IIT Delhi, BJP, Cong hqs were on Indian Mujahideen’s hit list

IIT Delhi, BJP, Cong hqs were on IM’s hit list

Monday, February 8, 2010

New Delhi, Feb 8: In a startling revelation, police on Sunday, Feb 7 said that the headquarters of Congress and BJP, including IIT Delhi were on the hit list of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) aided terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) after the serial blasts in Sep 2008.

The plans of the Indian Mujahideen was revealed during the interrogation of the Shahzad, who was arrested by UP’s Anti-Terror Squad, in Azamgarh, sources said.

Delhi police said that Shahzad had confessed to shooting at inspector MC Sharma during Batla House encounter on Sep 19, 2008.

They added that after fleeing from Batla House, Shahzad was in touch with the four members of the terror outfit over internet.

Sources said that Shahzad had named a UP politician, a former MLA, stating that he had fled to his Shaheenbagh house after the encounter and had taken some money from the former MLA.

Both Shahzad and Junaid then went to Aligarh from Shaheenbagh and move on to Bulandshahr.

According to sources, he traveled towards Lucknow and from there he went to his village in Azamgarh before heading to Jaipur.

“From Jaipur, he went to Mumbai and later returned to his village where he was hiding,” the official said.

Sources added that the .32 revolver with which Shahzad had fired at Sharma could not be retrieved by the police, despite taking him to the canal where he had thrown it.

Following the revelation, the police conducted raid at several places which Shahzad had mentioned, sources said.

Besides, the former MLA, the names of a local leader, who is also said to be a councillor and another leader who assisted him in escaping from Delhi, have come up during the interrogation, according to sources.

The Muslim agenda of BJP – Does it work

General election 2009, proves that this agenda does not work. But will BJP learn?

MUSLIM AGENDA OF THE BJP-Will it work?
28.9.2000

by R.Upadhyay
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers2/paper149.html

“The Muslims are the flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood” Deen Dayal Upadhyay in Calicut session in1967 of Bhartiya Jana Sangh.

Bangaru Laxman, the new president of the BJP in his presidential speech in the recently held Nagpur- session(August 26-28) of the party, repeated this statement.

Upadhyay, was an ideologue of the BJS/BJP, and his thesis of “integral humanism” continues to be the philosophical ideology of the party.  Though, the statement of Upadhyay was too general in nature, Laxman tried to send a signal that he was serious on re-working  BJP’s relationship with Indian Muslims.  This is not the first attempt on the part of the BJP to woo Muslims, as in mid nineties also it had made a similar attempt by forming Minority Morcha of the party with a view to counter its anti-Muslim image.  The present overture of the national president of a ruling party at centre, that too in the inaugural session of its highest policy making body is significant and could be  expected kick off a wide-ranging debate.

A debate on Hindu-Muslim politics is not new to Indian polity.  The seed of communal politics sown by the Britishers during freedom movement gradually developed roots by the time India achieved Independence with its partition on the basis of the two-nation theory. For the Muslims of this sub-continent, creation of Pakistan was a symbolic triumph of “Muslim Nationalism”, whereas the Hindu community of divided India continued to nurse a psychological grudge against the Muslims for their direct or indirect role in support of partition.

Ever since partition of this sub-continent, the Indian Muslims were never allowed by their community leaders to get themselves free from the shackles of theological fundamentalism.   They were forced to nurse a feeling that the Muslims being a religious minority were deliberately ignored and deprived of their share in the governance of the country as well as in the educational and economic development of Indian society.  Their leaders with vested interests of their own did not allow them to share the platform with millions of deprived sections of Indian population irrespective of their religious affinity, and thus became victims of vote-bank politics.

Our political guardians irrespective of their political philosophy exploited the psychological problem of Muslim voters and preferred to utilise them for their political interests than to undo the widening gap of mistrust between the two communities.  The Muslim leaders too remained more concerned and zealous about the security of the personal laws and religious grievances of the community rather than for their modern education or economic advancement.  The growth of the BJP as a party of Hindu-resurgence further isolated the Indian Muslims from the mainstream politics of the country.

The demolition of a disputed structure Babri Masjid at Ayodhya was a catalyst in the resurgence of the BJP.  The Masjid incident worked as a psychological victory for “assertive Hindus”, and there is no doubt that this helped the party to reach the centre-stage of Indian politics. Apart form other factors, the rise of the BJP in the last decade of the 20th century was mainly due to the projection of the party as a custodian of Hindu interests. Slogans like  “Jo Hindu Hit Ki Baat Karega, Wahi Desh Par Raj Karega” ( One who will talk of Hindus interest, would only rule this country.) was widely prevalent before the BJP came to power, and consequently, the Muslims by and large avoided party.

The scars of the two significant historical events, partition of the country on August 15, 1947 and demolition of “Babri Masjid” on December 6, 1992 are so deep in the mind of the two communities that any attempt to reconcile the Hindu-Muslim relations by the forces of Hindutva is not likely to succeed in the short term.

After the BJP headed a coalition Government at centre in 1998, Prime Minister Vajpayee and his advisers as well as his party colleagues in the Government have come to realise that without shedding its Hindu– agenda, it would be very difficult for it to function as a party of governance. With their experience of governance for over two years in association with their NDA partners, they perhaps learnt a lesson that without widening the base of the party in a pluralistic society, their party is bound to stagnate.

The failure of the BJP to counter the tactical voting by alert Muslims against the BJP during 1999 Lok-SABHA election, which caused a major set back to the party in UP, followed by its poor performance in subsequent assembly bye elections and panchayat elections in the State also sent an alarming signal to the leadership.   Vajpayee-centric leaders of the party were convinced that the onward march of the BJP was no more possible with singing and dancing on the tune of the triumph of Hindu –agenda.  The Nagpur resolution of the BJP under the presidentship of Bangaru Laxman was therefore, an attempt for re-engineering the BJP’s relationship with Muslims

The forthcoming Assembly election in UP, the largest state in the country next year is in the priority list of Laxman. It may not be possible for the BJP to retain its power in the state if the Muslims repeat their tactical voting against the party.  Since Muslims constitute 19% of the population in the state whose votes are decisive in many constituencies. Laxman was under political compulsion to announce the pro-Muslim agenda of the party in his presidential speech. But will the party succeed in UP with the change in tactics?

Realising the political compulsions of the BJP, even the RSS leaders have no reservations in BJP’s parliamentary front functioning as an independent body within the frame- work of the National Agenda for Governance.

The attempt of the new president to erase the anti-Muslim image of the BJP was greeted with skepticism by both friends and foes of the BJP. While the supporters of the party are not ready to abandon their dream to revive the pre-Islamic glory of their nation, its political adversaries are ridiculing the party leaders for their double speak. What to talk of creating a confidence among the Muslims, the BJP leaders are not even in a position to convince their own party cadres, who have pushed the BJP to a centre-stage on the basis of the Hindu-agenda?  Expressing his anguish against the BJP President for his “new found love for the Muslims” Acharya Dharmendra Maharaj, a prominent leader of the VHP cautioned the Muslims that “If the BJP could betray 85 crore Hindus in the country, it will not remain loyal to 15 per cent Muslims” (Hindu dated September 26).

On the face of it, the new approach of the BJP president towards the Muslims might be a revolutionary step. Similarly his symbolic gesture to “secularise” the party may have satisfied some of the party’s allies, though Shiva Sena is strongly opposed to it. But will it be possible for the party leadership to prove their long- standing historical and ideological philosophy towards the Muslims wrong? Will the BJP leaders be able to convince the Muslims that they are part of the mono-cultural Indian society, which they claim as cultural nationalism? So long the attitude of exclusiveness both among the Hindus and Muslims in looking upon each other as Mlechhas and Kafirs respectively is not changed, Laxman may not be able to overcome the psychological barrier between the two communities, which started from the day the country was partitioned and reached its climax on the day the “Babri Masjid” was demolished.  Altaf Hussain, chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement of Pakistan might have denounced the two-nation theory and declared that “partition of India was the biggest blunder in the history of mankind” but would he be able to change the mindset of Indian Muslims, who are not being allowed to think on their by their community leaders?

The Muslim’s response to Laxman’s overture has been lukewarm. His liberal voice neither convinced the party supporters nor created any confidence among the Muslims. However, the debate on the issue is so intense that even the low profile President of the BJP, may be catapulted to national and international levels. With a series of his interview in media, Laxman could even attract the attention of the Islamic world. Evincing their keen interest in new president of a party of Hindutva the Ambassadors of Morocco and Tunisia have already invited him to visit their countries. This is perhaps his only but significant achievement on this issue so far.

(e-mail ramashray60 @yahoo.com)

BJP leader stabbed in Mysore, Muslim youth detained

Mysore still tense, BJP leader stabbed
Jul 03, 2009

Violence in Mysore continued on Friday with a BJP slum morcha leader Giridhar being stabbed in the N R Mohalla area when he was seated with a Muslim friend in a car. Though the police said the incident was connected to a financial dispute and was not part of the communal clashes witnessed in the neighboring Udayagiri suburb, tension prevailed in the locality.

The police claimed to have detained a Muslim youth in connection with the attack on Giridhar, who is said to be in a serious condition. “Two people came on a motorcycle and attacked a Hindu and a Muslim. It is connected to some other dispute. An investigation is on,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Armed Reserve) B Shivanna.

After the violence of Thursday morning, two Hindus were stabbed late in the evening by a motorcyle borne duo in the Shanthinagar area. Much of Friday was peaceful, with people staying indoors. The Rapid Action Force carried out a peace march in the affected areas.

On Thursday, Junaid Pasha, a 14-year-old mechanic who was standing near his house, Mubarak, a 22-year-old lorry driver, and Tirupathy, a 42-year-old mason on his way to work, where killed as violence engulfed the area. While Pasha’s mother said her son died in the police firing, the police claim he was stabbed.

While the trigger for the violence on Thursday was the desecration of a disputed under-construction prayer hall in Kyathamaranahalli, there are reports of local Muslim leaders aggravating the violence in a battle of one upmanship. A lot of fingers are being pointed at the power tussle between Congress leaders — MLA Tanvir Sait and former Mayor Ayub Khan. “Many of the people involved in the rioting on Thursday were brought from outside. In the light of the communal clashes other scores are also being settled,” a Congress leader said. Party sources said Khan was trying to become the key Congress leader in the region.

Local Congress leader Mohammed Rehmatullah said the incident comes after the district administration allowing the entry of controversial Sri Rama Sene leader Pramod Muthalik into the area a few days ago. “It is natural that the ruling BJP will use the administration for its benefit and there will be discontentment among the minority community. But that is rarely reason enough for such violence,” a Congress leader said.

Martyr Mohan Chand Sharma’s family refuses cheque from Muslim appeasing Amar Singh

Slain Delhi inspector’s family refuses cheque from Amar Singh
New Delhi | October 06, 2008

The family of slain Delhi Police inspector M.C. Sharma Monday said they were hurt by the remarks of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on the police shootout in Jamia Nagar and would not accept a cheque of Rs.1 million from him.

We are deeply hurt by his remarks on the encounter. If he thinks it was fake, then why did he announce help of Rs.1 million to us after my son died in the shootout, Narottam Sharma, the father of the slain police officer, told reporters at his Dwarka house in southwest Delhi.

My son was very much with the special cell and was not transferred to any other department of Delhi Police as claimed by Amar Singh. One should refrain from doing politics over the issue, Narottam Sharma said.

Singh, while visiting Jamia Nagar last Saturday, had raised doubts about the police version of the Sep 19 shootout and said: “When the authorities had decided to transfer Sharma, why was he sent to Jamia Nagar?”

Besides M.C. Sharma, two suspected terrorists who were linked by police to the Sep 13 Delhi serial blasts, were killed in the Jamia Nagar shootout but doubts have been raised about the genuineness of the encounter.

Narottam Sharma said the family would not accept the cheque of Rs.1 million that was announced by Singh. A couple of days ago, the family had returned the same cheque to the Samajwadi Party after it drew a blank in the bank. The cheque had apparently not been filled correctly.

But the party then said it would correct the mistake and reissue the cheque to the family. So far, however, the family has not received any more cheques from Singh or his party.

Reacting to Singh’s remarks, Delhi Police too has clarified that Sharma had not been transferred to any other department.

“Sharma was not transferred from the Special Cell. He had gone to Jamia Nagar in his capacity as a Special Cell inspector,” Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

SIMI may shift to Goa and Maharashtra from BJP-ruled Karnataka

SIMI may shift to Goa from BJP-ruled Karnataka, ex-CM warns

PANAJI, JUNE 23 (PTI)
With Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government taking over the reigns in Karnataka, it is becoming unsafe for SIMI activists who are shifting their base to Goa and Maharashtra, Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar said today.

Parrikar told presspersons, quoting mediareports which has carried confession of SIMI activists arrested in Karnataka recently that “it is clearly mentioned that SIMI activists have named Goa as one of their operational area,” he said.

The BJP leader said his party’s rule in Karnataka is likely to weed out the SIMI activities forcing them to look for new grounds.

The former Chief Minister said the police have confirmed about activities of SIMI and certain elements having links with naxal-like organizations in the state.

He said though these activities have not reached a `dangerous level’ police needs to check them.

“There are certain sections which are trying to induce elements of extremism amongst the mining-hit villagers. They have links with certain outfits like naxalite movement,” Parrikar said.

Is SIMI Getting out of Karnataka due to BJP govt?

Has Karnataka’s crackdown on SIMI worked?
Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru, June 09, 2008

Has Karnataka’s crackdown on the Students Islamic Movement of India worked?

Judging by the narco analysis report of Mohammed Asif, the medical student recently arrested in the state, it does seem so.

Based on this report, Intelligence Bureau officials told rediff.com that leaders of the banned SIMI are having second thoughts about making Karnataka their base.

In his narco test, Asif said SIMI leaders had decided to shift their base if the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power.

Asif added that SIMI leaders had taken the decision after analysing the trends and patterns from other states where the BJP was in power.

IB sources say SIMI has already started making inroads into other states because of the crackdown on them and the new state government promising tougher anti-terror laws.

The SIMI had built up a strong base in Karnataka as evidenced by the attack on the Indian Institute of Science — and its cadres played a crucial role in providing logistical support in carrying out various blasts across the country.

According to the IB, SIMI shifted base to Karnataka after the police forces in their two strong bases, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, initiated a ruthless crackdown. Shifting to another state from Karnataka will be a relatively easier task, as the outfit’s bases are relatively new, the sources said.

The IB cautions that although SIMI leaders plan to shift out of Karnataka, they may still try and retain a few of their cadres as sleeper cells in the state.

UPA’s soft policy on Islamic terrorism has helped BJP win Karnataka poll

UPA’s soft policy on terrorism has helped BJP win the Karnataka Assembly poll
Hiranmay Karlekar, The Pioneer

It is remarkable that few have cited the UPA Government’s soft policy on terrorism as one of the possible causes of the Congress’s defeat in the recent Assembly election in Karnataka. Perhaps the first major incident related to Islamist terrorism occurred in Bangalore on September 28, 2002, when the head of the Al Ummah was killed in an encounter with the police in Bangalore.

Indeed, indications that Lashkar-e-Tayyeba was planning to target Bangalore, were available as early as 2001, if not earlier. Confirmation, however, came on March 5, 2005, when Delhi Police killed three LeT terrorists in an encounter in the outskirts of the national capital. Among the items recovered during the search that followed were three AK-56 rifles, a huge amount of explosives, and detailed plans for an attack on the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun. Also recovered was evidence that information technology companies in Bangalore were being targeted. Delhi Police, too, stated that terrorists had visited Bangalore in December 2004 and surveyed possible targets.

Soon thereafter, offices of Wipro and Infosys were evacuated following bomb threats, both of which were found to be hoaxes. But the message that the alarm sounded on March 5 was not false and that India’s IT capital was in danger was chillingly conveyed on December 28, 2005, when LeT terrorists, working in close cooperation with Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJIB), struck inside the campus of the Indian Institute of Science where an international conference of the Operational Research Society of India was being held. Mr MC Puri, a retired professor of the Indian Institute of Technology, was killed and five wounded.

After the incident, a letter faxed to newspaper offices stated that six terrorists had arrived in Bangalore to attack the Chief Minister’s residence and a hotel on New Years’ eve. According to a report in the Hindu of January 17, 2006, Bangalore’s Police Commissioner, Mr Ajai Kumar Singh, said during an interview that the LeT had planned explosions at the Kaiga nuclear plant in Uttara Kannada district, Alamatti Reservoir in Bagalkot district and the Sharavathi power lines.

The sense of alarm created by all this was heightened following an incident on June 30, 2007, when Kafeel Ahmed, a 27-year-old aeronautical engineer from Bangalore, along with an Iraqi doctor, Bilal Abdullah, allegedly drove a flaming jeep into Glasgow airport. Kafeel, who had suffered 90 per cent burns in the process, died later in hospital. His brother, Sabeel Ahmed, a doctor, who, London’s Old Bailey court found, was not an extremist, harboured no extremist views and had no knowledge of the plan to attack Glasgow Airport, was deported to India and arrived in Bangalore on May 8, 2008.

Sabeel Ahmed had earlier pleaded guilty to not reporting to the police about the attack carried out by Kafeel. Their cousin, Mohammed Haneef, a doctor, was detained in Australia on the ground of supporting a terrorist organisation but released after the charge against him was dropped.

Despite the fact that the charges against both Sabeel and Haneef were dropped, Karnataka remained highly sensitive to the issue of Islamist terrorism because the latter had spread its tentacles deep and wide in neighbouring States. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, LeT has established a network in a number of States, including Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. According to intelligence sources, the outlawed Students’ Islamic Movement of India and the Islamic Sevak Sangh are active in Kerala whose coastline is being increasingly used for landing explosives, weapons and terrorist literature.

The Al Ummah is active in Tamil Nadu and has links with Islamist terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan, and perhaps even in Singapore and Malaysia. Islamist terrorist and fundamentalist outfits are currently active in Hyderabad, Warangal, Nalagonda and Mahboobnagar districts of Andhra Pradesh, as a part of Pakistani outfit, Inter-Services Intelligence’s effort to use various Muslim dominated areas to unleash violence in India.

People in Karnataka, therefore, live in an environment which makes them acutely conscious of the threat posed by terrorism. Outrages in places like Jaipur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Delhi and Mumbai always remind them that their turn may be next, particularly since Bangalore, as the capital of India’s IT industry, is not only a symbol of its economic progress but contributes substantially to it. They could not have been overly inclined to vote for the Congress whose political will to combat terrorism has been called to question.