ULFA...proposed peace talks may see Chetia back to India

Bangladesh agrees to send Chetia back to India

Vishwa Mohan, TNN, Jan 24, 2011, 11.37am IST
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh has agreed to deport Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia to India. The deportation can, however, take place only when the fugitive withdraws his petition seeking "political asylum" in the neighbouring country.
Referring to the recent discussion between New Delhi and Dhaka over the issue, sources here said that though Bangladesh had in principle agreed to deport Chetia, the Ulfa leader's petition was acting as "a major stumbling block" in this direction as the matter has come up in a court there.
"Unless the court takes a decision denying Chetia political asylum or he himself withdraws his petition, the matter may not move. Efforts are, therefore, being made to communicate to Chetia and convince him through recently released top Ulfa leaders, including chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, to withdraw the petition," said a source.
Rajkhowa, who was released from jail on January 1 after the Assam Police did not object to his bail plea, will soon write to Chetia about withdrawing the petition so that he can come back and be part of the proposed peace talks. "These matters were discussed during the home secretary-level talks between two countries in Dhaka last week," said an official. India wants Chetia to be part of the peace talks, particularly when he is learnt to have expressed his support to Rajkhowa and others.
"His participation in the proposed talks will strengthen the peace efforts with Ulfa, even without the involvement of the outfit's commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah who is strongly opposed to any such move," said the official. Besides Rajkhowa, others who are in favour of the talks include Ulfa vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi, former deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, cultural secretary Pranati Deka, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary and senior political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTEvMDEvMjUjQXIwMTEwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah....getting ready for tough days ahead

J&K cops to replace central forces

Vishwa Mohan, TNN, Jan 20, 2011, 03.21am IST
NEW DELHI: J&K government is ready to put in more than 5,000 locally-recruited policemen, trained as commandos, to tackle possible separatist protests like the ones seen last year, and fill the void that will be created when the Centre pulls out paramilitary boots from the Valley and parts of Jammu. CM Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said efforts were being made to increase the role of J&K police even in the counter-insurgency grid.
This was, however, not going to happen overnight. ''This is a constant endeavour of the state government, supported by the Centre that more and more role is transferred to the J&K police. Gradually, we will reduce the role of Army and central paramilitary forces, particularly in urban areas. This is an ongoing process and it will continue,'' he said.
In fact, nearly 40,000 personnel (both from Army and paramilitary) had been relocated from populated areas in the state in 2009 when there was a period of calm. They all had to move in again after street violence erupted last year.
The CM explained that there was no harm in moving forces out of civilian areas, one there is no protest or violence over a longer period. He said forces could well be placed in such a way that they can quickly be deployed, if needed.
Of course, this is not the only measure which governments, both Centre and state, have in mind. Removal of bunkers, revoking the operation of Disturbed Areas Act from some urban areas and recruitment of local youths in state police, paramilitary forces and Army are some of the other measures that are at different stages of implementation.
''As many as 26 bunkers of security forces have already been removed from Srinagar. More such bunkers will be removed from the city and other towns in due course if peace continues,'' he said.
About the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), he said he had set up two groups consisting of Army Corps Commanders of Srinagar and Nagrota, J&K director general of police and home secretary to examine areas where the Disturbed Areas Act, which gives special powers to the armed forces, was not needed.
''Unfortunately at that time both the corps commanders and the northern army commander were due to be shifted. Now the new incumbents are in place. These group will meet and finalize recommendations in a time-bound manner.,'' he said......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTEvMDEvMjAjQXIwMTkwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

MORE FROM OMAR:

A few hiccups aside, interlocutors have done a good job in Kashmir

TNN, Jan 20, 2011, 03.28am IST

In an interaction with reporters at The Times Of India's office, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah discussed peace, politics and people of the Valley

During the last year of protests what kind of learning have you gone through?

A very mixed sort. We had a good budget session, we had unexpectedly strong support from planning commission in terms of plan size. We really set about approaching 2010 as a year with a lot of development and a lot of activity on the ground. It really started that way and if you see the number of tourists that flooded in to the state March, April, May, and the first week of June it looked like its going to be a record year. If things had remained as they were we would have crossed 7 lakh for the year easily and in spite of the trouble we crossed 5.5 lakh and that was the four months of our peak season. Then of course June happened and what can one say. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what triggered this off. Now lessons. First that you need to avoid incidents like Macchil, which even the Army publicly and privately will admit its essential. Second, equipment designated as non-lethal if not used properly can prove lethal. Third, there could be better ways of managing forces, to lock down areas, selective use of restrictions and curfews so protests don't spread, more opportunities and interactions with youngsters like we saw recently in downtown Srinagar with the requirement drive. Things like that are all aspects that hadn't been done for Srinagar. Srinagar hasn't had a direct police recruitment for more than 20 years. This was the first time it was done. So things like this will definitely help

How are the interlocuters doing?

There have been a couple of hiccups but I think they have done a good job. What they haven't done is parked themselves in a guesthouse in Srinagar. They have gone out saying look we are here and we are not leaving till the time you talk to us. So they have gone to Anantnag, to Baramulla, Rajouri, Poonch. They have gone into colleges and universities. They have heard students. Some of the stuff they've heard has not been pleasant. But it's important that they get a chance to be heard and these people factor that in to whatever its going to recommend. Because you can't be sitting in Srinagar or Jammu imagine what the thought process is in Rajouri, Kupwara or far flung areas like that.

Is this principally a political task? How come the political class has not been able to listen to people, understand their grievances, find solutions to them?

I think if the interlocuters' role becomes one of bijli, sadak, paani, I will be the first person to stand up and say hang on; thus far and no further. Because that is not their job. Their recommendations also have been largely in the nature of what can help confidence building for a political dialogue. But so far, I think what has also helped the process is that they haven't been treading on our toes as a sort of super government or a super cabinet that is there to decide on where a bridge is built and where a road is extended or things like that.

Back to those three bad months last year. Why do you think the violence didn't stop. It just went on?

I think the mood was very raw and they were so many groups that were there to fan the flames. I mean the end goal may have been slightly different. But the short term goal of a few of them was the same —my removal as chief minister and placing the state under governor's rule with elections in the near future — and their sympathizers or supporters here in Delhi were happy to write in the newspapers calling for exactly the same thing. I mean mainstream political parties who you would have thought would have at least condemned the closure of educational institutions, attacking of health infrastructure, government infrastructure were happy to support what was happening, (saying) this is just the sign of anger against the state government and it has nothing to do with anything else, until they found that even they weren't able to leave their homes.

That was a large part of it and I think really that changed after a cabinet (CCS) meeting some time in September, where the government of India made it very clear that the state would not change, that the Centre will not impose the governor's rule and that this situation has to be dealt with politically. But it is not going to have a change of dispensation and that message went out to a number of these fringe elements............http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDExLzAxLzIwI0FyMDIzMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Mysterious murder of Sunil Joshi adds another twist to Hindu radicals' terror acts

NIA to probe murder of Samjhauta bomber


Vishwa Mohan, TNN, Jan 13, 2011, 05.38am IST
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) "will eventually" probe the killing of one of the bombers of Samjhauta Express, Sunil Joshi as the ongoing investigation points at enough evidence linking his death with the Hindu radicals who were "directly or indirectly" involved in a number of terror attacks during 2006-08. Joshi was mysteriously murdered outside his house in Dewas in December 2007.
Though Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan had recently ruled out handing over the case to NIA, officials here indicated that "the central probe agency will eventually probe it" by taking it up suo motu considering the "terror angle" behind Joshi's murder.
"Had his killing not been linked with the terror cases, the issue of NIA taking up the case would not have even be discussed," said an official. The revelation comes at a time when the NIA, CBI, Maharashtra and Rajasthan police have been looking for 10 to 15 Hindu radicals for their "direct or indirect" role in the terror incidents.
While NIA is probing the blasts in the Samjhauta Express train and at Modasa in Gujarat, the CBI has the Mecca Masjid case. On the other hand, the Ajmer dargah blast case probe is with the Rajasthan police while the Maharashtra ATS had probed the Malegaon blast cases.
"All the agencies have been coordinating with each other in their respective probes as footprints of the accused appear to be everywhere linking them with many incidents, specifically the blasts in Malegaon (2006 and 2008), Samjhauta, Ajmer, Modasa and Mecca Masjid ( Hyderabad)," said an official.....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDExLzAxLzEzI0FyMDE1MDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Bomb for Bomb: New twist in Swami's confession

Swami spills beans on Sangh leader’s ‘ISI links’

Aseemanand Says Col Purohit Suspected Indresh Kumar Of Crossing Over To Other Side

Vishwa Mohan
TNN
New Delhi: RSS leader Indresh Kumar may be under the CBI scanner for his suspected role in “saffron” terror but he might have been seen as an apostate by the Abhinav Bharat crew, with Lt Col Srikant Purohit, held for the Malegaon blast, seeing the Sangh man as an “ISI agent”.
In his confession in the Mecca Masjid case, Swami Aseemanand, who claims to know a lot about a number of bomb blasts allegedly carried out by Hindu extremists in 2006-08, has said Purohit saw Indresh as a renegade who had crossed over to the other side.
Aseemanand has recalled that Purohit had “also” once told him that “Indreshji is an ISI agent” and he (Purohit) had documents with him about this, indicating that others might have earlier told the Swami about the RSS man’s Pakistan links. He, however, added: “...Col Purohit had never shown him those documents.” Purohit — who had worked with Military Intelligence for many years — is currently in jail.
Indresh had earlier attracted sharp criticism from Purohit and other radicals for his attempt to woo Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. The RSS leader’s bid to flag off Muslims on yatras — a scheme that went largely unnoticed — had incensed some of the Abhinav Bharat members.
The Swami, in his statement, has also claimed that Sunil Joshi (the operational man who was allegedly killed by his own men) had told him that two Muslim boys along with him (Joshi) and others carried out the blast in Ajmer (in October 2007).
“When I asked Sunil Joshi as to how did he get Muslim boys, he told me that Indreshji had given it to him,” claimed Aseemanand in his confession, made before metropolitan magistrate Deepak Dabas here last month in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast case of the CBI.
The Swami, born as Naba Kumar Sarkar, while referring to these two Muslim boys said he warned Joshi that if he was caught, Indresh’s name would also be exposed. This was why Joshi had a threat to his life from Indresh.
Aseemanand claimed that he also told Joshi that by using Muslim boys, he would end up being targeted by Islamic extremists too. The Swami claimed that he had therefore advised Joshi not to go anywhere and stay at Sabri Dham in Gujarat. Incidentally, Joshi was killed in December 2007.
Asked about Aseemanand’s claim about Indresh’s involvement in financing a number of bomb blasts, a top CBI official said: “So far, we don’t have any corroborative evidence to point at Indresh’s criminality, but the RSS leader continues to be on our radar.”
About Indresh, the Swami who was arrested by the CBI from Haridwar in November 2010, also claimed that the RSS leader had, in fact, once told him that he should better concentrate on his works among tribals as the “bomb-forbomb” operation was not meant for him.
“Indreshji told me that this responsibility (bomb-forbomb) is given to Sunil and whatever help Sunil needs would be provided by him,” claimed Aseemanand in his confession before the court under Section 164 of the CrPC.
He also stated that he had come in contact with all the key men — Sunil Joshi, Sandeep Dange, Ram Chandra Kalsangra and others — through Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is also currently in jail in connection with her role in the 2008 Malegaon blast.
In his statement, he also spoke about the presence of Abhinav Bharat leader Himani Savarkar in one of the meetings in which their “bomb-for-bomb” plan was discussed to take revenge for a number of terror attacks carried out by jihadi elements.
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Acts of Hindu extremists...Swami's confession bares it all

Aseemanand owns up to strike on Mecca Masjid

Vishwa Mohan & Abantika Ghosh, TNN, Jan 8, 2011, 01.37am IST
NEW DELHI: Aseemanand, the hardline Hindutva swami, has confessed to his involvement in the terror attack on Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid, while confirming that bomb attacks on the mosques in Malegaon (in 2006 and 2008) as well as the Samjhauta Express were carried out by Hindu radicals and he knew about it.
What reportedly led to the confession: the swami was cared for in jail by a Muslim, who was wrongly arrested in the Mecca Masjid blast, leading to the act of "atonement".
Aseemanand aka Jatin Chatterjee, born Naba Kumar Sarkar, has linked Hindu radicals also to the blast in a minority-dominated locality in Gujarat's Modasa town.
Further, he said RSS leader Indresh Kumar was part of the plan hatched to avenge bomb attacks on temples, but said that militant Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath provided no help to one of the accused.
Indresh, Aseemanand claimed, helped enlist members of the saffron terror plot, including Sunil Joshi and Ramchandra Kalsangra, aka Ramji. In a statement before a magistrate under Section 164 CrPC (admissible in a court of law) the swami also identified the group of radicals who were part of the 'bomb-for-bomb' plan.
He said the Hindu radicals allegedly attacked mosques and the train carrying Pakistani citizens as part of the 'bomb-for-bomb' plan to retaliate against jihadi terror.
Before making his confession, Aseemanand reportedly told the magistrate that he knew he could be sentenced to death but he still wanted to make the confession because of the arrest of Kaleem, wrongly it now transpires, for the Mecca Masjid blast. Kaleem's plight motivated Aseemanand to think of "atonement" so that innocents don't suffer.
The confession reveals that the network behind saffron terror was far stronger and motivated, and its reach wider than suspected so far.
It cannot be used as evidence in other cases of alleged saffron terror since they are being investigated by other agencies. But it can help with other probes.
Also, it raises serious questions about the course of investigation into the 2006 Malegaon blast, considering that the Maharasthra ATS and CBI have already chargesheeted Muslim accused.
According to Aseemanand, the key figures in the Hindutva terror conspiracy are Joshi (who was allegedly killed by his co-conspirators), Sandeep Dange and Kalsangra, both of whom are absconding, and about 10 others who have already been nabbed.
Explaining his motivation, Aseemanand told interrogators that he was angry by the attacks on Hindu temples by "Muslim terrorists". "This caused great concern and anger in me. I used to share my concern about the growing menace of Islamic terorism with Bharat Ritheshwar of Valsad," he said.
But it was the attack on Varanasi's Sankatmochan temple which proved to be the last straw for the swami who had so far been known for his forceful opposition to proselytization by Christian missionaries in Gujarat's tribal Dangs area.
Interestingly, Aseemanand told the magistrate who recorded his statement that he decided to confess because of Kaleem, who was his co-inmate in Chanchalguda prison. Kaleem, a mobile phone seller, had to spend one-and-a-half years in jail in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast, a crime which has now been established as the handiwork of Hindutva radicals. He landed up in the same jail, this time for a different offence, at a time when Aseemanand was also lodged there.
He took great care of the swami. The gesture moved Aseemanand to such an extent to make him to atone by way of confession so that the "real culprits can be punished and no innocent has to suffer".
"During my interaction with Kaleem, I learnt that he was previously arrested in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case and he had to spend about one-and-a-half years in prison. During my stay in jail, Kaleem helped me a lot and used to serve me by bringing water, food etc for me. I was very moved by Kaleem's good conduct and my conscience asked me to do prayaschit (penance) by making confessional statement."


'Malegaon picked as 80% of its population is Muslim'

Why the confession

"When I was in Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad, one of my co-inmates was Kaleem. During my interaction with Kaleem I learnt that he was previously arrested in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case and he had to spend about one-and- a-half years in prison. During my stay in jail, Kaleem helped me and served me by bringing water, food for me. I was very moved by Kaleem's good conduct and my conscience asked me to do prayaschit (penance) by making a confessional statement so that real culprits can be punished and no innocent has to suffer"

On possible death penalty

"I know I can be sentenced to death but I still want to make the confession"

On when he bit the terror bullet

"In March 2006, Pragya Thakur, Sunil Joshi, Bharat Riteshwar and I decided to give a befitting reply to the Sankatmochan blasts"

Bombs for bombs

"I told everybody, bomb ka jawab bomb se dena chahiye"

Justifying terror targets

"I suggested that 80% of people of Malegaon were Muslims and we should explode the first bomb in Malegaon itself...during Partition, Nizam of Hyderabad had wanted to go with Pakistan so Hyderabad was a fair target. I said since Hindus also throng Ajmer Sharif Dargah we should explode a bomb in Ajmer which would deter Hindus from going there. I also suggested the Aligarh Muslim University as a terror target"

Why Samjhauta

"In the meeting, (Sunil) Joshi suggested it was basically Pakistanis who travel on Samjhauta Express. Therefore, we should attack the train as well"

Planning blasts

"Joshi said three teams would be constituted to execute the blasts. One team would arrange finance and logistics. The second would arrange for explosives. And the third team would plant the bombs. Members of one team should not know members from the other two teams. So even if one gets arrested the others would remain safe"

Owning up to Malegaon

"(Sunil) Joshi came to see me at Shabri Dham on Diwali in 2006. The Malegaon blasts had happened. Sunil told me the blasts were carried out by our men. I said newspaper reports had mentioned Muslims were behind the blasts and a few Muslims had been arrested. Sunil assured me the blasts were carried out by him but he refused to reveal the identity of our men who had executed the blasts"

On Samjhauta Express blasts

"In February 2007, Riteshwar and Joshi came on a motorbike to a Lord Shiva temple at a place called Balpur. I was already waiting for the two. Joshi told me in the next two days there would be a piece of good news. I came back to Shabri Dham and Joshi and Riteshwar went their way. After a couple of days, I went to meet Riteshwar at his Valsad residence. Joshi and Pragya were there. The Samjhauta Express blasts had happened. I asked Joshi how he was present there while Samjhauta had already happened in Haryana. Joshi replied that the blasts were done by his men"

One Mecca Masjid blasts

"Joshi took Rs 40,000 from me for the blasts in Hyderabad. A few months later, Joshi telephoned me and told me to keep a tab on the newspapers. In a few days the news of the Mecca Masjid blast appeared in the papers. After 7-8 days, Joshi came to Shabri Dham with a Telugu newspaper. I told Joshi that in the papers it had appeared that some Muslim boys had been rounded up for the blast. Joshi replied it was done by our people"

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Hindu terrorists and their "Bomb for Bomb" plan....terrorism has certainly no 'colour'

Saffron terror leader to be booked for Samjhauta blast

Vishwa Mohan & Dwaipayan Ghosh, TNN, Jan 6, 2011, 12.54am IST
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency probing the blast on Samjhauta Express in February 2007 looks set to book militant Hindutva leader Aseemanand. It has identified Aseemanand as the key plotter of the attack that killed 68 people, majority of them Pakistani citizens returning home after visiting their kin in India.
Sources in the agency, which was brought in after investigations by Haryana Police reached a dead-end, told TOI that Aseemanand planned the blast to avenge the series of terror attacks by Islamist terror groups.
"The role of Hindu extremists behind the blast has become clear. The probe agency found that Aseemanand was one of the plotters. The group had done it under their 'Bomb-for-Bomb' plan which was hatched in the Dangs district of Gujarat," said sources in the NIA.
Haryana police had found similarities in the explosives used in the Samjhauta blast and the explosion at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid, another attack suspected to have been carried out by Aseemanand and his comrades under the 'Bomb-for-Bomb' plan.
But the Haryana cops could not connect the dots. The picture was further complicated when the US named a Pakistani terrorist, Asif Kasmani, suspected to be a go-between Lashkar and al-Qaida, as the main suspect in the Samajhauta blast.
NIA's probe into the cases of saffron terror has gathered momentum after the arrest of Aseemanand who is believed to have inspired Abhinav Bharat members to retaliate against Islamist terror.
NIA's investigation into the Samjhauta train attack may give Pakistan a handle to embarrass India. Officials are wary of the possibility of Islamabad asking for Aseemanand's custody once he is charge-sheeted. But the government has decided to press ahead with the probe, said an official.

Read more: Saffron terror leader to be booked for Samjhauta blast - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Saffron-terror-leader-to-be-booked-for-Samjhauta-blast/articleshow/7225559.cms#ixzz1AH3D33iY

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