Analysts Say Mumbai Attacks Show Rise of Strategic Terrorism

By Catherine Cannon Washington 29 January 2009

An Indian soldier takes cover as the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai burns during a gun battle between the Indian military and militants in November

U.S. terrorism experts say the November terror attacks in Mumbai, India are an example of a rising culture of terrorism that could inspire similar operations in the future. The experts discussed the potential for future attacks during a congressional hearing this week Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

Terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation says the masterminds behind the Mumbai attacks showed a sophisticated level of strategic thinking during the three-day assault that left more than 170 people dead. Jenkins says meticulous planning by the attackers, who India says are members of the out-lawed group Lashkar-e-Taiba, allowed them to achieve their objectives.

"They were able to capture and hold international attention, always an objective of terrorism. They were able to exploit India's vulnerabilities, create a political crisis in India," he said.

Speaking before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Jenkins said what happened in Mumbai clearly shows that al-Qaida is not the only terrorism threat in the world. He said there are new contenders that have adopted al-Qaida's ideology of global terror.

"This suggests not only a continuing terrorist campaign in India, but more broadly it suggests that the global struggle against the jihadist terrorist campaign is far from over," he said.

A gunman identified by police as Ajmal Amir Kasab walks at the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station in Mumbai, India, 26 Nov 2008

The attacks in Mumbai were carried out by 10 men armed with assault weapons. Jenkins says the attackers used hostages to impede the police response.

"This is a tactic that we have seen elsewhere and that now we do have to be prepared for.  That is, terrorists deliberately embedding themselves with civilians to increase the ultimate body count as the response takes place," he said.

Jenkins said terrorists are likely to continue to focus on "soft targets" like hotels, surface transportation, and other public places that are not usually subject to increased security.

He also added that Pakistan continues to play a problematic role in terrorist campaigns in South Asia because terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba are finding sanctuary in the country's turbulent tribal areas.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of the Northeastern state of Maine says Pakistan should be urged to take action.

"The United States government must continue to press the Pakistani government to eliminate safe-havens, and starve LeT and similar groups of new recruits for their deadly operations," she said.

Pakistan officials say they have detained at least 71 people suspected of being linked to Mumbai attacks.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security has held multiple hearings focusing on lessons that the United States and other nations could learn from the deadly Mumbai attacks.

READ MORE - Analysts Say Mumbai Attacks Show Rise of Strategic Terrorism

Terrorism in India

Terrorism in India can be attributed to many low intensity conflicts within its borders.

The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Central India (Naxalism) and Seven Sister States (independence and autonomy movements). In the past, the Punjab insurgency led to militant activities in the Indian state of Punjab as well as the national capital Delhi (Delhi serial blasts, anti-Sikh riots).


As of 2006, at least 232 of the country's 608 districts were afflicted, at differing intensities, by various insurgent and terrorist movements

Contents

* 1 Chronology of major incidents
* 2 Western India
* 3 Jammu and Kashmir
* 4 Northern and Northwestern India
o 4.1 Bihar

o 4.2 Punjab

o 4.3 New Delhi

+ 4.3.1 Delhi security summit

# 4.3.1.1 Attack on Indian parliment

o 4.4 Uttar Pradesh

+ 4.4.1 Ayodhya crisis

+ 4.4.2 Varanasi blasts

* 5 Northeastern India
o 5.1 Nagaland
o 5.2 Assam
o 5.3 Tripura
o 5.4 Manipur
o 5.5 Mizoram

* 6 South India
o 6.1 Karnataka
o 6.2 Andhra Pradesh
o 6.3 Tamil Nadu
* 7 Indian Railways
* 8 Air India Flight 182

* 9 See also

* 10 References

* 11 Notes

* 12 External links


Chronology of major incidents

Terrorism in India since 2001

Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold

Indian Parliament attack  Srinagar “ Akshardham Temple attack Kolkata 2002 “ Rafiganj rail disaster “ Mumbai 2002 ' 1st Mumbai 2003 ' 2nd Mumbai 2003 ' 3rd Mumbai 2003 ' Ayodhya ' Delhi 2005 ' Jaunpur 2005 ' Varanasi ' Jama Masjid ' Mumbai 2006 ' Malegaon ' Samjhauta Express ' Mecca Masjid ' Hyderabad ' Uttar Pradesh ' Jaipur ' Bangalore ' Ahmedabad ' 1st Delhi 2008 ' 2nd Delhi 2008 ' Western India ' Agartala ' Imphal ' Assam 2008 ' Mumbai 2008 ' Assam 2009

Main article: Chronology of major terrorist incidents in India

Organizations listed as terrorist groups by India

Northeastern India

National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM)
Naga National Council-Federal (NNCF)
National Council of Nagaland-Khaplang
United Liberation Front of Asom
People's Liberation Army
Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL)
Zomi Revolutionary Front
Hmar People's Convention (Democrats)
PREPAK
KCP (MC)
BNLF


North India
Babbar Khalsa

Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan

Communist Party of India (Maoist)

Dashmesh Regiment

International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)

Kamagata Maru Dal of Khalistan

Khalistan Armed Force

Khalistan Liberation Force

Khalistan Commando Force

Khalistan Liberation Army

Khalistan Liberation Front

Khalistan Liberation Organisation

Khalistan National Army

Khalistan Guerilla Force


Khalistan Security Force

Khalistan Zindabad Force

Shaheed Khalsa Force

Kashmir

Lashkar-e-Toiba

Jaish-e-Mohammed

Hizbul Mujahideen

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen

Farzandan-e-Milat

United Jihad Council

Al-Qaeda

Students Islamic Movement of India

Central India

People's war group

Balbir militias

Naxals

Ranvir Sena

v • d • e


Mumbai has been the most preferred target for most terrorist organizations, primarily the separatist forces from Kashmir. Over the past few years a series of attacks including explosions in local trains in July 2006, to the most recent and unprecedented attacks of 26th November, 2008, where two of the prime hotels and another building, in south Mumbai, were sieged.


Terrorist attacks in Mumbai include:*


* 12 March 1993 - Series of 13 bombs go off killing 257

* 06 December 2002 - Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkopar killing 2

* 27 January 2003 - Bomb goes off on a bicycle in Vile Parle killing 1

* 14 March 2003 - Bomb goes off in a train in Mulund killing 10

* 28 July 2003 - Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkopar killing 4

* 25 August 2003 - Two Bombs go off in cars near the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar killing 50

* 11 July 2006 - Series of seven bombs go off in trains killing 209

* 26 November 2008 to 29 November 2008 - Coordinated series of attacks killing at least 172.


Jammu and Kashmir


Main article: Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir


Armed insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir killed tens of thousands till date.


Northern and Northwestern India


Bihar


Although terrorism is not considered a major issue in the state, existence of certain groups like the CPI-ML, Peoples war, MCC,Ranvir Sena and Balbir militias is a major concern as they frequently attack local policemen and politicians.


Poor governance and the law and order system in Bihar have helped increase the menace caused by the militias. The Ranvir Sena is a militia of forward caste land owners which is taking on the might of powerful Naxalites in the area.


The State has witnessed many massacres by these caste groups and retaliatory action by other groups. All the militias represent interest of some caste groups.


The main victims of the violence by these groups are helpless people (including women, old and children) who are killed in caste massacres. The state police is ill equipped to take on the AK-47, AK-56 of the militants with their vintage 303 rifles. The militants have used landmines to kill ambush police parties as well.


The root cause of the militant activities in the state is huge disparity among different caste groups. After Independence, land reforms were supposed to be implemented, thereby giving the low caste and the poor a share in the lands which was till then held mostly by high caste people.


However, due to caste based divisive politics in the state land reforms were never implemented properly. This led to growing sense of alienation among the low caste.


Communist groups like CPI-ML, MCC and People's War took advantage of this and instigated the low caste people to take up arms against establishment which was seen as a tool in the hands of rich. They started taking up lands of rich by force killing the high caste people.


The high caste people resorted to use of force by forming their own army Ranvir Sena to take on the naxalites. The State witnessed a bloody period in which the groups tried to prove their supremacy by mass killings. The Police remained a mute witness to these killings as it lacked the means to take any action.


However now the Ranvir Sena has significantly weakened with the arrest of its top brass. The other groups are still active.


There have been arrests in various parts of the country, particularly those made by the Delhi and Mumbai police in the recent past, indicating that extremist/terrorist outfits have been spreading their networks in this State. There is a strong suspicion that Bihar is also being used as a transit point by the small-arms, fake currency and drug dealers entering from Nepal and terrorists reportedly infiltrating through Nepal and Bangladesh.


However, in recent years these attacks by various caste groups have come down with better government being practised.


Punjab


During the 1970s, the Indian Green Revolution brought increased economic prosperity for the Sikh community in Punjab. This propensity kindled an age old fear in the Sikh community - that of being absorbed into the Hindu fold and led to the rise of Sikh militants.


The insurgency intensified during 1980s when the movement turned violent and the name Khalistan resurfaced and sought independence from the Indian Union. Led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who , though not in favor in the creation of Khalistan but also was not against it, began using militancy to stress the movement's demands. Soon things turned bloody with India alleging that neighboring Pakistan supported these militants, who, by 1983-4, had begun to enjoy widespread support among Sikhs.


In 1984, Operation Blue Star was conducted by the Indian government to stem out the movement. It involved an assault on the Golden Temple complex, which Sant Bhindranwale had fortifed in preparation of an army assault. Indira Gandhi, India's then prime minister, ordered the military to storm the temple, who eventually had to use tanks, helicopter gunships, artillery and chemical weapons.


After a seventy-four-hour firefight, the army successfully took control of the temple. In doing so, it completely damaged some portions of the Akal Takht, the Sikh Reference Library and some damaged to the Golden Temple itself. According to Indian government sources, eighty-three army personnel were killed and 249 injured. Militant casualties were 493 killed and eighty-six injured.


During same year, the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two Sikh bodyguards, believed to be driven by the Golden Temple affair, resulted in widespread anti-Sikh riots, especially in New Delhi. Following Operation Black Thunder in 1988, Punjab Police, first under Julio Ribeiro and then under KPS Gill, together with the Indian Army eventually succeeded in pushing the movement underground.


In 1985, Sikh terrorists bombed an Air India flight from Canada to India, killing all 329 people on board Air India Flight 182. It is the worst terrorist act in Canada's history.


The ending of Sikh militancy and the desire for a Khalistan catalyzed when the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto handed all intelligence material concerning Punjab militancy to the Indian government, as a goodwill gesture. The Indian government used that intelligence to put an end to those who were behind attacks in India and militancy.


The ending of overt Sikh militancy in 1993 led to a period of relative calm, punctuated by militant acts (i.e. the assassination of Punjab CM, Beant Singh in 1995) attributed to half a dozen or so operating Sikh militant organisations. These organisations include Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Liberation Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force.


Support for Khalistan is still widespread among Sikh communities in Canada and the United Kingdom.


New Delhi


Main article: 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings


Three explosions went off in the Indian capital of New Delhi on October 29, 2005 which killed more than 60 people and injured at least 200 others. The high number of casualties made the bombings the deadliest attack in India of 2005.It was followed by 5 bomb blasts on 13th September 2008.


Delhi security summit


Main article: 2007 Delhi security summit


The Delhi summit on security took place on February 14, 2007 with the foreign ministers of China, India, and Russia meeting in Hyderabad House, Delhi, India to discuss terrorism, drug trafficking, reform of the United Nations, and the security situations in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.[2][3]


Attack on Indian parliment


Terrorists on December 13, 2001 attacked the Parliament of India resulting in a 45-minute gun battle in which 9 policemen and parliament staffer were killed. All the five terrorists were also killed by the security forces and were identified as Pakistani nationals. The attack took place around 11:40 am (IST), minutes after both Houses of Parliament had adjourned for the day.


The suspected terrorists dressed in commando fatigues entered Parliament in a car through the VIP gate of the building. Displaying Parliament and Home Ministry security stickers, the vehicle entered the Parliament premises.


The terrorists set off massive blasts and have used AK-47 rifles, explosives and grenades for the attack. Senior Ministers and over 200 Members of Parliament were inside the Central Hall of Parliament when the attack took place. Security personnel sealed the entire premises which saved many lives.


Uttar Pradesh


Ayodhya crisis


Main article: 2005 Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya


The long simmering Ayodhya crisis finally culminated in a terrorist attack on the site of the 16th century Babri Masjid -Demolished Ancient Masjid in Ayodhya on July 5, 2005. Following the two-hour gunfight between Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists based in Pakistan and Indian police, in which six terrorists were killed, opposition parties called for a nationwide strike with the country's leaders condemning the attack, believed to have been masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim.


Varanasi blasts


Main article: 2006 Varanasi bombings


A series of blasts occurred across the Hindu holy city of Varanasi on 7 March 2006. Fifteen people are reported to have been killed and as many as 101 others were injured. No-one has accepted responsibility for the attacks, but it is speculated that the bombings were carried out in retaliation of the arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba agent in Varanasi earlier in February 2006.


On April 5, 2006 the Indian police arrested six Islamic militants, including a cleric who helped plan bomb blasts. The cleric is believed to be a commander of a banned Bangladeshi Islamic militant group, Harkatul Jihad-al Islami and is linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistani spy agency.[4]


Northeastern India


Main article: Insurgency in North-East India


Northeastern India consists 7 states (also known as the seven sisters): Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland. Tensions exists between these states and the central government as well as amongst the tribal people, who are natives of these states, and migrant peoples from other parts of India.


The states have accused New Delhi of ignoring the issues concerning them. It is this feeling which has led the natives of these states to seek greater participation in self-governance. There are existing territorial disputes between Manipur and Nagaland.


There is a rise of insurgent activities and regional movements in the northeast, especially in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura. Most of these organizations demand independent state status or increased regional autonomy and sovereignty.


Many of these are said to be China sponsored. North Eastern region tension have eased off-late with Indian and state government's concerted effort to raise the living standards of the people in these regions. However, militancy still exists in this region of India supported by external sources.


Nagaland


The first and perhaps the most significant insurgency was in Nagaland from the early 1950s until it was finally quelled in the early 1980s through a mixture of repression and co-optation. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), demands an independent Nagaland and has carried out several attacks on Indian military installations in the region. According to government officials, 599 civilians, 235 security forces and 862 terrorists have lost their lives between 1992 and 2000.


On June 14, 2001, a cease-fire agreement was signed between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM which had received widespread approval and support in Nagaland. Terrorist outfits such as the Naga National Council-Federal (NNC-F) and the National Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) also welcomed the development.


Certain neighbouring states, especially Manipur, raised serious concerns over the cease-fire. They feared that NSCN would continue insurgent activities in its state and demanded New Delhi scrap the ceasefire deal and renew military action. Despite the cease-fire the NSCN has continued its insurgency[citation needed].


Assam


After Nagaland, Assam is the most volatile state in the region. Beginning 1979, the indigenous people of Assam demanded that the illegal immigrants who had emigrated from Bangladesh to Assam be detected and deported. The movement lead by All Assam Students Union began non-violently with satyagraha, boycotts, picketing and courting arrests.


Those protesting frequently came under police action. In 1983 an election was conducted which was opposed by the movement leaders. The election lead to widespread violence. The movement finally ended after the movement leaders signed an agreement (called Assam Accord) with the central government in August 15, 1985.


Under the provisions of this accord, anyone who entered the state illegally between January 1966 and March 1971 were allowed to remain but were disenfranchised for ten years, while those who entered after 1971 faced expulsion. A November 1985 amendment to the Indian citizenship law allows non citizens who entered Assam between 1961 and 1971 to have all the rights of citizenship except the right to vote for a period of ten years.


New Delhi also gave special administration autonomy to the Bodos in the state. However, the Bodos demanded for a separate Bodoland which led to a clash between the Bengalis, the Bodos and the Indian military resulting in hundreds of deaths.


There are several organizations which advocate the independence of Assam. The most prominent of which is the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam). Formed in 1971, the ULFA has two main goals, the independence of Assam and the establishment of a socialist government.


The ULFA has carried out several terrorist attacks in the region targeting the Indian Military and non-combatants. The group assassinates political opponents, attacks police and other security forces, blasts railroad tracks, and attacks other infrastructure facilities. The ULFA is believed to have strong links with Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Maoists and the Naxalites.


It is also believed that they carry out most of their operations from the Kingdom of Bhutan. Because of ULFA's increased visibility, the Indian government outlawed the group in 1986 and declared Assam a troubled area. Under pressure from New Delhi, Bhutan carried a massive operation to drive out the ULFA militants from its territory.


Backed by the Indian Army, Thimphu was successful in killing more than a thousand terrorists and extraditing many more to India while sustaining only 120 casualties. The Indian military undertook several successful operations aimed at countering future ULFA terrorist attacks, but the ULFA continues to be active in the region. In 2004, the ULFA targeted a public school in Assam killing 19 children and 5 adults.


Assam remains the only state in the northeast where terrorism is still a major issue. The Indian Military was successful in dismantling terrorist outfits in other areas, but have been criticized by human rights groups for allegedly using harsh methods when dealing with terrorists.


On September 18, 2005, a soldier was killed in Jiribam, Manipur, near the Manipur-Assam border by members of the ULFA.


Tripura


Tripura witnessed a surge in terrorist activities in the 1990s. New Delhi blamed Bangladesh for providing a safe haven to the insurgents operating from its territory. The area under control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council was increased after a tripartite agreement between New Delhi, the state government of Tripura, and the Council. The government has since been brought the movement under control though certain rebellious factions still linger.


Manipur


In Manipur, militants formed an organization known as the People's Liberation Army. Their main goal was to unite the Meitei tribes of Burma and establish an independent state of Manipur. However, the movement was thought to have been suppressed after a fierce clash with Indian security forces in the mid 1990s.


On September 18, 2005, six separatist rebels were killed in fighting between Zomi Revolutionary Army and Zomi Revolutionary Front in the Churachandpur District.


On September 20, 2005, 14 Indian soldiers were ambushed and killed by 20 rebels from the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) terrorist organization, armed with AK-56 rifles, in the village of Nariang, 22 miles southwest of Manipur's capital Imphal. "Unidentified rebels using automatic weapons ambushed a road patrol of the army's Gorkha Rifles killing eight on the spot," said a spokesman for the Indian government.


On June 9, 2007, Eleven people have been killed[5] Eleven people have been killed in Moreh near the border with Myanmar.


Trouble started on Saturday after local residents recovered the bodies of five Kuki tribespeople with bullet wounds.


Angry Kukis attacked the local police station, where the bodies were kept, and razed several houses belonging to the rival Meitie ethnic group. Later in the evening, police recovered the bodies of six Meitie fishermen.


Currently there are 19 separate rebel groups operating in Manipur.


Mizoram


The Mizo National Front fought for over 2 decades with the Indian Military in an effort to gain independence. As in neighbouring states the insurgency was quelled by force.


South India


Karnataka


Karnataka is considerably less affected by terrorism in spite of having many places of historical importance and the IT hub of India, Bangalore. However, recently Naxal activity has been increasing in the Western Ghats. Also, a few attacks have occurred, major ones including an attack on IISc on 28th December 2005 and serial blasts in Bangalore on 26th July 2008.


Andhra Pradesh


Andhra Pradesh is one of the few southern states affected by terrorism, although of a far different kind and on a much smaller scale. The terrorism in Andhra Pradesh stems from the People's War Group or PWG, popularly known as Naxalites.


The 'PWG, has been operating in India for over two decades with most of its operations in the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh. The group is also active in Orissa and Bihar. Unlike the Kashmiri insurgents and ULFA, PWG is a Maoist terrorist organisation and communism is one of its primary goals.


Having failed to capture popular support in the elections, they resorted to violence as a means to voice their opinions. The group targets Indian Police, multinational companies and other influential institutions in the name of the communism. PWG has also targeted senior government officials, including the attempted assassination of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.


It reportedly has a strength of 800 to 1,000 well armed militiants and is believed to have close links with the Maoists in Nepal and the LTTE of Sri Lanka. According to the Indian government, on an average, more than 60 civilians, 60 naxal rebels and a dozen policemen are killed every year because of PWG led insurgency.Also one of the major terrorist attack is 25 August 2007 Hyderabad Bombing.


Tamil Nadu


Tamil Nadu had LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militants operating in state Tamil Nadu up until the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. LTTE had given many speeches in state Tamil Nadu led by Velupillai Prabhakaran, Tamilselvan and other Eelam members. Tamil Tigers, now a banned organisation, have been receiving many donations and support from India in the past.


The following are Listed Terrorist Organizations banned in India


* Black Tigers

* Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

* Tamil Tigers


and major listed incidents


* Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi


Tamil Nadu also faced terrorist attacks orchestrated by muslim funadamentalists. For more information refer, 1998 Coimbatore bombings


Indian Railways


India has hundreds of thousands of miles of railway track, and over 14,000 trains criss-cross the country every day. These are tempting targets for many of the groups described above, and attacks on trains, whether direct assaults, bombings or deliberate derailing through sabotage are common.


Air India Flight 182


Main article: Air India Flight 182


Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal-London-Delhi-Bombay route. On 23 June 1985 the Boeing 747-237B operating on the route was bombed over Irish airspace, killing all onboard. Until 11 September 2001, the Air India bombing was the single deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft. It remains to this day the largest mass murder in Canadian history.


The incident occurred within an hour of the Narita Airport Bombing. The plane, a Boeing 747-237B (c/n 21473/330, reg VT-EFO) named Emperor Kanishka exploded at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9500 m), crashing into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 329 people on board, of whom 280 were Canadian citizens and 22 were Indian nationals


See also


* Operation Blue Star

* Terrorism in Kashmir

* Sikh Extremism

* Naxalites

* Lashkar-e-Toiba

* Bombay Blasts

* Islamic terrorism

* Communalism (South Asia)


References


1. ^ India Assessment ' 2007

2. ^ 'Big three' hold key Delhi talks BBC News

3. ^ Foreign Ministers of India, China, Russia meet to take forward strategic ties New Kerala

4. ^ [1][dead link]

5. ^ [2][dead link]


Notes


* ^ "Sleeping over security". (26 August - 8 Sep) Business and Economy, p 38


External links


* Islam, Women, and the Violence in Kashmir between India and Pakistan

* Scholars respond to the attacks in Mumbai

* Database of terrorist incidents in India (January 2000 to July 2006)

* Faces of Terrorism in India

* Inside a jihadi training camp in Azad Kashmir, Radio France Internatioinale in English

* Dossier on the Mumbai attacks by Radio France Internationale's English-language service

READ MORE - Terrorism in India

Bangalore, Surat blasts key Suspect Arrested

E T Zainudheen alias Abdul Sattar

An alleged key suspect in last year's serial blasts in Bangalore and Surat was arrested in Hyderabad on Thursday.
E T Zainudheen (57) alias Abdul Sattar, a native of Malappuram in Kerala, who was allegedly actively involved in terror activities in different parts of the country, was arrested by the counter intelligence wing of Andhra Pradesh police, a senior police official said.
Sattar had been living in Hyderabad since 1998 and had stayed in eight houses at different localities since then, he said. Sattar, a radio mechanic, is an expert in timer devices and prepared circuits placed with timers used for Bangalore blasts last year, the police official said.
He also made timer devices that were found in the live bombs at various locations in Surat last year, he said. "We strongly suspect his role in last year's Bangalore blasts. He also made timer devices for Surat bombs," the official said.
Sattar is closely associated with Riyaz Bhatkal, a key leader of terror group Indian Mujahideen, he said. Sattar was in constant touch with Riyaz and terror suspect Sheik Abdul Jabbar, also a Keralite, who was arrested last year, he said. During interrogation, Sattar has confessed he hosted Riyaz and Jabbar for two days in October last year, the official said.
"Jabbar escaped from Kashmir after the encounter of four Kerala youth with the Indian army last year. He used to call Riyaz only through land phones," he added.
"Sattar is one of the key persons we've been looking for. We're hoping to get the transit warrant and bring him here for further interrogation. We are also looking for other accomplices but can't reveal those names right now as it might hamper investigations,” says Karnataka DGP, IG R Srikumar.

READ MORE - Bangalore, Surat blasts key Suspect Arrested

Domestic terrorism

Yesterday in New Delhi, a domestic violence case turned into an attempted murder scene right before the eyes of the magistrate. Geeta Jain had filed a domestic battery complaint against husband Vikas, he had been threatening her to take her complaint back, and there, right before the lawyers and the judge, the husband pulled out a dagger from under his shirt and cut his wife’s throat, almost killing her. Geeta Jain didn’t die, but was critically wounded.

Also yesterday, I watched a TV court drama where Kiran Bedi, India’s most famous woman police officer-turned-India’s Judge Judy, ruled on a domestic case where the frightened wife pleaded her case against her abusive husband. With all due respect to Ms. Bedi, (who I personally do admire and respect much), her judgement in the case played right into the hands of the abusive husband as Ms. Bedi, from her judge’s bench, ended up convincing the abused wife to go back to her husband since the husband had publicly apologized and supposedly repented for his behavior.

I remember the times from In my elementary school days, when night after night, I overheard sounds of our neighbor beating up on his wife, and her crying for help asking him to stop beating her. The first time I heard those sounds, I made a mention of it to my family who told me to shut up and never mention it to anyone in school or outside. In the evenings, I used to see the same neighboring couple walk hand in hand to the nearby park and was astonished to see the dramatic reversal from the midnight madness. As I grew up, I noticed a lot more blue and black faces of women in nearby and distant families, women beaten up by husbands, women afraid to speak up and women afraid to take a stand and walk away.

Domestic abuse and domestic battery, of either physical or emotional nature, is definitely not a uniquely Indian phenomenon. But historically, Indian women have shown a higher tolerance and sustained stamina to take a lot of such abuse from their husband or the husband’s family. And although the laws and the court systems and the environment has been changing for better, the community and neighborhoods aren’t what they used to be. And it is still a huge deal for a woman to stand up and actually go through the process of filing battery charges and following it up in the court system. And India, to a great extent, is still a very hypocritical country when it comes to respecting women - where with the treatment of female fetuses, casual attitude towards eve-teasing, domestic beatings or even dowry deaths.

Oh, I do very much regret my family’s not standing up for the neighboring lady. The elders didn’t think much of this domestic abuse thing until years later, when my own aunt went in coma after her doctor husband tried to kill her by overdosing her with insulin. From those times when a woman was India’s prime minister, to these present times when another woman is India’s president, not much may have changed for the average Indian woman who has been patiently waiting for a change in India’s social fabric.

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2009: A preview of security issues

New Year's Eve, being for revelry, seldom heralds in the New Year. Instead events that foreshadow it do. For instance, 2002 began with the parliament attack of 13 Dec 2001, and the year 2008 was set off by Benazir Bhutto's assassination. By that yardstick, 2009 can be dated to have ended last November itself. Beginning with the hideous terror attacks of 26/11 last year, 2009 may come to be judged as a pivotal one in South Asian history.

The aftermath of the Mumbai events has brought India and Pakistan close to blows. Stakes in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) raging in our vicinity being high, hot words were exchanged instead. The Islamist plan of diverting the Pakistani army from operations against the Taliban on its western borders was defeated. The Lashkar's attempt at highlighting India's internal problems by masquerading as the 'Deccan Mujahedeen' failed, with the bodies of the would-be Jihadis being denied space in Muslim graveyards. In repudiation of action purportedly in their cause by their self styled guardians, 60 percent of Kashmir's electorate turned out at polling stations; this within six months of Arundhati Roy informing of Kashmir's psychological secession from the idea of India.

India therefore begins 2009 from a position of strength. But how it approaches two intertwined security issues - one each in the internal security and external security planes - will determine how it ends the year.

Barack Obama, who ascends to the US presidency on 20 January, has indicated that he will be concentrating on Afghanistan. Towards this end the US has promoted its winning general from Iraq, General Petraeus, and put him in charge of US Central Command overseeing operations in Afghanistan. Already a troop surge is underway. Targets in Pakistan are being hit at will by the US using Predators. The Pakistani Army is to act as the second prong by continuing operations in the FATA and NWFP to the South. The Taliban has an expanding footprint in Pakhtun areas of Afghanistan. It has attempted to choke off US and NATO supplies headed northwards through the Khyber. Periodic terror attacks elsewhere in Pakistan are to carried out to dissuade and deter Pakistan in keeping its part of the bargain.

The two adversaries are poised on a fairly equal footing in the asymmetric war. The outcome of any war, being a play of 'chance', 'policy' and 'passion' - as theorised by the doyen of military philosophers, the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz - cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. The only certainty is that the situation shall worsen before it gets any better.

A decision on India's involvement or otherwise in pro-actively thwarting the Taliban would depend on the relative strength of the liberal segment of the political spectrum as against that of the right wing.

The developing situation could lead to US pressure on India in two divergent ways. In case of a compliant Pakistan, the US may ask India to provide some leeway on the Kashmir issue. There is talk of Richard Holbrooke as a presidential envoy on Kashmir, a potential job description that earlier rumours linked the name of former president Clinton to. In case of negative developments, India may be called on to fulfisl its end of the 'strategic partnership'.

India is in a critical position. The 'proactive' school is for greater involvement of India in the conflict. Alarmist headlines indicate that the Taliban are closer to Delhi than Delhi is to Lucknow. Votaries of a 'boots on the ground' approach see a threat in a spillover of the conflict this side of the Indus. Awaiting the threat at the doorstep is seen as a replay of the much denigrated 'Panipat syndrome' that, in this perspective, underpins India's somnolent strategic culture. Future terror attacks would strengthen this position; quite in keeping with the design of perpetrators of the attacks. India would be back at the juncture it has already traversed twice before, in December 2001 and 26/11.

Counter-intuitively, a decision on India's involvement or otherwise is not likely to be made based on the pros and cons, but instead would depend on the relative strength of the liberal segment of the political spectrum as against that of the right wing. Recent state elections, touted as a 'semi-final', have not thrown up a clear winner. The strategy of implicating the minority in staged terror attacks by fringe elements of the right wing and using 26/11 to project the ruling party as 'soft' on terror has not paid dividend.

The approach of the national elections would likely see a more aggressive right wing and also a rightward shift by the ruling party, unwilling to lose the potentially largest 'vote bank' comprising the majority. Consequently, media fanned public opinion could swerve national policy to a more 'proactive' stance than the precedence of a policy of restraint adopted by India would suggest. In case a Hindu nationalist government is in place in the latter part of the year, India's likely response can easily be assumed.

Kashmir's trajectory would also be an influence. The ascent of the third generation of the Abdullah family to power is very promising. It speaks of energy, youth, imagination and a lack of baggage. Omar Abdullah has also had administrative experience at the highest levels as union minister. Thus governance delivering the electorates demand of 'bijli, pani, sadak' would benefit. However, the consequential aspects are in the hands of the Centre, namely human rights, demilitarisation, autonomy and devolution of powers to sub-regions.

While the central government understandably would not be able to take any major initiative in light of national elections soon during Omar Abdullah's 'honey moon' period, the manifestos of the UPA and NDA, and possibly of the Third Front, should include their policy approach to Kashmir. Thus, on coming to power there would be no further loss of time in implementing the policy package. Mistaking the elections in Kashmir as an end in itself, would be to yet again let the Kashmiris down. In case India is to escape ill winds from across the Line of Control - a negative spiral in the GWOT could easily cause this - it has to approach Kashmir with greater dispatch.

Central and north-east India too cannot be ignored. The death toll in the north-east crossed 1000 in 2008, bringing the internal conflict there within the widely accepted definition of 'war', in this case an internal conflict. 'Liberated zones' are known to exist in central India. These call for an introspective security policy. The fashionable position to the contrary needs to be questioned. Election time is best for this. 2009 provides the opportunity to rethink India's destiny.

At the beginning of the year, India is poised such that she could go along either path. Just as in the earlier era when non-alignment made strategy easy to formulate, equally today Indian interests are reflexively seen as being aligned to those of the US. Since US presence and actions are contributing to a strengthening of Islamist forces in the region, we should be careful not to mistake the problem for the solution. Can the year be one in which India works along with its fellow states within a regional arrangement such as the SAARC to fashion a regional solution to the problem of extremism? ⊕

Firdaus Ahmed
21 Jan 2009

Firdaus Ahmed is a freelance writer on security issues and a regular contributor to India Together.

READ MORE - 2009: A preview of security issues

Terrorism and Rising Security Concerns in West Bengal

In response to a request from the state government, the centre has agreed to deploy a National Security Guard (NSG) detachment in Kolkata for contingencies. Additionally, the state government is planning to set up an institute to train its officers in countering urban terrorism. Questions like an impending terror threat in Kolkata, increase in Maoist activity in the state in the wake of Lalgarh, Singur and Nandigram and violent agitation for a separate Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling Hills continue to aggravate the existing sense of vulnerability in the state and particularly in the aftermath of the terror strike in Mumbai.

In a recent press interview, newly formed anti-terrorist squad Special Task Force (STF) chief Rajeev Kumar clearly mentioned that like other metros in the country, Kolkata remains on the radar of terrorists. Last month, the Union Home Minister attended an emergency security meeting in Kolkata after reports of suspected involvement of local operatives in the Mumbai mayhem. It was reported in the media that on 5 December the Kolkata police had arrested two suspected Muslim youths who allegedly procured SIM cards for the terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks.

It was only in the last month that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) warned the state government of possible terrorist attacks in strategic locations across the state. The agency stated that a Bangladesh-based militant group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), along with the outlawed Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), were plotting a major terror strike in the state. Elaborating the actionable intelligence input further, the agency claimed that nearly 24 HuJI militants and 12 cadres of KLO are currently in the state. The coming together of HuJI with KLO is dangerous as the KLO has been waging a separatist war against the state government since 1995 for a separate Kamtapur state comprising six districts of West Bengal namely Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Malda, North and South Dinajpur and four districts of the neighbouring state of Assam, such as Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Goalpara.

Infiltration of illegal Bangladeshi nationals has been another major security concern in the state. On 13 December night, the Border Security Force (BSF) fired shots at Bangladeshi infiltrators allegedly attempting to smuggle cattle across the border at Peasbari and Kestopur localities in Malda district. Suspected terrorists from Bangladesh sneak into India often through Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal but their onward movement to south, north and western parts of India has to be through West Bengal. In a similar way, the state is also considered an entry point to India's northeasten states as well as South Asian neighbours of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Security agencies claim that pumping of fake currency through illegal Bangladeshi and Nepalese in West Bengal has been one of the significant sources of funding for terror groups across India.

The state has not yet witnessed any major terror attack. However, suspected HuJI operatives from Bangladesh in January 2002 had targeted the American Centre building in Kolkata, killing four security guards and injuring at least 14 others. Airports, railway stations, metro stations, bus terminals and other crowded sensitive locations across the state have been on alert. Recently, central government has issued a directive to all states and union territories to secure each of the nearly 340 unused and abandoned airstrips in the country. These include one airstrip located in Panga in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. The district administration has been directed to monitor and conduct regular checks of the airport to prevent its misuse by terror groups.

The state has recently geared itself to tackle a somewhat new threat for India, namely that of postal terrorism or the parcel bomb. To identify the explosive materials in parcels in post office, the state has started introducing a special code in the parcels. This system has already been introduced in parcels to be transported in Kolkata-New Delhi Rajdhani express train and soon it will be introduced in other trains.

Additionally, an increase in Naxal activities in the forest areas of West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura and Birbhum and their alleged support to the movements in Lalgarh, Singur and Nandigram has also accentuated security vulnerabilities in the state. There have been reports that in the ongoing Gorkhaland agitation in Siliguri, Dooars and the Darjeeling Hills, Naxalite groups have provided tacit support. The report cannot be rejected completely as in the past senior Naxalite leader and the CPI (ML) general secretary Kanu Sanyal had openly expressed support for Gorkhaland. Tensions are likely to escalate in the Darjeeling hills as clashes are possible between pro-statehood group Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM) activists and opponents of statehood, including those from Jana Jagaran Manch (JJM) and Jana Chetana Mancha (JCM). The deteriorating security situation in the state is therefore, a matter of serious concern.

Maitreya Buddha Samantaray
Security Analyst, New Delhi
e-mail: samantaray.maitreya@gmail.com

READ MORE - Terrorism and Rising Security Concerns in West Bengal

With intelligence warning of terror attacks, Assam on high alert

Guwahati, Jan 19 : A maximum security alert has been sounded in Assam with intelligence reports about terrorists trying to stage violent attacks in the run-up to Republic Day, officials said here Monday.A police spokesman said security forces have stepped up anti-insurgency operations with reports that the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was planning to carry out violent strikes ahead of the Jan 26 celebrations.

“As always, the ULFA has been trying to carry out strikes in the lead up to Jan 26 and hence a massive security offensive and vigil is being carried out,” Assam police chief G.M. Srivastava told IANS.

In the past two weeks, security forces have killed seven ULFA militants in separate encounters, including two of them Sunday near Hajo, about 30 km west of Assam’s main city Guwahati.

“Militants of the ULFA’s 709 battalion have been trying to enter Guwahati and other towns ahead of Republic Day to create terror, but at the same time our security forces are on the job and hence been able to foil such attempts,” the police chief said.

In separate raids, security forces have managed to recover a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, including 27 AK 56 assault rifles seized from a village home in eastern Assam over the weekend.

“The militants are definitely trying to smuggle weapons and explosives, but the good thing is that we are getting tremendous support and cooperation from the local people who are helping the security forces in thwarting all nefarious designs,” Srivastava said.

Militant groups in the northeastern states of Assam, Tripura and Manipur have for years boycotted national events to support various demands.

There are some 30 rebel groups operating in the region with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy and the right to self-determination. More than 50,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the northeast since India’s independence in 1947.

READ MORE - With intelligence warning of terror attacks, Assam on high alert

Four cop schools for Assam

State to benefit from police revamp and counter-insurgency training plans

Guwahati, Jan 19 : Assam will get four counter-insurgency training schools for police and a good share of “redesigned” bullet-proof jackets — the kind that could have saved Hemant Karkare from terrorists’ bullets. The chief of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, K. Kaushik, today made the announcement about the schools, which will be part of 20 such institutions that the Centre has decided to set up across the country to impart specialised training to the police. Kaushik, who is here to attend the three-day 39th All India Police Science Congress that begins tomorrow, said the Centre would provide “some monetary” help to the state for the schools, apart from providing trainers drawn from CRPF and commando training institutions. Besides Assam, the schools would accommodate trainees from the other states of the Northeast. The Centre has also asked the state police to raise a special protection force of its own on the lines of the National Security Guard (NSG), Kaushik said. As part of its effort to revamp the police force, the home ministry is also procuring “redesigned” bullet-proof jackets. The move came after Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief, Karkare, was killed on the night the terror attacks began in Mumbai in November last year after being hit by bullets. Kaushik said Karkare was hit just above his bullet-proof vest, prompting the ministry to procure the redesigned grade-III (improved version) jackets. “In fact, the Bureau of Police Research and Development had requisitioned the jackets a few years ago when Kiran Bedi was its director, but because of bureaucratic red-tape, the procurement could not be made,” he said. Union home minister P. Chidambaram, Kaushik said, wanted to do things very fast and hence, 40,000 Grade III jackets have already been procured in the first phase. The three-day Police Science Congress will also dwell on the key performance indicators for various posts, units, ranks in the police and on separation of law and order and investigation and its impact and implications. Assam director-general of police, G.M. Srivastava, said during the media conference with Kaushik, that the arms recovered from a villager’s house in Sadiya subdivision of Tinsukia yesterday was that of Ulfa’s 28 battalion and was concealed before the two companies of the battalion came overground. He said the police have been tipped off about the concealment of more such arms and ammunition. The DGP also appealed to the villagers to voluntarily disclose to the police if militants had forced them to conceal arms in their house. “Later on, during our search if we find more arms in their house, we will be forced to treat them as abettors,” he added. The arms would have been handed over to the new rebel recruits undergoing training in Myanmar, the police chief said.

READ MORE - Four cop schools for Assam

Pak media says Indian Army Chief threatened them

Ludicrous takes a new meaning

Pakistan's English newspapers are indignant over General Deepak Kapoor's remark that all options are open to India - the comment has been perceived as a renewed threat of war to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Observer has reacted strongly to General Kapoor's remarks. "His statement warrants most serious consideration and appropriate response.

General Deepak Kapoor who was clad in star-studded uniform gave a clear threat that 'all options were open to India'.

His outburst was very calculated and well rehearsed on the basis of briefing given to him by the Indian government. He gave the impression of being diplomatic while uttering every word yet in our view the thrust of the press conference was on threat to Pakistan. Creating a hype of war is part of Indian strategy of coercion and intimidation," said the report.

The Observer added, "Ahead of schedule delivery of first of three Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) this week by Israel to India with dozens of technicians and electronic war fare advisors is a proof that New Delhi has not closed the option of adventurism."

The News writes, "Just as it seemed things are settling down on the Pakistan-India front, someone or the other on the Indian side acts to hike up the tensions once more. First, it was the Indian foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, who said that Islamabad was being evasive in its response to the 26/11 dossier. A day after that it was the Indian army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, who said that Pakistani troops had moved to the border with India and that 'all options were open'."

The News editorial concludes from the remarks that "there is an element of growing frustration in the Indian response. We must hope that soon the apparent confusion in the Indian capital will give way to a more rational and, even more important, consistent approach to the whole issue."

In an opinion piece in the Dawn, Cyril Almeida points to the futility of the Pakistan government's "action" on terror. The author quotes from a New York Times report of PM Gilani's first meeting in Washington with President Bush.

"Gilani wanted to tell Bush that he had sent forces into the tribal areas to clean out a major madrassa where hard-line ideology and intolerance were part of the daily curriculum. The one he decided to target was run by the Haqqani faction of Islamic militants.

"Though Gilani never knew it, Bush was aware of this in advance. The National Security Agency had picked up intercepts indicating that a Pakistani unit warned the leadership of the school about what was coming before carrying out its raid. 'They must have called 1-800-HAQQANI,' said one person who was familiar with the intercepted conversation. According to another, the account of the warning sent to the school was almost comic. 'It was something like, "Hey, we're going to hit your place in a few days, so if anyone important is there, you might want to tell them to scram," Almeida quotes.

"When the 'attack' on the madrassa came, the Pakistani forces grabbed a few guns and hauled away a few teenagers. Sure enough, a few days later Gilani showed up in the Oval Office and conveyed the wonderful news to Bush: the great crackdown on the madrassas had begun.

The officials in the room — Bush; his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley; and others - did not want to confront Gilani with the evidence that the school had been warned. Indeed, Gilani may not even have been aware that his gift was a charade: Bush and Hadley may well have known more about the military's actions than the prime minister himself," quotes the author from the NYT.

READ MORE - Pak media says Indian Army Chief threatened them

Five policemen killed in landmine attack in Latehar

Ranchi, Jan 17 : Five policemen were killed and two others injured when Maoists blew up their jeep with a landmine in Jharkhand's Latehar district today.

"A sub-inspector and four constables, including the driver of the jeep, were killed when the Maoists detonated the landmine on the Patki-Maneka road," Inspector General of Police S N Pradhan told media.

The injured were admitted to a hospital. The policemen were on their way to Latehar from Medininagar.

READ MORE - Five policemen killed in landmine attack in Latehar

Bombed out of ‘intelligence’

Security forces blame lack of inputs for inability to pre-empt blasts

Guwahati, Jan 17 : Lack of intelligence was named the chief culprit for 310 blasts that shook Assam in the past six years. Security agencies engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the state have virtually thrown up their arms in despair, admitting that most tip-offs end in a wild goose chase because of the “abysmally poor” inputs. Preventing blasts was a tall order in the absence of proper “actionable intelligence”, a senior police official said today. Another official disclosed that the department was flooded with “information”, but much of it was of no consequence. “It has often happened that personnel have been sent on a wild goose chase in one direction, while subversive activities were carried out in a completely different area,” he said. “Unless this scenario changes, there is not much hope of getting intelligence that is good enough for us to prevent attacks,” he said. Even chief minister Tarun Gogoi had said after the October 30 serial bla-sts that security forces had some “information” but this was not “actionable.” A home department official today said measures were afoot to streamline the intelligence gathering apparatus which would ensure flow of “quality information” rather than a “whole lot of rubbish that doesn’t help anybody except the militants”. He suggested that cash incentives and the right selection of informants could help . “Efforts are also on to involve citizens in gathering intelligence. We are trying to create awareness among the people that they, too, need to be vigilant and forthcoming with information,” the official said. Under fire after the recent serial blasts, the state police’s special branch, too, said it would not be able to meet the challenges of handling Islamic terrorism with the current staff crunch. A source in the special branch while admitting that it had almost no penetration among the Islamic militant groups operating in the state, said it has moved the home department to first fill up its existing vacancies. The vacancy starts right at the top. An inspector-general of police currently heads the special branch since the post of the additional director-general of police is lying vacant. The branch also needs an additional SP, two DSPs, 32 inspectors, a sub-inspector, five assistant sub-inspectors, 50 head constables, 14 nayaks and 64 constables. All the posts are lying vacant. “At a time when we should ideally create new posts to expand our network, the branch is not able to even fill up the existing posts,” the official rued.

READ MORE - Bombed out of ‘intelligence’

Cops chin up for R-day

New Delhi Support from states hit by terror, Naxals


Security will be very tight on Republic Day as police officers from other states have been called in to see through the celebrations.


Sources said 25 sub-inspectors from district intelligence units of various terror-hit states in the country will be part of R-Day’s security blanket in the Capital.

These men were handpicked by the respective state’s inspector generals and have extensive knowledge on terror bases and activities, varying from those of religious fanatics to naxals. Cops from Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, who specialise in handling religious extremists and also from naxal-affected states like Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are already patrolling Delhi to ferret out any possible mischief-maker from their states.


An officer said: “These men know what is going on in their states. We are trying to bring all district intelligence inputs on a common platform. We are hoping they can spot perpetrators who are active in their areas.”


In another significant move, the Delhi Police has decided not to put on duty any police officer from its own cadre who has a ‘questionable past’. The security wing of the state is also verifying antecedents of each cop — from Delhi and outside — by cross-checking their track record with police stations they are currently posted at. A senior police officer said the police top brass in various states have already begun the process of verifying whether the selected cops have a criminal record or any complaint against them. “Even minor offences like a fight will be counted,” he said. Another said: “We shall not take chances.”


Sources in this wing told Newsline that officers in the Capital’s districts have been served notice to be part of the Republic Day security.

These men rank from constables to inspectors. Only those cops are being considered who have been on guard at important functions — like the Republic Day and Independence Day — at least once in their career.

READ MORE - Cops chin up for R-day

Pakistan's ISI now train women for terrorism

Can it get uglier?


Security forces in Jammu & Kashmir have found the new face of terror - during an interrogation of a woman arrested last week by the J&K police for providing logistics support for the JeM and Let militants, it was revealed that Pakistan's ISI is reportedly inducting women into militancy.

TV reports suggest that ISI is adopting a new ploy and training woman to carry out militant attacks.

During interrogation of an alleged ISI agent arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police, she confessed that she was trained by the ISI in the Bhiber and Kotli forests in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The video footage shows Asiya Malik - a woman militant, revealing that about 100 girls are being trained in terrorist camps financed by ISI in PoK to carry out militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

In her recorded conversation, Malik reveals how Pakistani girls are being trained in the handling of weapons, explosives, jungle warfare and sabotage activities. She said the women are being trained in two militant training camps in Bhimber and Kotli areas across the Line of Control in PoK.

"I've seen the Mujahideen training camps. Women are also being trained here. Right now, there are about 700 women receiving arms training in different militant camps run by the ISI. These women are also provided with terror literature and taught how to use small arms like guns & grenades," she said in a recorded confession.

Malik also told interrogators that the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was financing these training camps and that the recruits come from various countries including Saudi Arabia.

READ MORE - Pakistan's ISI now train women for terrorism

Avoid another J&K-like problem

India's economically underdeveloped northeast region shares its boundary with four countries and has suffered due to insurgency ,illegal influx of Bangladeshis, and cross- border terrorism backed by the ISI

While India faces a constant threat from terrorism sponsored by its Western neighbour, the country's northeast too faces an increasing threat of cross- border terrorism, also encouraged and abetted by state agencies of Pakistan.

Even after making all attempts to plug the loopholes in the preventive mechanism, an attack could not be stopped in Assam on January 1, when P.Chidambaram made his maiden trip as the Home Minister . In 2008 alone over a thousand persons were killed in terrorist- related violence in the northeastern states. The bulk of these deaths occurred in two states - Assam and Manipur. Assam reported 372 fatalities while the death toll in Manipur was just shy of 500, second only to Kashmir, which recorded 539 deaths.
While the country has been preoccupied with Kashmir and escalating terrorist violence elsewhere, separatist related violence in the northeast has been on the rise. The total number of deaths in this region has increased from 640 in 2006 to 1,057 in 2008.

INSURGENCY

Though success of varying degrees has been achieved by the government vis- à- vis various rebel groups from the region since 2003, groups like United Liberation Front of Asom ( ULFA), aim to wage a relentless war void of any clear objective and with support from elements in the Bangladeshi establishment and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence. The ISI and the Directorate General of Field Intelligence ( DGFI) of Bangladesh are agencies which reportedly facilitate the ULFA's presence and operations.

Groups in Manipur too show no signs of any compromise.

Manipur, with the second highest number of terrorist related deaths after Kashmir, has remained below the national radar. All 59 police stations in the state have reported terrorist activities, and 32 of them have been placed in the high violence category.

The number of terrorists killed in Northeast has increased from 317 in 2006 to 501 in 2007 and to 612 in 2008. But the civilian death toll too has risen from 231 in 2006 to 405 in 2008. Since 1994, an estimated 16,271 persons have been killed in this volatile region. India has been trying for a while to get its neighbours to close down the camps and flush out the militants from their sanctuaries. In December 2003, under considerable pressure from India, the Royal Bhutan Army launched military operations against camps in southern Bhutan along the India- Bhutan border. Some 30 camps belonging to the ULFA, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland ( NDFB) and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation and others were closed down and about 600 insurgents were killed. But regimes in Bangladesh remain defiant.

However, India is hopeful that following the victory of Awami League in Bangladesh polls, Dhaka would adhere to its demand of dismantling the terror infrastructure and handover the fugitives ( Indian insurgent groups).

ILLEGAL MIGRATION

The terror attacks in Assam last October killed 70 people and had the stamp of Lashkar- e- Taiba ( LeT) and Harkat- ul- Jihadi- Islami's (HuJI) involvement.

Illegal migration is emerging as a migraine for the country and threatening to alter Northeast's demography. With tacit support from political parties, particularly in Assam, illegal immigrants are not only a burden on the state's resources but also a breeding ground for Pak- sponsored terrorism.

Though there are no official figures of actual numbers of illegal Bangladeshis in Assam, their population, according to a rough estimate could be over 2 million of the state's 30 million people.

The problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam and other parts of the northeast is not only a threat to the identity of the people of the region but also a threat to the nation. The infiltration from Bangladesh is also paving way for sneaking in of ISI operatives to the country.

Expediting the fencing work particularly along Indo- Bangladesh border ( over 4,000 km), issuing of multi- purpose I-cards and putting an end to political interference are imperative to check illegal migration.

BANGLADESH FACTOR

Bangladesh is being used to plan and execute terror attacks against India. Increasing use of its territory by religious extremists, pan- Islamist outfits, and insurgents operating in India's northeast, remains the most serious threat not only to the internal security of the country, but also to the regional security environment.

A number of transnational Islamist terrorist groups, including the al- Qaeda, have established a presence in Bangladesh in alliance with various indigenous militant fundamentalist organisations.

Prominent among these is the Harkat- ul- Jehadi- e- Islami, Bangladesh ( HuJI- BD), which was established with direct aid from Osama bin Laden in 1992.

The HuJI- BD has very close links with the ISI. Indian insurgent groups like ULFA are working in close unison with HuJI- BD and according to US based intelligence think- tank Stratfor have outsourced terror operations to the latter.

Ever since independence, northeast India has witnessed ethnic insurgencies, which have political manifestations and aspirations. What initially began as a home- grown insurgency was sustained in the later years through support in India's neighbourhood.

Any solution therefore has to be arrived at not only through political and social means, but also by dismantling the terror infrastructure on foreign soil and sealing the frontier. Local support for illegal migrants also must dry up to control terrorism.

Over and above a marked improvement in the quality of governance in the states of northeast is imperative to wean away the youth from insurgency.

Controlling corruption, generating jobs and creating capacity building avenues will help a long way in meeting the aspirations of the local youth.
Courtesy: Mail Today 

READ MORE - Avoid another J&K-like problem

NIA Needs Real Teeth, Claws to Fight Terror

BY  JOGINDER SINGH, IPS  FORMER  DIRECTOR,  CBI

True to the traditions of willing to strike, but afraid to wound, a small step has been taken to set up a federal investigating agency that is to be called the National Investigating Agency (NIA). The Lok Sabha has passed it.

The NIA will have exclusive powers to initiate investigations into major terror cases — to be identified by it on the basis of the enormity of the terror act and its inter-state and international ramifications, across states without getting special permission from them.

Drug trafficking and counterfeit currency have been clubbed together with terrorism as designated “scheduled crimes” that can be dealt with by the NIA.

The proposal of a special anti-terror law, however, was not approved as some ministers, probably with votebank concerns, opposed it on the alleged ground of the possibility of the law being misused against minorities, tribals and others.

Three other proposals — putting the onus of proving innocence on the accused, to treat the accused’s statement in police custody as evidence during trial, preventive detention of terror suspects in case of apprehension of misuse — were also rejected.

The passing of the NIA proposal into law is a direct outcome of the terror attacks on Mumbai from 26 to 29 November.

As a month has passed, the effect of the tragedy, if not exactly forgotten, has been dimmed. But the fact remains that having information of an offense is different from the evidence required to prove a case in the court of law.

The law is there to target and threaten “lying” witnesses and not to protect those who are scared, pressurized and vulnerable, especially in terrorist-related offenses.

The biggest defect in the NIA proposal is that the agency comes into picture only after a crime has been committed. We have no agency which is clearly charged with preventing terrorism and tackling it in all its nuances.

It is still not too late to also give the responsibility for prevention of anti-national crimes to the NIA, along with the other agencies, including the state police. Instead of leaving the matter vague, it is best to pinpoint and fix responsibility after, of course, all the modalities have been worked out. The original proposal had put the onus on the accused to prove that s/he is not a terrorist. Now, the prosecution has to prove it.

How do you prove that a particular person is from Pakistan and is a terrorist (as most terrorism in India is flowing from Pakistan). It is too much to expect, and it will never happen, that either the Pakistani government or the ISI or other terrorists organizations there would come and depose in an Indian court that so and so, who has been caught in India, is a Pakistani and a terrorist trained or sponsored by them.

With a view to protect the rights of the terrorists we have done a self-goal in not making the confessions of terrorists made to the police admissible in the court of law. This despite the fact that in cases of drugs and money laundering, confessions made to the officers of departments which are investigating the offenses are admissible in court. There are a few new very welcome features in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill which embraces a terror definition that includes attack on any public functionary. Also, there’s provision for imprisonment of up to 10 years for getting explosives, radioactive substances, nuclear devices etc with the intention of abetting terror acts, and life imprisonment for organizing terror camps or recruiting any person for terrorist activities. Terror suspects can be held without charge for up to 180 days and police custody can stretch up to 30 days. There is no bail if the court is satisfied that the allegation is prima facie true and there’s a blanket ban on bail if the accused is a foreign national.

Experience has shown that in spite of having half-a-dozen intelligence gathering agencies like the Intelligence Bureau, RAW, Defense Intelligence Agency, Air Force and Naval intelligence units, BSF, CRPF, and state intelligence units, Joint Intelligence Council, National Security Board and National Security Adviser, everybody is keen to secure approbation from their own bosses. Instead of passing on the intelligence to those who are to act on it, the information is sent vertically and not horizontally. In these matters, there should be one commander and not a marriage party type of functioning, where everybody is a VIP and can get his or her way.

Data Bank: The result is a khichri of intelligence and nobody knows who does or should maintain the data bank of terrorists, their sympathizers and supporters. It is vital that a data bank of all such elements, whether arrested, charged, acquitted or convicted, is maintained and is readily available for reference and record.

How the NIA should be constituted: Investigation is a painstaking job where a lot of backroom work needs to be done. In fact, it takes a good 12-15 years to produce a good investigator. Even if the legal framework exists, there is no way the NIA could become functional from day one. Indeed, most states are reluctant to part with their best officials for deputation to the Central government. Such an agency, therefore, should draw the best people from all streams — income-tax, customs, police, engineering, information technology, atomic energy, banking, Navy, Air Force, Army, as well as scientists.

To begin with, the responsibility to head NIA should be given to the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) who already has investigators at his disposal. As Director of NIA, he should be vested with absolute powers and charged with showing results. Later on, depending on the situation, this agency could be separated from the CBI. It is already too late and the sooner it is done the better it would be… before another Mumbai is repeated elsewhere.
  
(Joginder Singh is a former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation)

READ MORE - NIA Needs Real Teeth, Claws to Fight Terror

NIA will come into being from today: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI, Jan 2 : Seven years after being set up as the nodal agency within the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to coordinate intelligence sharing relating  to terrorism, the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) finally became fully functional on Wednesday -- a move reflecting the necessity of such a step in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks. ( Watch )

26/11 clearly exposed the state of the intelligence sharing mechanism in the country. The Mumbai Police reportedly did not get the intelligence even though central agencies had specific inputs of the threats to the city.

"The MAC which has now become operational on a 24x7 basis will remove such difficulties of coordination in future. Any intelligence received by a central agency will automatically be transferred, under the new system, to the state police through a compueterized system", said a senior home ministry official.

The MAC, incidentally, became functional on the day when President Pratibha Patil gave her assent to the law for setting up yet another central body -- the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA, being set up to investigate terror-related cases across the country, will come into being from January 1 and will be headed by a director-general level police officer.

"The order constituting the NIA will be issued on Thursday," Union home minister P Chidambaram said while addressing a press conference, hours after the President gave her assent to the NIA Bill as also to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, which have now become law.

The home minister said: "As and when any case is assigned to NIA, it will take up investigation. The director-general of the new agency will be named in the next few days."

Replying to a question, Chidambaram said that cases to be taken up by NIA would be decided by a committee of two judges, who would decide the merit of each case within seven working days and the government would take a decision in as many days. The evidence provided by the agency would also be vetted by an independent committee comprising two retired judges, he added.

On the probe into the Mumbai attacks, he said: "Investigations are progressing on the right track."

Referring to other measures being taken by the government to fight terrorism, he said work was in progress to set up 20 counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism schools across the country, besides the setting up of four regional hubs of the National Security Guard (NSG).

About MAC, which was established on December 6, 2001, the home minister admitted that the Centre has not been able to fully achieve its objectives.

"Accordingly, an executive order has been issued today under which MAC has been obliged to share intelligence with all other intelligence agencies, including agencies of the state government and Union Territories (UTs)," said Chidambaram who would review its overall functioning in a special meeting on Thursday.

Subsidiaries of MAC (SMAC) have been established in many state capitals. In due course, SMACs for intelligence coordination at the local level will be established in every state capital.

About strengthening the IB, the home minister said that sanction has been accorded to the bureau to fill up the vacancies in the executive cadre on an priority basis. Ten officers of SP, DIG and IG levels have been appointed to the IB against vacancies, he added.

Chidambaram said that 20,000 bullet proof jackets for central paramilitary forces were also being procured.

As for other measures, he said financial allocation has been made for constructing 27 new border roads on the Sino-India border. Instructions have been issued to complete the preparatory work so that work can begin on May 1, 2009. Besides, Rs 94.15 crore has been released for securing critical infrastructure in naxal-affected areas under a new scheme of the home ministry.

Referring to peace efforts in the north-east, the home minister said that all militant groups engaged in peace negotiations with the government must observe the ground rules in "letter and spirit".

"Suspension of operations should be observed in letter and spirit. We do not accept any group indulging in violence, whether they are naxals or others," he said when asked about the involvement of the Bodo militant group NDFB in the October 30 serial blasts in Assam.

Chidambaram, who will visit Assam on Friday to review the security situation in the north-east, said the CBI has taken over the cases related to the Assam blasts that claimed over 85 lives. It has started the investigations.

READ MORE - NIA will come into being from today: Chidambaram