Terror : Delhi High Court blast - prone under shadow of past sins

Three emails tie up NIA in knots

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 14, 2011, 05.30AM IST

NEW DELHI: Mystery behind three of the four emails that were sent after the Delhi HC blast is haunting the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

NIA has quizzed one Sunny Sharma, who had used a cyber cafe in J&K's Kishtwar, to send the first email. Another person was picked up from the outskirts of Kolkata since his cellphone was traced as the sender device of second and fourth e-mails, but breakthrough remains elusive. Officials are banking on forensic examination of the devices.

"We have detained a person in West Bengal. He is being questioned but he does not seem to be the actual sender of the email as it appears that somebody might have used the 'clone' of his sim card to send the emails," said an official. The second and fourth e-mails were sent from the mobile device, claiming that the Delhi HC blast was carried out by the Indian Mujahideen. Investigators believe that somebody might have used 'cloned' sim card to send emails that can by default show IP address of the device that uses the 'original' sim card.

The first email was sent from the Kishtwar cyber cafe using ID , claiming that the blast was carried out by another terror outfit HuJI. This e-mail was sent about three hours after the blast. The Google, which has server in the US, has been contacted to share information (technical details) on the gmaisssl, used for sending three e-mails. Besides, two telecom service providers - BSNL and Airtel (Bharati Telecom) - have been contacted for information.

The official said though the arrest of one Manu Oza (24) from Gujarat solved the mystery behind the third e-mail that was clearly a 'prank', the probe behind the remaining three e-mails was still going on.

"We are banking on result of forensic examination of the hard disk used at Kishtwar cyber cafe. We questioned Sunny Sharma but he, at this juncture, does not appear to be the one who sent the e-mail. We have questioned other persons as well who used the cyber cafe on the day of the blast. We won't rule out anything till we get final forensic report," the official said. NIA has raised the reward sum to Rs 10 lakh for anyone providing information on the blast...............http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTEvMDkvMTQjQXIwMTMwMw==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Terror : Delhi High Court blast - probe continues without any lead

Delhi blast: Investigators pore over bomb report for clues

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 9, 2011, 02.54AM IST 

NEW DELHI: With no breakthrough in the Delhi High Court blast case, the NIA is looking closely at the preliminary forensic report on the bomb - stating presence of nitrate-based explosives with traces of PETN even as another email, sent to media houses on Thursday, made the task much more complex.

Unlike Wednesday's email sent by Harkat-ul-Jihadi putting onus of the blast on HuJI, the second email - purportedly written by one "Chotoo" - stated that the blast was actually carried out by Indian Mujahideen.

The sender also warned of another blast outside a shopping mall on Tuesday - forcing security agencies to step up vigilance at all such places not only in Delhi but also in other cities.

"Even if the text of email and the manner it was sent do not match the typical Indian Mujahideen style, investigators are not taking it lightly. It may be a prank or red herring. But, we are trying to verify its authenticity as part of our probe to look into different angles," said an official.

Besides writing the text in Hindi using Roman script, the mail, sent by Chotoo, spelt Mujahideen as Muzahiddin. All the earlier emails sent by IM had carried text in 'good' English. "All these things are being examined, besides looking at forensic evidence which talks about PETN," said an official.

Though the terror groups do not have history of using PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate) frequently in India, the traces of it points to some "cross-border connection" in getting the plastic explosive for local modules of terror groups that could be anyone from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi-al-Islami (HuJI) to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) or Khalistani outfits.

Attaching importance to this 'angle', the NIA on Thursday roped in forensic experts from Gandhinagar and Hyderabad to check the 'make' of the bomb having no 'timer' or 'wire' and contacted Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of neighbouring states - Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan - for sharing their expertise.

PETN was first seized in India in January 2006 when Special Cell of Delhi Police caught two HuJI militants who got the consignment from Bangladesh. It was later found that militant groups in J&K and Punjab had got their consignments carrying the plastic explosive through couriers operating on the Indo-Pakistan border.

An official said, "Even if the angle appears to be quite far-fetched at this juncture, we cannot rule it out unless we find something else. It is important to explore all angles. We may reach a certain point through the process of elimination."

Besides, the NIA also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for clues to the blast. The move came immediately after the government handed over probe of the previous Delhi HC blast of May 25 to the agency. The case was earlier investigated by Delhi Police which could not make any headway in its probe.

The second mail sent from "chotoominani5@gmail.com" was received at 12:37 PM claiming that Harkat-ul-Jihadi-al-Islami had no role to play in the blasts and it was done by Indian Mujahideen. The mail also reasoned that they had chosen Wednesday as the day of the blast as it was a busy day for the HC. Delhi HC hears PILs on Wednesdays.

"We are examining the email received by the media houses about its authenticity and veracity and (we are) taking it seriously," secretary (internal security) U K Bansal said.

Terror : Delhi High Court blast - If you catch wrong persons, the perpetrators continue to do their jobs with impunity - a grim reminder of past misdeeds

Slap on Delhi cops' face, NIA asked to probe blast

Vishwa Mohan,TNN
Sep 8, 2011, 03.01AM IST

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday handed over the probe into the bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court to the National Investigation Agency which was set up in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, in what may be seen as a vote of no-confidence in the Delhi Police, at least so far as anti-terror investigations are concerned.

This will be the first major case of terror that NIA will be investigating from start. The fledgling agency has so far mainly probed those terror incidents that were either initially investigated or concluded by different state police. The NIA is also likely to take over the probe into the May 25 bomb blast outside the Delhi HC. This case, too, is currently being investigated by the Delhi Police.

The Delhi Police will, however, assist the central probe agency in its investigation under a 'written' direction from the government.

Besides the May 25 explosion, the Delhi Police has not been able to solve four other cases -- two that took place in Mehrauli in South Delhi (2008 and 2010), and two near Jama Masjid in Central Delhi (2006 and 2010).

Soon after the probe into Wednesday's blast was handed over to it, the NIA formed a 20-member special investigation team, led by deputy inspector-general Mukesh Singh. The agency chief, S C Sinha, said: "Delhi Police is assisting the agency in its probe. We have entrusted the job to our best officers."

Asked about the email received by media houses, purportedly written by terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihadi claiming responsibility for the blast, Sinha said: "It is too premature to comment on the HuJI mail but we are looking at it seriously because HuJI is a very prominent terrorist group which considers India as target number one."

He said there were no clear leads as of now but "we are working on several theories on several aspects".

About the progress made in the probe, secretary (internal security) U K Bansal: "The examination of the scene of blast indicates the use of nitrate-based explosives with traces of PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate)."

PETN is one of the most deadly explosive used by terrorists across the globe. It can even be used under water. It was used in the shoe bomber case of 2001 in the US, the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot in the Philippines, and the 2010 cargo plane bomb plot in London and Dubai.

Bansal said the Delhi Police has been put on high alert and vigorous investigations are in progress including checking of guest houses, hotels, bus stands, railway stations and airports. "All entry and exit routes are also being put under extensive surveillance and checking. Neighbouring states have also been asked to send their teams of ATS experts to examine the scene of the blast and assist in the investigation," he said.

Besides scanning phone call details including those originating from or routed to destinations across the border before and after the blasts, the NIA team is minutely examining the contents of the explosives/materials used in the bomb to look for clues.

The bomb appeared to be quite 'sophisticated' as compared to the one used in the May 25 blast. The IED weighing two kgs and containing shrapnel, was kept in a briefcase. The blast left a "crater" (two feet wide and one foot deep), pointing to its "high intensity".

The probe will be a kind of a 'test' case for the NIA which has so far only replicated the findings of the terror probe conducted by state police forces in major cases like Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), Ajmer Sharief (Rajasthan) and Malegaon (Maharashtra) blasts.....http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSi8yMDExLzA5LzA4I0FyMDA2MDE=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

David Coleman Headley : Indian chargesheet will not at all affect the American jihadi

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NIA's wait on for 26/11 evidence

Vishwa Mohan, TNN
Aug 24, 2011, 12.57am IST

NEW DELHI: India is still waiting for the transfer of some evidence from the United States relating to the probe in the case involving Pakistani American Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley.

Although the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already completed its probe in the case, the charge-sheet will be filed only after it gets the remaining evidence from the US under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between the two countries.

Union home ministry, in response to a question in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday said: "The transfer of some evidence from the USA is awaited. Similarly, transfer of evidence from Pakistan with regard to some other accused persons is also awaited. The final report in the case accordingly will be filed in the competent court."

In the written response, the ministry also informed the Lower House of Parliament that investigation into the case in India was complete.


It said that on the basis of the examination of Headley in Chicago (by the NIA) and on other revelations in the case during investigation, two MLAT requests to USA and one Letter Rogatory request to Pakistan were sent. "The MLAT to USA stands partially executed and evidence was transferred to the NIA," said the ministry.

Headley, who was arrested by the American probe agency FBI in October 2009, had conducted surveillance of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack targets for Pakistan-based outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He had pleaded guilty before a Chicago court of plotting the Mumbai attacks. Subsequently, he had entered into a plea bargain with the US authorities.

The NIA sleuths interrogated him Chicago in June last year, but the interrogation report has no evidence value as it was not recorded before any court or legal authorities. Headley, under the plea bargaining, had agreed for questioning only if it would not be used against him. As part of the deal, he had also been assured that he would not be extradited to India for trial.

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Capital Punishment : Is it a beginning of getting rid of 'eye for eye' policy?

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If Rajiv's killers escape gallows, so may 21 others on death row

Vishwa Mohan, TNN

Sep 1, 2011, 02.18AM IST

NEW DELHI: If 'delay' in disposing a mercy petition is taken as the ground to commute the death penalty of those convicted of heinous crimes, it will have a bearing on the fate of 21 people on the death row, whose pleas have been pending for over five to 10 years.

Asking for the Centre's reply, the Madras high court on Tuesday observed that there had been a delay of over 11 years in the disposal of the petitions filed by the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The HC also stayed for eight weeks the execution of the three convicts fixed for September 9.

Besides, the Tamil Nadu assembly had also passed a unanimous resolution urging President Pratibha Patil to reconsider the mercy plea of the three convicts. The move prompted the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah to speak about the Parliament House attack case convict Afzal Guru.

"If J&K assembly had passed a resolution similar to the Tamil Nadu one for Afzal Guru would the reaction have been as muted? I think not," Omar said on the micro-blogging site twitter.

The argument of 'delay', if accepted, can also be taken as a ground to pitch for the case of terrorists Devender Pal Singh Bhullar. The development has already witnessed ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab writing to the Centre for commuting the death sentence of the Khalistan Commando Force terrorist.

While the President had rejected Bhullar's mercy plea in May, the final nod on Afzal Guru is awaited after the home ministry forwarded its opinion rejecting his plea. There is one more murder convict, Mahendra Nath Das, from Assam whose mercy plea was rejected by the President in May.

However, all the mercy pleas have not ended in 'rejection'. Since November 2009, President Pratibha Patil has commuted the death sentence of 22 convicts in different cases to life imprisonment. None of these convicts was guilty of any terror-related crime. The Madras High Court's observation now opens a debate, taking a cue from what the Supreme Court had held in similar cases.

The apex court had in 1989 held in the Triveniben vs State of Gujarat case that "undue delay" in execution of a death sentence entitled the condemned prisoner under Article 32 of Constitution to approach the court that his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. The apex court, however, did not quantify the period of "inordinate delay", leaving scope for interpretation especially when the clemency powers of the President, under Article 72 of the Constitution, do not prescribe any time frame for disposal of mercy petitions by the President.

Sources in the home ministry said that the Centre, which received notice from the Madras HC on the petition filed by the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi case, will tell the court about provisions of Article 72. A senior official said: "The Constitution does not provide any time limit for the President to decide any clemency petition. So, the argument of the delay does not hold any ground."
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Jammu & Kashmir : 'please all' idea seems very difficult

J&K interlocutors may not suggest tinkering with Article 370

Vishwa Mohan\TNN

New Delhi: The interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir are not likely to recommend splitting the state to meet regional aspirations and will not suggest any changes to Article 370 that gives the state certain privileges.

While the interlocutors are expected to address the demand for autonomy voiced by all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir, redrawing the state’s border or tinkering with Article 370 is not on the cards as such “solutions” are only likely to inflame differences rather resolving them. Sources privy to consultations said that the group will not suggest changes in the constitutional provision and while its report may contain various suggestions and options keeping in mind the aspirations of people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, a division is not viable.

However, the ‘political solutions’ the interlocutors will come out with will not ignore the wishes of people from different regions. The team has already met nearly 600 delegations and heard suggestions ranging from abolition and dilution of Article 370, giving greater autonomy to trifurcation of the state. The group, comprising journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar and former information commissioner M M Ansari, on Saturday also denied a media report about their recommending a return to the pre-1953 status as the way forward in resolving the Jammu and Kashmir problem. “The (media) report is purely speculative in nature. The group of interlocutors is presently engaged in preparing a draft of its final report which is expected to be submitted to the government of India before its term ends on October 12, 2011,” they said.

In balacncing the aspirations of the three regions, the group will have to do a tightrope walk. The political divides have sharpened with both Jammu and Ladakh feeling that their interests were sacrificed with Kashmir receiving much more attention. On the other hand, there is a strong element of alienation in the Valley.The group will have to consider substantive sub-plans for Jammu and Ladakh while addressing political issues put forward by sections of the Valley...................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQS8yMDExLzA5LzA0I0FyMDEwMDE=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Mumbai serial blasts : Pak interior minister got his thrill in Chidambaram's statement ... used twitter to express it

Malik twists PC's remark, says Mumbai blasts an inside job

Vishwa Mohan, TNN

Aug 7, 2011, 01.22am IST

NEW DELHI: Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik jumped on Union home minister P Chidambaram's statement on Thursday about the existence of home-grown terror modules, seeking to paint it as a retraction of India's charge that it has been the victim of terrorism choreographed across the border.

In a flurry of tweets on Friday night, Malik cited the remark that Chidamabaram made in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, to undercut India's charge about Pakistan sponsoring terrorism against New Delhi to extract strategic gains. "I condemn the recent acts of terrorism by the local home-grown terrorists in Bombay (Mumbai) on peaceful and innocent people. The people of Pakistan and India are suffering from home-grown terrorism. Extremism in all its forms is bad," Malik tweeted.

However, the crude attempt to draw parity between terrorism in the two countries failed to pass muster with the Indian home minister. When approached by TOI for his response to Malik's tweets, Chidambaram stressed, "There is a vital difference between India and Pakistan in the matter of origin and rise of home-grown terrorist modules. In India, terrorist groups enjoy no state support, and there is no tolerance for non-state actors. I agree that innocent lives have been lost in both countries".

Malik had selectively quoted from Chidambaram's speech in the Rajya Sabha, where he acknowledged the reality of home-grown terrorist modules. For, as he spoke of the new security challenge, the Indian home minister also highlighted the persistent threat from terrorist groups raised abroad to be unleashed on India. He said that the terrorists nurtured across the border continue to be the main threat.

"Most terrorists, who committed acts of terror in India, were trained, funded, handled and pushed into India to commit acts of terror. The new reality is, that is not the only source of terror any more. We today have home-grown terror groups. We can go into history of these groups", Chidambaram had said.

Indian security agencies also maintain that the home-grown terrorist modules like Indian Mujahideen (IM) are working only at the instance of Pakistan's ISI.

Also, Chidambaram has consistently reminded Malik of Pakistan's failure to bring to book the masterminds of 26/11. Malik, however, sidestepped India's complaint even as he praised the Indian home minister for his wisdom and abilities.

He drew the conclusion from what Chidambaram had said in the Rajya Sabha in his reply to a debate on security situation, with a special reference to the 137 Mumbai serial blasts. He, however, ignored that the Indian home minister was merely talking about the possibility.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha about Pune's German Bakery blast of 2010 and 137 blasts, Chidambaram had said: "We believe that Pune was perpetrated by an Indian module and while no conclusion is being drawn about Mumbai, all the indications point to an India module. It's possible that the same module was there but as I said, no conclusion has been drawn".

In all, Malik had sent eight tweets, saying. "We show our firm resolve to cooperate with India and the international community to work together to end this menace. I would like open discussion with my fellow friends to work out honest suggestions for terrorism-free region. Terrorism can only be eliminated when all the countries work together with a collective responsibility to fight terrorism.".................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDExLzA4LzA3I0FyMDE1MDE=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom