Author:
Publication: The Times of India,
New Delhi
Date: May 5, 2001
Contrary to the claims of the Deendar
Anjuman that it had nothing to do with the blasts at places of workship
at different places last year, inquires have revealed that some of its
leaders did know of the plans of some of its members to resort to the subversive
activities. "We were threatened by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
of Pakistan into keeping quiet," a leader of the Deendar Anjuman who refused
to be identified told The Times of India.
The serial blasts, carried out at
places of worship in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa during May-June
last year, were planned by members belonging to the organisation, CID investigations
revealed.
According to sources, the subversive
activities were planned by Syed Zia-ul-Hassan, a Mardan-based Pakistani
national and elder son of Deendar Anjuman's founder Moulana Syed Siddique
Deendar Channabasveshwar, to cause large-scale violence in the southern
states. The entire operation was planned by the ISI and some activists
of the Deendar Anjuman in the city were selected for the purpose. The selection
was made by Zia-ul-Hassan himself who visited the city to attend his father's
annual Urs during 1999, sources said. It was the sixth attempt by the ISI
to form a base in the city by inciting Muslim youth against India. The
first attempt was made in December 1993 and a group was formed which conducted
two bomb blasts, including in a train on December 6, 1993, to create communal
disturbances A few months later in 1994, a 23-member group, with most of
its members hailing from Nalgonda district, was used by the ISI to kill
'karsevaks'. Again in 1995, 1997 and 1999, separate groups were formed.
As these groups were operating independently, they were soon caught by
the police and some of the members were also killed in police encounters.
To ensure that it do not fail in
its attempt this time, the Anjuman, a not-so well-known organisation, was
selected by the ISI to carry out its activities
The ISI activists then started surveying
places of worship located in sensitive areas in various parts of Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh and Goa. Subsequently, they conducted bomb blasts at a Christian
religious gathering at Machilipatnam, churches at Vikarabad, Medak, Ongole
and Tadepalligudem, a temple at Vijayawada and a mosque at Guntur. Blasts
were also planned at some places in the city, including the Buddha Statue
in Hussainsagar and the Birla Temple, but before they could do so, they
were caught by the police.
