Thursday, October 30 2008 - Truth Movement News
Richard Gage, AIA, AE911Truth.org to Speak in Madrid
October 29, 2008
Richard Gage, de Arquitecto e Ingenieros por la verdad sobre el 11-S
Richard Gage, de Arquitects and Engineers for 911 truth viene al Colegio oficial de Arquitectos en Madrid :
FECHA: Viernes 7 de noviembre a las 19:00 h.
FUNDACIÓN ARQUITECTURA COAM, C/ PIAMONTE Nº 23, MADRID.
En ingles con traduccion simultanea.
Entrada gratuita
609954536 para informacion
FUNDACIÓN ARQUITECTURA COAM, C/ PIAMONTE Nº 23, MADRID.
En ingles con traduccion simultanea.
Entrada gratuita
609954536 para informacion
Richard Gage, de Arquitectos e Ingenieros por la verdad sobre el 11-S.
Análisis técnica sobre el desplome de los tres edificios en Nueva York el 11 de Septiembre de 2001, Conferencia-Debate
Análisis técnica sobre el desplome de los tres edificios en Nueva York el 11 de Septiembre de 2001, Conferencia-Debate
500 Arquitectos e Ingenieros Colegiados demandan una nueva investigación del 11 de Septiembre de 2001.
"Plan por la Verdad"
Richard Gage, Tour Europeo, 2008
Hace más de siete años desde el 11 de Septiembre de 2001 y los detalles de ese horrible día están empezando a decaer en la mente del público, pero son pocos los que niegan que los cambios en política interior y exterior de todo el mundo después del 11-S sigan afectando a nuestras vidas.
read more
Thursday, October 30 2008 - Politics & 9/11
Palo Alto Weekly Coverage of 9/11 Truth Candidate
October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, a press conference was held in front of the incumbent, Anna Eshoo's office, the new TV AD was shown to the only journalist, Don Kazak, who came to the conference pretty last minute event. I have known Don Kazak for years; he has written a few stories about my activism before. Here is what he wrote:
(Posted at paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=9825)
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Wednesday, October 29 2008 - Truth Movement News
Scholars for 9-11 Truth & Justice Misrepresented in Draft Bill Sent to 8 House Members
http://stj911.org/press_releases/Misrepresentation.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Victoria Ashley, STJ911 committee member
Phone: 510-769-5109
Site: www.STJ911.org
Email: stj911@gmail.com
Scholars for 9-11 Truth & Justice Misrepresented in Draft Bill Sent to 8 House Members
Berkeley, CA, October 22, 2008 -- On October 18, 2008, an OpEdNews article titled, "8 House Members View Draft Bill on Independent Science/Tech Probe of WTC 1, 2, 7 Collapses," was published by four members of the group Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice (STJ911.org). The authors of the article and draft bill are not spokespersons for Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice, and therefore are individually responsible for it.
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Wednesday, October 29 2008 - Research/Evidence
The Facts Speak For Themselves
Thanks to www.historycommons.org, DHS, and simuvac. This is dedicated to the 9/11 Truth Movement.
Jon Gold
9/25/2008
Updated 10/29/08
Before I begin, I would like to say that theorizing about what happened on 9/11, when you're not being given answers to your questions about that day by the people who SHOULD be able to do so, is PERFECTLY normal. As is suspecting that the reason these answers aren't being given is "sinister" in nature. As Ray McGovern said, "for people to dismiss these questioners as "conspiratorial advocates", or "conspiratorial theorists"... that's completely out of line because the... The questions remain because the President who should be able to answer them, WILL NOT." When you think about everything this Administration has done in almost 8 years, the idea that they might not be giving us the answers we seek because of something "sinister" is not crazy. In fact, it's the most logical conclusion one can come to at this point. After seven plus years of obfuscation, spin, lies, and cover-ups regarding the 9/11 attacks, it is unavoidable to think that criminal complicity is the reason why.
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Monday, October 27 2008 - 9/11 Consequences
Sept. 11 First Responders to Visit W Va School
Congratulations to John Feal, who was given the key to the city of Buchannon. Also, if you haven't donated to The "Congress Is Shameful" 9/11 First Responder Fund-Raiser, time's a runnin' out. - Jon Gold
– Ed.
West Virginia Department of Education
October 21, 2008
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- John Feal, founding president of the FealGood Foundation and a demolition expert who worked at Ground Zero following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, will bring his message to Upshur County students and residents on Friday, Oct. 24. Feal and up to seven other first responders will meet with students at Buchannon Upshur High School beginning at 8:30 a.m. The group will meet with the community later in the day.
Feal, like 70 percent of 9/11 workers, suffers from post-9/11 illnesses. One of his feet had to be amputated after being crushed by an eight-ton steel beam. He also suffers from a respiratory syndrome called World Trade Center Cough and posttraumatic stress disorder.
read more
Monday, October 27 2008 - 9/11 A/V Galleries
The Assassinations of the 1960s as “Deep Events”
October 17, 2008
by Peter Dale Scott
For over two years now I have been speaking and writing about what I call deep events. I mean by deep events the traumatic and unexpected episodes that recur periodically in US history and alter it, nearly always for the worse. These deep events can never be properly analyzed or understood, because of an intelligence dimension which results in a socially imposed veil of silence, both in the government and in the Mainstream Media.
The more that I look at these deep events comparatively, ranging over the past five decades, the more similarities I see between them, and the more I understand them in the light of each other. I hope in this paper to use analogies from the murder of JFK and 9/11 to cast new light on the murders of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy.1
I began this analysis in 2006 by comparing the JFK assassination with 9/11. I drew attention to over a dozen similarities, of which today I will be focusing on only four ...
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Monday, October 27 2008 - Resources and Materials
The Made-for-TV Election, with Martin Sheen
Once again, America is at the Crossroads.
But how do we pick Presidents? The Ballot Box or the TV box?
Watch how TV writes the scripts, directs the action,
and casts winners in the most significant elections
in the last forty years -- 1980 and 2008 -- then ask yourself:
"Is this any way to pick a President?"
The Dream Ticket. The Obama Phenomenon. The October Surprise. Hillary's
Tears. The Ron Paul Fiasco. America Held Hostage. Joe the Plumber. Early Calls.
The Made-for-TV Election with Martin Sheen DVD
read more
Saturday, October 25 2008 - Truth Movement News
Second International Conference on 9/11 Truth - Japan
DRG arrived Japan!
with my good old friend Yumi Kikuchi who's holding the
SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 9/11 TRUTH
http://2nd911.globalpeace.jp/english.html
They're going to have lectures in Akita(up north), Kobe(near Osaka), Osaka and Nagoya(also close from Osaka) starting on 27th, and the main conference will be held in Tokyo on Monday, November 3 which is our national holiday.
read more
Friday, October 24 2008 - Resources and Materials
Stealing America: Vote by Vote -- A Film that Documents the Crisis in our Electoral System
A feature documentary film from Concentric Media
Watch or Download: Click here
The vote you save may be your own!
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Wednesday, October 22 2008 - Resources and Materials
End of America Movie-My America Project; Concerns about deployment of military on U.S. soil growing
"My sense of alarm comes from the clear lessons from history that, once certain checks and balances are destroyed, and once certain institutions have been intimidated, the pressures that can turn an open society into a closed one turn into direct assaults; at that point events tend to occur very rapidly, and a point comes at which there is no easy turning back to the way it used to be."
~ Naomi Wolf
The End of America: Movie and Action Campaign
"The framers of our Constitution fully understood that it can happen here. Patriots like Madison, Paine, and Franklin would certainly applaud Naomi Wolf and recognize her as a sister in their struggle."
~ Mark Crispin Miller, author of FOOLED AGAIN
Also from Naomi, October 21, 2008, Concerns about deployment of military on U.S. soil growing -- while mainstream media buries its head in the sand
The following is the spin of military spokespeople in response to questions about the deployment of the First Brigade on US soil for the first time in over 200 years.
The Army Times initially reported that the First Brigade would handle domestic crowd control and subduing 'unruly individuals' and that they had 'lethal and nonlethal technologies' to do so. Then it issued a correction declaring that the 'nonlethal' package was not for domestic crowd control. Then after a hue and cry was raised by many citizens, Northern Command (NorthCom) offered a wholesale revision of their mission – and the mainstream media is eating it up. Here is an excerpt from the articled linked to in the previous sentence ...
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Tuesday, October 21 2008 - Resources and Materials
James Gourley Published in "The Journal of Engineering Mechanics"
Introductory comments from Reprehensor, editor of 911Blogger.com:
The following article by James Gourley reports the great news that another piece has been published in a mainstream technical Journal. This follows the publication in April, 2008 in the Bentham 'Open Civil Engineering Journal' and in August, 2008 in 'The Environmentalist'. It also recounts the extra hurdles that critics of the official WTC collapse theories have to jump along the way.
– Ed.
The Journal of Engineering Mechanics has recently published a paper I authored. It can be found here, beginning on page 915: (PDF 224kb)
Normally, such a publication would be announced here at 911Blogger to let everyone know we are still making progress publishing criticisms of the official fairy tale in mainstream technical journals, in the hopes of reaching more members of the scientific and engineering community.
While I am excited this paper will be reaching new audiences, and I would like to share that fact with you, I am writing today for a different purpose.
Not much is ever written about what we go through to get these papers published. The publication of this paper is a case study in the struggles we face. I'd like to relate to you exactly what I had to go through to get this paper published, and what influences the substance of it have already had. I hesitate to reveal some of the information below, but as will become clear, the Journal of Engineering Mechanics personnel have demonstrated a complete lack of scientific ethics, and I feel like I have no choice but to publish exactly what occurred in the lead up to my paper's publication.
read more
http://www.911truth.org/
9-11 Investigation: Key 9-11 Facts And Assumptions Challenged By ...16 Dec 2006 ... 9-11 Investigation: key facts and assumptions about the 9-11 tragedy ..... But Zelikow’s 9/11 Commission report fails to mention this memo. ...
www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/12/16/911_investigation_key_911_facts.htm - 116k - Cached - Similar pages
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www.fpc.state.gov/c12030.htm - 25k - Cached - Similar pages
Bush and Cheney Block 9-11 InvestigationWhy are Bush and Cheney still blocking a public 9-11 investigation? .... Newsweek Magazine reports, "Dick Cheney played a behind-the-scenes role last week ...
www.mikehersh.com/Bush_and_Cheney_Block_911_Investigation_.shtml - 59k - Cached - Similar pages
Federal Bureau of Investigation - About Us - 9/11 Investigation ...Bullet, Report Internet Crime. Bullet, More Contacts ... 9/11 Investigation ( PENTTBOM) ... Our ensuing investigation of the attacks of 9/11/01—code-named ...
www.fbi.gov/pressrel/penttbom/penttbomb.htm - 17k - Cached - Similar pages
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www.globalissues.org/article/509/911-investigation - 19k - Cached - Similar pages
portland imc - 9.11 investigationThey then proceeded to dump the 9/11 Commission Report to its watery grave to ... for more recent 9/11 coverage, visit the 9/11 investigation page ...
portland.indymedia.org/en/topic/911investigation/ - 79k - Cached - Similar pages
INTELWIRE Releases FBI Documents Given To The 9/11 Commission ...FBI documents cited in 9/11 Report End Notes, Chronological ... Anthrax/Ivins investigation, affidavit, 10/31/2001 · Anthrax/Ivins investigation, affidavit, ...
intelwire.egoplex.com/2008_02_18_exclusives.html - 45k - Cached - Similar pages
Venezuelan Government To Launch International 9/11 Investigationwww.prisonplanet.com/articles/march2006/310306launchinvestigation.htm - Similar pages
The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation ...4 Feb 2008 ... Reprinted as a book, “The 9/11 Commission Report” was an instant best seller, unusual for a document written by committee. ...
www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/books/04thom.html - Similar pages
Complete 911 Timeline: FBI's Penttbom 9/11 InvestigationSeptember 11, 2001: Existing Files on Hijackers Enables Investigation to Start Within Hours of Attacks. One day after 9/11, the New York Times will report ...
www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=complete_911_timeline&investigations:_a_detailed_look=penttb... - 517k - Cached - Similar pages
Pelosi Says "No" to a New 9/11 Investigation, Claims Close ...31 Jul 2007 ... Pelosi rattled off a quick, "No, no, no" to the idea of a new 9/11 investigation before changing the subject to claim that she "worked ...
www.jonesreport.com/articles/310707_pelosi_911.html - 9k - Cached - Similar pages
Secrecy Surrounds 9/11 InvestigationAs Margie Burns reports in The American Reporter, an electronic daily newspaper ... The 9/11 Investigation: a Roadmap to Nowhere July 2, 2003 David Corn The ...
www.utne.com/2003-02-01/Secrecy-Surrounds-911-Investigation.aspx - 46k - Cached - Similar pages
Terrorism in India
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Jump to: navigation, search
Terrorism in India can be attributed to many low intensity conflict within its borders. If terrorism can be defined as "peacetime equivalent of war crime", then these sites of low intensity conflicts are prime spots for terrorism in India. The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Central India (Naxalism) and Seven Sister States (independence and autonomy movements). In the past, the Punjab insurgency led to militant activities in the Indian state of Punjab as well as the national capital Delhi (Delhi serial blasts, anti-Sikh riots). As of 2006, at least 232 of the country’s 608 districts were afflicted, at differing intensities, by various insurgent and terrorist movements. [1]
Terrorism in India has often been alleged to be sponsored by Pakistan. After most acts of terrorism in India, many journalists and politicians accuse Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence of playing a role. Recently, both the US and Afghanistan have accused Pakistan of carrying out terrorist acts in Afghanistan.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Northern and Northwestern India
1.1 Bihar
1.2 Punjab
1.3 New Delhi
1.3.1 Delhi security summit
1.4 Uttar Pradesh
1.4.1 Ayodhya crisis
1.4.2 Varanasi blasts
2 Northeastern India
2.1 Nagaland
2.2 Assam
2.3 Tripura
2.4 Manipur
2.5 Mizoram
3 South India
3.1 Karnataka
3.2 Andhra Pradesh
3.3 Tamil Nadu
4 Chronology of major incidents
4.1 Indian Railways
5 References and notes
6 See also
7 Notes
8 External links
[edit] Northern and Northwestern India
[edit] Bihar
Although terrorism is not considered a major issue in the state, existence of certain groups like the CPI-ML, Peoples war, MCC,Ranvir Sena and Balbir militias is a major concern as they frequently attack local policemen and politicians. Poor governance and the law and order system in Bihar have helped increase the menace caused by the militias. The Ranvir Sena is a militia of forward caste land owners which is taking on the might of powerful Naxalites in the area. The State has witnessed many massacres by these caste groups and retaliatory action by other groups. All the militias represent interest of some caste groups. The main victims of the violence by these groups are helpless people (including women, old and children) who are killed in caste massacres. The state police is ill equipped to take on the Ak-47, AK-56 of the militants with their vintage 303 rifles. The militants have used landmines to kill ambush police parties as well. The root cause of the militant activities in the state is huge disparity among different caste groups. After Independence, land reforms were supposed to be implemented, thereby giving the low caste and the poor a share in the lands which was till then held mostly by high caste people. However, due to caste based divisive politics in the state land reforms were never implemented properly. This led to growing sense of alienation among the low caste. Communist groups like CPI-ML, MCC and People's War took advantage of this and instigated the low caste people to take up arms against establishment which was seen as a tool in the hands of rich. They started taking up lands of rich by force killing the high caste people. The high caste people resorted to use of force by forming their own army Ranvir Sena to take on the naxalites. The State witnessed a bloody period in which the groups tried to prove their supremacy by mass killings. The Police remained a mute witness to these killings as it lacked the means to take any action. However now the Ranvir Sena has significantly weakened with the arrest of its top brass. The other groups are still active. Many a times politicians use these groups for their advantage.
Although terrorism is not considered a major issue in the state, existence of certain groups like the CPI-ML, Peoples war, MCC,Ranvir Sena and Balbir militias is a major concern as they frequently attack local policemen and politicians. Poor governance and the law and order system in Bihar have helped increase the menace caused by the militias. The Ranvir Sena is a militia of forward caste land owners which is taking on the might of powerful Naxalites in the area. The State has witnessed many massacres by these caste groups and retaliatory action by other groups. All the militias represent interest of some caste groups. The main victims of the violence by these groups are helpless people (including women, old and children) who are killed in caste massacres. The state police is ill equipped to take on the Ak-47, AK-56 of the militants with their vintage 303 rifles. The militants have used landmines to kill ambush police parties as well. The root cause of the militant activities in the state is huge disparity among different caste groups. After Independence, land reforms were supposed to be implemented, thereby giving the low caste and the poor a share in the lands which was till then held mostly by high caste people. However, due to caste based divisive politics in the state land reforms were never implemented properly. This led to growing sense of alienation among the low caste. Communist groups like CPI-ML, MCC and People's War took advantage of this and instigated the low caste people to take up arms against establishment which was seen as a tool in the hands of rich. They started taking up lands of rich by force killing the high caste people. The high caste people resorted to use of force by forming their own army Ranvir Sena to take on the naxalites. The State witnessed a bloody period in which the groups tried to prove their supremacy by mass killings. The Police remained a mute witness to these killings as it lacked the means to take any action. However now the Ranvir Sena has significantly weakened with the arrest of its top brass. The other groups are still active. Many a times politicians use these groups for their advantage.
There have been arrests in various parts of the country, particularly those made by the Delhi and Mumbai police in the recent past, indicating that extremist/terrorist outfits have been spreading their networks in this State. There is a strong suspicion that Bihar is also being used as a transit point by the small-arms, fake currency and drug dealers entering from Nepal and terrorists reportedly infiltrating through Nepal and Bangladesh.
[edit] Punjab
During the 1970s, the Indian Green Revolution brought increased economic prosperity for the Sikh community in Punjab. This propensity kindled an age old fear in the Sikh community - that of being absorbed into the Hindu fold and led to the rise of Sikh militants. The insurgency intensified during 1980s when the movement turned violent and the name Khalistan resurfaced and sought independence from the Indian Union. Led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, they began using militancy to stress on their demands. Soon things turned bloody with India alleging that neighbouring Pakistan supported these militants, who, by 1983-4, had begun to enjoy widespread support among Sikhs.
In 1984, Operation Blue Star was conducted by the Indian government to stem out the movement. It involved an assault on the Golden Temple complex, which Sant Bhindranwale had fortifed in preparation of an army assault. Indira Gandhi, India's then prime minister, ordered the military to storm the temple, who eventually had to use tanks, helicopter gunships, artillery and chemical weapons. After a seventy-four-hour firefight, the army successfully took control of the temple. In doing so, it completely damaged some portions of the Akal Takht, the Sikh Reference Library and some damaged to the Golden Temple itself. According to Indian government sources, eighty-three army personnel were killed and 249 injured. Militant casualties were 493 killed and eighty-six injured.
During same year, the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two Sikh bodyguards, believed to be driven by the Golden Temple affair, resulted in widespread anti-Sikh riots, especially in New Delhi. Following Operation Black Thunder in 1988, Punjab Police, first under Julio Ribeiro and then under KPS Gill, together with the Indian Army eventually succeeded in pushing the movement underground.
In 1985, Sikh terrorists bombed an Air India flight from Canada to India, killing all 329 people on board Air India Flight 182. It is the worst terrorist act in Canada's history. The Pakistani government is suspected to have played a part in the bombing.
The ending of overt Sikh militancy in 1993 led to a period of relative calm, punctuated by militant acts (i.e. the assassination of Punjab CM, Beant Singh in 1995) attributed to half a dozen or so operating Sikh militant organisations. These organisations include Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Liberation Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force.
Support for Khalistan is still widespread among Sikh communities in Canada and the United Kingdom.
[edit] New Delhi
Main article: 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings
Three explosions went off in the Indian capital of New Delhi on October 29, 2005 (two days before the Hindu festival of Diwali ) which killed more than 60 people and injured at least 200 others. The high number of casualties made the bombings the deadliest attack in India of 2005.It was followed by 5 bomb blasts on 13th September 2008.
[edit] Delhi security summit
Main article: 2007 Delhi security summit
The Delhi summit on security took place on February 14, 2007 with the foreign ministers of China, India, and Russia meeting in Hyderabad House, Delhi, India to discuss terrorism, drug trafficking, reform of the United Nations, and the security situations in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.[3][4]
The Indian Foreign Ministry released a statement on behalf of all three governments saying, "We shared our thoughts on the political, economic and security aspects of the global situation, the present world order and recent developments in various areas of mutual concern. We agreed that co-operation rather than confrontation should govern approaches to regional and global affairs. There was coincidence of views against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and on the need to address financing of terrorism and its linkages with narco-trafficking."[3]
[edit] Uttar Pradesh
[edit] Ayodhya crisis
Main article: 2005 Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya
The long simmering Ayodhya crisis finally culminated in a terrorist attack on the site of the 16th century Babri Masjid -Ram Janmabhoomi Hindu temple in Ayodhya on July 5, 2005. Following the two-hour gunfight between Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists based in Pakistan and Indian police, in which six terrorists were killed, opposition parties called for a nationwide strike with the country's leaders condemning the attack, believed to have been masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim.
Main article: 2005 Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya
The long simmering Ayodhya crisis finally culminated in a terrorist attack on the site of the 16th century Babri Masjid -Ram Janmabhoomi Hindu temple in Ayodhya on July 5, 2005. Following the two-hour gunfight between Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists based in Pakistan and Indian police, in which six terrorists were killed, opposition parties called for a nationwide strike with the country's leaders condemning the attack, believed to have been masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim.
[edit] Varanasi blasts
Main article: 2006 Varanasi bombings
A series of blasts occurred across the Hindu holy city of Varanasi on 7 March 2006. Fifteen people are reported to have been killed and as many as 101 others were injured. No-one has accepted responsibility for the attacks, but it is speculated that the bombings were carried out in retaliation of the arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba agent in Varanasi earlier in February 2006. On April 5, 2006 the Indian police arrested six Islamic militants, including a cleric who helped plan bomb blasts. The cleric is believed to be a commander of a banned Bangladeshi Islamic militant group, Harkatul Jihad-al Islami and is linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistani spy agency.[5]
[edit] Northeastern India
Northeastern India consists 7 states (also known as the seven sisters): Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland. Tensions exists between these states and the central government as well as amongst the tribal people, who are natives of these states, and migrant peoples from other parts of India. The states have accused New Delhi of ignoring the issues concerning them. It is this feeling which has led the natives of these states to seek greater participation in self-governance. There are existing territorial disputes between Manipur and Nagaland. There is a rise of insurgent activities and regional movements in the northeast, especially in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura. Most of these organizations demand independent state status or increased regional autonomy and sovereignty. Many of these are said to be China sponsored.
[edit] Nagaland
The first and perhaps the most significant insurgency was in Nagaland from the early 1950s until it was finally quelled in the early 1980s through a mixture of repression and co-optation. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), demands an independent Nagaland and has carried out several attacks on Indian military installations in the region. According to government officials, 599 civilians, 235 security forces and 862 terrorists have lost their lives between 1992 and 2000.
On June 14, 2001, a cease-fire agreement was signed between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM which had received widespread approval and support in Nagaland. Terrorist outfits such as the Naga National Council-Federal (NNC-F) and the National Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) also welcomed the development. Certain neighbouring states, especially Manipur, raised serious concerns over the cease-fire. They feared that NSCN would continue insurgent activities in its state and demanded New Delhi scrap the ceasefire deal and renew military action. Despite the cease-fire the NSCN has continued its insurgency[citation needed].
[edit] Assam
Organizations listed as terrorist groups by India
Northeastern India
National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM)
Naga National Council-Federal (NNCF)
National Council of Nagaland-Khaplang
United Liberation Front of Asom
People's Liberation Army
Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL)
Zomi Revolutionary Front
North India
Babbar Khalsa
Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan
Communist Party of India (Maoist)
Dashmesh Regiment
International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)
Kamagata Maru Dal of Khalistan
Khalistan Armed Force
Khalistan Liberation Force
Khalistan Commando Force
Khalistan Liberation Army
Khalistan Liberation Front
Khalistan Liberation Organisation
Khalistan National Army
Khalistan Guerilla Force
Khalistan Security Force
Khalistan Zindabad Force
Shaheed Khalsa Force
Khalistan Zindabad Force
Shaheed Khalsa Force
Kashmir
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Jaish-e-Mohammed
Hizbul Mujahideen
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Farzandan-e-Milat
United Jihad Council
Al-Qaeda
Student Islamic movement of india
Central India
People's war group
Balbir militias
Naxals
Ranvir Sena
v • d • e
After Nagaland, Assam is the most volatile state in the region. Beginning 1979, the indigenous people of Assam demanded that the illegal immigrants who had emigrated from Bangladesh to Assam be detected and deported. The movement lead by All Assam Students Union began non-violently with satyagraha, boycotts, picketing and courting arrests. Those protesting frequently came under police action. In 1983 an election was conducted which was opposed by the movement leaders. The election lead to widespread violence. The movement finally ended after the movement leaders signed an agreement (called Assam Accord) with the central government in August 15, 1985. Under the provisions of this accord, anyone who entered the state illegally between January 1966 and March 1971 were allowed to remain but were disenfranchised for ten years, while those who entered after 1971 faced expulsion. A November 1985 amendment to the Indian citizenship law allows non citizens who entered Assam between 1961 and 1971 to have all the rights of citizenship except the right to vote for a period of ten years. New Delhi also gave special administration autonomy to the Bodos in the state. However, the Bodos demanded for a separate Bodoland which led to a clash between the Bengalis, the Bodos and the Indian military resulting in hundreds of deaths.
There are several organizations which advocate the independence of Assam. The most prominent of which is the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam). Formed in 1971, the ULFA has two main goals, the independence of Assam and the establishment of a socialist government. The ULFA has carried out several terrorist attacks in the region targeting the Indian Military and non-combatants. The group assassinates political opponents, attacks police and other security forces, blasts railroad tracks, and attacks other infrastructure facilities. The ULFA is believed to have strong links with Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Maoists and the Naxalites. It is also believed that they carry out most of their operations from the Kingdom of Bhutan. Because of ULFA's increased visibility, the Indian government outlawed the group in 1986 and declared Assam a troubled area. Under pressure from New Delhi, Bhutan carried a massive operation to drive out the ULFA militants from its territory. Backed by the Indian Army, Thimphu was successful in killing more than a thousand terrorists and extraditing many more to India while sustaining only 120 casualties. The Indian military undertook several successful operations aimed at countering future ULFA terrorist attacks, but the ULFA continues to be active in the region. In 2004, the ULFA targeted a public school in Assam killing 19 children and 5 adults.
Assam remains the only state in the northeast where terrorism is still a major issue. The Indian Military was successful in dismantling terrorist outfits in other areas, but have been criticized by human rights groups for allegedly using harsh methods when dealing with terrorists.
On September 18, 2005, a soldier was killed in Jiribam, Manipur, near the Manipur-Assam border by members of the ULFA.
[edit] Tripura
Tripura witnessed a surge in terrorist activities in the 1990s. New Delhi blamed Bangladesh for providing a safe haven to the insurgents operating from its territory. The area under control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council was increased after a tripartite agreement between New Delhi, the state government of Tripura, and the Council. The government has since been brought the movement under control though certain rebellious factions still linger.
[edit] Manipur
In Manipur, militants formed an organization known as the People's Liberation Army. Their main goal was to unite the Meitei tribes of Burma and establish an independent state of Manipur. However, the movement was thought to have been suppressed after a fierce clash with Indian security forces in the mid 1990s.
On September 18, 2005, six separatist rebels were killed in fighting between Zomi Revolutionary Army and Zomi Revolutionary Front in the Churachandpur District.
On September 20, 2005, 14 Indian soldiers were ambushed and killed by 20 rebels from the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) terrorist organization, armed with AK-56 rifles, in the village of Nariang, 22 miles southwest of Manipur's capital Imphal. "Unidentified rebels using automatic weapons ambushed a road patrol of the army's Gorkha Rifles killing eight on the spot," said a spokesman for the Indian government.
On June 9, 2007, Eleven people have been killed[6] Eleven people have been killed in Moreh near the border with Myanmar.
Trouble started on Saturday after local residents recovered the bodies of five Kuki tribespeople with bullet wounds.
Angry Kukis attacked the local police station, where the bodies were kept, and razed several houses belonging to the rival Meitie ethnic group. Later in the evening, police recovered the bodies of six Meitie fishermen.
Currently there are 19 separate rebel groups operating in Manipur.
[edit] Mizoram
The Mizo National Front fought for over 2 decades with the Indian Military in an effort to gain independence. As in neighbouring states the insurgency was quelled by force.
[edit] South India
[edit] Karnataka
Karnataka is considerably less affected by terrorism in spite of having many places of historical importance and the IT hub of India, Bangalore. However, recently Naxal activity has been increasing in the Western Ghats. Also, a few attacks have occurred, major ones including an attack on IISc on 28th December 2005 and serial blasts in Bangalore on 26th July 2008.
Karnataka is considerably less affected by terrorism in spite of having many places of historical importance and the IT hub of India, Bangalore. However, recently Naxal activity has been increasing in the Western Ghats. Also, a few attacks have occurred, major ones including an attack on IISc on 28th December 2005 and serial blasts in Bangalore on 26th July 2008.
[edit] Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is one of the few southern states affected by terrorism, although of a far different kind and on a much smaller scale. The terrorism in Andhra Pradesh stems from the People's War Group or PWG, popularly known as Naxalites. The 'PWG, has been operating in India for over two decades with most of its operations in the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh. The group is also active in Orissa and Bihar. Unlike the Kashmiri insurgents and ULFA, PWG is a Maoist terrorist organisation and labor rights is one of its primary goals. These idelogical extremists aim to create equality in the society by attacking the rich and powerful landlords. Having failed to capture popular support in the elections, they resorted to violence as a means to voice their opinions. The group targets Indian Police, multinational companies, landlords and other influential institutions in the name of the rights of landless labor. PWG has also targeted senior government officials, including the attempted assassination of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. It reportedly has a strength of 800 to 1,000 well armed militiants and is believed to have close links with the Maoists in Nepal and the LTTE of Sri Lanka. According to the Indian government, on an average, more than 60 civilians, 60 naxal rebels and a dozen policemen are killed every year because of PWG led insurgency. Currently the ban on the Naxalites has been lifted in the state which has led to a drastic drop in killings.
[edit] Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu had LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militants operating in state Tamil Nadu up until the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. LTTE had given many speeches in state Tamil Nadu led by TamilSelvan and other Eelam members. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has carried out speeches in Tamil Nadu as well. Tamil Tigers have been receiving many donations and support from India. Tamils have been supplying oil, money, hazardous materials etc ... to Tamil militants as well.
The following are Listed Terrorist Organizations banned in India
Black Tigers
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Tamil Tigers
and major listed incidents
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Tamil Tigers
and major listed incidents
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Central Bank Bombing in 1996
Coimbatore bomb blasts, Feb 14 1998 Car bomb in Dindivanam 4 April 2007
Central Bank Bombing in 1996
Coimbatore bomb blasts, Feb 14 1998 Car bomb in Dindivanam 4 April 2007
[edit] Chronology of major incidents
[show]v • d • eTerrorism in India since 2001
Indian Parliament attack – Srinagar – Mumbai 2003 – Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Varanasi – Jama Masjid – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Uttar Pradesh – Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd Delhi 2008 – Western India – Agartala – Imphal – Assam
Status of major terror incidents
Incident Fatalities Status of the case (Arrests made/ Cracked/ Verdict given)
March 12, 1993 - Bombay bombings, 257 deaths. Verdict given
February 14, 1998 - Coimbatore bombings 46 deaths. Verdict given
October 1, 2001 - Terrorists attack Jammu-Kashmir assembly complex killing about 35. unknown
December 13, 2001 - Attack on the parliament complex in New Delhi 7 deaths. Verdict given
September 24, 2002 - Terrorists attack the Akshardham temple in Gujarat killing 31. unknown
March 13, 2003 - A terrorist bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.[7] 11 deaths unknown
May 14, 2003 - Terrorists attack an army camp near Jammu, killing more than 30, including women and children. 30 deaths unknown
August 25, 2003 - Simultaneous car bombs in Mumbai 52 deaths unknown
August 15, 2004 - Bomb explodes in Assam, killing 16 people, mostly school children. 16 deaths unknown
July 5, 2005 - Shri Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya 0 deaths unknown
October 29, 2005 - Three powerful serial blasts in New Delhi at different places just two days before Hindu festival Deepawali[8]. About 70 people died in this incident. 70 deaths unknown
March 7, 2006 - At least 21 people killed in three synchronized terrorist attacks in Varanasi in Shri Sankatmochan Mandir and Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station. 21 deaths unknown
July 11, 2006 - At least 200 people killed in a series of 7 train bombing during the evening rush hour near Mumbai. more than 200 deaths. unknown
September 8, 2006 - at least 37 people killed and 125 injured in a series of bomb blasts in the vicinity of a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra 37 deaths. unknown
May 18, 2007 - at least 13 people were killed, including 4 killed by the Indian police in the rioting that followed, in the bombing at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad that took place during the Friday prayers. 13 deaths unknown
August 25, 2007 - at least 42 people were killed in two blasts in Hyderabad's Lumbini park and a restaurant. The police reportedly managed to find and defuse another bomb in the same area. 42 deaths unknown
May 13, 2008 - at least 63 were killed in 9 bomb blasts along 6 areas in Jaipur. 63 deaths unknown
July 25, 2008 - at least 2 were killed and 20 injured in 8 low intensity bomb blasts in Bangalore. 2 deaths arrests have been made
July 26, 2008 - 56 were killed and over 110 injured in 17 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad. 29 deaths arrests have been made
September 13, 2008 - at least 15 were killed and over 110 injured in 5 bomb blasts in Delhi markets. 21 deaths. unknown
September 27, 2008 - 1 killed and at least 17 injured in bombings at Mehrauli area 2 bomb blasts in Delhi flower market. 1 death. unknown
September 29, 2008 - 10 killed and 80 in bombings in Maharashtra and Gujarat bomb blasts. 10 deaths. unknown
October 1, 2008 - 0-4 killed and up to 100 injured in Agartala bombing. 4 deaths. unknown
October 21, 2008 - 17 killed and at least 40 injured in Imphal bomb blast. 17 deaths. unknown
October 30, 2008 - 45+ killed and at least 300 injured in Assam bomb blast. 77 deaths. unknown-
March 12, 1993 - Bombay bombings, 257 deaths. Verdict given
February 14, 1998 - Coimbatore bombings 46 deaths. Verdict given
October 1, 2001 - Terrorists attack Jammu-Kashmir assembly complex killing about 35. unknown
December 13, 2001 - Attack on the parliament complex in New Delhi 7 deaths. Verdict given
September 24, 2002 - Terrorists attack the Akshardham temple in Gujarat killing 31. unknown
March 13, 2003 - A terrorist bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.[7] 11 deaths unknown
May 14, 2003 - Terrorists attack an army camp near Jammu, killing more than 30, including women and children. 30 deaths unknown
August 25, 2003 - Simultaneous car bombs in Mumbai 52 deaths unknown
August 15, 2004 - Bomb explodes in Assam, killing 16 people, mostly school children. 16 deaths unknown
July 5, 2005 - Shri Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya 0 deaths unknown
October 29, 2005 - Three powerful serial blasts in New Delhi at different places just two days before Hindu festival Deepawali[8]. About 70 people died in this incident. 70 deaths unknown
March 7, 2006 - At least 21 people killed in three synchronized terrorist attacks in Varanasi in Shri Sankatmochan Mandir and Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station. 21 deaths unknown
July 11, 2006 - At least 200 people killed in a series of 7 train bombing during the evening rush hour near Mumbai. more than 200 deaths. unknown
September 8, 2006 - at least 37 people killed and 125 injured in a series of bomb blasts in the vicinity of a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra 37 deaths. unknown
May 18, 2007 - at least 13 people were killed, including 4 killed by the Indian police in the rioting that followed, in the bombing at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad that took place during the Friday prayers. 13 deaths unknown
August 25, 2007 - at least 42 people were killed in two blasts in Hyderabad's Lumbini park and a restaurant. The police reportedly managed to find and defuse another bomb in the same area. 42 deaths unknown
May 13, 2008 - at least 63 were killed in 9 bomb blasts along 6 areas in Jaipur. 63 deaths unknown
July 25, 2008 - at least 2 were killed and 20 injured in 8 low intensity bomb blasts in Bangalore. 2 deaths arrests have been made
July 26, 2008 - 56 were killed and over 110 injured in 17 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad. 29 deaths arrests have been made
September 13, 2008 - at least 15 were killed and over 110 injured in 5 bomb blasts in Delhi markets. 21 deaths. unknown
September 27, 2008 - 1 killed and at least 17 injured in bombings at Mehrauli area 2 bomb blasts in Delhi flower market. 1 death. unknown
September 29, 2008 - 10 killed and 80 in bombings in Maharashtra and Gujarat bomb blasts. 10 deaths. unknown
October 1, 2008 - 0-4 killed and up to 100 injured in Agartala bombing. 4 deaths. unknown
October 21, 2008 - 17 killed and at least 40 injured in Imphal bomb blast. 17 deaths. unknown
October 30, 2008 - 45+ killed and at least 300 injured in Assam bomb blast. 77 deaths. unknown-
To date, at least 666 people have been killed in terror strikes in India since 2001.
[edit] Indian Railways
India has hundreds of thousands of miles of railway track, and over 14,000 trains criss-cross the country every day. These are tempting targets for many of the groups described above, and attacks on trains, whether direct assaults, bombings or deliberate derailing through sabotage are common. Some are listed below.
India has hundreds of thousands of miles of railway track, and over 14,000 trains criss-cross the country every day. These are tempting targets for many of the groups described above, and attacks on trains, whether direct assaults, bombings or deliberate derailing through sabotage are common. Some are listed below.
Brahmaputra Mail train bombing - 1997
Kurnool train crash - 2002
Rafiganj rail disaster - 2002
Godhra Train Burning - 27 February 2002
Jaunpur train bombing - 2005
Bombay Suburb Train Blasts - 11 July 2006
Samjhauta Express bombings - 18 February 2007
Kurnool train crash - 2002
Rafiganj rail disaster - 2002
Godhra Train Burning - 27 February 2002
Jaunpur train bombing - 2005
Bombay Suburb Train Blasts - 11 July 2006
Samjhauta Express bombings - 18 February 2007
[edit] References and notes
^ India Assessment – 2007
^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=faf54bd2-af68-4655-a747-28f7d1fc5cfa&&Headline=%E2%80%98Pak+the+problem%2c+not+the+solution%E2%80%99&strParent=strParentID
^ a b 'Big three' hold key Delhi talks BBC News
^ Foreign Ministers of India, China, Russia meet to take forward strategic ties New Kerala
^ [1][dead link]
^ [2][dead link]
^ TIMELINE: Major terrorist attacks in India since 2003
^ 55 killed in three blasts in Delhi
^ India Assessment – 2007
^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=faf54bd2-af68-4655-a747-28f7d1fc5cfa&&Headline=%E2%80%98Pak+the+problem%2c+not+the+solution%E2%80%99&strParent=strParentID
^ a b 'Big three' hold key Delhi talks BBC News
^ Foreign Ministers of India, China, Russia meet to take forward strategic ties New Kerala
^ [1][dead link]
^ [2][dead link]
^ TIMELINE: Major terrorist attacks in India since 2003
^ 55 killed in three blasts in Delhi
[edit] See also
Operation Blue Star
Terrorism in Kashmir
Naxalites
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Bombay Blasts
Islamic terrorism
Communalism (South Asia)
Operation Blue Star
Terrorism in Kashmir
Naxalites
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Bombay Blasts
Islamic terrorism
Communalism (South Asia)
[edit] Notes
^ "Sleeping over security". (26 August - 8 Sep) Business and Economy, p 38
[edit] External links
Database of terrorist incidents in India (January 2000 to July 2006)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_India
^ "Sleeping over security". (26 August - 8 Sep) Business and Economy, p 38
[edit] External links
Database of terrorist incidents in India (January 2000 to July 2006)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_India
Terrorism in India: Where the problem lies?
Terrorism in India has grown to a great extent in the last two decades. But the government is still lagging behind in implementing strong and adequate measures to combat terrorist activities. Common men should also come forward to curb this menace..
CJ: Dhananjay Tripathi , 16 May 2008 Views:5028 Comments:6
PINK CITY turned red on May 13 by the terrorist strike, killing more than 70 persons (as per government report) and leaving more than double the number as injured. The terrorist attack on the Pink City is not only an attack on humanity, but once again terrorist groups have proved that they do not have any ideology, except spreading violence and terror and they have no other cause but to harm humanity.
CJ: Dhananjay Tripathi , 16 May 2008 Views:5028 Comments:6
PINK CITY turned red on May 13 by the terrorist strike, killing more than 70 persons (as per government report) and leaving more than double the number as injured. The terrorist attack on the Pink City is not only an attack on humanity, but once again terrorist groups have proved that they do not have any ideology, except spreading violence and terror and they have no other cause but to harm humanity.
Religions do not give permission of mindless killing of innocent people, and those who are indulging in such activities have nothing to do with any religion. Nothing can be achieved by making humanity to bleed, and those who swear by the name of political goal are nothing but inhuman and should be treated in a very strong manner. No stone should be left unturned to bring these enemies of humanity to book.
Huji, which is a suspected terrorist outfit in the Jaipur attack, drew inspiration from Osama Bin Laden and established with the assistance of Bin Laden’s International Islamic Front (IIF) in 1992. Earlier Harkat-ul-jehad-al-Islami (HujI) and Harkat-ul-
Mujahedeen (HuM) were under the single banner of Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA). The United States (US) department put HuA under the list of international terrorist organisation as this group kidnapped some European and American tourists from Kashmir in early 1990s. Afterwards, HuA was splinted into two groups, HujI and HuM.
Presently, both are involved in terrorist activities in Kashmir Valley and in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, HuA works as HujI-Bangladesh. The primary objective of HujI is to establish Isalmic Hukumat in Bangladesh (Islamic Rule) and they have a close connection with Taliban. They get assistance from Osama Bin Laden and major part of funding comes to them from Laden’s IIF. According to the available report of Bangladesh CID Police of 1999, IIF has sanctioned some 0.40 million US dollars to HujI for recruitment and training of cadres. The strength of Huji-Bangladesh can be estimated by the fact that it provides largest number of cadre to fight in Afghanistan from outside Afghanistan.
The blasts in Jaipur also reveal many things, which in the past have been considered by our government but never been implemented at a serious level. India is facing the problem of terrorism from last two decades, but still we failed to zero it on. The intelligence gathering in India is not at all satisfactory. It has never come to notice that security agencies have unearthed any mission of terrorists except in our Bolloywood movies. From Parliament to Judiciary, everything in this nation is targetted and we swung into action after strike takes place and then get relax for another to happen. At national level, there is a need of a high-level anti-terrorist squad, which should have its branch in every state. Not making a serious allegation, but intelligence system of our nation requires a proper overhauling.
There is also a need for a trained group/task force for handling the situation, which arises after such blasts and strikes. It must consist of security personnel, doctors, nurses, and they should always be on alert. Life can be saved if we have an expert team, rushing at the site of blast to assist the victims. In the Jaipur blasts, we have seen how lack of blood is standing between life and death of many who are injured. This is a pathetic situation, although many people donate blood, but why things are not in order despite of the fact that India is a nation where at any time such strike can take place? We are well aware of this reality but still we have no emergency plan at national level. This team can make a difference in handling grim situations and government must think over it.
It is also necessary to have a centralised system of information gathering and disbursement. There is a need for one or two toll free phone numbers, which any body can take information from about victims after such strike or in the case of natural calamity. It is far from understanding that why until date government has not thought of such a mechanism for a country like India, which is not only big in geographical term, but has vast population and diversity in the terms of languages as well. It is also necessary that if anybody has any suspicion then he or she can call a toll free number and can share the information with the government. No such method is available. Even if someone finds something suspicious, he chooses to remain quiet, as majority do not want to deal with local ’khaki’ clad. Government must provide an option to those who want to share any information without being harassed. Unfortunately as of now, no such thing exists in our nation.
Fighting with terrorism should not only be the duty of government and role of civilians, and civil society is equally significant. Firstly, strong movement is required against all fundamentalist ideologies. We have seen how Hindu fundamentalists went on rampage during the Gujarat riots that needed to be opposed in a strong way. Secondly, unity in diversity should be encouraged at all possible levels. Still demagogue like Raj Thackerray are openly spitting venom and encouraging violence act against fellow human beings. This is a known reality that many of those who are targetted by Raj’s hooligan cadres are from minority community. These regional chauvinists are the real adversary of ‘one India’. No scope should be given to these hate-preachers in our country. Some reports indicate that HujI got good recruits from post riots in Gujarat.
Other Articles by Dhananjay Tripathi
PM's US visit: Some questions
Indian Mujahadeen: A dangerous trend for India
It’s time we banned the VHP
The Singur fiasco: Who would ultimately win?
Politics of terrorism begins after blasts
more >> Many times, it is noticed that police randomly pick people from minority community on false charges, this need to be condemned and should be avoided at any cost. This is the third point that no Indian citizen should feel insecure just for belonging to any religion, caste, or sect. The spirit of secularism and unity in diversity must be championed by all and sundry. Lastly, we must also be attentive and be more alert and should never hesitate in informing the police of any suspicion (although a centralised system is necessary). We should reject all type of fundamentalist attitude and approach and must tell them that enough is enough, and hate-mongers do not have any place in this nation.
Finally, I want to pay my sincere homage to all those who had lost their lives in this blast. I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victims, and want to assure them that they are not alone, this entire nation is equally depressed at the loss of lives. Put a brave face against the enemies of humanity and do not let them succeed in their motive of terrorising us.http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=134107
India fears the dawn of Hindutva terror
By Siddharth Srivastava
By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - Hindus linked to militant extremist groups have recently been arrested for plotting terror crimes targeted at Muslims - an as-yet unexplained, and perhaps unprecedented, incident in post-independence India.
Hindu radicalism and ultra-nationalist extremism are nothing new to Indian politics, but such right-wing activism has now taken a turn for the dangerous. Across India there is talk of the emergence of "Hindu terrorism" - specifically, a pan-India militant Hindu network set on avenging Islamic fundamentalism and jihadi terrorist attacks.
Contrary to usual assertions by Indian security agencies - that
Muslim outfits are behind most terrorist strikes - it has emerged that recent bomb blasts in India are likely the handiwork of anti-Muslim "Hindutva" groups bent on violent revenge.
These findings have shed a disturbing light on the fatal attacks on Indian Muslim worshippers and mosques over the past few years.
The word "Hindutva" has been coined for those who believe that India should follow laws and principles of the majority Hindu faith. So far, the most virulent form of Hindutva was unleashed in the state of Gujarat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister Narender Modi backed deadly attacks on Muslims by Hindu rioters in which thousands died. The BJP has long been considered sympathetic to ultra-Hindu sentiment.
The new twist to the allegedly Hindu-linked terror attacks has come with last week's arrests of Hindu activists, including women, on charges of plotting to bomb and kill Muslims in at least two Indian states.
The police have arrested 36-year-old Pragya Singh Thakur, a sadhvi (ascetic) known to be closely associated with radical Hindu groups, along with two male counterparts, on charges of orchestrating powerful bomb blasts in Malegaon, in the western state of Maharashtra, and Modasa town in Gujarat.
Both attacks were directed at Muslim gatherings during the holy month of Ramadan (September). Five people were killed in Malegaon and one died in Modasa. The result has been simmering Hindu-Muslim communal tensions.
Pragya was detained in Indore, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, and is now being interrogated. Pragya's father, Chandraprakash Thakur, admitted his shame. "If she is sentenced to life imprisonment, I will neither be happy nor sad," he was quoted as saying.
Maharashtra's anti-terrorism squad has also detained five other Hindus, including four men and a woman. The men include three retired army soldiers, including one major. At least one was reportedly trained as a bomb-maker, suggesting a further link between terrorism and ex-servicemen.
Pragya and the rest are reportedly associated with radical Hindu outfits - Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh - that keep close connections with the BJP.
Investigations by Mumbai police have also raised suspicions about several Hindu radical groups' involvement in blasts in Thane, in Maharashtra state, and orchestrating riots.
Senior security officials have confirmed to Asia Times Online that given the spate of recent terror attacks, there has been a concerted effort by agencies across the country to crack down on terror elements, irrespective of religion.
Coordinated phone-tapping, an exchange of ground-level information and the cultivation of new informers is yielding results, according to reports. Recently, Delhi police apprehended a Muslim youth suspected of being involved in the September bomb attacks in the capital.
A series of recent bombings in cities across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Varanasi have killed and maimed thousands.
India is in the midst of an ugly phase of terror attacks in which soft targets such as crowded markets have been chosen for killing civilians.
There is also evidence that the latest Islamic terror cells are increasingly homegrown. This is due to increased security forces along India's borders with Pakistan; infiltration is down and cross-border terrorist activity has been effectively reduced.
This has led to a rise of India's own militant Muslim groups, many of which operate under the umbrella of an outfit called the Indian Mujahideen.
Militancy is also nothing new to India. Indian freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh and Chadrashekar Azad led daring attacks on British rulers in pre-1947 colonial India. In the 1980s and 1990s, India grappled with Sikh militancy. There are also longstanding Hindu extremist outfits, such as the Ranvir Sena in Bihar, but they generally fight in caste-driven conflicts usually related to property disputes.
Maoists attacks, especially in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, are also related to alleged oppression by higher castes and exploitation by landlords.
Right-wing Hindu outfits usually make the news for their strong-arm tactics against trends they consider to be un-Indian culture or in deference to the West. In the past, these acts have included punishing couples caught in public and cracking down on Valentine's Day celebrations and women adorned in revealing clothes.
Additionally, Hindu extremists have attacked cinemas featuring movies perceived to be too sexually explicit and have destroyed works by artists such as M F Hussain which the groups claim insult Hindu sentiments.
Recent bomb attacks against Muslims are a totally different matter - the result of deep-seated angst and militant philosophy. Further investigations into attacks on the Jama Masjid (mosque) in Delhi, as well as on Muslim worshippers in Hyderabad and the India-Pakistan "peace train", the Samjahauta Express, may provide more clues as to the motivation to target Muslims.
The Indian government has been rattled by the latest revelations, and leading political parties the BJP and Congress have sought to use the situation to their advantage.
Provincial elections are due in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi in November. In each of these important electorates, the BJP and Congress are in a head-to-head battle that will set the tone for national elections next summer.
The BJP has been on the back foot, caught between its pro-Hindutva strategy and condemning terrorist violence.
"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his religion or caste. The BJP objects to the term 'Hindu terrorists'. By condemning the majority, one seeks to gain the minority vote," said BJP vice president Yashwant Sinha.
According to a statement released by the VHP, "We see the government's hand behind this. No one uses the word 'Islamic terrorism'. This is vote-bank politics, meant to appease Muslims."
The Congress, meanwhile, sees the turmoil as an opportunity to win Muslim votes.
"I ask the BJP leadership to come clean on their links with these outfits and their activities," said Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh. "[The] Malegaon and Modasa blasts are just one example. Members of Hindu fundamentalist outfits have been making bombs in Kanpur. Indore has become the epicenter of Hindu terror. Investigations into the Samjhauta blast also revealed bombs from Indore."
Mudslinging aside, the stark reality is that terrorism in India is spreading across communal and religious lines. This trend does not auger well.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist. He can be reached at sidsri@yahoo.com
(Copyright 2008 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
Excessive pressure from India will only be to the advantage of LTTE ”
V.S. Sambandan
The LTTE is trying to extricate itself militarily based on the “emotional outpourings in Tamil Nadu,” saysSivanesathurai Santhirakanthan
— Photo : V.S.Sambandan
An example: The Eastern Province is a great precedent as it has also created a situation in which the LTTE can be defeated, says Sivanesathurai Santhirakanthan.
An example: The Eastern Province is a great precedent as it has also created a situation in which the LTTE can be defeated, says Sivanesathurai Santhirakanthan.
Sivanesathurai Santhirakanthan (nom de guerre Pillayan), Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s sensitive Eastern Province, is a rebel in transition. A former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he split from the group in 2004 when LTTE’s then special commander for the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Amparai, V. Muralitharan (Karuna) formed the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP). In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, Mr. Santhirakanthan welcomed the Eastern Provincial Council elections held this May, as “an excellent practical step.” Equally important, he said, is “to strengthen the Council” and win peoples’ confidence. He is of the view that the LTTE was trying to extricate itself militarily based on the “emotional outpourings in Tamil Nadu.” Any “excessive pressure” from India when Sri Lanka is going through a “critical phase”, he said, “will only be to the advantage of the LTTE again.” Here are the excerpts from an hour-long interview held on October 22 at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in the capital of the Eastern Province, Trincomalee.
It is 156 days since you were sworn in Chief Minister. How are these initial days?
I spent the first 150 days on administrative matters. After I took charge, we brought in changes in education and agriculture, which will come to fruition in the years ahead. Although not fully satisfied, we are confident that we can usher in reforms in administration, education and agriculture, and then progress further.
You fought for decades for a separate, unified Tamil Eelam, but now you are the first Chief Minister of a de-merged Eastern Province. What are your present views against those realities?
We started the armed struggle to solve our grievances as we lost confidence in governments. I joined the struggle for those reasons. The Tamil people lost a lot due to the armed struggle. At one stage it entered a phase in which Tamils had no prospect for development. This was also because Tamil organisations were unable to unite all Tamils for a single-minded struggle. Moreover, as some of our armed groups, particularly the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) indulged in excessive terrorism, the just demands of our people went unappreciated. At one phase, this terrorism spread to foreign soil, with the assassination of India’s Rajiv Gandhi, and as everyone points out, it became impossible to assert the rights of our people effectively.
Several issues surfaced after the ceasefire [in 2002]. The three ethnicities live in the Eastern Province [Tamils, Sinhalese, and Muslims]. If merged, a new problem, i.e., the predominance of Tamil people will increase, leading to other complications. Therefore, I consider this as an excellent practical step as it has restored some faith in the people, who are happier than they were. Adequate powers should be given to an organisation that has been fighting for 20 years to empower its people. Only by strengthening this Provincial Council, can we win peoples’ confidence and prevent them from thinking along alternative courses of action. Empowering Tamils through elections is a welcome democratic precedent. We owe a debt of gratitude for that. There can be major changes in the North, only if people see evidence of the benefits of further administrative powers in the East. This is a very good opportunity, [but] we can satisfy the Tamil people only if we utilise this properly.
You seek more powers; do you think there is a difference between the Eastern Province and the others in terms of administrative powers?
This is where the problem lies. The Provincial Councils were created to solve Tamils’ problems. The people here needed the powers. The others did not have the need for extensive powers. The other provinces also face problems. I am not saying that they do not, but the war was for powers for people in the North and the East. Isn’t this meant to solve that war? The situation is not the same as in other provinces. This is a special Provincial Council. The needs are different.
Are you confident that the trajectory is towards that end, particularly given the view that in this province where there was no democracy, but a war for nearly 30 years, and that elections were held after decades?
True, there was no democracy because of the conflict. What was the cause of the conflict? Rights. Everyone should understand that. Now as the Chief Minister, I cannot assume that the powers will come overnight. We only want powers that will enable us to implement policies that we would like to for the benefit of the people. That is all. We do not want far-reaching powers, such as secession. We can deliver to the people and win their confidence only if powers are devolved.
Can you specify the powers, and the difficulties of not having them?
For example, we have to protect the people. This is a complicated issue. Sri Lanka is at a critical phase, so is the Provincial Council system and the issue of powers to the Councils. It is against this backdrop that I have started work. At this critical point, our demands must be fair. Whether they like it or not, Sinhalese, some of them, have also come to the view that Tamils should be given powers. The political leaders have also acted favourably. They have put in place a Provincial Council, and are making efforts to devolve powers.
The LTTE is killing people, and abductions are going on. It is a complicated situation.
In this setting, if India exerts excessive pressure, and if the trajectory changes, it will only be to the advantage of the LTTE again. At the same time, if the people are affected by the military actions to tame the LTTE, it causes dissatisfaction. It should not go in favour of the LTTE. We are in a very complicated situation of determining what the alternative plan could be. I will not say that it is a very difficult situation, as there will be other ways to deal with the problem if there is larger agreement.
What do you consider as the three important powers?
Police powers are important, particularly for the eastern province. I do not deny that there are complications in implementing this. A recent decision to appoint a special DIG for the Eastern Province is a very good development. Similarly, there are very few Tamil people in the police because of the conflict. We have a great responsibility of instilling confidence in them. I acknowledge that there are practical problems, but it is a responsibility to start the process.
Regarding finance, although we have powers, the central government is implementing projects that we can implement. These are some direct powers for us under the 13th amendment. If I were to be specific, if the 13th amendment is implemented, the rest will follow, democracy will be strengthened. The people also will gain the mindset that necessary powers will have to be given and politicians will follow suit.
So is the issue of land, where there are several interlinked issues, but we do not want to make a big issue of it. If we gain confidence that issues relating to our province will not be relegated, it is a big achievement.
What do you expect as confidence-building measures?
We have the confidence; otherwise, we will certainly not be here. The very creation of the Eastern Province is a confidence-building measure. It should not end there, it is important to strengthen the Province, step-by-step, and win peoples’ satisfaction. It is important that the confidence we have is not broken.
What are the major lessons you draw from the armed struggle and political life?
In an armed struggle, we execute orders, nothing more; but in politics, particularly as Chief Minister, I will act according to the needs of the people, and perform in a way to win voters’ confidence. In the armed struggle, one thinks of destroying the opponent, but one cannot think like that in politics. One has to reach the ends politically. There is a huge difference.
The Eastern Province is cited as an example of a region that emerged from war to democracy. What is your view?
Yes. The eastern province is an example. It is welcome that those who were in an armed liberation struggle were brought into democracy. It is also a great precedent as it has also created a situation in which the LTTE can be defeated. Concurrently, there is a great responsibility for all to welcome cadres into democracy and take them forward. That is why I reiterate that it is the changes that happen here that will rapidly instil confidence among other people. If some unpleasant incidents occur here, then it will not be possible to create the required confidence among the people there [in the northern districts].
How much confidence have you gained in the present process, in percentage terms?
We are functioning at a confidence level of about 65 per cent - 70 per cent. The remaining has to come.
Do you see any link between the current military situation in northern Sri Lanka, and the recent political developments in India?
The feeling for sufferings of the Tamils is natural. The civilians there [in the northern districts] face difficulties. The changing political situation in Tamil Nadu, coupled with excessive propaganda, resulted in emotional outpourings in Tamil Nadu. The mixture of emotions and politics is what is creating this big eruption. We have to take steps to stop that. There are also diplomatic moves on this front. The LTTE is trying to escape using this opportunity. The Tamil people [in the Northern Province] should be allowed to go where they want to go. The LTTE does not let them go, and they don’t give them food. The Tamil people have to be protected.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/27/stories/2008102755911100.htm
Congo aid to cross into battle zoneStory Highlights
Aid groups expected to travel into rebel-held territory in DR Congo
Aid groups expected to travel into rebel-held territory in DR Congo
Brown warns world cannot allow Congo to become "another Rwanda"
Four-day old cease-fire announced by the rebels seems to be holding
(CNN) -- Aid groups are expected to travel into rebel-held territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday to tend to tens of thousands of people displaced in the latest bout of rebel fighting in the east of the country.
A crowd of refugees gathesr at the entrance to a USAID center near Goma.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that the international community cannot allow Congo to become "another Rwanda" where 800,000 died during a 1994 genocide.
Western diplomats shuttled between Goma -- the scene of some of the worst fighting -- and Kigali, in neighboring Rwanda, to meet with leaders in order to get a peace process back on track.
"The immediate needs are obvious," said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in a joint statement Sunday.
"The immediate needs are obvious," said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in a joint statement Sunday.
"We saw them yesterday. The cease-fire last Wednesday needs to be bolstered. The humanitarian needs for food, shelter, water and health care must be met through universal provision and secure routes for delivery."
A four-day old cease-fire announced by the rebels seemed to be holding Sunday. But residents, fearful of fresh violence, continue to flee their homes and overwhelm aid centers.
The latest fighting broke out on October 24 when Congolese rebels led by renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda launched renewed attack in the eastern province of North Kivu.
It came days after a tenuous week-old U.N.-brokered cease-fire between rebels and government forces fell apart.
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The fighting between Nkunda's rebels and Congolese army regulars displaced thousands of civilians almost immediately, the United Nations said.
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The fighting between Nkunda's rebels and Congolese army regulars displaced thousands of civilians almost immediately, the United Nations said.
Many of the displaced fled to Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which borders Rwanda and Uganda.
Nkunda is the leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). His rebel forces declared a cease-fire late Wednesday after four days of fighting.
The fighting is based on ethnic grievances.
Nkunda says he is fighting to protect his Tutsi community from attacks by Rwandan Hutu rebels.
During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the country's Hutu majority killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, according to the United Nations.
When Tutsis came to power in Rwanda, those Hutus crossed the border into Congo -- and feared returning home. They believed they would be targeted for revenge by Tutsis.
So, they remained in the jungles of eastern Congo, where they preyed on local residents .
In May 2005, it was reported that Rwandan Hutu rebels in eastern Congo carried out hundreds of summary executions, rapes, beatings and kidnappings of Congolese civilians in the province of South Kivu, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/02/congo.conflict/
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/02/congo.conflict/
BMS refutes allegations of its involvement in Malegaon blasts
Nashik (PTI): Bhonsala Military School, whose name cropped up during the investigation of September 29 Malegaon blasts for allegedly providing venue to the blasts accused for holding a meeting, has refuted allegations of its involvement in the explosions.
BMS' chief secretary Prakash Pathak in a release said that the school's name is being unnecessarily being dragged in connection with the Malegaon blasts by media giving the reference of a meeting held in the institution's premises in September.
"We had provided venue to the said organisation (name not mentioned) for the meeting as per rules after receiving a written application by it," Pathak said in the release.
The institute so far never participated in any anti-national or anti-social activities directly or indirectly and it was improper to malign image of such an institute, he said.
BMS, run by Central Hindu Military Education Society, was formed in 1937 in Nashik and has been providing military training to its students. The institute started its Nagpur branch 15 years ago.
Joined at the hips by fear of terrorism
By Kuldip Nayar, Special to Gulf News
Published: November 01, 2008, 00:01
By Kuldip Nayar, Special to Gulf News
Published: November 01, 2008, 00:01
THERE is no terror, Cassius, in your threats," Julius Caesar tells him. Pakistan could have told India the same thing at the meeting of joint anti-terror mechanism: recent bomb blasts at Malegaon and Modasa were not the doing of "Muslims from across the border."
Nor did the Pakistani delegation point it out that India had its own Hindu terrorists, led by a woman and trained by some ex-army men belonging to an old military school. The meeting, fourth in the series, was "positive", although quiet.
On the day the representatives of India and Pakistan met at New Delhi, the Prime Ministers of the two countries discussed terrorism at Beijing. Both reiterated that they were committed to working together to clamp down on terrorist forces.
"Terror is a common enemy of both India and Pakistan," said Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan concurred with him. The equation between the two holds promise for the future. What creates doubts in the mind is that a similar exercise was gone over more than a year ago. But it never got translated into joint anti-terror mechanism. The army dragged its feet. General Pervez Muharraf was then the army chief. However, his successor General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani has put the end of terrorism on top of his agenda, an essential pre-requisite for any development. This may mean the end of infiltrators into India.
But if the policy has changed the reasons are not difficult to comprehend. One, the terrorists have become a menace for Pakistan itself. But the most important development is the change in the attitude of the rulers. President Asif Ali Zardari is at the helm of affairs. His approach to Pakistan's problems with India is different from that of the earlier regimes. He wants to befriend India.
Hawk
I saw this happening from close quarters when I heard the National Security Advisers of the two countries. At a small dinner given by the Pakistan High Commissioner at Delhi, they said certain things which were unbelievable. India's National Security Advisor M.K. Nayaranan admitted that he was a hawk but had come around to believe what Singh told him: "India and Pakistan were destined to be together." I do not know what transpired between the two during official meetings but Pakistan's National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani told me that the talks were more successful than he ever expected.
It looks as if the clouds of hostility that overcast India and Pakistan are thinning. Both Singh and Zardari have reached some understanding on how to fight terrorism in the two countries when they met at New York.
Both Narayanan and Durrani were asked to prepare the ground which they did at Delhi. The joint mechanism will be built on it in the days to come. It is obvious that the different agencies operating in the two countries will have to fall in line. In the next few days, the Pakistani training camps, which are a sore point with India may be dismantled.
All these measures are laudable. But they are only the means, not the end by itself. The end is normal relations between the two countries. This is not possible until both curb radicals, Hindus and Muslims, in their own territory.
India, a secular polity, is under pressure. Hindutva is gaining ground. Despite their anti-national activities, New Delhi is reluctant to take action against Hindu nationalist groups which have spread all over.
It is already a bit too late because the politics of hate is spreading as has been seen in Bihar and Maharashtra where the lumpen are fighting on the streets.
This trend is reminiscent of MQM's violence in Karachi and it is tearing apart the society in both countries and creating fear in the minds of ordinary people. How will the joint mechanism check those who have communalised terrorism in India and politicised it in Pakistan?
The entire South Asia requires a common mechanism to fight the growth of disruptive tendencies. India had kept them in check with some courage and determination. But lately it looks as if politics has taken over because of the impending elections. India cannot fail South Asia when liberal, democratic values are beginning to matter in the region.
Strong state
For that reason, Islamabad cannot afford to talk to the Taliban in the North-Western Frontier Province and the federally administered tribal area. This would look like buying peace. It makes no sense to New Delhi if the Taliban are won over for the time being. They will resume pushing their archaic thinking after having consolidated themselves.
It is a pity that Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister, who is all for a strong and viable Pakistan, favours a settlement with the Taliban. He should have drawn a lesson from what has happened to Asfandyar Wali Khan, the NWFP leader. He, along with his family, has taken refuge in London because the Taliban tried to kill him and threatened to eliminate the entire family. They are against any liberal thought. Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League should stand by Pakistan Peoples Party to eliminate the Taliban who have a dream to rule both Pakistan and Afghanistan. The region's dream is different.
Kuldip Nayar is a former Indian High Commissioner to the UK and a former Rajya Sabha member.
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/world/10255903.html
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/world/10255903.html
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Terrorism has no religion, don’t politicise it: victims
November 2nd, 2008 - 3:59 pm ICT by IANS -
Terrorism has no religion, don’t politicise it: victims
November 2nd, 2008 - 3:59 pm ICT by IANS -
Guwahati, Nov 2 (IANS) Middle-aged Kuddus Ali and young Biplap Das are both writhing in pain and still look dazed with most part of their faces and limbs bandaged - victims of the murderous terror strikes in Assam last week.The two are lying side by side at a hospital in Guwahati - the room also shared by dozens of other blast victims, some of whom could possibly be maimed for life.
“Terrorism has no religion… we both are victims of terrorist attacks. Like me, all these people lying here suffered the pangs of the deadly explosions,” Das said seething with anger.
A deadly wave of bombings Thursday killed 77 people and wounded 300 in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta.
Ali is equally aghast at the wave of bombings and more so as he is the only breadwinner of the family.
“I would say I am lucky to have survived the blast as I came to know later that a few other people waiting by my side were blown up into pieces. But I don’t know how I am going to support my wife and two children now,” Ali, a vegetable vendor, said with a voice choked with emotion.
But both Das and Ali are peeved at the way some political parties and leaders were trying to project the bombings on communal lines.
“We don’t want the deadly bombings to be politicised. We are the sufferers and politicians are only interested in media publicity for votes. Please ask them not to play politics at our expense,” said another injured blast victim who escaped with limb injuries.
“Terrorists are terrorists, be it Hindus or Muslims. They should be caught and hanged, but don’t communalise the terror strikes,” said Das.
Equally distraught are the legal fraternity in Assam - the blast near the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Guwahati killed at least three lawyers and wounded dozens.
“We don’t want politicians to come here… we are capable of solving our own problems,” shouted an angry lawyer when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani visited the court Friday.
Advani had to make a hasty retreat from the Guwahati court. Home Minister Shivraj Patil was also forced to leave a blast site in Kokrajhar after angry locals shouted anti-government slogans.
What has irked most is Advani’s statement at a press conference in Guwahati where he said: “I know people are angry (referring to locals in Guwahati’s Ganeshguri area setting ablaze ambulances, fire tenders, and police vehicles after the blasts), but then they should not take to violence as a means to protest. There are democratic ways… let this anger remain in your heart and you can vent that anger through the ballot while voting.”
“Advani came here and sought votes while the state was bleeding,” said Congress MP from Guwahati Kirip Chaliha.
Local newspapers, too, gave bold headlines about Advani seeking votes.
Meanwhile, locals across the state are protesting against terror in various forms - lighting candles in streets and homes, musical processions playing sombre pieces on violins, and silent processions, besides some organizations calling shutdowns.
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http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/terrorism-has-no-religion-dont-politicise-it-victims_100114140.html
Assam bombings toll rises to 77, dozen suspects held (Lead) - October 31, 2008
Assam anguished, angry, but vows to fight back terror - October 31, 2008
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30 killed as 12 blasts rock Assam (Second Lead) - October 30, 2008
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Shivraj Patil visits blast- affected areas in Assam - October 31, 2008
48 killed, 300 injured in Assam serial blasts (Fourth Lead) - October 30, 2008
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http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/terrorism-has-no-religion-dont-politicise-it-victims_100114140.html
Black Thursday: Saga of mindless terrorism
Guest Column
Guest Column
Nani Gopal Mahanta
Thursday, October 30, will go down as the most tragic day in contemporary socio-political history of Assam. Never ever had the people of Assam witnessed such ghastly acts of terrorism, which have probably claimed more than 100 lives, not to talk about the injured or wanton destruction of property.
Thursday, October 30, will go down as the most tragic day in contemporary socio-political history of Assam. Never ever had the people of Assam witnessed such ghastly acts of terrorism, which have probably claimed more than 100 lives, not to talk about the injured or wanton destruction of property.
The selection of four places for the blasts is significant as Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Bongaigoan and Guwahati represent the heterogeneous socio-political demographic mosaic of Assam. The sole purpose of the attack apparently was to rupture people’s faith in the system and create an unbridgeable gap between the Hindus and Muslims in the region.
Various disturbing questions come to the minds of the common public — who did it and why, how long would innocent people bear the brunt of mindless terrorism? Or, how long would the government give excuses for not being able to tackle the menace notwithstanding the fact that Assam is one of the worst terror-affected states for the last three decades?
Apparently, this incident has a strong connection with the serial blasts that took place in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Delhi recently. The same pattern was followed here with explosions taking place within a gap of 10-15 minutes, hitting vital areas, targeting innocent civilians and breaking down the economic base of the state.
The pattern of the serial blasts, the magnitude, the precision of target, use of explosives, number of casualty, et al indicate that no local militant outfits can cause such damage on its own. Outfits like Ulfa has never targeted ethnic people in such a systematic manner. Nor does it have the teeth to hit back with such magnitude after the recent decline.
In a message forwarded to the various news channels, a group called Islamic Security Force (ISF) — a frontal group of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) has claimed responsibility for the serial blasts. Although it may be too early to form opinions on the involvement of Islamic fundamentalist forces, nevertheless, the needle of suspicion definitely falls on the jihadi forces. It is the Indian Mujahideen that claimed responsibility for the serial blasts in various parts of the country. There is a probability that the outfit planned to strike Assam in collaboration with the ISF, formed in Bodoland area in 2000.
The timing of the blasts needs to be looked into. The Indian Mujahideen seems to be very ideologically indoctrinated and bent on taking revenge for alleged injustice and wrongs committed on the Muslims in various parts of India particularly in Gujarat. The group must have been provoked to carry out subversive activities in the light of present polarisation between the indigenous communities and immigrant Muslims in Udalguri and Darrang districts where more than 60 people were killed.
However, it is also true that such an amorphous group cannot conduct such a major operation without logistical and tactical support of the local organisations. Here the involvement of Ulfa or other organisations could be vital. The serial blasts have shown the government’s total failure in tackling terrorism both in its policy and strategy.
According to eyewitnesses, it took more than 40 minutes for the fire brigade, ambulance and the police to reach the blast site in Ganeshguri. Coupled with the fact that the fire vans ran out of water only earned the wrath of the public. It’s an inexcusable crime on the part of the government for paying scant attention to the issue of disaster management. Many precious lives could have been saved had it given some serious attention to civil defence.
Terrorism of the present nature in India requires total restructuring of police, intelligence and other security forces. On top of that, the political will, which is required to tackle the menace of fundamentalism and other jihadi challenges, is sadly lacking.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081101/jsp/northeast/story_10047916.jsp
World: Asia
Baptist church and hostel attacked in India
Guwahati, in northeastern India, was the scene of bomb blasts that damaged a Baptist Church. The pastor was injured and his home severely damaged by terrorist attack.
Sunday, November 02, 2008By Anonymous User
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Guwahati, the gate way to the North East bore the brunt of a series of bomb blasts, with most of the casualties from the four blast that went up in the city. A dozen blasts in Guwahati, Barpeta Road and Kokrajahr have left more than 75 people dead and thousands wounded.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081101/jsp/northeast/story_10047916.jsp
World: Asia
Baptist church and hostel attacked in India
Guwahati, in northeastern India, was the scene of bomb blasts that damaged a Baptist Church. The pastor was injured and his home severely damaged by terrorist attack.
Sunday, November 02, 2008By Anonymous User
Article Tools
Discuss
Guwahati, the gate way to the North East bore the brunt of a series of bomb blasts, with most of the casualties from the four blast that went up in the city. A dozen blasts in Guwahati, Barpeta Road and Kokrajahr have left more than 75 people dead and thousands wounded.
The Baptist Church at Guwahati the first Church in the North East which was established in 1845 was damaged and its Pastor injured in the blast. The Lewis Memorial Boys Hostel attached to the Church lost two of its inmates, one a final year B.Sc student and the other a 2nd year B.Com student.
Former Treasurer of the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India, Rev. M. Haokhothong, said: "Around fifteen shops belonging to the Guwahati Baptist Church in Panbazar were gutted in the fire after the blasts.
"The façade of the church building and half of the pastor's quarters were engulfed in the fire and the pastor was also injured in the explosions," Rev. Haokhothong added.
AICC Public Affairs national secretary, Dr. Sam Paul, condemned the barbaric terror strikes. "There is no place for terror in civil society. Every Indian citizen must be united to terrorism in the country." Dr. Paul also appealed to the public to maintain peace and calm and cooperate with security forces to fight terror.
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Life is limping back, however the shadow of fear hangs at every corner and crick of the city with citizens fearing to venture out, and even if they do so there is an eerie they might not get back.
India wishes to address all issues with Pakistan: Mukherjee
Ajay Kaul
Tehran, Nov 2 (PTI) Observing that it has been pursuing a policy of "positive and substantial" engagement with Pakistan, India today said it wishes to address all issues that have affected bilateral ties and make progress towards enhancing physical connectivity and upgradation of economic ties.
Tehran, Nov 2 (PTI) Observing that it has been pursuing a policy of "positive and substantial" engagement with Pakistan, India today said it wishes to address all issues that have affected bilateral ties and make progress towards enhancing physical connectivity and upgradation of economic ties.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here that New Delhi wanted to see peace, stability and development in Pakistan as it is in India's interest.
He, however, said terrorism is a major problem for the region as well as world and in this regard referred to the attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul in July in which five personnel of the mission, including two diplomats, lost their lives.
"In recent years, India has pursued a policy of positive and substantial engagement with Pakistan," Mukherjee said inaugurating a seminar on 'India and Iran: Ancient civilisations and modern nations' here.
"We wish to address issues that have affected our ties over the last several years," he said, adding, "we also wish to make progress in areas such as enhancement of physical connectivity and upgradation of economic ties." He said through the mechanism of the composite dialogue, the two countries have addressed a number of serious issues of bilateral interest.
On terrorism, Mukherjee said it constitutes one of the "most serious threats" to global peace.
Citing the case of Kabul Embassy attack in which 50 people, including several young Afghan girls, were also killed, he said "terrorists may claim to act on behalf of religion, but in truth they have no religion, because the essence of religions is peace and universal brotherhood, and not violence and the violation of human rights." PTI
Nepal, India agree to combat terrorism
Kantipur Report
NEW DELHI, Nov 2 - The two-day Home Secretary level talks between Nepal and India concluded here on Saturday with both sides agreeing to further activate existing mechanisms and exchange security related information to combat terrorist activities.
Both sides reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken at the previous meetings and held focused discussion on the issues relating to security, border management and training, provisioning and capacity building.
The discussions on security related issues centered on effective cooperation in combating terrorist activities including activities of insurgent groups, circulation of fake currency notes, and institutionalising the mechanism for real-time exchange of security related information between the two countries.
The 13-member Nepalese delegation was led by Dr Gobinda Prasad Kusum, Secretary at Home Ministry, while the Indian Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta led the Indian team.
Indian side had expressed serious concerns over alleged involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence's involvement in fake Indian currency circulation in Nepal. Nepali side, however, had stressed on the fact that all terrorist and criminal activities should be construed as terrorist activities instead of pointing finger at a certain group.
"Instead of pointing finger just at ISI we stressed that all those involved in criminal activities be treated as criminals," said Joint Secretary Mod Raj Dotel, spokesperson at Home Ministry, after the meeting.
Indian government has offered its support and cooperation in matters relating to training and strengthening of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and other officials to help combat cross border criminal activities. It also agreed to set up a Police Academy with an estimated investment of Rs 1.5 billion in Nepal.
During the meeting, the Indian side also raised the issue of security of Indian aircrafts. Sources said Indian government has received intelligence reports that its aircraft could be hijacked from Kathmandu airport.
"They have stressed on the need of aircraft security. But we have asked them to sit for negotiations together with concerned civil aviation ministries of both countries," said Dotel.
Posted on: 2008-11-01 21:13:05 (Server Time)
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=165262
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=165262
Are Muslims terrorists?
People with limited understanding have severely tarnished the image of Islam all over the world. Post September 11, there has been a considerable amount of prejudice against the Muslim community. That Islam is a religion of violence, is a fallacy..
CJ: Maasoom Dhillon , 2 days ago Views:422 Comments:12
THE METRO doors swished open, bringing with it the usual throng of jostling people, I singled out one man, a bearded Muslim, clad in white and carrying a black briefcase. A very inconspicuous briefcase and yet I couldn’t get my eyes off it and the man who it belonged to.
CJ: Maasoom Dhillon , 2 days ago Views:422 Comments:12
THE METRO doors swished open, bringing with it the usual throng of jostling people, I singled out one man, a bearded Muslim, clad in white and carrying a black briefcase. A very inconspicuous briefcase and yet I couldn’t get my eyes off it and the man who it belonged to.
I thought and then seconds later felt deeply ashamed of myself. Though ingrained in my mind that all Muslims are not terrorists, what were the chances of this man not being one? My thoughts tumbled over each other and refused to stop until finally at the next station the man in question got off the metro. No blast took place. No bodies lay scattered. What remained was the sense of discomfiture I felt. I had just incriminated an innocent man because of his religion.
But am I entirely to be blamed for my thoughts? Haven’t Muslims become synonymous with terrorism? Newspapers and TV channels carry stories of bomb blasts all over India by people who are incidentally Muslims. So if all Muslims are not terrorists how come all terrorists are Muslims? The answer eludes me.
But what I realise now is that the average Muslim has more to worry about than I do. Not only are they subjected to prolonged security checks at metros and airports but a simple task of getting a visa also seems more like an interrogation. However, they are not only incriminated as terrorists but also end up as casualties in terror attacks. Reason? Terrorism has no religion. What a paradox!
If I had put myself in the place of the man carrying the black briefcase I would have known exactly how it felt to have people shooting suspicious ( maybe even hostile ) looks at me. He, most likely, has to face many challenges everyday and overcome many fears -- fear of being looked upon as a fanatic, fear of losing his job because of his faith, fear of becoming a casualty and the list is endless.
People with limited understanding have severely tarnished the image of Islam all over the world. Post September 11, there has been a considerable amount of prejudice against the Muslim community. Consequently, many American Muslims have denounced terrorism and have formed online forums and held rallies not only to make their voices heard but also to create awareness amongst those who see Islam as evil. That Islam is a religion of violence, is a huge misconception.
Even though Muslims are implicated for various terrorist plots, one must not judge all by the actions of a few.
NDTV reported that between 2004 -2008, more than 4000 people in India have died in terrorist attacks. Not all can be blamed on Islamic groups. What is frightening is the traces of what is known as reprisal terror. According to Mr Dileep Padgaonkar, member of National Commission for Minorities, there is virtually no control over the kind of hate speech and hate literature of many of the Hindu organizations, whether in Orissa , Karnataka or elsewhere. Most of these organizations indulge in rioting and communal violence but now they have simply gone up one notch and engaged in actual terrorism.
The level of intolerance is so high that there is a vicious circle, one kind of terrorism followed by another. Drastic measures need to be taken by the Indian government to curb terrorism rather than concentrating on what religious organization a terrorist belongs to. One should remember that when terror strikes, people of all faiths suffer.
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November 02, 2008
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Home > 2008 Issues > November 02, 2008
Appeasing terrorists will not bring unity
By OP Gupta, IFS (Retd)
All Muslims are not jehadi terrorists but all Islamic terrorists arrested so far from Indonesia to the USA are Muslims, mostly Sunnis. The Al Qaeda is a Sunni organisation claiming to derive its ideological inspiration from the Deoband Islamic seminary located in western UP, India. Abu Basher, 26-year-old, arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad blasts is a post-graduate of this Deoband madrasa.
Leftist Hindus and Indian media till recently were boasting that Indian Muslims were untouched by the Islamic terrorism taking place in the West and whatsoever Islamic terrorism was taking place in India was not being done by Indian Muslims but by non-Indian Muslims sent by Pakistan. This myth has now been exploded by arrest of dozens of Indian Muslims hailing mostly from Azamgarh.
In the year 2007 about 2300 Indians, mostly Hindus, were killed in terrorist attacks in India as against 13611, mostly Muslims were killed in Iraq, and, 4673 killed in Afghanistan. So under leadership of Manmohan Singh, India acquired the third rank in the world in 2007 on the Islamic terrorist toll list. During the last six months 47 bombings suspected to have been planned and executed by the Students Islamic Movement of India [SIMI] and its offshoot Indian Mujahideen [IM] in collaboration with the Bangladesh-based HUJI and Pakistan-based ISI and Lashkar-e-Toiba [LeT] were reported in seven major cities of India. The Islamic terrorism is no longer limited to J&K. It is now spread all over India— Agartala, Assam, Jaipur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Delhi, and Chennai. On September 26, 2008, Army killed seven Bangladeshi Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islam [HUJI] terrorists in Basbari, Dhubri. During the NDA regime number of such attacks was far and few which has galloped under the UPA regime.
While discussing the Islamic terrorism there are four basic facts which, we Hindus, whether rightist or leftist, should not lose sight of. Firstly, jehadi terrorism is taking place all over the world so it is not a Hindu vs. Muslim issue but it is a Muslim vs. kafirs [all non-Muslims] issue. It is not due to Hindu-Muslim divide in India though it gets aggravated by this age-old divide. Jehadi Muslims pick up local issues just to increase their local acceptability, for example, Kashmir, Ayodhya, Gujarat riots etc in India, and, ‘unholy presence of kafir Americans on holy land of Saudi Arabian peninsula’, Chechnya, Israel-Palestine etc in the Arab world. In Islamic countries like Afghanistan, Algeria, Gulf countries, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia etc where there is neither the RSS nor the Bajrang Dal or the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, jehadi Muslims are conducting terrorist activities as in their eyes rulers of those Muslim countries are not “true Muslims,” or, those rulers are puppets of Christian states [such as USA]. In Pakistan Sunnis are killing Shias and vice versa.
Secondly, all Muslims are not jehadi terrorists but all Islamic terrorists arrested so far from Indonesia to the USA are Muslims, mostly Sunnis. The Al Qaeda is a Sunni organisation claiming to derive its ideological inspiration from the Deoband Islamic seminary located in western UP, India. Abu Basher, 26-year-old, arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad blasts, is a post-graduate of this Deoband madrasa and hails from Azamgarh. No wonder Al Qaeda has time and again denounced Shias as its enemy.
Thirdly, there are about 125 ayats in the Quran which some Muslims quote as Quranic sanction to wage perpetual war against kafirs, to justify violence against kafirs. The jehadis are waging jehad so as to convert the whole world into an Islamic state where nizam-e-mustafa and shariah laws shall prevail, and, where all kafirs including Marxist Hindus, pseudo-secular Hindus and other non-Muslims would have been subjugated and reduced to second class status of dhimmi with no human rights and, no free press and, where civil courts shall be subordinate to shariah courts. But there is a sizeable chunk of Muslims all over the world who do not agree with such Al Qaeda interpretation of the Quran, and they interpret the same ayats to mean waging war not against kafirs but against evils present inside one’s own mind. They interpret the same ayats for self-purification, i.e. jehad-e-al-akbari. Such Muslims are invariably denounced by jehadi or fundamentalist Muslims as ‘non-Muslims’ or ‘not true Muslims,’ and, they are, like kafirs legitimate target for killing by jehadis. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was also declared a kafir for advocating English education to Indian Muslims. There is ‘holier than thou’ war going on within the Muslim community all over the world. In India the Hindu samaj should come forward to help moderate Muslims win their war against fundamentalist Al Qaeda types.
Fourthly, leftist Hindus and Indian media till recently were boasting that Indian Muslims were untouched by the Islamic terrorism taking place in the West and whatsoever Islamic terrorism was taking place in India was not being done by Indian Muslims but by non-Indian Muslims sent by Pakistan. This myth has now been exploded by arrest of dozens of Indian Muslims hailing mostly from Azamgarh district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. On ground of bringing Muslim youth into national mainstream lest they become easy prey to al Qaeda recruiters, the Manmohan Singh government through the 15-Point Programme, the Sachhar committee and the Rangnath Mishra Commission concocted justifications to reduce educational, employment and economic opportunities of young Hindus by 15 per cent. This reduction is applicable to all categories of Hindus including SCs, STs, OBCs and Marxists. Arrest of homegrown Indian Muslim terrorists has shattered these premises of the Congress Party.
Another argument which is advanced to justify Islamic terrorism is that Muslim youth are driven to terrorism because of lack of modern education, no stake in the system, poverty, denial, deprivation, and discrimination practiced against them in Hindu India. This myth has also got shattered as all the perpetrators of the
9/11 bombing of the World Trade Centre, New York were neither illiterate nor poor. Jehadi terrorists in EU and in UK are educated and enjoy better life standards than that prevailing in countries of their parents. Islamic terrorists arrested in India have been found to be better educated than average Indian Muslims; they are computer engineers, mechanical engineers, medical doctors, post-graduate students, MBAs and even employees of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd [HAL].
On October 6, 2008, Hasan Gafoor, Police Commissioner of Mumbai, briefing about arrest of 20 suspects, all Muslims, told that many were well educated and one, Mohammad Mansoor Asgar Peerbhoy was a software expert in Yahoo India at annual salary of Rs19 lakh!
On October 4, 2008, Mohammad Surti a Congressman and a former Minister in the Gujarat government was sentenced to 20 years RI along with a dozen other Muslims for organising the 1993 bomb blasts in Surat. Was Surti a poor and deprived Muslim? On October 12, 2008 Jaleel Muhammed, a general secretary of Kerala Youth Congress alleged that president of Kerala Youth Congress, T. Siddique was a SIMI mole. Does it mean that on analogy to pseudo-secular demand to ban Bajrang Dal, the Congress Party should be banned being a party of persons convicted as terrorists?
So the hard fact is that Islamic terrorists are not driven to violence against kafirs by poverty but by their religious ideology which is put into their minds by mullah while teaching them Quran mostly in madrasas whether in India or in the EU or in the USA. One should remember that many terrorists arrested in India are in their twenties.
Jehadi Muslims often cite the following Quranic verses out of many as proof to justify their brand of Islam: Surah (II.39): “And (as to) those who disbelieve in and reject My communications, they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide.” Surah (III.10): “(And for) those who disbelieve, surely neither their wealth nor their children shall avail them in the least against Allah, and these it is who are the fuel of the fire.” Surah (III.12): “Say to those who disbelieve: You shall be vanquished, and driven together to hell; and evil is the resting place.” Surah (V. 33): “The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement.” Surah (IX.5): “So when the sacred months [Ramadhan] have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor rate [zazia], leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” Surah (IX.14): “Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people.”
Mahatma Gandhi tried all along his life to bridge the Hindu-Muslim divide but he failed and all attempts made after the Partition of 1947 in this regard have so far failed because it is the following interpretation of the Quran which prohibits Muslims from befriending kafirs: Surah (III.28): “Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard yourself against them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventful coming.” Surah (III.73): “And do not believe but in him who follows your religion.” Surah (al-Maida 5:51): “O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.” Surah (IV.144): “O you, who believe, do not take unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves?”
Till such interpretations are taught in Indian madrasas how can harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims develop and prosper?
There are many ayats [3.64], [4.116], [26.213] etc which make it an unpardonable crime [shirk] to associate any other god with Allah. So when Gandhians sing ‘Ishwar Allah tero naam’, ‘Ram-rahim eik hai, naam dharao du’ and ‘Krishna-Karim eik hai, naam dharao du’, ‘Kaashi-Kabaa eik hai, naam dharao du’ etc., they irritate and annoy fundamentalist Muslims who take these songs as direct insult of the Quran. More Gandhians sing such songs more wide they make the divide. If a Hindu sings these Gandhian songs associating other gods with Allah in an Islamic country, in all probability, he will make himself vulnerable to charge of blasphemy, put behind the bars and most likely get beheaded.
The above ayats of the Quran are also interpreted to prohibit a Muslim to support a kafir vis-à-vis another Muslim; therefore, police forces all over the world find it very difficult to get information from Muslim community on Muslim suspects. This shows scriptural basis why Muslims of Hyderabad, Jamia Nagar, Delhi and Azamgarh offered non-cooperation and resistance on one pretext or the other to police actions against Islamic terrorists. This is the reason Islamic terrorists get safe sanctuary in Muslim localities as bulk of locals shall not report about them to kafir police. Therefore police has to plant human intelligence in addition to electronic ones and the field officers should be exposed to intra-Islamic polemics. This subject of intra-Islamic polemics has been covered in more details in my book Vedic Equality & Hinduism.
Here lies the relevance of sane advice of Arif Muhammad Khan [The Pioneer, October 11, 2008] that the Islamic terrorism has to be fought on ideological plane too, a new strategy has to be worked out and that, the Al Qaeda interpretations will have to be banished from India. AG Noorani, a brilliant intellectual of India, in his thought-provoking article “The Koran and Muslims” [Frontline, July14, 2006] has made a strong case for modernisation in Islam. He pleads to free the Indian Muslim community from the clutches of obscurantist mullahs and ulemas. This can be done only by dialogue and debate, not by ban, not by legislation.
In India madrasas are the main places where Muslim youngsters are exposed to the Quran. Many Islamic terrorists have been found to hail from Azamgarh which has over 300 madrasas. So the Indian state must ensure that Al Qaeda interpretations of Quran spreading hatred against kafirs are not taught there to young Indians. Spreading hatred in madrarsas against any community is violative among others of Section 153A of IPC. Imams of mosques are paid by wakf boards which, in turn, receive money from the government out of taxes collected from we Hindus so they are civil servants subject to conduct rules. Therefore we Hindus have a right as well as duty to ensure that our money is not being used to spread hatred against us or to protect persons suspected by police to be terrorists. An amount of Rs 700 crore out of taxes collected from we Hindus is earmarked for madrasas this year 2008-09.
Till the September 13, 2008 blasts in Delhi, police had not been so active in getting at terrorists except a few foot soldiers here and there mainly because Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been cautioning IPS officers against being pro-active in fighting Islamic terrorism by preaching them to avoid profiling any minority community while fighting terrorism. Prime Minister has denied a free hand to police officers in tackling terrorism. After 9/11 attack of 2001 there has been no terrorist attack in the USA because unlike Manmohan Singh, President Bush never gave such silly sermons to US police restricting their operational freedom.
On October 14, 2008, at the National Integration Council meeting Manmohan Singh said: “At the same time it is important that in trying to counter terrorism wrong methods and means are not adopted. Any impression that any community, or sections amongst them, are being targeted, or that some kind of profiling is being attempted should be avoided. The means are as important as the ends. This is vital, as otherwise it could lead to a major polarisation of society.” Addressing the annual conference of DGPs, PM had said in November 2006: “Wherever the police and security forces have handled such situations with sensitivity, they deserve our fullest appreciation. Our police and security establishment must remain steadfast in its commitment to preserve and protect communal peace and harmony.”
By giving such sermons to desist from profiling a community, he has openly accused Indian police of profiling Muslims and thus demoralised them. By such statements Manmohan Singh has himself put the Muslim community in focus. This Manmohan advisory on one hand has given encouragement to jehadi elements, and, on the other has discouraged police officers to be pro-active. No wonder India under Manmohan Singh is perceived as a soft state. No Hindu leader of prominence has singled out the entire Muslim community for being terrorist or being unpatriotic. It is Muslim leaders and Muslim organisations who allege that the Muslim community is being targeted, that there is Muslim-bashing, etc. It is thus self goal by Muslim leaders. It is thus the Prime Minister, seekers of Muslim votes and Muslim leaders who are communalising the fight against terrorism and in the process are giving bad name to the entire Muslim community.
Smt Zubeida Qureshi, mother of Abdus Qureshi, another terror suspect has proved to have much taller stature as an Indian than Mushirul Hasan or MJ Akbar when she openly said: “Hang my son in front of me if he is guilty.” [HT, Sept 18]. Unlike Hasan and Akbar she did not argue innocence of her son till he was proven guilty by a court.
Since only Muslims are members of SIMI and IM it is simple common sense that police could arrest/detain only Muslims and only those Muslims who fall within the zone of suspicion but this has caused a great amount of anger among GP [gulamiat pasand] Hindus who keep asking, why only Muslims are being arrested, why not some Hindus are also being arrested just to “balance.” It is this sick ‘balancing psychology’ which is forcing Sitaram Yechury, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Paswan etc to ask for a ban on the Bajrang Dal and the VHP though saner advice of MK Narayanan, NSA is that doing so will not be legally sustainable.
People like Amar Singh, general secretary, Samajwadi Party, MJ Akbar, many Muslim leaders and some GP Hindus have rushed to accuse the Delhi Police of framing ‘innocent’ Muslims’. Doubts have been cast on September 19 police encounter at L-18 Batla House flat of Jamia Nagar in which police Inspector MC Sharma and two terrorists [Atif and Shahid] were killed. Some suspected to be involved in the Delhi blasts were arrested and based on their interrogation a list of 13 suspects, all Muslims was drawn up by the Delhi Police. On Sept 24 Mumbai Police arrested five suspects all Muslims hailing from Azamgarh.
The very allegation that ‘innocent Muslims’ are being framed by police shows their total ignorance of Indian legal-administrative system and is therefore deliberate mischief on their part to obstruct police investigation: firstly, because it is the judiciary which determines the innocence or guilt of the accused, not the police. Secondly, police arrests/detains only those who fall within the zone of suspicion. Those accusing police of framing innocent Muslims are thus creating gulf between different sections of people on ground of religion and, creating disaffection towards public authority [i.e. police] and thus are creating new obstructions impeding pace of police investigation. So DGPs should examine merits of booking such mischief mongers u/s 153A and 186 of IPC. To invoke Section 186 courts have held that it is sufficient if there is any act obstructing the execution [here police investigations] of any act by a public servant [(1956) 58 Bom LR 1021].
It was most unfortunate on part of Mushirul Hasan, VC, to have rushed with tax-payers’ money to defend persons suspected by police to be terrorists. If he is so interested to defend terror suspects, he ought to have resigned first and used his private money to defend them. Teachers of Jamia Milia University have unethically started collecting funds for legal defence of its students [Zia-ur-Rahman, BA(Eco) and Md Shakeel MA(Eco)] suspected by the Delhi Police to be involved in terrorism. One state organ is standing up against another state organ in fighting terrorism and, thus, the Indian State under the UPA government is a divided house. Amar Singh was quoted [October 7]: “Shoot them if they are terrorists but if they are innocent then they should be given justice.” One may ask Mr Singh, Who will decide whether they are innocent, and, who will give justice to them”? Not the police, but only the courts can decide based on evidence collected by the police. Amar Singh should know that under Indian law no convict can be shot dead by the State so he is simply fooling the people by saying “shoot them”.
Communal violence in my view erupts as accumulated pent-up anger against propaganda by missionaries and mullah against Hindu gods which they unleash with a view to preparing ground for conversions. By getting Swamiji murdered Christians have self-invited wrath of Hindus in Kandhamal and by publishing Satya Darshini in Karnataka. General body of Hindus gets angry more by running down of their religion by missionaries and mullah than by conversion per se. The NDA Chief Ministers who want to avoid the predicament of receiving letters under Article 355 in which Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa and BS Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister, Karnataka have landed should direct their DGPs to take firm actions against missionaries and mullahs u/s 153A and 298 of IPC as soon as they are reported to be running down Hindu gods and Hinduism. Such actions under existing laws would on one hand not allow build up of Hindu anger, and, on the other would get them rich electoral dividends.
The Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Congressman Moily has recommended adopting new tougher laws to fight terrorism but UPA ministers have been opposing new tougher laws. POTA or POTA-like new tougher laws and a federal agency to fight terrorism are the need of the hour. The UPA government has been soft on Islamic terrorists therefore those Hindu voters who wish to keep India free of such terrorism must not vote to the Congress Party, to Communist parties or to parties of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Mulayam Singh Yadav etc as Islamic terrorists enjoy their patronage. Terrorists are entering into India riding on warm shoulders of the Congress Party in Assam and the CPM in Tripura and in West Bengal.
If we Hindus want that we and our women and children should be safe in markets, on streets and in our temples we must vote out the UPA parties lock, stock and barrel in the coming elections. This is the surest way to save our children and ourselves from Islamic terrorism.
[The writer retired in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India in the Indian Foreign Service (1971 batch). He has served as Ambassador to Finland, Estonia, Jamaica, Tunisia and Tanzania and, as Consul General, Dubai and Birmingham (UK).]
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Hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 India's contribution in combating Terrorism |
| "Our message is loud and clear: The life of every Indian citizen under our dispensation is precious. In our fight against terrorism, we will be guided by the principle of 'Zero Tolerance'." - Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, October 16, 1999
Statement by Mr. V. K. Nambiar, Permanent Representative, on Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts at the Security Council - March 04, 2004 Joint Statement of the India-US= O /> Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism - July 12, 2002 Recent terrorist attacks in Jammu & Kashmir Terrorist attack on Indian Parliament The Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance, 2001 Information & Press Releases on terrorist attacks on World Trade Center & Pentagon Prime Minister Vajpayee's address to the nation on terrorist attacks on America - September 14, 2001 Prime Minister's letter to U. S. President Bush on terrorist attacks on America - September 11, 2001 India condemns terrorist attacks on World Trade Center, New York & Pentagon, Washington, DC - September 11, 2001 External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's statement in Parliament on Taliban's cultural vandalism - March 02, 2001 Resolution adopted by both Houses of Indian Parliament on Taliban's decree to destroy all religious statues in Afghanistan - March 02, 2001 India - U.S. Statement on Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism - September 26, 2000 ="LEFT">Statement by the Home Minister L. K. Advani on situation in Jammu & Kashmir in Parliament - August 9, 2000 ="LEFT"> ="LEFT">Countering the changing threat of International Terrorism - US National Commission on Terrorism Report - June 5, 2000 ="LEFT">Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999 (South Asia Region) - U.S. State Department Report - May 1, 2000 ="LEFT">Joint U.S.- India Statement on Counter-terrorism Working Group - February 8, 2000 India identifies all five hijackers of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 - January 6, 2000 Measures to eliminate international terrorism - Statement by Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, Permanent Representative to the United Nations on November 16, 1999 Press Release on Pakistan's support of cross border terrorism - November 10, 1999 | ||||
