India Timeline - Year 2007
Date
Incidents
January 4
Two suspected Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) militants, Lutful Rahman and Mohammed Amin Wani, were arrested by the Delhi Police. Rahman, a Bangladeshi national, was arrested in Adarsh Nagar locality of North-West Delhi, while Mohammed Amin, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested in South Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Alok Kumar, disclosed: "We have recovered 1.6 kg of RDX, a detonator and a timer from Mohd Amin and INR 4. 5 lakh from Lutuful Rahman."
January 5
Police in Bangalore, capital of Karnataka, arrested Imran alias Bilal, a suspected terrorist hailing from Jammu and Kashmir. A bag containing an AK-47 assault rifle, 300 live rounds of AK-47 ammunition, four AK-47 magazines, five hand grenades, a satellite phone, mobile phones, SIM cards, a Bangalore city map and other documents was seized from him. Imran had reportedly undergone arms training in Pakistan and was earlier arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. He had studied in a private polytechnic in Bangalore and had been living at Hospet for the last five years. Certain locations such as the airport and the Infosys and Wipro facilities were marked on the map seized from him.
January 6
Outlook reports that fifty live rocket shells were netted by fishermen from the Palk Straits in waters off the Tamil Nadu coast in the past 15 days. The Israeli and German-made shells, packed in wooden boxes, are believed to have been abandoned by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka. A Police official said, "The shells could have been jettisoned by militants while being transported to Sri Lanka after they were spotted by some Coast Guard officials."
January 8
An alleged aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in Mumbai. The accused, Ateek Ahmed, is a proclaimed offender wanted in several cases of murder, attempt to murder, riots, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act registered in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
January 10
IANS reports that Tamil Nadu is setting up 12 Marine Police stations as part of heightened coastal security to check smuggling of weapons and explosives to Sri Lanka. The Government has sanctioned money for the stations to come up along the winding Tamil Nadu coast and to increase the number of Police check posts close to the sea from the present 60 to 100. These are expected to happen within the next six months.
January 10
A joint counter-insurgency operation was launched by the Army, Assam Rifles, Arunachal Pradesh Police and Assam Police targeting the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) cadres taking shelter in the forest areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
All airports in the country were put on high alert and stringent security measures were introduced following warnings from intelligence agencies that Kashmiri terrorists may hijack a plane. A Civil Aviation Ministry spokesperson said, "Security at all airports has been increased after the ministry received a warning from the intelligence agencies."
January 11
India and Portugal signed an extradition treaty after talks between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the visiting Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva in New Delhi.
January 12
The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Mohammed Afzal, convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case. A four-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal dismissed Afzal’s curative petition where he pleaded that his conviction and sentence be set aside as he did not get a fair trial. The same bench also dismissed the curative petition of Shaukat Hussain Guru, sentenced to 10-years in jail in the same case.
January 13
Two militants belonging to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) and ULFA respectively surrendered before the 29 Assam Rifles at Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh. They had reportedly fled from their respective camps in Myanmar.
Army claims to have arrested an ULFA sympathiser, Mutlib Ali, near Santipur in Lower Dibang Valley district.
January 14
Two ULFA militants were arrested during a search operation in the Changlang district.
A ULFA militant, Jaan Bhuyan alias Jim Chowdang, surrendered before Assam Rifles at Jairampur in the Changlang district. He deposited an AK-series rifle, a sub-machine gun and explosives. Bhuyan confessed that at least 60 ULFA cadres were currently undergoing training in Myanmar under the guidance of the NSCN-K.
January 15
Defence Minister A.K. Antony ruled out army involvement in tackling left-wing extremism in the country. Speaking at a reception in New Delhi on the occasion of Army Day, he said, "It is not the job of the army to tackle the Naxalites. This is something the state governments have to tackle." He further added, "The Naxalite problem has to be tackled by the state police forces and the paramilitary forces. At the most, the army can help with training and providing equipment. But the operations have to be conducted by the states." Antony further said that roughly half of the 1.2 million-strong Indian Army is deployed on counter-insurgency duties. "They are not happy doing this job but they have to because there is no one else to do it. When the police fails, and the paramilitary fails, the army is called in. But we can't expect them to tackle Naxalism too."
January 17
A ULFA linkman, Shankar Chakma, was arrested by security personnel while neutralizing two camps run by the outfit by at Monobhum reserve forest in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. Books showing location of top ULFA leaders, medicines, clothes and rations were recovered from the camps.
January 18
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Alipurduar remanded Gopal Rabha alias Jagadish, ‘commander of the third battalion’ of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), to police custody for 11 days. Rabha was reportedly involved in the October 15, 2006-bomb blast at Barobhisa town under Alipurduar subdivision in the Jaipalguri district, and was arrested from Guwahati in Assam on January 16-night.
January 20
Four persons were arrested and 6.5 kilograms of TNT explosives were recovered from them in suburban Andheri of North West Mumbai. Two of the arrested persons were identified as Sakhu Gaikwad and Gautam Telore from Igatapuri in the Nasik district.
Police beefed up security in the Cuttack city of Orissa amidst intelligence reports indicating that the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) cadres are planning to orchestrate a terrorist attack during the India-West Indies one-day Cricket Match at the Barabati Stadium on January 24. Official sources told that terrorists are planning to carry out attacks in Cuttack, besides Kochi (Kerala), Bhubaneswar (capital of Orissa), Guwahati (Assam) and Bangalore (capital of Karnataka) prior to the Republic Day on January 26.
January 21
Press Trust of India reports that security agencies issued an alert that militants are planning to use explosive-laden "toy planes" to target several VIPs touring for electioneering ahead of State legislative assembly elections in the three States of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand. Officials have been reportedly asked to ensure various layers of security in the ‘funnel’ area of airports, proper securing of helipads, and round-the-clock vigil at the venue of poll campaign meetings and places where VIPs would stay. Intelligence agencies claimed to have intercepted a militant communication that planned to use ‘remote controlled airborne aerodynamic modules’ (RCAAM) to target the VIPs who would be campaigning in these states. Sources said air restrictions, if necessary, would be imposed to ward off any threat from such objects.
January 21
Indian Government has urged Myanmar to evict anti-India insurgent groups operating out of bases there, a foreign ministry statement in New Delhi said. The statement said, "While welcoming Myanmar's commitment not to allow its territory to be used for activities inimical to India, (India's foreign) minister sought their continued and sustained cooperation in this regard." The statement added that the issue was discussed at meetings between India's visiting External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and Myanmarese leaders in Yangon.
January 22
The Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, Mani Shankar Aiyar, said that the militants enjoy a free run in areas which are not electrified. He reportedly asked for resolving the power crisis in the Northeast region to check militancy.
January 23
Police have arrested eight suspected LTTE cadres from Tamil Nadu and seized more than two metric tons (2.2 US tons) of ball bearings that can be used for making mines. The arrested cadres had bought the bearings, manufactured in Mumbai, and were to planning to take them to Sri Lanka. Five of them were arrested on January 23-night in the capital Chennai, while three others were arrested on the same day from Tuticorin.
January 24
15 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees arrived at Dhanushkodi near Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
January 25
A suspected LeT militant was arrested with 2.5 kilograms of RDX by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from near the Seelampur Metro station. The militant was to hand over the explosives to a LeT module that was to carry out blasts in New Delhi on Republic Day (January 26).
January 28
The Delhi High Court asked the Union Government to expedite identification of Bangladeshi migrants and to ensure they are not included in the electoral roll of the national capital. The court also issued notice to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer to file its response by March 26 on a pending petition alleging that over five lakh illegal migrants, particularly Bangladeshis, have been included in the voters list of various constituencies in the capital.
January 29
Police in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district arrested five persons with a cache of arms and ammunition stolen from an army depot in the cantonment town of Binnaguri. Three grenades, 17 live cartridges of 8.5 caliber guns and two live AK-47 cartridges were recovered from their possession.
January 31
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his meeting with new Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama in New Delhi urged Sri Lanka to unveil a credible devolution package to end the ethnic conflict. He said that now is the time to do it and that Sri Lanka should remember that there could never be a military solution to the conflict that has turned messier since end of 2005 after some years of relative calm.
February 1
The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested an ISI agent from Varanasi when he was passing certain sensitive information to a person on telephone. Several sensitive documents, including a map of the Harish Chandra Atomic Research Centre in Allahabad, information about Indian army bases and infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh, documents connected to India's planned purchase of T-90 tanks from Russia and Indian troop movements and counter-militancy operations in Punjab were recovered from him.
February 4
Four suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed militants, including a Pakistani national, were arrested following an encounter with the Delhi Police under the Ranjit Singh flyover near Connaught Place. Police recovered three kilograms of RDX, four detonators, a timer, six hand grenades, .30 bore firearm, US $ 10,000 and INR 50,000 from them.
February 7
Security forces (SF) recovered 75 kilograms of TNT from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants in the Saching village of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh. While the NSCN-K claimed that two SF personnel and a ‘sergeant major’ were killed during the raid, SF sources said that the casualties among the militants could be higher.
February 12
Indian Navy arrested two persons off Rameswaram coast in Tamil Nadu and seized components of around 2.9 tonnes from them used for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Preliminary enquiry revealed that the IED components were being smuggled to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres in Sri Lanka.
February 13
The Indian Coast Guard in the Palk Bay, 20 nautical miles from Point Calimere in south Tamil Nadu, intercepted a LTTE ship carrying a suicide bomb jacket packed with explosive substances weighing seven kilograms, five detonators, and arrested five persons, including one who served as a driver for the LTTE and four Sri Lankan Tamils. Besides the suicide bomb vest and detonators, five hand grenades, an AK-56 rifle with 124 rounds of ammunition and eight drums of 55 litres of liquid chemical were also found in the ship.
Abdul Qayyum Shaikh, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and a key member of the fugitive underworld Dawood Ibrahim gang, was arrested at Panjrapole junction in Mumbai (Maharashtra) by the city police.
The 15th meeting of the Task Force in Naxalism (left-wing extremism) was held in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Additional Secretary (Anti Naxalite Cell) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and was attended by nodal officers of the Naxalite-affected States. The States were requested to further streamline inter-State joint operations, pinpointed intelligence collection and sharing, fine tune action plans wherever required, fill up vacancies in State Police in Naxalite areas in a time-bound manner, ensure full utilization of funds under the Police Modernisation Scheme, giving special emphasis on investigation and prosecution of cases of Naxalite leaders/cadres.
February 14
A United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militant, Kabin Moran, was killed in an encounter with the security force personnel at Inthang village near Manabhum Reserve Forest in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Three other militants, including one injured during the encounter, managed to escape from the incident site.
February 15
The Hindu quoting National Security Adviser (NSA) M.K. Narayanan reported that manipulation of stock exchanges is the new modus operandi used by terrorist groups to raise funds for their operations and fictitious companies have operated in the Mumbai and Chennai stock exchanges. While addressing the 43rd Conference on Security Policy in Munich last week, the NSA said that security agencies had detected many instances of funds received via banking channels from so-called safe locations such as Dubai and UAE that were intended for terrorist groups.
The Supreme Court described the proscribed SIMI as a "secessionist movement". A bench of Justice S. B. Sinha and Markandeya Katju observed while dealing with the Special Leave Petition filed by the SIMI challenging the ban imposed on it, "You are a secessionist movement. You have not stopped your activities."
The prosecution completed arguments on the quantum of sentence in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case and pleaded for death sentence for the 44 convicted persons. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) prosecutor, N. Natarajan, however, submitted that Rubina Memon, Somnath Thapa and Imitiaz Gawte, be spared of death sentence as Thapa and Gawte were ill and Rubina was a woman.
February 16
Amid reports of terrorist groups establishing legitimate businesses to fund their activities, the Government said that such outfits are making inroads into big cities and operating clandestinely. "Terrorists are sneaking into big cities and operating clandestinely... They have been making their plans by hiding in the cities and will continue to do it," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said in New Delhi.
February 19
On February 18-midnight, 66 persons, including some Pakistani nationals, were killed and 13 others injured in explosions in two coaches of the Delhi-Attari special train at Diwana near Panipat in Haryana. Northern Railway General Manager, V. N. Mathur, told that he suspected sabotage as two improvised explosive device (IED)-laden suitcases, one from the rail track and another from the train, were also recovered subsequent to the explosions. One of the suitcases had incendiary material, either petrol or kerosene, which could have set the train afire, he said. The bi-weekly train, connecting India-Pakistan Samjhauta Express, had left Delhi at 10:40 pm for Attari near Amritsar and two of its bogies caught fire immediately after the explosions. The train runs non-stop from Delhi to Attari, where passengers are shifted to the Samjhauta Express, which goes to Lahore after customs and immigration clearances.
February 19
The Empowered Group of Ministers on Naxalism at its first meeting in New Delhi focused on strengthening intelligence gathering and better coordination among affected states. During the meeting, which was chaired by the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, it was also decided to provide better training to police personnel and furnish the affected States with latest equipment to deal with the problem. The Union Government reportedly said that it was prepared to provide helicopters to the States as and when the need arose apart from armoured and anti-mine vehicles.
A NSCN-K cadre, Vijai Chakma, surrendered at Chowkham in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh.
February 20
With the death of a Pakistani national injured in the blasts on the trans-border Samjhauta Express at Deewana in the Panipat district of Haryana, the death toll rises to 68.
The Coast Guard destroyed a LTTE boat seized by them on February 13. The decision to destroy the boat was taken after finding that the gap between the fibre sheets of the boat was packed with gunpowder and it could explode any time. Officials of Central and state agencies supervised the destruction process after it was towed by Coast Guard ship `Avvaiyar' to mid sea.
February 21
The Police control room in New Delhi received a call from a man identifying himself as spokesman of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who threatened to carry out blasts in the national capital if four of its men, lodged in the Tihar jail were not released.
India ruled out a joint investigation along with Pakistan into the explosions in the Samjhauta Express. Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistan Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "as per the law of the land, the probe will be conducted by India and the results shared with Pakistan." Mukherjee, however, emphasised that the results of the investigation would be shared with Pakistan at the anti-terror mechanism meeting in Islamabad on March 6.
February 22
A polythene bag containing several explosives were recovered by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel from a general compartment of the Sealdah-Varanasi Express at Dhanauri station in West Bengal.
Police arrested two suspected agents of Pakistan’s ISI from Bhuj in Gujarat. District Superintendent of Police Gyanendrasinh Malik said Aslam and Syed Ali were arrested on the basis of information supplied by another ISI agent, Adil Anjuman, who was arrested in Lucknow in December 2006.
February 27
Two LeT militants escaped from the Lucknow district and sessions court campus. Maqsood Ahmed and Mohd Saeed, both Pakistani nationals, were detained under the Prevention of Terrorist Act (POTA), for their involvement in the 2001 attack on a CRPF camp in Delhi. According to the report, both the militants had sought permission to go to the toilet before being produced in the court. As they emerged from the toilet one of the LeT cadres, armed with a pistol, fired in the air and subsequently both escaped.
Military intelligence officials along with special cell of Delhi Police arrested Captain Salim Zafar Azad, a suspected agent of Pakistan’s ISI from a residential colony in East Delhi and produced him in a court on February 28. The army official who served as an army doctor had deserted his services on May 18, 1997 when he was posted at Military Hospital in Dinjan Cantonment in the Dibrugarh district of Assam. Subsequently, he spent a few years in Bangladesh and then moved to Delhi and was reportedly overseeing a part of ISI’s operation.
An illegal ammunition-manufacturing unit has been unearthed in Ghaziabad by the Crime Branch of the Delhi police. A middle-aged man, identified as Irshad Ali was arrested and 175 live rounds of .315 bore, raw material and some equipment were recovered from the unit.
March 1
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, answering a question in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian Parliament), said that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and therefore concepts like President Pervez Musharraf’s "joint management" cannot be the basis of any solution to the Kashmir issue.
March 6
68 persons convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case by the TADA court submitted an application to seek a retrial. The accused said that they should have been tried under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act, but not TADA.
A Sri Lankan national Arulseelan, suspected to have links with the LTTE was arrested at Dheeran Nagar in Tiruchy in Tamil Nadu for possessing INR 10 lakh cash in his house. A special team from Q Branch Police raided a washing powder company at Perambalur in connection with a hawala (illegal money transfer) case. They seized 150 bags of metal balls, each weighing 30-kg, concealed in the house of one Rameshkumar, who is absconding now
March 7
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil while making a suo moto statement on the killing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) member Sunil Kumar Mahato in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian Parliament) said that Naxal (left-wing extremist) violence has declined by 6.15 per cent from 1,608 incidents in 2005 to 1,509 in 2006. Patil said, "While the naxal problem is of serious nature, combined efforts of the State and Central Governments have shown some level of containment." He, however, said, "We need greater concerted and cooperative efforts between the States, as well as between the Centre and the States to achieve more acceptable results."
The sleuths of the Tamil Nadu Q Branch Police arrested Rahul alias Antony, a Sri Lankan national, at K. K. Nagar, in Chennai and based on the information furnished by him, they seized 4.5 tonne of metal balls from a house at Venkatachalapathi Nagar in Perambalur.
March 8
Tamil Nadu Police arrested a person as part of their investigation into the seizure in Perambalur of iron balls meant for smuggling to Sri Lanka. Director-General of Police (DGP) D. Mukherjee said that Raju of Rameswaram, was arrested in Pudukottai on the basis of information gathered during the interrogation of a Sri Lankan, Rahul, alias Antony, who was arrested on March 7. The DGP said 41 people, including 16 Sri Lankan Tamils, were arrested for smuggling and unlawful activities on land and sea since November 29, 2006.
March 9
Police in Patna arrested Mohd Haseeb Raza, an activist of the SIMI, from his Phulwari residence. Police sources said that Raza was the state secretary of the outfit and was wanted in a case lodged in 2001 as a prime accused for planning subversive activities in the country.
March 13
Two persons were arrested in Indore for questioning in connection with February 19 explosions in the Samjhauta Express in Haryana. The arrested, Huzefa and Pooran Thakur were employees of a shop in the Kothari market from where suitcases used in the explosions were allegedly bought.
March 14
The TADA court asked all 123 accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case to remain present in court on April 19. Judge Kode also directed the accused not to file any new applications. He added that the order on the two intervention applications and nine applications filed by the accused demanding a retrial, seeking parity with actor Sanjay Dutt and urging the court to release them will be pronounced on April 16.
March 15
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — partner in Jammu & Kashmir coalition government — that troop reduction in civilian areas of the state was not possible immediately and that any decision on this could be taken only after assessing the infiltration level around mid-summer.
March 18
A key member of a gang suspected to be involved in smuggling of explosive materials for the LTTE was arrested at Mandapam, 125-km from Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
March 21
Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said in reply to questions in the Rajya Sabha said that the terrorists primarily use hawala channels to route their funds and even the banking channels were a "significant route" for movement of money by these elements. He said, "As per available reports, terrorists and terrorist organisations active in India are using different channels to fund their operations. They route their funds mainly through hawala and other informal means. Banking channels are also a significant route for movement of funds by such elements."
March 27
The Hindu reports that an inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety of Northern Circle, Bhupinder Singh, into the fire on the Samjhauta Express on February 18 has concluded that bomb explosions caused the blaze. "Based on the evidence available so far, the Commissioner of Railway Safety has come to the `tentative conclusion' that the fire on the train in 4001 Up Delhi-Attari Special was caused because of the explosion of bombs kept on the upper racks near the doorways in coach numbers GS 03431 and GS 14857 of the train,'' the inquiry report said.
March 28
A special anti-terror squad of the Tamil Nadu Police recovered two sacks containing 1950 electrical detonators from Ramanathapuram, part of the southeastern coast. The ammunition cache was buried in a coconut grove at Irumeni under Uchipuli police limits, 40 kilometers west of Pamban Bridge that links the Rameswaram Island to Mandapam, near the final land frontier on the Palk Strait that divide India and Sri Lanka. Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police, R. Thirugnanam, disclosed that the cache was meant for the LTTE.
March 30
Security forces killed two ULFA cadres, identified as Himeswar Borsaikia alias Rameshwar Borsikia and Papu Moran, at Manabhum Reserve Forest in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
April 1
The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel arrested four foreign nationals, including three LeT cadres at the Indo-Bangladesh border from Petrapol in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. BSF sources said that the four were arrested while trying to enter Indian Territory.
An ISI agent, who was allegedly attempting to recruit youths from the Hyderabad city in Andhra Pradesh, was arrested by the police. The arrested person, identified as Maqsood Ahmed, a resident of Malakpet, was working as a manager in the Proline garments showroom at Somajiguda. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force), V. B. Kamalasan Reddy, said that four compact discs and a floppy disk containing provocative speeches were recovered from him.
The security of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was tightened following reports of a threat to his life from the Pakistan-based LeT. Reports quoting central intelligence agencies said that the LeT had been directed by a foreign organisation to target the Dalai Lama.
April 2
India proposed that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations adopt a legal assistance treaty to fight terrorism effectively.
April 4
The Chief of the Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Marshall Y. R. Rane, said the recently acquired air combat capability of the LTTE posed "little or no threat" to the country. At a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, the Air Marshall said non-State actors with air capability were surely a threat to international civil aviation. He also said LTTE's acquisition of air capability was "something that could not be sustained".
April 7
16 persons, including five women, were killed and 23 others wounded when a jeep carrying explosives blew up at Sendur on the Villupuram-Chennai National Highway in Tamil Nadu. The vehicle was carrying 200 kilograms of "slurry explosives" and detonators from a licensed godown at Pathirapuliyur, five kilometers from the accident site.
April 9
Three Sri Lankan refugees, who were enrolled at the Mandapam Transit Camp at Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and quarantined on suspicion, after a seven-day interrogation have been identified as Sea-Tigers [LTTE sea wing cadres] and were arrested.
Inspector General of Police, M. S. Jaffar, said that there was no infiltration by any LTTE member in central Tamil Nadu as the Police have been maintaining a strict vigil.
April 10
Security forces killed seven top ULFA militants, including two women cadres, identified as ‘corporal’ Rituparna Davidar alias Rishab Bora, ‘Lt. corporal’ Lily Moran, ‘corporal’ Jayanta Sonowal, Binanda Tsering, Prafulla Hazarika alias Brajen Sarma and Papu Gohain alias Himadri Gohain alias Moina Gohain at Tikoribam in the Lohit district along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
April 13
The Centre has told the States that they could hold peace talks with Maoist groups, provided they laid down arms. At a conference of senior police officers of nine States affected by Naxalite activity in Hyderabad, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs offered to provide the States with all assistance to effectively deal with the extremist violence.
April 14
Compact discs containing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's speeches urging Muslims to join the jihad have reportedly surfaced in the rural pockets of Patna and adjoining Bhojpur districts in Bihar. The CDs, in Arabic language with English subtitles carry footage of al Qaeda and Taliban camps showing militants undergoing training in guerrilla warfare.
April 15
The Tamil Nadu Government sent three suspected LTTE cadres to a special camp at Chengalpattu in the Kancheepuram district.
April 16
The Interpol issued a red corner notice against the July 11, 2006-Mumbai serial train blasts suspect Rizwan Mohammed Dawrey, accused of having sent funds from Saudi Arabia to India through the Hawala channels.
April 19
A fast track court in the Dhoraji district of Gujarat sentenced Shahid Haji Ghani, an agent of the Pakistani external intelligence agency, ISI. Ghani, an imitation jewellery trader, was arrested on the charges of spying on September 3, 2002. Police had seized secret documents and 24 photographs of the Indian Air Force base in Jamnagar, navy base and Surajbari bridge from him. Ghani was convicted under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act by Judge M. G. Baraiya.
April 20
The CRPF Deputy Inspector General of Police, P.G.G Nair, said in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala, that the para-military force will raise nine new battalions consisting of 9000 personnel to meet counter insurgency and internal security challenges.
April 22
During narco-analysis tests, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant, identified as S. K. Shamir, who was arrested from Petrapole in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on April 2, admitted to having planted explosives in at least five places at different railway stations in Mumbai and its adjoining areas triggering the July 11, 2006- serial bomb blasts.
April 23
The LTTE denied that they posed a threat to the lives of prominent Tamil Nadu politicians. In a statement issued following reports that there had been such threats, LTTE military spokesman, Rasaiah Ilanthirayan alias Marshall, said that the LTTE "maintain the firm policy of keeping away from the local politics of Tamil Nadu, India or any other state in the world". He alleged that the reports of threats were inspired by the dishonest and oppressive Sri Lankan Government to stem the growing sympathy in Tamil Nadu for the suffering Eelam (Sri Lankan) Tamils. We strongly condemn this immoral act."
April 25
Four security force personnel were injured in a ULFA-triggered bomb explosion at Medo in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Army sources said ULFA militants triggered an explosion when a two-vehicle convoy of the Army’s 581 light regiment were on a routine patrol in the area, adjoining Manabhum forest, where a major flush-out operation against ULFA is on for the past several months.
April 26
Three LeT militants, including a Pakistani national, were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police outside the Dilli Haat (a crowded shopping complex) in the national capital. The police recovered two kilograms of RDX, three detonators, two hand-grenades, a timer and INR 25,000 in cash from them. The three were identified as Abu Kasim, a Pakistani national, and Shafaqat and Shabbir, residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in its 126th report has suggested the creation of a Unified Command common to all Maoist-affected States and implementation of a coastal security scheme in view of "greater risk" of infiltration from coastal belts, "The naxal [Maoist] activities have spread to more than 12 states and are reported to be having links with external agencies including ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan)" the Committee said.
April 27
The 23rd Co-ordination Centre meeting was held in New Delhi to review the Naxalite situation in the country. Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of the affected States attended the meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta besides senior officers from various ministries and departments of the Central Government. Gupta told the Chief Secretaries and DGPs to keep a constant vigil on the movement of Maoist groups, training camps, weapons, hideouts and sources of funds.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, made it clear that the government would allow no room for the banned LTTE in the State. Speaking in the State Legislative Assembly, he stated, "The LTTE has no job here. It is not involved in any activity here. Their aims and purposes are different."
The killing of five Indian fishermen on March 29 off the Kanyakumari coast was carried out by Sea-Tigers, the naval wing of the LTTE, police confirmed in Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu. Investigations have also revealed that it was the Sea-Tigers who had abducted 12 Indian fishermen from Kollam district in the State of Kerala and subsequently declared missing along with their boat since March 4. The confirmation came after the interrogation of six Sri Lankan Tamils arrested by the Indian Coast Guard off Thoothukudi on April 12.
Delhi police, following interrogation of the three suspected LeT militants arrested near Dilli Haat on April 26-evening revealed that the militants were planning to target functions being organised to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence.
May 1
A court in New Delhi sentenced an ISI agent, described by the police as the biggest supplier of explosives and fake currency into the country, to 10 years rigorous imprisonment. The accused, Kamran Gohar, a resident of Lahore in Pakistan, was sentenced along with his eight aides who helped him establish his network in the country. Kamran, who had perfected the art of manufacturing toy bombs, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Karol Bagh in January 2004.
Defence Minister A. K. Antony stated that the LTTE would not be allowed to operate from Tamil Nadu and that surveillance and security had been stepped up in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. "We will not allow the LTTE to function in Tamil Nadu. Indian soil will not be allowed to be used as base by any terrorist organisation," said Antony.
May 2
Intelligence agencies have said the Pakistan-based LeT and the ISI are trying to revive militancy in the Indian State of Punjab through sympathisers of the Sikh militant groups like the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and Khalistan Commando Force (KCF). Statesman reported that information has been sent to the Punjab Police about the plans to target towns of Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Pathankot region. Instructions have also been given to monitor the activities of sympathisers of BKI-Hawara, ISYF-Rode, KZF- Neeta and KCF, who are sending funds through hawala (illegal money transfer) to "re-launch their separatist movement".
May 4
Three Nepalese citizens with links to the ISI were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment by a court in Delhi. The three persons, identified as Ibarhim, Bilal Ahmad and Inamul Haq, had been arrested on January 25, 2004, while receiving a large consignment of surgical instruments from a Pakistani ISI agent Saifulla alias Salim at the New Delhi railway station. Three grenades, two detonators, four electric timers and three kilograms of explosives had also been recovered from their possession.
May 6
PTI reports that Indian authorities are extending the barbed wire fencing along the international border with Pakistan deep inside the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to prevent infiltration.
May 7
A Home ministry document reportedly said that the Pakistan-based terrorist groups, particularly the LeT and JeM, are increasingly depending on "surrogate bases" in Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East for movement of trained cadres and finances for their operations. The document, based on intelligence inputs, said the Bangladesh-based HuJI, linked to the JeM and LeT, is recruiting Indian youths, sending them to Pakistan for training and re-inducting them via Bangladesh to carry out terrorist attacks.
The TADA court conducting trial of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts summoned all the 23 persons who have been found not guilty to appear before it on May 9, Judge Pramod Kode, who presides over the special court, asked defence lawyers Farhana Shah and Subhash Kanse to inform all the persons to remain present. A total of 100 people were found guilty on various charges such as planting bombs, conspiring and helping conduct the blasts. Shah told, "It will take more than 7-8 days or more to complete the quantum of sentences."
May 8
The Union Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal, told the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) in a written statement that Pakistan-based LeT has been building up a women cadre by imparting arms training to them at its camps in Pakistan. Available reports suggest that LeT is running training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for imparting arms training to its women cadre, he said. He further said that there was continued involvement of Pakistan and Pakistan-based terrorist outfits like the LeT, JeM, HM in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India. "They were using and leveraging the existing infrastructure of terror in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and other parts of Pakistan," he said.
The minister informed that besides continuing infiltration across the India-Pakistan border, there had been incidents where Pakistan and PoK based terrorist outfits had also infiltrated into India through the India-Bangladesh and India-Nepal borders for subversive activities. In this context, Jaiswal cited the twin bomb blasts in Varanasi in March 2006 in which terrorists entered India via the India-Bangladesh border and Mumbai local train serial bomb blasts in July 2006 in which terrorists —two from India-Nepal, four from India-Pakistan and five from India-Bangladesh border — infiltrated into India.
May 14
A letter, purportedly written by a LeT militant, threatening to kill the President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, and the Congress party chief, Sonia Gandhi, was recovered from a cinema hall at Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. The letter, written by Karim Ansari, claiming to be a LeT militant, threatened to "eliminate soon Gandhi and Kalam and to blow up on May 24 Meerut Railway Station, Apsara Cinema and several other cinemas in the city besides the Delhi Railway Station, India Gate and Palampur (IGIA) Airport."
May 15
The Centre has constituted a Special Economic Intelligence Cell for obtaining hard and actionable inputs on terrorist funding which has mostly relied on the illegal Hawala network. In a written reply, the Union Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal, told the Lok Sabha that foreign-based Kashmiri and Muslim groups were still funding militant outfits in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the figures tabled before parliament, 16 cases of foreign funding were reported in 2006 as against 12 in 2005 and four cases in 2004.
The Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil informed the Lok Sabha that Naxalites were working in close coordination with some terrorist outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir and also maintain links with the LTTE of Sri Lanka. "Though the government has no documentary evidence of any memorandum of understanding signed between international terror outfits with naxalites in the country, we have enough information suggesting that there is coordination between them", he said.
May 16
The Government informed the Rajya Sabha that Bangladesh territory has been used, in some cases, for launching operations against India by terrorist groups based in Pakistan/Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). In a written reply, the government said that it has taken various steps to control the infiltration of terrorists and arms into the country. The steps included, strengthening of BSF and equipping them with modern and sophisticated equipment/gadgets, reduction of gaps between border outposts, intensification of patrolling, accelerated programme of construction of border roads and border fencing, provision of surveillance equipment etc.
May 18
11 people were killed and over 64 others injured in a powerful bomb blast at the Mecca Masjid (Mecca mosque) near Charminar in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. Three more improvised explosive devices were recovered from the site and later defused by the police. Police also found a SIM card from a mobile phone attached to an IED. Five more persons died in subsequent police firing on rampaging mobs of protestors.
The TADA court sentenced five persons, Yashwant Bhoinkar, Abbas Dawood Shekhdare, Shahajahan Ibrahim Shekhdare, Rashid Alware and Sharif Khan Abbas Adhikari, who smuggled a contraband of explosives, to three-year rigorous imprisonment and fined INR 25,000 each, in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. In default, they will have to undergo another six-month imprisonment.
Eleven of the 12 Indian fishermen abducted by the LTTE on March 4 returned home, according to Police and relatives of the fishermen. They said a batch of five fishermen reached Narikuzhi while six more reached Thangachimadam, near Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. State Director General of Police D. Mukherjee confirmed that the fishermen had landed in two groups, but said he could not give more details as the fishermen were still being questioned by the Police.
A NSCN-IM cadre, identified as Taichat Wangpan alias Thomas, was arrested by the Assam Rifles personnel from Longding market in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. Subsequent to his arrest, he was shot at and injured by the AR personnel as he tried to snatch a rifle from an AR personnel. He succumbed to his injuries later.
May 20
The West Bengal Police arrested, Mohammed Sayeed from Jamtara district in the State of Jharkhand in connection with the May 18 Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. A cell phone operator in Kolkata’s Jodasankho area, Sayeed reportedly sold the SIM card that was later used in the Hyderabad blast. He said that that the SIM card was sold to an unidentified person on the basis of a driving licence of Babulal Yadav of Asansol, who later turned out to be non-existent.
The Nagpur Police in Maharashtra seized 6.9 tonnes of the ammonium nitrate-based explosive ANFO (Ammonium nitrate-fuel oil), the same type of explosive used in the Mumbai train blasts on July 11, 2006, from a quarry near Kuhi, about 45 kilometres from Nagpur. Five persons, including the quarry owner, were arrested.
May 21
Police, during a routine security check, found and later defused an explosive in a train in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal. The train was headed for Tarakeshwar, about two hours west of Kolkata. A senior railway police officer, Amar Kanti Sarkar, said, "We have identified it as an improvised explosive device and our bomb squad has separated it."
The TADA court, passing judgment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, sentenced four former police personnel, Ashok Munneshwar, P.M. Mahadik, R.D. Mali and S.V. Palshikar, who let a contraband of explosive substances, arms and ammunition, used in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, pass through a check-post in January 1993 in return for a bribe of INR 700,000 to six-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of INR 25,000 each. Mansoor Ahmed, who went with gangster Abu Salem to film actor Sanjay Dutt's place in Mumbai for delivery of rifles, was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of INR 50,000 by the court.
India said that the air offensive launched by the LTTE in Sri Lanka was a cause of concern. In his inaugural address at the Indian Air Force commanders’ conference in New Delhi, Defence Minister A. K. Antony said, "On our part, we have to be vigilant and continue to safeguard our security concerns."
A suspected LTTE-trained militant wanted in connection with an attack bid on the Fort St George in Chennai in 1990 was arrested by police at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. Raja Ayyappan, a member of the Tamizhar Pasarai outfit, who allegedly received training at an LTTE camp between 1990 and 1998, was arrested following a tip off.
May 22
Six persons were injured in three serial bomb blasts at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The bombs exploded at five minutes interval after 7 pm in and around the busy Golghar area of the town. The first blast occurred at Baldev Plaza, followed by the one near the Jalkal (Water Works) building in Golghar. The third bomb went off near Park Hotel. The explosives were kept in tiffin boxes attached to two cycles and a motorcycle.
The TADA court sentenced to life a former Sub-Inspector of Police, V.K. Patil,. Patil who was in charge of the police party that allowed smuggling of weapons into the country after taking a bribe was also fined INR 200000. Special Judge P.D. Kode said Patil's act of allowing the truck that contained weapons to pass through for a bribe of INR 700000 on January 9, 1993, did not deserve any leniency. "Patil had set a heinous example in front of his subordinates" when he asked for a bribe. The court also sentenced six persons, who underwent weapons training in Pakistan but did not participate in the actual conspiracy, to six-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of INR 30,000 each.
May 23
The TADA court sentenced 84-year-old Abdul Aziz Gharatkar to six years' rigorous imprisonment for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Gharatkar is also the first to be punished among those who helped in the Shekhadi landing of RDX which went into the making of the bombs which were set off across Mumbai. Tulshiram Dhondu Surve, employed as a watchman at the Wangani Microwave tower, was sentenced to nine years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) and was asked to pay a fine of INR 55,000 on two counts of abetting a terrorist act, one under TADA, and the other for intentional omission in giving information about the offence under Indian Penal Code. Uttam Potdar was sentenced to ten years' RI for his role as the landing agent in the Dighi operations of January 9, 1993, where no RDX landed. Potdar was also sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment as enhanced punishment under section 6 of TADA and was also fined INR 150,000. Both terms will run concurrently. Mohammed Kasim Lajpuria alias Mechanic Chacha, a 62-year-old aide of one of the prime absconding accused Mohammed Dossa, was given ten years' for his role as an operational landing agent. Sajjad Alam, a rickshaw driver who helped in the landing at Shekhadi and also ferried some arms and ammunition to key convict Tiger Memon, was awarded seven years in jail and a fine of INR 50,000.
Investigating agencies looking into the May 22 serial bomb blasts at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh ruled out the use of RDX in the incident. Principal Secretary (Home) K. Chandramouli informed the media that the blasts were caused by low intensity bombs kept in tiffin boxes attached to three new cycles, bought from different shops. He also said ammonium nitrate might have been used in the crude bombs.
Defence Minister, A.K. Antony, said that India must boost its coastal defences to combat terrorism from the sea. "We have been able to contain infiltration through land borders and they are becoming tension-free, our coastline is turning out to be a real difficult area for us," he said. The government is upgrading its aviation wing to support naval forces combating terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking, the minister added.
Railway Police personnel, during a routine search, recovered about 10 kilograms of explosives and 20 litres of ammonium nitrate from the second class waiting room on platform number 1 of the Faizabad railway station in Uttar Pradesh.
May 24
The TADA court awarded different jail terms to six accused who played a part in the landing and transporting of arms, ammunition and explosives used in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai. Judge P.D. Kode sentenced 75-year-old Sharif Abdul Gafoor Parkar to 14-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of INR 300,000 under Section 3(3) (aiding and abetting a terrorist act) and Section 6 (enhancement of the punishment) of the TADA. The court held Parkar guilty of association with prime convict Tiger Memon, showing him places for weapons training and for organising a meeting in Hotel Big Splash between Tiger Memon and customs officials. His son Mujeeb Parkar too was sentenced under Section 3(3) of TADA and given a minimum sentence of five years and a fine of INR 25,000. The judge sentenced Suleman Ghavte and Sayed Rehman Abdul Sheikh, two drivers from Mumbai who transported the contraband, to seven-years’ RI and a fine of INR 25,000 for "furthering the acts of conspiracy" under Section 3(3) of TADA. Sarfaraz Phanse, son of Dawood Phanse, one of the main accused in the case, was sentenced to nine years’ RI and a fine of INR 25, 000 under Section 3(3) of TADA for carrying out the landing operation in "supervisory capacity". Another associate of Tiger Memon, Raju Jain, was sentenced to seven years’ RI and a fine of INR 100,000 for assisting the conspirators with vehicles and manpower under Section 3(3) of TADA. The court held him guilty for purchasing jeeps and a scooter in the name of fictitious persons and transporting arms and ammunition.
May 25
The TADA court sentenced Shahid Nizammudin Qureshi, a close associate of prime convict Tiger Memon, to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. He was found guilty under Section 3(3) of TADA for aiding and abetting terrorist activities on two counts — participating in the Shekhadi landings and transportation, and visiting Dubai with the intention of going to Pakistan for training. Qureshi was also ordered to pay a fine of INR 25,000, failing which he has to serve six months in prison. Separately, a father-son duo was also sentenced to prison. While Issaq, aged 78, got seven years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) and was fined INR 70,000, his son, Sikander, was sentenced to five years’ RI and fined INR 10,000. Issaq was found guilty of conspiracy, aiding and abetting terrorist activities and destroying evidence. Sikander was found guilty of using hand grenades and arms as part of a weapons training programme which he had organised at Sandheri. Among the others who were also sentenced was Shahnawaz Hajwani, who got five years’ RI and was fined INR 10,000; Janardhan Gambhas, a labourer, who got three years’ RI under the Customs Act and a fine of INR 25,000; Faki Ali Subedar and Abdulla Surti, who got five years’ RI for aiding and abetting a terrorist act and were ordered to pay a fine of INR 25,000 each for concealment of arms and ammunition; Sayed Ibrahim Kadri, who was sentenced to five years’ RI.
A team of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh police arrested a meat shop owner from Jalna in central Maharashtra on suspicion that he had carried the RDX packed in containers that were blown up in the May 18 bomb blast in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. The arrested person, Shoaib Faqruddin Jagirdar, is also a muttawali (custodian) of a local dargah (shrine), is suspected to have played a key role in sending four youth along with RDX from Jalna to Hyderabad.
May 27
A cleric in Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat, Tahir Maulana, was arrested and some arms and ammunition were seized from his house in the Juhapura area in connection with the May 18 Hyderabad blast. A raid was conducted at his house following a tip off from an unidentified person and also a verbal complaint by one of his wives who alleged he had kept arms and ammunition at home and was involved in 'jihadi' activities, said a senior crime branch official.
Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence website reported that the LTTE has asked its agents in Tamil Nadu to recruit cadres from the Sri Lankan Tamil refugee population. The LTTE has issued instructions to its operatives in Tamil Nadu to get Tamils who had recently fled from North Sri Lanka to come back and join its ranks.
May 29
Investigators in the May 18 Mecca Masjid bomb blast case in Hyderabad said that Shoaib Jagirdar, arrested from Jalna in Maharashtra for supplying RDX to the bombers, has confessed to delivering the explosives.
The TADA court sentenced seven persons convicted for their role in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Zameer Sayyed Ismail Kadri, an associate of absconding accused Mohammed Dossa, was sentenced to life imprisonment and also directed to pay a fine of INR 125000 by the court. Former Assistant Commissioner of Customs at Alibaug in Maharashtra, R. K. Singh, was sentenced to nine years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) and told to pay a fine of INR 300,000 for allowing the landing of explosives and arms at the Dighi and Shekhadi Coasts after accepting a bribe. Former customs officer Sudhanwa Talavdekar, who was superintendent at Alibaug, was sentenced to eight-year RI and a fine of INR 200,000. The former customs superintendent Sultan Sayyad was sentenced to seven-year RI and a fine of INR 100,000, and the former customs inspector Jaywant Gurav was sentenced to eight- year RI and a fine of INR 100,000. Ehsaan Mohammad Qureshi and Ayub Ibrahim Qureshi, found guilty of illegal possession of arms and ammunition, were sentenced to five-year RI and a fine of INR 25,000 each.
National Security Advisor, M. K. Narayanan, said that India is concerned by the air and sea capabilities of the LTTE. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi after meeting the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, he said, "LTTE is a terrorist organisation. We are always concerned over any terrorist organisation having sea capability or air capability. We will have to start coordinated patrolling and Sea Tigers are a threat. Otherwise why should we increase the security?"
May 30
The TADA court sentenced Dawood Phanse, one of the main conspirators in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, to life imprisonment and a fine of INR 200,000. 83-year-old Phanse was found guilty of participating, along with absconding gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, in a crucial January 1993 Dubai meeting, at which the blasts were planned. Separately, the court sentenced three more accused in connection with the Shekhadi landing and storage and transportation of the contraband. Muzammil Kadri was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of INR 125,000 on various counts under Section 3 (3) of the TADA and under the Arms Act. He was also found guilty of possessing 13 Ak-56 rifles. Khalil Ahmed Sayyed Nasir of Raigad was sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of INR 125,000 for participating in the landing of the contraband and bribing police officials to let the arms and explosives pass. Liyaqat Ali Habib Khan was found guilty of using his father's godown for storing the smuggled goods. He was sentenced to five-year RI and a fine of INR 25,000. Mohammad Dawood Mohammad Khan and Mohammad Yusuf Botomia, found guilty for illegal possession of weapons, were sentenced to six-year RI and a fine of INR 50,000 each. Another convict Aziz Ahmed Shaikh was sentenced to five-year RI and a fine of INR 25,000. Accepting the defence’s argument, the TADA court restricted to five-year RI the sentence to Salim Durrani, who had provided shelter to some accused persons after the blasts. He was also fined INR 25,000.
Insaf Ali, an ISI agent, was arrested by the Delhi Police from old Delhi railway station while sending secret information of Indian armed forces to Pakistan via a passenger, who was about to board the Samjhauta Express train that runs between India and Pakistan.
May 31
The designated TADA court sentenced seven persons to jail terms ranging from five years rigorous imprisonment to life, for their respective roles in landing of arms and ammunition, transportation, illegal possession of weapons and conspiracy in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The court sentenced Naseer Dhakla, who obtained weapons training in Pakistan and was involved in the conspiracy throughout, to life imprisonment and directed him to pay a fine of INR 50,000. Dhakla was also involved in preparation of vehicle bombs prior to the blasts on March 12, 1993. Ashrafur Rehman, from whom 85 hand grenades, 350 detonators and over 3,000 cartridges were recovered, was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for life and directed to pay a fine of INR 200,000. Yusuf Khan who was involved in the landing of arms and ammunition at Shekhadi and its transportation to Mumbai in February 1993 was given five years RI and asked to deposit a fine of INR 25,000. Prime conspirator and absconding accused Tiger Memon's driver, Mohammed Rafiq Biyariwala, who was also involved in the Shekhadi landing and transportation of the contraband to Mumbai, was given seven years RI and a fine of 75,000. Shahnawaz Khan, one of the conspirators, who went to Dubai but did not attend weapons training in Pakistan prior to the blasts and was also involved in the Shekhadi landing was sentenced to 10 years RI and asked to deposit a fine of INR 50,000. The court also sentenced Ayub Patel and Asif Sheikh to 10 years and eight years' RI respectively for illegal possession of hand-grenades.
June 1
The designated TADA court sentenced film producer Samir Hingora to nine years' rigorous imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Niyaz Shaikh was sentenced to life imprisonment for being part of the conspiracy behind the blasts. Separately, Farooq Motorwala, convicted for initiating one of the approvers of the case into training of arms and ammunition and sent him to Pakistan, was sentenced for 13 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fined INR 25,000. Shaikh Mohammed Ehtesham, who was charged with being part of the landing of arms and ammunition in Raigad, was sentenced to 10 years RI and fined INR 50,000. Ghulam Hafiz Shaikh, who was convicted for participating in the landing and transportation of arms and ammunition from Raigad to Mumbai, was sentenced to eight years RI and fined INR 25,000.
June 5
The TADA court sentenced two conspirators in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case to life sentences and three others to jail terms ranging from five years to 14 years. Special Judge P D Kode awarded life sentence and a fine of INR 50,000 to Pervez Qureshi, who he said was involved "in the conspiracy till early hours of March 12, 1993 but backed out at the last moment". The other convict given a life term was Salim Mirza Shaikh alias Salim Kutta, who was also ordered to pay a fine of INR 200,000. Separately, blasts mastermind Tiger Memon’s bodyguard Manoj Gupta was given 14 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of INR 275,000. Noor Mohammed Khan who stored RDX in his premises at Kashimira on the outskirts of Mumbai was given five years RI and INR 150,000 fine. Travel agent Altaf Ali Sayyed was handed a ten-years RI with a fine of INR 250,000 for possessing two suitcases containing 85 and 100 hand grenades with detonators.
June 6
The designated TADA court sentenced Ibrahim alias Baba Moosa Chauhan to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of INR 277000 in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Ibrahim had visited cinema actor Sanjay Dutt’s residence at Bandra to deliver AK-56 rifles. Separately, Sardar Shahwali Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment for "conspiracy until the final moment". The court also sentenced 54-year-old financier Moolchand Shah, who operated a hawala account for prime convict Tiger Memon to five years' RI and INR 500,000.
Indian Army Chief General J. J. Singh, speaking to reporters at a Defence Ministry function in New Delhi, blamed "elements in the Pakistan Army" for supporting militants infiltrating into the country. "We have reports to suggest some elements of the Pakistan Army, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), are helping to push the militants across," he said. "There is always some support available to militants to infiltrate across the border," Singh added.
June 7
A suspected LeT operative, Nayeem alias Sameer, held near the Bangladesh border in April was shown as arrested by police in Hyderabad in connection with the May 18 bomb blast in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid. He was earlier in the custody of Mumbai police and was brought to Hyderabad on a transit warrant. He was subsequently remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The designated TADA court sentenced two more accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Sheikh Ali Sheikh Umar, involved in the conspiracy at all stages, was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Ejaz Pathan, who recruited people for execution of the conspiracy, was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of INR 225,000.
June 8
Army and Assam Rifles launched a major military operation against the ULFA in Arunachal Pradesh. Army sources said the operation has been launched to flush out and arrest ULFA cadres taking shelter at the Namdapha Reserve Forest in the Changlang district. A large battalion-sized force, exclusively trained for jungle and counter-insurgency operations reportedly took part in the crackdown.
June 11
Deccan Herald reported that ISI agents and smugglers are increasingly exploiting the India-Pakistan border area in Gujarat for illegal activities taking advantage of the non-deployment of the BSF in certain difficult stretches of the border. According to the report, security forces face a lot of problems while manning the border in Gujarat and Rann of Kutch as harsh climate makes the terrain non-negotiable during monsoon and post-monsoon months.
June 12
A suspected LeT militant was arrested from near the Azadpur Sabzi Mandi in north Delhi. Identified as Mukhtar Ahmed Khan from Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, the militant was carrying about 1.5 kilograms of RDX, a timer and two detonators. Delhi Police sources said that Khan was scheduled to go to Pakistan by the Delhi-Lahore bus on June 13 to meet LeT commanders based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Security was beefed up at the world famous monument Taj Mahal in Agra following reports of threat from a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit. "There is an intelligence report of a terrorist’s presence in Agra," Senior Police Superintendent Hari Ram Sharma said. At least three terrorists have reportedly been arrested in Agra since 2001.
June 15
The designated TADA court sentenced convict Salim Shaikh to two concurrent life sentences for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The court also directed him to pay a fine of INR 140,000. Shaikh was convicted for being present at Tiger Memon's residence when the RDX was filled in vehicles that were used in the serial blasts on March 12, 1993. Additionally, Shaikh was convicted on charges of driving three other persons who threw hand grenades at the Mahim Fishermen's Colony killing three persons and injuring six and also for possessing a pistol illegally.
Separately, two women, Mubina Bhiwandiwala and Zebunissa Qazi, were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment (RI) for their complicity in the blasts. They were also fined INR 25,000 and INR 100,000 respectively.
Ejaz Pathan, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and an underworld gangster, died of cardiac arrest in a Mumbai hospital. Pathan was sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy by the designated TADA court, which had also allowed him to take medical treatment.
An ISI agent, Mohammed Abdul Sattar, a 27-year-old air condition mechanic, was arrested near Secunderabad railway station in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. Sattar confessed that he had received arms training in Pakistan in 2004 along with other ISI activists under the leadership of Shaheed, a key suspect in the may 18-Hyderabad bomb blast.
June 17
A suspected LeT operative and an accused in the May 18-bomb blast at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, Sheikh Abdul Nayeem alias Sameer, briefly escaped from police custody, before being re-arrested two kilometers away after an hour’s chase.
June 18
Rudra Bora alias Bikram Bora, ‘second lieutenant’ of ULFA’s 709 battalion, was killed in an Army operation at Modai Ghat in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Statesman quoting intelligence agencies reported that finding it difficult to intrude into India through the Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan borders, militant outfits have now changed their intrusion route to the 2.9 million-square kilometer Indian coast, where it is easy to dodge the scarcely deployed coastal guards. Kashmir-based militant groups have earmarked certain soft routes in the western coastal areas to intrude into India. "At least half a dozen such incidents have recently been reported, where terrorists entered into India either by bribing those guarding the coastal areas or by dodging their eyes," revealed an unidentified officer of a central intelligence agency.
Times of India reported that the Ministry of External Affairs is preparing a note verbale to be sent to the Danish government for the extradition of Purulia arms drop accused Kim Davy. The note verbale provides an assurance that Davy would be repatriated to Denmark to serve any prison term after his trail in India.
June 19
16 persons convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case challenged the validity of the designated TADA court that tried them. In an application before the court, the group cited a Supreme Court judgment in May 2007 saying that all cases under the TADA should be referred to the apex court. Special Judge P. D. Kode has deferred the sentencing of the 16 persons till June 21 and asked the prosecution to file a reply on their application by that day.
June 20
Voicing concern over the recent upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka, India opposed any support being given to the LTTE and asked the Government of Sri Lanka to resolve the ethnic problem through a dialogue. "We are opposed to violence, no support should be given to LTTE and we are opposed to helping any terrorist outfit anywhere," said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Singapore.
June 21
The designated TADA court trying the case regarding the bomb blast in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office at Chennai on August 8, 1993, which had resulted in the deaths of 11 persons and injuries to nine others, acquitted S.A. Basha, founder of the banned Al Umma, and four others, while holding 11 persons guilty. Besides Basha, the others acquitted were Mukthar Ahmed, Aminudeen Sheriff and Mohamed Abdul Aslam. Abu Backer Siddique, Hyder Ali and Khaja Nizamuddin were sentenced to life imprisonment under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups and murder, and under the Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act and TADA. They were also sentenced to 10-year imprisonment under various counts. Rafiq Ahmed was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI). Shahabuddin, Abdul Rahim, Ahmed Gnaniyar, Syed Mohammed Buhari, S.K Mohamed Ali, Mohamed Zubair and Mohamed Moosa Mohideen were sentenced to five years of RI.
The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested two terrorists belonging to the HuJI along with seven kilograms of RDX, six detonators, five watches including three improvised watches equipped with timer wire, two batteries and a switch remote. They were identified as Mohammed Yaqub, a resident of Tarapur under Badhapur police station of Bijnore district and Nasir, a resident of Naumi village under Badhapur police station of Bijnore district.
Senior police officials of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, all Maoist-affected States, held a meeting at Visakhapatnam to take stock of the increase in Maoist activities.
June 23
The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested an ‘area commander’ of the HUJI operations in India, Jalaluddin alias Amanullah Mandal alias Babu, a resident of Bhilparha in the 24 Pargana South district of West Bengal and his associate, Naushad alias Haafiz, near Residency in Lucknow. Nine kilograms of high explosives, an AK-47 rifle, two magazines and 60 cartridges of AK-47, 20 hand-grenades and 10 detonators were seized from their possession.
June 25
The designated POTA court sentenced nine persons, including the prime accused Asghar Ali, to life imprisonment in the Haren Pandya murder case. Pandya, a former Gujarat Home Minister, was shot dead at a park in Ahmedabad city on March 26, 2003. POTA court judge Sonia Gokani also sentenced two other accused to seven years imprisonment while one more accused was sentenced to five years imprisonment. A total of 19 persons were named as accused in the case out of which 15 have been arrested while four others are still absconding.
Three suspected ISI agents were arrested near the Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi. The three young men, identified as Nayeem, Mohammad Muslim and Wasim, all residents of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, were carrying counterfeit currency notes worth INR 3.3 million. The currency notes, concealed in 216 thread-rollers, consisted of notes of INR 1,000 and INR 500 denominations, which had been smuggled in from Pakistan through the Rajasthan border.
The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), in its report submitted to the Prime Minister, favoured sweeping powers to the Centre to deploy armed forces in case any State faced "major public order problems" and the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA). The Commission also recommended bringing investigation of certain crimes with inter-state and national ramifications directly under the jurisdiction of central investigating agency like the Central Bureau of Investigation. These offences include terrorism, organised crimes, acts threatening national security, sedition, arms and human trafficking, assassination of major public figures and serious economic offences.
June 28
An assessment by the Union Home Ministry said that 20 incidents occurred in States affected by violence during the two-day economic blockade called by the CPI-Maoist in protest against the economic policies of the Government. The blockade ended on June 27-midnight. Ten incidents pertained to damage to railway property, mainly in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The other incidents were related to obstruction of the movement of goods on highways passing through the States.
June 29
Mohammad Naseem, a Lance Naik with the 3rd Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry posted at Rangret in Srinagar, was arrested near the Shastri Park Metro railway station in New Delhi for nexus with Pakistan’s ISI. Delhi Police arrested Naseem, a resident of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, who was supplying documents pertaining to national security to ISI agents against monetary considerations. Some defence-related documents were reportedly recovered from him.
June 30
Three persons, including two HM militants, were arrested from Sultanpur village in West Bengal's Howrah district. District Superintendent of Police N K Singh said that they raided the house of one Sheikh Samsuddin under Jagacha police station and arrested HM cadres Mohammed Raj and Mohammed Zakir and a civilian identified as Samsuddin. Fake passports, visas and forged travel documents were recovered from them. Singh said that the HM militants had come to Kolkata from Delhi on June 17 and were looking for a transit route to Bangladesh.
July 2
Replying to a question in the Legislative Assembly, the State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Lalji Verma, said that at least 34 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including the capital Lucknow, have been identified as sensitive from the viewpoint of activities of the Pakistani ISI and terrorists. He further said that the government had chalked out a plan to combat the menace of terrorism and 39 special cells had been set up to counter subversion. He said 13 Nepal border units had also been set up and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB, a border guarding force) personnel deployed at India-Nepal border areas. As many as 102 SSB outposts were currently established on the Nepal border, Verma informed.
July 3
India and Pakistan set up three sub-groups to analyse contentious issues like terrorism and extradition and deportation of wanted criminals sheltering in each other’s territory. The groups will work out the modalities of establishing better cooperation in areas like counter-terrorism, exchange of information on wanted criminals and narcotics trafficking, official sources said after the first day of two-day talks in New Delhi between Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and his Pakistani counterpart Syed Kamal Shah.
July 4
The Ministry of Railways has decided to impart training to the Railway Police Special Force (RPSF) personnel to combat terrorist attacks on trains. The RPSF has sent its first batch of 179 personnel to the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairangte in Mizoram for a six week training programme. "After giving training to the security personnel, the railways will be able to improve the security of passengers and trains," an unidentified railway official said. He added that the para-military Central Reserve Police Force will separately impart the anti-terrorist training to the personnel.
Responding to New Delhi’s concern over terrorism and the activities of Indian fugitives sheltered in Pakistan, India and Pakistan agreed to take effective measures to combat terrorism. In a joint statement signed after the fourth round of Home Secretary level talks in New Delhi between India and Pakistan on Terrorism and Drug Trafficking, the two sides strongly condemned all acts of terrorism and underlined the imperative for effective and sustained measures against terrorist activities and criminals in either country. The talks also agreed to enhance the cooperation between India’s central Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan in the areas of human trafficking, illegal immigration and counterfeit currency.
July 5
Four persons, including two HM militants Gulzar Ahmed Wani and Mohiuddin, were convicted by a court in New Delhi for possessing explosives and conspiring to wage war against the country. The other two persons, Feroz Rafi and Mumtaz, held guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Explosive Substances Act, are members of the outlawed SIMI. The HM militants, both from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, and the SIMI activists from Uttar Pradesh were arrested at New Delhi Railway Station on July 30, 2001. Police had then seized a huge haul of RDX, grenades, launchers, detonators and other explosives from them. The Hizb militants had reportedly come to Delhi to deliver the explosives to the SIMI activists. With their arrest, police had claimed to have solved six bomb blast cases, including the 2001 Sena Bhavan blast. However, the court on February 23 acquitted them in all these cases for lack of evidence.
A special POTA court in Mumbai dismissed a plea by an accused in the 2003 Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar blasts who questioned the applicability of POTA after its repeal. The accused, Arshad Ansari, cited a May 18 judgment by the Supreme Court in which Justice Markandey Katju expressed an opinion about the constitutional validity of TADA after its repeal. Dismissing the application, special POTA Judge S. S. Joshi upheld the prosecution’s argument that the opinion expressed by Justice Katju was not final, and therefore, not binding. She also upheld the prosecution’s argument that TADA, which is at par with POTA, has been held constitutional even after its repeal in a couple of apex court judgments.
July 6
The CPI-Maoist has launched a publicity campaign by circulating a one-hour documentary on their "military successes" in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Video Compact Discs containing the documentary is in circulation in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and other States. The documentary not only shows the preparations of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of the CPI-Maoist, cadres but also live footage of the raid on the Murkinagar police outpost in the Bijapur district on April 16, 2006. The footage further shows the ease with which the PLGA fighters mounted the attack and overran the police camp amid gunfire and the crackle of wireless sets used by them to coordinate the movement of their assault teams.
July 9
Four persons, including two suspected HM militants, were sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a New Delhi court for possessing explosives and collecting arms to wage war against the country. They were convicted under Section 122 (collecting arms for waging war against the country) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act. The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 1 lakh each on the convicts Gulzar Ahmed Wani and Mohiuddin of Baramullah district in Jammu and Kashmir and Firoz Rafi and Mumtaz of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
July 10
In a press conference at capital Itanagar, the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu said that Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, the ISI, has pumped in fake currency with a total face value of INR 40 million into the State in recent times, reports Assam Tribune. "The ISI is sending the currency through Bangladesh, Meghalaya and Assam as they are bent on crippling the economy of the north east", Khandu disclosed. "We have definite information that some local leaders are also involved and we have identified them. We are looking for some tell-tale evidences to catch them red handed", he added.
July 11
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police seized a cache of hand-grenades, detonators and RDX from a deserted spot in Mohanlalganj. The Director General of Police, Vikram Singh, informed that three HuJI militants, S. K. Mukhtar, Mohammed Ali and Aziz-Ul-Rehman, who were arrested in West Bengal on June 23 and brought to Lucknow, had confessed about the explosives cache hidden by them in the area. The cache included two kilograms of RDX sticks, 10 hand-grenades and 10 detonators. STF Additional Director General Shailja Kant Mishra told that this was the first time that RDX was recovered in the form of sticks in Uttar Pradesh. "RDX recoveries made earlier were in the form of powder," he added.
Aziz Ahmed Shaikh, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, moved the Supreme Court challenging his conviction under the TADA and the alleged favour shown by the designated judge P. D. Kode to Hindi cinema actor Sanjay Dutt. In a criminal appeal filed against his conviction for five years, Aziz, through his counsel Mushtaq Ahmed, while pleading his innocence said the TADA Judge discriminated by not convicting Sanjay Dutt under the TADA despite recovery of arms and ammunition from the actor’s residence.
July 12
Police at Pune in Maharashtra arrested, a person hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, who was working as a watchman, for suspected links with a terrorist outfit in his home State. "The person is in our custody since last evening and we are probing his alleged links with a terrorist organisation operating in Jammu and Kashmir," an unnamed police officer said.
The designated TADA court judge P. D. Kode rejected the application by 16 of the 24 convicts in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, seeking a stay on its proceedings. On June 19, the convicts had filed an application saying that the TADA, under which the trial was conducted, expired on May 24, 1995, and there was no rational ground to suggest that acts committed before and after should be treated differently. Judge Kode held that the convicts were only citing an opinion given by a Supreme Court judge that questioned the applicability of TADA after it had lapsed. Defence lawyer Farhana Shah filed another application urging a stay on the sentencing till a fresh appeal is filed in the Supreme Court.
July 13
Gujarat Police reportedly neutralized an ISI module operating in the country to smuggle in fake currency, narcotics and arms and ammunition through the Mandvi port in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Six persons, including two Pakistani nationals, were arrested in this connection and they revealed that the module had already smuggled in INR 2.4 million in fake currency through Mandvi and sent it to Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. The Pakistani nationals were identified as Abdul Gaffar Qasim Chiba and Abdul Khalif Tayyab Chauhan, both residents of Bhabhobhit area in Karachi. The Indians include Mumbai-based operative Sayyed Ahmed Ali and three other Mandvi-based fishermen, Abdullah Adam Dosani, Suleman Mohammad Chauhan and Ismail Yakub Chiba. The Kutch District Superintendent of Police, Gyanendra Singh Malik, said that the group used to receive the contraband in the mid-seas off the Mandvi coast.
July 14
Police arrested a HUJI activist, identified as Nur Islam, who allegedly functioned as a ‘carrier’ of the HUJI from the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal. Nur Islam was an associate of HUJI militant Jalaluddin arrested in Uttar Pradesh on June 23.
The Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has stated that force alone cannot be a solution to end Naxalites, which has affected around 13 States. Addressing a seminar for trainee bureaucrats in New Delhi, Patil stressed on the need for a holistic approach to solve the problem of Naxalism. "It is not only with the forces we can control the Naxalite movement. We shall have to certainly use forces where it is necessary. At the same time, there are other aspects (to be) borne in mind to deal with this issue. If it has the economic aspect, we shall have to deal with it. If it has a psychological aspect, we have to deal with it. If they have a feeling that socially they are discriminated against, we have to deal with this," Patil said.
July 15
While indicating that the Line of Control could be a Line of Peace, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said that the dialogue with Pakistan would continue "despite difficulties" and the "blackmail" of terror. Addressing a special convocation of the Jammu University in Jammu after being conferred with a D Lit by Chancellor and Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, Dr. Singh said India remained committed to its resolve to end terrorism and ruled out any division or fresh partition of Jammu and Kashmir. "As I have stated earlier, borders cannot be changed, but they can be made irrelevant. There can no be question of divisions or fresh partitions, but the Line of Control can become a Line of Peace with free flow of ideas, goods, services and people," he stated.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police in collaboration with the Kutch police in Gujarat claimed to have busted a sleeper cell of Pakistan-based militant outfit Al Badr that was operating from the Bhendi Bazaar area of Mumbai since 2006. Pakistani national Mohammed Salim Memon alias Salim Malai and two other local operatives- Sultan Ansari of Nagpada and Irfan Lakhani of Mumbra, were arrested from different parts of the Mumbai city. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Memon had been staying illegally in the Bhendi Bazaar area for more than 30 years. Memon was first arrested on May 8 by the ATS from Nagpada area while in possession of 30 fake credit cards which he was attempting to sell to unsuspecting people and had been released on bail later.
July 17
The designated TADA court sentenced two persons to life imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Judge P D Kode sentenced Imtiaz Ghavte to life and imposed a total fine INR 227000 for his involvement in hatching the conspiracy and executing it. Ghavte was found guilty under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the TADA and the Explosive Substances Act. Separately, the court found Nasim Barmare guilty of criminal conspiracy and committing terrorist acts not resulting in death, among other offences. He was also found guilty of acquiring weapon training, participating in conspiracy meetings, preparing vehicle bombs and hurling hand grenades at the Sahar Airport. He was sentenced to life and imposed a fine INR 230000.
July 16
The Kutch police in Gujarat arrested three persons from Mumbai and one from Salaya village near Mandvi in connection with the fake currency racket allegedly involving two ISI agents, which was neutralised last week.
July 17
A 28-year-old man, Sheikh Jalil, was arrested from Biramnagar in Basirhat for suspected links with Jalaluddin, the area commander of HuJI who was recently arrested from Lucknow.
A suspected ISI agent was arrested in Bhopal along with secret documents related to the Army, maps and photographs of vital installations. During interrogation, he revealed his identity as Mohammad Naeem, a resident of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, who worked as a fourth grade employee of Indian Railways.
The Kutch police in Gujarat arrested a man in Vadodara in connection with the fake currency racket allegedly involving two ISI agents, which was neutralised last week.
July 18
The designated TADA court, awarded death sentence to three aides of prime convict Tiger Memon - Parvez Nazeer Ahmed Shaikh, Mushtaq Tarani and Abdul Ghani Turk - in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
July 19
The designated TADA Court sentenced three more persons to death for planting bombs in different locations in Mumbai on March 12, 1993. Shahnawaz Qureshi and Asgar Mukadam were sentenced to death for conspiracy as well as for committing terrorist acts. Shoib Ghansar, who was involved in the plan just a day before the explosions, was given death sentence for planting a bomb, and life imprisonment for conspiracy. The sentences are subject to Supreme Court confirmation.
Sarfaraz Alam alias Pappu, an arms dealer was arrested near Chaplin Cinema in Kolkata with an improvised 7.62 mm pistol with five rounds and a spare magazine with five rounds.
July 20
The designated TADA court sentenced three more persons in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Iqbal Shaikh was sentenced to death for involvement in the conspiracy. Former Additional Customs Commissioner of Raigad region, Somnath Thapa, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a fine of INR 200,000 for his role in the conspiracy. Bashir Khairulla, who was found guilty of accompanying a group of six persons which dropped hand grenades in Mahim fishermen colony, was sentenced to life imprisonment, and a total fine amount of nearly INR 200,000.
July 23
Mahesh Sharma, a self-styled commander of the Ranvir Sena, a private militia of upper caste landowners, was arrested from Bihar's Gaya district.
July 24
The designated TADA court sentenced to death three convicts - Zakir Hussain Shaikh, Feroz Amani Malik, Abdul Akhtar Khan - who had lobbed grenades at the Fishermen’s Colony in Mahim on March 12, 1993, killing three persons and injuring six. An accomplice, Moin Qureshi, who was 17 at the time, was spared the death sentence because of his "tender age" and was sentenced to life imprisonment on three counts - conspiracy, committing a terrorist act and murder.
July 25
The designated TADA court sentenced Farooq Pawale to death for parking RDX laden vehicles inside the Air-India building and then near a petrol pump adjacent to Sena Bhavan on March 12, 1993.
July 26
Two suspected militants of the Manipur-based militant outfit, the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), were arrested from northwest Delhi's Azadpur. Police said that both the militants are involved in several extortion and murder cases and were in Delhi to escape attacks by the rival outfits. The duo was identified as the outfit's chairman Mangol, a resident of Imphal West district, and the outfit’s vice-chairman, Oinam Suranjoy Singh of Bishnupur district.
Bangladesh has emerged as a launch pad into India for Pakistan-based terrorist groups like the LeT and Dhaka is not co-operating with New Delhi in cracking down on them, India’s National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan said. Most leaders of terrorist and underground outfits operating in India’s northeastern States like Manipur are in Bangladesh, he told reporters during an interaction in Bangalore.
July 27
The designated TADA court sentenced Yakub Memon, brother of key conspirator and man behind the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, fugitive Tiger Memon, to death for his role in the conspiracy. Yakub was convicted for conspiracy and organising the logistics of the blast and was held guilty under Section 120-b of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3 (3) (aiding and abetting a terrorist act), and 5, 6 (illegal possession of arms and ammunition) of the TADA. He was given sentences of life imprisonment, 14 years rigorous imprisonment and 10 years RI. A total fine of INR 3,75,000 was also imposed.
Yakub’s sister-in-law Rubeena was sentenced to life for aiding and abetting a terrorist act and allowing a van registered in her name to be used to transport arms, ammunition, and explosives used in the blasts.
Yakub’s brothers Essa and Yusuf were also sentenced to life and asked to pay a total fine of INR 1,50,000 after being found guilty for allowing their flat and garage to be used for the conspiracy. Though prosecution pleaded for death, Yusuf, who has been suffering from schizophrenia since 1991, was given life in consideration of his illness. Essa’s sentence, too, was "reduced from death to life" since he suffers from morbid obesity and has a brain tumour.
Six persons out of a group of nine accused in the assassination case of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh were found guilty by the Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Sondhi. Jagtar Singh Hawara, Shamsher Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Balwant Singh and Gurmeet Singh were held guilty on charges of murder, attempt to murder, abetment to suicide, criminal conspiracy and under sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Explosives Act. Nasib Singh was held guilty only under Section 5 of the Explosives Act.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police recovered two kilograms of RDX and two detonators from an industrial area on the Lucknow-Kanpur road, under Kotwali Police Station in the Unnao district.
Ramchandra Roy alias Rakesh, a Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) militant, and Ajoy Singha, a linkman of the outfit, were arrested from Samuktala in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.
A suspected LeT militant, identified as Sabbir Ahmad, was arrested at Chandni Chowk in the national capital Delhi along with a 9mm pistol of Chinese make.
July 29
The Gujarat Police, probing the ISI-sponsored fake currency racket, arrested two more persons suspected to be involved in the incident. While Haneef Naviwala was arrested from Surat, Nazir Motiwala was detained at Ankleshwar. With this, the total number of arrests has gone up to 13.
National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan said that al Qaeda poses a real danger to India. In an interview, he stated that al Qaeda is looking for an opportunity to strike in India and has even done a recce for it. According to him, "We are all the time on the lookout for al Qaeda's movements here… There was a team that had come once to India and done a recce and gone back, but the programme they had never worked out. But when I say this - what is the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the LeT is an integral part of al Qaeda. So in one sense you can always say that the al-Qaeda is always present."
July 30
The prosecution in the July 11, 2006-Mumbai serial bomb blasts case formally opened its case in the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakre named Azam Cheema, the Bahawalpur (in Punjab province of Pakistan)-based LeT commander, who is also an ISI operative, as being the absconding mastermind in the case.
July 31
The designated TADA court sentenced Hindi cinema actor Sanjay Dutt to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for six years and imposed a fine of INR 25,000 in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case for illegal possession of a prohibited weapon. Dutt was arrested on April 19, 1993, and spent 16 months during his two jail terms before getting bail. One of Dutt’s three associates, Russi Mulla, who had unknowingly kept Dutt’s pistol, was released under the Probation of Offenders Act. Another associate, Kersi Adjania, was sentenced to two years RI, but was given bail and Yusuf Nulwalla was sentenced to five-year RI and fined INR 25,000 for possessing the weapon and attempting to destroy the evidence.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge in Chandigarh awarded death sentence to Jagtar Singh Hawara of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Balwant Singh, two of the six declared guilty in the Beant Singh assassination case. Three other convicts, Gurmeet, Lakhwinder and Shamsher Singh, were awarded life imprisonment for their involvement in the criminal conspiracy, while the sixth convict, Naseeb Singh, was given 10 years of imprisonment under the Explosives Act along with a fine of INR 10,000. However, since Naseeb, the oldest of the accused at 72, had already undergone more than the sentence awarded to him, he was freed soon after the sentencing.
August 1
A Court held S. A. Basha, founder of the outlawed Al-Umma, and 152 persons guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy to trigger a series of nine explosions at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu on February 14, 1998, and to create enmity between two communities. The explosions killed 58 people and injured 200 others shortly before the arrival of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani. The Court exonerated chairman of the Kerala-based political party, People's Democratic Party, Abdul Nasser Madhani of all the five charges against him.
August 2
One of the key men accused in the failed June 30 car bomb attack at the Glasgow international airport - Kafeel Ahmed - succumbed to his injuries at the special burns unit of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
The Karnataka Home Minister M. P. Prakash said that the state government will constitute an Anti-Terrorist Force to protect the capital Bangalore, which has witnessed an increased presence of terrorist groups and its supporters.
August 2
During the two day India-Bangladesh Home Secretary-level talks that began in New Delhi, India objected to the use of Bangladeshi territory by insurgent groups from the Northeast, particularly the ULFA. The 25-member Indian side led by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta also highlighted the anti-India activities by the ISI from Bangladesh soil.
August 3
The two-day Home Secretary-level talks between India and Bangladesh concluded in New Delhi. Both countries reiterated that the use of the territory of either country would not be allowed for terrorist and criminal activities against the interests of the other. A joint declaration said, "Both sides agreed to initiate swift action on information received about groups and elements and other fugitives from the law of either country taking shelter in the other country."
August 6
Concluding the pronouncement of findings in respect of charges, Judge of the Special Court for Bomb Blast Cases, K. Uthirapathy, held five more accused guilty of offences in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case.
Al Qaeda warned in a new video, posted on LauraMansfield.Com, an American Website which monitors terrorist groups, that India and US diplomatic missions were the network's "legitimate targets." In the footage compiled by al Qaeda's production arm As-Sahab, Adam Gadahn, the American al Qqaeda member, said that "the targeting of Tel Aviv, Moscow and Delhi" is also "our legitimate right" and accused India of "killing more than 100,000 Muslims in Kashmir with US blessing.
A court in New Delhi sentenced two LeT militants, Shahid Ahmed Bakshi, a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and Farhan Ahmed Ali, a resident of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined INR 50,000 for possessing arms and explosives. The court had held them guilty on July 30 under various provisions of the erstwhile POTA pertaining to unauthorised possession of arms, ammunition and explosives. They were arrested at Nizamuddin in New Delhi on August 30, 2002, with four kilograms of RDX, two detonators and a Chinese-made pistol along with magazine and 15 live cartridges.
August 7
Charges were framed against the 13 arrested accused in the July 11, 2006-serial blasts in the Mumbai local trains that killed 187 people and injured over 800. The accused included key conspirators Faisal Shaikh, the Mumbai city chief of the LeT, and Asif Khan Bashir Khan alias Junaid.
The Sessions Court trying the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blast cases granted bail to seven convicts against whom "minor charges" have been leveled.
August 8
The Sessions Court in Coimbatore hearing the 1998 serial bomb blast cases granted bail to fifteen more persons found guilty of minor charges on personal surety.
August 9
The Sessions Court in Coimbatore hearing the 1998 serial bomb blast cases granted bail to 15 people who were proved guilty of minor charges. Judge K. Uthirapathy took up applications of 22 people out of the 158 convicted in the cases and granted bail to 15 persons. The judge asked them to appear before the court as and when they were summoned and also inform the court if there was any change of address.
August 10
The Sessions Court in Coimbatore granted bail to 10 more persons convicted of minor charges in the February 14, 1998 serial blasts case, raising the total number of those released on bail to 57.
August 12
The Aurangabad city police seized 29 kilograms of ammonium nitrate explosive abandoned by a man in an auto rickshaw near the Aurangabad railway station. Police said that the man, aged around 30, had earlier alighted from the Devagiri Express, running between Secunderabad and Mumbai Central, at around 2330 hours and boarded an auto rickshaw to reach the central bus stand.
August 13
The Sessions Court trying the 1998 serial blasts case in Coimbatore granted bail to 12 more persons found guilty of minor charges. Judge K. Uthirapathy, after going through 38 petitions, granted bail to 12 of them. With this, the total number of persons granted bail and released has increased to 69.
August 14
The BSF during a meeting with the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) authorities refuted claims by the later that militant outfits have no bases in the Sylhet division. Commander of the BDR’s Sylhet division, Col. Abul Hossain, claimed that not a single militant camp of the outfits operating in India’s northeast existed in the Sylhet division. Sources from the BSF as well as an intelligence agency in the Cachar district said that as many as 25 training camps were still in existence in the area, with the full knowledge of the authorities in Bangladesh. Outfits operating the camps are the ULFA, the HNLC and the NLFT-Biswamohan Debbarma faction.
The Union Government said that the available statistics on Maoists do not reveal the true picture about their activities. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil stated in the Lok Sabha (Lower-house of Indian Parliament): "Naxal [Maoist] movement is little more than in the past. But statistics made available are creating wrong impression. If an incident occurs in some part of the state, it doesn't mean the entire state is affected." He rejected the impression that Maoist activities were affecting one-third of the country based on suggestions that ten states or 180 districts are hit by the extremists. "The fact is that out of about 8,000 police stations, only 400 are affected. In other words, only five per cent of area is affected by naxal activities", he said.
August 17
A ULFA militant was killed and a transit camp of the outfit inside the Manabhum reserve forest in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh was neutralised.
The Union Government ruled out immediate withdrawal of Army from internal security duties. Presenting its action taken report on the recommendation made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, the government stated that a decision has been taken to raise a very large number of additional battalions of the central para-military forces to be deployed for internal security duties and anti-terrorist operations. The 48-member panel that includes senior Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party members of the parliament recommended that the "Army should he immediately withdrawn from internal security duties and this should be handled by Central Para Military Forces, Central Reserve Police Force and the State Police forces."
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that there was no indication of surreptitious entry of terrorist outfits in the secondary or real estate markets to meet their financial needs.
Police in Bengaluru (also known as Bangalore) foiled a plot to trigger explosions in the city by arresting a four-member gang from the Banashankari area. One of the arrested persons, Asgar alias Asgar Pasha bin Abdul Rasheed, reportedly has linkages with the Maoists.
August 20
A ULFA militant, Ananta Gogoi, was assaulted by local people of Chakma Basti near Chowkham in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh after he and his associates demanded a ransom of INR 10 lakh from a shopkeeper.
August 21
The Indian Navy and Customs neutralised a racket in selling diesel to LTTE operatives. A joint patrolling party based at Rameswaram seized a mechanised boat and arrested five fishermen with Sri Lankan currency. "During interrogation, they confessed that they handed over 50 litres of diesel to the operatives of LTTE at Kottai Mannar in Mannar district. In exchange, the crew received Rs.1,500 in Sri Lankan currency. They also revealed that nearly 60 fishing boats exchanged diesel to the LTTE men on Monday by violating the International Maritime Boundary Line," Commander S. Mukherjee, Area Commander (South), Naval detachment, Rameswaram, told.
August 25
At least 44 people, including five women, were killed and over 80 others injured in twin explosions at the crowded Lumbini open air auditorium and a popular eatery, the Gokul Chat Bhandar, in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh. Hours after the twin blasts, the city police recovered a live bomb from Dilsukhnagar area and later defused it.
Hours before the twin blasts the Hyderabad city police had arrested four persons, including a Dubai national, and seized counterfeit currency of INR 2.36 crore from the old city area.
August 26
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy said that there were Bangladeshi and Pakistani connections to the twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad. Police reportedly recovered 19 unexploded bombs, most fitted with timers and placed in plastic bags - at bus stops, cinema halls, road junctions and pedestrian bridges and near a public water tap in the city.
The Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP), D. Mukherjee, has denied any LTTE infiltration along the east coast of the State.
August 29
The Hyderabad Police released a computer-generated portrait of a person, suspected to have planted the bomb in Lumbini auditorium on August 25, and sought public assistance in identifying him. The portrait was made on the basis of a description given by an injured person. Additional Commissioner of Police, M. Punna Rao, said at a press conference that the suspect could be in his 20s, five feet and eight inches tall, lean built and fair in complexion.
August 30
The Hyderabad city police arrested a Bangladeshi national, Mohammed Gazi, who resembled the suspected bomber in the August 25 blasts in the city, and his female companion.
September 2
The Hyderabad Police filed a new first information report (FIR) charging 15 persons for their involvement in the August 25 twin blasts in the city. All of them were booked under the Explosives Act and for conspiring to carry out bomb attacks. Police Commissioner Balwinder Singh said that only four of the 15 suspects are in police custody. HuJI-BD ‘commander’ Shahid Bilal is among the 11 who are out of the police custody. The new FIR is largely based on the revelations of Sameer Sheikh alias Nayeem, an alleged LeT operative arrested on the Bangladesh border in West Bengal on April 1, 2007. He is also an accused in the Mumbai train blasts case.
September 3
A Kuala Lumpur-bound passenger, Suresh, was arrested at the Chennai airport in Tamil Nadu for possessing books published by the proscribed LTTE.
Abdul Subhoor Khan alias Yasin was arrested by the Hyderabad Police in Andhra Pradesh from his residence in the Tadbund locality. Yasin had been once earlier arrested six years ago for his alleged links with the SIMI.
September 4
Syed Imran Khan, a bank executive arrested by the Hyderabad Police in connection with the twin blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bhandar in Hyderabad on August 25, underwent narco analysis at the Bangalore-based Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). He was reportedly questioned on the consignment of explosives allegedly supplied to him by Sameer, arrested in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad. Separately, Mohammed Abdul Khaleem, arrested on similar charges, was subjected to polygraph and brain mapping tests at the FSL.
September 5
The Union Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal, informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on September 5 that left-wing extremists have killed 129 politicians and 411 government officials during 2004 and 2006. While 45 politicians were killed in 2004, 64 were killed in 2005 and another 20 in 2006. Similarly, 100 government officials were killed in 2004, 153 in 2005 and a further 158 in 2006. Left-wing extremists carried out 114 attacks on politicians in 2004, 111 attacks in 2005 and a further 31 attacks in 2006. Similarly, a total of 245 government officials were attacked by the extremists in 2004, 201 in 2005 and 216 in 2006.
September 6
Hyderabad Police arrested 10 persons on the charge of plotting terrorist activity in the city. While three persons hailing from the Moosarambagh and Saidabad areas were arrested on the charge of attempting to recruit youngsters for terrorist training, seven more were arrested for aiding and abetting an ISI agent, Abdul Sattar. Sattar, a suspected Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami cadre who was arrested two months ago.
The Supreme Court asked the SIMI to serve a fresh notice to the government on its plea for transferring the petition relating to the ban imposed on the organisation from the Delhi High Court to the apex court. Two other petitions filed by SIMI challenging the ban in September 2001 and February 2006 are pending in the apex court and hence it has sought transfer of the 2003 petition so that all the three petitions could be decided by the apex court.
September 7
Four convicts in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, Yusuf Abdul Razak Memon, Rubina Suleman Memon, Essa alias Anjum Abdul Razak Memon and Mubina alias Baya Moosa Bhiwandiwala, were released on interim bail by the Supreme Court, on the ground of non-availability of the TADA Court’s judgment.
September 9
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the August 25 twin blasts in Hyderabad, identified two main suspects as Bangladeshi nationals, Masuluddin and Hussain, and released their photographs. Assistant Commissioner of Police Reddanna said both had come to Hyderabad two years ago and were staying illegally. The SIT team had recovered their photos in a raid on the house of one Ridwan Ghazi, another main suspect who was still absconding.
September 11
Dead body of an unidentified ULFA cadre of the 28th battalion was recovered from the Manabhum reserve forest in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Sources said that the militant had died of malaria.
September 13
Confirming the death penalty awarded to Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Mohammed Ashfaq in the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack case, the Delhi High Court said that terrorists, who have no value for human lives, deserved the capital punishment. The court, however, acquitted six other persons, including the Srinagar-based father-and-son duo Nazir Ahmed Qasid and Farooq Ahmed Qasid, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, and Ashfaq’s Indian wife Rehamana Yosuf Farooqui. She was given a seven-year jail term.
September 14
An alleged conduit of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, identified as Asad Hilal was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police from the Anand Vihar area. Hilal, a resident of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court in a case accusing him of providing logistical support to two Pakistani militants, Maqsood Ahmad and Syed Mohammad, in 2001.
September 19
The police arrested Ranu Das alias Gita Gogoi, wife of the Myanmar-based ULFA cadre, Dipen Das, along with her 14-month-old child, from Naharlagun in the Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh. Several compact discs and incriminating documents were recovered from the house in capital Itanagar, where she was staying. The house was rented by Purabi, wife of Prabal Neog, who was arrested from Tezpur town in Assam on September 16.
September 20
The Aurangabad (Bihar) Additional District Judge, Krishna Kant Dwivedi, awarded life term to nine Ranvir Sena (private militia of the landed upper caste) members for the massacre of 34 people, belonging mostly to the backward castes and Dalits, at Miapur, a village in Bihar's Aurangabad district on June 16, 2000.
September 21
One Bangladeshi national Ridwan Gazi, who the police claimed was an activist of the HuJI-B, was arrested in Hyderabad in connection with the August 25 twin blasts in the city. Gazi had provided shelter to his accomplice, another Bangladeshi national Musliuddin. In his confessional statement Gazi said that he had tried to garner support for and spread Jihadi activities. Musliuddin had funded his purchase of a motorcycle. He used to visit madrassas and colleges run by minority groups to lure Muslim youth into Jihadi activities.
September 24
The LTTE running short of ammunition, particularly heavy calibre artillery and mortars, will try to tap the supplies from their hideouts in south India, a media report said. "As tigers experience what the military believes is the worst shortage of ammunition, particularly heavy calibre artillery and mortars, the Sri Lankan navy is stepping up its efforts to prevent them from bringing in fresh supplies to the Mannar mainland," The Island quoted official sources as saying. The unnamed official claimed that the "enemy (LTTE) would now try to bring in whatever supplies available in their South Indian hideouts".
September 26
Police in Mumbai found six low-intensity crude bombs near the Andheri railway station and arrested two persons in connection with the recovery. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Rakesh Maria, said the bombs were made of low-intensity explosives such as gunpowder in which nails, ball bearings and nut-bolts were used as shrapnel. Those arrested were identified as Rajeev Jaigovind Singh and Soumitra Badal Roy. Singh was carrying the bombs in a backpack while Roy was arrested following Singh’s interrogation. Chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad, K. P. Raghuvanshi, told, "We don’t think this has anything to do with terrorism."
September 28
The Hyderabad Police claimed that they have arrested the younger brother of Shahid Bilal, a suspect in the August 25 twin bomb blasts in the city, and his associate on terrorism charges and causing communal disturbances in the city. The duo was identified as Mohammed Abdul Majeed and Mohammed Shakeel alias Moulana. A police press release said that Shakeel is a close associate and childhood friend of Bilal and is wanted in at least three criminal cases.
The Judge of the Special Court for the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case, K. Uthirapathy, awarded sentences to 41 convicts under the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act. The punishment ranged from two to nine-year imprisonment for offences under individual sections. For all charges put together, the maximum sentence awarded was 36 years. The judge ordered that the sentences would run concurrently, thus practically bringing the sentence to a minimum of seven years and a maximum of nine years. 35 of the accused were fined INR 1,000; in default they would undergo one-month simple imprisonment which would be set off against the trial period. After setting off the trial period against the conviction under Section 428 of the Criminal Procedure Code, all of them were released. The court said copies of the verdict would be given to them when delivery of judgment was completed for the last accused. The court also acquitted eight persons not guilty. They include Kerala-based People’s Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasir Maudhany and "Army" K. Raju, Subair and Mohammed Ashraf of Kerala and Naushad, Sardar alias Saitan, Sivakumar and Akkoji Sivakumar of Tamil Nadu. The court posted the hearing of defence arguments on behalf of those found guilty of major charges to October 3, and said the court would resume pronouncement of sentences on October 8.
A court in New Delhi sentenced a woman to five years’ imprisonment for acting as a conduit for terrorist groups. The woman, identified as Anjum Zamarooda, was arrested by the Delhi Police from outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on February 6, 2003. Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur pronounced Anjum, a resident of Kashmir, guilty under Section 22(3) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) for providing money to be used for the purpose of terrorism. The prosecution had argued that Anjum was arrested on a tip-off that she would be visiting the Pakistan High Commission to collect money to be used for funding terrorist groups in India.
October 3
A quarterly paper issued by the Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) states that 384 people were killed in India in Maoist violence between January and September 2007. The figure includes 129 civilians, 162 security force personnel and 93 Maoists. The highest number of killings were reported from Chhattisgarh (208), followed by Andhra Pradesh (59), Jharkhand (44) and Bihar (28). "Chhattisgarh accounted for 54 percent of the total killings as a direct consequence of the Salwa Judum campaign, which made Chhattisgarh the epicenter of the Naxal conflict," claimed Suhas Chakma, director of ACHR.
Inaugurating a two-day conference of directors-general and inspectors-general of police in New Delhi, the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said that the intelligence agencies of States were not strong and adequate enough to meet the challenges of terrorism. Patil said special branches in States should be strengthened where men and officers are retained for sufficient periods with enough incentives to keep them motivated. Expressing his concerns about the low police-population ratio in the country, he said, "Police-to-population-ratio in India is very low. Therefore, conscious efforts are needed to improve the situation by augmenting the state police force and filling up vacancies at different levels." He further said that the presence of terrorist sleeper cells in mega cities was one of the major concerns of the government. These sleeper cells, which were often funded with fake currency, had the capacity to become active at their will, Patil said. These cells had developed an effective mechanism to go under the radar of intelligence agencies, he added.
October 4
Sayeed Ahmed alias Mohammed Desai, an agent of Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, the ISI, was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of INR 50,000 by chief judicial magistrate Yashwant Chaware. The court convicted Sayeed under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, under section 120 (B) of the India Penal Code (IPC) for criminal conspiracy, Passport Act and Foreigners’ Act. Sayeed, a Pakistani national, had confessed to his crime on October 3. He was arrested by police in the Pune city of Maharashtra in June 1999 for allegedly passing vital information to the ISI. Subsequently, Police also arrested his wife from Kolhapur on charges of overstaying and she reportedly admitted that her husband was working for the ISI.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at the annual conference of Directors and Inspectors-General of Police in New Delhi, said that the internal security situation in the country continued to "remain a cause of concern". Referring to the terrorist attacks in Hyderabad and the Naxalite (left-wing extremist) violence, Dr. Singh said these pointed to the formidable challenges faced by the country. "Violent incidents continue in some states of the North-East, particularly in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. The ethnic overtones of violent acts in Assam are particularly disturbing. While the situation in Jammu & Kashmir has shown some overall improvement, violent incidents keep recurring," he said. He called on top police officials to pay equal attention to the concerns of ordinary citizens, in addition to combating the high-profile challenges of terrorism, naxalism and separatist violence. He said, "While some of it could be a result of personal frustration, some of it also arises out of dissatisfaction over the functioning of the law enforcement and justice systems." The Prime Minister underlined the need for an all-round improvement in training, skills, equipment, resources and attitude among the police personnel.
October 5
A high alert was sounded in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh, following a warning by intelligence agencies about the presence of four suicide bombers in the city. All police stations in the city and outskirts were put on increased vigil and security was stepped up in public places and places of worship, especially in the Muslim dominated old city area in view of a huge gathering for Ramadan prayers and shopping for Eid. Police sources said intelligence agencies were on the lookout for suspected Bangladeshis.
October 8
The Special Court awarded sentences to 35 accused in the February 14, 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts case. The accused were convicted for offences such as unlawful assembly for rioting, harbouring a wanted criminal, attempt to murder under the Indian Penal Code, possession and manufacture of explosives under the Explosives Substances Act of 1908 and for possession of unauthorised weapons without licence under section 25 (1) (b) of the Indian Arms Act. Sentences for the accused, including four from Kerala and two from Andhra Pradesh, ranged from one year and nine months to 17 years of rigorous imprisonment for all offences put together. The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, adding that the nine and a half years of trial period undergone in prison was being set off against the conviction. Hence, all of them were released. Awarding of sentences for seven other accused was deferred to October 15 for want of remand particulars from the Prison department. Judge Uthirapathy said the sentences for them would be pronounced along with five others not found guilty of major charges but were in judicial custody because of pending cases.
October 11
Two persons, including one identified as Mohammed Shoaib, were killed and 17 others injured when a bomb exploded in the dargah (shrine) of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer in Rajasthan. Official sources said that the bomb exploded at 6.12 pm (IST) near the Ahata-e-Noor courtyard. Intelligence sources revealed that the device used to execute the explosion was fabricated by packing a low-intensity explosive and metal fragment inside a metal lunch-box. Some fragments of a mobile phone were also recovered from the incident site. Another person succumbed to his injuries later.
October 12
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the country would have to think of a different strategy to deal with terror strikes. He said, "Terrorists have the advantage of surprise. Therefore, we have to think of a different approach to deal with them," adding, "We have to mobilise all our resources and defeat their machinations. There is no lack of firmness and purpose." He emphasised, "Let there be no mistake about our resolve to meet this challenge head on."
A live bomb was found near the main gate of the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer. As reported earlier, two people were killed and 17 others injured in a bomb blast at the shrine on October 11.
October 13
Seven persons, including a 10-year-old child, were killed and 40 others injured in an explosion inside a cinema hall in Ludhiana. Eyewitnesses, however, said that there were two blasts in succession. The victims were identified as migrants from other States who were watching a Bhojpuri language film at the Shringaar Cinema. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ludhiana Range), Ishwar Singh, said the bomb was placed in the first three rows of seats. Punjab Police chief N.P.S. Aulakh informed that from the preliminary investigations, it appeared to be the handiwork of some terrorist group.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said that the bomb blast at Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti's shrine in Ajmer appeared to have 'links across the border'. Speaking at a pres conference Patil told "The investigations point to (terrorist) links across the border." He further said, "Please don't ask the police to reveal details of the investigation. When the probe is complete, the details will be revealed. The investigation is going as far as our borders."
Rajasthan Police sources said six people, including two Bangladeshis, had been detained for questioning following the blast that killed two people and injured nearly 20.
The designated TADA court issued release orders for five more convicts in the 1993 Mumbai serial blast case after the Supreme Court granted interim bail to them. The convicts were identified as Yusuf Khan, Rafique Madi, Asif Shaikh, Shanawaz Shaikh and Imtiyaz Ghawte. The Supreme Court had granted them bail on the grounds that they are yet to receive the copy of the TADA court’s sentence.
October 15
The Mumbai anti-terrorism squad (ATS) claimed to have arrested an ISI agent, recently. Police sources claimed that the agent, Mohammed Qamar Shafi Afghani, was passing vital information to Pakistan. Afghani, a zari worker by profession, lived in the Govandi slums from where the ATS had earlier arrested Mohammed Ali, another person accused in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai explosions case. Police seized Afghani’s passport, a CD, ration card and five credit cards, which were reportedly gifted by an ISI agent called Tayyeb. Afghani had visited Pakistan twice - in 2006 and 2007. Joint Commissioner of Police, K. P. Raghuvanshi, said, "We had information that Afghani had been clicking photographs and passing information on some vital institutions in Mumbai. We have got his remand till October 26.’’ Afghani had withdrawn around INR 200,000 in the last two years from the banks. Additional Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh said "His main job was to collect information on the navy. He even tried to get in touch with a few retired officers.’’
An anonymous e-mail threatening to blow up the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was received in Mumbai. Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), K.L. Prasad, said, "An NSE official has received the e-mail and I asked for security to be beefed up at the buildings immediately after being told about it." Prasad said teams from the bomb detection and disposal squad had been posted outside the NSE building situated at the suburban Bandra-Kurla Complex and the BSE building in Fort, South Mumbai.
The special court hearing 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blast cases sentenced nine more convicts, who were accused of minor charges, including possessing explosives. Sentences ranged from three to nine years imprisonment, based on the charges such as attempt to murder, possessing explosives and promoting communal hatred. Judge Uthirapathi also ordered the release of seven persons after setting off their sentence, as they had already undergone imprisonment as undertrials. The other two are undergoing life imprisonment in another case and would be in the prison.
October 16
The National Security Advisor (NSA) M. K. Narayanan stated that attempts have been made in Pakistan to revive Sikh extremism in Punjab. On board Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s aircraft, Narayanan told, "There has been a manifest attempt in Pakistan to build up a radical Sikh environment. Sporadic blasts were creating sensation, but the desired effect of sustained tension was not working. We had intelligence about four to six months back that a lot of effort was going into attempts to foment militancy." He further said, "We have tracked intelligence information, we have studied the way such attacks take place and we can read a pattern. We have also seen signs of resuscitation of militant groups in Canada, US and Germany. We had been bracing for such a move by such elements." The NSA, however, ruled out that there is any links between the recent series of explosions. "There is no connection between the blasts in Ludhiana, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), other than the fact that the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)’s involvement is suspected, that is the common link", Narayanan said.
The Punjab Police claimed to have got some "vital clues" to the October 14 Ludhiana cinema bomb blast. The Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order), Chandershekhar, told, "We have got vital clues." He, however, said that revealing the details would hamper investigations. Chandershekhar further said, "The situation is still unclear about the kind of explosives and chemicals used to trigger the blast."
One senior cadre of the 28th battalion of the ULFA, Pranjal Saikia alias Hiren Hazarika, surrendered to the security forces at Teju in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Saikia hails from Doomdooma in the Tinsukia district of Assam and had joined the outfit in 1990.
October 19
Security forces arrested one ULFA cadre of the 28th battalion, Dhajen Gogoi alias Ranjan Gogoi, from Manbhum Reserve Forest in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh.
October 22
India and Pakistan shared new information on terrorist incidents, including those which have occurred recently in Ludhiana, Hyderabad and Ajmer. At the second meeting of the India-Pakistan joint anti-terror mechanism (JATM) in New Delhi, both sides agreed on continuing work to identify measures, exchange specific information and assist in investigations. "The two sides reviewed the follow-up steps taken on the information shared during the first meeting of the JATM held in Islamabad on March 6, 2007 and in the intervening period," a joint statement issued after the meeting said. The next meeting would be held in Islamabad, as per an earlier schedule. The Indian delegation was headed by K.C. Singh, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Pakistani delegation by Khalid Aziz Babar, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
October 23
Daily News & Analysis reports that the role of a splinter group of the proscribed SIMI is being examined by the internal security agencies for its alleged linkages with some rural NGOs in Maharashtra. An unidentified intelligence official said cadres belonging to the SIMI splinter, Tehereek Taifooz Sher-e-Islam, could have established linkages with a section of Muslim functionaries in these NGOs. Central intelligence agencies and the State Intelligence Department reportedly have been investigating the way these NGOs are managed.
October 24
A Special Court sentenced 31 convicts including Al-Umma founder S.A. Basha and general secretary Mohammed Ansari to life imprisonment in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts cases. Judge K. Uthirapathy sentenced four other convicts to 10 years rigorous imprisonment (RI).
Among the convicts sentenced to life terms, 17 were awarded double life terms and while 12 got a single life term. Abdul Ozir was sentenced to undergo four life terms and Jehangir, three life-terms. Basha was awarded life sentence for conspiracy read with various IPC offences and three years RI for promoting communal hatred. Mohammed Ansari was awarded two life terms besides 73 years RI. Basha’s brother Nawab Khan was sentenced to one life term and 27 years of RI. All the convicts faced charges of conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, rioting and abetment, besides charges under Explosive Substances Act, Indian Arms Act and Tamil Nadu Public Properties (Prevention of Damages and Losses) Act. Though for individual offences the court awarded sentences ranging from three years to four life terms, it said they would run concurrently, bringing down the maximum punishment to a life term.
October 25
Judge of the Special Court for the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case, K. Uthirapathy, sentenced nine more convicted persons to life imprisonment. While three of them were awarded life imprisonment, six others were given double life-terms. 13 more convicts were sentenced to 13 years rigorous imprisonment (RI), six others given 10 years RI each and two persons sentenced to seven years RI. The sentences were for offences such as criminal conspiracy read with other offences such as rioting, attempt to murder, murder, abetment, forgery under the Indian Penal Code besides offences under the Explosive Substances Act and the Indian Arms Act.
Three Assam Rifles personnel and a civilian were killed and eight persons injured in an ambush by the NSCN-IM militants in a remote jungle in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. The victims were identified as Mohan Singh, S. K. Tiwari and Lowang and civilian contractor Mukesh Srivastava. Defence sources said that the militants targeted the AR commanding officer and three vehicles moving from Kunsa to Panchu by exploding a powerful Improvise Explosive Device. Sources added that the NSCN-IM has carried out the ambush in retaliation to the operation Orchid, launched by the AR in the district to flush out the group.
October 29
Two ULFA cadres, Nitul Sonowal and Muleswar Sonowal, were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Rangoli village in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The slain militants hail from the Dibrugarh district in Assam.
November 8 A front ranking leader of an unknown faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), identified as V. Tucfu alias T. Sema, was arrested by the security forces at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport in Kolkata in West Bengal. Several 9-mm pistol cartridges were recovered from his possession. He was arrested during security check before boarding a Delhi-bound flight.
November 11
A self-styled ‘corporal’ of the 28th battalion of the ULFA, Utpal Bora, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Mahadevpur area in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. One 9-mm pistol and four rounds of ammunition were recovered from his possession..
November 12 The chief of the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), identified as Thangkeng Hangshing, died following the attack by unidentified persons at the residence of his brother David at Sriniwaspuri in the national capital New Delhi. "The attackers are yet to be identified. We have recovered a blood-stained hammer from the house," an unnamed Delhi Police officer said. Hangshingh was reportedly staying along with five others, including David, at the top floor of the building.
Five women were injured in an internecine clash between the NSCN-IM and the rival NSCN-K at Lazu village in the Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh. The five women were identified as Potoi Moinyak, Ngayum Hato, Pojen Wotey, Ngana Matchang and Nyamo Wotey.
The Hyderabad city police in Andhra Pradesh arrested Sadiq-ur-Rahman, a HuJI-B militant, from Kisanbagh in the old city area in the course of routine checking for illegal immigrants. Rahman claimed to have breached the security of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister Shivraj Patil in April 2007. Police sources said that the 26-year-old Bangladeshi national had attended a meeting at Delhi`s Vigyan Bhavan during April 21 to 23 in which all the three dignitaries participated. Police recovered bank passbooks, a telephone directory and other important documents from his possession.
November 16 Three suspected Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants were arrested by the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police in Lucknow on a tip off that some terrorists were passing through the Tehripulia area. Some AK-47 rifles, Chinese pistols, RDX, detonator and hand grenades were recovered from their possession. They subsequently admitted to be a part of the team trying to abduct some important persons including Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi.
November 21 Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal said in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the parliament) that a total of 10 ISI-backed espionage modules have been neutralised in Agra, Meerut, Varanasi, Rampu, Lucknow and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh during 2004 and 2007. As many as 13 ISI agents, including five Pakistani nationals, have been arrested.
November 22 The Tribune, quoting a report by the National Security Adviser, M. K. Narayanan, to the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs reported that India's high value oil assets is being targeted by a nexus of the underworld and terrorist groups such as the JeM. The report further stated that the entire Dawood Ibrahim family has been awarded high educational qualifications by the Pakistani ISI to facilitate fake travel documents and visas. Quoting several instances where containers and carriers of Indian oil have been targeted for hijack in Maharashtra, the report categorically blamed Dawood Ibrahim for it.
Four militants, who had planned to trigger explosions during the Republic Day celebrations in the national capital New Delhi in 2002, were handed out 10 years' Rigorous Imprisonment by a court. Bilal Ahmed Mir, Mohammed Afzal Kumhar, Adil Nazir Keen and Ansar Ahmed, all belonging to Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, were held guilty by the Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur under various provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), the Indian Penal Code and that of the Explosives Substances Act.
November 23 15 persons were killed and 80 others injured in the near-simultaneous blasts targeting lawyers in court premises in the three cities of Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. In Varanasi, three blasts killed 11 persons and injured 45 people. Four persons were killed and 14 injured in two explosions at Faizabad. In Lucknow, there was only one blast and no casualty was reported. Police sources said the banned HuJI was behind the blasts. Ammonium Nitrate and timer devices were used in triggering the blasts in Lucknow and Varanasi. The Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal, who described the incidents as "pre-planned conspiracy", said the organisation behind the attack was yet to be identified.
Army personnel in a counter insurgency operation shot dead one 'sergeant major' of the ULFA, Lambu Moran alias Suren Moran, at Manabhum Reserve Forest under Dayon police station in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. One pistol, four live rounds of ammunition and six detonators were recovered from the slain militant. Lambu hailed from Mohong village under Pengeree police station in the Tinsukia district of Assam.
November 25 The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested nine persons from a lodge in Azamgarh in connection with the November 23 serial bomb blasts in the State. One of the arrested persons resembled the sketch of a suspect released by the police.
The Union Government said that Uttar Pradesh, which witnessed the most number of jihadi attacks outside Jammu and Kashmir in the past three years (2004-November 20, 2007), is also home to the highest number of ISI-backed espionage modules. Ten out of 39 such modules neutralised in the country during the period had their roots in the State. While three of these modules were located in Varanasi and Lucknow, the others were located in Rampur, Saharanpur, Meerut and Agra.
November 26 Uttar Pradesh government created an anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and announced a special cadre for intelligence gathering. Chief Minister Mayawati said there was an urgent need for a specialised anti-terror force in the state, which has witnessed the most jihadi attacks outside Jammu and Kashmir in the past three years. Headed by an Inspector General of Police (IGP), the ATS would be headquartered in Lucknow. It will have special units in all the seven zones - Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Meerut and Bareilly. The state would spend INR 61.5 million on equipment for surveillance.
LTTE cadre, Sateeswaran, regarded as the kingpin in the outfit's procurement wing, wanted in connection with various cases of procuring and smuggling explosives, drugs and fuel for the banned outfit was arrested when he was attempting to escape to Sri Lanka . The cadre from Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka had earlier tried to smuggle 50 bags of explosive substances, including Potassium Chlorate and Sulphur, which were seized at Paramakudi on November 18, police said. A hand-book on making bombs, three cell phones and jewellery was recovered from him.
November 27 The Supreme Court granted bail to Hindi cinema actor Sanjay Dutt and 16 others, all convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for different periods by the Mumbai TADA court in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case. The court, however, declined grant of bail to six of the 25 appellants, who were awarded life imprisonment for conspiracy and other serious charges, and to one convict, who was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment.
Two women were arrested at Semmamadam in Tamil Nadu while trying to smuggle 3,300 detonators, 39 gelatine sticks and a bundle of fuse wires to Sri Lanka.
November 28 One civilian, identified as Tultul Shah, was killed and 14 others injured in a bomb attack by the ULFA militants at Bordumsa in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
December 1 Intelligence agencies warned that terrorists may carry out attacks in the national capital New Delhi in the next two weeks. The input provided by Intelligence Bureau to Delhi Police talks about the possibility of terrorist strike at market places or other crowded places by militant outfits like the Pakistan-based LeT and HuJI. Following the intelligence warning, Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal issued orders for mounting vigil at all major markets and other crowded places, including malls, railway stations, Delhi Metro and bus stands.
December 3 The Supreme Court stayed the death sentence of a LeT militant in the Red Fort attack case in which three Army personnel were killed on December 22, 2000. It also issued notices on the petition of Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, a Pakistani national and LeT militant to the Delhi Government. The Delhi High Court had confirmed the death sentence of the petitioner on September 14, 2007. A trial court had sentenced the petitioner to death in 2005 and Nazir Ahmed Quasid and his son Farooq Ahmed Quasid to life imprisonment. The petitioner had challenged his conviction and sentence in the case on the grounds that there was no evidence against him showing his involvement in the conspiracy and both the Trial Court and High Court had committed a grave error of law.
December 4 Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, answering a question in the Rajya Sabha, said that the government is keeping a watch on some people who may be involved in a case pertaining to raising money from the booming stock markets for funding suspected terrorist activities. "Recently one case has come to our notice. It is suspected that this case may have some links with some persons who are under watch. I cannot divulge further details", the Minister said.
P. K. Mishra, the BSF Inspector General (Assam-Meghalaya frontier), said that the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel had demolished two camps of militants operating from Northeast India, in its territory. He said that "The BDR has demolished two camps in Chittagong Hill Tracts that belonged to Indian militants groups prior to the DG level conference between the frontier guards of the two countries."
December 6 Pakistani militants of the LeT and JeM have joined hands with the HuJI of Bangladesh to destabilise India's sovereignty taking the strategic advantage of the eastern border, the Director General of BSF, A. K. Mitra, said. Talking to the media in Agartala, Mitra pointed out that the western frontier of India was relatively tough for Pakistani militants but the eastern border with Bangladesh had become more useful for them and foreign militants were utilising South Bengal border for anti-Indian activities.
December 8 Three persons of Sri Lankan origin including a LTTE Sea-Tiger were arrested by the 'Q' branch of the Tamil Nadu Police in the car parking area of the international airport terminal in the capital Chennai. The three were allegedly involved in the purchase of a boat for the LTTE.
December 15 An anonymous e-mail threatening to blow up airports in the country on January 12 was received by the Gurgaon (in Haryana) based call centre of Air India. An Air India official said on December 17, "The anonymous mail said airports would be bombed on January 12. Since it does not specify anything particular, this kind of threat falls under the 'non-specific' category, which is a low-level threat. But since it pertains to the law and order situation, we referred the case to the police which is investigating the matter."
December 17 High-level meeting of senior officials chaired by the Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal in New Delhi took stock of the Naxalite violence in the country. The meeting followed the meetings of the Naxal task force and an inter-ministerial group (IMG), which recently examined the Maoist violence in about a dozen states, MHA sources said. The IMG meeting had decided to pay special attention to 33 districts in eight states ahead of the chief ministers' meet on internal security on December 20. A MHA official said the 33 identified districts requiring special attentions are spread over Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. Of the badly-affected districts, Jharkhand alone accounts for ten, followed by Chhattisgarh with seven.
The Union Government is careful about the movements of the LTTE not only in Tamil Nadu but also elsewhere in the country, said National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan in Chennai. Ruling out joint patrolling with the Sri Lankan Navy in the Indian Ocean, he said that there was only coordinated patrolling, with India and Sri Lanka doing patrolling in their respective areas. "This is for the first time that the country's military planners are focusing on threats to the country from the southern peninsula," says defence sources.
December 20 Seven persons, including three women, who were linked to the Manipur-based People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), were arrested from a flat at Bapuji Nagar near Jadavpur University in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal. They were identified as 'sgt major' M. German, T. Gunindro, K. Suresh, Sonamani, Geeta, Rojita and Rita. According to police sources, German and Gunindro were PREPAK militants involved in the financial matters of the outfit. The others were suspected to be sympathisers of the outfit. Two CDs, documents and some cameras were recovered from them.
Stating that Maoists are the single largest security challenge to India, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh urged chief ministers to cripple the extremists with all means at their command. Addressing the chief ministers' conference on internal security in New Delhi, he reiterated the need to upgrade the country's internal security machinery and called for superior policing techniques to defeat the Maoist insurgency.
Police arrested the self-styled divisional commander of the Ranvir Sena (a private army of the upper castes), identified as Ajgaybee Sharma, along with five associates from Pokhwan village under Shakurabad police station in the Jehanabad district. Two pistols and a live cartridge was recovered from their possession. Ajgaybee was wanted in two dozen cases of extortion, murder and massacre, registered with the Tekari, Konch and Belaganj police stations of Gaya district and Goh and Uphare police station of the Aurangabad district. He was also involved in the massacre at Miyapur village in the Aurangabad district when he and his associates reportedly shot dead 34 persons and injured 20 others.
December 22 The Uttar Pradesh Police and central security agencies during a joint operation arrested two militants of the HuJI from Barabanki railway station. The duo, identified as Khalid Mohammed and Tariq, alleged to be involved in the recent serial blasts in the State, were arrested along with 1.25-kg of RDX and some gelatin sticks. Khalid, who hails from Jaunpur area of Uttar Pradesh, received training from HuJI cadres in Kashmir, while Tariq is a resident of Azamgarh district of the State.
December 23 The Special Task Force (STF) personnel of the Uttar Pradesh Police shot dead two suspected LeT militants in an encounter on Dewa Road, 18 kilometres from State capital Lucknow. The duo was traveling in a car and was intercepted near the Central Food Technological Research Centre on Dewa Road. Two AK-47 rifles, a huge quantity of AK-47 cartridges, 10 hand grenades, a fuse, a detonator and a suicide belt were recovered from the car. Brij Lal, the Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order and STF), said that both the unidentified terrorists were part of a Fidayeen (suicide squad) team and had entered the State from Nepal. He further said that the slain terrorists had planned a big terrorist attack in Lucknow. A map with notings in Urdu was also recovered from them. Police source reports that unidentified militants shot dead Wangsha Rajkumar, a former Parliamentarian belonging to the Congress Party, at his residence at Deomali in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh.
December 25 Three suspected Babar Khalsa militants were arrested from Bihar on the India-Nepal border for their alleged role in the October 2007 bomb blast in Ludhiana that claimed six lives. Two of the three were identified as Gurpreet Singh and Sandeep and were arrested while they were attempting to flee into Nepal, official sources said.
December 26 Two NSCN-IM cadres, M.B. Singh alias Cobra and Changen Akhom, were arrested under Deomali police station in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh.
December 28 In a joint operation, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force arrested Aftab Alam Ansari, a top militant belonging to the HuJI from the Cossipore area in the northern part of Kolkata. Ansari is suspected to be one of the masterminds behind the serial blasts in the court premises at Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on November 23.
Nice and very wonderful information
ReplyDeletethanks again for the information.
karnataka state politics
Rizwan Arshad Nominated for Bangalore Central