces captured an area in
Illantheyan in Mannar. At least seven militants were killed in clashes with army in Kilaly and
Muhamalai on the same day, the defence ministry said. In a separate incident, three LTTE rebels
were shot dead in Nagarkovil in Jaffna region on Friday, it said. Meanwhile, the state media
reported that at least 30 rebels were killed in Pandivirichchan in Mannar on Friday when troops
launched a fierce attack on the LTTE cadres. It said a school used by the LTTE as a training
camp in the region had also been captured. Six militants were killed in Mannar and North-east
Welioya fronts on Friday while another five LTTE cadres were shot dead in Vilathikulam in
Northern Vavuniya on the same day, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said.
Separately, the troops found the body of a Tiger rebel after a confrontation at Kiribbanwewa in
Welioya on Friday, the army said. In another confrontation, at least nine militants were killed in
separate encounters in Kadupuvarankulam and northwest of Periyathampane in Vavuniya, it said.
(Times of India 30/3/08)
234 ultras from Muslim groups in Assam jails (12)
Guwahati, April 1 : Soon after the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) accused Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh of a lackaidisical attitude towards the influx of terrorists, the Assam
Government on Tuesday told the Assembly that as many as 234 militants belonging to various
Islamic groups were currently lodged in different jails in the state. The 234 militants currently in
jail include as many as 150 belonging to the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA),
50 to the Harkat-ul-Muzahideen (HuM), and seven ISI operatives. The ISI operatives, the
Government said, include at least two who are citizens of Pakistan who had admitted during
interrogation that they had sneaked into Assam from Bangladesh. Five of those currently in jail
are also from Bangladesh. “These militants have been arrested over a period of seven to eight
years, and several of them were involved in cases of sabotage and treason,” Rockybul Hussain,
the Assam Minister for Forests and Environment, told the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi, who also holds the Home portfolio. Hussain said there was strong evidence that a
number of these militants had been to Pakistan and Bangladesh and undergone training in arms.
“The Government has information that these groups recruit young boys from the districts of
Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Karimganj, Cachar, Hailakandi, Nalbari, Nagaon and Darrang and
send them out for training in Bangladesh and Pakistan,” the minister said. Hussain admitted that
the SIMI too was active in Assam, but added that no member of the group had been arrested so
far in the state. “While the Government had banned SIMI in 2001, there is information that the
group is still active in Assam,” Hussain told the House. (Indian Express 2/4/08)
5 more Simi activists held, women role under scanner (12)
Indore, April 2: Continuing crackdown on the Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi), the
Madhya Pradesh police has arrested five more activists of the banned outfit and recovered from
them objectionable material. While three of them were apprehended from Indore, two were
latercaught from Khandwa after deciphering the details of the cellphone of Qamaruddin Nagori, a
top leader of the organisation arrested last week, the police said. The seized material included
literature related to fanning communal hatred in the state, it said. The three arrested in Indore
were identified as Amaan, Zakir Lala and Irfan Chhipa, superintendent of police (Indore)
Anshuman Singh Yadav said here, adding that they belong to the Nihalpura and Juna Risala
areas of the city. Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies have now set their eyes on Simi’s
women’s wing Shaheen Force, a top police source said on Wednesday. The Shaheen Force
came into light after the recent arrest of five Simi workers from Unhel town in MP’s Ujjain district.
The police has suspected the involvement of four women of the banned outfit in the activities of
Simi, but denied that any arrests have been made so far in this regard. (PTI) (Asian Age 3/4/08)

Big LTTE blast kills top Lanka minister, 11 others (12)
Colombo, April 6: An influential Sri Lankan minister, long on the hit list of the Tamil Tigers, was
assassinated by a suspected LTTE suicide bomber while inaugurating a marathon race as part of
the traditional Sinhala-Tamil New Year celebrations at Weliveriya town, about 20 km from here,
early on Sunday. A former Olympian runner was also among the 11 others killed. Around 100
people were injured in the huge blast that left many mangled body parts in pools of blood at the
Kanthi playground in a macabre beginning of the traditional new year. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, 55,
held the powerful highways and rural development portfolios besides being the chief whip of the
ruling United People’s Freedom Party. Widely viewed as a potential Prime Minister, he is the
second senior minister to be killed by the Tigers after D.M. Dassanayake, who died in a blast in
the same Grampaha district on January 8, within days of the government scrapping a tenuous
ceasefire with the LTTE. A Tamil by birth, critics faulted Mr Fernandopulle for his close
association with Sinhala politicians, particularly President Mahinda Rajapakse. He was a fierce
critic of the LTTE and also the international community, including the UN and human rights
groups, for accusing the government of human rights violations. He was a member of the
government delegation in two rounds of failed talks with the Tigers in Geneva in 2006. Along with
the minister, Sri Lanka’s ace marathon runner K.A. Karunaratne, who had represented the
country at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, and national athletic coach Lakshman de Alwisis
were also killed in the blast. Though the government said it was a Black Tiger job, some reports
quoted a young eyewitness claiming he saw a person hurl a parcel at Mr Fernandopulle after
approaching the venue from a cemetery on the opposite side. President Rajapakse, in a
statement later on Sunday, condemned the killing while appealing to the people "to be calm and
collected in the face of such extreme provocation by the forces of terror." He said the "dastardly
act will not weaken our resolve to eradicate terrorism from our midst." Analysts here see this
latest assassination of a high-profile Sri Lankan leader as yet another demonstration of the
deadly reach of the Tamil Tigers deep into the government-controlled parts of Sri Lanka. (Asian
Age 7/4/08)
Taliban kill 2 BRO workers (12)
New Delhi, Suspected Taliban militants on Saturday targeted Indian construction workers in
southwestern Afghanistan, killing two personnel of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and injuring
five in a suicide attack. M P Singh and C Govindaswamy were killed on the spot when the suicide
bomber driving a vehicle rammed into the construction workers near Minar area in Nimroz
province at around 9 am. Bishram Oroan, Vikram Singh, Muhammad Nazin Khan, Anil Kumar
Thampee and Mayaram were injured in the attack, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej
Sarna said. The injured have been moved to Zaranj for medical attention and arrangements are
being made for immediate evacuation of the dead bodies and those wounded, he said. A report
from Herat said a man claiming to be Taliban spokesman had said his outfit was behind the
attack. The man, identifying himself as Yousuf Ahmadi, said the Taliban first detonated two mines
and then a suicide bomber blew himself up. Nearly 400 BRO personnel are engaged in
construction of a crucial 218-km highway between Zaranj and Delaram in Afghanistan as part of
India’s assistance programme. Conveying the government’s deepest condolences to the families
of the victims of the terror attack, Sarna said families of the deceased and wounded are being
contacted for immediate disbursement of compensation and insurance. The Taliban has been
issuing threats to Indian workers in Afghanistan from time to time. (Deccan Herald 13/4/08)
'175 terrorist groups active in India' (12)
Mumbai, : Manipur has the highest number of terror outfits, followed by Assam and Jammu and
Kashmir, according to a list prepared by the Union Home Ministry in consultation with state
governments and intelligence agencies. The ministry is monitoring the activities of nearly 175
terror organisations spread across India and attempting to ascertain their links both within and
outside the country. The list includes those suspected of, or indulging in terrorist, insurgent,
extremist or fanatical activities. The majority of the outfits are centred and active in the northeast,
according to intelligence sources. Manipur tops the list with a whopping 39 organisations,
followed by Assam with 36 organisations. A total of 115 groups operate in seven states in the
restive northeast, including those bordering China. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has 32

groups active, semi-active or dormant. In addition to these, there are at least four other
independent groups that are not based in Jammu and Kashmir but are coordinating or supporting
terror groups in the state from across the border. The surprise inclusion here is Dukhtaran-e-
Millat, an all-women organisation that exerts community pressures to further social norms
dictated by Islamic fundamental groups. Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare said
there are around eight to ten frontline terror groups on which they keep tabs on a regular basis,
but he declined to identify them. “In addition, there are more than a couple of hundred other such
groups of which we have knowledge. At times, new ones suddenly crop up, like the Hindu
Garjana, which attacked communist party workers in Pune last fortnight. Then we do the needful
investigations,” said Karkare, but did not elaborate. In addition to these state-level groups, the
agencies are keeping a watch on the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
Tamil Nadu Liberation Army, Tamil National Retrieval Troops, Students Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI, banned since September 2001), Deendar Anjuman, Asif Reza Commando Force,
Kamatapur Liberation Organisation as well as the Ranvir Sena. Left-wing extremist groups that
are under a close watch include the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist)-Janashakti and People’s Guerrilla Army, according to the list. (Deccam Herald
14/4/08)
Militants meet in PoK again, vow to pursue jihad in J-K (12)
Srinagar, April 22 : In the second meeting of its kind in the past one month, Pakistan-based
militant groups and secessionist leaders on Monday held a conference in Muzaffarabad in PoK to
resolve their commitment to revive ‘jihad’ in Kashmir. The conference, attended by United Jihad
Council chief Syed Salahuddin, LeT chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and leaders of PoK-based
Hurriyat factions, made no secret of their growing disillusionment with the new Pakistan
establishment, and indicated a resolve to strike on their own. “Who says we are tired. We are not.
We will continue to pursue jihad in Kashmir,” Salahuddin said at the conference titled Azam-i-
Jihad (Resolve for Jihad) attended by around 1,000 militants. He called upon the PoK
Government to pursue an “independent policy” on Kashmir and set aside “75 per cent of its
budget for jihad in Kashmir and train its youth on war footing” for the purpose. The meeting, which
comes in the wake of reports about fresh militant infiltration into Kashmir, was also a show of
new-found solidarity between militant groups and the separatist politicians including moderate
Hurriyat faction represented in PoK by its convenor Syed Yousuf Naseem. A number of militant
leaders including Sheikh Jamil ur Rehman of Tehrik ul Mujahideen, Abdullah of Jamiat ul
Mujahideen, Attiq-ur-Rehman of Harkat ul Mujahideen, Farooq Qureshi of Al Badar, Mastoid
Sarfraz of Hizb-e-Islami and Uzair Ghizali of Pasban-i-Hurriyat attended the meeting. “In 2000
and 2001, our struggle had reached a decisive phase. But then President Musharraf succumbed
to the international pressure following 9/11. As a result, the political and diplomatic support to our
struggle declined considerably,” said Salahuddin. At the conference, those like Yousuf Naseem
and the convenor of Tehreek Kashmir Ghulam Muhammad Safi, a former Jamaat-i-Islami
ideologue, talked bitterly about Islamabad’s volte face. They were particularly sore about the
recent visits to Pakistan by the Valley’s leaders like Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah and
Zardari’s press conference with Mehbooba. (Indian Express 23.4.08)
Northeast surpasses J&K in terrorism (12)
Guwahati, April 23: If the number of insurgent-related violence is any indicator of law and order,
the north-eastern states are passing through the worst phase, surpassing the Jammu and
Kashmir. This has been revealed by the home ministry in its latest report, "Status Paper on Naxal
Activities", released on Tuesday. According to the report, the north-eastern states recorded 1,489
militant-related incidents in 2007, beating Jammu and Kashmir by a little less than 500 incidents.
In comparison, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 3,401 incidents in 2003 whereas the number of
violent incidents in north-eastern states was limited to 1,332. This implies that the law and order
situation of north-eastern states has deteriorated in the last five years in comparison to Jammu
and Kashmir. The report said that terrorist attacks are claiming more civilian lives in the Northeast
than in Jammu and Kashmir. The region is also witnessing more insurgency-linked violence.
"Civilian casualties in the Northeast in 2007 stood at 498 as against 158 civilian deaths in Jammu
and Kashmir," said the home ministry report. Of the 498 civilian casualties in the Northeast, 287

cases were reported from Assam alone. However, casualty of security forces is the only area
where the north-eastern states are behind J&K. In 2007, 79 security forces personnel were killed
in the Northeast, whereas in J&K, 110 of them died in action. (Asian Age 24/4/08)
1,565 Naxal incidents in ’07 (12)
New Delhi, April 23: Threat to the internal security from the Left-wing extremism has shown a rise
in 2007. The Union home ministry has admitted in its status paper on Naxal activities that 696
casualties have been reported during 1,565 incidents in 2007, in comparison to 678 deaths in
1,509 cases of violence in 2006. The home ministry’s special document has highlighted the
Centre’s growing concern over the sprawling vacancies in state police forces, noting that such
vacancies need to be filled-up to improve the police-population ratio in consonance with the law
and order requirements. The higher number of incidents and casualties in the two worst-hit states
of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have been attributed to the increased use of improvised explosive
devices (IEDs) and landmines by Naxalities, attacks on security forces and counter operations by
security forces against the ultras, says the MHA. Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand together accounted
for 68 per cent of the total incidents and over 75 per cent of the total casualties in 2007. Stating
that the four states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa together account for over 80 per
cent of the cases, the MHA said that these four states accounted for 1,266 incidents. Similarly,
out of the total casualty of 696, the four states together claimed 610 lives, said the MHA
document. However, the number of police stations affected in 2007 fell to 361 compared to 395 in
2006, it said. To counter the mounting attacks by Naxals, the MHA said the security
establishment has asked the states to secure police station buildings, strengthen state
intelligence set-ups and raise specialised units or task forces trained in counter-insurgency and
jungle warfare. The ministry has also directed the state governments to ensure adequate
provisions in state police budget for equipment, weaponry, mobility, communication, training,
police buildings and forensic science. The states have also been asked to expedite investigation
and prosecution of Naxalite crimes, the status paper said. (Asian Age 24/4/08)
Alarm bells ring in Valley after militants get EC voter I-cards (12)
HANDWARA, KUPWARA, APRIL 26: The most valuable identity document other than a passport,
the electoral photo-identity cards issued by the Election Commission of India, has been procured
by top Pakistani militants operating in Kashmir sending alarm bells ringing through the security
establishment as the state prepares for elections later this year. This unprecedented security
breach came to light when EC I-cards were found on the bodies of militant commanders Tufail
alias Abu Eisa and Abdul Majid alias Osman. The two were killed in an encounter on January 19-
20 this year. The Jammu and Kashmir police first thought that these militants had faked the cards
but The Sunday Express has learnt that subsequent investigations have shown that the cards
were “genuine” and were officially registered with the local Tehsildar who simultaneously
functions as the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer. This startling revelation has turned the
scanner on all the 40-lakh I-cards issued by the EC which has already ordered that no fresh cards
be issued pending further orders. Photo I-cards for voters were introduced in Jammu and
Kashmir during the 2002 Assembly polls. “We found that the militants had managed these identity
cards with the help of an official inside the Electoral Registration office. This was shocking,” said
Superintendent of Police Handwara Hasseb Mughal. “There is a very strict procedure that the
electoral registration officials have to follow before issuing this identity card. We found that the
name and address in the cards were correct. These were actually the names and addresses of
genuine residents. One of them was a 60-year-old villager who had never applied for a card. The
official in the electoral registration had put a militant’s picture on the card but kept all other
identification details intact, “ he said. The local Patwari has to verify the antecedents of an
applicant which then is vetted by another official before the Assistant Electoral Registration officer
finally issues the card. Police have arrested election clerk Farooq Ahmad in the Handwara
Tehsildar’s office and more arrests are expected. When contacted, Chief Election Officer of the
state B R Sharma told The Sunday Express: “The Election Commission has full knowledge of the
Handwara case. The issuance of fresh cards has been stopped. The previous cards were manual
and now we are planning to create electronic cards for elections this year. To verify previously
issued cards, we are creating a database of all the existing cards. For Jammu, Ladakh and four

Assembly constituencies in Srinagar, this has already been done. This will be given to security
agencies.” Official records, accessed by The Sunday Express, show the following I-cards were
issued by the Electoral Registration office in Handwara and were recovered from Pakistani and
local militant commanders: •Card number JK 04-060152 was issued to Ghulam Mohammad
Sheikh, son of Mohamamd Abdullah of Tumpora, Handwara on April, 13, 2006. This card was
duly signed by Assistant Electoral Registration Officer who is also Tehsildar, Handwara. The
police found out the name and the address given in the card as correct, only the picture was
different. Sheikh was a 60-year-old villager who had never applied for a voter identity card. The
militant commander who had been using this card was Abu Musaib from Pakistan whose picture
had been put on the card. Musaib was killed in an operation on February, 26, 2007 at Sodal in
Handwara. …….. (Indian Express 27/4/08)
India among countries worst hit by terror: US report (12)
WASHINGTON: India was among the countries worst affected by terror with militant attacks in
Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast, strikes by Naxalites and attacks elsewhere in the
country taking a toll of more than 2,300 lives in 2007, the US State department said. The State
department, in its annual report on terrorism, said terrorist activities along the Line of Control in
Jammu and Kashmir are on the decline but Pakistan-based militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-
Toiba and other terrorist groups continue to plan attacks in the valley. "Pakistan-based Lashkare-Toiba
and other Kashmir-focused groups continued regional attack planning. In 2007, Kashmirfocused
groups continued to support attacks in Afghanistan, and operatives trained by the groups
continued to feature in Al-Qaeda trans-national attack planning," it said. The report said Indian
government's counterterrorism efforts remained hampered by outdated and overburdened law
enforcement and legal systems. "The Indian court system was slow, laborious, and prone to
corruption. Terrorism trials can take years to complete. Many of India's local police forces were
poorly staffed, lacked training, and were ill-equipped to combat terrorism effectively," the report
said. Noting about the attack on Samjhauta express in February last year, the report said, it was
carried out by extremists who tried to incite anger among the Hindus and Muslims. "These
attacks, which killed and injured both Muslims and Hindus, were probably conducted by
extremists hoping to incite anger between the Hindu and Muslim communities. "Indian officials
claim that the perpetrators of these attacks have links to groups based in Pakistan and
Bangladesh, particularly Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami,
among others," the report said. "These groups also have links to terrorist activity in Jammu and
Kashmir. The number of civilians killed were approximately half of that in the previous year. "In
May, the Indian government acknowledged that the level of infiltration across the Line of Control
had fallen, but noted that insurgents had in some case shifted routes to enter India through
Bangladesh and Nepal," it said. The report also took note of the formation of the anti-terrorism
mechanism between India and Pakistan to coordinate and exchange information on terrorists.
"Pakistan's leaders took steps to prevent support to the Kashmiri militancy, and the number of
violent attacks in Kashmir was down by approximately 50 per cent from 2006, according to public
statements made by the Indian Defence Minister," the report said. The report also took note of
the US-India Joint Working Group on Terrorism (CTJWG) which has so far met nine times since
its formation in 2000. India participated in CTJWGs with 15 other countries, and in multilateral
CTJWGs with the EU and with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation, an organisation that promotes economic cooperation among Bangladesh,
India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. In October, the Indian government held
the second round of consultations with Pakistan under the bilateral counterterrorism joint
mechanism, and hosted a ministerial level meeting of the South Asia Association for Regional
Cooperation on Counterterrorism," it said. (Times of India 1/5/08)
142 detained under TADA provisions (12)
NEW DELHI: A total of 142 prisoners are still detained under provisions of TADA Act across the
country with Maharashtra topping the list with 50 such detentions. These persons are in judicial
custody as per orders of the designated TADA Courts, a senior government official said here.
Maharashtra tops the list of TADA detainees with 50 prisoners while Assam came second with 28
such detentions followed by Gujarat with 18. Seventeen people were still detained in Tamil Nadu

under the scrapped anti-terror legislation. In Jammu and Kashmir, eight people are still in prisons
under the Act followed by West Bengal (six), Rajasthan (five) and Punjab (four). One each person
were detained under TADA in Karnataka, Chandigarh and Delhi. (Times of India 4/5/08)
Over 1,200 terrorists still active in Valley (12)
New Delhi : Peace may have returned to Jammu and Kashmir but still over 1,200 terrorists,
including foreign mercenaries, are active in the Valley. Security officials feel that despite a lull in
the violence levels and various parameters showing downward trend for the last five years in a
row, the presence of such a large scale mercenaries is a cause of serious concern for the
Government. The apprehended militants in the State have disclosed the foreign nationalities of
fellow terrorists. Apart from this, the foreign nationality of militants is confirmed by the possession
of identity cards, marking on shoes, clothes, cigarettes and other items on killed militants. The
Central and the State Government together have adopted a multi-pronged approach to contain
cross-border terrorism/infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir. This includes strengthening of border
management and multi-tiered and multi-modal establishment along the border/Line of Control,
construction of border fencing, continuous upgradation of the State police and Central forces
through improved weaponry, surveillance and communication equipment, use of technology,
sharing of intelligence and operational cooperation between the various agencies involved in
counter terrorism operations in the State. The situation is being closely and periodically reviewed
both at the level of the Central Government and State Government through the Unified
Headquarters set up under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir,
according to the Union Home Ministry. The number of violent incidents, civilian and security
forces' casualties and infiltration have registered a marked decline in the last five years. (Pioneer
9/5/08)
12 militants killed in Assam (12)
Diphu: Twelve insurgents of the Black Widow faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) group
were killed and 18 injured in a gun battle with security forces in the North Cachar Hills district on
Saturday. Troops of the 8th Sikh Regiment and police cordoned off the village along the Assam-
Nagaland-Manipur border around 4.30 a.m. during the operation at a camp of the DHD (Jewel
Garlosa) sheltering around 30 ultras, police sources said. The rebels opened fire on the security
forces, who retaliated killing 12 of them, the sources said. None from the security forces or the
villagers was injured or killed, they said. The village is dominated by Jemi-Naga tribals and
NSCN(I-M) ultras were also suspected to be in the militant group as they have an understanding
with the DHD. The dead were yet to be identified and investigations were on, the sources said.
The ceasefire between the DHD(J) and Centre expired recently and the State Government had
been instructed by the Union Home Ministry to draw up an action plan to improve the law and
order situation, particularly in the NC Hills district. — PTI (The Hindu 11/5/08)
17 LTTE militants killed in clashes: Lankan army 912)
COLOMBO: At least 17 Tamil Tiger militants were killed in fierce clashes with the security forces
in the embattled north, the Sri Lankan Defence ministry said here on Sunday. While three LTTE
militants were killed in Janakapura in North-east Welioya on Saturday, one Tiger rebel was
gunned down in north-Kiribbanwewa area in the region on the same day, officials said. In a
separate encounter, the army troops gunned down one rebel in Karukkandal in Mannar on
Saturday, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said. Separately, the army gunned
down seven LTTE cadres in Palampiddi in Vavuniya on Saturday, it said. In another clash, the
army said it had killed three Tiger rebels in Vedmakulam in Vavuniya on Saturday. Separately,
troops attacked and destroyed an LTTE bunker defence line at Manthotam, the defence ministry
said adding two tiger rebels are reported to be killed in these clashes (Times of India 11/5/08)
Assam militants kill 8 rly construction labourers (12)
Guwahati, May 11: Suspected militants belonging to the Dima Halam Daoga (Jewel), also known
as Black Widow, gunned down eight labourers belonging to a private construction company
engaged by the Railways in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district on Sunday. Official sources from

Haflong, the district headquarters, said a group of four masked men arrived at a site near
Phaiding Railway Station, under Mahur Police Station at 2.30 pm on Sunday and opened
indiscriminate fire on the labourers who were at work, killing eight of them on the spot. Two others
were critically injured. The labourers belonged to a private company, Sukhdew Construction, and
were engaged by Northeast Frontier Railways for civil construction works in the ongoing
Lumding-Silchar hill section. Phaiding is located 33 km from Haflong. Police sources said all the
labourers were from Karimganj district in Southern Assam. Four of the victims have been
identified as Burauddin Ahmed, Zakir Hussain, Faizul Haque and Allauddin. Earlier, on Saturday
night suspected DHD (J) militants killed a pointsman of the Railways at Dautohaja, under
Maibong Police Station, in the same district, about 50 km from Haflong. The same group had
abducted five persons belonging to P L Valecha Engineering Company on the Saurashtra-to-
Silchar East-West Corridor on March 13. (Indian Express 12/5/08)
60 killed, 150 injured as terror strikes Pink City (12)
JAIPUR: Terror struck the Pink City for the first time on Tuesday evening as serial blasts killed at
least 60 people and injured more than 150. Starting around 7.30 p.m. there were nine or 10 blasts
within 15 minutes at six crowded places, including in the vicinity of two Hanuman temples, in the
Walled City area. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria confirmed 60 dead and 150
injured though unofficial sources said the casualties could be higher. Eyewitnesses said they
could count 60 bodies in the overflowing mortuary of the City’s leading hospital, Sawai Man
Singh. Some bodies were reportedly kept in the satellite hospital, Kanwatia, and a private
hospital, Santokbha Durlabhji Memorial. The blasts caused panic in the entire city while the
authorities sealed off the Walled City. No traffic was allowed through its historic gates. The
communication system also was jammed with mobiles not giving out signals. The former
Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, who spoke to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, said the
Centre had assured the State authorities all possible help to handle the situation. Union Minister
of State for Home Jaiswal is reaching here on Wednesday. Director-General Police A.S. Gill told
this correspondent that forensic experts were still verifying the nature of the explosives. He did
not confirm the use of RDX but said high intensity explosives were used in the bombs. The blasts
outside the temples targeted the devotees who gather in large numbers on Tuesdays. One
temple is at Sanganeri Gate, while the other is at Chandpole. The Chandpole blast was said to be
of less intensity while the explosion on Maniharon ka Rasta near the victory tower, Sargasuli at
Tripolia, was the most powerful. The explosions at Bari Chauper near the world famous Hawa
Mahal claimed at least three lives. One of the bombs went off near a popular eating-place, Laxmi
Mishtan Bhandar, in the crowded Johari Bazar area. Another exploded near the Kothwali police
station at Choti Chauper. There are also reports that at least one live bomb was recovered near
Chandpole. Initial reports suggested that the terrorists used vehicles, including a car,
cyclerickshaws and autorickshaws to plant the bombs, which were detonated with remotecontrolled
devices. PTI reports: Bangladesh-based Harkut-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) is suspected to
be behind the blasts that have taken the State authorities by surprise, Home Ministry sources
said. Rapid Action Force personnel were immediately deployed to help authorities deal with the
situation even as security was beefed up. One of the blasts took place in a car and another near
a handloom shop in the Kotwali area, the sources said. At the blast sites, crammed with peakhour
shoppers, panic-stricken people ran helter skelter. ……… (The Hindu 14/5/08)
PM: no link between POTA repeal and terror strikes (12)
NEW DELHI, MAY 14: A day after the Jaipur blasts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there
was “no lack of firmness in the Government’s resolve against terror”, but each attack could not be
anticipated since terrorists had the “advantage of surprise”. Asked whether the absence of a law
like POTA was one of the reasons behind increased terrorist activities, he said there was no corelation
between POTA and terror strikes. Asserting that there was no dearth of laws against
terror in the country, Singh said many terrorist attacks like the ones on Parliament, Akshardham
temple and Raghunath temple had taken place when POTA was in force. Speaking on the
sidelines of the Defence Investiture Ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Singh, when asked about
the Jaipur blasts, said: “It is too early to say whether we are close to a breakthrough or not. We
will explore all possibilities and it is premature to say anything right now as it may interfere with

the investigations.” Singh also defended the Government’s intelligence mechanisms saying the
number of cases that the intelligence agencies had anticipated and prevented was “significant”
and that each and every terror strike could not be anticipated considering the surprise element
which the terrorists have. The PM also said that the Centre shared intelligence inputs with states
as and when required. On whether terror issues would be raised with Pakistan during External
Affairs Pranab Mukherjee’s forthcoming visit, the PM said that all issues affecting bilateral
relations would be discussed. (Indian Express 15/5/08)
BJP harps on POTA to fight terrorism (12)
New Delhi, May 14: A day after the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, L K Advani, reiterated the
party’s demand for an anti-terror law, party general secretary Arun Jaitley seconded the demand,
saying the UPA Government’s weak-kneed approach made India appear “a soft state that can be
attacked by terrorists at will”. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also condoled the
deaths in the Jaipur blasts. “The country is with you all in this time of grief. This is the work of the
anti-national terror elements trying to disturb peace and amity in the country,” Vajpayee said in a
statement. Jaitley, meanwhile, made a strong pitch for a “POTA-like law” in the country. “Several
states have legislated POTA-type laws to deal with organised crime and terrorism after the repeal
of POTA. Rajasthan and Gujarat have also legislated such laws. However, the Centre has not
accorded Presidential assent to the laws from these states,” he said. The BJP general secretary
in charge of Karnataka elections, where terror figures as a major election issue, said the delay in
executing Afzal Guru was linked to “vote-bank politics”. Calling for stringent measures to check
large-scale infiltration from Bangladesh of what could be “potential sleeper cells”, Jaitley said the
war on terror would be won not by words but by “national resolve, political courage and decisive
action”. He said: “Many recent terrorist attacks have been masterminded by HuJI, a Bangladeshbased
outfit that is an outsourced organisation of al-Qaeda and supported by the ISI. Logistical
support to these cross-border terrorist groups is provided by local sleeper cells.” (Indian Express
15/5/08)
11 more killed in Cachar hills, trains stopped (12)
Guwahati, May 15: In what may be called a gross failure of the security forces in containing
militant violence in Assam, the rampaging Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel faction) rebels on
Thursday massacred 11 people, including a train driver, and set five trucks loaded with cement
bags on fire in two separate attacks in trouble-torn North Cachar Hills district. The overall death
toll in the NC Hills violence has gone up to 23 in the past four days. The Northeast Frontier
Railway has, meanwhile, decided to suspend all train movement in the region for an idefinite
period. The first incident took place at "19-Kilo", a place surrounded by Army camps and the
Umrangshu police station, where at least 10 workers of a private cement factory were shot dead
by the DHD rebels. The heavily-armed militants ambushed the convoy of five trucks which was
carrying cement. All the workers, drivers and handymen travelling with the trucks were shot dead
by the militants, who also set them on fire. Though the spot where the killings took place is
surrounded by Army camps and the nearest police station, at Umrangshu, is only 2 km away, the
militants managed to escape unchallenged. The attack took place at about 7.30 am. The trucks
were carrying cement bags of the Binay Cement company. In another incident, at about 8 am, the
DHD rebels — also known as Black Widow — attacked a survey train and killed the driver, N.N.
Bora. Two others, including assistant driver P.K. Deb and gangman Ramesh Thakuria, were
critically wounded. The militants opened indiscriminate fire on the train, which was surveying the
tracks before the movement of passenger trains. The attack took place when the engine was
coming out of a tunnel in between Mupa and Kalachand railway stations. The prompt action taken
by the engine driver, N.N. Bora, who later succumbed to his injuries, to take back the engine
inside the tunnel protected the lives of at least a dozen other railway employees, including
constables of the Railway Protection Special Force. The RPSF guards also opened retaliatory
fire, but the militants had managed to escape. In view of the attacks, the Northeast Frontier
Railway on Thursday decided to suspend the movement of all trains on the Lumding-Badarpur
section for an indefinite period. The chief public relations officer of N.F. Railway, Mr Samir
Goswami, said the decision was taken in view of the deteriorating law and order situation and the
threat of militant activity in the trouble-torn district. Angry family members of railway employees,

meanwhile, ransacked Lumding railway station on Thursday, demanding security for railway
workers. The so-called "Black Widows", who are fighting for a separate homeland for the Dimasa
tribe, had declared a unilateral ceasefire with the security forces. But last week they alleged that
the Army had attacked one of their camps and killed 12 of their fighters in gross "violation" of the
ceasefire. The Army denied that any such incident had taken place……. (Asian Age 16/5/08)
Hands tied in terror fight: PM calls for new federal agency, CJI for tough laws (12)
Bagdogra, New Delhi, May 17: Days after the Jaipur serial blasts and with his government under
pressure for its dismal record in cracking terror cases, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today
reiterated the need for the creation of a federal crime agency, a proposal, he said, had not taken
off because states were reluctant to “surrender (their) powers.” The PM’s remarks came the same
day that Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan said, at a function in New Delhi, that “stringent
laws” were required to fight terrorism. He said the government had a “responsibility” to protect
innocent citizens. According to a news agency report, Justice Balakrishnan said these laws were
needed since earlier anti-terror legislation, including POTA and TADA, were withdrawn following
alleged misuse of some of their provisions. Earlier, the Prime Minister, on his way back from
Bhutan, said in Bagdogra that parties should not politicise incidents of terrorism and the Congress
and the BJP should “put their heads together” to see how the problem could be addressed. Asked
whether the Jaipur blasts were because of intelligence failure — the city had never been on a
terror alert — the Prime Minister said that the “reality” is that terrorists “can surprise us.” He said
that no one talked about the role of the intelligence establishment when attacks are prevented but
questions are only raised when such incidents happen. Singh said that a federal agency was
needed because terrorism and several white-collar crimes have inter-state aspects. He said that
states were wary of such an agency since that would mean a loss of their powers. Making it clear
that he was not blaming states, Singh said that the time had come for a close look at the issue.
Asked about the letter written to him by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a
conference with Chief Ministers to discuss terrorism, the Prime Minister said he had already
convened several such meetings on internal security, the recent one being on Naxalism. The
PM’s remarks come shortly before the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), headed by
Veerappa Moily, is deliberating over a new set of proposals to tackle terrorism, including changes
in the National Security Act aimed at increasing the Centre’s role in tackling terror. The goal is to
give as much teeth to law-enforcing agencies as was given by POTA but avoid provisions relating
to violation of human rights. The ARC is also studying “lacunae” in the Evidence Act and
“harmonizing” the 19 existing laws on security, besides the Indian Penal Code. (Indian Express
18/5/08)
Only zero tolerance can end terror (12)
The serial blasts in Jaipur on May 14 were apparently the 21st successful operation (outside
Jammu & Kashmir) by radical Islamists against the people of India. The 70 or so people who died
horrible deaths last Tuesday joined the 3,674 Indians who are known to have been killed by a
galaxy of terrorists in the 50-month period from January 2004. The statistics, diligently collated by
The Times of India, suggest that India is second only to Iraq in the number of people killed by
terrorists. The "merchants of death" have never had it so good. The story of Incredible India is
truly remarkable. It would be difficult discovering too many societies where a Government tries to
cover up its pathetic helplessness by projecting the organised killings of the aam aadmi --
commuters on suburban trains, scientists attending seminars, housewives shopping for Diwali
and devotees worshipping at temples -- as karma and cruel fate. In normal democratic societies,
the existence of well-organised terror networks would have prompted outrage. In India, it has
prompted a curious response: A blend of capitulation and denial. The capitulation has been
shamefully brazen. In trying to dispel the assertion that terrorists don't deserve human rights, the
UPA Government has gone out of its way to assert that terror suspects shouldn't suffer any
discrimination. The architect of the Coimbatore bomb blasts, for example, turned his prison cell
into a massage parlour before the authorities engineered his acquittal. The convicted perpetrator
of the attack on Parliament idles away his time in prison with the full knowledge that the
Government lacks the anatomical wherewithal to carry out the punishment awarded to him by
courts. For liberal India -- UPA represents its most disfigured face -- the important thing about

terror is to deny its existence as far as possible. It has become almost a ritual for the Centre to
greet every jihadi orgy with the assertion that we must not be provoked into enacting strong antiterrorist
legislation. For the English-language TV channels, the so-called "spirit of Mumbai" or the
tale of Jaipur's "resilience", is invariably contrasted with the savage response of Gujarat to the
carnage in Godhra. It's one thing to invoke the gritty, stiff upper-lip approach as a byword for quiet
determination. It's another thing to believe, like the infamous Mohammed Shah, that Delhi is still a
fair distance away, and declare an unending happy hour for terrorist marauders. To mindlessly
repeat after every outrage that terrorists are "cowards" is to miss the point. The issue is not about
the lack of personal integrity of the bombers. It's about why the Centre has been emasculated by
the terrorists………. (Pioneer 18/7/08)
Six Jaish militants killed (12)
Srinagar : Pro-Pakistan Jaish-e-Mohammed suffered a major blow on Saturday when six militants
of the outfit, including four Pakistanis, were killed after an 18-hour long encounter with the CRPF,
Army and the State police. The gun battle broke out in Lurgam-Tral village, 45 km from here,
Friday evening and lasted for about 18 hours, officials said. The intelligence information about the
movement of the JeM militants was gathered by the CRPF which was shared with other agencies
and the State police, following which a team of CRPF, Army and local police cordoned off the
area. The militants resorted to indiscriminate firing after they found themselves trapped. In the
ensuing encounter, six Jaish militants, also including a Kashmiri commander, were killed. Security
forces recovered six AK-56 and two AK-47 rifles besides ammunition and sophisticated
communication devices, the officials said. (Pioneer 18/5/08)
Rs.10-lakh reward for clue to Jaipur bombers (12)
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan police on Saturday announced a Rs. 10-lakh reward for anyone giving a
clue to the identity of those involved in Tuesday’s serial blasts in Jaipur. Additional Director-
General (Crime) A.K. Jain said here the information on the perpetrators crime would be kept
confidential. Meanwhile, three more sketches of suspects have been released. All seven
sketches were drawn on the basis of descriptions given by owners of shops where the suspected
terrorists purchased cycles. Some of the injured also provided valuable inputs. A few more
sketches are being prepared. There were reports that a couple of persons were picked up for
questioning from Sawai Madhopur district and the Ramganj area in the Walled City here. A
madrasa teacher reportedly detained at Udai Kalan village in Sawai Madhopur district is
suspected to have links with the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India. However, H.G.
Raghavendra Suhasa, Superintendent of Police (Jaipur North) and member of the SIT, told The
Hindu that no one was arrested or brought here for interrogation. In another development, about
35 persons were discharged from the Sawai Man Singh Hospital here on Friday and Saturday
after they underwent treatment for injuries in the blasts. The seriously injured, in the Intensive
Care Unit and the Neuro-Surgery Ward, are showing signs of improvement. (The Hindu 18/5/08)
11 militants killed in Kashmir encounter (12)
SRINAGAR: Eleven militants and a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army were killed in
a gun-battle that began over 36 hours ago near the Line of Control. Army spokesman Colonel
Uma Maheshwar told The Hindu that troops noticed the movement of militants two days ago in
the Tanghdar area in Kupwara district, around 100 km from here, and challenged them. The
militants opened fire in return. Till Wednesday morning, seven militants and JCO Subedar Dhyan
Singh had been killed. Four more militants were killed by late afternoon, Col. Maheshwar said.
The operation to flush out militants was on and it was unclear how many more militants were
hiding in the area. “It is also difficult to say which organisation they belong to,” he said. The
spokesman refused to comment on whether they were fresh infiltrators or had sneaked in earlier.
Informed sources said it was the biggest gunfight in Kashmir in recent months. (The Hindu
3/7/08)
25 killed in Lal Masjid blast (12)
Islamabad: July 6: At least 25 people, mostly policemen, were killed in a suspected suicide attack
near Lal Masjid here on Sunday minutes after Islamic hardliners demanded the public hanging of

President Pervez Musharraf at a rally to mark the shrine’s storming by the military a year ago.
"The death toll can rise but we can confirm 25 deaths till now. Most of those killed are policemen,"
an interior ministry official told this newspaper. The official toll, however, stood at 19 till the time of
filing this report. The Pakistan government declared a "red alert" throughout the country. No
group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Tehrik-e-Taliban’s Pakistan
commander Baitullah Mehsud and other militant leaders had threatened to retaliate against an
operation in Pakistan’s northwest. "There were quite a few policemen at the venue due to the
demonstration by Lal Masjid students and clerics, so we can expect more deaths. Dozens have
been injured. They will be over 50," the official added. "There is no evidence of a planted bomb,
so we are sure it was a suicide attack." An eyewitness said a young man drove a car into the
policemen and the blast followed. "I saw a car and could see a young, bearded man," he said.
"The police has cordoned off the entire area. The blast occurred in front of the Aabpara police
station near the Lal Masjid complex. Body parts were scattered in the area and ambulances
reached the site." A doctor said an emergency had been declared at all hospitals in Islamabad.
(Asian Age 7/7/08)
Terror strikes India in Kabul: IFS officer, Brigadier among 41 killed (12)
KABUL, JULY 7: A Taliban suicide car bomb hit the Indian Embassy in Kabul today, killing 41
people, including the Indian Defence attache and an IFS officer, and wounding 139, in an attack
Afghan authorities said was coordinated with foreign agents in the region, a likely reference to
Pakistan. Defence attache Brigadier R D Mehta and Counsellor Venkateswara Rao, an IFS
officer, were killed when the suicide bomber targeted the embassy during the morning rush hour,
said Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad who escaped unhurt in the bombing. Rao’s body was
flung over the roof as the explosion blew off the embassy’s gates and outer structure and
damaged buildings inside the compound. The embassy is located near the Afghan Interior
Ministry. The other two Indians killed in the attack were identified as ITBP personnel Ajai
Pathania and Roop Singh. The fifth embassy employee to die, Niamutullah, was a local Afghan,
officials said, adding three Indians were also injured in the blast. Among the dead were seven
Afghan guards deployed at the mission. In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee
said a high-level team, headed by Nalin Surie, Secretary (West), was being rushed to Kabul to
assess the “emergency” situation there. Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed the “enemies” of
the strong friendship between Afghanistan and India for the attack but did not name any person
or group. Interior ministry spokesman Abdul H Ashiq said that the Indian embassy was the exact
target. The Interior Ministry said it “believes this attack was carried out in co-ordination and
consultation with an active intelligence service in the region”, an obvious reference to the
Pakistani ISI. Afghanistan has accused Pakistani agents of being behind a number of attacks in
recent weeks and Karzai last month threatened to send troops across the border to attack
militants there if Pakistan does not take action. In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah
Mahmood Qureshi condemned the bombing. “Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations as this menace negates the very essence of human values,” he said. Outside the
embassy, wounded people lay on the road, wailing for help. An explosive-packed Toyota Corolla,
driven by a suicide bomber, rammed the vehicle into the embassy. Some witnesses said that the
bomber was trying to target two diplomatic vehicles as they were entering the embassy premises.
The blast seemed to have torn through passers-by close to a nearby market area and people
queuing for visas at the embassy. The dead included women and three children, Afghan officials
said. “I saw wounded and dead people everywhere on the road,” said Danish Karokhil, head of
the independent Pajhwok news agency, whose offices are close by. Haji Khial Mohammad, 45,
who was in line to apply for an Indian visa, said a “vehicle came and hit the embassy gate. I was
shocked and could not hear anything after the attack. But I saw at least 10 men and three women
in the queue who were probably killed.” Mohammad Ajmal, 26 a shopkeeper in the market
adjacent to the embassy, said, “After a very loud explosion, I could barely could stand up” after
goods from his shelves spilled over him. The US condemned the attack, calling it a “needless act
of violence”. US national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe, who is accompanying President
George W Bush at the G8 Summit in Japan, said: “We condemn this needless act of violence,
and offer our sincere condolences to those injured and especially to those families who lost loved
ones.” ……. (Indian Express 8/7/08)

Study says civilians lost 650,000 guns (12)
UNITED NATIONS: One of every 1,000 civilian-owned guns in the world is lost or stolen and can
wind up in the hands of militants in nations like Iraq and Afghanistan, a Swiss institute says in a
survey released on Monday. Most of the lost guns flow to nations that “rarely engage in some of
the most basic verification procedures,” said Jurg Streuli, a Swiss diplomat and representative to
the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Among the other countries affected by this
diversion of small arms are Colombia, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Liberia. As many as 650,000
weapons owned by civilians have gone missing, says the annual Small Arms Survey compiled by
researchers at the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies,
They flow from manufacturers, wholesalers, gun shops and homes to local thugs, organized
crime, armed groups, insurgents, terror organisations and nations under an arms embargo, the
survey says. Most of the weapons are sold or stolen on the black market from military and
government stocks. The annual survey said last year that civilians worldwide now have access to
650 million small arms — from handguns to semiautomatic rifles — in an arsenal that far outstrips
what is held by police and militaries. — AP (The Hindu 16/7/08)
Two militants die in J&K gunfight (12)
Srinagar: July 16: A fierce gunbattle that broke out between a group of militants holed up in a
private house at Warapora on the outskirts of the northwestern Sopore town of Jammu and
Kashmir and the security forces on Tuesday evening has so far left two militants and a policeman
dead and about a dozen security personnel wounded, reports said. The members of the local
police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group (SOG), along with CRPF and Army
columns, entered the sleepy village, about 57 km from here, at twilight on learning about the
presence of militants there. While zeroing on the target house, they came under a barrage of
gunfire, wounding nine security personnel, including four soldiers, three policemen and two CRPF
jawans. Two more soldiers, including an officer, were injured in the ensuing firefight, reports said,
adding that one of the injured policemen, identified as SPO Abdur Rashid, succumbed on
Wednesday morning. Police and Army officials in Srinagar said that two militants belonging to
Jaish-e-Mohammed were also killed. They have been identified as Hilal Ahmed Sofi of Warapora
and Asgar Ali, believed to be a Pakistani national. An earlier report had suggested that their
accomplices, who could be two or more in number, continued to resist attempts by the security
forces to storm the building. But a statement issued by the police in Srinagar said that the
encounter in which three residential houses were damaged has ended with the killing of both the
militants. Reports from Warapora said that the Army fired mortars to destroy the militant hideout
and that a lieutenant colonel of the Army was also injured in the clash. In a separate incident,
suspected militants kidnapped two persons, Ghulam Muhammad and Hakimuddin, from a
seasonal shack in the mountainous district of Doda on Tuesday afternoon. The police said that
the bullet-riddled corpse of Ghulam Muhammad was found in a mountain stream of the
area.(Asian Age 17/7/08)
Srinagar attack: ‘manual wire technique’ foiled jammers (12)
SRINAGAR, JULY 20: The Army has started investigating how militants managed to successfully
ambush an Army convoy on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway on Saturday evening, despite
sophisticated jammers—supposed deterrents to explosives since they block all electronic devices
with a certain reach — that were moving with it. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on
the convoy left 10 soldiers dead and 17 others injured. To prevent Army convoys from being
attacked by powerful IED and car bomb attacks, the military had recently started moving jammers
with them. Brigadier K A Muthanna who was the first senior Army commander to reach on the
spot told The Indian Express that it is extremely difficult to prevent such attacks, since they are
meticulously planned. “A lot of planning has gone into this attack and every aspect is being
examined,” he said. Defence spokesperson, Lt Col Anil Mathur added the investigations were on
taken up to evaluate how militants managed to target the convoy in the presence of jammers.
“One possibility is that militants might have manually triggered the powerful IED as the convoy
was passing on the highway,” he said and added, “all possibilities are being explored by the Army
experts. Mathur said that due to the road-widening activity on the highway, there was a

movement of road workers and vehicles. “It’s here that the militants seem to have managed to
divert attention of the Road Opening Party (ROP) and planted the IED in a mound of earth.”
Every day, 10 to 20 army convoys move on the highways and roads of Kashmir from different
bases up to the Line of Control. But even though the Army recently procured dozens of jammers
to travel along with them, the devices are not invincible — officials in the Army and police say that
instead of electronic devices, the militants used the manual-wire technique to trigger the IED.
(Indian Express 21.7.08)
Four children among five killed in Srinagar blast (12)
Srinagar : At least five people, including four children, were killed and 22 people wounded in a
grenade attack by terrorists in a busy bus yard here on Thursday, police said. Most of the victims
were migrant workers from other States. The police said terrorists hurled a grenade which fell
near one of the ticket counters in the main bus depot at Batamaloo, barely half-a-kilometre from
the civil secretariat in this summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir. A large number of migrant
workers and their family members were milling around. "Three children died on the spot," said a
police officer. He said a critically injured woman and a child succumbed to their injuries in SMHS
Hospital where all the injured were taken.Two of the four children killed in the blast have been
identified as 12-year-old Khusboo and nine-year-old Adil, daughter and son of Muhammad Afroze
from Bihar, said the police officer.Twenty labourers were among the 22 wounded in the explosion,
he added. Unconfirmed reports said seven of the injured were pilgrims who had returned from the
Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir. However, the police denied the reports. "All the injured were
migrant workers and none of them was an Amarnath pilgrim," a police press statement said.
(Pioneer 25/7/08)
Serial blasts rattle Bangalore; woman killed (12)
BANGALORE: A series of low intensity blasts on Friday rocked the southern and central parts of
Bangalore, a city that has of late been on the radar of terror groups. One person was killed and
seven were injured in the eight explosions that created panic among residents and threw traffic
out of gear on a rainy working day. The explosions were reported within 45 minutes from 1.15
p.m. Though the police have not ruled out the involvement of terrorist groups, Bangalore Police
Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari told journalists that “miscreants” had triggered the blasts to
“disrupt the peace” in the city. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, after an emergency Cabinet
meeting, announced that no “hard core terrorist group” was involved in the blasts which, he
claimed, were carried out to “malign” the government. “I heard a deafening explosion as I was
starting my bike,” Vinay, an employee of a car showroom on Mysore Road, told The Hindu. “I
thought a bus tyre had burst until I saw smoke billowing from behind a bush. I ran back into the
office,” he said. According to police sources, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) fitted to timer
devices were used in all the explosions. Preliminary investigations revealed that ammonium
nitrate, bolts and nuts and cement chips were packed into the devices. Sources in the National
Bomb Data Centre told The Hindu that the IEDs were almost identical to the ones used in the
explosions at the Mecca Masjid, Gokul Chats and the Lumbini Park in Hyderabad, and in the
court blasts in Lucknow and Hubli. The first explosion occurred at a bus stop near the Madivala
checkpost, off the busy Hosur Road, around 1.15 p.m. Sudha Ravi, who was waiting for a bus
with her husband, was killed on the spot, and two were injured. Two more explosives went off in
the adjoining Audugodi area, injuring three persons. Similar low-intensity explosions took place at
three places on Mysore Road and at two spots in the heart of the city — near the Mallya Hospital
and near the Rashtriya Military School on Langford Road. At Audugodi, the explosives were
planted behind a telephone junction box near a commercial complex under construction and
another near a stormwater drain. On Mysore Road, the explosives were placed under a power
supply transformer near a mall; one near a stormwater drain; and the third near a car showroom
next to the Regional Transport Office. A high alert has been sounded across the State.(The Hindu
26/7/08)
17 BLASTS ROCK AHMEDABAD (12)
AHMEDABAD: Forty people were killed and over 100 injured when serial blasts struck different
parts of Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s major commercial nerve centre, on Saturday evening. The State

capital was plunged into chaos for hours after the terror attacks. As the number of the dead and
injured kept rising, police could not confirm the final tally till late in the evening. Chief Minister
Narendra Modi, after an emergency Cabinet meeting, said 29 people died and over 100 were
injured. Both he and Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel, who visited some of the affected
areas, did not rule out the possibility of the casualties going up. For, the condition of many of the
injured was critical. Unconfirmed reports said the worst attack occurred near the trauma centre of
the government civil hospital, where at least 25 people, including two doctors, were killed. Some
eyewitness accounts claimed that it was a “human bomb” attack. The body was said to have
been shattered but the incident was not confirmed by the police, who put the casualties in the
hospital attack at not fewer than six. The reports pieced together by the police indicated 17 blasts
in 10 different areas and all, except the minority-dominated Sarkhej and Juhapura, were in the
labour-dominated eastern parts of the old city. Most of the blasts occurred in crowded and
congested areas during peak evening hour traffic. About 40 minutes after the first round of blasts,
bombs went off near the trauma centre of the civil hospital and the main portico of the L.G.
General Hospital in Maninagar, even as the injured were being rushed to the hospitals. (The
Hindu 27/7/08)
‘Indian Mujahideen’ claims responsibility (12)
NEW DELHI: In a 14-page manifesto e-mailed to the media minutes before Saturday’s serial
bombings, an organisation calling itself the “Indian Mujahideen” has claimed responsibility for the
Ahmedabad attacks. Titled “The Rise of Jihad”, the manifesto says the bombings were carried out
to avenge the 2002 anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat. “In the light of the injustice and wrongs on the
Muslims of Gujarat,” it says, “we advance our jihad and call all our brethren under it to unite and
answer these irresolute kafireen [infidels] of India.” It warns of future attacks, complaining that the
police “disturbed us by arresting, imprisoning, and torturing our brothers in the name of SIMI
[Students Islamic Movement of India].” In a similar document sent minutes before May’s serial
bomb strikes in Jaipur, the IM had said such bombings were intended “to clearly give our
message to Kuffar-e-Hind [the infidels of India] that if Islam and Muslims in this country are not
safe then the light of your safety will also go off very soon.” Near-identical language had been
earlier used by the IM in a document e-mailed to television stations minutes before the bombing
of three trial-court buildings in Uttar Pradesh last year. In its e-mail, the IM said it was retaliating
against “wounds given by the idol worshipers of India.” Investigators belive the IM is a loose
coalition of elements from the Students Islamic Movement of India, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the
Harkat ul-Jihad-e-Islami. Police were able to determine that the explosive used in the Uttar
Pradesh bombings was supplied by a Jammu and Kashmir-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami unit.
Jaunpur-based SIMI activist Mohammad Khalid Mujahid and Azamgarh Unani doctor Mohammad
Tariq were held for their alleged role in planning two of the three court bombings, However, the
members of the third cell, who are also thought to have sent out the e-mail, remain untraced.
While military-grade plastic explosive was used in Jaipur and Uttar Pradesh, the bombs used in
Ahmedabad appear to have been constructed with ammonium nitrate, a widely-available
chemical with a range of industrial applications. Police sources said the bombs resembled the
devices used in Bangalore on Friday. (The Hindu 27/7/08)
Toll in Ahmedabad serial blasts rises to 46 (12)
AHMEDABAD: The Army staged flag marches in sensitive areas here on Sunday to restore a
sense of security and confidence among the people, as the death toll in Saturday’s terror attack
went up to 46. In Gandhinagar, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi convened an emergency
meeting of the Cabinet, the second in 12 hours, and decided to form a four-member special
coordination committee. Headed by the Principal Secretary, Home, the committee will coordinate
inputs with other States which had faced similar terror attacks. The committee would also study
the materials available with the Centre and its intelligence agencies about terrorist activities in
different parts of the country to assist the CID (Crime) investigating Saturday’s serial blasts in
Ahmedabad. The police believe that the diamond and art silk city of Surat, the second major
commercial centre in the State after Ahmedabad, may have escaped the jaws of death and
destruction as two abandoned cars — one with live explosives and another with ammunition —
were seized in different parts of the city on Sunday. Closure of cinemas and shopping malls in the

heavily populated city was ordered after the police defused a huge bomb found in an abandoned
bag near a hospital on the City Light Road and recovered the cars abandoned at Punamgaon and
Randel, Varacha Road localities. Police said gelatin sticks, timers, ammonium nitrate powder,
tiffin boxes and other materials were found in one abandoned car which the locals said was lying
there for couple of days. The materials were enough to manufacture about eight to 10 powerful
crude bombs, the kind of devices believed to had been used in the serial blasts. Responding to
an appeal from the police, the people in Surat by and large stayed indoors despite it being a
Sunday. This was to avoid large gatherings that could be easy targets for terrorists. In view of the
high alert, night shows in all the cinemas in Rajkot, Bhavnagar and several other cities and towns
were suspended for Sunday. Early in the morning, two live bombs were recovered from a
garbage can near a vegetable market in Hatkshwar locality in Maninagar in Ahmedabad, where
the first of the 17 blasts occurred on Saturday evening. The special bomb squad was summoned
and the bombs defused. The police said the timers of the bombs had not been set properly. The
bombs could have caused extensive damage. Another live bomb was defused near a gate of a
textile mill at Santhej on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway after midnight. One bomb was
found and defused in Kalol, also an industrial town near Gandhinagar. Ahmedabad Joint Police
Commissioner Asish Bhatia said an activist of the Banned SIMI, Abdul Halim, who was wanted in
connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots, was arrested during the combing operation in the city. The
State government has announced a compensation of Rs.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those
killed in the Ahmedabad blasts and Rs. 50,000 to each of those injured. Mr. Modi assured the
injured that they would be given the best possible treatment. He appealed to the people to keep
peace and cooperate with the authorities to maintain law and order. (The Hindu 28/7/08)
Advani seeks Presidential assent to Gujrat Bill on organised crimes (12)
Ahmedabad : Leader of the Opposition LK Advani advanced on Sunday made a forceful plea for
Presidential assent to the Gujarat Bill against organised crime which has been awaiting Central
approval for the last four years. The MP from Gandhinagar , who arrived here and was closeted
with Chief Minister Narendra Modi and top administration officials for a review of the situation,
later visited the Civil Hospital to look up the blast injured and also see things for himself. Talking
to mediapersons thereafter the Leader of the Opposition said that very hard steps were needed to
tackle the menace of terrorism and the normal laws were found wanting in combating antinational
elements."Like the special laws enacted in Maharashtra, Gujarat also badly needs
similar laws to deal with the emerging situation," he added. Advani pointed out that Gujarat has
passed the Act to deal with such contingencies four years ago, but the UPA Government has
chosen to sit on it. "We have met the Prime Minister and pointed this out to him. I again repeat
the demand for immediate approval for this piece of legislation in national interest," he added.
Expressing satisfaction at the measures initiated by the State Government in dealing with the
situation arising out of the blasts, he said that he was proud at the way the people have heeded
their Chief Minister and maintained peace and unity. "Forces of terror are not merely against
States or communities, they are working to thwart democracy and imperil India," he added. In
reply to a question Advani said that while police reforms were always necessary, the menace of
terrorism was of recent origin and normal laws were not enough to tackle them. Apart from the
legal system, zero tolerance to terrorism was the need of the hour. Unfortunately the present
Government at the Centre has been found to be going soft in this regard. On the need for a
federal agency to probe terror crimes which cut across States, Advani said that the matter has
been discussed earlier when we were in power but there was a reluctance by States who felt that
it would cut into their powers." There is need for persuading States to arrive at some agreement.
Moreover these are derivatives of the attitude of States and I don't think this needs to be
discussed at a time when a traumatised people need gestures of reassurance to ease their
suffering," he added. (Pioneer 28/7/08)
Bus stand blast in Jharkhand, 7 hurt (12)
GODDA: Despite the high alert sounded by the Jharkhand home department in the wake of serial
blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, seven people were injured in a bomb blast at a bus stand in
Godda on Sunday morning. The bomb was kept under a 'chowki' (wooden bed) near a fruit stall
on the entrance of the bus stand. Of the seven injured, five were passengers while the rest bus

staffers. The injured have been admitted to hospital. According to eyewitnesses, a loud sound
was heard and soon smoke enveloped the entire area. Incidentally, the bus stand is located in
front of the DSP's residence as also the local police station. (Times of India 28/7/08)
Bomb defused in Surat (12)
Ahmedabad: July 28: An uneasy calm prevailed in Gujarat on Monday as half a dozen hoax
bomb calls and tiffin alerts were made and a live bomb defused by the bomb disposal squad in
Varaccha area of Surat. A sketch of a suspected terrorist who allegedly planted two explosivesladen
cars in and around the outskirts of Surat has also been released by the police. The live
bomb was found in a residential society and would have caused several deaths. The police said
the contents of the bomb have been sent to the forensic laboratory. A packet of ammonium
nitrate (700-800 gms), a packet of shrapnel, two detonators, one battery and a circuit were found
wrapped in a newspaper along with the bomb, the police said. A cleric, Abdul Kadri, has been
detained by the police in Mangrol, Saurashtra. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA
chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior Central leaders, meanwhile, visited injured patients in
Gujarat. A Simi activist, Abdul Halim, was on Monday interrogated in connection with the serial
blasts by the Ahmedabad police, which conducted raids overnight and detained two others for
questioning. He has been remanded to judicial custody. Halim is allegedly involved in recruiting
people for terrorism, the police said. The police was also talking to a person who claimed he was
an eyewitness to suspected bombers parking cycles in Raipur area here. Abdul Halim, arrested
on Sunday, has been remanded to 14 days in police custody by an Ahmedabad court. The crime
branch, to obtain remand, also showed Halim as being wanted in a 2002 case. In Mumbai, the
Anti-Terrorism Squad probing a threatening email allegedly sent from an American national’s
computer in Navi Mumbai is investigating if his computer was hacked as he used a wi-fi network.
The police said it did not find anything in the American’s laptop that could establish that he had
sent the message. "We have sent the laptop for forensic tests to Kalina and are awaiting its
report," said Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor. "In a wi-fi network a user often gets to
know the usernames of others. We are now trying to find out whether his IP was hacked by
someone to send the email," Mr Gafoor said. (Asian Age 29/7/08)
Baroda may be epicenter (12)
Ahmedabad: July 28: Is Baroda the epicentre of the recent serial blasts and terror threat in
Ahmedabad and Surat Preliminary information available with the police suggests that Baroda
could have been the vital place for logistics for the terrorists or the terrorists have deliberately
planted evidence suggesting Baroda as a focal point of their operations to perhaps off track the
police from investigations. According to the Ahmedabad police investigating the serial blasts, the
number plates found on both the cars seized in Surat with explosives and live bombs are from
Baroda. These number plates are of a stolen scooty. The cars were stolen in Mumbai and the
scooty number plates, registered in Baroda, were affixed. The two Wagon R cars were seized by
the Surat police on Sunday. While one of the car had ammunition and bomb equipment, live
bombs were found in the second Wagon R. Also, the police confirmed with this newspaper that in
Ahmedabad when they defused the live bombs, they found the bombs wrapped up in a
vernacular newspapers. The police said these newspapers are of Baroda edition. Thirdly, the
police said the Indian Mujahideen and Simi are most active in Baroda and the operational
activities of Simi have been recorded in the past by the police. (Asian Age 29/7/08)
18 bombs defused in Surat (12)
AHMEDABAD: In a day of “battle with bombs,” the Surat police on Tuesday unearthed 18 live
bombs and its bomb squad succeeded in defusing all of them, averting a major tragedy in the
second largest commercial centre of Gujarat. It was the third consecutive day live bombs and
explosives were found in Surat. As panic spread in the diamond and art silk city, all schools and
colleges were closed and children sent back home. Shutters of cinema halls and shopping malls
were also downed. These places will remain closed on Wednesday too. Whether the terrorists
were playing a hide-and-seek game with the police or all the bombs were planted simultaneously
was not clear. But the bombs were found almost one after another from day-break till evening. Of
the18 bombs, as many as 10 were found in the labour-dominated Varacha Road and Katargam

areas alone. In Saturday’s blasts also, the labour-dominated old city areas were targeted. The
bombs and the explosive-laden cars were recovered from Varacha Road or nearby areas in the
city in the last two days. As if throwing a direct challenge to the police, two of the bombs were
found right in front of the Labheswar police chowky and Sardarpura police stations. Two bombs
were planted in the diamond market adjacent to the Varacha Road, one in the Radhakrishna
textile market and two on a fly-over. Surprisingly, unlike in Ahmedabad and most other places,
the bombs were not totally concealed. Most of the bombs were “boat-shaped” and wrapped in
coloured papers. They were kept at strategic points, including behind street hoardings or near
garbage dumps. The entire day the police and civic authorities repeatedly urged people to
maintain peace and patience and cooperatewith them. Minister of State for Home Amit Shah also
appealed to people not to panic or spread rumours. He said the police were on maximum alert to
protect the lives and property of people. In Ahmedabad, life, by and large, was normal. However,
in one incident, panic-stricken parents rushed to a school in Chandlodiya locality to get their
wards following rumour of a bomb in a near-by area. (The Hindu 30/7/08)
Another bomb in Rajasthan (12)
Jaipur: July 30: The police in Pali district on Wednesday recovered one more crude bomb lying
on the roadside and defused it. The Pali police had recovered three crude bombs on Tuesday.
The BJP government, meanwhile, decided to raise a special force to provide security cover to
historical monuments and religious places. "The bomb was found during a search operation
between Marwar junction and Ranawas in Pali district," said Jodhpur inspector-general of police
Rajiv Dasot. The police launched a combing operation when it found three bombs on Tuesday in
the area. According to the police, the bombs were of low intensity and had been manufactured
seven-eight years back. The police has registered a case under the Explosives Act and said
investigations were on. (Asian Age 31/7/08)
Four killed in Kolkata blast (12)
KOLKATA: Four persons were killed and six injured, some of them seriously, in an explosion in a
slum beside the Hooghly near the Sarbomangala ghat in the city’s North Port thana area on
Sunday. The incident was “not an act of terrorists” according to preliminary investigations, J.
Shamim, Deputy Commissioner, Detective Department (I), Kolkata Police, said. The source of the
explosion was being ascertained though initial reports suggested that it could have been a shell,
the police said. The Commissioner of Police, with the bomb disposal squad and other officials,
visited the spot. (The Hindu 4/8/08)
Terrorism is a response to politics, not religion, says secular forum (12)
NEW DELHI: Calling terrorism a response to politics and not religion, Asghar Ali Engineer of the
All-India Secular Forum has asked the Union government and the media to stop blaming only one
section of society for all the terror attacks that the country has witnessed in the recent past.
Speaking at a press conference organised by Anhad here on Monday, he appealed to
countrymen not to be misled by religious rhetoric. “In our country the Hindutva forces too use
such rhetoric for their own political purposes. Terrorism is a political response to a political
situation. It would be futile to look for its roots in any religion. Just as Hindutva is not a product of
Hinduism, but that of a political rightwing Hindu party, the jihadis are not a product of Islam but of
politics of rightwing Muslim outfits. In principle, our secular democracy should keep religion at a
distance from governance and politics should be based on secular issues pertaining to people.”
Stating that no such violence would take place without political failure and gross political
injustices, Dr. Engineer said: “Even after Independence and vivisection of our country, we never
shed our communal outlook and communal politics. Our politicians were hardly made of secular
democratic stuff and our administrative machinery was hardly any different.” Also present at the
press the conference were Shabnam Hashmi of Anhad (Delhi), Jyotsna Shukla of Quami Ekta
Samiti and L.S. Hardenia, Editor of Secular Democracy. Ms. Hashmi said: “There are several
Muslim families in the country who have fought the during the Indian freedom struggle, we are
proud that we belong here but why are we forced to prove our patriotism after every terror attack.
We also want to know why very often innocent young men are rounded up and harassed after

every bomb blast in the country just because they happen to belong to a particular community.”
(The Hindu 5/8/08)
SIMI ban lifted (12)
New Delhi : In a major loss of face for the Centre, the ban on the Students' Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI), first imposed in 2001, has been quashed by a single-judge tribunal, which was
reviewing the case. The order, delivered to the Ministry of Home Affairs in a sealed cover, has
blamed the Government for its failure to put on record any fresh evidence of the involvement of
the dreaded organisation in terror activities. According to sources, as the Centre and Intelligence
Bureau (IB) could "not place fresh evidence pertaining to the involvement of SIMI in unlawful and
destructive activities in the country", the Unlawful Activities Prevention Tribunal (UAPT) on
Tuesday lifted the ban imposed on SIMI by the Centre. According to sources, Justice Geeta Mittal
forwarded the judgment to the Home Ministry. The order comes as a major embarrassment for
the Congress-led UPA Government, which is battling the charges of soft-pedalling terror issues,
including keeping in abeyance the hanging of Parliament attack main accused Mohammed Afzal
Guru. The order flies in the face of the charges levelled by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil that
terror attacks in BJP-ruled States happened because of weak local policing. Rattled by the
development, the Home Ministry said it would challenge the order. According to an agency report,
a Ministry spokesperson said, "The Ministry will examine the order in detail and take remedial
action on priority. A preliminary perusal of the tribunal's order indicates that it has not confirmed
the ban on SIMI on technical grounds." The order comprehensively exposes the poor follow-up of
the Centre and the counter-terror agencies functioning directly under the aegis of the MHA.
According to sources, State Governments on their part have made comprehensive presentation
on the terror bodies' involvement in various subversive activities. The Andhra Pradesh police, for
example, is reported to have presented irrefutable links of SIMI in Hyderabad blasts. Links of
SIMI in Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Varanasi, Lucknow and Malegon have already
surfaced. This organisation has come to be regarded as the fountainhead of home-grown
terrorism. "However, the State inputs could not get corroborated by the Centre and MHA
agencies," a well-placed source told The Pioneer. That Centre had adopted a lacklustre attitude
towards the issue was evident the way presentation was made by its officials during tribunal
hearings. Not satisfied with the Centre's submission, the tribunal had asked Additional Solicitor
General (ASG) AK Pathak if the Government had proof against the banned outfit "It is the
fundamental right of a person that he must know by which action of his, such strong action has
been taken against him You are saying that SIMI was involved in communal riots, bomb blasts
and destructive activities. Tell me, which riots after February 2006 were engineered by SIMI and
place the material before me," Justice Mittal said. The Centre's presentation was so poor that the
tribunal had commented: "You can't presume. You have registered 106 fresh cases. But there is
no mention of the FIR details. Some of the cases are registered in Bhopal, some in Jaipur, others
in Malegaon and Ghatkopar, but there is no mention of the FIR numbers. What is the requirement
of law What is to be tested It has serious impact." The tribunal further grilled the Additional
Solicitor General while expressing displeasure on the MHA's "casual approach". Justice Mittal
also stated that if the Centre was claiming SIMI's involvement in these activities, the onus was on
the Government to place the proof on record. Justice Mittal had asked the Home Secretary and
IB officials to appear before the tribunal to justify the ban. "What precluded the Government from
stating the facts You have to satisfy the tribunal about the sufficiency of the reason behind
issuing a fresh notification (on the ban)," Justice Mittal had obeserved. The tribunal had reserved
its judgment on August 1 after being briefed by the Home Ministry and IB officials.(Pioneer
6/8/08)
At least 100 said killed in Pakistan's tribal region (12)
Khar, Pakistan (AP): Pakistani forces bombed dozens of houses in a tribal region near the Afghan
border on Sunday, officials and witnesses said, amid reports that days of clashes have killed at
least 100 insurgents and nine paramilitary troops. Details have been scarce about the military
offensive in Bajur, an insurgent stronghold considered a possible hiding place for al-Qaida
leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri. Sardar Khan, a local police official, said two
spells of aerial bombing destroyed about 40 houses in several villages. He said bombs also

struck a school occupied by Taliban fighters in Loi Sam, a village that has been a key focus of the
fighting. Two area residents, Sher Zamin and Attaullah Khan, said army planes and helicopters
dropped bombs and shells, apparently on suspected Taliban positions. Meanwhile, an Associated
Press reporter in Khar, the main town in Bajur, saw Taliban militants patrolling and staking out
positions on roads with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns and, in some places, anti-aircraft
guns. Pakistan is under U.S. pressure to crack down on militants in its tribal areas, from where
they launch attacks on government and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Bajur offensive came in
the wake of a militant assault Wednesday on an outpost manned by security forces. Officials said
those initial clashes killed 25 militants and two troops. Conflicting casualty figures were reported
Sunday. A paramilitary Frontier Corps statement said nine troops and at least 100 militants were
killed in the last four days. But a military intelligence official placed the number of troops dead at
13. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Maulvi Umar, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, claimed the militants had handed over 22 bodies
belonging to security forces in the last three days after pleas from tribal elders. (The Hindu
10/8/08)
Terror laws in other countries (12)
Bangladesh: The new anti-terrorism law covers crimes like money laundering and financing terror
attacks, and makes these non-bailable offences, liable for death penalty and life imprisonment. It
empowers Bangladesh Bank to freeze accounts of suspected terror financiers. The time frame for
resolving a terrorism case is fixed at six months after charges are framed. Britain: Terror suspects
could be held for up to 42 days without charge. Also, pre-trial detention of terror suspects has
been increased from 28 to 42 days. France: Pre-trial detention period of two years for crimes
punishable by 10 years imprisonment and up to four years detention for crimes warranting over
10 years of imprisonment. Custody limits can be increased over the usual 48 hours to two further
periods of 24 hours each in case of terror act suspect. The person held in custody can only speak
to a lawyer after 72 hours. Germany: Anyone arrested must be brought before a judge within 24-
48 hours and in case of strong grounds for suspicion, the suspect can be remanded to custody.
Greece: A special police branch called Directorate for Special Violent Crimes (DAEV) is in charge
of all terrorism- related aspects now. Imprisonment of 10 years for terror group heads, up to two
years imprisonment for terror threats; some preparatory acts are also punishable by 10 years
imprisonment. Italy: Formulated in December 2001 as ‘‘urgent measures to fight against
international terrorism’’ the law provides seven to 15 years of imprisonment to those promoting,
constituting, leading and financing terrorist outfits, five to 10 years for those associating with such
outfits and four years for those harbouring terrorist. Rights to interception from 40 days and
longer, suspects may be held up to 24 hours without access to a lawyer Spain: Since 2004
bombings, a terror suspect can be held incommunicado for up to 13 days if there are grounds to
believe that his knowledge about suspect’s detention could prejudice investigation. Once charged
and in judicial custody, the preventive detention can last up to two years for offences drawing
imprisonment of three years or more. If the matter is tried within two years due to circumstances,
the detention could be extended for another two years — so four years detention is possible.
Effective prison sentence for a person accused of two or more terrorist offences is as long as 40
years. USA: Patriot Act 2001 allows law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail
communications, medical, financial and other records; eases restrictions on foreign intelligence
gathering within the US, expands the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial
transactions, and enhances the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in
detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. Philippines: Human
Security Act, 2007, is aimed at tackling militants in the southern Philippines. It empowers
authorities to arrest terror suspects without warrants. Compiled by Anubhuti Vishnoi (Indian
Express 14/8/08)
Brain behind the Ahmedabad blasts held (12)
AHMEDABAD: With the arrest of Abul Bashar Qasmi, alleged mastermind behind the July 26
Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts, in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, the Gujarat police said they had
unravelled the conspiracy that led to the bombings. With this, they hoped to unravel the mystery
behind similar blasts in other parts of the country, particularly in Jaipur and Hyderabad and the

Faizabad court-room blasts in Uttar Pradesh. Announcing the breakthrough at a hurriedlyconvened
press conference here, Director-General of Police P.C. Pandey said Qasmi was
arrested from a village in Azamgarh by a joint team of the U.P. and Gujarat police. He said it was
perhaps the first time in the investigations into the recent serial bomb blasts that the police had
been able to “reach right up to the mastermind.” Before Qasmi’s arrest, nine persons were
nabbed from Ahmedabad and Vadodara, all activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India
(SIMI). “We now have the entire details of how and where the plans for the Ahmedabad blasts
were chalked out, who were the people involved and how the entire plan was operationalised,”
Mr. Pandey said. All the 10 were actively involved in the planning and execution of the
Ahmedabad blasts. Mr. Pandey claimed that the same group was involved in planting bombs in
Surat. He did not agree that the Surat bombs were a mock show and claimed that the intention
was to cause extensive damage in the diamond city; but the bombs did not explode. Instead of
mechanical clocks, the group preferred timer chips in Surat. Though a native of U.P., Qasmi was
known to have spent plenty of time in Karnataka, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and several
other places and could have had a hand in the terror operations in those areas, he said. (The
Hindu 17/8/08)
14-day police remand for nine arrested in Gujarat (12)
AHMEDABAD: The metropolitan court here on Sunday granted 14-day police remand to the nine
persons arrested in connection with July 26 Ahmedabad serial blasts. The crime branch police
produced the nine people before Judge J.K. Pandya and sought their remand. The court
permitted the police to produce the accused with hand-cuffs on in view of the “dangerous nature”
of their activities and the fear of them attempting to escape from custody. The tenth person
arrested, Abul Bashar Qasmi, said to be the “mastermind” behind the blasts here and planting of
bombs in Surat, was brought here on Sunday along with a team of the Uttar Pradesh police. He
was arrested at Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. Already on a three-day transit remand
granted by a Lucknow court, Qasmi would be produced before the Ahmedabad court on Tuesday.
While government pleader N.H. Saini sought 14-day police custody, counsel for the accused,
Hasim Qureshi, opposed the remand, saying that as the accused were arrested between July 27
and August 2, there was no need for any further remand. The nine produced before the court
were Javed Sheikh, Yunus Mansuri, Samsuddin Sheikh, Arif Quadri, and Gyasuddin Sheikh (all
arrested here), and Imran, Usman Agarbattiwala, Iqbal Sheikh and Sajid Msnsuri, all picked up
from Vadodara. Chief Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the performance of the police and the
coordinated efforts to crack the terror network in such a short time. He, along with Minister of
State for Home Amit Shah, held a meeting with the top police officials in Gandhinagar. Mr. Modi
requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure early passage of the Gujarat Bill against
organised crime, which was awaiting presidential assent for nearly four years. Union Textile
Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, however, demanded that the Gujarat police submit a detailed note
on how they failed to prevent the blasts here, despite warnings from the central intelligence
agencies. He accused the police of having “deliberately planted” the bombs in Surat to divert the
people’s attention. (The Hindu 18/8/08)
Centre seeks extension of stay on tribunal order on SIMI ban (12)
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre today urged the Supreme Court to extend its stay on a tribunal's
order lifting the ban imposed on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) charged with
indulging in terrorist activities, including the recent Ahmedabad and Bangalore blasts. Additional
Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam who made an impromptu mention of the issue before a
bench of Justices B N Aggrawal, G S Singhvi and J M Panchal, submitted that the matter which
was scheduled to be heard on August 22 was not listed in the cause list (which carries details of
cases scheduled to be taken up by a court on a particular day). The ASG submitted that the
"matter was of great importance" and the stay, if not extended, would adversely affect the
country's interests. However, the air was cleared after the registry officials informed the bench
that the matter was listed for hearing on August 25. On August 6, a bench headed by the Chief
Justice K G Balakrishnan stayed a special tribunal order that had earlier ordered lifting restrictions
on its activities. The apex court had also issued notice to SIMI and posted the matter for hearing
after three weeks. The Centre has complained to the apex court that the tribunal set up under the

Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act, in its 263-page order has not expressed anything on the
merits of the case even when the government had provided Intelligence Bureau reports pointing
towards members of SIMI indulging in terrorist activities. (The Hindu 19/8/08)
Family of most wanted SIMI techie had complained of torture in 7/11 crackdown (12)
MUMBAI, August 19: While investigators step up efforts to trace the Mumbai IT professional and
alleged SIMI member Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer in connection with the Ahmedabad
serial blasts, The Indian Express has found that two years ago, his family had complained that
some of their members were “tortured” by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) during a
probe into Qureshi’s suspected links with the 7/11 Mumbai train serial blasts. While Qureshi was
never booked in the 7/11 case due to insufficient evidence, according to the Mumbai Police, a
massive manhunt had then been launched to apprehend him. He is believed to have been
responsible for collecting funds for the organisation and had undergone training in explosives and
bomb-making. Qureshi’s brother Noman Qureshi said today that the family had submitted
affidavits about what he called the ill-treatment by police during the 7/11 probe and there had
been no progress on their complaint. Noman, who works for a public relations firm in Mumbai,
said he was the only earning member of the family and appealed for the family to be left alone. In
October 2007, the Qureshis alleged that seven members of the family were picked up by the
Kurla police and detained illegally. Their affidavit was among a batch of affidavits by relatives of
several 7/11 accused. The affidavits were sent to the PMO and Chief Minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh’s office and later forwarded to then DGP PS Pasricha. The complaints, including those
from relatives of alleged 7/11 kingpins Faisal Shaikh and Muzammil Shaikh, alleged that the
police used “fourth degree” methods, holding women and elderly relatives hostage to extract
confessions. Seven affidavits from the Qureshi family said three of his brothers were picked up by
the Kurla police and detained illegally. They were allegedly beaten with belts. The affidavits
claimed the husband of one of Qureshi’s sisters was stripped, beaten and paraded before her in
the police station. “It was a time when police were under duress to make some breakthroughs in
the case. Though Qureshi was not even an accused in the case, police had picked up three of
Qureshi’s brothers,” said Shahid Azmi, the family’s lawyer. “I am unable to recall if any such
affidavit was ever filed. I can’t remember if any family had moved the PMO or the Chief Minister’s
office against the police department,” said K P Raghuvanshi, then ATS chief and now Additional
DG (Railways). Meanwhile, the ATS now suspects that Qureshi’s expertise could be behind the
e-mails claiming responsibility for the Uttar Pradesh blasts, the Jaipur blasts, the Ahmedabad
blasts and another after the Ahmedabad blasts to India TV. (Indian Express 20/8/08)
If SIMI is not curbed, public order will suffer: Centre (12)
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court, citing the
involvement of SIMI cadres in the recent bomb blasts in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, seeking to
continue the ban on the organisation. The court on August 6 stayed an order passed by the
Special Tribunal, set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, quashing the Centre’s
February 7 notification banning the Students Islamic Movement of India. As the tribunal order has
been stayed for three weeks, the matter is listed for further hearing on August 25. In its affidavit,
the Centre said investigations revealed that the accused in the bomb blasts in Ahmedabad and
Surat on July 26 were members of the SIMI. Some of the accused were earlier arrested in 2001.
This information was recently made available to the Centre by the Gujarat Government. Annexing
the depositions made by witnesses, the Centre said intelligence sources and secret surveillance
by the police made it clear that the accused had nexus with international terrorist outfits. Further,
these persons were persistently involved in more than one offence or other unlawful activities and
the nature of activities indulged in by the outfit would show secessionist tendencies and the
potential damage to the secular fabric of society. Annexing a list of over 350 terrorist-related
cases registered in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal since 2001 and the arrest of over 1,400 SIMI
cadres, the Centre said that despite the ban, the outfit had continued with its activities and
managed to keep its network alive clandestinely. The organisation was revived through the front
outfits, Tahreek-e-Ehyaa-e-Ummat, Tehreek-Talaba-e-Arabia, Tehrik Tahaffuz-e-Sha`aire Islam
and Wahadat-e-Islami. The Centre said the confessional statements of some of the accused

evealed that the cadres had secret meetings to mobilise Muslim youth to spread jihad in the
entire Indian subcontinent especially in Gujarat, and that they had planned to wage a war against
India by indoctrinating and training Muslim youth in the use of arms and ammunition. (The Hindu
21/8/08)
Arrests in Gujarat reveal new evidence linking plotters to 7/11, Samjhauta too (12)
Ahmedabad, August 23: As the Gujarat police and Central agencies investigate SIMI’s national
network following the arrests last week, they are finding leads that could link the plotters of the
July 26 serial blasts in Ahmedabad to the Mumbai train blasts in 2006 and even the Samjhauta
Express explosions the next year. Given that SIMI is suspected to be behind the Jaipur and the
UP court blasts as well, the picture emerging is of a sprawling network of operatives spread
across several states whose paths intersect several times. Sources said SIMI’s Sajid Mansuri,
one of those arrested in Gujarat, has provided crucial inputs to the Mumbai train blasts probe and
has named Karnataka dentist Mohammed Salim Honali as the man proficient in liquid-bomb
technology using hydrogen peroxide. Mansuri is said to have told his interrogators that Honali
taught SIMI cadres how to make liquid bombs at a camp in Dharwad, Karnataka. Significantly, the
devices used in the February 18, 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts had bottles with liquid hydrogen
peroxide and gelatin sticks. Honali, 31, arrested last Thursday, has told the Gujarat police that he
was a close associate of Mansuri and Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer, SIMI technical chief, and
knew how to make liquid bombs. Tauqeer is the link to the Mumbai train blasts case in which the
Maharashtra police chargesheeted SIMI general secretary Ehtesham Qureshi and local LeT chief
Faisal Sheikh. It now transpires that they also interrogated Tauqeer and Mansuri. Tauqeer is now
on the run. The Gujarat Police is waiting for the arrival of SIMI chief Safdar Nagori and his
associates from Madhya Pradesh today. Nagori’s younger brother Kamuruddin is with the Gujarat
police since August 15 and is said to have admitted to handling logistics and communication
through three cyber-cafes in Indore. (Indian Express 24/8/08)
8 die in Jammu terror siege (12)
Srinagar/Jammu: Aug. 27: Three militants holed up inside a house at Manhas Mohalla in Chinore,
20 km from Jammu, were killed in a daylong fierce gunbattle with security forces on Wednesday
but the fate of the seven people they had taken hostage was not immediately known, officials
said. Four civilians and an Army officer were killed in the operation. "The operation in Chinore is
over as the third militant has been killed around 11.30 pm," Jammu SSP Manohar Singh told
IANS. "However, the fate of the hostages is not known." The militants had gone on a shooting
spree, killing five people, including an Army officer, before the standoff between them and troops
began at Bantalab, 20 km south of Jammu. During the indiscriminate firing by terrorists at
Mishriwala and the encounter at Chinore, three Army personnel and two labourers were injured.
The terrorists had subsequently taken seven members of a family — three women and four
children — hostage. One of the militants holed up in the house told two reporters over mobile
phones they were "highly upset" over the "economic blockade" of the Valley by right-wing Hindu
activists and their "targeting" of Jammu’s Muslims. Officials said how the terrorists got the
reporters’ phone numbers just a day after sneaking across from Pakistan was a mystery. The
Army and security agencies are investigating. But was the purpose of the latest infiltration: simply
vengeance, or was there more A senior government official in Srinagar said the militants wanted
to sabotage the talks now underway with Jammu’s Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti, which, he
claimed, was nearing a solution. The reported infiltration and subsequent bloody acts by militants
came at a stage when the samiti and the four-member committee set up by governor N.N. Vohra
are preparing to hold the fourth round of talks, expected to be the decisive one. The samiti had
planned a rally in support of its demand at Jammu’s Parade Ground on Wednesday, which it
swiftly postponed "in the national interest".Police and Army authorities in Jammu said the three
terrorists, donning police uniforms and carrying AK-47s, reached Mishriwala, 25 km from Jammu,
hired an auto and started firing. Those who fell victim were Nasib Singh, an ex-serviceman, Sadiq
Hussain, a milkman, and Jagdish Kumar, an ex-serviceman. They also killed a junior
commissioned officer, V.K. Prakashan of 9 Madras, at Bantalab, where they were stopped by the
officer and were asked to prove their identities. After reaching Chinore, they killed the

autorickshaw driver, identified as Vijay Kumar. The ultras barged into the house of one Billu Ram
at 5.50 am. (Asian Age 28/8/08)
Hostages relive terror (12)
Jammu: Aug. 28: The Army and state police intensified search operations across Jammu
Thursday, a day after the fierce 19-hour gunbattle at Chinore, ending 1 am Thursday, with the
Army managing to rescue seven of the 11 hostages, including four children, and killing all three
militants. Three hostages — Sandeep Singh Chib, eyewitness to the killing of the autorickshaw
driver (who had been forced at gunpoint to drive the militants to Jammu); Territorial Army jawan
Sham Murari; and Ashok Manhas, a tutor — were killed by militants at Billu Ram’s house, where
they had holed up. According to Billu’s wife Sunita and mother Biro Devi, who too were among
the hostages, along with Billu’s children Sheetal, Kajal, Vipin and Nishant; and his brother Tarsem
and his wife Ritu, it was Tarsem’s presence of mind which saved their lives. Sources claimed that
Sham Murari (an informer), who was following the militants right from Mishriwala, had entered
Billu Ram’s house minutes before the militants stormed in. Sandeep too entered the house to
escape from the militants who were firing indiscriminately. Ashok was already there along with
other members of the family. "I made an escape from there when I was directed by them to lock
the door which leads to our roof," claimed Biro Devi. Said Tarsem, recalling those hours of terror:
"The terrorists barged in and asked those present not to raise a voice. Yet after they killed three
persons, two of them unknown to us, I requested them to have mercy on the children. Blood was
spilled everywhere, we were terror-struck. The condition of children can be well-imagined. I
pleaded — kill us but, spare the children and women. I managed somehow to send them (the
women and children) into another room. (But) after they (terrorists) felt they had no escape route,
they asked the children to come out." Tarsem, showing considerable presence of mind, sought
permission to bring the children himself. "As I entered the other room where the children and
women were hiding, I bolted it from inside and placed a bed and almirah to block the door. They
started banging on the door and opened fire. Two bullets hit my sister-in-law Sunita, and she
started bleeding profusely. But we did not open the door," Tarsem recalled. The children, who are
now with their mother Sunita, who is being treated at Jammu’s Medical College Hospital, have
still not come out of the trauma. Kajal and Sheetal, though, did manage to speak briefly to
reporters. "It was simply scary," they said about their long ordeal. Jammu IGP K. Rajendra,
speaking to the media, said searches were being conducted at Samba, Kathua and Reasi
districts, in addition to the Jammu region. "There are reports that more terrorists have sneaked in
and they can even target religious places to create terror," he warned. (Asian Age 29/8/08)
Serial blasts rock Delhi (12)
New Delhi: Five explosions rocked the busy central and south Delhi areas of the national capital
late Saturday evening, killing at least 30 and injuring over 90 persons as terrorists returned to
their favourite hunting ground after a gap of almost three years. Two unexploded bombs, one
near India Gate and the other in Connaught Place, were recovered by Delhi Police. The first of
the five blasts went off around 6.30 PM in Gaffar Market in the popular shopping of Karol Bagh,
barely four kms away from the Parliament House. The second explosion happened within ten
minutes in the busy Connaught Place area, near Nirmal Tower along the Barakhamba Road. Two
more explosives went off within the next twenty minutes within 100-metre distance from the
second one - one near Gopal Das Bhawan, along the Barakhamba Road and the other in the
central park area of Connaught Place. The spot shifted to the elite M-Block market in Greater
Kailash Part-I in South Delhi located around 15 kms from Connaught Place area, where another
blast took place. Giving the details of the blasts, Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said
the injured were shifted to hospitals in the vicinity of the blasts. Several victims were removed
from the blast sites to hospitals in autos and taxies by people who were witness to these blasts,
even before the Police arrived at these spots. Virtually mocking at the country's intelligence and
security establishment, the Indian Mujahideen-the breakaway faction of the banned militant outfit
Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) -- claimed the responsibility for the serial blasts. In e-
mails sent to media houses in the national capital, the outfit that had also claimed responsibility
for the Jaipur and Ahmedabad blasts announced that "Indian Mujahideen strikes back once
more." The impact of the blasts in Karol Bagh could be gauged by the fact that an auto rickshaw

was tossed up in the air and it got caught in the electrical wires. Panicked senior Delhi Police
officials rushed to the blast site to assess the situation. The explosive here was believed to have
been kept near a Maruti car. Several vehicles were badly damaged due to the impact of the blast,
police said. The explosive in the blast near Nirmal Towers was apparently kept in a dust bin. The
blast sites showed that low intensity ammonium nitrate tied to integrated circuits had caused the
blasts. The intelligence and security agencies could do very little to prevent the blasts though they
claimed that they had information from interrogations from Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts of
July 24 and 25 that the terrorists were planning to target Delhi and Chennai. Two arrests were
made within hours, said Police sources. As many as four live bombs were recovered and
defused preventing higher casualties. The first unexploded bomb was recovered near India Gate,
while another found from a dustbin at Regal cinema in Connaught Place, Joint Commissioner of
Police Ajay Kashyap said. A third live bomb was found in Connaught Place’s Central Park and
the fourth at the Parliament Street. Explosive experts of National Security Guard have rushed to
the sites and defused the bombs. The Saturday serial blasts in the national were the fourth serial
blasts in the country this year alone, after blasts in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Delhi’s
last deadly serial blasts were on October 29, 2005 when three explosions shook the city in which
over 60 persons were killed while more than 200 were injured. A shaken Manmohan Singh
government announced Rs three lakh as compensation to the next of kin of those killed in the
blasts. Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to
those killed. (Deccan Herald 14/9/08)
Indian Mujahideen: 'Capital' strikes for publicity
New Delhi (PTI): Indian Mujahideen, which surfaced on the country's terror radar 10 months ago,
has once again managed to shake the country by exploding five bombs in three busy markets in
the heart of the nation and experts feel that important places were being made targets for media
attention. The militant group first emerged on the national front when it send an email to some
media groups on November 23, 2007, minutes before bombs exploded in buildings of three trial
courts in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, one of them situated in Lucknow, the state's capital.
Former Intelligence Bureau Chief A K Doval feels the group is targeting major cities, mainly
"Capitals" because it wants "Global Media Attraction." "They want to terrorise people and
terrorism thrives on publicity. So, they target such areas from where they would get maximum
media attention," Doval said. Echoing his thoughts, former RAW Secretary A S Dulat said the
motive is to gain publicity. (The Hindu 14/9/08)
BJP vows to bring back Pota, CPM slams govt (12)
BANGALORE/NEW DELHI, Sept. 14: The BJP today promised to bring back Pota, besides taking
other tough measures to check terrorism within 100 days of coming to power at the Centre,
including seeking of Presidential assent for state specific anti terror laws. According to the party,
these measures are necessary as the spate of serial blasts in major cities recently, including the
national Capital last evening, had clearly indicated that terrorism's local roots had spread wider.
Equally disconcerting, according to Mr LK Advani, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, was the
open support that terrorism was receiving in certain sections of the political class, a totally new
development in the country. Addressing the national executive meet of the party on the
concluding day here, Mr Advani attacked the UPA government for not implementing the Supreme
Court's verdict and convicting a terrorist to death sentence .Of equal concern, he said were the
utterances of two Cabinet minister who had publicly defended Simi, the banned militant
organisation ,without even being reprimanded by the Prime Minister. All these were dangerous
portents underscoring the heightened responsibility of his own party making it all the more
determined to set right the situation in the event it came to power. The CPI-M too, today
demanded that the government announce what anti-terror measures it has taken even as it
condemned yesterday’s serial blasts. The party’s Politburo in a statement here said the Central
government should convene a Parliament session immediately and table a report. “Why have the
Intelligence and security set up failed to identify and dismantle the terrorist groups that are
operating,” the party asked. (The Statesman 15/9/08)
Patil rejects necessity of Pota like laws (12)

GUWAHATI: Sept. 14: Union home minister Shivraj Patil here on Sunday rejected the necessity
of tougher law to tackle the terror network while arguing that Parliament and Mumbai was
attacked when the Pota was in place. Mr Patil who was here for an aerial survey of the flood-hit
areas told reporters, "We are working out strategies for a long-term measure to tackle the
situation." Mr Patil said, "The Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau and RAW can not tackle the
situation alone." In reference to remarks of Opposition political parties, the home minister said,
"Let us not make it a political issue." (Asian Age 15/9/08)
Manmohan: we need to strengthen anti-terror laws (12)
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday hit out at the role of Pakistanbased
terrorist groups in the recent serial bomb blasts, but said the involvement of local elements
added a new dimension to the terrorist threat. “We have reports that certain Pakistan-based
terrorists outfits are constantly seeking to set up new terrorist modules within our country. This is
a matter of the utmost concern. We have increased vigilance on our borders … But in view of the
growing involvement of local elements, this is not enough,” he said. Favouring further
strengthening of anti-terror laws, Dr. Singh noted that security and intelligence agencies had been
successful in thwarting and pre-empting several terrorist attacks. “But as the recent blasts in
Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Surat and Delhi indicate, there are still vast gaps in intelligence.
These need to be overcome.” The Prime Minister, addressing the Governors’ Conference on its
concluding day, focussed on Left-wing extremism, terrorism and his government’s approach to
tackling the menace. The theme of internal security and terrorism also figured in President
Pratibha Patil’s inaugural address on Tuesday. She voiced concern at the emerging “metroterrorism”
and favoured firm action against those who followed the path and culture of the
gun.Emphasising that there was no question of the government being soft on terrorism, Dr. Singh
said the “issue is really one of examining the efficacy of the totality of the systems and the
mechanisms that we have to deal with terrorist incidents.” He said it was unfortunate that the
public debate on terrorism tended to get driven by politics and centred on certain laws enacted or
repealed by governments of different political persuasions. “Our government has no fixed,
inflexible, or ideological view in this regard,” Dr. Singh said. He said the government was
considering legislation to further strengthen the substantive anti-terrorism law in line with the
global consensus on the fight against terrorism. (The Hindu 18/9/08)
Delhi blasts: 'Hang my son if he is guilty' (12)
Mumbai, September 17: The mother of Abdus Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer, prime accused in
the Delhi and Ahmedabad serial blasts, asked her son to surrender before the authorities
irrespective of whether he is innocent or not. "If my son is found guilty by the court and
authorities, then I would not stop them from punishing him. He could be hanged before our eyes,"
a tearful Zubeda Qureshi said. Addressing a press conference in south Mumbai, Zubeda said
Abdus would never commit such an act considering his upbringing. "We come from a very good
family and have good traditions," she said. "Our children have been brought up well and are living
in peace with members of all communities," Zubeda, clad in a black burqa (veil), said. She also
said her son had been staying with his wife separately since 2001 in suburban Mira Road and
they had no idea about what activities he was involved in. "We do not want any more trouble for
our family because of him," Zubeda said. None of the other members of the family was present at
the press conference fearing action against them, the family's lawyer Mubin Solkar said. Tauqeer
was named by the Gujarat police as being one of the masterminds behind the Ahmedabad serial
blasts. He is also accused of having sent the threatening emails for Terror group Indian
Mujahideen from Mumbai. In a written statement signed by Abdus' parents, Usman and Zubeda,
they said following the Blasts in Ahmedabad and Delhi they found "to their horror" that their son
was accused of being involved in the dreadful act. "We wish to state that given the values and
principles with which we have brought up our children, it is impossible to believe that Abdus
Subhan would ever indulge in such acts of violence and terrorism," they said. His parents said
Abdus had studied and worked with people from different communities and therefore it was
unlikely that he had hatred for them. Pleading with him to surrender, they said that by concealing
himself Abdus would only make himself more prone to further accusations and would become a
"soft target" in the event of any other terrorist act in future. "It is very painful that the media has

already passed a guilty verdict against our son even before he has been tried by a court of law,"
they said. Their lawyer Solkar said soon after the serial train blasts in Mumbai on July 11, 2006,
Abdus ceased to keep in... (Indian Express 18/9/08)
POTA draconian, we have tougher anti-terror laws: Govt (12)
PM Manmohan Singh at his residence after the cabinet meeting.New Delhi, September 18: Under
flak over recent Terror strikes, Government on Thursday announced several measures to
strengthen intelligence machinery including creation of a wing to analyse new modus operandi
being adopted by terrorists. At the same time, the Government categorically ruled out any move
to bring in an anti-terror law like POTA. "No, No, No. It is a draconian (law) and against human
rights. If the present anti-terror laws are implemented properly, there is no requirement for
additional laws," Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters in Delhi.
"What do you mean by tougher anti-terror laws. Some of our laws are much more strong than
those in the US and UK," he shot back when asked whether the government was planning to
bring in an anti-terror law similar to POTA. (Indian Express 19/9/08)
2 terrorists shot dead in Delhi (12)
NEW DELHI: Two suspected terrorists, including a key Indian Mujahideen functionary who played
a major role in the Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and the recent Delhi serial blasts, were
gunned down in an encounter with the Special Cell of the Delhi police at Batla House in South
Delhi on Friday. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, a highly decorated officer, who led the
operation, was killed in the encounter. The Special Cell, which was in touch with its Gujarat and
Rajasthan counterparts, received a tip-off that Mohammad Bashir, alias Atiq, of the Indian
Mujahideen involved in the Ahmedabad blasts, had been living with some other suspected
militants in a flat at L-18 Batla House. A team led by Mr. Sharma cordoned off the area on Friday
morning, Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told a press conference. The operation began around
10.30 a.m. after armed policemen took positions outside the building. Around 11 a.m., another
team went up to the flat on the fourth floor where the suspected militants were hiding. “The police
team was fired upon. In all, eight rounds were fired by the militants and the police fired 22 rounds.
Sharma sustained three bullet injuries and head constable Balwant took one shot in the hand,”
said Mr. Dadwal, adding that two militants managed to flee under fire cover. An AK series assault
rifle and two .30 pistols were found at the spot. A suspected militant, Saif Ahmad, was arrested.
Those killed were identified as Bashir and Mohammad Fakruddin, alias Sajed, both residents of
Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Investigations revealed that Bashir, who had links with another
alleged top Indian Mujahideen member Mohammad Subhan Qureshi, alias Tauqeer, was part of
the core group that executed the Ahmedabad blasts on July 26. He had allegedly configured the
bombs. The police said they had sound evidence to establish that Bashir took 10 men to
Ahmedabad on July 24 and returned to Delhi on July 27 following the blasts. “He brought back a
dozen people with him, two of whom had arranged stolen vehicles that were used in the blasts
there,” said Mr. Dadwal. Back in the Capital, Bashir allegedly started preparing for the blasts and
conducted a reconnaissance of marketplaces to fix the targets. According to the police, Bashir
was an expert in making improvised explosive devices and apparently configured the bombs
planted near Gaffar Market, Connaught Place and M-Block Market of Greater Kailash. He went to
Jaipur on July 13 to trigger blasts there, the police said. Saif is being interrogated to tie up the
loose ends of the conspiracy hatched to trigger the blasts and also to track down the other Indian
Mujahideen militants. Mr. Dadwal said the Batla House operation was carried out solely by the
Special Cell and it had no connection with the presence of Abul Bashar Qasmi, main accused in
the Ahmedabad blasts, in the Capital on Thursday. “In fact, Bashir did not have any link with Abul
Bashar,” said another police officer.(The Hindu 20/9/08)
40 killed in Islamabad blast (12)
ISLAMABAD: A massive blast, possibly caused by an explosives-packed truck, outside the
Pakistan capital’s luxury Marriott hotel on Saturday night killed at least 40 people and wounded
150. Many parts of the hotel caught fire in the minutes after the explosion, with flames rising up
from the building for hours afterwards. The impact of the explosion left a crater about 25 feet
deep and 70 feet wide. The blast destroyed the lower portions of the entire front length of the

hotel. The fire that started in the levels above appeared to have started from flying bits of
explosives from the vehicle or a short circuit due to the extensive destruction. Army troops were
deployed at the hotel for rescue operations. Geo television reported 60 killed. Some westerners
were among the wounded. No foreigner was among the dead taken to hospitals. The explosion
came at 8 p.m., hours after President Asif Ali Zardari, in an address to Parliament, said, “We must
root out terrorism and extremism, wherever and whenever they rear their ugly head.” Interior
Minister Rehman Malik, who was visiting a hospital after the blast, told journalists that the
National Assembly, where Mr. Zardari spoke, was the actual target of the attack. The hotel is
located in the same high security “red zone” as the National Assembly and other important
government buildings where security was its highest ever for Mr. Zardari’s maiden speech to
Parliament. At the moment the blast shook the capital, the President, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gillani, Army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, other top brass and political dignitaries were attending
an Iftaar reception at the Prime Minister’s House less than a kilometre from the hotel. The hotel
too was crowded with various Iftaar-associated receptions at the end of another day of fasting in
the Ramzan month. According to a guard who was at the security barrier with a sniffer Labrador
dog and was fortunate to survive the attack, a vehicle drove up to the main entrance of the hotel.
The driver got off and shouted to everyone around to flee “within three minutes.” Many people
standing around, including the guard, who narrated this account, took the warning and ran away
and heard the explosion as they fled. The blast was heard through the length and breadth of the
capital. Another eyewitness said this vehicle was followed by a dumper truck that bumped against
the security barrier and stopped. Its engine caught fire and within seconds, there was a deadly
explosion from the truck. (The Hindu 21/9/08)
Three suspects behind Delhi blasts arrested (12)
NEW DELHI: Three suspected terrorists involved in the Delhi serial blasts and part of the module
that planned to set off 20 more bomb explosions in the city were arrested at Jamia Nagar in
South Delhi on Sunday. Identified as Zia ur Rehman (22), Mohammad Shakeel (24) and Saqib
Nissar (25), the three were detained late on Saturday night following a tip-off. They were arrested
a few hours later after they reportedly confessed to their involvement in the serial blasts in Delhi.
Zia ur Rehman’s father Abdul Rehman, a stenographer with the Public Works Department in Uttar
Pradesh, has also been arrested. He allegedly forged the signature of the house owner in the
lease agreement for the L-18 flat in Batla House, the scene of the encounter in which two
suspected militants were killed this past Friday. Of the 13-member Indian Mujahideen module that
is suspected to be behind the serial blasts, five have been arrested so far. Two others —
Mohammad Bashir alias Atif and Mohammad Fakruddin — were killed in the gun battle with the
police. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H.G.S. Dhaliwal said the terror module was
planning to set off at least 20 bombs in different parts of the Capital, including Nehru Place in
South Delhi. “Atif, who was killed in the recent encounter, had confided in Shakeel a plan to carry
out another serial blast in the Capital. It was to be executed in the near future,” he added.
According to Mr. Dhaliwal, Zia, a B.A. final year student at Jamia Millia Islamia, was in charge of
logistics of the module. “Zia had also planted a bomb, neatly wrapped in two grey-coloured
polythene bags and concealed in a school bag, at Connaught Place. Both Zia and Shakeel have
confessed to having planted bombs at Maninagar in Ahmedabad,” he said. Shakeel, an M.A.
(Economics) final year student at Jamia, was the ideologue and indoctrinated the members of the
module to make the supreme sacrifice for the sake of their religion, police said. Saqib, the third
accused, is pursuing an MBA course through correspondence. At a separate press conference,
Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh said Atif, Saif Ahmad and some of their
accomplices had also planted bombs at Gorakhpur and Varanasi. (The Hindu 22/9/08)
Blast in Delhi again, two killed (12)
NEW DELHI: Exactly a fortnight after a series of five blasts rocked the Capital, a bomb exploded
in the crowded Mehrauli area of South Delhi on Saturday, claiming the lives of a nine-year-old
boy and a 60-year-old unidentified man. Nearly two dozen people were injured. The police
believe that the blast is not linked to the September 13 explosions. However, a red alert has been
sounded in the Capital. According to eyewitnesses, two men riding a black motorcycle dropped a
polythene bag containing the bomb near an electrical goods shop at the Mehrauli Sarai market

around 2-15 p.m. Nine-year-old Santosh, who was standing nearby, thought the duo had
accidentally dropped the bag and picked it up to return it to the riders when the bomb exploded.
The impact of the blast was such that Santosh’s head was blown off and he was tossed into the
air. Tilak Raj, who was in the market, said: “Soon after the blast, the lane was filled with thick
smoke. When it cleared, I saw people lying on the road in blood-splattered clothes writhing in
pain. A boy was lying motionless.” Baldev Khattar, who was at the entrance of his electronic
goods shop, was injured, but his nephew, Vikas, escaped unhurt as he was inside. Several other
shopkeepers and passers-by were injured. “Three of the four shops damaged in the blast belong
to the Khattar family,” said Jitender, who works in a utensils shop. Residents and shopkeepers
immediately called up the police and rushed the injured to the All-India Institute of Medical
Sciences, Safdarjung Hospital and Fortis Hospital. (The Hindu 28/9/08)
NSA meets top US anti-terror outfits (12)
National Security Advisor M K Narayanan got in touch with DNI Director Mike McConnell, the
highest-ranking intelligence official in US.ON BOARD PM’S AIRCRAFT, September 28: With
pressure mounting on the UPA Government over increasing Terror incidents, National Security
Advisor M K Narayanan spent over seven hours on his last day in New York holding long
meetings with top officials from the Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) and Homeland
Security to understand how the US has managed to avert a major attack since 9/11. It’s learnt
that Narayanan got in touch with DNI Director Mike McConnell, the highest-ranking intelligence
official in the US. The DNI is an umbrella organisation created after 9/11 to which some 16 key
agencies, including the CIA, Homeland Security report, so that there can be coordination of
intelligence inputs. He also met the Under Secretary in-charge of intelligence and analysis in the
Department of Homeland Security, Charles Allan, in a series of meetings. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh made it clear as well that the Government needed to improve its intelligence
apparatus, investigating methods and prosecution methods. When asked about Saturday’s blast
in South Delhi in which two persons were killed, he said: “My heart goes out to those who have
lost their dear ones and those who have suffered injuries. It is not possible for me from this
distance to comment on who is responsible for this outrage, but all I can say is that it once again
demonstrates that we have to tighten our intelligence gathering and strengthen our investigation
processes, we have to strengthen our prosecution processes. But we cannot give up our fight
against terror.” Narayanan’s meetings were an indication of certain urgency in the Government,
though officials admitted that it may be difficult to transplant measures adopted by the DNI and
Homeland Security in India. Incidentally, McConnell had visited India earlier this year, soon after
he took over, and met Narayanan as well as heads of the Intelligence Bureau and RAW. (Indian
Express 29/9/08)
Two killed, 16 injured in blast in Gujarat town (12)
AHMEDABAD: Two people were killed and 16 injured, three of them critically, in a bomb blast in
the minority-dominated Tuka Bazar at Modasa town in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district on Monday
night. The police said it was almost a re-enactment of Saturday’s bomb blast at Mehrauli in Delhi.
As at Mehrauli, two persons riding a motorbike through the Tuka Bazar — a market full of eating
houses where members of the minority community gathered after breaking the day’s “Roza” —
dropped a bag outside a restaurant around 9.30 p.m. A resident, Jainuddin, picked up the bag
and just as he was checking its contents, the bomb exploded, killing him on the spot. Ayub Ghori,
who was injured, died in hospital. The police cordoned off the area and were investigating the
identity of the motorbike riders. In the morning, 17 low-intensity crude bombs were recovered
from the Kot-ni-Rang area at Kalupur in the old city of Ahmedabad. A bomb squad defused them.
An official of the squad said the bombs with shrapnel and other discarded materials were
designed to create panic, not to cause grievous injuries. The bombs were kept in small tins in a
bucket, which was left in a dustbin. The Union Home Ministry is closely monitoring the situation
arising out of an explosion at Modasa. Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta was in touch with senior
officials of the Gujarat government and police authorities there, a Home Ministry spokesperson
said. The Ministry appealed to the people to maintain calm and guard against rumours. In
Maharashtra, two people were killed and 35 injured in a blast in a hotel in the Bhikhu Chowk area
of the communally sensitive, powerloom town of Malegaon on Monday night. Eight others,

including six policemen, were injured in stone throwing resorted to by a mob after the explosion,
the police said. The mob also damaged the jeep of the sub-divisional-magistrate, the police said.
The police fired in the air to disperse the mob. (The Hindu 30/9/08)
Tripura serial blasts: Two killed, 100 hurt (12)
Guwahati: At least two people were killed and more than 100 injured on Wednesday in serial
explosions in Agartala, capital of Tripura, officials said. A police spokesman said there were five
explosions, four in crowded marketplaces and another at a bus station. "All the blasts took place
in a span of about an hour beginning 7.30 pm during peak evening hours with shoppers and
vendors busy ahead of Id and Durga Puja festivals," police spokesman Nepal Das said. Two
people died on the spot at one of the explosion sites at GB Bazar and Maharajganj Bazar in the
heart of Agartala. "About 100 people were injured in the serial blasts, 10 of them critically,"
another police official said. While three of the blasts were reported to be 'powerful', two other
explosions were of low intensity. The injured were shifted to local hospitals with multiple wounds.
"Investigations are on to ascertain the nature of explosives or the terror group involved in the
explosions," Das said. There are two local militant groups in Tripura although both the outfits
were lying low for the last two years. "Tripura militant groups are not known to trigger explosions
and hence the suspicion is on groups from outside the State or even from across the border," a
senior police official said requesting not to be named. Tripura shares a 8560-km-long border with
Bangladesh, with Agartala just two kms away from the border with Bangladesh. (Pioneer 2/10/08)
'They said we split India, then called us communal' (12)
Malegaon, October 2: Two days after a bomb blast killed five Muslims in Maharashtra’s
communally sensitive town of Malegaon and briefly sparked mob violence, the state police had
said on Wednesday that it was nervous about namaaz on Eid as tens of thousands of devout
were expected to gather and emotions could once again flare. What they got instead on Thursday
were tears.“First you pointed fingers at us, saying that we divided the country. Then you told us
that we are communal, and now you tell us we are terrorists,” one of Malegaon’s most prominent
clerics, Mufti Mohammed Ismail, said as he led 1.5 lakh people at namaaz at the Idgah Maidan in
the textile town. And then he broke down in full public view, after condemning Monday night’s
blast which hit the town after Muslims had broken their fasts. His words struck a chord with many
in the crowd and brought tears in their eyes too. While urging Muslim youth to have “better sense
and a conscience”, the imam asked the Government and the police to ensure that innocent
people were not rounded up as suspects. Speaking of “secular politics”, he said, “Kaan khol ke
sun lo, jo qaum tumhe takhto taj pe bitha sakti hai, wohi qaum tumhara janaaza bhi nikaal sakti
hai.” (A community which can place you on a pedestal can also take out your funeral procession).
Hundreds of policemen guarded the venue as the imam touched on “callous investigations”,
“innocent Muslims identified as terrorists” and of the lack of justice for the 2006 serial blasts which
killed 37 people. The idea of “an educated Muslim”, the imam said, was lost today as educated
young men were picked up without evidence and then shown as involved in Terror activities. The
prayer session ended with the imam asking the community to remain alert and help a “just
investigation” if they get leads. Meanwhile, the Collector visited the families of the five killed in the
blasts and handed them compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each. (Indian Express 3/10/08)
Hindu extremist groups on radar in Malegaon probe (12)
Mumbai, October 2: A day after the Maharashtra Police said it could not rule out the possibility of
a Hindu extremist hand in Monday’s blast in Malegaon, investigators are revisiting the crude
bombs that were planted in auditoriums on the outskirts of Mumbai earlier this year. The state
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) last month charged six members of two Hindu revivalist
organisations, the Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS), for the incidents in
Thane, Vashi and Panvel, and its members will be questioned in connection with the Malegaon
blast, sources in the ATS told 'The Indian Express' on Wednesday. “The possibility of Hindu
extremist groups being involved is being probed along with other possibilities. We will soon
question members of the Sanatan Sanstha and the HJS,” said a senior ATS official. On
September 11, the ATS had filed a 1,020-page chargesheet against six arrested accused for their
alleged involvement in a small explosion that took place at a Panvel theatre screening Bollywood

film Jodhaa Akbar on February 20, a crude bomb planted at Vishnudas Bhave auditorium in
Vashi on May 31 as well as a bomb that exploded at Gadkari Rangayatan auditorium in Thane on
June 4. The Vashi and Thane halls were showing a Marathi play which apparently poked fun at
the Mahabharat. All six are members of the Sanatan Sanstha and the HJS, although the
organisations claimed that they had no role and the men may have acted on their own. During
interrogation, the six are also said to have said that their activities were not at the behest of the
organisations. The ATS chargesheet made no mention of the role of the two
organisations.However, the ATS is now planning to file a supplementary chargesheet after getting
new evidence. According to sources, there is a strong possibility that both organisations might
find a mention in it. “Our investigations are continuing and we will file a supplementary
chargesheet. This time, there might be a mention of the HJS and Sanatan Sanstha,” said the
officer. Responding to questions from The Indian Express, Dr Durgesh Samant, the national
spokesperson of the HJS, said: “If the police want to question us, they are free to do so.
However, we deny any involvement in the Malegaon blast. We are against such acts, and
condemn them.” Sanatan Sanstha spokesman Abhay Vartak said this was an attempt by the
police to misguide people and “appease... (Indian Express 3/10/08)
Three Central teams rushed to Agartala to investigate serial blasts (12)
Guwahati: Three Central teams rushed to Agartala on Thursday to investigate Wednesday night’s
serial blasts that left 74 injured, three of them critically. The teams from the National Security
Guards, the Intelligence Bureau and the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Kolkata, visited the
blast sites to gather evidence. Police have detained six persons for questioning. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh spoke to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar about the blasts and the
prevailing situation. Mr. Sarkar apprised Dr. Singh of the incidents and measures initiated by his
government. Dr. Singh strongly condemned the attack on innocent people and wished the injured
speedy recovery. On Wednesday night, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil also spoke to Mr.
Sarkar. Mr. Sarkar told The Hindu that he could not comment immediately as the State and
Central governments were working together and investigating the matter. “We hope to be able to
form some opinion by tomorrow [Friday].” He had a review meeting with police top brass and
senior State government officials. He asked the administration to step up security measures for
the Durga Puja festival. Sources said the government agencies were trying to ascertain if the
blasts had any similarity with the ones in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Banglaore. The police said
ammonium nitrate and fuel oil were suspected to have been used in the bombs. Director-General
of Police Pranay Sahay said the police had not been able to pinpoint the involvement of any
group or outfit in the blasts. Five cases had been registered in connection with the blasts. An
angle being explored is whether the blasts were the handiwork of forces bent on scuttling the
State’s development. The blasts took place hours after results of the by-election to various local
bodies were announced. The ruling Left Front swept the poll, winning 74 per cent of the seats. Of
the 153 seats to which by-elections were held on September 27, the Left Front won in 123, with
the CPI (M) alone bagging 120 seats. The Left Front has also secured 32 seats uncontested.
Candidates of Opposition parties forfeited their securities in most of the seats. The Opposition
Congress, however, accused the Left Front government of ignoring the warnings by Central
intelligence agencies and not taking adequate measures to thwart terrorist attacks…… (The
Hindu 3/10/08)
17 killed in Imphal blast (12)
Imphal: At least 17 people were killed and more than 30 injured on Tuesday night when
unidentified militants exploded a bomb attached to a two-wheeler near a police commando
complex in Imphal West district. Sources said the victims included a few security personnel.
While 13 people died on the spot, four succumbed to injuries in hospital. The condition of many of
the injured is critical, sources said. — PTI (The Hindu 22/10/08)
POTA review panel’s recommendation binding on Gujarat: Supreme Court (12)
New Delhi: In a big relief to the accused in Godhra/ post Godhra-related cases, the Supreme
Court on Tuesday held that the findings of the POTA Review Committee that “there is no prima
facie case against the accused to proceed with POTA charges” was binding on the Gujarat

government. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice R.V. Raveendran
and Justice Dalveer Bhandari (who gave a separate but concurring judgment) gave this ruling
while upholding the constitutional validity of certain provisions of Prevention of Terrorism (Repeal)
Act 2004 empowering the Review Committee to render its findings on the applicability or
otherwise of the POTA charges invoked on the accused. The Act, which came into force from
September 21, 2004, said that no fresh case under POTA could be taken cognisance of beyond
September 20, 2005. Section 60 (4 to 7) of this Act said any direction issued by the Review
Committee “shall be binding on the Central government, the State government and the police
officer investigating the offence and the proceedings pending against the accused shall be
deemed to have been withdrawn from the date of such direction.” The Review Committee
concerned, which examined the cases filed by the Gujarat government in Godhra and post
Godhra-related cases, held that there was no prima facie case for invoking POTA charges. While
relatives of some of the victims of the Godhra train tragedy moved the Gujarat High Court against
the committee’s findings, the accused moved the court for the State’s refusal to accept the
recommendations. Disposing of a batch of appeals, the Bench upheld the 2004 Act and said
“Parliament in its plenary power can make an outright repeal which will not only destroy the
effectiveness of the repealed Act in future, but also operate to destroy all existing inchoate rights
and pending proceedings.” Writing the judgment for himself and Justice Raveendran, the Chief
Justice said since Parliament had the power to repeal a law outright, all those proceedings would
come to an end, “when a duly constituted Review Committee with a sitting or retired Judge of the
High Court as Chairman, reviews the cases registered under the repealed Act and reaches the
opinion that there is no prima facie case for proceeding against the accused.” The Bench: “When
the Review Committee opines that there is no prima facie case for proceeding against the
accused, on review of the pending POTA cases, such cases, even though cognisance has been
taken by the court, shall be deemed to have been withdrawn without anything further to be done.”
The Bench, however, said: “The opinion of the RC [Review Committee] is open to judicial review
under Article 226 of the Constitution [to move High court]. Any person aggrieved by the opinion
can challenge it in a writ petition...” (The Hindu 22/10/08)
Assam: toll rises to 77, dozen suspects held (12)
GUWAHATI: The death toll in the serial bombings in Assam rose to 77 with 13 more people
succumbing to their injuries, even as a dozen suspects were picked up for interrogation from
various parts of the state, officials said Friday. "The death toll as of now is 77 with several of the
injured succumbing at various hospitals across Assam," Assam Home Commissioner Subhas
Das said. Police, meanwhile, picked up about a dozen suspects for interrogation. "We are making
good headway in our investigations and should be able to zero in on the people or groups
involved in the serial bombings," said a senior Assam police official requesting anonymity. It was
a black Thursday for Assam as the state was rocked by a wave of bombings - 12 blasts in quick
succession - six in Guwahati, and six in the three western districts of Barpeta, Kokrajhar and
Bongaigaon. Sixty-four people were killed Thursday in the bombings that also left more than 300
wounded, at least 70 of them critically. "The injured are being treated at various hospitals and if
required we shall shift some of the victims to Delhi or other places for advanced treatment,"
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told IANS. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader
L.K. Advani Friday visited blast sites in Guwahati and met injured victims at the hospital although
he was greeted with the slogan "Go back Advani" by lawyers in the city. "We don't want
politicians to come and politicise the situation," a group of lawyers shouted as he visited one of
the blast sites. The BJP leader lashed out at the central and the state governments for failing to
provide security to the people. "The government both at the centre and in Assam is responsible
for the blasts. Illegal Bangladeshi infiltration is one of the reasons and the prime minister needs to
explain to the people what the government did to check the influx," Advani told reporters. While
there was anger in the eyes of the people, police investigators were trying to piece together
evidence from the blast sites. "We cannot comment on anything now," said a National Security
Guards (NSG) detective in Guwahati. A seven-member elite NSG team arrived Thursday evening
to help in the investigations. "We are determined to fight back terror and ensure security to the
people of Assam," said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Home Minister Shivraj Patil is scheduled to
arrive in Guwahati later Friday to take stock of the situation (New India Exp 1/11/08)

'Malegaon blast arrest exposes Hindu militancy' (12)
Mumbai, October 30: : Muslim intellectuals and political leaders said that the arrest of a Sadhvi
and other activists in connection with the Malegaon and Modasa blasts, marks a good begining in
exposing the role of Hindu outfits in Terror activities. "This is just a tip of the iceberg and names
of many top brass leaders of Hindu right wing organisations would figure if the investigations are
carried out without any political pressure," said Prof Dr Anwar Amir Ansari, Secretary, Aman
Committee. "Though it (arrest of Hindu fundamentalists) is a late action, its a good beginning, let
there be impartial probe, Ansari said. "Why there are double standards in booking the accused
under soft act and why are they are they not placed under stringent laws like MCOCA," Ansari
asked. Chief Maulana Kashmiri, said, with these arrests police can lead to the real culprits
involved in the earlier blasts including the Mumbai train blasts. "Why the ATS is not talking openly
to the media. Is it under any pressure from the government" Kashmiri asked. He also rubbished
reports that the move is to appease the minorities with an eye on the forthcoming elections.
"Terrorism does not have any religion, but this is a reality, that members of the Hindu outfit have
been involved, but of course they are not members of BJP," Hyder Azam, BJP Minority Cell,
Mumbai President said. (Indian Express 1/11/08)
Top terror recruiter arrested formally (12)
Kannur: The newly formed special anti-terror squad of the Kerala Police on Monday formally
arrested Mujeeb (28) of Mouvanchery, Chakkarakkal, Kannur after the officials were convinced of
his terror links following six days of intense interrogation in a secret facility. With this those put
under arrest for terror operations so far by the squad headed in Kannur by S Sreejith,
Superintendent of Police, rose to three, the others being NDF activist Abdul Jaleel and terror
recruiter Muhammad Faizal. Sources in the police confirmed that Mujeeb, like Faizal, was a
recruiter of young men from Kerala for the terror outfits based in Pakistan. He was taken into
custody by the Kollam police from his wife’s house in Ochira on October 28. Mujeeb had gone
into hinding just when the police were observing his activities as per the information received by
them during the interrogation of the others arrested. The Superintendent of Police, Kollam, later
handed him over to Sreejith. Sources confirmed that Mujeeb had recruited several young men
from Kannur for terror outfits. The hunt for two other top Lashkar-e-Taiba recruiters, Nazeer of
Neerchal, Kannur and Ibrahim Moulvi of Vellamunda, Wayanad district, were still on, and sources
said they could fall into the police net anytime. Officials indicated that Mujeeb was an associate of
Nazeer and Ibrahim Moulvi in recruiting young men to be sent to Pakistan for training in terror
operations. Sources suspected that Jaleel, Faizal and Ninar of Thayyil, Kannur, who was already
in custody but yet to be arrested formally, were sub-agents functioning under the top recruiter-trio
of Nazeer, Ibrahim Moulvi and Mujeeb. However, a clear picture would emerge only after further
investigations. But the police had already got convincing information that the four Malayalee
ultras — Muhammad Yasin, Muhammad Fayaz, Muhammad Faiz and Abdul Raheem — killed by
security forces in Kashmir last month had been recruited by the Nazeer-Ibrahim-Mujeeb trio. The
police were of the belief that Nazeer, trained in terror operations in Pakistan and elsewhere, was
the seniormost recruiter in Kannur. Ibrahim Moulvi was mostly in charge of taking classes for
recruited and prospective recruited young men, by traveling all over the State. Sources in the
police said that they had got evidences to prove that he had organised classes in Kannur city,
Neerchal, Thana and Maithanappally. They said that Ibrahim Moulvi, who had married a girl from
Kappad, used to visit her house regularly. Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police handed
over the bodies of the four Malayalaee militants killed by security forces in Kupwara sector while
trying to sneak into Pakistan early October to the Lalpura Masjid Committee. The relatives of the
killed terror operatives, Yasin, Fayaz, Faiz and Raheem, had refused to receive the bodies
despite the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s offer to hand over them. At the same time, Islamist
organisation NDF and Adbul Nasser Madani’s PDP, presently under the shadow of suspicion in
the context of the Kerala Police’s terror hunt, launched pre-emptive campaigns to project
themselves as peace-loving outfits. The NDF held a massive demonstration followed by a public
meeting in Kannur, in which hundreds of activists participated asking the Government “not to
destroy Kerala by creating terror”. Senior leaders of the organisation addressed the participants
at the public meeting. PDP’s working chairman Poonthura Siraj alleged that the Indian Union

Muslim League, the second largest constituent of the Congress-led Opposition UDF in Kerala,
was responsible for the growth of extremism in the State. He demanded an intense probe into the
sources of funds the Muslim League had been receiving from abroad. Siraj also wanted the
Government to launch an investigation into the frequent (once in a week) visits abroad by Muslim
League leaders. (Pioneer 4/11/08)
'I have done my job', blast accused told Sadhvi: (12)
Nashik, November 3: : Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, arrested in connection with Malegaon blasts,
allegedly had a long telephonic conversation with the absconding main accused in the case and
told him why there had been lesser casualties in the incident, the prosecution told a court in
Nashik. The lawyer of Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad told chief judicial magistrate K D Boche,
before whom Thakur and two others were produced amidst high drama, that during the long
conversation between her and prime accused Ramji after the September 29 Malegaon blasts,
Ramji told her "I have done my job." Pragya asked Ramji whether police have seized her
motorcycle used in Malegaon blasts and why less people had killed in the blasts, said the
prosecution. Ramji told Pragya that "I did not find proper parking place for the bike", claimed the
prosecution. The court sent the sadhvi, Shivnarayan Singh Kalsangram and Shyam Bhawarlal
Sahu to magisterial custody till November 17 in connection with the blast that left six persons
dead. When the CJM asked Pragya Singh Thakur whether she wanted to speak, the sadhvi
replied, "I have to tell you a lot of things and needs long time." She asked the court: "can I get
justice" Pragya fainted briefly but regained consciousness after having water. The court also
remanded three others arrested in connection with the Malegaon blasts to police custody till
November 10. They are Ajay Rahirkar, Jagdish Mhatre and Rakesh Dhawade. Meanwhile the
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), of Mumbai police on Monday said they have solid proof against the
key accused in the Malegaon blasts case. The ATS had arrested Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
along with two others -- Shivnarayan Singh Kalsangram and Shyam Bhawarlal Sahu in this case.
(Indian Express 4/11/08)
Attacks meant to prove that Hindus aren’t weak: Purohit (12)
BANGALORE: Lt-Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit, the first serving officer to be arrested as a
terror suspect, is reported to have confessed during his narco test in Bangalore that he planned
the attack in Malegaon to ‘‘prove that Hindus are not weak”. According to Forensic Science
laboratory and ATS sources here, Purohit is said to have broken down a number of times during
the test. He is reported to have emphasised the fact that he was an honest officer and that it was
not his fault. He said he came under the influence of a spiritual mentor of Abhinav Bharat. Purohit
told interrogators that when he was posted in Malegaon, his duty was to collate information on
terror suspects. During the course of his work, he had stumbled on a group owing allegiance to
SIMI, which had assembled bombs in previous attacks. Sources quoting Purohit approached
them for help. He wanted them to assemble bombs to target mosques. Realising his intentions,
the SIMI terror cell declined. However, he is said to have managed to get some people to plant
the bombs and replicate the SIMI modus operandi to hoodwink cops. (The Hindu 16/11/08)
Terror laws diluted (12)
NEW DELHI, Nov. 17: While most of the countries have enacted tough laws to deal with
terrorism, the provisions of the existing anti-terror laws in India have been diluted over a period of
time, according to an official study. The second Administrative Reforms Commission, appointed
by the Centre, has found that when compared anti-terror laws in India have lost teeth and there is
a serious threat to the security of the country from terrorists who are “highly organised, motivated
and possessing links with international terrorist groups”. It said the existing penal laws in the
country were not enacted to deal with this situation. “There is ample evidence to indicate that
terrorists have been able to escape the law either by exploiting the loopholes or by intimidating
witnesses to subvert justice,” this panel headed by Mr M Veeprappa Moily noted. Many western
countries with strong traditions of democracy and civil liberty have enacted legislations to deal
with the threat of terrorism, it said. Among others they have provisions for special fast track
courts which make securing bail extremely difficult for the accused and enhanced penalties to cut
the source of funding for terror activities, the panel said. In said, in comparison to this while

India’s Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) had provisions for constitution
of designated courts, Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) has provision for special courts. The
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has, however, have no provision for special courts. While
TADA had a provision for imprisonment for five years extending to life term, there was no mention
of minimum punishment in POTA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. (Statesman
18/11/08)
Anti-terror laws lose teeth in India: Official study (12)
New Delhi, November 16: : In what could be music to BJP's ears, an official study of the
provisions of existing anti-terror acts shows that they have been ‘diluted’ over a period of time.
The fact that such laws have lost teeth comes to light when provisions of anti-terror laws in India
are analysed and compared with similar laws in some other countries. The comparison, drawn by
the second Administrative Reforms Commission appointed by the Centre, shows while most
countries were adopting tough anti-terrorism measures, the provisions of similar laws "have been
diluted in India over a period of time". Amdist a raging debate on the need for having tougher antiterror
laws, the main opposition BJP has been accusing the Congress-led UPA at the Centre of
being soft on Terror and has declared that if it comes to power it would bring back POTA. Ads By
GoogleThe saffron party is also making a political capital out of the "failure" of the Centre to give
assent to Gujarat's GUJCOC anti-terror legislation which has similar provisions like that of
MOCOCA in Congress-ruled Maharashtra. The refrain of the Centre has been that the current
provisions in various Acts are adequate enough to deal with terrorism and that certain stringent
provisions of POTA have been incorporated in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Noting
that there was a serious threat to the security of the country from terrorists who are "highly
organised, motivated and possessing links with international terrorist groups", the panel noted
that the existing penal laws in the country were not enacted to deal with this situation. "There is
ample evidence to indicate that terrorists have been able to escape the law either by exploiting
the loopholes or by intimidating witnesses to subvert justice," it said. The panel, headed by M
Veeprappa Moily, pointed out that many western countries with strong traditions of democracy
and civil liberty have enacted legislations to deal with the threat of terrorism. Their laws contain
provisions pertaining to constitution of special fast track courts, making release on bail extremely
difficult for the accused, and enhanced penalties cutting the source of funding for terror activities,
among others. It said a comparison on anti-terror laws in India shows Terrorism and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act had provisions for constitution of designated courts, while POTA
provided for special courts. But the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has no provision for
special courts, it said. (Indian Express 18/11/08)
Politics helped Hindutva terrorists (12)
NEW DELHI: Authorities in Madhya Pradesh had evidence that members of Abhinav Bharat (not
the charitable trust by the same name) — the Hindutva terror group responsible for a string of
recent bombings targeting Muslims — were preparing for a nationwide bombing campaign as
early as 2002. However, government sources told The Hindu, political pressures allowed
members of the terror cell, including two suspects now being investigated by the Maharashtra
Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad, to walk free. In December 2002, police in Madhya Pradesh
discovered an improvised explosive device at Bhopal’s railway station. A second IED was found
exactly a year later in Bhopal’s Lamba Khera neighbourhood. Both devices were made with
commercial TNT cased in a four-inch tube-well pipe, linked to a detonator controlled both by a cell
phone and a quartz alarm clock. Investigators determined that both bombs were intended to
attack delegates arriving in the city for the annual convention of the Tablighi Jamaat — an event
that attracts about 5 lakh people. Arguably the world’s largest proselytising order, the Pakistanheadquartered
Tablighi Jamaat is doctrinally hostile to politics and has been criticised by radical
Islamists for its pietist posture. However, some numbers of jihadists are known to have been
drawn to terrorism after spending time in Tablighi Jamaat-linked missionary cells. Madhya
Pradesh police, the sources said, soon developed information linking the attempted bombings to
local Hindutva activists, Ramnarayan Kalsangram and Sunil Joshi. Both men — now alleged by
the Maharashtra Police ATS to have occupied command positions in Abhinav Bharat — were
questioned, along with several other suspects linked to the Bajrang Dal’s activities. Later, then-

Chief Minister Digvijay Singh announced that he had evidence of the involvement of Hindu
nationalist groups such as the Bajrang Dal in terrorism. (The Hindu 20/11/08)
NSA to brief Advani on Malegaon blast probe (12)
NEW DELHI: Two days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up BJP leader L K Advani in
regard to his allegations about torture of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a key accused in the
Malegaon blast case, National Security Advisor M K Naryanan will meet the BJP leader on Friday
to discuss the ongoing ATS probe. Intelligence Bureau Chief P C Haldar will also be present at
the meeting, highly placed BJP sources said. According to BJP sources, Advani forcefully took up
the sadhvi's case on Tuesday when the PM called him up to offer to share details of the
investigations into the Malegaon blast leading to the arrests of the sadhvi and Lt Colonel Shrikant
Purohit. "Have you gone through the affidavit filed by Pragya in the Nashik court where she has
given details of how she was tortured and was kept in illegal detention for 16 days I was
outraged when I read the account and I am sure that you would feel the same," Advani is learnt to
have told the PM. The Leader of Opposition also strongly objected to the Malegaon case being
called a case of Hindu terror. "Before that, I had only objected to the expression `Hindu terror' for
the Malegaon blast. My point was simple, we never used descriptions like Muslim terror or Sikh
terror. Then why are we describing the Malegaon case as an act of Hindu terror," Advani is learnt
to have told the PM, according to sources close to Advani. Advani also used the conversation to
rebut any suggestion that the BJP had reversed its stand on terrorism because of the "faith" of
Malegaon suspects. "A terrorist is a terrorist. He has no religion. He is a criminal and should be
treated as one," he told the PM. Singh had called Advani just after he issued a strongly-worded
statement attacking the "barbaric treatment" of the sadhvi by Maharashtra's anti-terrorism squad
and against the backdrop BJP ratcheting up its protest against Malegaon arrests. Singh had
offered to send national security advisor M K Narayanan over to Advani to explain the details of
the case, in what is seen as reflecting recognition on the government's part of the fallout that
BJP's protests can have for the investigations into Malegaon and other suspected cases of
`Hindu terror'. (Times of India 21/11/08)
Rules out POTA-like law (12)
NEW DELHI: Rejecting the BJP’s demand, the Centre on Saturday ruled out introduction of a
POTA-like law. Instead, it asked the States to raise special forces to tackle the menace of terror,
which was fast spreading its tentacles across the country. Addressing a two-day conference of
Directors-General and Inspectors-General of Police here, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said
the relevant portions of the repealed Act had been incorporated in the existing anti-terror law. “We
have laws which have provisions to deal with terrorism. They should be used properly.” Mr. Patil
said when the Prevention of Terrorism Act was repealed, some relevant chapters were
transferred into the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act “lock, stock and barrel.” The chapters had
provisions useful to control terrorist activities, free flow of funds to terror groups and relating to the
admissibility of certain kinds of evidence collected with the help of electronic equipment. There
were provisions in POTA which went against the principles of criminal jurisprudence. (The Hindu
23/11/08)
Terrorists kill 78 in 5-star Mumbai (12)
Mumbai: Nov. 26: Terrorists virtually took over posh South Mumbai on Wednesday night,
attacking the Taj and Oberoi hotels as well as the Trident and the Ramada, the Chhattrapati
Shivaji Terminus railway hub and other places with AK-47 assault rifles and grenades. At least 78
people were killed and around 200 others seriously injured. Five police officers were among those
killed, including ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who was shot dead by the terrorists outside the CST
police station; additional commissioner Ashok Kamte; encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and a
DIG. Two of the city’s biggest five-star hotels, the Oberoi and the Taj, were under siege at the
time of going to press early on Thursday morning. Gunmen are reported to have taken hostages
in the Taj. Ten gunmen were holed up inside both the hotels. A blast occurred at the Taj at 12.15
am. Gunfire was also reported from the Ramada Hotel late in the night. At one point, the terrorists
were tossing grenades out of the windows of the hotels. More explosions were later heard in both
hotels. Television reports claimed that American citizens in particular were being targeted in the

hotels, where the terrorists were believed to be picking out their room numbers from staffers held
hostage and from the hotel guest registers. Armed with an AK-47 and a rifle, two terrorists
dressed in jeans and T-shirts barged into a restaurant at the Taj and herded American and British
passport holders to the hotel roof. One of the hostages who escaped said the terrorists took 15
people, half of them foreigners, hostage. Rakesh Patel, a businessman from London who lives in
Hong Kong, told a TV station: "Two young boys came to the restaurant and took us upstairs. We
were taken to the 18th floor, from where we escaped." He said the terrorists wanted to know if
any of the hostages was carrying American or British passports. The Army was asked to assist
and five columns were being sent to Mumbai. NSG personnel were also on their way. Navy
commandos were requested to help the city police. Five blasts were initially reported from Santa
Cruz, Vile Parle, Sandhurst Road and Nariman Point. Terrorists opened fire at four places —
Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Colaba and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). According to
eyewitnesses at Colaba, men carrying assault rifles opened fire in the iconic Leopold restaurant,
packed with diners, most of them foreign nationals. The attackers threw grenades before opening
fire at all the spots. Two terrorists were reportedly shot dead at Girgaum chowpatty. Explosions
and gunfire were also heard outside Cama Hospital. Outside the Oberoi Hotel at Nariman Point,
many people strolling outside the hotel were caught in the indiscriminate firing. Many of those
injured were guests at the hotel, while others were seaside revellers. A social worker at St.
George’s Hospital in the Fort area said the number of people being wheeled in had almost
reached 200, and that this figure included both the injured and the dead. Eyewitnesses at CST
said that as soon as a train pulled into Platform 4, they heard shots being fired and did not leave
the compartment till the shooting subsided. Two blasts were reported from Dockyard Station and
Vile Parle at approximately 11 pm. The intensity of the blasts and the number of people injured
was not known. There were also unconfirmed reports of two blasts at Napean Sea Road. The
Maharashtra government declared it was a terror attack even as the police and Army personnel
swung into action. K.P. Raghuvanshi, additional DG (railways), said, "It is too early to say
anything at the moment, but we suspect it was a terror attack." Deputy chief minister R.R. Patil
wanted to rush toColaba after hearing about the shootings at the Taj and Leopold restaurant, but
police officials advised the minister against it as shots were still being fired. However, the minister
later reached Colaba police station and had a discussion with senior police officials about the
situation. (Asian Age 27/11/08)
Fierce fighting rages in Mumbai (12)
MUMBAI: Deafening blasts and fierce gun battles continued late into the night on Thursday at two
five star hotels and Nariman House in South Mumbai as the elite National Security Guard (NSG)
and the Army grappled with terrorists who have been wreaking havoc on the financial hub since
Wednesday night. Maharashtra Director-General of Police A.N. Roy said that four suspected
terrorists were killed in the Taj Mahal operation and that more deaths were likely. He held himself
back on the number of people who may still be inside the hotel, though people have been
evacuated throughout the day. Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor said the Taj
Operation was nearing an end and that most of the hotel's occupants were evacuated. (A PTI
report that came beyond midnight said all but one of the terrorists holed up in the hotel had been
killed in a commando raid, although shots were still heard. One militant was neutralised by crack
commandos and is injured, according to NSG Director- General J.K. Dutt. At the Nariman House,
seven hostages were rescued.) Mumbai's latest terror attack, which has claimed 125 lives so far,
has numbed its usually resilient citizens. Most people preferred to stay indoors and roads and
public transport were almost empty. Schools and colleges were closed. Following a rare decision,
the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange remained closed, as did forex and
commodity markets. Twenty to 25 suspected terrorist are estimated to have entered Mumbai,
according to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. He put the number of terrorists killed at seven.
The random firing by the suspected terrorists injured 294 people, six of them seriously. Even 24
hours after terrorists sprayed bullets and entered the Taj Mahal hotel, the Oberoi/Trident and
Nariman House, the ordeal showed no sign of abating. NSG personnel, the Military Police, the
Army and the Navy, commandos and the State Reserve Police Force were waging a battle.
Gunshots and explosions were heard intermittently. The NSG personnel are said to be carrying
out small explosions to gain access and to create tunnels to help evacuate those trapped. At the

landmark Taj Mahal Hotel, they were positioned at various places. Another team was combating
the terrorists inside. The top portion of the hotel caught fire late on Wednesday night and huge
plumes of smoke were seen. Later, fires were seen in other parts of the building throughout the
night and on Thursday into the night.Rescue operations began early on Thursday and rescuers
did their best to help those trapped. It was a tense situation as cries of help echoed through the
night. Very little was known about how many people were still inside the hotels and how many
were held hostage. Officially 400 persons were evacuated from the Taj Mahal hotel and about 70
from the Hotel Oberoi/Trident. Six army columns were pressed into action apart from 200 NSG
personnel. Mr. Deshmukh denied there was a hostage-like situation anywhere. He said most
people had locked themselves inside their rooms. He said the situation would be resolved by
Thursday night or Friday morning. The Chief Minister said nine persons had been detained. He
denied any knowledge of the group to which the terrorists belonged. The State had received no
advance information on the attack. Investigations were on to confirm if the men came by boats.
They possibly landed at the Gateway of India. The police cordoned off the entire Trident hotel.
Truckloads of NSG and Marine commandos went inside in batches. People were still inside and
gunfire and blasts continued through the day. As the day wore on, the picture of terror strikes all
over the city became clear and the government reported 13 incidents of firing, starting from the
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 9.21 p.m. The station was peaceful on Thursday. Blasts took
place at the Taj, BPT Colony at Mazgaon, the Oberoi/Trident (three blasts), the Colaba Market
and in a taxi at Vile Parle. Hand grenades exploded at Cama Hospital and on Free Press Road.
(The Hindu 28/11/08)
Patil quits, Chidambaram takes charge of Home (12)
NEW DELHI: Four days after unprecedented terror attacks shook Mumbai, Union Finance
Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday replaced Shivraj Patil as the new Home Minister. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh entrusted Mr. Chidambaram with the responsibility of overhauling the
country's internal security set-up in the wake of increasing terror-related attacks in the recent past
and finally the one that jolted Mumbai on November 26-28 and took nearly 200 lives and left
about 300 people injured. It was the first political fallout of the terror attacks, mounted by welltrained
and equipped cadres of the Lashkar- e-Taiba who unleashed a reign of terror at about a
dozen places in Mumbai, including two luxury hotels. It took a 60-hour commando operation to
flush out the terrorists. President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, who is on a visit to Indonesia, has
accepted Mr. Patil's resignation from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect. "Further, as
advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Mr. P. Chidambaram be allocated
the portfolio of the Minister of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister shall look after the Ministry of
Finance," a Rashtrapati Bhavan press communiqu‚, issued from Jakarta, said on Sunday. Mr.
Chidambaram served as Minister of State for Internal Security in the Home Ministry in the Rajiv
Gandhi Cabinet in 1984. He took charge of the Commerce Ministry before becoming Finance
Minister during the United Front government rule in 1996 and has been guiding the affairs of the
Finance Ministry since 2004 when the United Progressive Alliance government took office.
Enough indications were available that Mr. Patil would have to go following strong criticism at the
Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Saturday for his handling of internal security
situation. The highest decision- making body of the Congress advocated zero-tolerance towards
terrorism and reiterated the party's resolve to give a "befitting and hard-hitting reply" to those who
dared to challenge the sovereignty of the nation. On Sunday morning, Mr. Patil decided to step
down and submitted his resignation to Dr. Singh, owning moral responsibility for the failure to
prevent terror attacks such as the one in Mumbai. Sources close to Mr. Patil said he did not want
the party and the UPA government to suffer because of the terror attacks and decided to quit.
Senior party leaders and some Union Ministers strongly felt that accountability at the highest level
should be fixed for the Mumbai terror attacks, described as "India's 9/11." Mr. Patil faced criticism
for his statements on earlier terrorist strikes - be it at Varanasi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad,
Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi - or situation in the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir or naxal violence
in more than a dozen States. Informed sources in the government did not rule out the possibility
of some more heads rolling as the UPA government, with a few months left in office, goes about
the business of revamping the internal security set-up and intelligence machinery. … (The Hindu
1/12/08)

Terror attack death toll 172: Health Department (12)
MUMBAI: The Health Department has confirmed the death of 172 people in the recent terror
attacks in the city. The number of injured in hospitals is 248. Another 44 have taken treatment in
the outpatient departments, said a source. Twenty-one foreign nationals died in the attacks.
These include three Germans, an American, a Briton, a Thai, a Japanese, two Canadians, an
Australian, an Italian, a Chinese and six Israelis and three unknown persons. Out of the 22
injured foreigners, three are German, two Americans, five Britons, a Norwegian, a Spanish, a
Filipino, a Canadian, a Finn, an Austrian, an Italian, two Omanis, two Chinese and a Jordanian.
Ten employees of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower lost their lives in the attacks. In a statement,
the Managing Director of Taj Hotels condoled their deaths. He also expressed sorrow over the
death of the family members of an employee. “Another cause for most profound sadness has
been the death of family members of employees. The wife and two children of Karambir Kang,
General Manager of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower were killed on the first night of the terrorist
attack.” The hotel will organise a memorial service for the dead. “We stand together, unified in
grief at their passing and in respect of their honour and courage.” The Taj group has set up a
support system for its injured employees. It comprises medical care and counselling. The
management has not yet been given full control of the premises as combing operations were still
on, said a spokesperson. Meanwhile, the management is providing help to its distraught guests.
“We have set up a Taj helpline and a helpdesk. They are available on our website
http://www.tajhotels.com. We are offering medical help and financial assistance. We have so far
received around 2,500 requests from our guests about their belongings and access to their
rooms. We have kept one container for each room to collect all the belonging of the room.
Everybody is cooperative,” he said. The hotel has not yet been able to put together its losses. “It
is difficult to estimate the losses at this stage. The palace wing [in the old building] has been
severely affected. The dome of the heritage wing has been badly damaged. So are the fifth and
the sixth floors, two restaurants and a portion of the ballroom,” he said. (The Hindu 1/12/08)
7,000 died in terror attacks in UPA rule (12)
New Delhi: Nov. 30: The UPA government's rule has seen nearly 7,000 casualties in terrorist
incidents recording over 25,000 incidents, according to the latest data available with the Union
home ministry. This year till September 1, a record 3,157 incidents took place in which 760
people died. The figures for the current year exclude the Mumbai terror attacks in which nearly
200 people have died. While the first year of the UPA government saw 6,029 incidents that
claimed 1,721 lives, the number of incidents fell as also the number of casualties from the next
year onwards. In 2005, there were 5,709 incidents in which 1,598 people died while in 2006 there
were 5,240 attacks that left 1,352 people dead. In the following year, 4,907 incidents occurred in
which 1,215 people lost their lives. Major terror strikes during the UPA period include the
Hyderabad blasts that claimed over 40 lives, the Samjhauta Express explosion in which 68
people died and the Malegaon and serial train attacks in Mumbai that left over 230 dead, besides
the latest Mumbai attacks. During the NDA period, it saw 36,259 incidents and 11,714
deaths.(Asian Age 1/12/08)
Pranab rules out military action (12)
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said “time will show” what
action India will take in response to the Mumbai terror attacks. Every sovereign nation has the
right to protect its territorial integrity and take action as it saw fit, he told journalists. He, however,
cautioned against misinterpreting his observation to mean military action. “What will be done, time
will show and you will come to know,” Mr. Mukherjee said when asked about U.S. President-elect
Barack Obama’s suggestion that India had the “right to protect itself.” Mr. Mukherjee’s remark
came even as three influential United States Senators, including John McCain who lost the
presidential race, “struck by the emotions” expressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
Mr. Mukherjee, urged India not to consider the option of war. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice, on her visit here on Wednesday, is expected to urge India to exercise restraint in the light of
Dr. Singh’s statement that there would be a “cost” attached if neighbours allowed their territories

to be used for terror attacks on India. Highly placed official sources also dismissed the talk of
India mobilising troops on the border, suspending air and rail links and putting a halt to the peace
process as “motivated propaganda,” aimed at diverting the attention from the Mumbai attacks.
They said it was not correct on the part of a section of media to suggest that Mr. Mukherjee spoke
in a threatening tone to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah
Mahmood Qureshi. “This is nothing but propaganda. Mr. Mukherjee had one conversation, that
too with Mr. Qureshi while he did not speak to Mr. Zardari. It was a polite conversation and he
spoke from a prepared text,” they said. Speaking after an Indo-Arab function, Mr. Mukherjee said
India had called for handing over several persons suspected of having committed acts of terror on
its territory and New Delhi would wait for Pakistan’s response. “Now, we have in our demarche
asked [for] the arrest and handover of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are
fugitives of Indian law… there are lists of about 20 persons. [These] lists are sometimes altered
and this exercise is going on and we have renewed it in our demarche,” he said. Mr. McCain, who
has advocated using military power in the U.S.–led war against terror, on Tuesday said “no” when
asked whether repeated terror attacks on India meant that New Delhi should follow the U.S. and
attack Pakistan. (The Hindu 3/12/08)
Show of solidarity at Gateway of India (12)
MUMBAI: A week after Mumbai was struck by coordinated terror attacks, in an unprecedented
display of solidarity, thousands of residents gathered at Citizens from all over Mumbai gathered
around the Taj to support and fight back against the terror. The Gateway of India is a stone's
throw away from heritage Taj hotel, one of the locations hit by the audacious attacks. People
carrying candles and placards in memory of the victims reached the Gateway, some of them in
processions via Dadabhai Naoroji Road and paid tributes to those who had fallen to the terrorists'
bullets and grenades, including brave heart policemen and NSG commandos. People were seen
shouting slogans against politicians, blaming them for the state of affairs in the country. "I feel
that politicians should be made answerable for their actions, or like in this case, inactions which
are causing the country dearly," Ram Varma, a resident of suburban Bandra was quoted as
saying. Tens of thousands of people across the country poured into the streets and held candlelight
vigils and peace marches on Wednesday evening in a spontaneous show of solidarity with
residents of terror-ravaged Mumbai which saw an unprecedented turnout at Gateway of India
voicing their anger against the politicians. Shouting slogans, people gathered in Jantar Mantar in
Delhi, near Cubbon park in Bangalore, War Memorial in Secunderabad and at the Maidan and
College street in Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai as Mumbai emerged from the pall of shock and
grief that hung over the city since the 26/11 attacks that claimed 181 lives. Posters and placards
vividly captured the anger and concern as young and old, women and children thronged the
iconic red sandstone Gateway to India opposite the Taj Mahal hotel which along with Trident-
Oberoi bore the brunt of last Wednesday's terror attacks. "Enough of terrorism", "Let us kill
terrorism Halla Boll!", "Politicians get out" and "We want actions not words" were some of the
messages conveyed in banners and placards. "We have never seen such a show of solidarity for
a single cause at the Gateway of India," said Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, as white candles were lit
around a wreath of red roses laid on the cobbled plaza of the harbourfront structure. As dusk fell,
the Taj Mahal was fully lit with roads packed with people right from Colaba police station till the
Gateway and Regal. In other metros too, anger was the all pervasive emotion. In Kolkata, a
Pakistani flag was burnt by protestors who condemned Islamabad's "hand" in the terror attack.
"Enough is enough," said a placard in Bangalore "Terrorism has no religion. People should unite
in the fight against terror," said Sandeep Mishra, an engineer at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. (Times of
India 4/12/08)
4100 terror attacks in India from 1970-2004 (12)
WASHINGTON: India faced more than 4,100 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2004,
accounting for more than 12,000 fatalities, according to the Global Terrorism Database. The
database is maintained by the University of Maryland and the US National Consortium for the
Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). START's Terrorist Organisation
Profiles (TOPs) collection has information on 56 groups known to have engaged in terrorism in
India, including the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). About 12,540 terrorist-related

fatalities in India between 1970 and 2004 - an average of almost 360 fatalities per year from
terrorism in India. These fatalities peaked in 1991 and 1992, when 1,184 and 1,132 individuals
(respectively) were killed in such incidents, a University of Maryland statement said. These
figures are on the lower side as official figures in India put the toll at around 70,000 deaths.
Terrorists in India have employed a variety of attack types over time, 38.7 percent of terrorist
events were facility attacks, 29.7 percent were bombings (in which the intent was to destroy a
specific facility), and 25.5 percent were assassinations. Last week's terror attacks in Mumbai,
which left at least 183 dead, would be classified as a series of coordinated facility attacks. (Times
of India 4/12/08)
Terror threat to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai airports (12)
NEW DELHI: Airports in Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai were on Wednesday night put on high
security alert in the wake of intelligence inputs that terrorists of Pakistan or Afghanistan origin
may strike these installations by this weekend ahead of the anniversary of demolition of Babri
Masjid. The Civil Aviation Bureau is understood to have sent out the alert to the three airports
following intelligence reports that several suspected terrorists have infilitrated into the country to
carry out strikes. The security alert came a day after top officials of Civil Aviation Ministry, Air
Force, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and DGCA held a meeting here to review the
preparedness of "different layers" of security apparatus and safety mechanism in major airports
as well as in the airspace in the wake of intelligence inputs. Authorities have received "specific"
information that terrorists were planning to attack airports on this weekend, sources said. Keeping
this in mind, sources said, "ladder-point" (at the time of boarding the plane) security checks have
been introduced. Major airports across the country, especially those in the western region, have
been on high alert and extra vigil for the past few days following the terror strikes in Mumbai.
Extra surveillance has been mounted in most of the airports, with additional CISF and police
personnel being deployed to keep an eye around the terminal as well as the perimeter. Sniffer
dogs have been deployed in some airports, while watchers in plainclothes were also put on the
job. Sky Marshals were being put on planes flying on sensitive routes, sources said. (Times of
India 4/12/08)
UN chief calls PM on attack (12)
New Delhi: Dec. 3: In his bid to show solidarity with India in the aftermath of Mumbai terror
attacks, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday called up Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. He expressed his concerns and agreed on the need for "full cooperation" by the
international community in ensuring that the perpetrators of terror strikes are brought to justice.
He expressed determination to provide a lead role for the UN in dealing with terrorism, which has
now become a global menace. Condemning the terror attack in Mumbai, he expressed his
deepest sympathies to the families of those killed and wounded in the attacks, which lasted for
three days. During a telephonic conversation, Mr Ban and Dr Singh agreed that it was critical to
bring the perpetrators of the carnage to justice and that all should fully cooperate in this effort, an
official release from the UN Information Centre said. Mr Ban commended the courage and
resilience shown by the government and people of India, it said.(Asian Age 4/12/08)
Rice joins India to warn Pak (12)
New Delhi/Islamabad: Dec. 3: The United States on Wednesday reminded Pakistan that it needs
to act "transparently, fully and urgently" against terrorism emanating from its soil. Stopping short
of rebuking Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, visiting US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice
said in New Delhi that "very direct and tough action" is called for against non-state actors when
they are operating within the boundaries of a state. "The fact is sometimes non-state actors
operate from the confines of the state. There has to be very direct and tough action (by
Islamabad) against them," she said at a joint press conference with external affairs minister
Pranab Mukherjee here on Wednesday. "It is still a matter of responsibility if it relates to your
territory... The Pakistani response should be one of cooperation and action. That is what we
expect," she elaborated. Mr Zardari had taken the position that the November 26 terrorist attacks
in Mumbai were carried out by stateless actors. "These (terrorists) are stateless actors who have
been operating throughout the region. They include gunmen and planners and are holding the

entire world hostage," he said while appearing in CNN’s Larry King Live programme on Tuesday
night. He asserted that the "State of Pakistan" is not responsible for the attacks in Mumbai. Mr
Zardari also rejected India’s demand to hand over Lashkar-e-Tayyaba chief Hafiz Mohammed
Sayeed and other fugitives and doubted whether the arrested terrorist is a Pakistani national. Two
days after New Delhi’s demarche demanding the handing over of 20 fugitives, Mr Zardari made
known Pakistan’s reluctance: "If we had proof, we would try them in our courts. We would try
them in our land and we would sentence them," he said on the TV show. India’s list of 20
included mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar. Ms Rice also
said the goal of all responsible countries should be to investigate the terrorist attacks in Mumbai,
bring its perpetrators to justice, and to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. "Pakistan has an
essential role to play in this," said Ms Rice, who is expected in Pakistan on Thursday. A
combative Mr Mukherjee said there is no doubt that the terrorist attacks in Mumbai were carried
out by individuals who came from Pakistan and whose controllers are in Pakistan. "This is an
assessment that is widely shared by the international community," he said. The Government of
India is determined to act decisively to protect India’s territorial integrity and the right of our
citizens to a peaceful life with all the means at our disposal," Mr Mukherjee said with
uncharacteristic candour. He asserted that New Delhi expects cooperation from Islamabad to
ensure that the terrorists and organisations who perpetrated the attacks in Mumbai are arrested
and brought to justice. "We expect all friendly governments and the international community to
ensure that this happens," he insisted…….. (Asian Age 4/12/08)
Zardari promises action (12)
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari promised “strong” action against any Pakistani elements
found involved in the Mumbai attacks after a meeting on Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice who asked the government here to act with “urgency” to bring the perpetrators
to book. Ms. Rice sought to send out the message that the U.S. was interested in finding the
perpetrators by underlining in her meetings with the Pakistani leadership that U.S. nationals were
also killed. The U.S. official, who also met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army chief
Gen. Asfaq Parvez Kayani, told a press conference later that she found the Pakistan government
“focussed” and “committed” to rooting out terrorist elements. Mr. Zardari’s office said in a
statement that he “reiterated that the government will not only assist in the investigation but also
take strong action against any Pakistani elements found involved in the attack[s].” According to
the statement, he told Ms. Rice that Pakistan was “determined to ensure that its territory is not
used for any act of terrorism.” A detailed statement from the Prime Minister’s office said that in
her discussions with Mr. Gilani, Ms. Rice “noted that not only innocent Indians but nationals of
other countries including the United States had been targeted.” (The Hindu 5/12/08)
US, India: We've proof of ISI role in Mumbai attacks (12)
New Delhi: India has proof that ISI was involved in planning the Mumbai Terror attacks and
training the terrorists who killed 183 people during a 60-hour siege of the country's financial
capital, sources said. The names of trainers and the places where meticulous training took place
are also known to the government, the sources said. The United States is believed to have even
more evidence some of which it has shared with India, they said. Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of
Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who was in Pakistan on Wednesday, is believed to have told his
Pakistani interlocutors that Washington had enough evidence to show a Pakistani hand in the
attack, the sources said. Sources also refuse to believe that the Pakistani army did not have
knowledge of the Mumbai operation given that ISI is controlled by it. At the same time, sources do
not believe that the civilian Government in Pakistan is involved in the attack. In fact, one view is
that the civilian government itself may be a target of the strike which may be used by the army to
heighten tensions with India to return to power. Washington has asked Pakistan to crackdown on
Lashkar-e-Toiba, which now goes under the name of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and to arrest its chief
Hafeez Mohd Saeed because it has evidence of their involvement in the attack, the sources said.
The attack was planned, equipped and organised in Pakistan where the terrorists were trained
and provided logistical support. Contrary to the version that the terrorists used a hijacked Indian
fishing boat to reach Mumbai after sailing from Karachi, the view is that much more sophisticated
means were used. The sources spoke of a clear disconnect between the Pakistani civilian

government and the all-powerful military establishment, which is causing difficulties for India in
dealing with the situation. Islamabad's about-turn on sending the Director General of ISI to India
is cited as an instance of this disconnect. During a telephone conversation Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh after the Mumbai attack, President Asif Zardari had referred to an earlier
Pakistani proposal for a meeting between the ISI chief and the head of India's external
intelligence agency, RAW. Singh told Zardari that this was acceptable to India, after which
Pakistan government had announced that the ISI head would travel to India. After a post-midnight
call on Zardari by Army chief Gen Ashfaque Kayani this decision was reversed with the President
taking cover under a ‘miscommunication’ with the Indian Prime Minister. (Indian Express 5/12/08)
BBC report confirms Indian charge of Pakistan links to Mumbai attacks (12)
NEW DELHI: A BBC Urdu service report filed on Friday supports India’s claims that Mohammad
Ajmal Amir, the terrorist arrested in the course of last month’s Lashkar-e-Taiba terror attacks in
Mumbai, was a Pakistani national. In a first person account of his visit to the village of Faridkot, in
the Dipalpur tehsil of Pakistan’s Okara district, reporter Ali Salman noted unusual activity in the
form of a large number of people who local people said were intelligence officials. “When I made
enquiries about Amir’s residence,” Mr. Salman recorded, “I was directed to a house. The alleged
officials in plainclothes came out when they saw a camera and microphone in my hand. I tried to
talk to them,” Mr. Salman wrote, “but they walked away without saying anything.” Inside the tworoom
house, Mr. Salman found a woman who identified herself as Mehraj Bibi, who said that she
knew no one called Amir, and that none of her children was missing. However, the Imam of
Faridkot’s Central [Markazi] Mosque, Qari Naveed Akram, told the BBC that Amir the Butcher did
indeed have two sons, one of whom was religious-minded [mazhabi rujhaan wala] and had not
been in touch with his father for a while.” (The Hindu 7/12/08)
Pakistan likely to ban Jamaat-ud-Dawa (12)
UNITED NATIONS: Under extreme international pressure, Pakistan has given an undertaking to
the UN Security Council that it would proscribe Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the parent body of Lashkar-e-
Taiba (LeT), suspected to have carried out the Mumbai terror attacks, if the Council declares it a
terrorist organisation. Islamabad has also assured the world body that all training camps of
Lashkar-e-Taiba or any entity of this nature would not be allowed on its territory. The undertaking
given by Pakistan's ambassador to UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon came after India had sent a
formal request to the council to put sanction on JUD and its leaders. Addressing the council
during a debate on terrorism, where the Mumbai carnage was in focus, Haroon said that moves
would be set into motion to freeze assets of the JUD, if the council puts sanctions on the outfit.
"After the designation of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JUD) under (resolution) 1267, the government on
receiving communication from the Security Council shall proscribe the JUD and take other
consequential actions, as required, including the freezing of assets," he said. He told the council
that Pakistani authorities had already initiated investigations on its own pertaining to allegations of
involvement of its citizens and entities in the Mumbai attacks. (Times of India 10/12/08)
Bills on anti-terror law, NIA introduced (12)
NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday introduced two Bills in the Lok Sabha — one to set up
a National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the other to amend the law to bring in more stringent
provisions to deal with terror crimes. The National Investigation Agency Bill 2008 and the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2008 were moved by Home Minister P.
Chidambaram. The Cabinet cleared them on Monday. The amendment bill, among other things,
has deterrent provisions such as detention without bail for up to 180 days and the enhanced
penalty of life imprisonment for those involved in terror. The NIA, in a concurrent jurisdiction
framework, will take up cases under specific Acts for investigation. It will have provisions for
setting up of special courts which will have hearings on a day-to-day basis. A case pending in a
special court can be transferred to any such court. The superintendence of the agency shall vest
with the Centre. It empowers the Central government to decide what constitutes terror and
investigate such attacks in any part of the country covering offences, including challenge to
country’s sovereignty and integrity, bomb blasts, hijacking of aircraft and ships and attacks on
nuclear facilities. The NIA Bill says there has been innumerable terror attacks, not only in the

militancy and insurgency affected areas and regions affected by Left wing extremism, but also in
the form of attacks and bomb blasts in major cities. A large number of such incidents were found
to have complex inter-State and international linkages and possible connection with activities
such as smuggling or arms, drugs, pushing in and circulation of fake Indian currency and
infiltration. “Keeping all these in view, it has for long been felt that there is need for setting up an
Agency at the Central level for investigation of offences related to terrorism and certain other
Acts, which have national ramifications,” the Bill said. Notwithstanding law and order being a
State subject, NIA officers above the rank of sub-inspector will have special powers to pursue and
investigate any terror offence. (The Hindu 17/12/08)
Parliament approves anti-terror Bills (12)
NEW DELHI: Parliament on Thursday gave its approval for the setting up of a National
Investigation Agency (NIA) and strengthening the law to deal with terrorism and terrorist activities.
The government allayed fears about “misuse” of certain provisions of the Bills, saying that such
measures were necessary to ensure speedy and efficient investigation and trial without violation
of human rights. Late in the evening, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the NIA Bill, 2008 and
the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA) Bill, 2008 by voice vote after the
amendments moved by the Left parties were voted on and rejected. The All-India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam also pressed their amendments which were defeated by voice vote. Both
the Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, and are set to become law. Replying to a
six-hour-long debate which saw members from the minority community express fears about the
strengthened laws being misused, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said adequate care
had been taken to ensure that law enforcement agencies were empowered to deal with eight acts
of terrorism. At the same time, an independent authority was being set in place to review the
registration and investigation of a case before prosecution “to work as a filter.” Mr. Chidambaram
said the NIA would be a “fit and lean agency” with young officers who were able. There would be
special courts and cases would be tried by special judges who would complete the trials to meet
the objective of speedy investigation and trial. “The NIA is a carefully drafted Bill. The Agency will
only investigate terrorist cases with inter-State and international ramifications. All other cases
would be with the State governments. NIA will expect State agencies to cooperate and associate.
The NIA may or may not investigate a case and may even return it to the State.” Responding to
apprehensions about the Central agency encroaching upon the rights of the State governments
as expressed by Kanimozhi (DMK) and V. Maitreyan (AIADMK), the Minister asserted that the
Centre would respect every State’s autonomy and had no intention of encroaching upon their
rights. “More often than not, the NIA will ask the State to associate with the investigations.
Provisions have been included as precaution against cases where the local police could be
involved in a cover-up of a terrorist act.” Mr. Chidambaram said the government had tried to strike
a balance by providing for a maximum period of detention up to 180 days without bail as
sometimes it was not possible to complete the investigation in 90 days. “This is not [the]
Prevention of Terrorism Act which said that [the] arrest shall go on beyond 90 days. We have left
it to the court to extend it beyond 90 days.” (The Hindu 19/12/08)
Not bringing back POTA, says Sibal (12)
NEW DELHI: Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday said that the
government was neither bringing back the draconian POTA nor had any intention to do so.
Intervening in the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act
(Amendment) Bill and the National Investigation Agency Bill, 2008, he questioned the arguments
put forward by BJP member Arun Jaitley that tougher laws were needed to prevent attacks. Mr.
Sibal said even POTA, which was brought by the NDA government, was meant to deal with
terrorists and related crimes. “At no point of time, POTA helped in preventing terror attacks. If this
had been the case, there would not have been attacks on Parliament, Akshardham and the Red
Fort. We have not released terrorists and we have not taken them or escorted them across the
border as done by the NDA government.” Mr. Sibal asserted that it was wrong to state that a
number of provisions of POTA had been incorporated in the present law. If any tough law had
been introduced in the past, it was only the Congress governments that have done so and they
were copied by the NDA government. Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said, “If the government is going

to evaluate in February whether the new laws are being misused, it can send the bills to a
standing committee of Parliament.” Mr. Yechury also moved amendments that his party proposed
to move for incorporation in the Bills in order to prevent their misuse. (The Hindu 19/12/08)
Assam seeks Rs 250 billion as damages from insurgency (12)
Guwahati: The Assam Government is seeking compensation from the Central Government for the
whopping loss of about Rs 250 billion that the State has incurred due to 30 years of insurgency.
“In the last 30 years, Assam’s economy has been badly affected due to insurgency, leading to fall
in investments and damage of infrastructure,” Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said in a memorandum
submitted to the 13th Finance Commission Thursday. The commission led by its chairman Vijay
Kelkar is currently in Guwahati to work out budgetary allocations for Assam. “We want Assam to
be treated like other insurgency affected States such as Jammu & Kashmir and want financial
dispensation from the Central Government to the tune of Rs 250 billion for the economic losses
incurred due to insurgency,” Gogoi said. Making a strong plea for an ‘insurgency damages
neutralization grant’, the Assam Government submitted a detailed memorandum to the
commission. The Rs 250 billion apart, the State Government has sought an additional Rs 200
billion towards infrastructure development, healthcare, education and police modernisation. “It is
impossible to fight militants and terrorists with obsolete weapons and hence we need to
modernise our police force for which we require funds in the next five years from the
commission,” said Ajit Singh, Assam’s parliamentary secretary for finance. An estimated Rs 80
billion was sought for police modernisation by the Assam Government. The State’s main losses
due to insurgency were damages to roads and bridges, flight of capital and businesses,
maintaining central paramilitary forces, besides compensation to victims of terror. “With several
militant organisations operating in the State, insurgency is, to a large extent, a proxy war against
the nation by some unfriendly neighbour. To combat insurgency and cross border terrorism, the
State Government has to rely more on central paramilitary forces and has to bear 10 per cent
deployment charge. Other north-eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir do not have to pay any
deployment charge,” the Chief Minister told the commission. Gogoi said there were about 14
militant groups active in Assam. “Quite a few of them have their bases and training camps in
neighbouring countries and forged links with international terrorist networks,” the Chief Minister
continued. The chairman of the commission was positive in his response. “We got a very positive
indication from Kelkar and hope we get a judicious hearing when the Commission allocates the
budget for Assam,” the Chief Minister concluded. (Pioneer 20/12/08)
High alert on border after Maoists trigger 2 landmine blasts (12)
Sundargarh: The Maoists on Friday triggered two landmine blasts on the Orissa- Jharkhand
border, adjacent to the Bisra police station and there was a fierce gun battle between the
Jharkhand police and ultras in which more than 1,000 rounds were reportedly exchanged
between the two sides. The Red Brigade celebrates December 19 as Vijay Divas following the
killing of 18 cops and torching of 11 vehicles of Jharkhand Police on December 19, 2002.
Accordingly, the police of the two States were on a high alert and were conducting massive
combing operations. The first encounter took place about half a kilometre from Bhalulata railway
station in Jharkhand but no injures were reported. The second encounter took place at Tellipussi
where two landmines were blown up and two personnel reportedly sustained minor injuries after
falling into a ditch. They were constable Manmohan Pandey and ASI Bhaira Majhi. As darkness
had set in the security personnel did not go after the Maoists into the jungle infested with militants
and riddled with mines. The police of both the States are carrying out combing operations even
as the situation continues to be critical on Saturday. There are reports of Maoists firing blanks at
Akashia Nala. (Pioneer 21/12/08)
Enough is enough, Pranab tells Pak (12)
Kolkata: Dec. 21: External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said that enough
evidence linking Pakistan to the terror attacks in Mumbai has been handed over to Pakistan and it
is time for Islamabad to take action. Addressing a programme organised by the Bengal Chamber
of Commerce and Industry in Kolkata, Mr Mukherjee said, "Not once, twice or thrice, but as many
as 10 times have we given evidence to Pakistan. Pakistan must cooperate and not contradict us.

Mere talk is not enough. It has to act." He added that Pakistan had been insisting that the acts of
terrorism in India were being carried out by non-state actors. "But terrorists don’t come from
heaven or another planet. They operate from somewhere. The arguments coming from Pakistan
are not really very convincing," Mr Mukherjee said, adding, "Since we cannot chase the so-called
non-state actors in that country, it is the responsibility of the incumbent government to deal with
them." He also pointed out the contradictory statements being made by Pakistan about Jaish-e-
Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar. "No use of a mere denial because you (Pakistan) will
be caught in your web. It was not me who said that he (Azhar) is under house arrest. It is the
observation of the Pakistan defence minister. After that, if the government there says that the
terrorists have no Pakistan connection or the persons we are talking about are not visible in
Pakistan, then these are contradictions," Mr Mukherjee added. Mr Mukherjee said Ajmal Kasab,
the only Mumbai attack terrorist captured alive, provided details of what transpired between the
terrorists and "their controllers on the other side (of the border)". The minister reiterated that India
has requested Pakistan to arrest some of the fugitives who have taken shelter in Pakistan.
"Those who are Indian citizens, hand over them to us. Those who are required for investigation
may be Pakistan’s citizens, please hand them over to us too," he said. Mr Mukherjee said former
Pakistan President Pervez Musharaf had promised that Pakistan would not allow terrorists to use
its territory for their activities. "So the government of the day should keep that (promise)," he
added. In another seminar held by a Kolkata-based trade body, Mr Mukherjee said there was a
sinister design to link Islam with terrorism. "There are some scholars who had coined the term
Islamic terrorism. Islam is a religion of love and compassion. There is a sinister ploy to link
terrorism with Islam. There may be some socio-economic indicators which may lead to some
frustration among some Muslim youths... These are exceptions," he said. ( Asian Age 22/12/08)
Congress still in dilemma over Antulay's fate (12)
New Delhi: The confusion prevailing in the Congress party over the Antulay controversy was
underlined by surprise support for the beleaguered Minority Affairs Minister from one of the party
general secretaries Digvijay Singh who saw nothing objectionable in his stand questioning the
circumstances surrounding the killing of Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare. Singh's
remarks in Varanasi at a press conference came on a day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and Congress president Sonia Gandhi grappled with the mess arising out of A R Antulay that has
created a political storm and the Opposition for his removal from the Cabinet. "Antulay has been
misreported. What he has asked for is a probe which is already on. What is objectionable in his
statement," he said. Singh said the BJP, VHP and RSS had raised doubts about the integrity of
Karkare because he was investigating the Malegaon blasts in which Hindus were arrested.
Against this backdrop, Karkare was killed in the terrorist attack in Mumbai and it was ‘natural’ to
think that whether he was murdered. "But this possibility appears to be low because the course of
events minimises it. Antulay has said the matter should be investigated that who ordered him
(Karkare) to go there. What is objectionable in that," Singh said. The Congress, however, had in
the last two days distanced itself from Antulay's remarks saying they were his personal views.
The meeting of the Congress Core Group including the Prime Minister and the party president to
resolve the situation ended without a decision and the government's position is expected to be
made clear in Parliament before it winds up business for the session on December 23. The hourlong
meeting of the Congress Core Group at the residence of the Prime Minister is believed to
have gone into the pros and cons of the matter but there was no official word on whether his
resignation was being accepted. Opposition BJP and Shiv Sena having been gunning for
Antulay's removal from the Cabinet accusing him of compromising the country's position vis a vis
terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil. "No decision has been taken. The position will be made
clear in the session of Parliament concluding on December 23," said a senior leader who
declined to be identified. (Indian Express 22/12/08)