Mumbai Under Assault

Current report says that 85 people were killed in mumbai shootout including 6 foreigners and 14 polices. And still few hundred is trapped in TAJ HOTEL, OBEROI HOTEL, CAMA hospital.
Terrorist attacked in 11 places in mumbai. killed at least 87 people including 14 cops.

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For the last several months, bombings have rattled the image of an India industriously humming toward prosperity. Beginning about two years ago, they have occured with increasing frequency: about a dozen such attacks have pockmarked India’s largest cities, from Delhi and Jaipur to Bangalore and Guwahati. And so when the alarms went out on Wednesday night, it looked like Mumbai (formerly Bombay) was being hit by another one of those attacks. The modus operandi was similar: simultaneous blasts in heavily populated areas. But this time, the attack was different.

Indeed, the assault only seemed to grow in frenzy, scope and intensity as time passed. Less that two hours after the first reports of firings and explosions, which came at about 10 p.m. local time, it soon became clear that instead of just crude bombs left on bicycles, scooters and cars, this attack used the whole arsenal: grenades, AK-47s, rifles and a car bomb in a taxi that exploded on the highway headed to the city’s international airport. And unlike previous attacks, which have hit mainly Indians in popular, crowded markets, this one appeared to have targeted foreigners and the posh hotels they frequent. Two of the city’s landmark properties — the Oberoi and the Taj Hotel — were under siege. The grand dome of the Taj caught fire, masked in a purple haze, after terrorists set off an explosion on the roof as police closed in on them. About 300 troops, sent in by the central government, have also surrounded the Oberoi.

A British national, a man in his 30s, who was having dinner inside the Oberoi Hotel, one of the city’s poshest, told the Times Now television station that two young men — in jeans and t-shirts — came in brandishing AK-47s and rifles, singled out those carrying British and American passports and ordered them to the roof. “We went on the 18th floor, it became very smoky, we escaped. Just two of us,” said the British man, who was not identified. As of 2 a.m. local time, several of the hostages were still being held, with dozens of Indian commandos surrounding the hotel.

A member of Parliament, Krishna Das, who was interviewed from inside the Taj Hotel, reported that two men also entered that hotel’s restaurant and started firing, but did not take any hostages. As of 2 a.m., he said about 200 people, including women and children, were still inside the hotel without news of the mayhem unfolding around the city. Meanwhile, bombs have been reported in at least seven sites in Mumbai, with 87 people so far reported killed and nearly 200 injured. At least two Mumbai police officers, who went into one of the hotels to confront the terrorists, were killed. Two of the suspects have also been killed by police. It is not yet clear how many attackers were involved in the assault.

The attacks come at a moment when Mumbai has become a communal tinderbox and terrorism has become one of the biggest political issues in the country. The ruling Congress Party has drawn flak for allegedly failing to take a strong line on terrorism, but the states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the leading opposition party at the center, have also been targeted.

Late last month, 10 arrests unearthed what appeared to be a possible Hindu extremist terror network, with ties to the BJP. But, for the most part, security agencies and analysts have blamed jihadi groups for the recent terror attacks. And the simultaneous bomb blasts on Wednesday — similar to previous radical Islamist attacks — immediately led most observers to suspect the jihadis once again. For years, India blamed Pakistan’s intelligence services for terror attacks; then the usual suspects became the Harkat ul Jihad Islamia (based in Bangladesh) and Students Islamic Movement of India, a group that has been banned. This summer, a new group emerged, Indian Mujahideen, claiming responsibility via e-mail for several attacks and stressing that their members and grievances were homegrown. A group called Deccan Mujahideen, previously unknown, has also sent an e-mail claiming responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks. That claim cannot yet be confirmed.

In 1993, Mumbai was hit by a series of bombs that killed nearly 300 people. Those were allegedly detonated at the behest of local gangsters in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence by India’s majority Hindus. Those gangsters, including Dawood Ibrahim, are now believed to have escaped India and to be living in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

As the debate over terror continues, various parties have been trading blame. The BJP has accused the Congress of cooking up charges against the arrested Hindu right-wingers, while the Congress has been accusing the BJP of playing a double-game of pointing fingers at the Congress while lending a hand to Hindu-fundamentalist terrorists. Mumbai has been a focus of the tension between the parties, as several of the so-called “Hindu terror” arrests have taken place in or near the city. Perhaps the size and scale of this most recent attack will force the country’s political leaders to finally push through a long-shelved proposal to co-ordinate intelligence on terror incidents between the states and prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s bloody spectacle. With reporting by Madhur Singh/New Delhi

SYDNEY: At least two Australians have been injured in a wave of terror attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai and a 20-person trade delegation is caught up in the violence, officials said on Wednesday.

The department of foreign affairs gave no further details of the two people injured, but issued a warning to all Australians in the city to remain in a safe location and follow the advice of local authorities.

A trade delegation from New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, was staying at the Trident Hotel, formerly known as the Oberoi, one of two hotels targeted in the attacks, the national AAP news agency reported.

“I can confirm a 20-member trade delegation organised by the Department of State and Regional Development booked into the Oberoi hotel,” a government spokesman said.

“We are currently trying to contact them. The last we heard, they were being evacuated from their rooms but we haven’t had any contact since then.”

Nearly 80 people were killed in a series of attacks apparently targeting foreigners in Mumbai as heavily armed Islamist militants hit two luxury hotels — the Trident and the landmark Taj Mahal.

A group calling itself the “Deccan Mujahedeen” claimed responsibility for the assaults on the hotels in the south of the city and a number of shooting and bombing incidents elsewhere, the Press Trust of India said.

• Previously unknown group claimed responsibility
• Group called Indian Mujahideen threatened to attack Mumbai
• Photo of suspected terrorist released
• Terrorists lobbed grenades and shot people
• Terrorists occupied Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Oberoi Hotel
• 9 militants killed, 9 arrested, 3 detained: CNN
• Terrorists also attacked Cama Hospital, Cafe Leopold, and Ramada Hotel
• Attackers reportedly looking for individuals with British and U.S. passports
• Hostages taken at Hotel Oberoi
• Explosions heard at several locations
• 78 reported dead, hundreds injured
• Three top police officers killed

 

City which never sleeps on knees

Mumbai, the city which never sleeps, was brought to its knees on Wednesday night as it came under an unprecedented multiple terror attack bringing areas from the South to the North of the metropolis under its grip.

As the siren blazing Toyota Qualis of the Mumbai police blazed passed, people could be seen running helter skelter, at times even crawling to save themselves from at least five near-simultaneous firings and explosions rocking areas in the vicinity of posh hotels in South Mumbai.

Even as heavily armed police stormed into Taj Hotel, just opposite Gateway of India where suspected terrorists were still holed up, blood soaked guests could be seen carried out into the waiting ambulances.

Bellboys could be seen rushing the injured out on luggage trolleys.

The scene at the nearby Trident hotel was more horrific as the glasses lay shattered on the ground even as fire could be seen raging out of the lobby.

Windshields of cars parked nearby had broken because of suspected bomb being set off at the hotel.

At the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) railway station, hordes of mediaperson could be seen jostling for space as the area was cordoned off with no media being allowed near it even as an encounter went on inside.

Armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, a couple of terrorists had entered the passenger hall of crowded railway station and opened fire and threw a grenade killing two to three persons on the spot.

The busy city, which is known for its nightlife, wore a deserted look as shops closed down even as police wearing bulletproof jackets could be seen frisking people in fear of terrorists taking advantage of the chaos to escape.

 

Terrorists came on boats: Deshmukh

The terrorists, who created havoc in Mumbai overnight, came by boats and struck at 10 places but their number is not known immediately, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

Addressing a press conference in the wee hours, he said two terrorists had been killed in encounters with police and security forces and nine suspects have been detained.

The terror attacks began between 9 pm and 9.15 pm with indiscriminate firing and bomb blasts, Deshmukh said.

The terrorists came by boats and started firing, he said but their number was not immediately known.

The attackers threw grenades and fired indiscriminately while storming the hotels across Mumbai, he added.

At least two sten guns have been recovered from the terrorists, the Chief Minister said.

To a question, he said it was not immediately known as to who was involved in the attacks as the entire police force is concentrating on saving lives.

He said around 200 National Security Guard (NSG) commandos had been dispatched from Delhi for the operation to flush out terrorists.

Asked whether foreigners were the target of the attacks, the Chief Minister disagreed, saying it could not be said.

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Almost all the locations attacked by suspected terrorists in south Mumbai Wednesday night were preferred hangouts of foreign tourists. Here is a list of the seven places under attack:

* Leopold Cafe in Colaba, a favourite hangout with the tourist crowd in south Mumbai (Firing)

* Hotel Taj Intercontinental, a five-star hotel in south Mumbai (Firing)

* Hotel Trident (formerly Hotel Oberoi), a five-star hotel in south Mumbai (Firing)

* Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Formerly Victoria Terminus), the headquarters of Central Railway and a World Heritage Building in south Mumbai (Firing)

* Bade Miyan Gali behind the Hotel Taj (Firing)

* Mazagaon (Explosion)

* Vile Parle suburb in north Mumbai (Explosion)

Four top police officials, including Mumbai Police Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, were among the 11 policemen killed, as security forces took on terrorists in Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday, authorities said.

Two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers – additional police commissioners Ashok Kamte and Sadanand Date – were killed in separate gun battles with terrorists following a series of attacks in India’s financial capital, the officials said.

Mumbai Police “encounter specialist” Vijay Salaskar were also shot dead in another gun battle.

Karkare was heading investigations into several recent cases of terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

There were six other police officials among the at least 80 killed in the coordinated terror attacks late on Wednesday night.

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The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad’s chief Hemant Karkare was gunned down when he was leading an operation at Mumbai’s Taj Hotel against terrorists on Wednesday. He was hit by three bullets in his chest.

Karkare (54) was gunned down when he was leading an operation at Hotel Taj against terrorists who had taken 15 people, including seven foreigners, as hostages. He was hit by three bullets in his chest.

Karkare was probing the September 29 Malegaon blast case. He was an IPS officer of the 1982 batch, who had served with the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for nine years in Austria.

He was a man known for his discipline and fair investigation.

 

Sonia in Hospital

Congress President Sonia Gandhi was admitted to the Gangaram Hospital in New Delhi on Monday morning.

News of her hospitalisation created a buzz in the capital’s political circles.

Sources said that Sonia Gandhi was admitted for a routine check-up and would be discharged later in the day. The Congress president has history of asthma problems and her hospitalisation was related to that.

I hope god blast her! Ehehe…

 

HC issues notice to Telecom Ministry

Union IT & Communication Minister A Raja finds himself in deep trouble over the alleged telecom scam, as the Delhi High Court issued notice to the Centre to respond to a PIL, which challenges the allocation of 2G Spectrum to major telecom companies at a throwaway prices, which caused Rs. 60,000 crore loss to the exchequer.

According to sources, Swan Telecom bought the 2g Spectrum licence for a paltry Rs 1,537 crore and later sold it to Etisalat for US$ 2 billion (Rs. 9,000 crore). Similarly, telecom giant Unitech bought the 2g Spectrum licence only for Rs. 1,651 crore, but sold it to Talenor at Rs. 6,120 crore later.

On the PIL filed by Arvind Gupta, the Delhi High Court asked the telecom ministry to submit its response within three weeks. Next hearing of the case will be heard on December 10. The PIL termed the allocation of 2g Spectrum through a ‘first come first serve’ basis, as arbitrary and unlawful. The Left parries have already accused Union IT & Communication Minister A Raja for the alleged scam and asked for his resignation.

 

Margaret Alva quites AICC

Margaret Alva has resigned as an All India Congress Committee general secretary. Alva resigned in the wake of her allegations over “sale” of party tickets in the Karnataka Assembly polls.

Alva, who is in-charge of the party in Mizoram, returned to Delhi from Aizwal late on Monday night and met A K Antony,chairman of the party’s desciplinary committee and handed over her resignation to him.

This is the first time that Alva has made such an allegation. It is believed that Alva’s son was denied a ticket during the state assembly elections which upset her and forced her to make the allegations.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was in Bhutan at that time, asked Antony to investigate and seek a clarification from the veteran Karnataka leader. When Antony met her, Alva offered to resign from the post of general secretary if the party did not give due weightage to her allegations and conduct a full scale probe.

According to party sources Alva is holding talks with Mayawati and former prime minister Deve Gowda. Senior party leaders conceded that Alva would be given a chance to explain before the party takes any decision.

 

FF hope Obama will help solve Kashmir issue

Srinagar (PTI): The election of Barack Obama as US President has generated hope among Fridom Fighters in Kashmir that the decades-long Kashmir issue would be solved soon.

Welcoming the election of Obama, chairman of Moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq (President of J&K) said “We see a role for US in resolution of Kashmir issue and hope that Obama will fulfill his responsibility.”

Mirwaiz, who has been placed under house arrest since this morning ahead of proposed Jamia Masjid march by Freedom fighters of Kashmir, said “We hope that he (Obama) will give practical shape to his encouraging statements on resolution of Kashmir during campaigning.”

Meanwhile, chairman of Hardline faction of Hurriyat Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the election of Obama is a “historic event” for America and “We hope that he will use his good offices to resolve Kashmir issue in its historic perspective.”

Geelani, who is undergoing treatment in Delhi, said bilateral talks between India and Pakistan have failed to deliver in the past.

insa-allah Kashmir will get freedom in next few years.

 

Attack in Maharashtra Sadan

A group of 25 youths, attacked the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, causing heavy damage to furniture and properties. The youths chanted slogans against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Raj Thackerary. They also left pamphlets demanding the arrest of Raj Thackeray under the National Safety Act (NSA). They claimed themselves as “The Rashtrawadi Sena”. It is not known whether they belonged to Bihar or UP.

The incident occurred at Maharashtra Sadan, which is located in a posh area. Political leaders, dignitaries and other eminent personalities from Maharashtra always stay in Maharashtra Sadan. The attack on Maharashtra Sadan is a disturbing trend and it may vitiate the atmosphere in Maharashtra.

 

Why only Indians (Gambhir)

In a shocking development, Match Referee Chris Broad (England) banned in-form batsman Gautam Gambhir for one test match for his on-field spat with Shane Watson during the ongoing test match in Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. To add insult to injury, Broad imposed a fine of just 10% of match fee on Shane Watson, although he started the altercation and provoked Gambhir to fall into the trap. He was not even reprimanded.

Match referee Chris Broad (England) favoured Kangaroos while hearing the on-field spat between Gautam Gambhir and Shane Watson. While Chris Broad imposed a fine of 10% of his match fee on Shane Watson, he went on to ban in-form Gautam Gambhir for one test match, who has been tormenting the Australians in the series by his brilliant batting display. The one test match ban means Gambhir won’t be playing in the fourth test match in Nagpur.

Gambhir has already scored one double century, one century and two half centuries in this series. It is shocking that Watson was let off with a mild punishment, even though he started the fight and provoked Gambhir to get into the brawl. It could be an “error of judgement” on the part of Chris Broad or “intentional”. It’s an irony that Indian and Pakistani players are always punished harder than Australians and English players. The Australian players always start the fight, but get away with mild punishment because of these umpires and referees who are always biased in favour of Australians.

It is not immediately known what course of action BCCI will take on this matter. The public sentiment has turned against the Australians and white match officials. Leading Indian cricketers have condemned the ban on Gambhir and ridiculed the 10% match fee fine on Shane Watson. Ironically, Zaheer Khan was fined 50% of his match fee during the Mohali Test for the same offence.

The issue is likely to be snowballed into a major controversy, thanks to irresponsible and biased hearing of a match referee. While nobody gives Gambhir a clean chit, there is no doubt that punishment meted out to him is harsh as compared to that of Shane Watson. In addition, the match referee should have pulled up the Kangaroos for provoking Indian players without any reason. Dear Aussies, play well to win. Sledging and dirty tactics of provocation won’t help you to win against the formidable Indian side. You are no longer World Champion, admit it or not….

 

Sensex below 8000

The much-talked Orissa nun rape case has taken an interesting turn, as the nun, Sister Meena Lalita Barwa, who had gone into hiding and refused to cooperate with the police, broke her silence and held a press conference in New Delhi. The nun, whose face and head were covered with a scarf, sobbed before the international, national and regional TV cameras while narrating her tale of horror. The nun, Sister Meena revealed that she was raped by a rioting mob in K. Nuagaon in Kandhamal on August 25. Her press conference was held under the aegis of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. The nun had to come out in open after the Supreme Court rejected her demand for a CBI probe and asked her to cooperate with the state crime branch. With tears rolled down her cheeks and a choked voice, Sister Meena said, “I was raped and now I don’t want to be victimised by the Orissa Police. I want a CBI inquiry. The state police were present when I was brutally raped. They were friendly with the attackers and tried their best to prevent me from filing an FIR. I don’t have any trust in Orissa police. I want a CBI probe”, said the nun. The nun read from a prepared statement at the press conference held at the Indian Social Institute on Lodhi Road in Delhi. During the 15-minute press conference, she narrated her traumatic experience in details, but did not take any questions. She also said that the rape occurred in the presence of over a dozen policemen. According to her version, she was raped, paraded naked and then handed over to the Block Development Officer, who took her to K. Nuagaon police outpost. Later, when she and Father Chellan tried to file an FIR, they were discouraged by the IIC, Baliguda Police Station. She also had to undergo a medical examination around 10 in the night. The nun confirmed that the mob also misbehaved and beat up Father Thomas Chellantharayil alias Father Chellan, who was with her. She demanded an immediate CBI probe and maintained that she does not want to cooperate with the state police, as she has lost trust in them.

Students in Bihar went on a rampage during today’s Bihar Bandh. Thousands of students turned violent and tried to vandalize the Patna University. The police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the mob. The mob also set Sheikhpura Railway Station on fire and disrupted train services across Bihar. At least 150 students have been arrested so far. The Bihar Bandh has been called by student unions in Bihar.

A group of miscreants belonging to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ransacked the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) office in Nasik, protesting against the former ABVP member Pragyan (Pragnya) Singh in the Malegaon blast. The NCP goons shouted anti-ABVP slogans and attacked the ABVP office in Ashok Stambh locality in Nasik. The miscreants damaged the furniture and the board of VHP. They reportedly blackened the face of some ABVP members present in the office. Later, VHP and ABVP workers took to the streets in protest against the attack on ABVP office. Situation is tense, but under control in Nasik.

The Mumbai ATS confirmed that only a fringe Hindu group headed by Sadhvi Pragnya (Pragyan) Singh Chandrapal Singh Thakur (38) is involved in the Malegaon bomb blast. Pragnya Singh Thakur, known as Sadhvi Purnachetnagiri has taken ‘Sanyas’ in January 2007 and reportedly formed a group of fundamentalists to avenge the bomb blasts conducted by Islamic terror groups. Sadhvi Pragnya had joined ABVP in 1993. However, she later became a fierce leader, advocating Hindu Nationalism. Sadhvi Pragnya was the head of Madhya Pradesh ABVP Unit in 2002. She was seen campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat in 2002 and 2007 elections. Pragnya also shared the stage with Gujarat CM Narendra Modi during an election campaign. She denounced the material life and took ‘Sanyas’ in January 2007. The BJP, Bajrang Dal and ABVP now deny any link with Pragnya for a long time. According to sources, Pragnya was a fighter since her childhood. If we believe her father, who gave an interview to Star News TV Channel, Pragnya always fought injustice and never tolerated anti-social activities. According to her father Chandrapal Singh, Pragnya and her sister once beat up a group of goons from Congress party when they dared to take on the sisters. Pragnya and her sister reportedly beat up those goons to such an extent that they begged for mercy before these strong girls. Sadhvi Pragnya has been a tomboy since her childhood. She dressed up like boys, kept short hairs, learned fighting skills and had a great passion for bikes. She can ride any bike including Pulsar, Bullet etc. etc. She founded the Jai Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti in 2002. Pragnya’s accomplices Shivnarayan Gopalsingh Kalsangra (36) and Shyam Sabarlal Sahu (42), who were arrested by the Mumbai ATS, were part of her network. Her speeches were fiery and full of hatred against the Islamic terrorists. The Mumbai Police believe that Pragnya had a mission of carrying out bomb blasts across the country to avenge the bomb blasts conducted by Islamic terror groups. She had hatred in her mind and followed religious fanaticism. Although she was a former member of ABVP and Hindu Jagran Manch, she had formed her own network and pursued the mission secretly. It’s surprising that she chose her own bike to carry out the blast. According to Mumbai ATS, two Army officers detained in Pune, helped her to bring RDX from Kanpur. More arrests are likely in this case, as the ATS has reached Bhopal to proceed with their probe. The ATS sources claim that they have a 400 minutes tape between Sadhvi Pragnya and her associates. The tape was compiled after analyzing Pragnya’s mobile call details. More skeletons will tumble, as the probe progresses. Meanwhile, BJP and ABVP have distanced themselves from Sadhvi Pragnya, saying she was a former member of ABVP and had no recent links with the organization. However, Sadhvi Uma Bharti and Sadhvi Ritambara have come out in support of Sadhvi Pragnya and termed the latest development as a pre-planned conspiracy to frame Hindu groups. Hundreds of people took out a procession in Jabalpur in support of Sadhvi Pragnya. They burnt the effigy of Maharashtra government for allegedly framing Sadhvi Pragnya.

At 1127 hours, the 30-share BSE Index is down 443 points at 8257. NSE Nifty is down 128 points at 2,455. Sensex @1127 hrs: The Sensex touched a low of 8,057, and is now down 447 points at 8,254. Wipro has slumped 16.7% to Rs 196. Tata Power has tumbled nearly 14% to Rs 539. DLF has crashed 11% to Rs 181. SBI and Hindustan Unilever have plunged over 10% each to Rs 1,037 and Rs 202, respectively. TCS and NTPC have shed 9.5% each at Rs 443 and Rs 118, respectively. Tata Steel has dropped 9% to Rs 162. ONGC and Reliance Communications have slipped 7.8% each to Rs 608 and Rs 178, respectively. Ranbaxy has declined 7.5% to Rs 175. HDFC Bank and Grasim are down 6.8% each at Rs 906 and Rs 982, respectively. Mahindra & Mahindra, however, has rebounded into the positive zone and is now up 1.6% at Rs 292.

Bus Hijacked in Mumbai An unidentified gunman was killed on Monday by Mumbai Police in a state transport bus after he was suspected of trying to take the passengers hostage in suburban Kurla. The incident occurred around 0930 hours inside a BEST bus in the city’s northeast suburb of Kurla, they said. “The man fired at the police in ‘Bail’ bazar area of Kurla and was shot in retaliatory fire,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Rakesh Maria said. The police suspect that the gunman was trying to take the bus passengers hostage and ‘this is being verified’. He was pronounced dead at the Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar, police said but did not release details about him. A passenger, who also sustained injuries in the incident, has been taken to the same hospital, where his condition is reported to be critical.