July Month Articles
- Devil's Advocate
- by Mumbai Mirror
Patna: More trouble may be in store for jailed RJD MP from Siwan Mohammed
Shahabuddin after a lawyer close to him allegedly threatened a judge with
dire consequences if he did not deliver judgements in his favour. .....
- Pensioners' paradise now
a terror hideout
- by Abhay Vaidya & Siddhartha D
Kashyap
A striking instance of the changing face of terrorism in Maharashtra came
to the fore in Pune in May 2003 when Anwar Ali, an Urdu lecturer at the
National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, was arrested in connection
with the 2003 Mulund blast in a Mumbai local train. .....
- LeT man hid in Surat for
five years
- by Sourav Mukherjee
Ashraf Kashmiri, the man credited with setting up the Aurangabad module
of Lashkar-e-Taiba that is believed to have played a key role in the Mumbai
serial blasts, had been hiding in a Surat madrasa for at least five years
till 2005. .....
- Combating a Killer Crop
- by Ramesh Vinayak
For the past six years, Jasbir Singh had been reaping rich benefits from
saathi-a fast maturing and therefore lucrative variety of common paddy
sown after the wheat harvest at the end of April. Then, three weeks ago,
onlookers watched aghast as the 33-year-old ploughed a tractor through
his fields in Akkanwali of Haryana's Fatehabad district and mowed down
10 acres of standing saathi crop. .....
- Winning Back the Earth
- by Uday Mahurkar
In the Banni region of Kutch, western Gujarat, there is a move to turn
back the ecological clock. It will take unusual means and Banni, a 2,900-sq-km
area, which once epitomised greenery, may never be the same. But, there
is hope still that the damage done to what once claimed to be Asia's largest
pasture can be redressed, even if to a small degree. .....
- Future Perfect
- by Neeraj Mishra
In a place like Bhopal, where infrastructure is in a shambles and where
there is no planning in the name of development, a state-of-the-art 150-acre
campus with a 750-bed hospital, two dental colleges, one medical college,
one management institute, one paramedical college and one school, is sure
a novelty. The brainchild of an NGO People's Group, this campus is a one-stop
shop for all the educational requirements of a child-from kindergarten
to class 12 and beyond. .....
- Fears confirmed: 'CBMs
backfired'
- by The Times of India
Union home minister Shivraj Patil confirmed the worst suspicions of security
agencies on Tuesday when he said that terrorists had taken advantage of
buses and trains launched as part of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs)
to sneak in from Pakistan and Bangladesh. .....
- Character Of Shivaji
- by Jadunath Sarkar
Shivaji's private life was marked by a high standard of morality. He was
a devoted son, a loving father and an attentive husband. Intensely religious
from his very boyhood, by instinct and training alike, he remained all
through his life abstemious, free from vice, respectful to holy men, and
passionately fond of hearing scripture readings and sacred stories and
songs. .....
- 7/11 and insipid editorials
- by M.V. Kamath
The July 11 bomb blasts in suburban passenger trains in Mumbai significantly
enough did not end up in communal riots, especially considering that someone
- everyone is free to guess who - sought to deface the bust of the late
Mrs. Thackeray. It may be taken for granted that there is a clear connection
between the two acts though the Shiv Sena wisely did not take the second
opportunity to initiate a communal riot. .....
- Was AC mechanic playing
Bunty to two Bablis?
- by Vijaita Singh
A day after, Delhi Police is still puzzling over the incident when two
girls in a Hyundai Sonata accompanied by an AC mechanic in designer clothes
breezed through the security cordon and reached the alignment point of
the Prime Minister's residence on Thursday night. .....
- Pak Major killed in J&K
encounter
- by M Saleem Pandit
The Indian Army late on Friday disclosed that a terrorist killed in a
gun battle with soldiers two days ago was a Pakistan Army Major. .....
- Malaysia Hindus suffer
Muslim persecution
- by Ramesh N. Rao
Last week I pondered the question of who could enter Hindu temples. But
I had not thought of a situation where that question would be moot because
there would be no Hindu temples to enter. .....
- Tricks of conversion
- by Baba Prem
So we feel secure in the realization that Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) is
the oldest and purist of the worlds major religions. Not to mention our
strength in numbers, being that Hinduism is over 1 billion strong. Why
should we be concerned? After all, didn't we teach our children that Brahman
has manifest in all? .....
- What proof, Musharraf
- by The Free Press Journal
Is President Musharraf being encircled? As he is expressing word sympathy
with the next of kin of the 200 killed and about the 1000 injured in Mumbai
bomb blasts, he is somewhat aware that he is not taken seriously in this
country when he talks about the peace process. He is repeatedly asking
for proof that terrorists operating from Pakistan are behind train blasts
in Mumbai. .....
- Home unmoved on Naxal
crisis: Chhattisgarh CM
- by Pradeep Kaushal
Faulting the Centre for not doing enough to tackle Naxalism, Chhattisgarh
Chief Minister Raman Singh has said the Centre was washing its hands of
the issue by only providing funds and additional forces. Even as he appreciated
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's understanding of the problem, he added
that the Home Minister was indifferent. .....
- Our secularist warriors,
these
- by The Free Press Journal
Democracy has its downside, specially in underdeveloped countries like
India. Rampant poverty, widespread illiteracy and, consequently, ignorance
make for an imperfect democracy. Only informed people can make informed
choices. Populism of the bank nationalisation variety did succeed in its
immediate purpose of getting Mrs Indira Gandhi a huge number of votes.
But, as by now everyone knows, it, and other so-called socialistic measures
came in its wake, ended up inflicting huge costs on the economy. .....
- An appeal to the Chairman
of the Experts Committee
- by PVRK Prasad
We celebrated the birth centenary year of my late grand father, Sriman
Kalyanam Iyengar last year. I am sure you continue to remember him as
"Laddu Iyengar", for you have served as the Executive Officer
of the TTD in the late seventies and my grand father had an active role
to play in the introduction of Laddu as Srivari Prasadam, a few decades
earlier, in addition to managing the affairs of the entire manufacture
and marketing of the Srivari Prasadams at Tirumala Mandir on behalf of
the Gamekars and Archaka Mirasdars, before the Mirasi system was abolished
in the early 80's. .....
- Islamic Terrorism - Is
it a New Threat?
- by MA Khan
In recent times, overshadowing the relative calm of the past few decades,
there has been a sudden surge in violence and terrorist activities by
the Islamic zealots and fanatics. Hence, there is a debate as to why Muslims
did not indulge in terror and violence during the past decades and centuries.
There might be some consolation in the thought that Islamic violence was
not so evident during the early 20th century. .....
- Talibani Secularists Provide
Alibi For Terrorists
- by S.R. Ramanujan
There are 3000 madrasas in Maharashtra with a strength of 200,000 students.
500 madrasas are in Mumbai alone, and it is believed they are the potential
breeding grounds for SIMI's activities. .....
- Desi Uncle Sam(Uel) And
His Bua Ka Beta Christopher
- by S V Badri
Samuel Rajasekhar is our Desi Uncle Sam(uel). And his Bua Ka Ladka is
Christopher. Samuel loves his nephew, Christopher. Nothing wrong with
that. He will go all out to help him. Nothing wrong with that either.
And each time, bending every rule in the book to help him. Everything
is wrong with that. This narration traces to what extent Desi Uncle Sam(uel)
goes to help Chris. .....
- Protestations of the credulous
- by Balbir K Punj
It might appear preposterous to the rest of the country, but two Ministers
from the Congress, a CPI(M) top brass and one Muslim maulana distinguished
themselves by offering alternate theories on 7/11. .....
- 'Our religion says to
fight for jihad' (Interview with Pakistan General (retd) Muhammad Nasir Akhtar)
- by Rediff.com
Lieutenant General Muhammad Nasir Akhtar (retd) served in the Pakistan
army for 36 years and took part in two wars against India. He was corps
commandant, Karachi, before he was assigned a senior post at army headquarters
in Rawalpindi. After retirement he settled in Lahore to run a business
and tour the seminar circuit, one of which brought him to India as part
of a delegation of retired military officers led by Zafar Chaudhry, former
air chief marshal, Pakistan Air Force. .....
- Enemy within: 1 more soldier
held
- by M Saleem Pandit
The Army on Wednesday said it had arrested another soldier of J&K
Light Infantry (JAKLI) for his alleged links with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
.....
- Pak has failed to rein
in Islamic radicals: report
- by The Indian Express
Pakistan army has failed to rein in radicals in the country's restive
tribal belt and Islamic clerics throughout the region continue to give
'jehadi' sermons asking people to live by the Islamic Sharia. .....
- Blast: Unani practitioner
in ATS custody
- by Sagnik Chowdhury & Stavan Desai
The crime branch of the Mumbai Police on Monday handed over Dr Tanvir
Ahmed Mohammed Ibrabim Ansari, one of the five persons detained on Friday
for questioning in connection with the July 11 serial blasts, to the Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS). Although his role in the blasts has not been established
yet, crime branch officials believe him to be part of a sophisticated
LeT module in the city. .....
- Perceived fears
- by Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
Recognition of Islamophobia as the irrational and unwarranted fear of
Muslims and Is-lam lingers in lexical incubation. Some accept the term
fully while others discount its validity. Whether this neologism will
gain currency as a bona fide social pathology or be viewed simply as a
marginally legitimate term, moonlighting as a public relations tool, remains
to be seen. Phobias, according to the American Psychiatric Association,
are mental disorders characterised by persistent and irrational fear of
a particular thing, situation or animal. .....
- The Dynamics of Deadlock
- by Swapan Dasgupta
Let me make yet another horrible confession of political incorrectness.
I happen to be among the minuscule die-hards who are instinctively at
ease with Bombay, rather than Mumbai. Perish the thought that this has
anything to do with any aesthetic repugnance for the Shiv Sena-bjp government
that effected the change in the mid-1990s. .....
- Fears confirmed: 'CBMs
backfired'
- by The Times of India
Union home minister Shivraj Patil confirmed the worst suspicions of security
agencies on Tuesday when he said that terrorists had taken advantage of
buses and trains launched as part of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs)
to sneak in from Pakistan and Bangladesh. .....
- Jihad is an integral part
in Pak schools
- by The Pioneer
Notwithstanding its decision to pursue the policy of "enlightened
moderation" to stem the growth of fundamentalism, Pakistan government
has said the concept of 'jihad' would not be deleted from the new school
curriculum as it is an integral part of Islamic teachings. .....
- Jihad integral part of
curriculum, says Javed Ashraf
- by Irfan Ghauri
Jihad is not being deleted from the new curriculum because it is an integral
part of Islamic teachings and Muslim beliefs, said Education Minister
Lt Gen (r) Javed Ashraf Qazi on Monday. .....
- Dhaka grabs 2 sq km of
India's land
- by Syed Zarir Hussain
Assam Minister says Bangladeshis have moved border posts ---- In a sudden
and daring move, Bangladeshis, backed by their country's Army, have uprooted
pillars demarcating the Indo-Bangla border along Dhubri and Karimganj
districts of Assam, and forcibly grabbed at least 500 acres (2.02 sq km)
of Indian territory. The land grab has taken place under the very nose
of the Border Security Force. .....
- Soldiers from border areas
under scanner
- by Mohit Kandhari
Following detention of three jawans of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
(JAKLI) for their suspected links with field commanders of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba
in Jammu and Kashmir, security forces have been asked to launch intensive
screening of jawans hailing from border districts of Poonch and Rajouri
to weed out those involved in militant activities in the region. .....
- Yet, Sonia defended them
in Parliament, Salman in Courts
- by S Gurumurthy
It was founded in the year 1977. Not by a religious leader, but by an
English-educated academic, Mohammed Ahamadullah Siddiqui. He was a professor
not at some Alighar University in India, or in Islamabad, but at Western
Illinois University in the US, a country of free thought that claims to
melt people of diverse ideas into a wholesome one. He was professor of
Journalism and Public Relations. For which goals did the professor found
it? Leave the first two goals. Its third goal is `Jehad' for the cause
of Islam. .....
- The oppressed of the world
- by Dr M S Jillani
Like most Muslims around the world, one, after 9/11, had become convinced
of the existence of a well-conceived international conspiracy to destroy
Muslim states, subjugate Muslim populations mentally and economically,
poison Muslim youth by injections of depraved cultural practices, rob
Muslim nations of their possessions, especially oil, and exploit their
physical assets to benefit the west. .....
- 11/7 blasts: Bangladesh
hand triggered terror?
- by Pramod Kumar Singh
Investigations into the 11/7 serial blasts have pointed towards the involvement
of Bangladesh trained terrorists. It is now becoming clear that those
who executed the plot at the behest of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI) had clear links with Bangladesh-based terrorist groups. .....
- 'There's proof to link
Pak-based groups with blasts'
- by Sify News
Asserting that Pakistan-based terrorists were involved in the July 11,
2006 bomb blasts in Mumbai, the Maharashtra government on Friday said
police would soon "submit" evidence about this. .....
- India ready to 'prove'
Pakistan's 11/7 links
- by Nilova Roy Chaudhury
India is not buying Pakistan's protestations of innocence about knowledge
of terrorist elements on its soil, and professed itself "disappointed"
with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's need for "proof"
to act against terror infrastructure that is "intact" in Pakistan
and PoK. .....
- No deterrence against
jihad
- by KR Phanda
Islamist terrorism may be a new phenomenon for the West, but India has
never been free from this menace. The only thing new for the country is
that the UPA Government has miserably failed to tackle it. .....
- US Snub, Indian Response
Terror And Us
- by R. Balashankar
The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh spoke out of the box in Mumbai last
week. Four days later, back from the G-8 summit at St. Petersburg, Dr
Singh is subdued again, back in the box. .....
- Manmohan gave us what
Atal refused: US expert
- by Deccan Chronicle
Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was not willing to "offer
much to the United States in exchange for the (civilian nuclear energy)
agreement, we got more from the government of Dr Manmohan Singh,"
according to Dr Ashley Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace. Dr Tellis worked with US officials on the nuclear
agreement with India. .....
- Did local terrorists cause
blasts? We need a leader the jehadis dread
- by Swapan Dasgupta
There are some moments in the life of a nation when people eschew individualism
and look for leadership. I don't know whether history will record the
carnage of July 11 as a defining point for our country -just as the Jallianwala
Bagh massacre in 1919 was for our grandfathers, the fall of France in
1940 was for the British, and September 11, 2001, was for the majority
of Americans. .....
- Terror in the ranks: 2
soldiers taken in for LeT links
- by M Saleem Pandit
Within days of an ominous warning by the country's top security adviser
about terrorists infiltrating the armed forces, two soldiers have been
picked up in Kashmir for possible links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
.....
- Notice to Cong MLA for
cheating farmers
- by Ramu Bhagwat
Taking cognizance of a letter written by a farmer and treating it as a
PIL, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court on Monday issued notices
to the family of sitting Congress MLA from Khamgaon in Buldana district
Dilip Sananda, against whom there are over 40 complaints related to illegal
money lending and dispossessing indebted farmers of their lands. .....
- Of 256 sleeper cells in
India, six are in state
- by Siddhartha D Kashyap & Tarachand
Mhaske
At least 256 modules of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence are working
nationwide, recruiting youth and commissioning sleeper cells over and
above those in Jammu and Kashmir, intelligence reports say. .....
- Where's reward for '93
probe?
- by Naveeta Singh
Whenever there is a major crime in Mumbai, the government announces various
kinds of rewards to those who catch the culprits. But it appears these
announcements are mere publicity stunts. .....
- Fans or Fanatics?
- by Jigna Vora
The four people detained on the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan on
Tuesday evening might not have anything to do with the July 11 serial
blasts, after all. They may be cricket fans who came to India for the
Indo-Pak series and overstayed. However, the possibility is not entirely
ruled out. .....
- This is for Captain Anuj!
- by Lokesh Sapre
After the blazing summer of 1999, Delhi was bathing in the respite provided
by the monsoons in July. I was working on a campaign idea with my art
partner when I got a call from my mom. She sounded anxious, but managed
to tell me that Anuj -- he was one of my pals and lived near my house
-- had been killed in Kargil. .....
- After Mahim, Malwani,
cops will focus on south Mumbai
- by Ganesh Thakur
After combing operations in Malwani and Mahim - conducted over the last
five days - the Mumbai police will zero in on areas in south Mumbai in
their effort to make headway in the 7/11 blasts case. From July 12, the
Malwani and Mahim police, with assistance from the Anti-Terrorism Squad
(ATS), detained more than 500 people for interrogation. However, the cops
released most of the detainees after grilling them. .....
- Terror accused Mahdani
most valuable ally for Left, Cong
- by Rajeev PI
If the DMK government in Tamil Nadu is arranging for 1998 Coimbatore blast
accused Abdul Nasser Mahdani's Ayurvedic massages, the Left and the Congress
in Kerala have been doing the stretching-prostrate at his feet. .....
- Lebanon and the lessons
for Pakistan
- by Husain Haqqani
Over the last few days, terrorists have severely disrupted - fatally undermined,
some argue - the peace processes in South Asia and the Middle East. Unlike
Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories, widespread violence has
not yet erupted between India and Pakistan. But given the two countries'
history, their war of words should not be allowed to escalate unattended.
.....
- DMK turns jail into spa
for Coimbatore terror accused
- by Jaya Menon
One man has reason to laugh at all the tough talk on the need to crack
down on terror: Abdul Nasser Mahdani, key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore
serial blasts that targeted BJP leader L K Advani and killed 58 people
and left several more injured. .....
- Locking Horns
- by M.G. Radhakrishnan
The scene is all too familiar. A stark reminder of the days of the late
1950s when Kerala witnessed a "liberation struggle" against
the communist government's move to control and regulate the private sector-dominated
education sector in Kerala. .....
- Road To Recovery
- by Farzand Ahmed
Having spent over 200 sleepless nights since they came to power and promised
to create a "new Bihar", Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his
deputy Sushil Kumar Modi have realised that it's easier said than done.
But they have not lost hope. Says Nitish, "We started from a big
zero. There was no governance. Even Cabinet meetings were not held for
months. .....
- Nurturing Terrorists
- by Saurabh Shukla
Despite assurances by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and his public
proclamations to end terrorism, Pakistan continues to be a nursery of
global terrorist groups. With close to 60 active training camps (including
those of Al Qaeda) in the country, Pakistani intelligence agency ISI has
now unleashed a new strategy to foment terror in India. .....
- First 7/11 arrests: Mumbai
to Bihar
- by The Indian Express
Ten days after Terrible Tuesday's serial blasts, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS) claimed this morning to have achieved a "breakthrough"
with the arrest of two persons from Bihar and one from Navi Mumbai in
connection with the blast at Matunga, one of the seven on 7/11. .....
- Fighting terror on shoestring
budget
- by Girish Kuber
Maharashtra may be the richest state and home to the country's financial
capital where some of the wealthiest live. But it doesn't have enough
funds to pay for its police personnel's uniforms and rainwear. .....
- Where we can trip
- by Jaithirth Rao
Mumbai has been targeted along its febrile nervous system. Quite sensibly,
in my opinion, most of us do not care about who did it or why. We are
back to 'normal' work ignoring the perpetrators with the contempt they
deserve. We don't need PhDs to present us with an analysis of the whys
and wherefores. Much is obvious even to a non-expert like myself. .....
- Look who's disappearing
in Pak: prisoners freed by India
- by Adnan Adil
Sarwari Begum, an old woman from Chungi Amarsidhu, Lahore, says that two
years ago her son, Atif Idrees, was taken into custody by the military
authorities. She has not been allowed to contact him ever since, and neither
have there been any legal proceedings against him. .....
- Don't blame Pakistan,
look within
- by Tavleen Singh
Am I the only one disturbed by a minister in Mulayam Singh Yadav's government
asking for a Muslim Pradesh in western Uttar Pradesh? Is there nobody
in Dr Manmohan Singh's Cabinet who thinks this a worrying development?
It seems that way. Two days after The Times of India reported Azam Khan's
demand, Dr Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet met and discussed the following
subjects. .....
- 'We no longer feel safe'
- by Ashish Khetan
A majority of the city's police force feels unsafe under the present Democratic
Front (DF) government. That is the finding of a survey conducted by the
Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) of the Mumbai police, which was conveyed
to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Home Minister R R Patil on Saturday.
.....
- Sion Hospital rose to
the occasion on day of blasts
- by Kaptan Mali
Their efforts have been lauded by the Prime Minister of the country. "Splendid
Job", is what Dr Manmohan Singh had to say to the medical fraternity
at Sion Hospital (LTMG) and KEM Hospitals which he visited when he was
in the city last week. .....
- Medicine & Spirituality!
- by Gayathri Ramanujam
The BhaktiVedanta Hospital of Mira Road, which was shut to the needy of
Mumbai's far-flung western suburbs for nine months between 2003 and 2004
due to labour problems, redeemed itself last Tuesday when it took in 43
victims of the train blast that occurred five kilometres away. .....
- Did he inspire 7/11?
- by Ruhi Khan
History repeats itself. With no clues on Tuesday's train bombings, senior
police officials in the ATS and city police believe that it is imperative
to study the motivation and modus operandi of India's very first train
bomber-a Mumbai doctor who, in 1993, first planted several bombs on trains
in India. .....
- Missing SIMI activists
keep police on the tenterhooks
- by Gomantak Times
Even as various investigating agencies have launched intensive operations
through out the country in search of the terrorists who engineered the
July 11 serial bomb blast in Mumbai, the Maharashtra police are concentrating
on hunting down missing activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement
of India (SIMI) organisation, with special focus on Solapur and Aurangabad.
.....
- In Kerala, SIMI thrives
on West Asia funds, Lashkar-e-Toiba links
- by Rajeev P I
In Kerala, much of the original cadre of the proscribed Students Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI) have survived the ban using the cover of a slew
of Islamic outfits and still continue with their cause, state intelligence
sources told The Indian Express. .....
- Hallmarks of an Al Qaeda
job, say experts
- by Nabanita Sircar
Anti-Terror experts in London believe that India should be prepared for
more attacks on the lines of Tuesday's serial blasts on Mumbai trains.
"Probably India will see more, rather than less terrorist violence,"
said Paul Beaver, an independent security analyst and member of the House
of Commons Select Committee on security. .....
- Bhiwandi issue causes
noisy scenes in house
- by Afternoon Despatch & Courier
Bhiwandi resurfaced yet again in the Assembly yesterday. It was the same
old issue but with a new dimension and an added touch of aggression. .....
- Salvation for Salwa Judum
- by Balbir K. Punj
On July 17 over 500 Maoists swoo-ped down on the Errabore base camp in
Chattisgarh's Dantewara district and killed 27 Salwa Judum activists.
More than 100 houses were razed, one man was burnt alive, fleeing tribals
were shot or hacked to death. .....
- Banned SIMI alive, kicking
- by Debasish Panigrahi
The Banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) may have ceased to
exist as an organisation but its cadres, sympathiser base and activities
continue to thrive. .....
- 11/7: The last journey
- by Shevlin Sebastian
The living room of Meeta Shah's sixth-floor flat in suburban Dahisar is
filled with people, mostly women. Meeta is sitting on a dhurrie, beside
a low windowsill on which is placed a garlanded portrait of her late husband
Tushit, 44, an equity dealer. When she sees me at the door, she beckons
with her hand. But I prefer to stay where I am. .....
- Failure
- by Aditya Sinha
The Blame lies squarely at the door of one man - National Security Advisor
(NSA) M.K. Narayanan. However you look at the incidents of terrorism in
the past year - Ayodhya (5/7), Delhi (29/10), Bangalore (28/12), Varanasi
(7/3) and now Mumbai - they all point to one thing: intelligence failure.
And with Narayanan functioning as India's intelligence czar, the buck
stops with him. .....
- Anatomy of sleeper agent
- by The Hindustan Times
Q.: How many?
A.: Home ministry estimates that there are about 1,000 of them all over
the country. .....
- Sleeper agents give sleepless
nights
- by Mayank Towari
In the aftermath of the serial blasts on trains in Mumbai, sleuths and
security experts of the country are training their radars on sleeper agents
who have their bosses across the border. "Pakistan supported sleeper
agents have heightened their activity in India after being dormant for
years," a senior government official told Hindustan Times. .....
- Sleuths quiz SIMI leader
to trace blast links
- by Haidar Naqvi
Intelligence sleuths are carrying out a massive operation in Uttar Pradesh
to dig out the face behind the 11/7 blasts in Mumbai. They are questioning
SIMI cadres in Kanpur, one of the strongest bases of the Islamic network
in north India. .....
- UP CM's remark shocks sleuths
- by The Times of India
On July 11, 2005, six people, including four of a family, were arrested
from Faizabad in connection with the July 5, 2005 attack in Ayodhya. They
were all associated with SIMI, a senior intelligence official said. .....
- Mulayam, Khurshid rally
behind SIMI
- by Subodh Ghildiyal
Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) has emerged a great unifier
for bitter political rivals Mulayam Singh Yadav and Khurshid, in what
is turning out to be a reflection on the proscribed outfit's potential
to influence electoral equations in the volatile state awaiting polls
early next year. .....
- The road to unimaginable
horror
- by Praveen Swami
"The Hindu," wrote the Lashkar-e-Taiba's founder and spiritual
guide Hafiz Mohammed Saeed in 1999, "is a mean enemy and the proper
way to deal with him is the one adopted by our forefathers, who crushed
them by force." Most of the few people who read Saeed's article dismissed
it, correctly, as the ranting of a lunatic - and then made the error of
dismissing his repeated promises to deliver maximum terror. .....
- Principal organiser of
bombings in safe house in Kathmandu?
- by Praveen Swami
Intelligence sources said Sheikh, along with Zulfikar Fayyaz Qazi and
Zabiuddin Ansari, set up escape plans weeks before the bombings, in anticipation
of what is being described as the largest counter-terrorism sweep since
the 2001 attack on Parliament House. Police have named the men as key
figures in Lashkar cells operating out of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi
- networks whose relationship with the bombings was first reported in
this newspaper. .....
- India's most wanted terrorist
is faceless
- by Praveen Swami
`Rahil Abdul Rehman Sheikh,' reads the text on the top of the dossier
on India's most wanted terrorist - the man believed to be the principal
executor of the Mumbai serial bombings, which claimed 200 lives. There
is no photograph below it: for all of his adult life, Sheikh refused to
have one taken, on the ground that graven images were forbidden by Islam.
.....
- India terms Kasuri's statement
on blasts appalling
- by The Times of India
India on Wednesday described as "appalling" Pakistan Foreign
Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's statement which sought to link the
blatant and inhuman bomb blasts in Mumbai to the so called lack of resolution
of disputes between the two countries. .....
- The Jihadist War Against
India
- by Dr. Walid Phares
Is this the beginning of the Jihadi war on India? Yes and no. Yes it is
a jihadist war on India, but no, the trains' bombings weren't the beginning
of that war. Unlike the U.S., Spain, and the UK, the Indians have been
subjected to small explosions of the holy war for years. Yesterday's bombings
of Mumbai's trains (previously Bombay) are not the first strikes on Indian
mainland. .....
- Mumbai police tipped off
on June 27!
- by The Times of India
Central intelligence agencies are believed to have provided information
to Mumbai police on June 27 and 28 that the metropolis would be targeted
by the Lashker-e-Toiba militants with the help of Students' Islamic Movement
of Indian (SIMI) activists. .....
- Vote-bank concerns add
to govt's Mid East woes
- by Indrani Bagchi
Israel's offensive against Hizbollah in Lebanon and its backers in Syria
on Thursday has left policymakers here scratching their heads because
India has enormous political, economic and strategic stakes in the right
power balance in the region. As oil and gold surged northwards in the
international markets, the fear is that the Middle East crisis might hit
India where it hurts. .....
- Hunt begins for SIMI outfits
in Kerala
- by The Pioneer
Central and State Intelligence have stepped up their watch on certain
fundamentalist organisations in Kerala, following the serial blasts in
Mumbai on Tueaday. The watch is particularly focused on organisations
with links to the Union Government banned Students' Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI), which was initially said to have had a role in the serial
blasts. .....
- Governor memo rattles Mulayam
- by The Times of India
Has governor T V Rajeswar's strongly-worded memo prompted chief minister
Mulayam Singh Yadav to beat a hasty retreat on his controversial stand
on SIMI? The receipt of the governor's letter at the fifth floor office
of the CM and Yadav's backtracking in Muzaffarnagar on Friday were both
sweetly timed. .....
- This is jihad
- by Kanchan Gupta
The holy warriors who carried out the 7/11 bombings in Mumbai may be members
of local sleeper cells of the LeT and SIMI but the battle they are fighting
is part of the global war being waged by Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda.
With Islamism finding an increasing number of converts in India, Osama
and his generals will now find it easier to deploy foot soldiers in our
country to push the frontiers of jihad, writes Kanchan Gupta. .....
- Vadodara to Bhiwandi
- by Balbir K Punj
If anyone throws stones at policemen, we will answer them with bullets."
That was no Narendra 'Milosevic' Modi defending Gujarat Police for firing
that resulted in the death of two Muslims in Vadodara. That was Maharashtra's
Deputy Chief Minister cum Home Minister RR Patil defending his State police
for shooting down two Muslim rioters in Bhiwandi. .....
- Banned SIMI operating under
new names
- by Subodh Ghildiyal, Pradeep Thakur
& Vishwa Mohan
Banned for over five years for its anti-national character and now under
the scanner for its role in the Mumbai blasts, the Students' Islamic Movement
of India has begun to ward off proscription by changing identities. .....
- Terrorism escalates to
new levels
- by Abhay Vaidya & Syed Rizwanullah
It's not the usual face of Kashmiri terror. When security officials investigated
a recent encounter, they discovered the gun-wielding jihadi was a 19-year-old
boy from Kolhapur who had become a Hizb-ul Mujahideen operative after
passing through several madrassas near Kohlapur and in Gujarat. .....
- The SIMI Story
- by Yoginder Sikand
The identity of those behind the bomb blasts that shook Mumbai recently
remains unclear. Some claim Hindutva terrorists were responsible, while
others suspect the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-i Tayyeba or
the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIM) or a combination of
both. In the meanwhile, scores of suspected SIMI activists have been detained
by the police. .....
- There were 24 armed fidayeen
- by Pramod Kumar Singh
Conspirators used e-mails, hid behind women ---- The men who planted explosives
on Mumbai's train were heavily armed and numbered nearly two dozen. Investigations
by the security agencies into the 7/11 Mumbai blasts have revealed that
the executioners of the plan were ready for a fidayeen encounter with
the police in case of any confrontation. .....
- How many blasts will it
take for the govt to act
- by The Times of India
New York was bombed once, London was bombed once, and Madrid, too, was
bombed once. But Mumbai, the wannabe financial hub of the new world, has
had it many many times over and over since 1993. The first attack was
laid at the doorstep of the Don, but investigations into almost all the
ensuing terror attacks have stopped at one name: SIMI or the Student's
Islamic Movement of India. .....
- Rhetoric, half-truths and
terrorism
- by Arindam Bannerjee
"It cannot be excluded that yesterday's atrocity in Mumbai was organized
or facilitated by agents provocateurs working for one of India's intelligence
agencies or that elements within the security forces allowed the terrorist
attack to take place, with the aim of panicking the public into accepting
increased repressive powers for the state. .....
- Bomb Blasts In Mumbai -
Crossing The Limits
- by Asghar Ali Engineer
But then, is the label moderate correct for the author? One of the arguments
he uses to justify his position is to refer to the treaty of Hudaibiyah,
which Mohammed signed, even though it was most unfavourable to him. And
then the same Mohammed used the time porvided to him to regroup and make
himself strong, and then he broke the treaty. .....
- Can There Be Peace With
Islam?
- by Barbara J. Stock
The suicide bombers continue and now public executions are beginning.
Iraqis continue to kill Iraqis in alarming numbers. Shia Muslims want
revenge against Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims want their power back. Iraq
has a serious problem. .....
- Go for the Terrorist
- by A K Doval
Let us understand and appreciate the ground situation correctly. Pakistan
continues to be the fountainhead of terror. They continue to send people
and weapons and they continue to train and motivate jehadis. To effectively
deal with the threat of the expanding terror network, India must deal
with Pakistan as an aggressed state should deal with an aggressor state.
We need to send an unequivocal message that we mean business and that
we will not negotiate or be part of a dialogue unless acts of terrorism
stop. .....
- Training 'prospective'
harvesters of souls
- by V Sundaram
The first glimpse of the Jesus of the Gospels came to me when I joined
as Sub Collector in Pollachi in the erstwhile unbifurcated Coimbatore
District of Tamilnadu in 1967. I had gone to a remote village incognito
for a confidential inquiry. An enthusiastic and young Christian Pastor
tried to convert me and failed in the attempt. .....
- Madhya Pradesh hub for
Pak spies
- by The Hindustan Times
Abdul Sami was a Pakistani criminal trained in Karachi. He sneaked into
India and lived in Madhya Pradesh like a local and spying on military
establishments. Authorities say Madhya Pradesh is a haven for Pakistani
spies. .....
- India not to go ahead with
Foreign Secretary level talks
- by Daily Excelsior
The deadly serial Mumbai blasts today had its impact on the peace process
with Pakistan with India deciding not to go ahead with Foreign Secretary-level
talks that were expected to be held here next week. .....
- 'Arjun encouraging terrorism,
sack him'
- by The Indian Express
The BJP demanded dismissal of Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay and
HRD Minister Arjun Singh from their posts for their alleged remarks in
a Cabinet meeting suggesting that Hindu groups faked terrorist attacks
and blamed them routinely on Muslims. .....
- Pak hand, says NSA; Arjun,
Antulay have a different take
- by Shishir Gupta
At a Cabinet discussion on the Government's response to the terror attacks
in Mumbai, while National Security Advisor M K Narayanan pointed a finger
at Pakistan, two Ministers tried to make the point that it was routine
for Hindu groups to blame Muslims for acts of violence. .....
- Zion to Sion
- by The Pioneer
From Israel, lessons for Mumbai ---- Facetious as it may sound, weeks
like this one are ripe for bemoaning the limits to outsourcing, and the
fact that the mandate for India's internal security cannot be contracted
out to the iron-willed consciousness of Israel. In the past two days,
Israel has bombed Beirut airport and begun a naval blockade of Lebanon,
aimed at disrupting the supply lines of Hizbullah terrorists and weaponry.
.....
- Crackdown on SIMI, Centre
tells States
- by Pramod Kumar Singh
With intelligence bureau (IB) reports confirming that cadres of Students
Islamic Movement in India (SIMI) were responsible for the Mumbai train
blasts, the Centre has told all the State Governments to launch a crackdown
on SIMI cadres and their sympathisers. .....
- SIMI & Secular politics
- by Premendra Agrawal
At a time when Mumbai police are on the lookout for the Students' Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI) members for their suspected role in 7/11 serial
blasts, it is panic to know that Congress and Left parties including Sonia
Gandhi and Ambika Soni opposed NDA to ban on SIMI. Now the Mulayam Singh
Yadav government is contemplating withdrawing the cases against banned
SIMI members and setting them free. We wonder if they take any action
at all even if India gets nuked. .....
- Bumptious UPA secularism
vs. Jihadic terrorism
- by V Sundaram
With high-tech precision, eight explosions in rapid succession struck
a busy commuter railway in the city of Mumbai on 11th July evening, killing
190 people, injuring many more, and turning the rush hour into a grisly
tableau of carnage. This is the seventh major instance of a terrorist
attack in the city of Mumbai during the last 13 years. .....
- Cong leader defends SIMI
in SC
- by Narendra Kaushik
Though the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre put a ban on Students'
Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in February this year, it has not stopped
one of the party's senior leaders from vigorously opposing the ban in
the Supreme Court. .....
- Was local neta the pointman?
- by Mumbai Mirror
The central intelligence agencies and the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the
Mumbai police believe a politician with considerable following among the
minorities in Mumbai may have played a crucial role in Tuesday's serial
blasts. .....
- 'Congrats' calls expose
Pak, Bangla link
- by The Times of India
Just after the Mumbai blasts, a call from Karachi to Dhaka said: "Mubarakan,
mubarakan (congratulations)" - a clear mission-accomplished message.
.....
- Hindu, Indian, Desi, anything
but Asian
- by Times Online
The Hindu community is one of Britain's fastest growing and best integrated
ethnic groups. The 2001 Census put the numbers at nearly 550,000 but community
leaders believe that with the pace of immigration since then, there could
be more than 700,000. They are Britain's third largest faith community
after Christians and Muslims. .....
- Locals abetted blasts:
Cops
- by The Asian Age
Sources in the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) said that they are maintaining
vigil in different areas of the city since they believe that the serial
blasts, which took place in the local trains on Tuesday, could not have
been executed without the connivance of the local population. .....
- 'The dead have been forgotten'
- by Syed Firdaus Ashraf
For many residents, Mumbai may have returned to normalcy. For those in
mourning, life and the city will never be the same. Chief Correspondent
Syed Firdaus Ashraf spent some time with one such bereaved family. .....
- Al Qaeda announces presence
in J&K
- by Mukhtar Ahmad
The Al Qaeda terrorist outfit was launched in Jammu and Kashmir with its
spokesman making the announcement in a telephone statement to a local
news agency, Current News Service. .....
- Blasts? What Blasts?…Yeh
to hota hi rahta hai…
- by Jai Dharma
On Rediff, Nitin Chhoda wrote: "You want to help, but the only thing
you can do is make a few phone calls. You want to feel sad, but you are
too far away…In essence, you feel helpless." .....
- Kargil invasion was pre-planned:
Musharraf
- by Rediff.com
President Pervez Musharraf has confirmed what the world had suspected
for long - that Pakistan's Kargil invasion had been planned even as the
then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was preparing for his
journey of peace by bus to Lahore in February 1999. .....
- Soft Centre
- by Newsinsight.net
By now, we have become predictable in our responses to terrorist outrages,
and it is no different with the Bombay serial bombings, which have killed
nearly two hundred people since yesterday, and injured more than three
times the number. The media leads the act in playing down the terrorist
attack, by painting up a perfectly fraudulent picture of a city hurtling
back to normalcy within hours if not minutes, and the more pseudo-secular,
pseudo-liberal of the papers come out with absolutely crummy headlines.
.....
- India needs to be ruthless
in its vengeance
- by Shishir Bhate
As a child, I rarely fell asleep without listening to my grandmother narrate
'good-over-evil' stories from religious scriptures. Her dramatic story-telling
ability held me enraptured as she described how gods took on the demons
and crushed them. With 330 million gods to choose from and a near-perfect
memory, her bank of stories was inexhaustible. At school, I learnt 'moral
science,' which primarily consisted of religious tales of divine domination
over wickedness. .....
- Bumptious UPA secularism
vs. Jihadic terrorism
- by V Sundaram
With high-tech precision, eight explosions in rapid succession struck
a busy commuter railway in the city of Mumbai on 11th July evening, killing
190 people, injuring many more, and turning the rush hour into a grisly
tableau of carnage. This is the seventh major instance of a terrorist
attack in the city of Mumbai during the last 13 years. .....
- SIMI and Mulayam's political
games
- by Atul Chandra
At a time when Mumbai police are on the lookout for the Students' Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI) members for their suspected role in Tuesday's
serial blasts, the Mulayam Singh Yadav government is contemplating withdrawing
the cases against them and setting them free. .....
- Boys gone astray, Minister?
- by Shishir Gupta
You don't have to wait for intelligence agencies to release their trademark
identikit pictures to know the faces behind Mumbai's serial blast. Those
fuzzy, looks-like-everyman sketches can't tell you anything what Abdul
Razzaq can. Or what Mohammed Waliullah can. Razzaq and Waliullah are not
foreign mercenaries. .....
- Enough is enough!
- by Saisuresh Sivaswamy
When the first of the explosives went off at the Bombay Stock Exchange
on March 12, 1993, by chance I was in the vicinity. .....
- Bangla immigrants: The
threat within
- by The Times of India
While investigators probing leads into the Mumbai train blasts are scouring
for evidence linking the terror strike to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba,
there is rising concern over a large of pool of illegals from Bangladesh
in the city providing a steady stream of foot soldiers for extremist outfits.
.....
- NGOs can't run the country
- by Anuradha Dutt
The Narmada Bachao Andolan has had its severest setback in years. For,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who initiated the process of formally involving
NGOs in policy-making, slammed the NBA's charges of inadequate rehabilitation
of displaced people by submitting a statement in the Supreme Court that
work on the Sardar Sarovar Project must continue as it was in public interest.
.....
- Back on track in 16 hours!
- by Binoor Nair
When the London underground was attacked on July 7 last year, services
could be restored only three days later. On July 11, 2006, the Western
Railway (WR) network was hit by seven blasts. Exactly 16 hours later,
trains were plying along the entire line between Churchgate and Virar.
.....
- Siddhivinayak devotee Imtiaz
is still missing
- by Snehal Rebello and Ketaki Ghoge
For five years, 18-year-old Imtiaz Shaikh, a Std VIII dropout, has visited
Siddhivinayak Temple every Tuesday. On July 11, when he left home, Shaikh's
mother, 36-yearold Shaheeda presumed that her son was on his usual Tuesday
tryst with 'Ganpati'. .....
- Qaeda lauds train blasts
- by Arun Joshi
A man claiming to be Al Qaeda's spokesman said on Thursday that the global
terror group had set up base in Kashmir and praised Tuesday's serial blasts
in Mumbai that killed nearly 200 people. .....
- Karachi to Dhaka: Mubarakan
- by The Times of India
Just after the Mumbai blasts, a call from Karachi to Dhaka said: "Mubarakan,
mubarakan (congratulations)" - a clear mission-accomplished message.
.....
- 7/11 brought out the heroes
in them
- by The Times of India
A part from triggering a flush of gore and death, Tuesday's serial blasts
left behind a vacuum that was almost immediately filled up by the common
man's ability to take on several roles. Not only were people living near
the railway station the first to rush to the disaster scene, but they
also donned the role of a nurse, volunteer, blood donor and relative so
that the blast victims could cling to hope till their relatives arrive.
.....
- J&K terrorists turn
gun on Hindus again
- by The Times of India
If it's tourists on one hand, it's Hindus on the other. Terrorists shot
dead four teenagers in Poonch district and left a middle-aged woman and
her daughter injured in a post-midnight strike in this border district
of Jammu region. .....
- As their tactics backfire,
they backtrack
- by Meenakshi Jain
Though the relentless pressure of several aggrieved groups has forced
left historians to backtrack on some of their more contentious assertions
on Indian history, this seems a tactical retreat rather than a sincere
rectification of position. The cosmetic changes made by Professor Satish
Chandra in his Medieval India, textbook for Class XI, as well as the response
of the Committee of Historians to the objections raised by Shri Dinanath
Batra and others in the Delhi High Court, smack of a forced withdrawal.
.....
- They baffle us with their
Goebbelsian mischief
- by Devendra Swaroop
"The most prominent among these new leaders were Bal Gangadhar Tilak,
Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai and Aurobindo Ghosh. They came to be
known as extremists." (Modern India, Social Science, Part 1, Arjun
Dev & Indira Arjun Dev, Class VIII) .....
- Textbooks that disparage
the Indian heritage
- by Dr Maheep Singh
It is unfortunate that the History textbook prepared by NCERT for the
students of class XI written by Prof Satish Chandra is full of distortions
and wrong statements. In the previous edition of Medieval India, prescribed
for class XI, Shri Chandra, referring to the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
quoting some Persian source, had written that after his return from Assam,
the Guru in association with one Hafiz Adam, a follower of Shiekh Ahmed
Sirhandi, had resorted to plunder and rapine laying waste the whole province
of the Punjab. .....
- The Politics And Conspiracy
Behind Upa's Distorted Education Policy
- by Dr J.S. Rajput
Never before, education in India was put to such political siege as during
the last two years. The ruling combine of the political parties diametrically
opposed to each other emerged on the basis of the eternal political principle
of 'power at any cost'. .....
- Stalling growth as Patkar's
profession
- by Shyam Khosla
Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) Supremo Medha Patkar has done it again. After
putting impediments in the completion of the Narmada project under the
garb of ensuring rehabilitation of displaced persons, she has now succeeding
in her evil design to stall the work on the Maheshwar Hydroelectic Project
on the untenable premise that the project authorities had failed to submit
a rehabilitation plan for the displaced persons. .....
- 'Papa is dead'
- by Chitrangada Choudhury
Vijay Jhawar's desperate search through Tuesday night in hospital after
hospital for his younger brother Sandeep ended gruesomely at dawn at the
Sion Hospital's OPD. .....
- A few good men
- by Kavitha Iyer
Even as the seven near-synchronised bombs had just finished exploding,
Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph was already receiving the first
reports. Much before the cellphone networks passed out, he had called
the hospitals and fire chiefs. The disaster control cell in the basement
was told to expect the commissioner to take charge. Then he was on the
phone with Mantralaya. .....
- Keeping the peace
- by Lekha Agarwal
Candle-light vigils, mohalla committee meetings, shraddhanjali, condolence
meetings, and finally, public dialogue. .....
- They opened their doors
- by Kavitha Iyer
Looking around nervously at Churchgate station at 7.45 pm on Tuesday,
Amit Narayan, 17, saw a sea of people whose minds he could read in that
instant. ''How do I get home? Are my loved ones safe?'' That one thought
made them all kindred souls, he says, and then they all became roommates
the next instant. .....
- Healing a broken city
- by The Indian Express
At midnight, standing outside the makeshift mortuary near the emergency
and casualties ward of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital at
Sion, the dean's standing instructions to Dr Rajeev Kumar, (communities
and medicine) who was also in charge of co-ordination couldn't be more
precise: ''Clear everything here. Make way for the blast victims.'' .....
- They got Mumbai home
- by Kalpana Verma
They were the first heroes-seven motormen and seven guards. Fire extinguishers
in hand, they joined relief efforts, then kept an all-night vigil around
their mangled train compartments, hungry and tired, until the rakes were
safely inside carsheds the next morning. .....
- Ready for anything
- by N Ganesh
Far away from the scenes of the blasts, inside a basement office, another
dedicated team had swung into action. This was the Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, a crucial link
in the coordination of relief efforts. .....
- The annoying spirit
- by Nilanjana Sengupta
When people who usually don't take the trains have nothing meaningful
to say about the blasts, they use an all-weather expression - the Spirit
of Mumbai. So what if Mumbai has been bombed once again? Long live the
spirit of Mumbai. .....
- 'The blast destroyed my
life, and no government ever helped'
- by Kavitha Iyer
This is the last interview he will give, says Kirti Ajmera. Ajmera (49)
nearly became a second-time victim of terror when he missed one of the
ill-fated trains on Tuesday by bare seconds, but it's March 1993 that
gets this marketing professional talking. As he speaks, still bitter,
memory bubbles over, fast and vivid. And, after 13 years, still painful.
.....
- At least they got to thank
their 'heroes'
- by Anumeha Yadav
Almost every survivor of Tuesday's blasts has countless, nameless, strangers
to thank-those who rushed in from outside the stations and helped the
injured into taxis, tempos, policevans and ambulances, even carrying them
on their shoulders in some cases, those who tirelessly worked at hospitals
through the night only to slip into the shadows as dawn broke. .....
- Bangladesh hotbed of terror
activities
- by Rakesh K. Singh
Bangladesh is fast becoming the new international hub of terrorist activities
and the country has become the hotbed of militant training and recruitment
ground with even the Bangladeshi Army directly involved with terror outfits,
sources said. .....
- The enemy within
- by A.R. Kanangi
Two months ago, Zainuddin Ansari and two other terrorists who were involved
in the storage of explosives in Marathwada stayed in the MLA hostel for
a couple of hours. How did they gain entry into the place? Have the police
found out whose guests they were? .....
- Dawood behind Mumbai blasts?
- by Nishant A Bhuse
Immediately after a blast ripped through a local train in Matunga on Tuesday,
a call was placed from Matunga to an associate of Dawood in Dubai, saying
'Thank You', Intelligence Bureau (IB) sources said. .....
- Terrorists target Hindus
in Valley
- by Arti Tikoo Singh
Terrorists shot dead four teenagers in Poonch and left a middle-aged woman
and her daughter injured in a post-midnight strike in this border district
of Jammu region. .....
- Qaida claims to have set
up network in J&K
- by The Times of India
A man claiming to represent Osama bin Laden's Al Qaida said the terror
network had set up a wing in J&K and appealed to Indian Muslims to
take up jehad, a Srinagar-based news organisation said on Thursday. .....
- Centre suspects SIMI hand
but Mulayam gives it clean chit
- by Subodh Ghildiyal
Turning a blind eye to the Centre's directive to clamp down on SIMI for
its suspected involvement in the Mumbai massacre, UP CM Mulayam Singh
Yadav on Thursday gave a virtual clean chit to the banned extremist outfit.
.....
- CJI spoke for tough law
against terror
- by The Times of India
Less than a fortnight ago, Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal had noted the spiraling
terrorist strikes against the country and said the international community
could not fault India if it chose to enact tough measures to deal with
the menace. .....
- SIMI: 5 years of ban, 5years
of growth
- by The Times of India
In the five years that SIMI has been officially banned, it has not only
continued its activities in traditional strongholds, but has successfully
managed to expand its sphere of influence. .....
- Planning a Terrorist strike
- by The Times of India
Of the several Al Qaida documents recovered worldwide, few are more explicit
and detailed in covering all aspects of setting up a terror organisation
as the one found by the Manchester metropolitan police. .....
- Unmistakably Lashkar
- by The Times of India
When, hunting for a killer, sleuths look for an accused with a motive,
opportunity and weapons to carry out his murderous intent. Precise leads
are yet to emerge in Mumbai, but there is a suspect - one who would willingly
target innocents on a local train. .....
- WR back on its feet by
dawn
- by The Times of India
Five hours after Tuesday's carnage came to an end, under a bright full
moon, the ill-fated 5.48 slow local from Churchgate to Borivli stood still
on an empty track between Khar Road and Santa Cruz stations. The blast
that had taken place at 6.24 pm near the Khar Subway had been devastatingly
huge. .....
- Make Rs 25 lakh on a terror
tip
- by The Times of India
The Democratic Front government was lambasted in both houses of the state
legislature on Wednesday. It was accused of lacking political will and
the intelligence failure to avert the blasts dominated proceedings. .....
- 13 yrs and still no conviction
- by The Times of India
The blasts have blown the lid off Mumbai's patience. It is an anger more
palpable than merely the deflation of the city's fabled spirit. The anger
is directed at the authorities for being unable to prevent the carnage,
as well as at fellow-citizens for attempting to take the crime in their
stride by putting on a "spirit of Mumbai" face. .....
- Mr Moneybags with a heart
- by The Times of India
Standing at the makeshift information counter at Sion Hospital, Somnath
Julka was not looking for any injured relatives. He was simply lending
a hand-monetarily and otherwise. Standing guard all night, Julka not only
helped people look for their kin but also gave out Rs 2.75 lakh by way
of cash and medicines to the needy. .....
- Mumbai says we will always
be with you...
- by Georgina Maddox & Sulakshana
Gupta
So what if it was the evening rush. At Santacruz, commuters now find time
to stop briefly at the Shradhanjali Mandap at the entrance. ''Condolences
from Mumbaiikars to the city's blast victims,'' it reads as the Tricolour
flutters behind a collage of newspaper clippings chronicling Terrible
Tuesday. .....
- Our Stand Vindicated (Interview
with Shri Madan Dilawar)
- by Organiser
Shri Madan Dilawar is among those BJP leaders, who are proud of their
association with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He has no qualms in
admitting that, as a minister, he is instilling good values into the people,
which he has learnt as a swayamsevak. At times, some of his decisions
courted controversies. It was he who had introduced the Bhojan Mantra
in the hotels, run by the Special Welfare Department. .....
- High Court upholds Rajasthan
action against Emmanuels
- by Lokpal Sethi
About five months back, the district administration at Kota in Rajasthan
received a complaint that the Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) at
its various centres in and around the city was distributing or selling
a book titled Haqeeqat, which contained several derogatory remarks about
Hindu scriptures, faith, rituals and traditions. .....
- Goddess of small lies!
- by Balbir K. Punj
She is a goddess who tried to give long legs to her small lies. Not surprisingly,
Arundhati Roy often leaves a chink in her armour. Her family is one of
the four who had been served notices by a local court in Madhya Pradesh
for prima facie encroaching upon a tribesman's land. .....
- Who speaks for India's
Hindus?
- by Sandhya Jain
Two recent initiatives by Hindus living abroad raise fundamental questions
about who has the right (adhikaar) to speak for the Hindu community in
India and in the various countries where Hindus have settled, often for
generations. The question is pertinent because in the Vedic tradition,
the celestial island on which the territory of Bharat lies is the sole
dharmic punyabhoomi and karmabhoomi. .....
- Resilience is good, but
amnesia is fatal
- by Ranjit Hoskote
Tuesday evening's terrorist strike in Mumbai is the seventh such attack
that India's commercial capital has suffered in 13 years. And yet, churlish
as it may seem to say so at this moment, Mumbai's self-image as a courageous
and resilient city - which can spring back after any catastrophe - deflects
attention from the fact that this global metropolis is uniquely unprepared
to defend itself against the depredations of terrorist warfare. .....
- Chinkara case reopened
against Aamir Khan
- by The Hindu
After actor Salman Khan, trouble is now brewing for Aamir Khan over alleged
use of chinkaras in the protected chinkara sanctuary in Kutch district,
Gujarat. .....
- Pilgrim polewalk
- by The Hindustan Times
Not the best time for road rage, starting this week for a month in the
hot and dusty plains of Hindoostan: whole swarms of men in orange (and
women, too) from the BIMARU states have seized the National Highways to
march relentlessly on Hardwar. .....
- CBI to prove don in Pak
- by Rajnish Sharma
Pakistan might deny that Dawood Ibrahim has found shelter on its soil
but India is ready to prove otherwise. The CBI will soon provide more
evidence to Interpol, Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and
the US Treasury Department about the don's activities and network in Pakistan.
.....
- Tihar's tale: Pay and play
- by Anupam Thapa
It is the biggest prison of South East Asia. Although Tihar jail has a
sanctioned capacity of 5,648 prisoners, more than 13,000 are lodged here.
Many of these are high profile prisoners-from Babloo Srivastava (whose
conviction this past week, means he'll be staying here for a while) to
Vikas Yadav, accused in the Nitish Katara murder case. .....
- Meet Subhash More, he did
not give up
- by Vivek Deshpande
Subhash Natthuji More is the happy exception to a sad rule in the killing
fields of Vidarbha. While others spoke of hardship and misery, what more
told the Prime Minister was about perseverance and hope: A successful
cotton and orange farmer, he is not in debt, earning a neat Rs 5,000 a
month. .....
- How Andhra's plans went
haywire
- by Ashok Das
Q.: When did Andhra Pradesh come up with reservation for Muslims?
A.: The state government issued an order in July 2004, providing five
per cent reservation for Muslims in jobs and educational institutions,
after declaring the community a backward class. A flurry of petitions
challenging the order in court followed. .....
- Ladies first: A temple
that worship women
- by P K Surendran
The guardians of celibate Lord Ayyappa's exclusivist Sabarimala shrine
have so far turned a deaf ear on a chorus of demands from women devotees
to let them in. In complete contrast, just across the narrow breadth of
southern Kerala is the Chakkulathu Kavu temple, where women are worshipped.
.....
- 'Prove claim of ownership'
- by The Times of India
Deputy chief minister R R Patil on Thursday announced a sum of Rs 7.50
lakh and a government job for the next of kin of the cops who died in
the violence. .....
- Say it hard and true, at
least now
- by News Today
Mumbai 1993 down to Coimbatore explosions to Delhi Deepavali blasts to
attack in IISc in Bangalore to explosions in Varnasi to countless blasts
in Kashmir to Mumbai again yesterday. It has been a never-ending bloody
saga. No country in the world has suffered, humiliated, battered, pummelled
as India has been due to what is simplistically called as acts of terrorism.
.....
- Could terrorism spiral
into a civil war?
- by The Economic Times
It would be unwise to ignore what the jihadi forces, aided and abetted
by our neighbour, are up to. True, India has been able to successfully
thwart all Pakistani attempts since Independence to rip apart the secular
fabric of our polity. .....
- The Taliban's hidden masters
- by Anil Bhat
It is becoming increasingly clear that the kind of Improvised Explosive
Devices (IED) used against the coalition forces in Afghanistan is similar
to the ones used in the Kashmir Valley, pointing as strongly to the Pakistani
connection as the suicide attacks in Kabul and other places show similarity
with attacks in Iraq. .....
- 'Black magic law may be
abused'
- by Swati Deshpande
The state's proposed law against blind faith and black magic has plenty
of grey areas, feel experts. The Bill, called the "Maharashtra Eradication
of Black Magic and Evil Practices Bill", may become an Act in the
coming Assembly session but, in the absence of any public debate on its
provisions, there is fear and confusion that a law meant to target tantriks
may end up putting a curb on people's religious beliefs and practices.
.....
- 3 Lashkar terrorists to
hang for Akshardham
- by The Times of India
A Pota court in Ahmedabad on Saturday sent three terrorists to the gallows
and sentenced one to life for one of the most heinous attacks on civilians
in India - at the Akshardham temple. Thirty-three people, including two
commandos, were killed and 81 injured, when two 'fidayeen' stormed the
temple complex in Gandhinagar and sprayed bullets indiscriminately on
devotees on September 24, 2002. .....
- Ask Bhiwandi rioters to
show restraint: Thackeray
- by The Economic Times
Alleging that 'fanatic' forces in Bhiwandi, which witnessed riots fast
week, have a hand in desecration of his wife Meenatai Thackeray's statue,
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray said that the rampage in Mumbai and parts
of Maharashtra over the issue was a 'flare-up of emotions'. .....
- UK Hindus appeal for recognition
- by Emily Buchanan
Hindus living in Britain feel they are ignored while other groups are
being listened to, a survey claims. .....
- Bhiwandi falls prey to
hardline politics
- by Miloni Bhatt
The origins of the Shiv Sena's new muscle flexing are in the powerloom
town of Bhiwandi which has been a minefileld of opportunistic minority
politicians. .....
- Planned attempt in Tirupathi
by evangelists to defile the great holy shrine
- by Organiser
Sri Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji of the Pejawar Mutt in response to startling
disclosures of the planned evangelist activities in the holy Tirupathi
temple premises announced that the leaders of Hindu mutts would meet in
the temple complex on July 15 to discuss the activities of Christian missionaries,
including attempts to convert Hindus in Tirumala and Tirupathi. .....
- Terror With State Patronage
- by Amitabh Tripathi
It is difficult to believe as Islamic terrorists are getting state patron
in our country but unfortunately it is true. Last month when Mumbai police
recovered huge cache of arms and ammunitions from some small towns and
cities of Maharashtra like Aurangabad and Malegaon, anti terrorist squad
also disclosed premises of three MLA's were used by these terrorists to
hide and stay. .....
- 'No substance, only impediments'
- by The Pioneer
Shunglu Committee report damns NGO ---- Exposing the Narmada Bachao Andolan's
claims that Madhya Pradesh had not carried out adequate rehabilitation
of several thousand people affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project, the
Shunglu Committee report submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday has
said the NGO's allegations are "without substance." .....
- Surnames are now out at
IIT Kanpur
- by Deccan Chronicle
There are no Guptas, Sharmas, Pandeys, Tiwaris, Tripathis, Shuklas, Singhs,
Agarwals, Dixits and Hussains left on the campus. The surnames that denote
caste have been dropped like leaves in the autumn, and all that remains
is a feeling of oneness. .....
- Temple demolitions stoke
Malaysian tensions
- by Zari Bukhari
Police in riot gear and shouting through megaphones recently arrived to
move out devotees and pave the way for demolition of a Hindu temple on
the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, which local ethnic Indians say has stood
in the area for more than three generations. A group of angry worshippers
who refused to obey orders were doused with water cannons and beaten by
baton-wielding security forces. .....
- Muslim team against bullet-proofing
Ayodhya temple
- by The Hindu
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today told a delegation that plans to protect
the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya with a bulletproof shield cannot be
shelved, Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal, leader of the delegation,
said. .....
- Demolishing Hindu institutions
Congress style
- by Organiser
Samuel Reddy, the Andhra CM, works very methodically and ceaselessly to
do the real damage to Hindu infrastructure. His focus is unparalleled.
His cronies are on the job of occupying huge tracts of lands in Tirupathi
town through force and fear. That the management of the Holy Shrine is
in the hands of crypto xtians is an evident for a casual visitor. .....
- The Litmus Test of Whether
Your History is Secular
- by Arun Shourie
The pattern of NCERT History textbooks is set in stone : concoct a picture
of pre-Islamic society of Indian history as a period riddled by discord,
tensions, inequity and oppression -- evidence or no evidence; on the other
side, concoct a picture of the Islamic period as one in which a "composite
culture" flowered, one in which, in spite of the errors of few who
acted out of normal, non-religious motives, there was peace and harmony
-- evidence or no evidence! .....
- To be comfortable in your
second skin
- by Jerry Pinto
I wonder why all of us men of the East have no confidence in our own traditions
as far as dress codes go. Japanese men won't wear kimonos to work and
Indian men won't wear kurtas. As soon as a young man earns his MBA, he
retires all his Indian clothes and gets himself a wardrobe of suits. Never
mind that the suit is completely unsuitable for tropical climates. .....
- Washed up rhetoric
- by Anil Patel
The Supreme Court hears the Narmada case on July 10. The Shunglu Committee's
report on resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) will be part of the
government's submission. Certain familiar arguments by those against the
dam will be heard again, primary among them that this monsoon will see
the ruin of thousands when the dam's height is raised to 121.92 m. This
is gross exaggeration. No such thing is likely to happen even when the
dam is fully constructed up to 138.64 m. .....
- Simi regrouping in UP
- by Rajesh N Singh
Lack of political will to enforce the ban imposed by Centre on the Students'
Islamic Movement of India (Simi) by Uttar Pradesh government might play
havoc with the state's security as the organisation is regrouping under
a different name and could trigger yet another series of destructive activities.
.....
- George! this is not funny
- by Nabanita Sircar
All England hopes in the World Cup and Wimbledon have been dashed. And
following the World Cup defeat many angry British football fans threw
away the St George flags that adorned their cars before the start of the
World Cup. .....
- Shiite Gunmen Kill 41 Sunnis
in Baghdad
- by Robert H. Reid
Masked Shiite gunmen rampaged through a tense neighborhood of west Baghdad
on Sunday, dragging Sunnis from their cars, picking them out on the street
and killing at least 41 in a dramatic escalation of sectarian violence.
.....
- Pro-US Kurds eye nascent
Islamic parties
- by James Brandon
The creation of a new constitution for Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region
was meant to be relatively straightforward. But instead, Kurdish Islamic
parties have courted controversy by calling a greater role for sharia,
or Islamic law. .....
- Playboy's life: Girls &
booze
- by James Gordon Meek
The alleged ringleader of the tunnel terror plot lived the life of an
international playboy - on orders from Al Qaeda. .....
- DJ French Counter-terrorism
Head Warns On Muslim Recruiters
- by Dow Jones Newswires
Recruiters for hard-line Islamist groups can turn Muslim youths with little
interest in religion into extremists in a matter of weeks, the head of
France's counterterrorism agency said in an interview published Friday.
.....
- No offence, imam, but we
must call it Islamic terror
- by Michael Portillo
After the terrorist outrages of July 7, 2005, most Londoners have continued
to travel by bus, train and Underground. They are more vigilant, but few
seem to experience anxiety about a repeat attack during their journey.
That is remarkable because objectively the chances of another massacre
must be higher than a year ago. .....
- Joking Muslim cleric mocks
victims of London blasts
- by The Sunday Times
A speech by an extremist Muslim cleric praising the London bombers and
mocking victims of suicide attacks has been broadcast on the internet
to coincide with the anniversary of the July 7 attacks. .....
- Malaysian Political Scientist
Speaks Out about the Destruction of Hindu Temples
- by Hinduism Today
In this news piece sent by the Malaysian Hindu Voice, Dr. Farish A. Noor,
a Malaysian political scientist and human rights activist, speaks out
against the recent demolition of Hindu temples in Malaysia. He notes that
because of globalization the Hindu community is connected with others
worldwide and, as a result, Hindu organizations in Europe and other parts
of the world have appealed to the Malaysian government and the prime minister
to do something to stop the march of the bulldozers. .....
- Politicising Amarnath?
- by Mohit Kandhari
On May 23, when Shri Amarnath Shrine Board CEO Dr Arun Kumar announced
the annual Amarnath pilgrimage calendar starting June 11 - it usually
starts in July - hopes were raised that this time, the number of pilgrims
would pass previous records. Furthermore, with Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad reputedly close to Jammu and Kashmir Governor and SASB chairman Lt-Gen
(Retd) SK Sinha, people also hoped the yatra would not be politicised
in the manner associated with the regime of former chief minister Mufti
Muhammad Sayeed. .....
- A co-ed Sabarimala?
- by Chandan Mitra
Assorted secularists, self-righteous social reformists, atheists, agnostics,
jholawalas, human rightswalas, rent-a-cause walas, gender busters and
sundry bleeding hearts are busy these days vocally denouncing Hindu temple
practices with particular reference to a certain quaint custom prevailing
at the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. .....
- Failure in full strength
- by Swapan Dasgupta
It has taken the Indian middle classes just over 25 months to formally
terminate their honeymoon with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA
Government. The point of endurance had been unacceptably stretched during
the kerfuffle over reservations in April and May but the flak had largely
been directed at Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh. This
month, the Rubicon has been crossed. .....
- 'Develop satsang for spiritualism'
- by News Today
To understand the essence of Vedanta, certain percepts have to be repeated
quite often just like the way a teacher keeps repeating to din into the
ears of the students, said R Seshasayee, managing director, Ashok Leyland.
.....
- Congress of Sonia is politics
without ethics
- by Organiser
Just think of this: Reports from Dhaka that the Khaleda Zia Government
is considering relocating the Bhakeshwari Kali Temple-the millennium-old
shrine in the heart of the Bangladesh capital that gives the city its
very name, has been conveniently suppressed by the English media. The
Pioneer (June 9) alone had the courage to write an editorial on the subject.
.....
- Cloning History, Marxian
Style
- by Dr S.P. Gupta
Romila Thapar in her book, Ancient India, for class VI writes about cow
eating. She says on page 40-41, "In fact, for special guest beef
was served as a mark of honour (although in later centuries Brahmanas
were forbidden to eat beef). A man's life was valued as equal to that
of a hundred cows. If a man killed another man, he had to give a hundred
cows to the family of the dead man as a punishment." .....
- 'Musharraf harmed Pak more
than India'
- by The Times of India
Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif has charged that President Pervez
Musharraf was acting like a "terrorist" and asked the United
States to sever ties with him if it really wanted to wage a war against
terror. .....
- NBA 'anti-national acts'
under SC scanner
- by The Pioneer
Anti-dam crusader Medha Patkar received a nasty jolt on Friday when the
Supreme Court admitting a plea to investigate the anti-national activities
of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) issued notices to the Centre, Gujarat
and Madhya Pradesh Governments, to respond on actions taken against Patkar's
organisation. .....
- Destruction of Hindu Temples
by Aurangzeb
- by Rajiv Varma
Islamic literary sources provide far more extensive evidence of temple
destruction by the Muslim invaders of India in medieval times. They also
cover a large area, from Sinkiang and Transoxiana in the North to Tamil
Nadu in the South, and from Siestan province of present day Iran in the
West to Assam in the East. .....