India Timeline - Year 2010
January 1
A high security alert was sounded in Bihar following intelligence reports that six Pakistani-trained terrorists have infiltrated into the State from Nepal.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that it would take another two to three years to curb the Maoist menace.
The first major, concerted ground offensive against Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists) has started with Police forces in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh launching a joint operation.
Three Pakistani terrorists, who were kept in the Lampur detention centre for deportation, managed to escape from the Police custody at Kotwali in Delhi.
January 3
The Delhi Police announced a reward of INR 50,000 to those who provide information leading to the arrest of each of the three Pakistani terrorists.
With the catch line "who is against development?", the Union Government is hitting at Naxals with a media blitzkrieg by putting out an advertisement in national and regional newspapers about the destruction of vital infrastructure by the CPI-Maoist.
January 4
A suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militant has been arrested at a check post at Cumbum near Theni in Kerala after his passport and identity cards were found to be forged.
An alert has been sounded in the Eastern and East Central Railway (ECR) zones after intelligence inputs suggested infiltration of Taliban-trained suicide squads into Bihar and in metropolises like Kolkata.
Bihar Police denied the media reports of Taliban and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist’s infiltration into the State from Nepal side.
The CPI-Maoist is recruiting hundreds of children in an effort to strengthen their influence in the heartlands of India.
January 5
A US Congressional report released identified Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company as a "5,000-member criminal syndicate operating mostly in Pakistan, India, and the United Arab Emirates," which has a "strategic alliance" with Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, and has "forged relationships with Islamists, including LeT and al Qaeda."
January 6
The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)-infested States, including Jharkhand and Maharashtra, have set up a Special Task Force (STF) in their bid to jointly tackle the Maoist problem.
January 7
Bihar Government sent 428 Police Personnel, from constables to DSPs, to different Central Police organisations for specialised training in jungle warfare, weapon tactics and counter insurgency and commando operations.
According to intelligence agencies, a 9/11-type terrorist attack using hijacked aero planes stares India in the face with an Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist having acquired pilot training and waiting to strike.
January 9
The central secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) K. N. Ramachandran said no one is shedding tears for the CPI-Maoist in Andhra Pradesh because they had created a culture of extortion through individual squads.
January 10
The security of 10 scientists working in sensitive areas, like defence and space, has been tightened in the wake of threats from Pakistan-based terrorist outfit LeT.
International terrorism and organised crime including drug trafficking would feature among the five agreements India would sign with Bangladesh during the ongoing visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) killed 190 militants and Naxalites (left eng extremists) besides arresting 2,054 in the year 2009. The Force lost 70 of its personnel. A massive recovery of 48, 000 ammunition was made in 293 encounters undertaken by the CRPF along with other Security Forces.
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was recovered by the bomb squad of the Criminal Investigation Department from a private bus parked at Hamiltonganj in Kalchini of Jalpaiguri District.
The anti-Naxal force of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) -- Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) -- has been rechristened as Special Action Force (SAF).
January 11
Charge sheet has been filed against the 62 accused in connection with the July 26, 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts in which 57 people were killed by a special court.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured New Delhi that Dhaka would not allow its soil to be used as a base for operations by groups inimical to India, her Advisor Abul Kalam Azad said.
Manmohan Singh announced a USD 1 billion line of credit for Bangladesh, the highest one-time line of credit assistance to any country by India.
January 12
The special designated Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court convicted 22 persons while acquitting an equal number of accused in the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) conspiracy case.
Two LeT militants were sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each by a Delhi court for possessing RDX in connection with a conspiracy to carry out a suicide attack at the Indian Military Academy in 2005.
The Union Government has asked Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam to remain fully alert to prevent any attempt by terrorists to disturb peace.
The MHA has received substantive inputs that many CPI-Maoist leaders, including its ‘general secretary’ Muppala Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi, have slipped out of their forest hideouts and entered urban pockets.
Since costs of procuring arms and ammunition have skyrocketed due to inflation, the Maoists have increased their protection money. They have increased their levy rates by 5 to 10 percentage in 2010. The Maoists illegally levy huge amounts on contractors, traders and even Government servants to allow them function in a hassle-free way.
The MHA convened a meeting of Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police (DGPs) of nine States which are most affected by the LWE. Official sources said the 24th meeting of the coordination on LWE, discussed the developmental activities that needs to be undertaken in the Naxal affected areas.
Orissa is likely to get an additional five battalions of the Central Para-military Force (CPMFs) for undertaking anti-Naxalite operation in the State.
Uttar Pradesh Government unveiled its new commando force Blue Hawks, which has been raised by the State Police to tackle militants.
January 13
Seven Pakistani nationals have been arrested from a boat which was intercepted by the BSF in the Cori creek of Kutch District in Gujarat.
In a joint operation, the ATS of Uttar Pradesh Police and Gurgaon (Haryana) Police arrested an agent of the Pakistan’s ISI from Gurgaon for passing important military information.
Official sources said that the Government of China is yet to extend cooperation to India to prevent militant groups of the Northeast region from procuring weapons from that country, while, reports of frequent visits of the militant leaders to China has also become a matter of serious concern.
January 14
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao asked the United States to ensure that the billions of dollars of American aid given to Pakistan is not diverted for anti-India activities.
January 17
The CPI-Maoist now has developed the expertise to clone sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles of AK series.
January 18
The Special investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad Police arrested ‘south India commander’ of the LeT, identified as Shaik Abdul Khaja alias Amjad, from Afzalgunj area of the city.
The CPI-Maoaist spokesperson and member of the party's central committee Azad warned that Maoists will surely go on the counter-offensive with the Centre cracking down on Maoists in West Bengal and other affected States.
January 19
Bihar Police said Ghulam Rasool, who was arrested from a train at Purnia Junction, is a member of Taliban and has links with the LeT.
January 20
Thousands of paramilitary personnel have launched a crackdown to target some 50 leaders of CPI-Maoist across the country.
January 21
Militant groups operating in the Northeast called for a boycott of the Republic Day celebration on January 26.
The Union Government appointed former Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon as the National Security Advisor (NSA).
January 22
Security was beefed up at airports across the country, after intelligence inputs suggests that Pakistan-based terrorists outfits LeT and other al Qaeda-linked terrorists are planning to hijack aeroplanes.
Another intelligence input said that LeT is ready to carry out airborne suicide attacks using para-gliders in India.
January 23
The Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that threat of infiltration is growing in Jammu and Kashmir.
January 24
The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata city Police seized INR 392000 Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from three persons.
CPI-Maoist leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishan wrote to Union Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee that it wouldn’t be possible for the Maoists to give up arms and sit for talks.
January 25
An ISI agent was arrested by ATS of the Uttarakhand Police in Roorkee. A number of documents related to Army cantonment of Roorkee, Bikaner, Patiala and Dehradun were recovered from him.
The Uttarakhand Government sounded a red alert across the State following intelligence reports of fresh terror threats to defence establishments and Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy.
January 28
Reacting to Pakistani investigators admission of LeT’s role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is only one of the 26/11 masterminds, adding that there are other masterminds also.
Home minister Chidambaram strongly refuted Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Gilani's claim that there was insufficient evidence on Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's links to 26/11.
Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza Gilani denied Indian accusations that his Government was dragging its feet on booking the prime accused of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, saying the alleged chief architect Hafiz Saeed was very much on trial and the court had to decide when to order his arrest.
Sending a strong message to the CPI-Maoist the Union said the anti-Naxal operations would stop only if the Naxalites abjure violence and decides to come to the negotiation table.
Referring to reports that Jharkhand had halted the anti-Naxal offensive, Chidambaram said Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren told me that there is no change in policy of Jharkhand government and that he is on board with other chief ministers of Naxal-affected states on the strategy being worked out.
January 31
The interrogation of top CPI-Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy has revealed the close ties the Maoist leadership has developed with their counterparts in Nepal.
The CRPF Special Director General and commander of the anti-Naxal task force Vijay Raman said in New Delhi that the Security Forces are in an "operation mode". Asked about possible talks with the Naxals, he said, "I am not aware of it. As far as we are concerned, we are on the ops (operation) mode."
February 1 Shahzad alias Pappu, an accused in the September 13, 2008 serial bomb blasts in Delhi was arrested by the ATS of the Uttar Pradesh Police from from Khalispur village in Azamgarh District. He was a cadre of the IM outfit and reportedly carried a cash reward of INR 500000 on his head.
The Centre said the situation in CPI-Maoist -affected States continues to be "a cause of grave concern" and feared that the trend of rising violence - witnessed in 2009 - would continue in 2010.
The Mumbai Police investigators said that they might have identified Indian LeT operative who played a key role in guiding the operations of the team that attacked Mumbai in November 26, 2008. Police believe the Indian national in the LeT's control room could be Syed Zabiuddin Syed Zakiuddin Ansari, a LeT-linked Maharashtra resident, who has been a fugitive since 2005.
The programmes taken up under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which increase agriculture productivity in the rural areas, are not being "blocked" by the CPI-Maoist, a study has claimed.
February 2 The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Hamiduddin alias Hamiruddin alias Salim, who was wanted in connection with the serial bomb blasts on running trains in different parts of the country in 1993, from Lucknow.
The arrested IM militant and Delhi bomb blast accused Shehzad Ahmed alias Pappu confessed that the outfit was planning air attacks through its air terror module.
30 new Marine Police Stations have been sanctioned by the MHA for Tamil Nadu in the second phase of the Coastal Security Scheme. With this, the total number of such Police Stations in the State will increase to 42.
Central Security agencies have been informed about a threat issued by the CPI-Maoist to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who is reluctant to take personal security.
February 3 A city court in New Delhi sent Shahzad Ahmad alias Pappu, an IM terrorist and wanted for his role in September 13, 2008 Delhi serial bomb blasts, to three days Police custody after he was produced before a magistrate.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered around 30 cases across India in the last three months against terrorists on charges of money laundering and waging war against the country. It has also frozen many bank accounts, and sealed properties allegedly acquired using terror funds.
Senior officers in the Central Para-military Forces said violence levels had gone down in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra primarily because of the increased deployment of SFs.
February 4 Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said that at least one of the handlers of the November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) attackers could be an Indian whose true identity has not been ascertained because of Pakistan's refusal to give voice samples of the suspects.
India has proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks to discuss terrorism and any other issue that could lead to peace between the two neighbours.
February 5 The Union Government has extended the ban on the SIMI for another two years, beginning on February 8. The outfit has been facing a ban since September 2001. Sources in the MHA said that the ban on SIMI will now continue till February 7, 2012.
The CPI-Maoist called a 72-hour general shut down in five States and partial bandh in three States in protest against talks, scheduled to be held in West Bengal State capital- Kolkata, between the State Governments and the Centre on issues of price rise and internal security.
The Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD), front organisation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), in Pakistan had warned of the city being a potential target. Addressing a rally in Islamabad, Abdur Rehman Makki, ‘deputy’ to JuD leader Hafiz Saeed said that at one time, jihadis were interested only in the liberation of Kashmir but the water issue had ensured that "Delhi, Pune and Kanpur" were all fair targets.
February 7 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurating the Chief Ministers conference on Internal Security in New Delhi said that hostile groups and elements were operating "from across the border to perpetrate terrorist acts in our country, and Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups". There was a marked decline in the number of terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir from 2008 to 2009, he said, but expressed concern at the increase in the number of infiltration bids.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram described the Pakistan-based terrorist outfits as "dark forces," which were "implacably" opposed to India. They would be defeated whenever confronted, he said.
Chidambaram also said that during 2009, there was a rise in the number of deaths among civilians (591), Security Forces (317) and militants (217) in the Maoist-affected States.
On the vacancies in the State Police forces, Chidambaram said that 1, 03, 000 recruitments would have made by March 31, 2010, but another 150 000 vacancies needed to be filled.
The Union Government has offered two dates- February 18 and 25 - for Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan in New Delhi.
February 9
The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram reiterated his call to CPI-Maoist to shun violence after a meeting in Kolkata to discuss LWE problem being faced by four eastern States.
The Union Home Minister gave a clean chit to his Cabinet colleague and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who is being accused by the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of colluding with Maoists.
CPI-Maoist ‘general secretary’ Ganapathy said that his party is ready for talks with one of the pre-conditions being Maoist leaders like Narayan Sanyal, Amitabha Bagchi, Sushil Roy and Kobad Gandhi be released from custody.
February 10
Special Director of the CBI Sharad Chandra Sinha was appointed the second chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
February 11
Two unidentified assailants shot dead the defence lawyer of the 26/11 accused Fahim Ansari at suburban Kurla in Mumbai. The slain lawyer was identified as Shahid Azmi.
The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that the Centre is ready to welcome Kashmiris who had gone to PoK if they were willing to return after giving up militancy.
February 12
First wide-ranging dialogue between India and Pakistan after 26/11 Mumbai attacks would take place in New Delhi on February 25.
February 13
Nine persons, including two foreigners, were killed and over 40 injured in a bomb blast in the famous German Bakery on North Main Avenue in Koregaon Park near the Osho Ashram in Pune around 7.30 p.m. (IST).
The Union Government said the scene of Pune’s bomb blast was very close to Osho Ashram which had been surveyed by LeT operative David Coleman Headley, which the Maharashtra Government had been alerted about this in the month of October, 2009.
February 14
A huge cache of explosives, including 200 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and 600 detonators, were seized by Gujarat Police from Vapi area in Valsad District.
The MHA sounded an alert in Delhi, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh) following the inputs from intelligence agencies that public places may be on the radar screen of terrorists.
The Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai told that Gadchiroli in Maharashtra will be free from left wing extremism.
February 15
Pune Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh informed that the toll in the February 13 bomb blast has gone up to 10. The report confirms that altogether 10 persons, including two foreign nationals, were killed and 60 others injured in the incident. Singh further reaffirmed that RDX, ammonium nitrate and hydrocarbon oil were used in the bomb blast.
Investigators detained two suspects from Kudalwadi and Janwadi on the outskirts of Pune city. A television report also claimed that two more persons were also detained in Aurangabad District.
The Union Government did not rule out the hand of a foreign force in the Pune bomb blast. Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that the blast was a part of the notorious ‘Karachi Project’ of the LeT which was aimed at attacking India.
Maharashtra and West Bengal, which have been hit by terrorist and CPI-Maoist violence, are among the seven States that have fared poorly in modernising their Police Force.
US, UK and Australia issued fresh travel advisories, alerting their citizens to exercise caution but stopping short of asking tourists to avoid travelling to India.
February 16
A Delhi court convicted two HuJI-B militants, including a Bangladeshi national, of possessing explosives, hawala (informal money laundering system) money and waging war against the country, charges which envisage death penalty as the maximum punishment.
A little known Pakistan-based terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility for the Pune bomb blast. Identifying himself as a spokesperson of a group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Toiba al-Almi (LeT-al-Almi, meaning international) an individual using the code-name ‘Abu Jindal’ said the bombing was carried out because of India’s "refusal" to discuss the Kashmir issue in the coming talks with Pakistan.
One so-called Indian Mujahideen Kashmir outfit also claimed responsibility of the attack through a text message sent to some media houses. Indian intelligence sources said that the claims appeared intended to deflect attention from the LeT, which is emerging as the principal suspect.
February 17
The death toll in the Pune bomb blast has raised to 11, as Aditya Mehta, of New Delhi, who sustained injuries in the blast, died at the Jehangir Hospital.
Pune Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh expressed suspicion that the bomb that went off at the German Bakery might have been triggered by a remote control. There were unconfirmed reports that four persons had been taken into custody at Hampi in Karnataka in the case.
February 18
A Delhi court remanded a suspected IM terrorist to seven days' Police custody in a fresh case relating to the serial explosions in Delhi on September 13, 2008.
Rajasthan Police issued a terror alert for the One-Day International (ODI) cricket match between India and South Africa to be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium (SMS) in Jaipur on February 21.
The Centre is planning to deploy around 15,000 additional paramilitary personnel by April 2010 in the Naxal-affected States to deal with the extremists.
February 19
A Sudanese student, who was injured in the February 13 Pune bomb blast has died, taking the toll in the terror attack to 12.
The Kolhapur District Police seized 70 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 6,525 gelatine sticks and 10,225 electronic detonators, all together worth INR.97, 900.
Intellectual support to the CPI-Maoist has made the task of tackling Maoists very difficult as it confused people, said Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that all pending issues related to the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) investigation would be raised by India at foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan, scheduled to be held on February 25.
February 20
The death toll in Pune bomb blast raises to 13 as one, Atul Anap (30), succumbed to his injuries at the Inlak Budhrani Hospital in Pune.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has called a meeting of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal Chief Ministers in New Delhi to make sure that all States are on the "same page" in the fight against LWE.
February 21
The death toll in the German Bakery bomb blast in Pune rose to 15 as two more persons succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack.
February 22
The CPI-Maoist leadership said that it was ready for dialogue only if the Centre halted security operations targeting the outfit for 72 days. The condition comes within a week of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram saying that the Centre would find ways to facilitate talks with the Maoists if the latter halted violence for 72 hours.
In New Delhi, a MHA official said the Government was "studying" the Maoist offer and would come with a response at an "appropriate time."
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said that talks with Pakistan on February 25 would be restricted to India’s "core concerns" over cross-border terrorism.
Amid security concerns in the wake of Pakistan-based jihadi group's threats to upcoming sporting events in India and the February 13 Pune bomb blast, the Government said there was "no credible threat" to any such meet in the country in 2010 and it was taking maximum precaution to ensure foolproof security.
February 23
The Maharashtra ATS detained another suspected HuJI-B militant identified as Faisal in Surat Gujarat as part of the ongoing probe into the February 13 Pune (Maharashtra) bomb blast.
Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that the Government was awaiting a probe report of the Maharashtra ATS on the Pune bomb blast which was expected to come within a week's time.
A day after CPI-Maoist proposed a conditional cease-fire, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram rejected the offer, saying the Government would not accept any "ifs and buts" for talks. Instead, he asked the CPI-Maoist to come out with a statement pledging to "abjure violence".
February 24
The death toll in the February 13, 2010 bomb blast in German Bakery in Pune (Maharashtra) has gone up to 16 as Anas Al Fatih Suleiman (21), a Sudanese national, succumbing to his wounds.
The SIMI and the IM have claimed responsibility for the Pune bomb blast, Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said.
A designated anti-terrorism court in Pune passed an order restraining the electronic media from telecasting footage of the blast site.
The National Defence Academy in Khadagwasla (Maharashtra) and defence establishments in Pune (Maharashtra) figure on LeT’s hit list, apart from civilian targets such as Osho Ashram and Chabad House, FBI has told the Government
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken disclosed that the Naxals (Left wing Extremists) is running arms manufacturing units in the interior areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
CPI-Maoist affected States, like West Bengal and Orissa, top the list having the highest shortfall of IPS officers.
February 25
India submitted three dossiers during foreign secretary level talk with Pakistan in New Delhi , which Pakistan assured it would seriously examine. One dossier provides information on some individuals associated with the November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai attacks, the second was a list of Indian fugitives sheltered in Pakistan and the third on the JuD, chief Hafiz Saeed’s anti-India statements.
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir dismissed a strong Indian dossier on Hafiz Saeed as "literature, not evidence", seriously endangering the future of the engagement.
In a raid on a house at Shendrun village in the Shahapur taluk (revenue unit) in Thane (Rural) District, the Police seized 150 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 450 electronic detonators and 500 gelatine sticks, all together worth INR6750.
February 26
The Taliban militants carried out coordinated suicide attacks at two hotels in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, killing at least nine Indians, including two Major-rank Army officers.
The BSF Director General's office in New Delhi received a mysterious parcel with pieces of detonators in it. One person has been arrested in this connection.
In the Union Budget for the year 2010-11 presented, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee put the focus on countering Left Wing Extremism through an "integrated action plan" besides carrying forward ongoing internal security measures including recruitment, training and modernisation of Police Forces.
February 27
The death toll in the February 13 German Bakery blast in Pune rose to 17, with the death of one Aditi Jindal of Chandigarh (23).
February 28
Defence Minister said that 42 terror camps are still active in Pakistan and that lack of a serious attempt or effort by that country to dismantle them is the main cause of concern for us.
March 1
Four Kolkata (West Bengal) based businessmen have received extortion calls from the terrorist outfit IM, which is now headed by Amir Reza Khan, who hails from the city and was one of the masterminds of the 2002 American Center attack.
March 2
Pakistan-based LeT was blamed by an Afghan intelligence official for February 26, 2010 car bomb and suicide attacks that killed 16 people, including 9 Indians, in Kabul.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that sanctions amounting to INR 6067 million were issued in the month of February for acquisition of land and construction of buildings and barracks for Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs).
Chidambaram also said that a major part of fencing, surfacing and road work being carried out along India’s international borders with Bangladesh and China were completed during February 2010.
Chidambaram also said that the MHA was particularly strengthening the country’s coastal security, and have added 14 more boats to its force.
A terror alert has been sounded in five key cities of Gujarat following an intelligence tip-off, an official said.
March 3
A key suspect in the 1993 Surat (Gujarat) bomb blast case, wanted by Police worldwide for over 17 years, was arrested from a north England grocery store on February 16, a spokesman of the Metropolitan Police said.
The Union Government has set up combined SOGs of State Police Forces and CRPF in Left Wing Extremism-affected States, which will coordinate among themselves for joint operations.
The Union Government presented the counter proposal to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) to resolve the vexed Naga problem.
A day after Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram termed CPI-Maoist leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishan's truce offer as "bizarre", top Government officials said Kishan's offer for talks may be considered if he could ensure complete cease-fire for 72 hours.
Demanding release of his close aide Venkateswar Reddy alias Telugu Dipak, who was arrested from the southern fringes of Kolkata, the Maoist leader Kishan said his outfit was ready for talks with the Government but it has not responded so far.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran informed the Parliament that the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, some of the ISRO scientists and nuclear establishments across the country continue to be on the terror radar.
The other Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Maken, said: "In view of the prevailing security scenario in the country, the nuclear establishments, hotels, tourist and religious places and important personalities like scientists in the country continue to remain prime target of the terrorist groups and outfits".
March 4
Delhi Police sought death penalty from a court against two HuJI militants, including a Bangladeshi national, who have been convicted of waging war against the country and possessing explosives.
The Union Government and the NSCN-IM continued talks for the second day on March 3 when its demand for sovereignty for Nagaland and its territorial claims over portions of neighbouring States were categorically rejected.
The Union Government clarified that it had not received any formal request for peace dialogues so far at the organizational level from the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Voicing concern over America's reported decision to supply sophisticated weapons to Pakistan, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that the US should ensure that the "latest tranche of military aid" is used in fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and not against India.
A Delhi court allowed the NIA to interrogate a suspected LeT militant as part of its probe against Pakistani born American national David Coleman Headley charged with conspiring in November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
The MHA decided to send 2,000 more Paramilitary Force personnel, trained in jungle warfare, to Bihar and Jharkhand to help the Police counter the LWE violence.
March 5
Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said in New Delhi that the objective of the CPI-Maoist engaged in an armed ‘liberation struggle' was to overthrow the Indian State by 2050, as indicated by documents seized from them.
The ATS of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested an IM cadre and accused in the September 13, 2008 Delhi serial bomb blasts identified as Salman alias Chhotu, in Siddhartnagar District.
March 6
Kolkata (West Bengal) and Bhubaneswar (Orissa) could be among the next targets of CPI-Maoists cadres, if the Union Government does not announce talks immediately, CPI-Maoists politburo member and military commander Koteswar Rao alias Kishan has warned.
March 7
The Union Government decided to set up a 'centralised database' to check terror funding by integrating intelligence from different central security agencies.
Sikh militant outfits based abroad are trying to revive terrorism in Punjab and the Government is maintaining a close watch on such outfits, the MHA said.
The Union Government may not be willing to allow ULFA ‘commander in chief’ Paresh Baruah to "hold talks to hostage" for an indefinite period if the other leaders of the outfit express their desire to solve the problems through discussions, highly placed official sources said.
Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Hagrama Mahilary held talks with ULFA ‘publicity secretary’ Mithinga Daimari at the latter’s residence at Nizzuluki near Barama of Baksa District in Assam.
March 8
Arrested IM cadre and September 13, 2008 Delhi serial bomb blast accused Salman Ahmed was remanded to eight-day Police custody. The investigators claim that he has already provided some details of the LeT plans to launch fresh attacks on Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
MEA denied Pakistan's contention that LeT chief Hafiz Saeed did not figure in the recent foreign secretary-level talks.
Two suspected terrorists of Indian Mujahideen outfit were arrested by SFs) along the India-Bangladesh border.
The MHA issued an alert for Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore saying these cities could be targeted by terrorists.
March 9
Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told Lok Sabha (Lower house of parliament) in a written reply on March 9 that the LeT and the Naxalites (Left-Wing Extremist) had undertaken extensive recces in a bid to attack CISF armouries located at power plants in several States.
Available reports indicate that some educated youth have been found to be involved in anti-national activities, the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) was informed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken.
Arrested IM cadre Salman Ahmed alias Chhotu has revealed that most IM operatives have shifted base from Bangladesh to Nepal after the massive crackdown by Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion in the past few months.
The IM cadres from Nepal had conducted a reccee of the Kolkata city around four months ago, say intelligence officers who are interrogating Salman.
The CIA warned India and Brazil that they face "emerging threats" from al-Qaeda and Taliban, though the terrorist outfits are "on the run" due to extreme pressure exerted on them in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A hotline across India-Myanmar border connecting Tamu, Chandel and Imphal would be installed, to share intelligence information on various issues between two countries and to help in curbing incidents of crimes taking place on the Manipur side of the international border.
Union Government has denied Pakistan's allegation that it was involved in March 8 bomb blast in Lahore and said Islamabad routinely came up with such "baseless" charges.
India also rejected Pakistani allegation of non-adherence to Indus Water Treaty, saying it was yet another move to raise an "anti-India" bogey to create "popular resonance" to cover up their internal domestic water woes and asked Islamabad to do better water management.
March 10
The Union Government admitted that shortage of manpower have made it difficult to safeguard "all public places" in the country.
Although the shortage of manpower is a country-wide phenomenon, Maharashtra, which witnessed the latest terror attack despite having intelligence alert, presented a dismal picture with the highest number of Police vacancies (49,252) in the country, the report added. There is an existing vacancy of over 267000 of Police personnel across the country.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) that Assam witnessed considerably lesser number of terror incidents in 2009 than the previous years. According to him, Assam reported 1297 terror incidents during 2009. The figure was 1561 in 2008.
Terrorist outfit IM has set up bases not only in Karachi in Pakistan, where its top leaders Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal are currently located, but also has safe houses in Gulf countries, Nepal and Bangladesh, interrogation of arrested IM cadres has revealed.
As per matching versions of IM operations put out by Salman, IM cadres were receiving training at the same facilities used by the LeT, both in Karachi as well as other parts of Pakistan. Salman also revealed that the outfit’s new recruiting grounds are now in South India.
Security agencies suspect that several modules of such trained IM cadres may be currently lying dormant, waiting to be activated by LeT ‘commanders’ who may not be holed up in the Kashmir Valley.
The European Union’s (EU) counter-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, said on that Pakistan-based LeT is a "dangerous group" having a "global agenda".
A Bangladeshi national and his Kashmiri associate, both belonging to the HuJI outfit, were sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court for possessing explosives and waging war against country.
Chidambaram said that terrorism and militancy are being fanned to destabilise the economy of the country which is at the threshold of a double digit growth.
March 11
The ISI, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, continues to maintain links with the LeT, the terrorist outfit responsible for November 26 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), and Islamabad is reluctant to take action against its leaders and its network, several eminent US scholars and experts of South Asia have categorically told US lawmakers.
A resolution of Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan would no longer satisfy LeT and the militant outfit would continue to pose a serious threat to both India and the western world in particular the US, top experts have told American lawmakers.
The eminent Pakistani scholar and Director of South Asia Centre, the Atlantic Council of the United States Shuza Nawaz said "resolving the Kashmir problem by itself is not going to remove this threat because the aim of these groups is to leverage themselves into a position of power inside Pakistan and to take control,".
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram to stop communicating with the LWEs via the media.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said the railways was losing 40 percent of its business due to various Naxal (left wing extremism) incidents, bandhs (shut downs) and strikes across States including the insurgency-hit areas.
The border guarding agencies of India and Bangladesh - BSF and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) - agreed to increase mutual cooperation in restricting cross-border movement of criminals/insurgents and help in identifying `suitable patches' even within 150 yards of the border for erecting fences.
March 12
The central investigating agencies confirmed IM role in the bomb blast at Pune's German Bakery on February 13 that killed 17 persons and injured more than 70.
Indian envoys in Afghanistan are now under threat from Pakistan-supported terrorists. According to Government sources, India has received credible intelligence inputs on a terrorist plot to abduct Indian diplomats.
The MHA has asked Kerala Police to step up security in Kochi following intelligence inputs that LeT militants may attempt to strike the coastal city.
Calling Naxalism (Left-wing Extremism) a "graver problem" than jihadi (Islamist Extremist) terrorism, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that the Government had a legitimate right to use as much force as necessary to regain control of areas dominated by the CPI-Maoist and expressed confidence that the Government would be able to "get rid of the Maoist menace" before the United Progressive Alliances (UPA) second term ended.
Chidambaram blamed Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism against India, vowing "swift and decisive" response if a fresh terror attack was found to have been directed from within Pakistan.
Chidambaram said nothing came out of February 25 foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries, adding, "But I am told we are still open to another round of talks between foreign secretaries
March 14
The Maharashtra ATS arrested two militants for plotting to set ablaze the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) office in Mumbai, ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi said.
The MHA sources in New Delhi said that the conspiracy was part of the Karachi Project — a joint venture of the ISI and LeT which involves serving and retired officers of the Pakistan Army and fugitive terrorists from India.
The Gujarat ATS has claimed to have arrested a suspected HM militant, identified as Bashir Ahmed Baba alias "Aijaz" from the national highway near Anand.
Pakistan-based terrorist outfit LeT has identified as many as 320 targets across the globe, 20 of which are in India, US Congressman Gary Ackerman said.
March 15
Pakistan has violated cease-fire agreement along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) 139 times during the last three years and 485 militants had tried to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir in 2009, Government said.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Indian Space Research Organisation to provide a communication network to the Navy, including space-based resources.
The Union Government warned of retaliatory attacks from the CPI-Maoist and alerted all its SFs operating in Left Wing Extremism-affected States following the arrest of four LWEs and the seizure of over 2,800 kilograms of explosives in Andhra Pradesh.
March 16
CPI-Maoist called a 48-hour bandh (shut down) from March 22 in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three Districts of Maharashtra- Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli- to protest the ongoing operations by SFs against them.
The Union Government has ruled out the possibility of the ULFA maintaining permanent camps in Arunachal Pradesh.
March 17
Defence Minister A. K. Antony said that Pakistan has 42 terror camps within its territory and the neighbouring country was not taking effective steps to dismantle the terror outfits.
LeT has two support groups in Kerala, reveals arrested militant Thadiyantavide Nazeer during interrogation by the Police team in Kannur.
NSA Shivshankar Menon said that India is going to continue with its relief and reconstruction programme in Afghanistan.
March 18
Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley, accused of plotting the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and conspiring to target a Danish newspaper, pleaded guilty before a U.S. court in Chicago.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that the Vidhan Bhavan (State Legislature building) was on the terror hit-list, while responding to questions on heightened security on the opening day of the budget session.
The Police custody of Abdul Latif Sheikh alias Guddu and Riyaz Ali alias Rehan, arrested on the charge of plotting to set ablaze the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) office in Mumbai, was extended to March 26.
The BRTS in Ahmadabad could well be the next terror target, said ATS officials.
The Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has said that there has been "no decline" in support from Pakistan to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and top militant leaders including LeT chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is operating with impunity from its territory despite international pressure after 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
March 19
The CPI-Maoist suspects that the party's "untraceable" politburo member and spokesperson Cherkuri Rajkumar alias Azad has been arrested by Andhra Pradesh Police and is being held in "illegal custody".
March 20
The central committee of the CPI-Maoist has called for a 48-hour general shut down on March 22 and 23 in six states namely, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh apart from the Maoist-infested Districts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
March 21
A joint Police team of the Punjab and Delhi Police neutralised a module of the BKI, an outfit backed by Pakistan's ISI, by arresting three militants from Punjab and Delhi.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said that Indian aid workers in Kabul have become "soft targets" for terrorists who want to derail India-Afghan relations.
The CPI-Maoist claimed that its missing leader Cherkuri Rajkumar alias Azad, has been found.
March 22
A special team comprising members of NIA, as also MHA officials, will soon leave for the US to question Pakistani-American militant David Coleman Headley who recently confessed plotting November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorists attack attacks and also his links with the LeT.
March 23
The Centre issued an alert to Maoist violence-affected States - West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh –against possible attacks on railway networks in the wake of CPI-Maoist cadres targeting a Rajdhani Express train in Gaya, by blasting the rail tracks.
Security was beefed up at Marwar Junction after authorities received two separate letters containing threats to blow up the station.
March 25
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram urged the UK and the US to put pressure on Pakistan to shut down terror camps operating in that country adding terror training must come to an end.
March 26
The investigations into the arrest of two terror suspects, who were planning to set ablaze the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) Bandra headquarters, revealed that they were also plotting to strike at two more places in Mumbai, including Bandra’s G7 cinema complex, officials said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said, "Infiltration has increased in Jammu and Kashmir this winter in comparison to last winter.
LeT operative David Coleman Headley identified five-six serving officers of the Pakistan Army among the leaders of the Karachi Project, which seeks to organize attacks on India through fugitive Indian jihadis being sheltered in Karachi by the ISI-LeT combine.
Several satellite phone conversations intercepted by Indian agencies in the past few months indicate that LeT is now deeply involved in attempts to drive India out of Afghanistan.The intercepts also revealed that ISI officials were in constant touch with not just LeT but also other groups in Afghanistan to carry out attacks against Indians and Indian establishments in Afghanistan.
Another Chicago-based Pakistani-American has been arrested on terrorism charges, this time for apparently providing material support to the al Qaeda.
March 27
Pakistan-based LeT, predominately a threat to India, is fast expanding operations to other South Asian countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, said Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of the US Pacific Command in his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Militants are using GPS for cross-border infiltration and locating safe routes in Jammu and Kashmir, Police said after a high-end GPS was found from LeT militants.
March 28
About 400 militants were waiting to cross over to Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) and nearly 300 militants were active in the Kashmir Valley, Brigadier General Staff at 15 Corps headquarters Gurmeet Singh said.
Intelligence agencies of Security Forces and Police believed that the number of Kashmiri youths held up in PoK was precisely 2500.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram pressed the point that India continued to remain vulnerable to State sponsored terror.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram listed Maoist violence as one of the grave challenges facing the country and assured the gathering that the Government would free areas held by Naxals in the next three years.
In an attempt to attract more unemployed youths into their armed fight, the CPI-Maoist has started shelling out INR 3,000 to each of their cadres as salary and a cut of the extortion money.
March 29
The Army said that nearly 550 terrorists were operative in the State, including around 250 in Jammu region, while 200-250 others were waiting at different launch pads across the LoC to enter the Indian territory to help the depleted rank and file of militant organizations in launching offensive.
The latest report of the CAG for the year ended March 31, 2009 points out that the State’s Police department is facing shortage of weapons.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram would make an aerial survey of the India-Myanmar border along Arunachal Pradesh on April 3, fuelling speculation that a joint operation against Northeast militants based in the neighbouring country is on the cards.
March 30
The CPI-Maoist central committee spokesperson Azad said that the party will build country-wide people’s struggle to avenge the killings of Maoist leadersSakhamuri Appa Rao and Kondal Reddy on March 12.
As per the Annual Report 2009-10 of the MHA, LWE violence in Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh have seen a drop in 2009 as compared to the situation in 2008.
March 31
That marking the end of the year-long November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack (also known as 26/11) trial, the special sessions court in Mumbai announced May 3, 2010, as "the day of judgment."
The bullet-proof jacket worn by slain Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare during the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack (also known as 26/11) was not meant for protection from AK-47 bullets, Police told the Bombay High Court.
Keeping pace with the requirement of senior cops to meet various security challenges across the country, the Union Government has increased the cadre strength of IPS officers in 16 States and all Union territories by 287 with Uttar Pradesh being allotted the maximum 47 posts followed by 36 to Maharashtra.
The Union Government has frozen 18 bank accounts found involved in terror financing under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
INR 222.5 million was released by the MHA for the families of 416 slain Central Para-Military Forces personnel as a grant-in-aid for payment of compensation, Chidambaram said.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony warned that a "hot summer" is on the cards for Indian Security Forces as more terrorists will be sent across the border.
April 2
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that the Union Government had resolved to tackle terrorism stringently and would not allow any militant group to carry out subversive activities in the Northeast.
Further, P. Chidambaram said, recommendations of two panels on replacing the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, in force in some north-eastern States, with a more humane law would soon be placed before the Cabinet.
P. Chidambaram added that violence and militancy in the "Northeast have come down".
Apart from asking for a ceasefire from the Government and demand for release of political prisoners, the CPI-Maoist has now demanded that the ban on the outfit be lifted to create a conducive atmosphere for talks between the sides.
April 4
At least 79 gelignite sticks, capable of causing a huge explosion, were recovered from a bridge construction site near Tirurangadi area in Malappuram District.
During his visit to Lalgarh in West Midnapore District of West Bengal, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram made a fresh offer of talks with the CPI-Maoist if they abjured violence.
The 2009-10 annual report of the MHA has indicated that the terror infrastructure in Pakistan continues to remain intact and infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir remains unabated with a substantial increase in 2009
Giving an overview of the internal security scenario, the MHA annual report said, the situation in the country remains largely under control, though violence has increased in terms of number of incidents and casualties of civilians and security personnel, as compared to the corresponding period of 2008.
Left wing extremists operate in the vacuum created by functional inadequacies of field level governance structures, espouse local demands and take advantage of prevalent dissatisfaction and feelings of perceived neglect and injustice among the under-privileged segments of population.
While the overall counter action by the affected States in terms of LWEs killed, arrested and surrendered has shown much better results in 2009, there is an urgent need to strengthen Police response particularly by Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh by improving actionable intelligence collection and sharing mechanisms and strengthening their Police Force, the report said.
April 6
A US Defence Department think tank warned that India’s transportation, economic infrastructure and political establishment are on the Lashkar-e-Toiba’s (LeT) radar. It has also confirmed India’s charge that the militant outfit still enjoys funding from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). According to the think tank, LeT collects donations from the overseas Pakistani community in the Persian Gulf and the UK, Islamic non-Governmental organisations, Pakistani/Kashmiri business people and through its parent organisation Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD).
April 7
Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) submitted its investigation report on the February 13, 2010 Pune bomb blast report to the State Government claiming the perpetrators of the bombing that killed 17 people have been identified and their arrest would be made soon.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the Government reviewed all options in the fight against the CPI-Maoist such as use of air power from time to time but no decision has yet been taken on it.'
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the Naxalites have answered the call for talks after giving up violence by a "savage and brutal act of violence.'' Chidambaram also said while the Government had refrained from using air power against Maoists, the situation could change. He also insisted that there was no "Operation Green Hunt" against Maoists as has been widely reported. Chhattisgarh Police officials say they had coined the term for one successful drive against the Maoists in the State.
A sectorial meeting between India and Myanmar was held at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh from April 5 to 7, where among other issues, transborder smuggling of arms by militant outfits operating in the Northeast region was discussed, sources said.
April 8
A Delhi session court convicted six militants, all belonging allegedly to a Kashmiri militant group, in the case 1996 Lajpat Nagar market blast case that killed 13 people and injured 39 others. This is the first conviction ever in any of the blast cases that have been heard in the capital.
The Union Government will deploy spy drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for reconnaissance of Naxal hideouts at the tri-junction of Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh over the next few days.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that CPI-Maoist may be trying to forge links with militant outfits in the Northeast to gain access to the arms market in neighbouring countries.
The Union Government said it will not enter into any kind of dialogue with splinter militant groups operating in the Northeast nor accept their laying down of arms in a public function.
April 10
Security agencies have launched a crackdown against terror suspects using international cards as a mode of funding their operations in India. In two operations in Lucknow and Delhi, intelligence agencies with the help of local Police seized more than 65 international credit cards with at least INR 40-50 million withdrawn on them and distributed to sleeper cells.
A year-long investigation in the use of international credit cards by terror suspects in India has revealed that at least INR 200-250 million had been spent by them in the recent past across the country.
Myanmar’s Ambassador to India U. Kyi Thein at Shillong in Meghalaya on April 10 said that action against Indian insurgents in its territory will be initiated only after receiving military assistance from India.
April 11
The CPI-Maoist warned of more Dantewada-type attacks on SFs if the Union Government carried on with the anti-Maoist offensive.
Bangladesh Government assured Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar that it would take effective steps against Indian insurgents holed up in that country.
April 12
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi admitted the links between insurgent groups like ULFA and the CPI-Maoist.
April 13
The Union Government will send around 6,000 CRPF personnel to Naxal-affected States of the country including Chhattisgarh.
Times of India reported that the Union Government has decided to speed up restructuring CRPF by bifurcating it into two parts with one earmarked for ‘soft duties’ like general law and order and the other being kept for ‘tough’ assignments like counter-insurgency and anti-Naxal operations.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India could resume dialogue with Pakistan on all issues if "concrete" and "effective" action is taken against those behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes but made it clear that there was no need for the US or any other country to get involved in the Indo-Pak affairs.
April 15
ISI continues to have close links with LeT and has used the outfit's services to foment anti-India passion in Kashmir and elsewhere, a UN report said.
April 15-16
The ATS of the Uttar Pradesh Police would look into the recovery of explosive devices from the Sampark Kranti Express train at Mahoba railway station on April 15, ADG (law and order) Brij Lal said on April 16. On the nature of the bomb, Lal said the Allahabad Police had verified that they were gelatine sticks with loose wires. The device was found in a sleeper coach of the Delhi-bound Manikpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express.
April 16
Minister of State for Railways E. Ahmed informed in Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Parliament) that almost 202 railway stations across the country are facing extremist threats, and the Ministry of Railways has approved an integrated security system for these sensitive and vulnerable stations.
Pakistan's ISI continues to have close links with LeT and has used the terror group's services to foment anti-India passion in Kashmir and elsewhere.
The US has warned in its latest advisory that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in India and asked its nationals to exercise caution during their stay in the country.
India has made it clear to Pakistan that although action against Hafiz Saeed, ‘chief’ of JuD, over ground organisation of the LeT, will help ease the strained atmosphere, it's not the only benchmark that will satisfy New Delhi before it can think of resuming talks.
April 17
Two crude bombs exploded in quick succession outside the M. A. Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bangalore, minutes before an Indian Premier League (IPL) match was to begin, leaving 15 persons injured and creating panic in the packed venue. A third crude bomb was found near Gate number 8 of the stadium, venue of the fixture between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians, but was defused, Police said.
April 18
Investigators believe the bomb explosions at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on April 17 were executed by an Indian Mujahideen (IM) cell led by Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa. Karnataka-born Bawa—also known as ‘Yasin Bhatkal'—is allegedly a key figure in a series of urban bombings executed by the IM between 2005 and 2008 that claimed hundreds of lives. Bawa, Police said, was the organisation's key-bomb maker and his devices were used in the attacks.
April 19
A Delhi court sentenced a former Jammu and Kashmir Police Constable to eight years rigorous imprisonment for being a cadre of the LeT.
Admitting to command and control failure in the Dantewada massacre of 76 CRPF troopers on April 6, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) that he had asked the inquiry committee headed by E.N. Rammohan to fix responsibility from top to bottom.
The United States is working at the "highest level" to provide India with access to LeT operative David Headley, even as it is sharing "real-time" information with India, U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer said.
April 20
Security has been tightened at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai following an alert issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) about a possible terror attack.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) that the controversial Salwa Judum movement that started in Chhattisgarh nearly five years ago has lost its momentum.
Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Raman Bhalla, informed the Legislative Assembly that in all 38,119 families, comprising 2,168 Muslim families and 1,749 Sikh families have migrated from the Kashmir Valley due to the disturbed condition.
Clues from the explosive material recovered outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore where twin blasts occurred on April 17, indicate the hand of an international gang, Karnataka Director-General of Police Ajay Kumar Singh said in Bangalore.
April 21
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked for urgent and considered action to root out the problem of Left Wing Extremism and asserted that no quarter can be given to those challenging the authority of the Indian State.
The U.S. issued a fresh warning to its citizens in India asking them to refrain from visiting congested areas of Delhi, following "increased indications" of terrorists planning attacks.
Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) that India would not scale down its activities in Afghanistan.
April 22
Australia has warned its tourists to avoid some of the New Delhi’s shopping areas and markets.
A Delhi court awarded the death penalty to three of the six cadres of the banned militant outfit, the Jammu Kashmir Islamic Front, who had been convicted of involvement in the May 21, 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast, in which 13 people were killed.
West Bengal Governor and former NSA M. K. Narayanan said that the LeT has "proven links" with the Pakistan's ISI.
Asserting that LeT is a threat not only to India and America but also to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P. J. Crowley said counter-terrorism is the central pillar of US' strategic dialogues with all these countries.
The Union Government has convened a meeting of Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to 33 worst CPI-Maoist-affected Districts on April 30 to apprise them about its strategy to deal with the Naxals and seek their cooperation in the endeavour.
April 23
The CPI-Maoist has called a 48-hour bandh (shut down) in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa from April 26 demanding that four of its cadres recently arrested be produced in the court immediately.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) that incidents of Naxal (Left Wing Extremist) attacks on railway property nearly doubled to 58 in 2009 from 30 in 2008 and the Indian Railways lost over INR 5 billion due to disruptions by CPI-Maoist. 56 incidents were reported in 2007, she said.
April 24
Inaugurating a conference to celebrate ‘National Panchayati Raj Day' under the auspices of the Union Ministry of the Panchayati Raj in New Delhi Minister Manmohan Singh said that if Panchayati Raj Institutions (Local Self Government Institutions) functioned properly and locals participated in the development process, the threat of the CPI-Maoist) could be countered.
April 26
Former Chief of the BSF, E.N. Rammohan, submitted his report to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on the April 6 CPI-Maoist ambush killing 76 Security Force personnel in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh.
Pakistan has contended that the Indian evidence against LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed of his involvement in November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai terrorist attack is not admissible under their laws for prosecution.
Defence Minister A. K. Antony informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) on that over 200 Indian Army personnel have lost their lives in last three years during the anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai assured India of its commitment to provide full security to Indians working in Afghanistan.
A person, identified as Devendra Gupta, a resident of Bihari Ganj in Ajmer, was arrested by Rajasthan Police in connection with the 2007 Ajmer Dargah bomb blast, in which three people were killed and over 30 injured.
April 27
Pakistan-based militant outfit LeT is making concerted efforts to carry out attacks in India and to develop links in Maldives and other neighbours, the Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken told Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament).
April 28
The U.S. has agreed to "take suitable steps" to give India direct access soon to Pakistan born LeT operative David Headley, who has admitted to his role in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
April 29
Kolkata has been put on a high alert over chances of a terror strike by the IM after the Police received "information from a very credible source," Kolkata Police officers said.
April 30
Karnataka Home Minister V. S. Acharya said that underworld elements and betting lobby were behind the April 17, 2010 twin low-intensity bomb explosions outside the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bangalore which had left at least 17 people injured.
The LWEs from India have developed links with the Shailen Sarkar Group of the Bangladesh Communist Party, which is providing arms training to Maoists at their camps in Bangladesh.
An inquiry committee probing the CPI-Maoist attack on February 15 at the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp at Silda in West Midnapore District, which left 24 Easter Frontier Rifles (EFR) troopers dead, submitted its report to the West Bengal Government.
May 1
Bangladesh handed over Ranjan Daimary, the ‘president’ of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), to India. Ranjan Daimary (50), wanted in numerous cases, was handed over at Dawki along the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya.
The Delhi Police were put on high alert after intelligence reports indicated possible terror strikes at public places, including busy markets and malls, here during the weekend.
May 2
On the basis of information provided by Punjab Police, a KZF militant, identified as Nirmal Singh alias Nimma, was arrested from Fokatpura locality under Devendranagar Police Station in Raipur, SP Om Prakash Pal said.
A team of the Rajasthan ATS detained one more suspect, identified as Sanjay Gupta, a small-scale industrialist, from Mhow, 25 kilometres from Indore for questioning in connection with the 2007 Ajmer (Rajasthan) Dargah (Sufi Shrine) blast.
May 3
A special sessions court in Mumbai pronounced Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving LeT militant of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also known as 26/11), guilty of waging war against India, after a 271-day trial.
The Maharashtra Government will challenge the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed from the 26/11 case.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that the conviction of Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab and the acquittal of two persons in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack (also known as 26/11) case showed India is governed by rule of law and it also sent a strong message to Pakistan that it should not export terror.
The Hyderabad Policeon neutralised a sleeper cell of LeT by arresting its operative Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq.
The bomb blasts carried out at the Ajmer (Rajasthan) Dargah (Snfi Shrine) , the Mecca Masjid (Andhra Pradesh) and Malegaon (Maharashtra) are linked, with the self-styled right-wing group, Abhinav Bharat, believed to be behind them, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.
Security agencies have received information that the CPI-Maoist cadres have sneaked into Chhattisgarh from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and they are planning a bigger strike than the Tarmetola ambush in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh when 76 troopers were killed.
May 4
The Hindu reports that suspected LeT operative, Mohammad Zia Ul Haq, who was arrested by the Hyderabad Police, was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The weekend alert in Delhi followed the busting of three separate LeT modules over last week across Nepal, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad.
An uncorroborated intelligence input from Assam Police about groups of al-Qaeda terrorists slipping into India was one of the reasons behind the high alert sounded over the weekend Meanwhile, the Navy sources said that it was impossible for such a large number of people to reach Indian shores in foreign fishing vessels.
May 5
With the Union Government worried about the slow pace of infrastructure development along the borders with China and Pakistan, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been asked to move out of the National Highway-16 project in Maoist-infested Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram made a fresh offer for talks to the CPI-Maoist provided they abjure violence
May 6
The Special Sessions Court in Mumbai sentenced the lone surviving LeT militant, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, to death for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks
As part of the measures to boost coastal security after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), a new regional headquarters of Coast Guard will be set up at Kolkata (West Bengal) soon.
The MHA in a statement warned civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, intellectuals and the general public to refrain from supporting the CPI-Maoist ideology as it will attract action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
West Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh said the State will have a 1,000-strong counter- insurgency force on the pattern of the Grey Hound forces of Andhra Pradesh and also a training school for tackling terrorism within the next two to three months.
Pakistani national Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab was convicted for his role in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) on the basis of evidence gathered against him and not on the basis of his confession, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said.
May 7
The death sentence awarded to LeT militant Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab by a trial court for the November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) Mumbai terrorist attacks is a "clear message'' to terrorist outfits in Pakistan that they will not be allowed to get away with their nefarious designs, said Union Defence Minister A. K. Antony on May 7.
May 9
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) warned that Naxals (Left Wing Extremists) are planning a major offensive in Gadchiroli District.
A telephonic conversation between two suspected cadres of the IM gave the security agencies a clue about outfit’s involvement in the February 13, 2010 Pune bomb blast, Police said.
Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai said the Union Government is aware that the CPI-Maoist had been in touch with some of the other militant outfits in different parts of the country like NSCN-IM and ULFA.
May 10
With the intelligence agencies again warning of "terrorist spill over" from militant infested areas in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir, Police sounded high alert along the border areas in Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh.
May 11
Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai on said in an interview to CNN-IBN television channel that "The country will have to be prepared for casualties." He added, "Naxalism [Left Wing Extremism] is a problem. As the Home Minister said, we had underestimated the Maoists. Had we not acted against them, there would have been a low level of violence…because we are acting, we are bound to take casualties. As we move into Maoist-dominated areas, it's inevitable." Pillai said.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna would visit Islamabad on July 15 to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
A 35-year-old man, wanted in connection with seizure of communication equipment meant for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir five years ago, has been extradited from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and arrested in New Delhi, Police said.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said cross-border terrorism was not just limited to Pakistan but has now "reached a few Middle Eastern countries".
The arrested HM militant-cum-trainer Mohammad Ashraf, has said thousands of misguided Kashmiri youth are still receiving training in camps in PoK.
General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command, Lt Gen B. S. Jaswal said that infiltration from across the borders has not increased during the current year [2010].
May 12
The Ara civil court sentenced three persons to death and 20 to life imprisonment for the infamous 1996 Bathani Tola carnage in Bihar in which 21 Dalits were slaughtered by upper-caste landowners belonging to the Ranvir Sena (a private militia of landlords).
A Delhi court convicted two Bangladeshi nationals for possessing explosives four years ago but acquitted them of the charge of being cadres of the LeT and waging a war against the country.
The ATS of Rajasthan has informed that out of the 13 identified terrorist who planted bombs at eight places in the Walled City in May 13, 2008, four are still absconding.
Officers investigating the Pune (Maharashtra) German Bakery bomb blast that killed 17 persons on February 13, 2010 have claimed that four prime suspects in the attack have fled to Pakistan.
The Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that India was concerned about terror factories operating across the border. "More than 40 terror camps are still operating across the border. It is a matter of concern to us. Pakistan should take action to dismantle these terror camps," he said.
The trial of Pakistani born Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Rana, charged with involvement in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), is expected to begin on November 1, 2010 and go on for a tentative four weeks, a US judge said.
The death sentence awarded to Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving LeT militant of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, is a result of a fair and transparent judicial process of India, the US has said.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said it was not possible to solve the Naxalite (Left Wing Extremist) problem without regaining the confidence of people and this job had to be done by various sections.
May 13
A charge sheet in the case of murder of November 26, 2008 (also Known as 26/11) Mumbai terrorist attacks defence lawyer Shahid Azmi was filed in a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai.
May 14
A Policeman was killed when at least two gunmen attacked an unarmed Police Picket at the Khilwat junction of the communally sensitive Old City area of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, four days ahead of the third anniversary of the bomb blast at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan said that Police suspected the involvement of Vikaruddin, a suspected operative of the LeT, who reportedly masterminded a similar attack earlier.
One more person was arrested by the Rajasthan ATS in connection with the October 2007 Ajmer dargah (Sufi Shrine) blast, Police said.
A suspected Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA) militant was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttarakhand and Punjab Police from Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Police said.
Union Government extended its ban on the LTTE for another two years as it believes the `Tamil Eelam' (separate homeland for Tamils) concept still remains a goal among pro-Tigers groups in Tamil Nadu.
The CPI-Maoist warned of more attacks like one at Chintalnar in Dantewada District in Chhattisgarh on April 6, 2010.
May 15
The Union Government formally banned over 100 outfits, linked to al-Qaeda, from across the globe by declaring them "terrorist organizations" in India under the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
May 17
Afghanistan Security agencies have traced back a recent anti-India operations in the country to an ISI, cell located inside a military cantonment in Kohat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan.
Suspected LeT militant Mohammad Zia-Ul-Haq, arrested by Hyderabad Police (Andhra Pradesh), had received e-mails originating from Pakistan asking him to carryout "subversive" activities in India and had millions of rupees deposited against his name in various banks, the investigating agency revealed.
A trial court sent Al Badr militant Sheikh Sajjad, who was arrested on charges of possessing communication equipment, meant for Kashmiri terrorists, to 14-day judicial custody.Police said during interrogation it was revealed that he was a major supplier of satellite phones to suspected terrorists.
The NIA filed charges in a court against 11 activists of Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu right wing organisation for the October 16, 2009 Diwali (festival of lights)-eve blast that killed two people in Goa's Margao town. The accused are facing charges of conspiring and collecting arms for waging a war against the State and mischief.
The Union Government asked five States (Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh) to tighten security and take maximum precaution during the 48-hour bandh (shutdown) called by the CPI-Maoist from May 18.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that there was a need to revisit the anti-Naxal strategy in the light of the fact that four States want use of air power against the LWEs.
May 18
The Austrian authorities have indicted six Indian nationals in connection with the shooting at a gurudwara (Sikh place of worship) in Vienna on May 24, 2009. A Sikh preacher was killed and more than a dozen were wounded in the incident.
There are at least 57 front organisations of the CPI-Maoist and they are under constant vigil of intelligence agencies. A circular by the MHA alerts heads of paramilitary forces and Police in Maoist-affected States that the CPI-Maoist has 57 "front bodies" of peasants, labourers, women, students, tribals and trade unions who have helped the them raise the level of their tactical warfare, including winning court battles and getting their arrested leaders released.
May 18
The Railway Headquarter in New Delhi has received a letter purportedly written by the CPI-Maoist threatening to blow up Rail Bhawan along with some other vital railway establishments in Delhi like Baroda House.
May 20
Attorney General G. E. Vahanvati has given a clear opinion suggesting that the Fifth Scheduled areas identified by the Constitution, which in six out of nine States are Naxal (Left Wing Extremist) hotbeds, could be administered directly through governors and in doing so they were not bound by the advice of the State Governments.
May 21
A local court extended the Police remand of Lokesh Sharma, arrested in connection with the October 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast, till June 1.
Maharashtra State Home Minister R. R. Patil said that the Union Government has sanctioned INR 3.7 billion for roads in Gondia and Gadchiroli Districts, following the State Government request for special assistance for infrastructure in the Naxal (Left Wing Extremism) affected Districts.
The Union Ministry for Information Technology (IT) and Communications has decided to install 10,000 new mobile phone towers to strengthen the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) communication system in the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, mainly in the areas affected by militancy and Naxalism (Left Wing Extremism).
May 23
The Union Government would rope in about 10,000 more Border Security Force (BSF) personnel to strengthen anti-Naxal (Left Wing Extremism) operations in Chhattisgarh and Orissa, reported PTI. Official sources said on May 23 that five battalions (5,000 personnel) of the BSF would be inducted into the operation for now and another five thousand would be added later. The force already has about 10,000 men taking part in anti-Maoist operations.
PULF leader, M.I. Khan alias Mohammed Ibrahim alias Qureshi (47), was arrested by a combined team of the Manipur Police and Karnataka Police from Belgaum in Karnataka.
May 24
The trial in the July 2006 serial train bomb blast case is scheduled to restart in a special court. The trial started in a special court in December 2007. However, matters could not progress as the accused had challenged the application of certain provisions of law.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested a Karnataka resident Abdul Samad Bawa for his involvement in February 13, 2010 bombing at German Bakery in Pune, and in jihadist networks which have executed a series of urban bombings across India bombings since 2005.
The special court which conducted the trial of November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) has criticised personnel of Azad Maidan Police Station, saying they acted in a "cowardly" manner and "ran away" instead of stopping the militants.
The 26/11 special court has come down heavily on the prosecution and investigating agency for submitting "doubtful" and "fragile" evidence against accused Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed that led to their acquittal in the terrorist attacks case.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his Government is ready to hold dialogue with all groups in Jammu and Kashmir which are outside the political mainstream provided they shun violence.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Naxalism (Left Wing Extremism) remains the biggest internal security challenge and it is imperative to control left-wing extremism for the country's growth.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India would be unable to realise its full development potential unless it had the "best possible" relations with its neighbours, especially Pakistan.
On the issue of access to LeT operative David Headley, suspected of having conducted surveillance of sites targeted during the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Prime Minister said, "I have been assured by the highest in the U.S. administration that we will get access to David Headley."
May 25
The Supreme Court stayed the death sentence awarded to underworld gangster Aftab Ahmed Ansari for the attack on the American Center in Kolkata in 2002.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has expressed disappointment over the verdict of the Pakistan Supreme Court, which upheld the Lahore High Court's decision to release JuD chief Hafiz Saeed from house arrest, citing lack of evidence.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, after discussing rehabilitation of Bru refugees with Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and his Cabinet colleagues in Aizawl, informed that 215 Bru families have returned so far and asked the Brus and the Mizos to live together in peace and harmony.
May 26
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) P. S. Gill said that there have been signs of Naxals (Left Wing Extremists) re-grouping in the State, but their movements were still at a low level and the situation is not serious yet.
May 27
Three Italian nationals were detained in New Delhi after ammunition and two empty magazines were found in a five-star hotel room, where they stayed earlier this week.
An employee of the Indian Navy was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan and Police claimed of recovering from him some "secret and sensitive" documents like photograph of the Hindan Air Base and map of Meerut Cantonment.
Pakistan's Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by LeT ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, seeking acquittal in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks case, after his counsel withdrew the plea.
May 28
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said that this is not the appropriate moment for India and Pakistan to hold discussions on the Kashmir issue as they need to go for confidence building measures first.
May 30
A hardcore militant arrested by the Punjab Police was working towards the revival of terror outfit KLF and planning to carry out a series of explosions in the State at the behest of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), a senior Police official said.
A four-member NIA team went to the US with the decks finally being cleared for unqualified access to LeT operative David Coleman Headley, who was accused of his involvement in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 2611).
May 31
A Delhi Court remanded a Navy mechanic who was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan to 14-days judicial custody.
The court also issued production warrant against three suspected IM terrorists for their role in the serial blasts in the national capital on September 13, 2008.
June 1
The Gujarat High Court upheld the special the POTA court's verdict and confirmed death sentence for three of the six convicts in the Akshardham temple terror attack that took place on September 24, 2002.
"We will fight against the scourge of communalism and political extremism. We will fight terrorism root and branch. We will ensure that this great, liberal and plural nation of ours is not weakened by hatred and bigotry," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran said that Kerala will get eight more coastal Police Stations in the second phase of the Comprehensive Coastal Security Scheme, to be implemented at a cost of INR 21. 87 billion.
June 2
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram asked Naxal-hit (Left Wing Extremism affected) States to double the capacity of their Police training institutes as also Police recruitment to fight the menace of Left Wing Extremism.
Ruling out links between Pakistan based militant groups and Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists), Special Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir zone, N.K. Tripathi said that the Force was fully equipped and focusing on new strategies to deal with Naxal problem in the country.
June 3
At the start of the United States-India Strategic Dialogue, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to provide Indian authorities access to the LeT operative David Coleman Headley, accused in the Npovember 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks and now in the custody of the U.S.
Ateam of Indian investigators has arrived in Chicago, USA and is preparing to interrogate Headley in connection with the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Government of Maharashtra has decided to give a compensation of INR 14, 23,500 for loss or property to owners of the German Bakery based in Pune, which was destroyed by a bomb blast on February 13, 2010 killing 17 people and injuring 65.
June 4
The ATS of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested one Kanhaiya Lal Gupta in Siddhart Nagar District bordering Nepal after INR 100, 000 of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) was recovered from his possession. Initial investigations have revealed that Gupta was actively working for the Pakistani ISI and looking after the FICN segment through UP-Nepal border and had pumped in no less than INR10 million in FICN during the last 5 years.
The Union Government declared the IM, suspected to be a shadow outfit of the banned SIMI and Pakistan-based LeT, a terrorist outfit. It has been added to the list of terrorist groups under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
According to latest reports India has been granted access to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative David Headley, says US National Security Adviser James Jones.
June 6
13 militant organizations from the Northeast States of Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya figure in the list of banned organizations as it appears in the website of the MHA.
June 7
Assam Tribune quoting security agency sources reports that there are efforts by CPI-Maoist groups to make inroads in the Northeast. The report adds that the newly constituted Eastern Region Bureau of the CPI-Maoist had been entrusted with the task of establishing foothold in the Northeast.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that his Government was ready to "carry forward" the dialogue process in Jammu and Kashmir and talk to anyone who abhorred violence and terrorism.
June 9
Asserting that there is "no change" in its Kashmir policy, the US State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley said that India and Pakistan would make progress on resolving the "important issue".
Appearing at a state department Blog Forum, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said there is no change in America's policy on Kashmir.
Pakistani born American LeT operative David Headley has confirmed that LeT terrorists carried out the 26/11 Mumbai attack under the "guidance" of Pakistan's ISI. Headley is being interrogated in the US by a team of NIA officials.
However, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram is to demand voice samples of seven LeT commanders including Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama and others when he meets his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik during his visit to Islamabad for the conference of Home Ministers from SAARC region.
Headley has also revealed how post-26/11, ISI wanted LeT to disown the Mumbai attack to turn the global attention away from the terror outfit that Pakistan considers to be an important strategic asset to be used against India. Headley also admitted that while he had started off as a LeT recruit, he started drifting towards al Qaeda under the influence of Major Abdul Rahman Saeed.
June 10
The CPI-Maoist leader of the West Bengal unit Akash said in statement released that South Eastern Railway (SER) authorities should directly contact the Maoists to ensure the smooth running of trains in Maoist-affected areas.
No consensus could be reached on key proposals like deployment of the Army and the Air Force in Naxal (Left Wing Extremists)-affected areas and setting up of a Unified Command Centre for anti-Naxal operations in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which took place in New Delhi.
June 11
The CCS that met in New Delhi has decided not to use the Army in a "combat role" in the ongoing anti-Naxal (Left Wing Extremists) battle.
June 12
Passengers of the Tiruchirapalli-Chennai Rockfort Express had a narrow escape when suspected pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) elements blasted railway tracks at Perani Railway Station in Villupuram District in the wee hours. Leaflets condemning the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa were recovered from the site, Police said.
June 13
The Police detained eight persons belonging to the proscribed Tamil Desiya Iyakkam for interrogation in connection with June 12 Railway track blast at Sithani near Villupuram.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has described as "an attempted terrorist act" the railway track blast at Sithani near Villupuram on June 12, while rejecting suggestions that he might have been the target of the attack
June 14
With the CPI-Maoist issuing a fresh 48-hour bandh (general shut down) call starting on railways decided to run trains at 50 kilometres per hour (KMPH) in Maoist-affected areas and alerted its divisions across five States.
June 15
Abdul Samad Bawa, who was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in a 2009 arms case, was granted bail by a court. The judge cited lack of material evidence as the main reason for grant of bail.
As per sources in the MHA, the 48-hour bandh called by Maoists in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa was primarily prompted by the arrest of Maoist leaders Shambhu (Bihar) and Chandrasekhar Gorebale (Karnataka).
More than 380 civilians have been killed by CPI-Maoist cadres in the first five months of this year [2010], with West Bengal bearing the most brunt. According to statistics compiled by the MHA and circulated among affected States, Maoists killed approximately 600 people, including paramilitary and State Police personnel, between January 1 and May 30.
Several Afghanistan and international intelligence officials and diplomats stationed in Kabul have confirmed that the LeT, with the help of the Pakistan’s ISI, has expanded its anti-India operations into Afghanistan and set up training camps, adding new volatility to the relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad, quoting The New York Times, reports ANI. Experts are of the view that now the LeT presents more of a threat in Afghanistan than even al Qaeda does.
The number of tribals, especially from Naxal (Left Wing Extremist)-affected States who are migrating either inside or outside the State, have reduced, indicates a Government survey released.
The Government is planning to build better roads in the Naxal (Left Wing Extremist)-affected areas of the country. MHA has directed the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to build roads in 34 Districts of eight Naxal-affected States to provide easy access for forces in the Naxal strongholds during combing operations and in case of an attack.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh expressed his willingness to meet the Sanmilita Jatio Abhibartan (United National Convention), peace-talks delegation of Assam, when Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi called on him, ostensibly to discuss a host of issues including the ULFA peace process.
Two cadres belonging to MI Khan faction of the People’s United Liberation Front (PULF), including its ‘fighting commander’, were arrested by a combined team of the Manipur Police, Delhi Police and Army from near the Nizammuddin Flyover in New Delhi.
June 17
The first additional chief metropolitan magistrate has ordered a Non-Bailable Warrant against PDP president Abdul Nasar Madani, in connection with the July 25, 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts case.
Sadhaks (seekers) of the Sanatan Sanstha, engineered the October 16, 2009 Margao (Maharashtra) blast as the Government had refused to respond to their demand for a ban on Narkasur (Monster) celebrations, the prosecution told before the Margao sessions court.
A batch of youngsters from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are presently undergoing militant training in Kacharban in PoK, HM militant has told his interrogators in Jammu and Kashmir. According to officials, who interrogated Ashraf over the last several days, told Express Buzz over phone from Jammu and Kashmir that about 24 youth belonging to the southern States were lodged in a few quarters in PoK and were receiving militant training. As per the Police records available with the Hyderabad city Police, there are 22 men who are missing and the Police suspect that they have joined militant ranks.
The Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in New Delhi will host officers of paramilitary forces like CRPF stationed in CPI-Maoist-affected States. The disaster management studies centre at the University will impart skills in satellite data reading, interpretation of the Geographic Information System (GIS) for areas and terrains similar to the ones in Maoist-dominated zones.
June 17
Two cadres of the Abhinav Bharat, a Hindu fundamentalist organisation, who had reportedly conspired to carry out explosions in the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007, were produced in a local court here by the CBI.
June 18
In the 11th dossier handed over to Pakistan since the November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) terrorist attacks, India, has provided details on the 34 terrorists, including fugitives who have been recruited by the ISI- LeT combine to launch terror attacks as part of the Karachi Project, in the form suggested by Pakistan.
Protesting the inclusion of Naxal [Left Wing Extremism] issue under the realm of an "armed conflict" in a UN report India told the UN that the violence being perpetrated by these groups does not make it a zone of armed conflict as defined by international law.
A KLO militant, Tirtha Burman, was arrested by the Police from one Indrajeet Roy’s house at Patiramjote in Matigara, outskirts of Siliguri.
June 19
The Maharashtra ATS arrested a key BKI militant, who had been on the run after firing at Narcotic Control Bureau officials in Punjab in 2009. Nishant Singh Karam Singh (27), who is also allegedly involved in drug smuggling, was arrested from Chembur after he arrived in the Mumbai from Nanded with five of his associates.
June 20
Three suspected operatives of the LTTE were arrested and a cache of detonators was seized from their possession, four days after a member of the banned outfit was arrested by the Police. The trio was arrested by the Tamil Nadu ''Q'' branch during a raid at Tiruchirapalli. 4,900 ordinary detonators and 430 electric detonators were recovered from them, an official release said in Chennai.
Police on June 20 arrested a LeT militant who is the main accused in the 2000 blast in a bus near Agra (Uttar Pradesh) that killed two passengers and injured 15 others.
Pakistan's ISI has an interest in certain sectors in Kerala and also in some organisations based in the State, Union Minister of State for Home Mulapally Ramachandran said.
June 21
The rising number of Pakistan linked terrorist plots in the United States largely stem from Islamabad's (Pakistan) continued support to some anti-India extremist groups like LeT, blamed for the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, indicates the report released by the RAND Corp.
Several trains running on Kharagpur-Rourkela and Kharagpur-Adra section continued to be diverted, re-scheduled or regulated as Indian Railways decided to persist on its decision to suspend of night-time movement of passenger and goods trains in CPI-Maoist-affected areas.
June 22
The IB has issued an alert that the CPI-Maoist might be tying up with militant groups active in the country. Sources said the IB has warned that Maoists are tying up with groups in the North-East and the Kashmir Valley.
The Army has agreed to send Colonel or Brigadier-rank officers on deputation to the Union Home Ministry as advisers on anti-Maoist operations.
The Union Government is working out a package of around INR 34 billion for upgrading the infrastructure in 34 Districts worst affected by the Naxal violence.
The CPI-Maoist responded to the talks offer made by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram with the pre-condition that the ban on the party be lifted and that the rewards on the heads of several top Maoists be withdrawn, besides suspension of the offensive by the Centre.
The CBI has confirmed that the bomb attacks on Mecca Masjid (Hyderbad) on May 18, 2007, the mosque in Malegaon (Maharashtra) and Ajmer (Rajasthan) Dargah (Sufi Shrine) were carried out by the same group of Hindutva extremists.
Meanwhile, The CBI declared a reward of INR 1 million each on any information regarding the two prime accused — Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra, both residents of Indore — in the Mecca Masjid case.
MHA has recommended death penalty for 2001 Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru in its report submitted to the President, sources said.
June 23
Maoist potitburo member Kishan called a two-day bandh (general shut down) beginning June 30 in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh to protest the disinvestment policy of the Centre.
In a statement sent to media houses the CPI-Maoist has declared that they would "rise up as a collective fist to drive out MNCs [Multinational Companies]" from the country.
June 24
An alleged absconding SIMI cadre identified as Khalid Naeem was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Madhya Pradesh Police from Bhopal.
Indicating the Centre's position on the NSCN-IM demand for Nagalim (Greater Nagaland), Union Minister for Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) B. K. Handique said it would not be possible to change the boundaries of the Northeastern States.
The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan held talks in Islamabad. India's Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao, and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir held a joint press conference after concluding one-on-one talks and a meeting along with their teams to craft the agenda for a meeting of their foreign ministers on July 15, 2010.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi described the Pakistan-India foreign secretary-level talks as a step forward in resuming the stalled peace process.
The Government is thinking of bringing in a law that would allow the National Investigation Agency to probe cases of illegal mining.
June 25
Ahead of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s visit to Islamabad to attend the SAARC Interior Ministers' conference apart from holding a bilateral meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Rehman Malik, the Government has put the country on high alert following intelligence inputs that Pakistan-based terrorists, who are against any thaw in Indo-Pak relations, may strike in a desperate bid to derail the ongoing peace process.
The CPI-Maoist is now raising specially trained small teams to eliminate leaders of various political parties across the country.
The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram met his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik and is understood to have pressed for urgent action against Hafiz Saeed, chief of the LeT over ground organisation JuD and 26/11 handlers, including those who are believed to be in the Pakistani Army.
The US has expressed its appreciation for the increasing dialogue between Pakistan and India, saying it's in their self-interest and larger US interest to reduce tensions through talks.
June 27
In a disclosure, November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) accused David Coleman Headley told the NIA in May 2010 that LeT and ISI are virtually inseparable as far as the pan-Islamic terror agenda is concerned.
Indian intelligence officials have intercepted phone conversations between Le ‘commanders’ that establishes that the group is planning fresh attacks at landmarks in at in different cities including Srinagar, Jammu Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that there are some elements "wedded to terrorism" outside India, including in Canada, who try to keep the issue of Sikh militancy alive and asked Ottawa to curb such anti-India activities from its soil.
India will host the first meeting of the SAARC anti-terrorism mechanism early 2011 to discuss common methods to fight the menace in the region.
June 28
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pressed United States President Barack Obama to convince Pakistan to take strong action against terrorists involved in anti–India activities in that country following disclosures made by LeT operative David Headley.
A special course in satellite data reading for officers of para-military forces, like CRPF and BSF, was inaugurated at the Indraprastha University in Delhi.
June 29
Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai in an interview with CNN-IBN told that the separatists were instigating violence in the valley as the overall law and order situation in the State was improving.
NDTV quoting Government sources said that the latest strategy of the Pakistan's external intelligence agency, ISI, and the LeT is to combine renewed infiltration attempts by heavily-armed militants with the unleashing of civil unrest to ensure Kashmir remains in a state of chaos.
June 30
Government officials said that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had handed over a list of seven LeT operatives and handlers, involved in 26/11, against whom no action had been taken so far to Pakistan. Chidambaram is also understood to have handed over the description of people as shared by David Coleman Headley, LeT operative in the US.
Times Now quoting fresh warning from intelligence agencies reports that Indian missions in Bangladesh and Nepal are under threat from a possible terror attack from Pakistani terrorist outfits. The alert suggests the HuJI and the LeT are planning to attack Indians working on different projects in Bangladesh and could try and create a hostage like situation.
The 48-hour-bandh called by the CPI-Maoist in five States — Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh — started disrupting mining activities, loss of business and more losses for Railways.
As per a new order, the trains will run at a speed of 65 kilometres per hour (kmph) in the CPI-Maoist infested areas during nights, the sources said.
India blamed the LeT for stoking unrest in the Kashmir Valley, adding to the role of Pakistan-backed militant groups that have been largely linked to infiltration across the LoC. The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said, "Anti-national elements are clearly linked to the LeT. We know that the Lashkar has been active in Sopore." He pointed to an encounter on June 25 where two LeT militants were killed. Since June 11, eleven civilians have lost their lives. In the same period, 53 Central Reserve Police Force personnel have been injured, many of them seriously.
The Kashmir Valley remained calm for the first time in the past week, amid strict curfew restrictions, a strike in other parts of the region, and a flag march in Baramulla.
With their arms supply lines drying up, the CPI-Maoist in Chhattisgarh have staged a series of attacks on paramilitary troopers in the last three months primarily to snatch their weapons, E.N. Rammohan, a former DG of BSF said.
A court of inquiry set up by the CRPF to probe "specific acts of omission and commission" by an inspector general and three other officers in connection with the April 6 Dantewada Maoist attack, submitted its report to the force headquarters in New Delhi.
The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in New Delhi that the detained ULFA leaders could talk with the Government from the prison. Further, Chidambaram maintained that the ULFA leaders were in judicial custody and executive cannot release anybody who is in judicial custody. His response on June 30 was same as the reply he gave to a Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan (SJA) delegation last week. Virtually ruling out the possibility of releasing the ULFA leaders, the Union Home Minister had cited serious legal charges pending against them.
July 1
The US said that LeT, which so far had focused primarily on India, is having global aspirations and has spread its tentacles beyond Pakistan and Afghanistan, as manifested by the David Headley case.
The LeT, which so far had focused primarily on India, is having global aspirations and has spread its tentacles beyond Pakistan and Afghanistan, as manifested by the David Headley case, said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The CPI-Maoist vowed to keep targeting Security Forces to avenge what it said were atrocities on locals.
July 2
PTI reports that in the wake of repeated attacks by the CPI-Maoist on the CRPF, the Government is working out a plan for the redeployment of paramilitary forces engaged in anti-Naxal operations in States.
The Union Government has appointed two senior officers to new specialised posts within the CRPF for anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand as part of steps to effectively deal with the Maoist challenge following the Dantewada massacre. Official sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed A. Ponnuswamy as IG (Operations) for Chhattisgarh and M. P. Nathanael in Jharkhand under the same capacity.
The Union Government is evaluating the deployment of CARABAS radar made by Saab, a Swedish company, on India’s Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), which would allow the scanning of wide swathes of territory to detect IEDs well before they can be exploded.
The LeT, which so far had focused primarily on India, is having global aspirations and has spread its tentacles beyond Pakistan and Afghanistan, as manifested by the David Headley case, said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
July 3
The Commonwealth Games face a threat from Pakistan-based terror group LeT and other militant outfits, which, according to a US think-tank, may be planning an attack during the event. Vice-President of Tactical Intelligence, STRATFOR, Scott Stewart replied in affirmative when asked whether the sporting event scheduled in October faces any terror threat.
The CPI-Maoist in its official statement issued not only acknowledged that the person killed along with Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad in Andhra Pradesh on July 2 was Hem Pandey who was one of the party’s zonal committee members. The party statement said, "On June 1, the Andhra Pradesh Special Branch Police arrested Azad, politburo member and spokesperson of CPI (Maoist), and Hem Pandey, a zonal committee level comrade, in Nagpur city around 11am when they went to meet a comrade who was supposed to receive them from the Dandakarnaya zone." He hailed from a village near Pithoragarh town of Uttarakhand.
The NIA arrested Niranjan Hojai, the self-styled ‘Commander-in-Chief’ of BW, near India-Nepal border, a senior official of the Assam Police said in Guwahati.
July 4
Maoists called for a 48-hour ''Bharat bandh'' from July 7 to protest against the killing of their senior politburo member Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad at Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh by the Police, top Maoist leader Kishan said.
The outfit warned of attacks to avenge the killing and also made it clear that talks with the Government were no longer an option.
July 5
The arrested Pakistani American LeT operative David Coleman Headley has said that Ishrat Jahan, who was killed along with three alleged terrorists in 2004 in a Police encounter, was indeed a LeT fedayeen (suicide bomber). Ishrat and Javed were killed along with two Pakistani nationals Amjad Ali and Jishan Johar Abdul Ghani both alleged LeT terrorists, on June 15, 2004.
Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai said he felt that there was no immediate need for deployment of Army in the Maoist-hit areas, saying it could take about three to seven years to effectively control the Maoist menace.
The CRPF had expressed a desire to withdraw from all interior locations of the worst-hit Naxal area of Bastar in Chhattisgarh, a move opposed by the State Police.
CPI-Maoist spokesperson Koteswar Rao alias Kishan accused the Union Government of jeopardising prospects of peace talks with the CPI-Maoist by killing his politburo colleague Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad in a "false encounter" on July 1.
The Planning Commission decided in favour of pumping nearly INR 140 billion into social and physical infrastructure building in some 35 Districts affected by activities of the CPI-Maoist.
July 6
The Centre has convened a meeting of Chief Ministers of the States affected by Naxal (Left Wing Extremist) violence on July 14 in New Delhi to evolve a cohesive strategy to counter the menace.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Army units would be deployed in Chhattisgarh to help the Police and paramilitary personnel in their fight against the CPI-Maoist.
Steps taken to combat CPI-Maoist insurgency have slowly started yielding results with ration shops opening and weekly markets being held in remote areas of Chhattisgarh due to the presence of Security Forces, Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said.
Apprehending a "credible threat" from CPI-Maoist during the two-day bandh (shut down) call given by them, railways said it has formed a special task force to meet any eventuality following an alert issued by the Home Ministry and Intelligence Bureau.
July 8
The Andhra Pradesh Government has requested the Centre for troop-carrier helicopters to be stationed in the State for use in anti-CPI-Maoist operations along the borders with Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
The Ministry of Home affairs has decided to shift the Central Zone headqarters of the CRPF from Raipur to Kolkata, considered a much safer place. CRPF Special Director General (DG) Vijay Raman confirmed the news, saying that this was being done because of "reasons of safety".
July 9
In a fresh terror input, intelligence agencies have alerted the State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and various security agencies about the possible penetration of 31 operatives of Bangladesh-based outfits — HuJI and JeI — into India for carrying out terror strikes.
Mumbai Police has been asked to keep personnel on high alert but the prime targets of the group have been stated to be New Delhi and Kolkata. "However, the group may move to other cities as well," the alert states. "The American consulate is the prime target.
July 11
A Sri Lankan national was detained at the Airport of Chennai. He allegedly has links with the LTTE.
The Government has sounded a high alert to security agencies protecting pilgrims during the two-month-long Amarnath Yatra (Hindu pilgrimage) following intelligence inputs that militants based in Pakistan are planning to target them.
July 12
Kerala Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nassar Madani, one of the accused in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts case, filed an anticipatory bail application before the Bangalore (Karnataka) High Court.
Four militant groups of Manipur, ULFA and the NSCN- K have jointly decided to put up a joint front against the NSCN-IM in Manipur, following a senior level meeting held in Bangladesh recently.
The PLA emphasized on the aspect of having good nexus with the Communist Party of India- Maoist (CPI-Maoist), insurgent groups of Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast. PLA declared their vision of having a joint militant group to be evolved as 'United Front'.
July 13
The Police seized country-made bombs, weapons and incriminating material in raids at the offices of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), houses of their activists and suspected locations in different parts of the State.
July 14
The Andhra Pradesh Police arrested a terrorist, identified as Viqaruddin Ahmed, who was on the run for more than two years after masterminding the killing of a home guard and a Constable in Hyderabad.
Two accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid bomb blast denied the CBI claim that they had agreed to undergo polygraph and narco-analysis tests.
The Union Government asked Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal Governments to set up a Unified Command to fight the CPI-Maoist.The Centre also offered the four States more helicopters, logistics support and intelligence sharing to fight the Maoist menace. The States were asked to set up an empowered group, chaired by the Member-Secretary, Planning Commission, to modify the norms and guidelines to implement development schemes having regard to the local needs and conditions in the affected Districts. It was decided to improve road connectivity in 34 worst affected Districts.
The Chief Ministers were told that the Planning Commission was considering a Special Development Plan for the affected districts with the focus on primary education, healthcare, drinking water and road connectivity.
Chidambaram said, "There was complete unanimity on the Centre's approach of development and police action. All the Chief Ministers and the Governor [of Jharkhand] were positive in their approach, fully cooperative and committed to working together to deal with the Maoist menace. In the medium to long-term, we can overcome the challenge of Left-wing extremism."
Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, however, felt there was no immediate need for a unified command. Even the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) did not consider it necessary to have such a command in these three states.
Addressing the Chief Ministers of Naxal (Left Wing Extremism)-affected States in New Delhi, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram gave figures to underscore the gravity of the challenge posed by Naxalite (Left Wing Extremist) groups. He said between 2004 and 2008, the Naxalites had killed about 500 civilians every year. This number rose to 591 in 2009.
According to a confidential note on the internal security situation circulated to Union ministers, the Government has admitted that in the first six months of this year, Naxalite activity was noticed in as many as 158 Districts of the country, a sharp increase from the 133 districts where Naxalites were seen to be active in the previous year.
Incidents of Naxal violence this year have been reported from 85 districts. In 2009, violent incidents were limited to only 67 Districts. In fact, four Districts and 17 police stations witnessed incidents of Naxal violence for the first time in their history.
Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna interacting with Indian media in Islamabad outlined terrorism as the "core issue" saying "the time had come" for Pakistan to act on "overwhelming evidence" presented to it over the role of Pakistan-based terror outfits in the 26/11 attacks.
The Delhi Police claimed before a court that the IM had allegedly carried out September 13, 2008 serial blasts in Delhi at the instance of its founder, now Pakistan-based Amir Raza Khan.
Sources in the NIA team, which questioned David Coleman Headley in Chicago (United States) in June told Rediff.com that their interrogation focused on the involvement of ISI officers in the 26/11 attacks. Headley''s revelations match statements of al Qaeda operative Ilyas Kashmiri made recently to a Pakistani Website.
The Kerala State Cabinet decided to form an internal security investigation branch in the State Police.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that 20 counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism schools would be set up in the Naxal (left wing extremism)-affected States.
The meeting approved raising 34 new battalions of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) for combating the CPI-Maoist.
Asked about his plan of "revisiting'' the deployment of the Central forces depending upon operational or developmental needs, he said the deployment of paramilitary forces was revisited in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.
With Naxal (left wing extremism)-hit States collectively reporting Police vacancies to the tune of 97,000 personnel, the Chief Ministers have agreed to set up committees — headed by the respective chief secretary — to evaluate the openings and monitor the progress in filing up all the posts in a time-bound manner.
July 15
Days after seeking issuance of Non Bailable Warrants (NBW) against David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, involved in 26/11 attacks, the NIA withdrew its application realising its mistake that the agency should not have had requested the court for their NBW in the first place as both of them are already in judicial custody in US with which India has an extradition treaty.
Senior Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, killed on July 2, was in Delhi for four months, sources told NDTV.
The Maoists have tied up with RPF, the political wing of the PLA, which is helping Maoists with training and logistics.
July 16
Describing his talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi as "good and constructive," External Affairs Minister S.M Krishna said at a joint press conference that Pakistan has promised speedy trial of the 26/11 Mumbai attack accused and had given a fresh assurance not to allow this country''s territory to be used for terror against India.
In revelations, Pakistani-American LeT operative David Headley has told his interrogators that the Pakistani intelligence agency- ISI had paid INR 2.5 millions to LeT to purchase a boat which terrorists used to travel from Karachi carried out 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack.
July 17
The ISI agent Munir Khan, arrested from West District, has admitted besides, spreading anti-Indian activities in Guwahati, ISI had widened its net in south Assam and Manipur
July 19
Ahmedabad city crime branch officials arrested a 36-year-old man identified as Farkat Jamal alias Arshad, who had allegedly supplied illegal firearm to arrested SIMI cadres Hasseb Raza Saiyad, said crime branch officials.
Army chief V. K. Singh said Army personnel needed "certain legal protection" in "awkward" situations and it was up to the Government on how it should be provided.
The NIA took further remand of ‘commander-in-chief’ of Black Widow (BW) Niranjan Hojai to take him to Delhi for "scientific tests".
Train services in the Kharagpur-Tatnagar section of the South Eastern Railway were suspended for four hours after the driver of a goods train noticed some posters lying next to the railway tracks between Jhargram and Khatkura in the CPI-Maoist-affected area of West Midnapore District.
The Union Government has beefed up the security of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Home Secretary G. K. Pillai following intelligence reports, which suggest fresh threats to their lives from the CPI-Maoist.
A local court sent arrested SIMI cadre, identified as Fakraan alias Farkat alias Arshad Jamal, to Crime Branch’s custody for eight days.
Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed not only masterminded the 26/11 Mumbai attacks but also made a trip to India and the Government has given exact dates of his visit to Islamabad.
Ahead of the July 24 National Development Council (NDC) meeting, the Planning Commission will come out with a report on the problems in the Naxal (Left Wing Extremism)-hit areas and the issues being faced by tribals.
The intelligence agencies in New Delhi submitted reports to the MHA stating that a number of former Khalistani militants based in Germany had been trying to revive militancy in Punjab.
Pakistan born American LeT operative David Coleman Headley confirming what the lone surviving LeT militant Ajmal Kasab confessed in Mumbai, had told NIA interrogators in Chicago in June that all the 10 attackers of 26/11 had got intensive training from Pakistan Navy frogmen
As part of its package to develop Naxal (Left Wing Extremism)-hit Districts, the Union Government will give INR 5.3 billion for Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra District.
The Bombay High Court reapplied the MCOCA to the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh said there is no cause of alarm over the possibility of the CPI-Maoist and Northeast insurgents linking up.
Terming the developmental policies as "blinkered", the Supreme Court (SC) said that the promised rights and benefits never reached marginalised citizens fuelling extreme discontent and giving birth to Naxalism and militancy, which are threatening the sovereignty of the country.
The special cell of Delhi Police claimed of arresting a suspected agent of the Pakistani ISI, identified as Nafees Ahmed (60). Nafees had reportedly helped a ISI agent set up base in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) and also helped the latter procure an Indian passport on the basis of forged documents.
July 20
Army Chief General V. K. Singh said he was confident that the NDFB would come to the negotiating table if they are "handled properly".
Delhi Police chargesheeted diplomat Madhuri Gupta accusing her of passing secret information to Pakistan's external intelligence agency, ISI during her posting in Islamabad.
Keen to avert a second attack on a crucial pipeline that carries its product to its end-users, the public sector NMDC has decided to re-lay another pipeline through a longer route which will go past State and national highways skirting CPI-Maoist strongholds.
The interrogation of Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, who helped the Pakistan-based LeT in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, points to official patronage of terror groups, National Security Adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon said.
The NIA, seeking in a Delhi court Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) against JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and LeT head of operations Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and four other Pakistani citizens, said its case was based on a "larger conspiracy" against India.
India on firmly said there cannot be any selective approach in fighting terrorism and sought an end to sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorists from outside Afghanistan, a veiled reference to terror camps in Pakistan.
The CPI-Maoist has selected comrade Abhay as the successor to Cherukuri Rajkumar, alias Azad, who served as the spokesperson of the Central Committee until he was killed by the Andhra Pradesh Police in Adilabad on July 2.
National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) ‘general secretary’ Thuingaleng Muivah wants more powers for Centre's interlocutor R.S. Pandey to accelerate the 13-year-old Naga peace talks.
July 21
A Delhi court issued NBW against five Pakistanis in a case filed by the National Investigation Agency NIA, charging them with facilitating terrorist attacks in India, but rejected its application for NBWs against LeT chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the first and second accused.
Intelligence reports indicates that Pakistan’s ISI has renewed efforts to set up new sleeper cells in Gujarat and elsewhere in the country.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, in an interview to Economic Times, called CPI-Maoist cadres "crafty capitalists" and candidly admitted that the State was "helpless" in preventing businesses from succumbing to their extortion.
The Union Government planned to soon hold talks with leaders of various political parties and separatist groups, official sources said.
Myanmarese nationals have made Shillong as their "rendezvous point" for arms transaction with Northeast rebels, a top intelligence official said.
July 22
The West Midlands Police in United Kingdom (UK) arrested four BKI militants, including the top leader Paramjit Singh Pamma, for their involvement in the killing of Rulda Singh, the Punjab-based chief of RSS Sikh arm Rashtriya Sikh Sangat.
The Ludhiana Police arrested a Pakistani national on charges of espionage.
The LeT is as deadly a terror group as Taliban and al-Qaeda and they were working in close coordination, said Richard Holbrooke, United States special envoy for Afghanistan-Pakistan.
Holbrooke also said that the "few steps" taken by Islamabad in this direction were "not enough".
Cairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said, "One of the things that struck me then and is still of great concern is that those terrorists could bring the two countries closer (to a possible conflict)."
A committee of secretaries headed by Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai has been formed to push for speedy implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act.
The CPI-Maoist gave a call to its cadres including the armed PLGA, to observe a martyrs’ week or ‘Shahid Saptah’ from July 28 to August 3.
July 23
India and the US signed a Counter Terrorism Cooperation Initiative (CCI) that includes steps to check financing of terror activities, joint probe in cases of bomb blasts besides cooperation in mega-city policing, transportation including rail security, development of investigative skills, cyber and border security.
Pakistan-based Sikh militants, supported by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), might carry out bomb blasts in New Delhi before the Commonwealth Games, the Punjab Police has alerted.
Concerned over misuse of US military aid to Pakistan against it, India asked Washington to set up a "monitoring mechanism" to ensure that it was used for the intended purpose, .
The US wants Pakistan to continue to investigate the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack and bring to justice those responsible for the carnage, saying these are "must do" things for that country for the benefit of the region as a whole.
July 24
Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh called for three-pronged carrot-and-stick strategy - force, empowerment and development - to deal with Naxalism [Left Wing Extremism].
July 25
India fears that Pakistan-based LeT may attempt to strike during the October 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and has voiced its concerns to the US.
Polish intelligence had, a week before the July 7, 2008 Indian embassy bombing, warned of a possible Taliban attack on Indian interests in the Afghan capital with the "main goal" to show its ability to attack on every object in Kabul, according to a document leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks, However, other documents strongly indicate that Pakistan's ISI is supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan, as well as plotting with Taliban leaders to assassinate Afghan leaders.
Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur, who is facing charges under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for her alleged involvement in the 2008 Malegaon (Maharashtra) bomb blast case, has moved the Supreme Court for bail.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that it was hopeful of getting "something" from Pakistan on the information provided to it last month on 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and was willing to give it some time in this regard.
July 26
A Special Operations Group (SOG) team in Vadodra in Gujarat in the night of July 26 arrested a Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) cadre for his involvement in three-year-old incident when a group of protestors had displayed posters of al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden in Mandvi area.
SFs have imported a little known breed of Belgian shepherd dogs to provide troops with early warning of Naxal attack.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony reiterated its concern that the US military aid being supplied to Pakistan in the name of the global war on terrorism would be "misused'' against India. India, as reported earlier, wants the US to closely monitor its military assistance to Pakistan since a major part of it is being diverted to bolster Islamabad's conventional military and nuclear capabilities against India. The US, however, is not ready to give any assurance in this regard.
July 27
The Special Operation Group of the Gujarat Police arrested a SIMI cadre, identified as Sayed Abid Ali Musa, from Vadodara.
The MHA issued an advisory to all Naxal affected States and the railways asking them to deploy an adequate number of SFs in sensitive areas and strengthen security measures to guard the railway tracks against the CPI-Maoist attacks during the "Shahid Saptah (Martyrs’ Week)" being observed by the Maoists from July 28 to August 3.
CPM battling CPI-Maoist) cadres and manning border areas are facing a shortage of more than 86,000 bullet-proof jackets, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Over 9,000 paramilitary personnel have quit this year due to tensions in the family, domestic discord, staying in difficult terrain and disability.
In the wake of India''s assertion that ISI was involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the US administration has said that it was investigating the matter to find out whether Pakistan's ISI played a role in the 26/11 terror strikes.
India reacted strongly to the secret documents leaked by Wikileaks that suggested that Pakistan's tribal areas were being used by its spy agency to stoke insurgency in Afghanistan.
Sources who had perused the documents "released" so far said they seemed to show that despite being an ally of the U.S. in the ‘war on terror,' the ISI held secret strategy sessions with the Taliban leadership and arranged manpower to mount attacks on foreign forces and eliminate Afghan leadership.
While the United States has refused to corroborate the suggestion — implied in some of the documents released by the whistleblower site, WikiLeaks — that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) colluded with the Taliban against Western forces in Afghanistan, a US State Department spokesman, however, said Pakistan had to do more to prove that it was implementing a "strategic shift against insurgent groups".
The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullapally Ramachandran informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), replying to a question, "Dialogue with NSCN-IM [National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah] is continuing. The details in this regard cannot be disclosed as negotiations are underway," reports Press Trust of India.
July 28
The Punjab Police arrested five BKI militants with two AK-47 rifles and a huge quantity of ammunition and explosives.
Another round of talks between the Centre and the NSCN-IM ended inconclusively in New Delhi.
The Centre said it was aware that anti-India elements, who are based in Pakistan, are provoking the people of Jammu and Kashmir with the support of certain sections of secessionist groups in the State.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will discuss with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the "leakage" of funds provided to Pakistan to terrorists based in that country.
Cameron witnessed the signing of an agreement at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s facility in Bangalore for the supply 57 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force and the Navy. While the IAF will acquire 40 aircrafts, the Navy, for the first time, will obtain 17 Hawk AJT aircraft at a total cost of INR. 51billion.
July 29
Not satisfied with the prevailing situation in the Naxal-affected areas in the eastern region, the Railways have decided to extend suspension of night movement of trains in parts of West Bengal and Jharkhand till August 3.
The Centre said it was confident of overcoming the Naxal [problem through its existing two-pronged policy development and Police action to deal with the menace in the affected areas. Addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Government was confident that the problem of Naxals would be dealt with "determination" and "overcome" in the next three years".
With no breakthrough in the over three year old Samjhauta Express blast case which was being investigated by the Haryana Police, the Union Government has finally handed over the probe to the National Investigation Agency.
Underlining the need to remain engaged with Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart, David Cameron, called on Islamabad to be indiscriminate in cracking down on terror groups operating from its soil.
Making the same point, Manmohan Singh hoped that Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi would accept the invitation to visit India later this year so that "sooner or later" the dialogue was restored to the "proper sense of purpose."
July 30
Acknowledging that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir "is not yet normal" due to repeated calls for bandh (shut down), the Centre made it clear that it was committed to holding a ‘quiet' dialogue with all shades of opinion in the State.
Union Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House), "Railways have become a soft target for Naxals [Left Wing Extremists] due to its vast network and expanse".
In the fist six months alone, eight such accidents have been reported, as against three in 2009 and six in 2008, triggered by the Naxalites. The total number of sabotage incidents engineered by the Maoists in 2010 so far is 28, as against 31 in 2009 and 18 in 2008.
The Railways have approved an integrated security system at an estimated expenditure of INR 3. 53 billion, to strengthen the surveillance mechanism over 202 sensitive and vulnerable stations, which includes installation of Close Circuit Televisions, access control, personal and baggage screening system and bomb detection and disposal system.
They also intend to set up an All India Railway Protection Force (RPF) help-line at an estimated cost of INR 50 million during the current financial year. Passengers will be able to access it round the clock.
Networking of security control rooms and posts of RPF at division, zone and Railway Board levels is intended to be taken up at an approximate cost of INR 4.41 crore, to respond immediately to calls from passengers.
MHA asked the Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal to make additional deployment of Civil Police, Government Railway Police (GRP) and Central Paramilitary Forces to foil attacks on Railway infrastructure, adds Times of India.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram there would be a change of heart among the CPI-Maoist cadres who believe in armed liberation.
To minimise reaction time of anti-Naxal operations, the Government has authorised a special group of officers posted in such terrain to requisition BSF helicopters rather than route the request through State Police. The power to requisition BSF helicopters has been delegated to Inspector General (operations) of CRPF, posted in States. So far, the State Police could ask for helicopters only after consultation with CRPF Special Director General and Commander of anti-Naxal operations.
Militancy-related violence in the Northeastern region has come down during the first six months of 2010 as compared to the same period in 2009. Of the Northeastern States, Assam and Manipur continue to remain trouble-torn, although the incidence of violence has come down during the past six months. Mizoram remains the most peaceful State. For the period January to June 2010, Assam accounted for 121 incidents of violence. In 2009, during the same period 263 incidents were reported. Two Security Forces (SFs) and 23 civilians died in 2010. However, in 2009, 20 SFs and 99 civilians died between January to June.
August 2
Police claimed to have arrested two conduits of the KZF in connection with seizure of arms and ammunition from Border out Post (BoP) Bakarpur in R S Pura sector of Jammu District.
The verdict of the trial court awarding the death sentence to Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving LeT militant of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also known as 26/11), came up for confirmation before the Bombay High Court, which adjourned the matter. The High Court directed the Maharashtra Government and the defence to file their respective appeals on the sentence of the special sessions court in the 26/11 case by August 12.
August 3
The Maharashtra ATS arrested 28 Bangladeshi immigrants, working as labourers in Nagpur for illegally staying in the city.
The Karnataka High Court denied anticipatory bail to Abdul Nasir Madani, chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in connection with the July 25, 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts case, in which one woman was killed and 20 people were injured.
The Government said that while there was no specific threat for the Commonwealth Games, there is a "general threat'' from militant outfits who want to strike at high profile events. Responding to a Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) question, minister of state for home M. Ramachandran said the Delhi Police in consultation with the Union home ministry and other security agencies had "formulated elaborate security measures for the safe and secure conduct of the Games''. The ministry also said that an international security liaison group had been set up. The group included representatives from various security agencies for effective liaison with their counterparts from participating countries before and during the Games.
The Pakistan Army under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is pursuing a three-pronged policy, including keeping India out of Afghan affairs, to control Kabul, a former top Canadian envoy to Kabul and also the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan from 2005 until 2009, Chris Alexander, said.
The Karnataka High Court denied anticipatory bail to Abdul Nasir Madani, chairman of the PDP in connection with the July 25, 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts case, in which one woman was killed and 20 people were injured, according to The Hindu. The Karnataka government opposed the petition, saying that Mr. Madani was involved in a criminal conspiracy and prima facie there was a case against him. The PDP leader was one of the 32 people charge-sheeted in the case and the city police had established his role in the case. Justice N. Ananda accepted the arguments of the State and rejected the petition. Madani is yet to appear in court, which has issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
August 4
A one-member Tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court Judge Sanjiv Khanna confirmed the extension of the ban on the SIMI for two more years. The Union Home Ministry had extended the ban on the outfit for the same period in February. SIMI has been banned since 2001.With the confirmation of the extension of the ban, the outfit will remain banned till February 7, 2012
A serious attempt is being made by the militants sitting in Pakistan with the help of Pakistan’s Army and spy agencies to revive militancy in Punjab using former militants and border smugglers and International Border (IB) of Jammu for smuggling of arms, explosives and hawala money.
After training them for eight months in intensive intelligence gathering, CRPF has begun deploying its specially-trained personnel in Naxal-hit areas and other theatres of operation to gather information at the grass root level.
In a reply to reports of Pakistan’s ISI establishing links with insurgent outfits, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, M. Ramachandran said there are inputs of some of the militant groups operating in the Northeast have developed links with ISI.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram admitted that there were intelligence report to show that arms are smuggled across the border from Myanmar and Bangladesh.
On the links between insurgent outfits and China, Minister of State for Home affairs, M. Ramachandran said there were no specific inputs. However, the Government of India is aware that some Indian insurgent groups are procuring arms and explosives and establishing camps in the territories of some neighbouring countries.
Denying reports of CPI-Maoist getting foreign funds, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the Maoists are getting the bulk of their money from extortion.
August 5
CPI-Maoist indicated that it has not backed out of the talks with the Government but asked mediator Swami Agnivesh not to contact them through their channels alleging that Police was tracking their leaders through the letters sent by him. In an "open letter" to Agnivesh dated August 3, CPI-Maoist central committee member Srikant alias Sukant said the two letters of Swami Agnivesh dated June 26 and July 22 have not reached the top leaders of the party, who are to take a call on the offer.
A new outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI), which calls India its enemy and asks for 'total Muslim empowerment', is under scanner in Kerala for its alleged anti-India ideology. The documents seized from cadres of the outfit, prove its anti-national ideology. The documents portray the nation as its enemy and calls to work towards 'total Muslim empowerment’. The documents also describe the so-called 'freedom parade' organised by the PFI at various centres on Independence Day (August 15), as a means to motivate and rejuvenate Muslims.
The PFI activists recently chopped the hands of a college lecturer, T. J. Joseph, who allegedly set a question paper, which hurt Muslim sentiments. Meanwhile, Kerala's Education Minister M. A. Baby said that the State Government would soon be banning the Freedom Parade organised by PFI activists on every Independence Day in the light of the attack on Joseph
August 6
The Special Investigation Team probing the assault on T.J. Joseph, Malayalam teacher at Newman College in Thodupuzha in Kerala issued summons to leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for questioning in connection with the case.
Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium gave his opinion to the Union Home Ministry stating that the Magistrate who recorded the confessional statement of the sole surviving 26/11 militant Ajmal Kasab can depose before a Pakistani court through video-conferencing in connection with the trial in the terror attack case.
August 8
Security agencies have warned that cadres from the Jama''atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) may have infiltrated into India through the North-eastern States, particularly Assam with the aim of sabotaging Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi on August 15.
The Union Home Ministry pulled up some forest officials posted in Naxal-affected areas for allegedly not alerting local Police about "happenings" there and even attending meetings organised by the CPI-Maoist.
August 10
Maharashtra Government filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging a lower court's verdict acquitting Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed of conspiracy in the 26/11 case.
Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), Manipur People’s Liberation Front (MPLF), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), Tripura Peoples' Democratic Front (TPDF) and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) called for a general shut down, and asked people in the Northeast region to boycott the Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
August 11
A combined force of the Thoubal District Police, Army and the Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested four cadres belonging to Military Defense Force faction of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) from Shivaji Enclave in West Delhi.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram rejected the demand for an inquiry into the killing in an encounter of CPI-Maoist leader Azad.
Replying to a question, Chidambaram said there was no evidence that the CPI-Maoist was getting overt support from any international terrorist organisation or international militant organisation.
Chidambaram also pointed out that the CPI-Maoist was able to raise funds within the country.
The Government said almost 8,500 armed Naxal [Left Wing Extremist] cadres were present in the country and as many as 21 left wing extremist groups were indulging in acts of violence. Maken said the total number of security personnel killed by Naxals in the current year, up to July 31, is 218.
Maken said PCPA was involved in the derailment of the Janeswari Express, which killed 148 passengers.
CPI-Maoist politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishan defended Trinamool Congress party chief Mamata Banerjee for stating that the killing of the outfit's spokesman Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad was wrong and said talks could only be held after the withdrawal of anti-Maoist operations.
According to a diplomatic note published on August 11, New Zealand officials in India anticipate a terrorist attack on a "soft target" ahead of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Police forces of the four southern States - Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka - have resolved to track movements of extremists, terrorists and other organised crime offenders on a day-to-day basis.
August 12
The Gujarat High Court transferred the probe in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court to probe Godhra riots cases.
IAF is contemplating deployment of additional helicopters in the ongoing anti-Naxal operations, with its two Mi-17s and two Dhruvs already operating in Chhattisgarh armed with "sideward mounted machine guns' to fire back in "self-defence" if they come under attack from Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said that India was willing to hold a sustained dialogue with Pakistan, provided the latter's soil was not used for attacks on India.
Social activist Swami Agnivesh said that CPI-Maoist was ready to resume the peace process initiated by their spokesperson Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad if a judicial inquiry was ordered into his killing.
Asked about Swami Agnivesh as a mediator in peace talks, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai stated, "At the moment, we don't have any mediator. Let them (Maoists) abjure violence, then we can think of a mediator."
August 13
The Bangalore Police arrested Vinay Kumar (30) of Hassan and Devaiah (33) from South Kodagu. The two were trying to send Pasham Sridhar (27), Koyi Saratchandra (39) Darshanam Pradeep Kumar (29) and Gaddam Pavan Kumar (38) to Dubai where they would meet Altaf, a native of Baseri Kattemane near Mangalore. Altaf is one of the associates of Chhota Shakeel, an aide of Dawood Ibrahim. However, the four were arrested by Hyderabad Police and they were supposed to leave for Dubai on August 4. According to the Bangalore Police Commissioner, Shankar Bidari, the four arrested by Hyderabad Police were leaders of Naxal organisations.
A Delhi court sent five cadres of the Manipur based KYKL militants to 14 days judicial custody.
The Union Government removed names of 23 former Khalistani militants, all foreign nationals, from the Centre's list of blacklisted Sikh radicals as they are not involved in any serious criminals cases and anti-India activities. Consequently, these 23 persons will now be able to get Indian visa and travel to any parts of India without any restriction.
The Centre has sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh Government on 600 tonnes of explosives reported missing while being transported from Rajasthan.
August 14
In an address to the nation on the eve of the 64th Independence Day, President Pratibha Patil called upon CPI-Maoist and other extremist groups to eschew violence and urged civil society to encourage them to join the national mainstream. She said, "proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on them to join [the] national efforts for growth and development. I hope that everybody, including the civic society, will come forward and move them in this direction." Highlighting that protracted development efforts needed in the naxal [Left Wing Extremism] violence-affected areas, she called for promoting a spirit of conciliation through dialogue to foster the process of nation building. "It is possible [to achieve a spirit of conciliation], when dialogue is chosen as the channel for communication. By listening to each other, respecting each other's viewpoint and understanding one another, we can address [the] issues before us."
August 15
Facing arrest warrant in the July 2008 Bangalore serial blast blasts case, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nassar Madani said he would surrender before the nearest court in the coming days. Addressing a press meet at his camp at Anwarassery near Kollam in Kerala amid intense speculation and suspense over his arrest, Madani said he "preferred surrendering before the nearest court in the coming days" as he was keen to avoid law and order problems that his arrest could trigger
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed to the Left Wing Extremists to abjure violence and talk to the Government. Speaking from the Red Fort on the occasion of 64th Independence Day, Manmohan Singh said "I once again appeal to Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists] to abjure violence, come for talks with the government and join hands with us to accelerate social and economic development."
Expressing readiness to carry forward talks with insurgents in the Northeast, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his Government had a special responsibility towards the region. He said the "north-eastern part of our country has been witness to some unpleasant incidents in the recent months". "As far as the Central government is concerned, we are ready to take forward every process of talks which could lead to progress in resolution of problems," he said.
August 16 State STF claimed to have arrested another wanted accused from Naka area of Lucknow in the case of pilferage of ammunition from various Police weapon stores in Uttar Pradesh. The STF team recovered a .32 bore pistol and 50 live cartridges of .9mm from the possession of the arrested accused. The Inspector General (Law & Order), AP Maheshwari said the arrested accused - Akash alias Guddu, a native of Mau District of Uttar Pradesh and at present staying in Sheikhpur District of Bihar - used to supply the ammunition to Naxal [Left Wing Extremist] groups and criminals of Bihar and West Bengal.
August 17 The PDP leader, Abdul Nasir Madani, was arrested in Kollam in Kerala in connection with the 2008 Bangalore blasts case. A Karnataka Police team backed by the Kerala Police entered the Anwarssery camp of the PDP leader and arrested him. Madani was brought to Bangalore and produced before the First Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate, Venkatesh R. Hulgi, at the latter's residence. He was remanded to Police custody till August 26.
Pakistani Army opened fire on three Indian posts along the LoC in Krishnaghati sector in Poonch District, Army sources said. According to the sources, Pakistani troops targeted Kranti, Ghoda and Kirpan posts of the Indian Army along the LoC in Mendhar area, about 230 kilometres north of Jammu at around 12.30am. The heavy firing lasted for more than one hour. Pakistani Army also fired mortars and rockets, the sources said. Pakistani Army had been violating the cease-fire, which had come into effect in November 2003.
Assistant Sessions Court in Tambaram in Chennai convicted six LTTE sympathizers and sentenced them to one year imprisonment in a case registered against them by the Indian Q Branch Police in 2007.
The Central Government said that Sikh militant groups from abroad are trying to resurrect militancy in Punjab. "Available reports suggest that Sikh militant groups especially those based in abroad are continuing their efforts to revive militancy in Punjab," Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken informed the Lok Sabha
Responding to the Centre's offer for peace talks, the CPI-Maoist set three preconditions for talks - remove Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, bring in independent mediators and announce a three-month bilateral ceasefire.
August 18 Official sources said that Pakistan's move to send 47 questions to India seeking additional information on LeT operative David Coleman Headley and his activities during his multiple visits to the country between 2006 and 2009 was nothing but "delaying tactics" to act against perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case.
Asserting that she "sticks to" whatever she had said at the Lalgarh rally on August 9, including her remarks on the death of CPI-Maoist leader Azad, Trinamool Congress Party Chief Mamata Banerjee welcomed the Maoist leadership's suggestion for a three-month ceasefire and peace talks. Mamata Banerjee had earlier dubbed the encounter killing of Azad as murder.
August 19 Among the 28 Pakistani nationals repatriated to their country via the Attari-Wagah border were two persons who had served time in Indian jails for doing their bit to aid the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar in Afghanistan. Haji Iqbal Ahmad and Mohammad Asif were in jail for eight years in Maharashtra for aiding a bank robbery in Mumbai to generate funds for the hijacking of IC-814.
The country was put on high alert after intelligence inputs suggested that Pakistan-based militants may strike during the coming festival season. The Centre asked the States of Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala to deploy more forces in sensitive locations
Fearing Munich Olympics like terror attack in the Delhi Commonwealth Games, swimming legend Dawn Fraser called on athletes to boycott the event but the Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) rejected her apprehensions insisting that the Indian capital would be safe and secure.
August 20 Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has alerted the Assam State Police about CPI-Maoist establishing links with militants in Assam.
The combined forces battling the CPI-Maoist in seven States are not having much success, Union Home Ministry statistics for 2008, 2009 and the first six months of 2010 show.
August 24
Karnataka Home Minister V.S Acharya claimed that the leader of PDP Abdul Nasir Madani had confessed of his direct involvement in the twin explosions outside Chinnaswamy cricket stadium ahead of an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Bangalore on April 17, 20009. "During interrogation, Madani revealed that he was directly involved," the Home Minister said. On April 17, 2009 an hour before the IPL match, two low-intensity explosions were triggered near a packed Chinnaswamy stadium, leaving around 15 persons, including five Security Force personnel, injured.
August 25
The IB warned that "inimical agencies" operating from "international bases" were trying to revive militancy in Punjab by forging an alliance between Khalistani outfits and the LeT. Calling attempts to revive Sikh militancy a worrisome trend, IB Chief Rajiv Mathur said, "There have been clear attempts by inimical agencies abroad to reactivate Sikh terrorist elements, forge nexus between LeT and terrorist groups like BKI and KZF and mobilise their resources for planning terrorist violence in Punjab and elsewhere in the country." Mathur, though, did not name any country or identified any agency, officials tracking the development later said interrogation of those arrested recently in Jalandhar and Amritsar in Punjab clearly hinted at their association with Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.
While inaugurating a three-day conference of Directors-General and Inspectors-General of Police in New Delhi Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram cautioned the Chiefs of State Police and security and intelligence officials against continuing attempts to infiltrate militants into the country as well as the phenomenon of "saffron terrorism. "There is no let-up in attempts to radicalise young men and women in India. Besides, there is the recently uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts of the past." Chidambaram said.
An Indian national on his way to Houston in US to deliver a lecture to the Hindu Congress of America was arrested on August 20 for possessing what has been described by authorities as "Jihadi material." Vijay Kumar, a documentary filmmaker, was arrested at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport after officials noticed him behaving oddly in the line for a security check, according to reports. When he was taken aside for secondary screening, Kumar’s baggage was found to contain books on espionage, information on US military weaponry, and numerous publications on Jihad, including the mention of "infidels." Also, a set of brass knuckles and approximately $10,000 worth of currency were uncovered in his bags.
In the first formal response after CPI-Maoist leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishan's recent three-month cease-fire offer to the Centre, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram rejected any move which lacked commitment on the ground and said the Government had so far not received any "credible response" to its talks offer to the Naxals [Left Wing Extremists] who had to first "abjure violence". Calling upon CPI-Maoist again to "abjure violence and come for talks", Chidambaram said, "I regret to say that there has been no direct and credible response to our offer of talks
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that while the year 2009 was a distinct improvement on the year 2008, it is in the 2010 that we have seen a dramatic decline in the number of incidents and in the number of casualties in the Northeast. There have been only 464 incidents until August 15, as against 1,297 and 1,561 for the whole year in 2009 and 2008 respectively. He pointed out: "Only 52 civilians have been killed, as against 264 and 466 respectively, and we have lost only 15 men of the security forces. Nevertheless, I must admit with regret that Manipur and Assam have been affected by long-duration blockades and bandhs and by intermittent violence." About political dialogue with militant outfits and their ‘core demand of sovereignty’, Chidambaram without taking names, spoke of solutions within the constitution: "I am confident that solutions can be found within the Constitution of India to the demands of various groups for recognition of their identity, history, culture and desire for self-government." The Union Minister said that it is a matter of great satisfaction that a number of groups are engaged in talks with the Government of India. Among them are NSCN-IM, pro-talk faction of the NDFB, Nunisa faction of the DHD, BW, UPDS, ANVC, KLNLF, (KNO and UPF, he said. H further added, "We have appointed two Interlocutors: RS Pandey to talk to the NSCN (IM) and PC Haldar to talk to NDFB (PT), DHD (Nunisa), DHD (J), KLNLF, UPDS and ANVC, besides ULFA. Chidambaram called on the groups – or factions of groups – that have stayed away from talks to give up violence and accept the offer of the Governments to hold talks. "It is my hope that ULFA will also formally come forward to begin talks with the Government of India and the Government of Assam. There is no denying that the success achieved in bringing so many groups to the negotiating table has contributed immensely to the decline of violence in the North-eastern States," he stated.
Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said that India’s special envoy to Nepal Shyam Saran's Nepal visit was aimed at building consensus among all concerned parties for concluding the peace process and the drafting of the new constitution. In a written reply to a question in India's Lower House of Parliament, the Lok Sabha, Krishna said, "Special Envoy, Shyam Saran visited Nepal from 4 - 6 August, 2010 to meet with a cross section of Nepalese political leaders and to express India’s genuine desire as a neighbour and time-tested friend of Nepal, to see a successful conclusion of the peace process and the drafting of a new Constitution through the building of a consensus among all parties concerned."
The growing links between the CPI-Maoist and some of the militant outfits of the Northeast region was discussed in greater detail in the conference of the Directors General of Police (DGPs) and Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) of all the States held in New Delhi.
August 26
The First Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate in Bangalore in Karnataka remanded PDP leader Abdul Nasir Madani to judicial custody till September 7. Madani is accused of masterminding serial explosions in Bangalore on July 25, 2008 in which two persons were killed and 20 others were injured.
August 29
A session’s court in Mumbai has issued transfer warrants against Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, acquitted by the trial court in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. Senior Police inspector Ramesh Mahale said over telephone that the warrants were issued on August 26. The court has directed that they should be produced before it on September 23.The duo is currently in police custody in Uttar Pradesh in connection with cases there.
A huge cache of explosives bought from Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Limited (RECL) at Dholpur in Rajasthan in the name of Ganesh Explosives was diverted and sold to 40 parties in different States. During interrogation, the prime accused in the missing explosives case, Jaikishan Aswani revealed that 61 consignments of explosives bought by Ganesh Explosives from RECL between April and June were further sold to around 40 people. Aswani had surrendered before Bahediya Police in Sagar District of Madhya Pradesh on August 27. The three other accused Shivcharan Heda, Deepa Heda and Devendra Singh Thakur are still absconding.
August 30
Bombay High Court deferred to September 20 the hearing on the confirmation of the death penalty awarded to Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving LeT militant of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks after his lawyers sought time to file an appeal.
The Supreme Court issued notice to the Maharashtra ATS on a special leave petition filed by Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur, accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case, seeking bail by default of the ATS keeping her in "illegal" detention without recording her arrest.
August 31
In a fresh advisory to its citizens, Australia warned of possible terrorist attacks in public places in India, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai, and asked them not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir due to "frequent armed clashes and terrorist activities" there.
The Police in Assam and Tripura are jointly probing the activities of Pakistan’s ISI agency in Northeast India following the arrest of a suspected ISI agent in July 3, officials said.
September 1
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that Government is willing to hold talks with "any group" from the Kashmir valley wishing to come forward amid indications that it would be soon coming out with a series of measures to address the issue.
Union Home Minister P. Chdambaram reiterated that he always hoped that ULFA will make a formal offer for talks.
September 3
CPI-Maoist polit bureau member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishan called a 48-hour bandh (general shut down) from September 13 in eight States to press for a probe into the death of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad.
India is yet to get a reply from Pakistan to its request for voice samples of key Mumbai terror attack accused including LeT operative Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
September 5
The convicts in the Akshardham temple attack case moved the Supreme Court seeking fresh probe by the CBI, saying that the Gujarat Police had botched up the investigation.
The trial of LeT militant Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects in Mumbai attacks and Pakistan's proposal to form a commission that would visit India to record testimony of two key witnesses figured prominently in the telephonic conversation of Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik and his Indian counterpart P. Chidambaram.
September 6
The Supreme Court stayed the death sentence of Adam Bhai Sulemanbhai Ajmeri and Abdul Kayum alias Muftisaab Mohmedbhai, who were convicted by a Special POTA court in Gujarat for causing the death of 37 persons at the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar in Gujarat in 2002.
Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that there was no need for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to inquire into the attack on lecturer T.J. Joseph at Muvattupuzha in Kerala as the State Police were investigating the case creditably.
The Union Government expressed its openness to Pakistan's proposal to form a commission on the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (also known as 26/11) and send it to New Delhi to record the testimony of two key witnesses, the magistrate, who recorded the confessional statement of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving LeT militant of the terror attacks, and the Police Officer who investigated the incident, but will wait for a formal request from Islamabad.
September 7
Two more persons were arrested by a Special Investigation Team in Coimbatore railway station in Tamil Nadu.
A Special tribunal headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna of Delhi High Court retained the ban on the SIMI.
Pakistan expressed its dissatisfaction with India’s replies to its questions on LeT operative David Headley, detained in the US in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks.
September 7-8
Mirza Himayat Baig, chief of the LeT unit in Maharashtra along with another person, Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammad Hussain Farid alias Bilal, was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on September 7. They were involved in the German Bakery blast case in Pune in which 17 persons died and 56 others were injured on February 13. At a press conference in Mumbai, ATS chief Rakesh Maria said Baig was involved in every stage of the incident, from conspiracy to planting the bomb in the bakery.
September 8
Kerala High Court on dismissed the bail applications of seven activists of the radical outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), arrested in connection with the brutal attack on a college lecturer for preparing a question paper with alleged derogatory reference to Prophet Mohammad. The seven accused are Siyad, Sikander, Kamarudeen, Abdul Lateef, Moideen Kutty, Shiyas and Mohammed Ali.Turning down their bail pleas, Justice V Ramkumar said if the objective of the activity was to disturb harmony and tranquillity of the society and create fear, it would be held to be a terrorist activity.
September 9
Rakesh Maria, chief of the Maharashtra ATS told journalists in Mumbai that Himayat Baig, the alleged mastermind of the German Bakery blast case (February 13, 2010) in Pune, arrested by the ATS, received one-to-one training in bomb-making in Colombo in Sri Lanka in 2008 from Fayyaz Qazi, an absconding LeT operative. Maria said, the Sri Lankan city was chosen only as a meeting point and there was no other significance to it. Ruling out the LTTE or any other connection, he said, "There seems to be only two reasons for choosing Colombo: the access to the country is easy as there is visa-on-arrival facility."
Maria also said that Baig earlier received training in Bhatkal in Karnataka as well in 2007. He was trained in the methods of indoctrinating youth and the techniques to deal with Police interrogation. His primary job was to recruit and send youth for training to Pakistan. He even became a member of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for the same purpose. He was in touch with the LeT and had also been to Ashoka Mews in Pune (the media hub of the Indian Mujahideen which was busted by the ATS).
September 10
The Mumbai Police are on the lookout for two foreign nationals who have reportedly sneaked into Maharashtra and entered the City to launch a terror attack during the festive season. The Police, while releasing pictures of the duo, Kalimuddin Khan alias Rameshwar Pandit and Hafeez Sharif, refused to confirm whether they were from Pakistan.
September 13
A Railways official said, "During March this year [2010] we had estimated a revenue loss to the tune of Rs 500 crore [INR 5 billion] from the Maoist attacks. Till date the loss is much more than Rs 1,000 crore [INR 10 billion]." "We are putting together a detailed list of losses from attacks on rail tracks. We will be able to assess the exact amount of damage done by the Maoists by then," he added.
A senior Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer said that the two militants, identified as Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain Farid alias Bilal and Himayat Baig, who were arrested by the ATS in Mumbai in the German Bakery blast case, had plans to target sensitive places in Nasik. According to the ATS, Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain Farid had already conducted a reconnaissance mission of the Maharashtra Police Academy, the Police Commissioner Office and the Army camp at Deolali in Nasik on the instructions of Himayat Baig.
Addressing Combined Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in the Northeast, the situation in general is better today than it was in the recent past, but some areas of concern still remain.
September 14
Mirza Himayat Baig, the alleged mastermind behind the Pune German Bakery bomb blast case, and his accomplice Ahmed Zarar alias Yaseen Bhatkal, who is still absconding, had carried a three kilogram RDX bomb from Udgir to Pune, a distance of 380km, in state transport buses before the detonators were finally attached with the bomb hours before the blast on February 13. A senior officer of the ATS said that to avoid any suspicion, the duo dared to carry the bomb in a polythene bag. "It was easier to carry and nobody would suspect that someone is carrying explosives in a polythene bag," the officer added.
September 15
A new recruit to the CPI-Maoist has to take a nine-point oath that includes he or she would not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, gender, race, or ethnicity. The oath also commits the members to capturing political power in order to establish a "people's order that is part of global socialist revolution".
Following the coordination meeting between senior Police officials of UP and Bihar, a joint combing operation would be launched in pockets considered as CPI-Maoist hideouts in bordering Districts. Inspector General (range) RP Singh who headed the coordination meeting said that the borders of Maoist-affected Districts of Sonebhadra and Chandauli are linked with the borders of Bihar districts like Bhabhua, Rohtas and Kaimur, which are also known as the harbour of Maoists due to their typical topography. He said the proposed joint drives of the Police of both States would take place in two phases. In the first phase, Police of Sonebhadra, Bhabhua, Rohtas and Garhwa (Jharkhand) would launched a massive drive to comb the hills and jungles of the bordering areas, he said. In the second phase, police of Chandauli, Bhabhua and Sonebhadra would launch a joint drive.
The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) issued an alert to its counterparts in Uttar Pradesh on after investigations revealed that the two LeT operatives had visited some important places in the State prior to their arrest by the ATS. According to sources, Mirza Himayat Baig and Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain alias Bilal, arrested by the ATS over their alleged involvement in German Bakery blast case were found in possession of some maps of the twin satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad. Officials suspect they had plans to create problems during the Common Wealth Games.
September 16
Mirza Himayat Baig, the LeT operative arrested by the Maharashtra ATS over his alleged involvement in the German Bakery blast case in Pune, revealed during interrogation that he had purchased the haversack and the mobile phone used in the blast from two shops in South Mumbai’s Crawford Market.
September 17
Slamming the CPI-Maoist for "despicable" and "desperate acts" of violence that killed 11 civilians during the bandh (general shut down) enforced by it on September 13-14, the Union Government on said an environment of insecurity has been created by the Maoists. In a statement, the Government listed 14 incidents in which 11 civilians and two security personnel were killed. Out of the 11 civilians, three were branded as "police informers" including a doctor in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh. "This is creating an insecure environment which would result in further shortage of doctors in remote areas, where their services are badly needed," a Home Ministry statement said.
It added that while on one hand, CPI-Maoist argue about lack of development in remote areas, on the other hand, the outfit continues to damage or destroy infrastructure in these places. "During their two-day bandh, they damaged, among others, a forest beat house at Chandiposh (District Sundergarh) in Orissa, a railway track in Muzaffarpur District and electronic equipment and generator set of a mobile tower in Gaya. They also set ablaze a bus in Sheohar District in Bihar. The Government condemns these despicable and desperate acts on the part of CPI (Maoist), and reassures its commitment to root out this menace in its entirety," the statement added.
September 19
Two Taiwanese nationals were injured when two armed assailants on a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire outside Gate No. 3 of the Jama Masjid (Mosque) in the Walled City of Delhi. Subsequently, an e-mail, purportedly sent by the Indian Mujahideen outfit to a radio station, claimed responsibility for the incident and warned the Government against hosting of the Commonwealth Games. "We know that preparations for the Games are at their peak. Beware! We too are preparing in full swing for a great surprise! The participants will be solely responsible for the outcome as our bands of Mujahideen love death more than you love life," said the e-mail. The Police, however, ruled out the involvement of any organised terrorist group. "Investigation so far does not indicate any specific target or the involvement of any specific terror group. It appears to be the work of some local criminals or disgruntled people", said the Delhi Police Spokesperson Rajan Bhagat. The Police recovered seven empty 9-mm cartridges from the attack site.
Separately, a vehicle parked near the site of the suspected terrorist attack in the Jama Masjid area caught fire after a suspected pressure cooker blast, reports Asian Age. The explosion in the vehicle triggered merely three hours after the gun attack. "The car went up in flames due to a suspected crudely-circuited pressure cooker bomb," said Rajan Bhagat.
Australia said there was a "high risk" of an extremist attack during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, in a travel warning that follows a gun attack on tourists in the Indian capital. "There is a high risk of terrorist attack in New Delhi," said the d travel bulletin from Australia's foreign department." Australians in New Delhi should be aware that the Commonwealth Games will be held in a security environment where there is a high risk of terrorism," it added.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is planning to set up colleges, Central Schools, secondary schools and girls’ hostels in CPI-Maoist-affected areas, reports Telegraph. The Ministry’s Higher Education Department asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for details of Maoist-hit areas. "The information will help in planning how and where to set up new institutions. We will also explore how to provide more grants to institutions in those areas through the existing schemes of the University Grants Commission (UGC)," an official source said.
September 20
Two persons have been detained by the Delhi Police Special Cell for questioning in connection with the attack on foreign nationals in the Walled City of Delhi. According to sources, the suspects were picked up from Northeast Delhi after their antecedents raised suspicion. Preliminary investigations into the attack on the Taiwanese nationals and the fire in a car parked near the area Police station indicated to the involvement of local elements. Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal said that the attack on foreign nationals and the subsequent low-intensity explosion in the car are being investigated from all possible angles. He also said that while separate cases have been registered in connection with the two incidents, circumstantial evidence has indicated that they are linked. The Police also plan to send teams to various parts of western Uttar Pradesh in the lookout for leads.
Police have reportedly found that the e-mail, purportedly sent by the Indian Mujahideen (IM) outfit to an international news broadcaster a few hours after the attack, was sent from Mumbai. The authenticity of the e-mail’s contents and its source is being verified.
Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain Farid alias Bilal, who was recently arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly planning attacks on sensitive establishments in Nasik and for being the mastermind behind the German Bakery blast in Pune, was denied Police custody by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, citing "slow investigation." The ATS has challenged the decision in the session’s court.
Australia and New Zealand issued travel alerts for their citizens travelling to India during the Commonwealth Games. Australia issued a terror alert asking its citizens to exercise "high degree of caution" because of the high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups. In its alert, New Zealand said there was "significant threat from terrorism" in India advising New Zealanders to take into account potential for attacks by militant groups. The alert dissuaded citizens from travelling alone, pointing out those further attacks could not be ruled out. in large cities and popular tourist destinations.
Lawyers defending LeT ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six others charged with involvement in the in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks said that none of them will go to India as part of a proposed commission to record the testimony of key witnesses, including surviving attacker Ajmal Kasab. "We will not go to India because of security concerns. There has been hatred among the general public against Kasab," senior advocate Khwaja Sultan, the counsel for LeT ‘commander’ Lakhvi, said. Sultan noted that the lawyer of Fahim Ansari, one of the Indians accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks, was shot dead. "We cannot risk our lives by going to India when we are the counsel for the accused here," he added. He also claimed it would not be easy for the Indian government to provide security to the proposed commission.
September 21
A suspected Pakistani spy, identified as Shujat Haider, was arrested by the Police from Samalkha village in East Delhi. Police claimed of seizing confidential documents related to the Indian Army from the accused's possession and said that he had stayed in Delhi for the past one year to conduct reconnaissance of the Army installations.
Mumbai Police detained two persons in connection with the bomb blast outside the Jama Masjid (Mosque) in Delhi. Also, the e-mail purportedly sent by the Indian Mujahideen outfit was traced to Borivali in Mumbai.
Sources in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said none of the retired Army trainers who were contacted by the paramilitary forces to provide jungle warfare training to their personnel have agreed to go and live in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh — two affected States — because of the troubled situation.
The Tamil Nadu Government strongly defended the ban on the LTTE, which was extended on May 14, 2010 for two more years. Tamil Nadu said lifting the ban at this juncture would imply allowing such a deadly foreign militant organisation to operate fully from India, and this would give the outfit a tremendous psychological boost.
September 22
India would seek to give a push to the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly meet to address the lacuna in global sectoral pacts on terrorism. Proposed by India in 1996 to address "gaps" in sectoral conventions on terrorist activities, the CCIT ran into opposition on several issues. According to sources in the Ministry of External Affairs, opposition to the India-proposed convention is coming mainly from the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) besides the United States and Israel.
September 23
Sheikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain Farid alias Bilal, the LeT militant arrested by the Maharashtra ATS for planning to commit a terrorist activities, has been granted Police custody till October 2 by the Nasik sessions court.
Fahim Ansari, who was acquitted by a trial court in the November 26, 2008, Mumbai terror attacks case (also known as 26/11), was produced before a session’s court in Mumbai. He was brought from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh after warrants against him, and another co-accused, Sabahuddin Ahmed, were issued to "secure" their presence in the case, currently at the Bombay High Court.
Investigations into the email sent by the IM hours after the Jama Masjid firing incident in Delhi on September 18 have revealed that a second-hand Nokia mobile handset purchased from a shop in Dongri in south Mumbai was used to send the threat mail. However, the shopkeeper has no records of the person who bought the handset. Investigators believe that the terrorist bought a second-hand mobile to reduce the chances of getting traced.
September 24
The CCS approved Phase-II of the Coastal Security Scheme. Chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the CCS cleared the Home Ministry's proposal for implementing Phase-II of the scheme from April 2011 onwards at a cost of INR 11 billion. Under the scheme, the Union Government will provide assistance to coastline States to set up additional coastal Police stations, purchase high-speed boats, recruit security personnel and procure high-tech gadgets.
September 26
Security sources in Britain warned that a plot is hatched by an unnamed al Qaeda linked militant outfit to target or abduct British athletes and fans coming to India for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in retaliation to Britain’s support to the war in Afghanistan. According to the report, citizens of Australia, Canada and New Zealand could be targeted for the same reason.
September 27
A recently published book entitled 'Obama's War' authored by investigative American journalist Bob Woodward claimed that the CIA was aware of the involvement of ISI in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
The CPI-Maoist called a 24-hour bandh (general shut down) on September 30 in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand to protest the death of more than 100 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir since June, 2010.
September 28
Pakistani militant Ajmal Kasab filed an appeal in Bombay High Court challenging death penalty awarded to him for killing 166 persons in the Mumbai terrorists attacks on November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11). Kasab challenged the death penalty saying it was a harsh punishment imposed on him and pleaded that there were lapses in evidence produced by Police in the trial court.
September 29
India slammed Pakistan for sponsoring militancy and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and said Islamabad should not impart lessons to New Delhi on democracy and human rights.
October 1
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said 21 persons had been executed in full public view by the CPI-Maoist in "kangaroo" courts till August 31, 2010. This is far higher than the 11 persons executed by "kangaroo" courts in the corresponding period of 2009. The number of "kangaroo" courts held by the CPI-Maoist too has grown from 48 till August 2010 from 38 in the corresponding period of 2009.
SFs have regained control over more than 10,000 sq kilometres area dominated by the Maoists. Official sources described the success of the SFs as "very significant" as nearly 40,000 sq kilometres area had been controlled by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal for last several years. "We have got maximum gain in Chhattisgarh. We hope that the success will continue in the coming days," a source said.
October 3
The Centre asked all the States to put targets which were recced by the American born LeT operative David Coleman Headley alias Dawood Gilani under extra security cover, and step up their overall vigilance in view of general threats.
October 5
The Centre has warned all the LWE-affected states of a turn in the fight against Naxalites — hundreds of Maoists being trained in Nepal by the People’s Liberation Army of Nepal Maoists and being supervised by terrorists from LeT.
October 6
Justice Vikramajit Sen of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, who is examining the validity of the Centre's ban on LTTE, dismissed the plea of LTTE sympathisers to hear their opinions against the ban, saying that they have no locus standi.
The Indian and Russian armies will launch a large counter-terrorism combat exercise codenamed 'Indra', at Chaubattia near Ranikhet in Almora District of Uttarakhand State from October 16 to 23.
The Government of India officially reacted to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's admission that Pakistan had trained militants and pushed them into Jammu and Kashmir, by saying that his assertions had only vindicated India's official position.
New CRPF chief K. Vijay Kumar said CPI-Maoist, who posed a "formidable challenge" before Security Forces, have "urban connections", which provide them logistics and financial support. Kumar expressed his views after taking over as the Director General (DG).
October 7
Interpol issued red corner notices against five Pakistani nationals, including two serving Army officers, for their alleged role in plotting terror attacks in India including the attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (Also known as 26/11).The notices have been issued against LeT operatives Sajid Majid and Syed Abdur Rehman Hashim, Major Iqbal, Major Sameer Ali, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami chief Ilyas Kashmiri.
CPI-Maoist called upon its cadres to repeat Dantewada-like attack (in which 75 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in Chhattisgarh in April 2010) as a counter offensive to the Operation Green Hunt taken up by the UPA Government to crush the Maoist movement in the Dandakaranya region.
Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony urged the global community to persuade and compel Pakistan to dismantle all terror outfits there. This reiteration of the long-standing demand comes in the wake of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's recent admission that his country had been training terrorists and pushing them into Jammu and Kashmir. The Minister added that there were 44 terrorist-training camps in Pakistan which needed to be dismantled and destroyed.
October 8
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) received an e-mail threatening to blow up either BSE or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi or a Mumbai-Delhi flight.
Key witnesses of the bomb explosion cases in Ajmer dargah (October 11, 2007) and Malegaon (September 29, 2008) disclosed that the plotting of these two incidents was carried out at Shabri Dham Ashram (hermitage) in Dangs region in south Gujarat.
The Government has approved in principle the creation of an agency similar to the BRO for developing road infrastructure in Naxal -affected States. BRO is an organisation under the Defence Ministry tasked to build roads in the border areas for allowing swift movement of men and machinery there.
Four months after the decision to set up Unified Commands in four Naxal-affected States, the proposal is yet to take off even though the Union Government has provided a panel of retired Major Generals to head these.
October 10
A cadre of the KZF, who is also associated with the BKI, was arrested by Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The Union Home Ministry asked Rajasthan and three other States to be alert during the festival season.
October 11
Two Indian nationals were killed in a missile attack launched by the Taliban militants on an Indian NGO's office in Kunar province of Afghanistan. Qari Omar Haqqani, a spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban, told reporters from an undisclosed location that the militants had attacked the office of the Indian NGO with missiles in which three people, including two Indian workers, were killed. The nationality of the third person who died in the attack is yet to be ascertained.
October 14
A 10-day long joint anti-terrorism exercise between Indian and Russian military personnel started in Ranikhet District of Uttarakhand .Termed as "Indra 2010,’ the military personnel from the two countries will form a joint task force and plan and carry out a series of mock anti-terrorism missions in the mountains.
October 15
The al Qaeda and the LeT had planed to carry out deadly attacks through ‘multiple shoot-outs' targeting the Commonwealth Games (CWG) village, sports venues and a five-star hotel in New Delhi specifically on October 12 and 13.
The wife of a key figure in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) warned US federal agents three years beforehand that her husband was training with a Pakistani militant group. The wife of David Coleman Headley warned Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in August 2005 that her husband had undergone intensive training with LeT and was in contact with extremists. Headley's wife, who was not named in the report, called a terrorism hotline after getting into a fight with him in August 2008, the Post said. The FBI agents followed up, and interviewed her three times, the newspaper reported in a story co-authored with journalism foundation Pro Publica. She told agents that her husband "was an active militant in the terrorist group LeT, had trained extensively in its Pakistani camps, and had shopped for night vision goggles".
With India insisting that it was time for Sri Lanka to act decisively to "win over" ethnic minority, President Mahinda Rajapakse assured Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh that he would hold dialogue with a "broader spectrum" of stakeholders to address the Tamil issue.
The Rajasthan Police and Karnataka anti-terrorist squad (ATS) arrested two alleged LeT militants from Kasargod (Kerala) and Ajmer (Rajasthan) for their role in the 2008 blasts in Bangalore in which one person was killed and over a dozen people were injured.
October 16
Despite a probe by its defence authorities, Sri Lanka has found no evidence to suggest that its territory is being used by the LeT to train terrorists. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris, who is on a four-day visit to India, said that there is no merit in such claims. "The matter was brought to our notice. It was examined by our defence authorities but we have not found anything to establish it," Peiris told TOI, adding, that the two countries were involved in an intelligence sharing mechanism to prevent any such activity.
One of the accused in the Pune (Maharashtra) bakery blast case had said LeT operatives were being trained in Sri Lanka. Though the training was said to have taken place in an area close to Colombo, Sri Lankan authorities denied this citing heavy presence of Security Force personnel in the area.
October 17
Two of the three wives of Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley forewarned the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11),. Headley’s American wife had given the FBI in New York a tip-off on his LeT links in 2005, while his Moroccan wife, Faiza Outalha, had told authorities in the US embassy in Islamabad, less than a year before the Mumbai attacks, that Headley was plotting a terror strike.
Mike Hammer, spokesman of the National Security Council, White House, told PTI, "Had we known about the timing and other specifics related to the Mumbai attacks, we would have immediately shared those details with India." He said the US "regularly provided threat information" to Indian officials in 2008 before the attacks in Mumbai, adding, "It is our Government’s solemn responsibility to notify other nations of possible terrorist activity on their soil." He made the remarks when asked about an investigative report on the Mumbai attacks published by Pro Publica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
October 18
An alleged BKI operative Karanbir Singh escaped from Police custody under the pretext of going to the toilet. The incident occurred in Hoshiarpur District, when Police personnel and officers were interrogating Karanbir, who was booked for the murder of the head of a religious sect in June 2010. He escaped through a window. A reward of INR 5 lakh has been announced.Karanbir was arrested on October 17. An AK-47, an AK-56 assault rifle, two hand grenades, 5.4 kilograms of RDX, six magazines, 276 rounds of ammunition, two detonators, a timer device and a remote control were recovered from him.
The Maharashtra Government opened arguments in the Bombay High Court on October 18 on confirmation of death sentence to Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani LeT terrorist involved in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks (also known as 26/11). The arguments began in court 49 before Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R V More through video conference to enable Kasab hear the proceedings from the Central Jail where he is imprisoned in the high security bomb and bullet proof cell. On May 6, 2010, the trial court had awarded death sentence to Kasab. In accordance with law, death penalty was referred to the High Court for confirmation.
October 19
The ISI, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, played a major role in helping prepare the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks (also known as 26/11), one of the planners of the attacks has told Indian interrogators. Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, who confessed to surveying targets for the attacks that left 166 people dead, made detailed claims about support from the ISI, said Britain's Guardian newspaper.
Delhi could escape a major terror attack in 2009 when one of the LeT terrorists from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, who tried to come in through the legal channel, was denied an Indian visa. The terrorist was supposed to be in Delhi to carry out an attack on the National Defence College (NDC) at Tees January Marg a target recommended by Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley to his bosses on the basis that a strike on the institution would have killed more Indian Army officers than those who died in all Indo-Pak wars put together.
That Delhi was perilously close to being attacked by the LeT, figures in the disclosures Headley made to the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) interrogators, who questioned him in Chicago in June 2010. In his statement to the NIA, Headley essentially repeated what he had earlier told the US's Federal Bureau of Investigation. As reported earlier, Headley had recceed several targets in Delhi the Sena Bhawan, Raksha Bhawan, Vice-President's residence, Israeli embassy and Chabad House in Paharganj area.
October 20
Foreign minister S M Krishna said India had only non-specific information about November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) mastermind Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley before the attacks. Replying to a query whether revelations that US officials knew about the 26/11 conspiracy through the estranged wife of Headley were conveyed to India, Krishna said the information passed on to India was general. "Well, we had some general and non-specific information which we had received prior to the heinous Mumbai attack. But it was not so specific. It was by and large general," Krishna said at a press interaction with visiting Omani foreign minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah.
October 21
A total of 797 personnel from State Police and Central Para Military Forces (CPMFs) like Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and National Security Guard (NSG) were killed during a period from September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010 in operations or attacks on them. The CRPF topped the list with 191 such cases which included 76 personnel who laid their lives in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada District.
Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, the mastermind in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) videotaped the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and its large residential colony in Mumbai for the Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). This video, Headley revealed, was not given to the LeT.
India wants a new security architecture, "an open, balanced and inclusive" one that corresponds to the security challenges of the 21st century, which are "radically different" from the last century.
The Rajasthan ATS arrested three suspected LeT militants, Babu alias Nishachandra Ali of Bikaner, Arun Jain of Nagaur and Hafiz Abdul Majid of Jhalawar, allegedly involved in luring youths in terror activities and sending them to Pakistan for training.
October 22
Rajasthan ATS filed a charge sheet against five accused in the 2007 Ajmer blast. They have been charged with murder and defiling of a place of worship.
October 23
The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh (UP) arrested a BKI terrorist, identified as Makkhan Singh, from Barhni area of Sidharthnagar District on the Indo-Nepal border. ATS personnel also recovered one mobile phone along with Indian and foreign currencies from the accused. Makkhan was arrested when he was going to Punjab to acquire a fresh passport to leave India.
October 25
A designated court for Act TADA cases in Chennai in Tamil Nadu dropped all charges against Velupillai Prabhakaran, the slain Chief of LTTE, and his trusted lieutenant and LTTE intelligence Chief Pottu Amman on the basis of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report. This is the first official acknowledgment by India of Prabhakaran's death.
Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony asked Pakistan to shed its ambivalence on terrorism stating that Islamabad did not appear to give up its India-centric posture. "Pakistan does not appear to be willing to leave its India-centric posturing. It will have to shed its ambivalence in dealing with terror groups. Though we are not unduly concerned, we will have to keep constant vigil on the developments in Pakistan", Antony said.
India’s first station for the CSN, proposed in the wake of the 26/11 attacks, would be inaugurated at Tarapore in Maharashtra in 2010, Defence Minister AK Antony said. Antony said that the CSN system will provide a big boost to "our real time maritime domain awareness". "There is an urgent need to keep our vast maritime zones under effective round-the-year surveillance by utilising all the assets at our disposal," he added.
October 26
A lower court in Ajmer in Rajasthan committed the trial of the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast case to the Sessions Court. Chief Judicial Magistrate Ratan Lal Moond, in whose court the ATS of Rajasthan Police filed charge sheet against the five accused on October 22 and fixed the next hearing before the District and Sessions Judge on November 2 after the sessions' committal. The five accused in the blast case include Devendra Gupta (who is also affiliated to Abhinav Bharat), Lokesh Sharma and Chandrashekhar Lave. Two of the accused, Sandeep Dange and Ramji Kalsangre are stated to be absconding, while another accused, Sunil Joshi from Indore, was murdered during the course of investigation.
The Pakistani American LeT operative David Coleman Headley revealed to the NIA in June 2010 about the existence of the 'Nepal set-up' of Pakistani spy agency ISI which has its network in India, to aid ISI as and when needed. The basic component of the set-up is to use the network of Nepalese Muslims through their friends and relatives in India. Headley told his interrogators that a retired Major of Pakistan Army named Abdur Rehman had a set-up in eastern part of Nepal which has sizable Muslim population. According to Headley there was close coordination between the ‘Karachi set-up' and 'Nepal set-up', both run by Rehman (at the behest of ISI)." Sketchy details of the ‘Nepal set-up' have been compiled by NIA in Headley’s 106-page interrogation report.
October 27
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that significant progress had been made since the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai to strengthen the coastal security of the country. Chidambaram said that the identified gaps in security would be addressed through Phase-II of the CSS to be launched in the year 2011.The CSS aims at providing assistance to nine States, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal and four Union Territories, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands to strengthen their infrastructure for marine policing. The scheme provides for the setting up of 73 coastal police stations, 97 check posts, 58 outposts and 30 operational barracks. So far, 71 Police stations have been operationalised and construction of 75 check posts, 54 outposts and 22 barracks completed. About 158 boats were delivered to coastal States and Union Territories till last September 2010.
October 28
A Delhi court sentenced a Pakistani national to five years and six months in jail for spying as he was found supplying classified and secret details about the deployment and movement of Army through courier to his handlers in Pakistan, in 2005. The convict, identified as Asim Waseem alias Sumaar Ali was arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell sleuths on September 15, 2005, following a tip off that a man from Pakistan's Rahimyar Khan District had entered the country and was spying on the directions of the Pakistan’s External Intelligence agency ISI.
The Government apprehends that Pakistan-based terror groups may try to replicate Chhittisinghpora-type attack on civilians and put the blame for such an incident on the Indian Army to attract global attention to Kashmir in run-up to US President Barack Obama's visit to India (November 6-8).
Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US was far more broad-based than it was earlier.
The US said it had only "more general and less specific" information on Headley before the 26/11 attacks. "If we had information that could have helped to prevent the attacks and pinpoint specific aspects of the attack, we would have certainly shared that too," Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes told journalists.
October 31
The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), the outfit has asked people to raise the "Go back Obama" slogan against the world's "Enemy Number One" for being "the gang leader of US imperialism".
November 1
The Centre maintained that there is enough material on record for extending the ban on the militant outfit LTTE for another two years from May 14, 2010 under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) A.S. Chandhikok made this submission before Justice Vikramajit Sen of the Delhi High Court, who constitutes the one-man tribunal hearing arguments on the validity of the notification extending the ban.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that the United States has promised to share the outcome of the findings of a "full review" on the American born Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley with India. Chidambaram said the issue of the US not sharing information about Headley was "blown out of proportion" as the US had shared intelligence with India in the months leading to 26/11 as well as after 26/11, though the name of Headley was not mentioned.
The bomb-maker in the Ajmer Dargah blast case (October 11, 2007) was arrested by the Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in Ajmer in Rajasthan, where he was remanded to Police custody by a local court till November 9. The arrestee, identified as Harshad Bhai Solanki alias Munna alias Raja, resident of Vadodara in Gujarat was also involved in the Best Bakery case (March 1, 2002) and was absconding after the carnage. Additional Director General of Police Kapil Garg, who is also in-charge of the ATS, said that Harshad played an active role in gathering bomb-making material, assembling them and packaging the bombs to Ajmer.
November 2
Justice Vikramajit Sen tribunal reserved the verdict on the validity of the May 14, 2010 notification of the Centre, first imposed on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1992 on extending the ban on the LTTE for two years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The one-man tribunal is mandated to give its verdict within six months of the notification, which is due to expire on November 13.
Tamil Nadu Government told the tribunal that LTTE cadres were still active in the state and lifting the ban would make it difficult to control them.
Pakistani American LeT operative David Coleman Headley revealed to the interrogators of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in June that had the 26/11 attackers landed during the day on Mumbai's coast, the Mumbai Police headquarters at Crawford Market would have also been attacked on the first day of the carnage.
November 3
Pakistani American LeT operative David Coleman Headley revealed to his interrogators of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in June that two Pakistani handlers, Abdur Rehman (a retired Pakistan Army major) and Sajid Majid had visited India in 2005 on the pretext of watching a Indo-Pak cricket match.
The Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) arrested a person suspected to be involved in the Ajmer Dargah blast case (October 11, 2007). The arrestee, identified as Mukesh Vasani is the second person from Gujarat, to be arrested by the ATS following the arrest of Harshad Bhai Solanki.
November 4
The Punjab Police recovered a bomb, two detonators, a .30 bore Chinese pistol and six live cartridges following interrogation of the recently arrested terrorists.
The Union Government is exploring ways for taking over the administration in tribal-dominated regions, with Attorney General (AG) G. E. Vahanvati holding that governors have the power to act independently of the State Governments in the matter.
November 6
The Urdu Service of the BBC reported that hundreds of students, including foreigners are being trained in militant camps in Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, to wage jihad (Islamic holy war) against India. According to the report, after a lull, several militant outfits have now again raised their heads and increased their activities in and around Muzaffarabad. However, the Pakistani authorities denied the report as "baseless".
November 7
US President Barack Obama, during his interaction with students at the St. Xavier's College Mumbai, expressed the hope that India and Pakistan would be able to live in peace despite their past history.
November 8 US President Barack Obama endorsed India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Also in a joint Statement issued along with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Obama gave a call against terrorism and said that all terror networks, including the LeT must be defeated.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at a press conference said India was neither "afraid of word K" nor opposed to holding talks. "But it is our request that Pakistan cannot talk with India while the terrorist machinery is still active on its soil," he said.
November 9 A total of 577 civilians have been killed while more than 260 SF personnel lost their lives across the country in Naxal violence in 2010 up to October 31. During the same period, 137 cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed with the maximum of them in Chhattisgarh (72) followed by West Bengal (37) and Jharkhand (12).
The US formally sent to India the reply of Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. on the review of slip-ups following the warning received by US agencies about the Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley's possible connections with LeT and involvement in the 26/11. The report was received by the Union Home Ministry.
CPI-Maoist 'general secretary' Muppala Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi says that the death of Azad was a severe blow for his outfit, but offers conditions for talks with the Government yet again.
A number of terrorist groups have training facilities in neighbouring countries including Pakistan, the Government said. "Available inputs indicate that a number of terrorist groups are having training infrastructure in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan," Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
November 12 Observing that the LTTE still remains a threat to the country's security, Justice Vikramajit Sen of the Delhi High Court, constituting the one-man Tribunal, upheld the May 14, 2010 notification of the Centre extending the ban on the outfit for two years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act .The Tribunal maintained that there was sufficient evidence that pro-LTTE elements and remnant LTTE cadres, with the help of local smugglers, were actively participating in unlawful activities in the country.
November 14 A suspected HM militant hailing from Pakistan, wanted in many cases in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested near Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in South Delhi after a shoot out. Abdullah Inquilabi, a 'divisional commander' of the outfit in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri District, was arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell, the elite anti-terror wing from Deer Park near IIT soon after he alighted from a bus.
According to an investigative report jointly published in The Washington Post and ProPublica.Com, Sajid Mir, the suspected mastermind behind the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), travelled to India and secretly visited several places as a Pakistani cricket fan in 2005.
November 15
The suspected HM militant, arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on November 14 was wanted in nearly 10 cases involving several killings in the past decade. The arrestee, identified as Mohammed Abdullah alias Abdullah Inquilabi, a resident of Shahdara at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was wanted in several cases in Jammu and Kashmir. He was allegedly involved in the killing of the members of a community at Budhal in 2005. Also, he and his accomplices allegedly killed three Police personnel in another case. The Police suspect his involvement in nearly two dozen killings and abductions.
A Delhi Court has acquitted an alleged Jammu and Kashmir-based militant of the LeT of the charge of waging war against the country, saying recoveries of huge cache of arms and hawala money from him were not proved.
An annual report of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to the UN General Assembly has once again dropped mention of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), in keeping with a trend that started in 2006,
Mobile Courts would soon be introduced in Panchayats, especially in Naxalite infested areas, to instill confidence among the people about the availability of justice, Union Minister for Law and Justice M Virappa Moily said.
November 16
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) named Pakistani national, 'Wali' Abdul Rahman as an accused in the case of recruitment of youth from Kerala for terrorist activities in Kashmir. He has been named as 24th accused in the case of the death of four youths from Kerala in an encounter with Security Forces in the valley in October 2008. Wali, according to the NIA, carried out his operations from Hyderabad.
Government of India ruled out appointment of any interlocutor to start dialogue with the CPI-Maoist. "There is no proposal to appoint interlocutors to start a dialogue with the Left Wing Extremists," Minister of State for Home, Ajay Maken informed the Lok Sabha. However, the Minister said the Government has given a call to the Extremists to abjure violence and come for talks.
About 105 persons, including Security Force (SF) personnel and civilians, were killed in terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir till October 2010 as against 123 persons during the same period in 2009, the Government said.
The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) that a total of 660 incidents have taken place during the period of January 1, 2010 and October 31, 2010 in North Eastern States. "The number of civilians killed, in the North Eastern Region, up to October 31, 2010 is 65 as compared to 225 civilians killed during the corresponding period of 2009. Similarly, the number of Security Forces (SFs) killed up to October 31, 2010 in the North East Region is 18, whereas 36 SFs were killed during the corresponding period in 2009," Maken said.
India, for the first time, is going to raise the charge of printing and circulating fake Indian currency notes (FICNs) against Pakistan at various international fora. According to Government sources, armed concrete evidence against Pakistan India will first approach the Financial Action Task Force (An inter-Governmental body whose purpose is the development and promotion of national and international policies to combat money laundering and terror financing). Subsequently, the matter will be raised before World Bank, IMF and Interpol.
November 17
Kashmir remains on the United Nations' agenda though it was not explicitly mentioned in the annual report of the United Nations Security Council, which only covered disputes discussed from August 2009 to July 2010. Clarifying why United Kingdom’s top envoy Mark Lyall Grand, did not mention Kashmir last week while ticking off disputes under the Council, British mission's spokesperson, Harriet Cross, said: "Conflicts mentioned were considered during this period."
November 18
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will interrogate Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone arrested terrorist in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) in a case unrelated to 26/11, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the Bombay High Court.
November 19
The CBI arrested the alleged mastermind behind Mecca Masjid (Mosque) explosion case (May 18, 2007) from Haridwar,. The arrestee, identified as Swami Asimanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Onkaranand, is considered an ideologue of Abhinav Bharat, an organisation believed to be behind the Malegaon blast case (September 29,2008) in Maharashtra.
Government counsel Ujjwal Nikam told the Bombay High Court that Pakistani LeT terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone arrested terrorist in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), and his companions were instructed by their LeT handlers on telephone to hold as many hostages as possible during the terrorist attacks to demand from the Indian Government the creation of a "separate state for Muslims".
November 21
Intelligence inputs sent to Mumbai Police by Central Agencies have hinted at Islamist militant outfits LeT, HM and IM joining forces to carry out a terror attack on a five-star hotel in Mumbai, similar to the November 26, 2008 offensive. Security agencies said a seven-member gang comprising operatives from the three outfits has apparently been dispatched to the city.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India has been making efforts to normalise relations with Pakistan but made it clear that dialogue cannot take place until the "terror machine" there is brought under control. "We are willing to discuss all outstanding issues (with Pakistan) provided the terror machine (there) is brought under control," he said in response to a question on Pakistan at the summit in New Delhi.
India will reiterate its demand with Pakistan, asking it to hand over 'voice samples' of LeT terrorists who have been in jail for their involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and arrest the other key players including Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Majeed. New Delhi will send its formal communication to Islamabad ahead of the second anniversary of the Mumbai carnage.
November 22
A terror alert has been issued in Delhi as three suspected militants have reportedly sneaked into the city. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police is looking for three suspected terrorists, identified as Bilal Ahmed Bagh, Ibrahim Sheikh and Shahjahan who are believed to be planning a major terror attack on the city. The Police were informed about the presence of these militants in the capital by the Intelligence Bureau four days ago.
The British Secretary of State for Defence, Liam Fox, who is in India on a two-day visit said in New Delhi that Pakistan must to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) to justice,. Fox, however, added that Pakistan's participation in the larger war against terror had improved.
November 23
A law suit was filed against Pakistan's external intelligence agency, ISI, and the LeT at the Brooklyn Federal Court in New York in the US by the relatives of a Rabbi (Jewish religious teacher), who was shot dead along with his pregnant wife during terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11).
November 24
A US court issued summons to senior officials of Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI, including its Chief Major General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, along with alleged masterminds of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) and LeT leaders Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi in response to a lawsuit filed by relatives of two American victims accusing them of providing material support for the 26/11 attacks.
November 25
Mumbai Police arrested a person believed to have been involved in the Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) blast (February 14, 1998), in which 33 people were killed and 153 others were injured, from the international airport in Mumbai. The accused has been identified as Shabbir.
Ahead of the second anniversary of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), the country has been put on high alert with the Centre asking all States and Union Territories to tighten security to foil any attempt to disturb peace anywhere.
The US said that it was Pakistan's "duty and obligation" to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice as quickly as possible.
Air Chief Marshal P. V. Naik said in a seminar that India is "now much better prepared" to tackle 26/11-like terror attacks.
November 26
An arrested LeT militant rejected Pakistan’s claim that it has dismantled the terror infrastructure on its soil after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11). "The training camps of LeT and other outfits were still active in Pakistan and its occupied Kashmir, despite a crackdown launched by the authorities there," Mohammad Saleem Rehmani alias Abu Saad, a resident of Nawab Sahib area of Sindh in Pakistan, told reporters.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that Pakistan has not fulfilled its promises of bringing to book the perpetrators of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11). Chidambaram expressed the hope that Pakistan would realise its responsibility as a nation and Government and fulfill its promises to bring to justice, those who perpetrated the attacks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to redouble efforts to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks to justice.
The Home Minister of Karnataka R. Ashoka announced that the State will set up its own anti-terror commando force to tackle any eventuality on the terrorism front in the State, reports DNA The minister said that the force, consisting of 300 personnel is currently undergoing training and is expected to be in operation within next 15 days.
November 29
The Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested two suspected LeT militants in Thane District in Maharashtra. The duo was allegedly trying to recruit members for carrying out terrorist activities targeting oil installations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. They were also instructed to provide details about military installations in Mumbai, Pune and Aurangabad.
Writer Arundhati Roy, All Party Hurriyat Conference-Geelani (APHC-G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and others were booked on charges of sedition by Delhi Police for their anti-India speech at a seminar in Delhi in October.
November 30
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, said that the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) (a centralised body to take counter-terror measures across the country) is expected to be operationalized by the end of 2011.
CPI-Maoist killed 62 civilians and 11 Security personnel in several States in the month of November, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in his Ministry's report for the month released at a Press Conference in New Delhi. According to Chidambaram there were 135 incidents of Maoist violence in the month.
Unlike previous year’s week-long People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week celebration, the CPI-Maoist cadres this time have given the call for a month long celebration beginning from December 2, 2010 to January 2, 2011 to mark the 10th formation day of the PLGA. More than 50 top Maoist Commandos have reportedly arrived to take part in Malkangiri-Andhra Pradesh border ahead of the month long PLGA celebration. Unconfirmed report says that the Maoists have recruited more tribal youths into the party ahead of the celebration.
The CPI-Maoist has around 20,000 firearms and nearly 10,000 cadres, enough to withstand a State-backed onslaught for six months, but it faces a problem of ammunition mismatch, a study by intelligence agencies has found. The estimate is the first of its kind on the Maoists done by Central and State intelligence agencies.
December 2
In yet another WikiLeaks disclosure, a leaked cable suggested that the US tried to not just suppress information related to involvement of Pakistani agencies in the Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11) but also defend the Pakistani Intelligence Agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
It was also clear from another cable from the US embassy in Islamabad sent in the same month that the US tried to shield ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha from any fallout of investigations into 26/11 by India as the findings clearly suggested that ISI played a role in the attacks.
Another cable leak showed that Pakistani army also blocked President Asif Ali Zardari's proposal to send ISI chief Pasha to New Delhi after the Mumbai attacks.
WikiLeaks, disclosed that Pakistan rejected a US suggestion to sign a non-aggression pact with India, arguing that its public would not support the idea unless Washington treated the two countries on an equal footing and New Delhi reduced its "footprint" in Afghanistan.
December 6
According to a recent secret diplomatic cable of the United States State Department released by WikiLeaks, Pakistan-based militant outfit LeT had made elaborate plans in June 2009 to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi,.
December 7
A powerful bomb blast in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh killed a two-year-old girl and injured 35 others. The explosion took place at around 7pm (IST) at the Shitla Ghat (steps on the sides of the river Ganges) when ‘Ganga Aarti'(an evening religious ritual on the river side) was under way. The Indian Mujahideen (IM) reportedly claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Two cadres of the Manipur-based KCP, who abducted five Government officials for ransom, were arrested in Delhi. The arrested militants were identified as Huidrom Nanao Singh alias Dinesh Singh and Mayengbam Santon Luwang. Both of them belonged to the Military Council faction of the KCP.
A local court in Mumbai remanded two suspected LeT operatives, arrested for allegedly plotting strikes on oil and military installations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and a railway station in the metropolis to judicial custody till December 20.
Comparing the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorists attacks (also known as 26/11) with the terrorist attacks in New York in US (September 11,2000, also known as 9/11) French President Nicolas Sarkozy on December 7 criticized Pakistan and asked the Pakistani authorities to show resolve in fighting terrorism emanating from its territory.
Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana, co-accused with the Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (also known as 26/11), will be tried in a federal court in Chicago on February 14,
According to a Press release by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ajay Maken, the Minister of State for Home, that are no inputs to indicate that Left Wing Extremist (LWE) groups are getting assistance in terms of weapons and finance from foreign countries.
December 8
The Mumbai Police said that it suspected that Bhatkal brothers, Riaz and Iqbal, founders of IM, masterminded the explosion in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on December 7. Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal also said that the blast was planned in Pakistan which sheltered the suspected militants.
Union Government said that militant groups, especially those based abroad, were trying to revive militancy in Punjab. Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken, however, added that there were no specific inputs indicating the development of any nexus between Khalistani outfits like BKI or KZF and militant Islamist organisations like LeT.
December 9
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he will work with the European leadership to deepen strategic cooperation in counter-terrorism and other "non-traditional" threats to security.
December 10
During the question hour in the Maharashtra Legislative Council it was disclosed that a check by the Mumbai Police revealed that 60 per cent of the prepaid mobile SIM cards in the city were issued against bogus documents.
December 11
A 60 year old woman, identified as Phoolrani Devi, who was injured in the Varanasi bomb blasts on December 7 succumbed to her injuries.
December 13
Slain Mumbai Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare was on the hit list of the Islamist militant outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM).
Cadres of banned outfit SIMI are fast regrouping under the banner of Popular Front of India (PFI), an outfit which has expanded its tentacles to north after carrying out initial recruitment in South India.
Forensic experts probing the Varanasi blast case suggested the possibility of use of plastic explosives in the terror attack, Although the experts are yet to identify the composition of the explosive, a study of the blast site suggest the possibility of a PETN (pentaerythritol trinitrate combined with nitroglycerin) being used.
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