Time line of Mumbai shootout

11:09 AM: Latest reports say that the Navy and Army have taken control at Oberoi. Meanwhile, a child of foreign nationality and an Indian maid have been seen coming out of Nariman House in South Mumbai. Reports also say that US intelligence officials are among the foreigners killed at Taj Hotel.

10:57 AM: Fire brigade personnel have started rescuing people from Taj Hotel.

10:40 AM: Smoke has been seen billowing from the new building of the Taj Hotel — which stands next to the old building where terrorists are holed up. While NSG operation was on in the old building, fire brigade personnel were trying to douse fire in the new wing.

10:30 AM: The number of policemen killed has gone up to 16. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the nation after 7 PM after the Cabinet meeting. The Maharashtra state Cabinet will meet at 2 PM.

09:30 AM: Terrorist out in the open! A terrorist holed up inside Nariman House jumps to the adjacent building. Meanwhile, an emergency Cabinet meeting has been called at 1100 hours.

09:27 AM: IB has arrested a Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist of Pakistani origin from Mumbai. The e-mail sent after terror attacks has been traced to Russia. Authorities say the mail was sent by Lashkar operatives. They also believe that the Lashkar terrorists came directly from Karachi to Mumbai.

09:30 AM: Firing has been heard near Nariman House in Colaba. Police have cordoned off the area amid reports that terrorists are holed up in the building.

09:09 AM: Curfew has been clamped in Colaba after firing intensified in the Taj hotel. Police are using smoke cannisters to disable terrorists’ vision. Meanwhile, Hostages are being evacuated from the Taj hotel even as gunbattle rages. A journalist has been injured in the firing. All international flights from Mumbai have been cancelled.

08:55 AM: Agencies have reported that terrorists are holed up inside the Cama Hospital. Commandoes have started firing at terrorists.

08:05 AM: Fresh firing erupted early on Thursday in Taj hotel as commandos moved in to flush out terrorists holding some foreigners hostage.

Sharp shooters of army, NSG and other security forces moved into Mumbai’s landmark hotel. Police believe that the number of holed out terrorists could be three or four.

Another luxury hotel Trident (formerly Oberoi) was under siege with some terrorists holding some foreigners hostage.

07:50 AM: More grim news is coming in from Taj Hotel, where several staff members have been feared killed in the terrorist attack.

Over 100 guests are still stuck inside the hotel, where two terrorists are reportedly holed up.

At Nariman House in Colaba, onlookers informed that the police exchanged fire about an hour ago.

The place looked like a riot-hit site, swarming with police officials and military trucks. Most people have been holed up here since an explosion shook the area at 10.30 pm.

The explosion occurred when the terrorists lobbed hand grenades at the local petrol pump. The blast was followed by a gunfight between police forces and the terrorists.

Taj burns

06:20 AM: The hostage crisis continued at Taj Hotel in the wee hours of Thursday as Army commandos moved in to flush out the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh assured that there was no hostage situation at Cama Hospital in South Mumbai.

An Army commando was reportedly injured in the shoot-out. An explosion was also reported in the lobby of the Taj Hotel

04: 23 AM: Vaihayasi Pande-Daniel reports that the fire that engulfed the old wing of the Taj Mahal [Images] Hotel in Mumbai has been put out. Though the major conflagration has been contained, flames continue to flicker, occasionally leaping into life, at the corner of the heritage wing.

Police and fire brigade personnel have placed ladders against the side of the building, and are bringing hotel guests out through that means. Some foreigners who had been evacuated were being ferried to a nearby hospital for first aid, while others are being taken by bus to alternate accommodations. Officials here estimate that most of the guests inside the hotel have been evacuated.

Video 2

Commandos of the Indian navy meanwhile have staked out vantage points covering all exit points, while others of their number prowl around the perimeter of the hotel.

A group of Taj employees stood clustered on the pavement opposite the hotel, staring at the hotel through tear-filled eyes. They had been told to leave, they said � but clearly, they could not bring themselves to walk away from a hotel that, to them and to most Mumbaikars, is shared heritage than mere hotel.

Elsewhere, an attractive young woman attempted to restore some semblance of order to her silver-zari sari. She was drenched, and still disoriented from her experiences of the night.

“We were partying, and suddenly there was firing all over,” the woman, who had just been evacuated by ladder from a window some 30 feet up, recalled. “I’d read about such things in the paper, and routinely turned the page� but when it happens to you, when you experience it�”

03: 57 AM: Though the firefight at the Oberoi is still far from finished, the takeover of the operation by units of the Indian Army appears to have taken the South Mumbai hotel off the ‘critical’ list.

Vaihayasi Pande-Daniel reports for Rediff that most of the one dozen fire trucks that had been stationed around the Oberoi have been dispatched to the Taj Mahal Hotel, where a blazing fire threatens to devastate the old wing of the iconic hotel.
Daniel cites police sources as saying the army commandoes are doing a systematic sweep of the hotel, lobbing grenades ahead of them to take out hidden dangers before securing each successive wing of the hotel.

The constant bang of grenades from within the hotel continues to alarm the crowds gathered outside the hotel, and kept at a distance by police. Not all of them have come to gape, however. Vadhavan, a businessman from New Delhi , sits in rumpled attire on the parapet of Marine Drive, trying to stay awake.

He had arrived in Mumbai this evening at the head of a 13-member business delegation. He was in the act of checking into the Oberoi when the firing began. “I think the shooting started at the Oberoi,” says Vadhavan. “They ushered us all out through a side entrance and told us to leave. I got separated from the rest of my group; I think they are waiting on the other side of the hotel.”

The flushing out operation is far from finished; Vadhavan’s wait threatens to extend through what remains of this night.

3:42 AM: At the Taj Hotel, where a joint operation involving the Mumbai police, the Central Reserve Police Force and a commando group from the Navy is engaged in flushing out terrorists within the premises, PTI reports that almost all the guests have been brought out to safety at the time of writing this.

The situation continues to remain dangerous, however, with an indeterminate number of terrorists within the hotel, two of whom are believed to be holding a group of tourists hostage on an upper floor.

Meanwhile, the fire that erupted in the old wing of the historic hotel has spread alarmingly. The fire now burns bright across at least two mid-level floors of the old wing, and thick clouds of black smoke spew from the signature minaret that crowns the hotel’s roof.

03: 06 AM: A little over four hours since gunshots first erupted at the CST railway terminal, and coordinated terrorist attacks spread to various parts of South Bombay, the situation remains fluid.

At the Taj Mahal Hotel, a contingent of Navy commandos has joined the police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel attempting to enter the hotel and flush out the terrorists. From within the hotel, word is that occasional explosions, and sporadic gunfire, continue at the time of writing this.

At the Oberoi Hotel, the army has taken over the operation and entered the hotel; it is now reportedly engaged in flushing out the terrorists hiding within.

At the Cama Hospital, a specialty medical center for women and children, official sources say terrorists are holed up on the fourth floor and have been firing from that vantage point. Police have surrounded the hospital and are engaging the terrorists in an ongoing gun battle.

02:50 AM: Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and Member of Parliament N N Krishnadas, who is staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel, reports that as late as 2:10 AM, explosions could be heard from within the premises.

Krishnadas told CNN that he is holed up in a room, and outside of the noise of explosions and gunfire has no real idea what is happening within the premises.

Meanwhile, the fire that broke out in one of the hotel’s middle floors has been spreading upwards, adding a fresh hazard both to the police and CRPF personnel engaged in the anti-terrorist operation and to the guests within the hotel.

Even as police sources upped the toll in today’s terrorist strikes in Mumbai at 80 and counting, police continue to lay siege to the Taj Mahal Hotel, where two terrorists are believed to be holding at least 15 guests hostage on one of the upper floors of the hotel.

The police are at this point in time unsure whether the two hostage takers are the only terrorists within the hotel.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army has moved into the Oberoi and the Trident, the two other South Mumbai hotels targeted in today’s terrorist strikes.

A battalion of the Indian army entered the Oberoi and began an operation against the terrorists holed up inside. The army was called in after the police took several casualties, including the deaths of some senior officers.

With the army now in charge of this phase of the operation � the first time the Indian army is operating in the city since the 1992 riots � the police has fallen back and is focusing on cordoning off the area.

Vaihayasi Pande-Daniel, reporting for Rediff.com from outside the Oberoi Hotel, reports that with the cordon being drawn tight, people waiting outside are in a state of panic, and desperately searching for information. A group of senior bankers from Hyderabad are among those inside the hotel to attend a conference; their Mumbai-based colleagues are outside, awaiting word of their fate.

02: 25 AM: Mumbai’s Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare died of bullet wounds in the ongoing battle against armed terrorists that is raging across several parts of South Mumbai.

Vijay Salaskar, an officer attached to the Mumbai police who has been famed as an ‘encounter specialist’, was seriously injured in the ongoing gun battle and has been rushed to hospital. In all, seven Mumbai policemen are believed killed thus far.

Meanwhile, Railway Police Chief Ashok Sharma told Rediff.com that at least 40 people were killed inside Mumbai’s nodal Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminus. “The attack started around 9.35 pm,” Sharma said. “Two terrorists were inside. We can confirm at least 40 people killed.”

It is yet unclear whether the terrorists are still on-site, have left, or been killed. Sharma said there had been no firing from within the terminus for the last two hours. “Despite this, we are not allowing people to go into the station as we are worried that the terrorists might have planted bombs or left live grenades in the station,” he said.

Sharma said the official belief is that the two terrorists had sneaked out of the station in the confusion following the original assault.

Sudhir Dalvi, a sub-inspector attached to the Mumbai cell of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, told Sheela Bhatt for Rediff.com that his boss, ATS chief Hemant Karkare, and senior police officers Vijay Salaskar and Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte, were killed in an incident outside Mumbai’s Cama Hospital.

“Our chief Karkare, my senior officer Salaskar and ACP Kamte died while engaging terrorists outside the Cama hospital,” a sobbing Dalvi told Rediff.com. “All of a sudden, terrorists threw grenades at Karkare leading to chaos. We are unable to confirm whether they fell to terrorist fire or were killed by the grenades.”

Meanwhile, the army has moved into the Trident Hotel, the third five-star hotel in the South Mumbai region that had been targeted in tonight’s coordinated terrorist strikes.

02:10 AM: It is now believed that 15 people, at least seven of them foreigners, have been taken hostage by two terrorists and are being held on the roof of the Taj Mahal Hotel.

Rakesh Patel, a London-based businessman who managed to escape, told NDTV that the two terrorists, estimated to be in their early 20s, came to a restaurant on the ground floor of the Taj, rounded up the hostages and took them to the 18th floor. Patel, who was one among them, managed at that point to escape.

Patel said the terrorists asked if any of the hostages were carrying American or British passports, and said he got the clear impression that they wanted foreigners.

01:50 AM: Krishnakumar reports from the Juhu region that a bomb went off in a taxi that was speeding along the Western Express Highway from Vile Parle towards Andheri, killing two people and injuring two others.

“The taxi exploded and went up in flames as it sped past the traffic island under the flyover at the domestic airport,” an eyewitness said on phone. “The vehicle, which was up in flames soon after it crossed the traffic signal, was on the left
side. A bystander and a person in the taxi were killed.

Reports indicate that this was perhaps the night’s highest-intensity blast. Krishnakumar reports that the taxi’s doors were found a distance of 50 meters or more away, and body parts of the victims had been thrown even further.

01:43 AM: At least two suspected terroristswere shot dead minutes earlier at the corner of Mumbai’s Chowpatty. Rediff’s Vaihayasi Pande-Daniel, who is on the site, reports that the area has been cordoned off and is swarming with police officers; the Skoda is under guard and a cellphone, a jacket, and items of footwear are strewn around the vehicle.

Meanwhile at the Taj Mahal Hotel, the standoff between police, who have surrounded the hotel, and terrorists who are holed up inside, continues.

A short while ago, power went off in parts of the hotel, adding to the sense of panic and fear. Well known food critic Sabina Sahgal Saikia, who is inside the hotel, told NDTV on phone just now that the guests are terrified, and unaware of just what is happening around them. It is unclear at this point in time whether the power has been turned off by the police as they battle the terrorists.

01:27 AM: Rediff’s Vaihayasi Pande Daniel calls in from the Marine Drive region to report that the approaches to the South Mumbai area have been shut down, and that sounds of firing are audible as far away as Mumbai’s famed Queen’s Necklace stretch, though the source of the firing is unclear.

Meanwhile, a foreign national who managed to escape from the Taj Mahal Hotel, where a state of seige currently exists, told NDTV that armed and masked gunmen were wandering around inside the hotel, looking for people with American or British passports.

The eyewitness account appears to confirm the growing belief among law enforcement circles that this latest attack is aimed directly at foreign nationals — hence the choice of star hotels as prime targets. They further theorize that automatic weapons are being used rather than bombs in order to orchestrate such targeted mayhem.

Meanwhile, the real dangers of the situation are being exaggerated by a proliferation of rumors. One such that has been aired on a few channels including CNN suggested that firing was taking place at the JW Marriott, another five star hotel in the Juhu region of suburban Mumbai. A source in the hotel however confirmed to Rediff just now that there was no alarm at the hotel, and no incident of any kind had taken place.

12:44 AM: A gun battle is ongoing in the Taj Hotel in Colaba. Within the last ten minutes, a guest at the hotel got word out to CNN via email that a grenade had exploded within the hotel premises just then.

Additional Commissioner of Police AN Roy and other officials confirmed that some armed terrorists are holed up in the iconic hotel.

Police officials said they have no information of a hostage situation; they say guests have been sequestered in safe areas of the hotel, and the police are now engaged in flushing out the terrorists from their hiding place.

 

CBI probe needed!

The BJP on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing of Bihar youth Rahul Raj in a shootout with Mumbai Police, saying there were indications of “foul play” in the incident.

“The post-mortem report and the comments of the medical experts clearly indicate that there was foul play in the killing of the youth. Our party demands a CBI inquiry into the incident so that the truth is known,” party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters here.

Asked if the party would follow suit of ally JD(U) which has asked its MPs to resign over the issue, Rudy said, “resignation can never be a solution.”

“It is time for all of us to keep aside our political priorities to ensure peace in society and security of North Indians in Maharashtra,” he said.

“We differ on the approach with our ally JD(U) on resignation. The JD(U) has taken this decision without any consultation,” he added.

Raj, a resident of Patna, was killed in a shootout with the police after he held a bus with 12 passengers hostage in Mumbai suburb Kurla on October 27. The killing sparked a furore with several parties demanding a judicial probe into the incident.

The autopsy of the youth was performed at the J J Hospital and was recorded on video before the body was sent to Patna for cremation. A doctor involved in the autopsy has said one of the bullets may have been fired from a close range.

Maharashtra Chief Secretary Johny Joseph is conducting an independent probe into the incident while the Mumbai Police Crime Branch is also carrying out an internal inquiry.

The Supreme Court will hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a judicial inquiry in the alleged encounter of Bihar youth Rahul Raj by Mumbai Police.

The PIL filled in the apex court also seeks a judicial probe into the alleged lynching of a UP labourer Dharam Rai, while he was travelling on a train in Badlapur in Maharashtra.

Earlier today, the autopsy conducted by a four-member panel of forensic experts at J J Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday confirmed that Rahul Raj was shot from very close range.

The panel of doctors which conducted the post mortem on Raj revealed that there were five bullet entry wounds on his body, all in the chest and head region. However, there were only four exit wounds as one bullet was recovered from the body.

The experts also confirmed that at least 12-13 rounds of bullets were fired by the Mumbai Police team in a bid to end the BEST bus hijack drama.

The autopsy report has not been made official and the panel of doctors will shortly submit it to the government.

The findings of the post-mortem could complicate things for the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police, which is already under scanner for allegedly killing the 23-year-old youth from Bihar.

The finding is also expected to give credence to the allegations levelled by the Bihar government and Rahul Raj’s parents that Mumbai Police could have easily captured him, and there was no need to kill him.

The Additional Commissioner of Police Mumbai Sadanand Date had earlier supported the stand taken by the cops and warned that anybody trying to take law in his hands would also meet the same result.

Rahul Raj was killed by Mumbai Police when he tried to take a BEST bus hostage on gun point in order to send a strong message to MNS Chief Raj Thackeray for his party’s treatment to the North Indians.

The incident draw sharp reactions Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who alleged that it was wrong to shoot down Raj could and he could have been caught alive.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also spoke to the Maharashtra CM, Vilas Rao Deshmukh, and asked him to insure the safety of all sections so that incidents like this are not repeated in the future.

My son was shot in fake encounter: Rahul’s father

Reacting to the autopsy report of Rahul Raj, his father today reiterated that the report vindicated his claim that his son was killed in a fake encounter.

“I have been saying from day one that my son was captured and then shot from point blank range. The forensic report of the J J hospital, Mumbai, has vindicated my stand. The Centre should now dismiss the Maharashtra government,” Singh, told reporters.

Questioning the Centre that how many more Biharis do it wants to be killed in Maharashtra before taking a firm action he said, “the policemen involved in the encounter had worn bullet-proof jackets and could have easily overpowered my son, who I don’t know from where procured the gun.”

Singh thanked the hospital authorities for making public an “impartial and unbiased forensic report despite being under tremendous pressure.”

“If the Centre does not take action against the perpetrators of the crime and the Maharashtra government, lakhs of Rahul Raj are prepared to make supreme sacrifice to secure justice,” he asserted.

 

Raj

Maharashtra’s Deshmukh government is facing tremendous pressure to act against Maharashtra Navnirman chief Raj Thackeray and clear the air on killing of a Bihar boy in firing by police.

The Union Cabinet discussed the killings of north Indians in Maharashtra on Thursday night after ally Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party insisted on a discussion.

The Cabinet told Home Minister Shivraj Patil to convey to Maharashtra Chief Minister that there was near unanimity in the Cabinet over the two demands.

It also made it clear that MNS leader Raj Thackeray should be arrested under National Security Act.

The Law Minister backed the demand for a judicial probe into the death of Rahul Raj — the boy who attempted hijacking a bus at gun point.

He also said that Rahul Raj’s killing has turned into a police versus public matter.

And as the UPA allies asked for action, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh informed the Cabinet that he had written a strong worded letter to Maharashtra CM.

During the meeting, the Home Minister said he had sent three advisory to Maharashtra government but the UPA allies were not convinced.

However, ministers from Maharashtra like Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel and Antulay skipped the meet.

 

Fears grip Raj Thackeray

MNS Chief Raj Thackeray held a press conference to speak out his mind on the controversies surrounding his party and North Indians in Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray alleged that nobody raised the issue when Biharis were killed in Assam. But some politicians from Bihar “with vested interest” are targeting him, when Biharis were attacked in Mumbai and Maharashtra.

Raj made it clear that he won’t tolerate migrants not knowing Marathi, but decided against politicising “Chhath Puja” or any other festivals. “MNS won’t stop Chhath (Chhat) Puja. There is no question of violence on Chhath (Chhat) Puja”, said Raj Thackeray. People can celebrate all festivals including Chhath Puja without any fear, said Raj. Raj asked why no probe was ordered when Biharis were killed in Assam.

“Bihar politicians have ganged up on this issue and they are targeting me. Ironically, Maharashtra politicians are united on this issue, which is creating confusion in the state. Nobody wants violence, but it is being imposed. I won’t issue any statement, which may lead to violence”, said Raj Thackeray.

Under attack for his campaign against north Indians, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday softened his stand on Chhat puja, saying that he was not opposed to the festival being celebrated in Maharashtra but warned against it being used as a show of political strength.

“I have never opposed Chhat Puja but only spoke against political ‘tamasha’ (stunt) associated with it. People from Bihar who live here can perform the religious rituals according to the customs. My party has never opposed it,” he told media persons in Mumbai.

The MNS chief, whose detention under National Security Act has been demanded by some Union ministers in the wake of attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra, warned that he would not tolerate disregard of the Marathi speaking people in the state.

The Chhat festival will be celebrated on November 4.

Thackeray also asked his supporters to exercise restraint and accused the media of distorting his views and spreading falsehood.

Justifying the killing of a youth who had hijacked a bus in Mumbai, he said the police action was ‘proper’ as no one knew from which state the youth came from.

“What if he had shot some commuters, then you people would have taken the police to task,” he said.

Thackeray also downplayed the killing of a youth in a suburban train during a brawl with a group of youngsters.

“Even the Railway police are saying that there has been no involvement of any political party,” he said.

Besides, he recalled that in an incident sometime back, four Marathi youths where thrown out on tracks by a group of people from other states. “But no one said a word about the incident,” he said.

Thackeray criticised the Maharashtra government and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for withdrawing his security and termed the move as ‘political vendetta’.

“I had not asked for security in the first place. But, now it has been withdrawn which is clearly political vendetta. The government keeps changing and even I will have a chance tomorrow,” he said.

“There is a state-level committee, which decides on security according to threat perception and not on the number of cases against the person. After the Babri mosque demolition in 1992, security of political leaders against whom cases had been registered was also increased,” he said.

Thackeray also ridiculed demands to book him under the NSA.

“When Lalu (Prasad) was the chief minister of Bihar, there were 1,200 murders. But, there was no demand to book him under NSA. When Biharis were killed in Assam, there was no uproar,” he said.

“A Goan minister opposed starting of Goa-Bihar railway by saying that the state did not want more beggars. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit also spoke against people of Bihar and UP. But, only when Raj Thackeray speaks, there is a nationwide uproar and Prime Minister has to intervene.”

Lashing out at Deshmukh, Thackeray said he had no expectations from him.

“What can you expect from people whose political survival is at the mercy of Delhi,” he asked.

The MNS chief also said that he would not allow anybody to harm ‘Marathi identity’.

“Political rivals who do not see eye-to-eye on several issues come together. But, it is also very unfortunate that 48 MPs from Maharashtra are mute spectators,” he said, referring to the delegation of Bihar politicians meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

 

Sachin Lier and bad Sport

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) finally announced the Credit Policy. All key rates including the CRR, repo rate and reverse repo rate were kept unchanged. The GDP growth forecast was lowered to 7.5%. The RBI admitted that moderating growth remains a concern. the Central Bank expects resumption of export growth during the next quarter. It also hopes that net capital flow will meet the external financial requirements. The RBI has decided to enhance liquidity if pressure on the market persists. Here are the key features of RBI’s Credit Policy: All key rates including CRR, repo rate and reverse repo rate unchanged SLR norms unchanged GDP Growth Forecast lowered to 7.5% Inflation target was unchanged at 7% Credit Growth target lowered to 20% from 29%

In a shocking development, former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist, who can’t even be compared with the great Sachin Tendulkar, accused him of lying during the Sydney Test to save his team mate Harbhajan Singh. In his latest autobiography, “True Colors of My Life”, Adam Gilchrist has called Sachin Tendulkar “dishonest”, “liar” and “bad sport”. It could be a publicity stunt by Gilchrist to gain publicity for his book

The Indian Rupee continued to slide further, as it opened at an all-time-low of 50.15 against the US Dollar. Yesterday, it was closed at 49.81 against the USD. For the first time in history, the Rupee breached the psychological barrier of 50.00, causing panic in the market. As the trading progresses today, Rupee is feared to dip further.

Angry students protesting against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and its chief Raj Thackeray, set Motihari Railway Station on fire. Ironically, the mob fury was so high that GRP (Government Railway Police), RPF (Railway Protection Force) and police personnel fled from the spot, leaving the Railways Station at the mercy of rampaging students. Later, CRPF intervened and fired several rounds in the air to disperse the mob. The CRPF personnel had to resort to lathicharge and lobbed teargas shells to control the mob violence. Railway properties have been attacked elsewhere in Bihar for the third consecutive day. According to Railways, properties worth Rs. 5 – 7 crore have been destroyed by angry students. Several Bihar-bound trains including Rajdhani, Sampark Kranti and others have been cancelled, causing high inconvenience to the passengers. The passengers are not even able to get correct information regarding the cancellation, departure or reschedule of trains.

Even as the global economy has reached a bottom low, the Asia-Europe meeting will begin in Beijing to discuss important issues including the economic cooperation. India makes its debut at the ASEM with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (an Economist himself) representing India. Dr. Manmohan Singh is expected to provide vital suggestion on how to handle the global economic crisis. The ASEM has 45 countries with China taking the centre stage. The ASEM group includes 27 EU countries, the European Commission, ASEAN (10 countries), India, Pakistan, Mongolia and ASEAN Secretariat.

A sport-loving country of over 1.3 billion people and great cricketers across the world are outraged over the latest remarks made by former Australian wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist. Adam Gilchrist, who was considered as a “saint” in modern day cricket, called legendary Sachin Tendulkar as “dishonest” and “bad sport” in his latest autobiography, “True Colours My Life” which will be released next week. In his book, “True Colours of My Life”, Adam Gilchrist showed his true colours by raking up the racism row between Harbhajan and Symnonds during the Sydney Test. He accused Sachin Tendulkar of lying and being dishonest. According to Adam Gilchrist, Harbhajan Singh had made a racial remark against Andrew Symonds, but was let off with mild punishment only because of Sachin Tendulkar’s “false testimony”. Adam Gilchrist, who retired from test cricket recently, not only questioned Sachin Tendulkar’s honesty, but also criticised Harbhajan, Indian team, Indian Board (BCCI) and Australian Board (Cricket Australia) over this issue. Gilchrist’s latest tirade against Sachin Tendulkar has upset millions of cricket fans across the globe. Since Gilchrist is the skipper of Hyderabad Deccan Chargers in the IPL, it would be interesting to see, what price he will have to pay for his “irresponsible” and “condemnable” outburst against a legend, who has nothing to prove in cricket.

 

Mamata apprise PM on Singur situation

SP General Secretary Amar Singh along with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banjeree met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday and apprised them of how farmers faced a tough time in Singur due to anti-farmer policies of the West Bengal government.

“I met the PM and President on behalf of SP and TC along with Banerjee and apprised them of how farmers in Singur and common man suffered due to failure of the state government and Tatas to honour an agreement brokered by West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi on return of farmers’ land,” Singh said.

Banerjee and her party were not anti-industry but only wanted return cultivable land to farmers, as per the terms of the agreement signed between her and the state government.

Accusing the Tatas of ditching people of West Bengal, especially Singur, over their failure to honour the terms of the agreement and leaving the state for Gujarat, Singh wondered whether Ratan Tata wants to be industrialist or a politician.

“Ratan Tata spoke about Good M (Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi) and Bad M (Mamata Banerjee). On what basis did he make this comment. Mamata Banerjee only wanted the surplus land of farmers to be given back to them, while we all know how ‘good’ Modi is.

“We want Tata’s reply by this evening whether he wants to remain an industrialist or a politician,” Singh said.

The SP general secretary, who had last month shared the dais with Mamata when she was agitating in Singur against Tatas Nano Car project, had said at that time that “they (Tatas) have acquired 1,000 acres. Trinamool Congress has only asked them to return the excess land to farmers”.

Singh said that both PM and President gave them a patient hearing and promised to take action in the matter within the purview of Constitution.

Pointing out that the TC leader has always fought for the rights of farmers, the SP leader said she will also agitate in Noida for the rights of farmers there who have lost their lands because of SEZ projects.

“I have met and told Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Finance Minister P Chidambaram that the government should review its SEZ policy, as this SEZ is more of a Social Exploitation Zone, which is affecting the farmers,” he said.

Banerjee who was also present alongside Singh told reporters that they have “requested the President and PM to take action under Article 355 in West Bengal over the failure of the state government to honour the agreement which was brokered by Governor.”

Attacking the Left Front government in West Bengal, Banerjee said, “the Left parties had withdrawn support to the UPA government over the nuclear deal while they themselves failed to honour salient features of the agreement they signed with us over returning excess land to farmers in Singur.”

She wondered why the state government did not think of investing in infrastructure during its three decade long rule in the state.

Banerjee also criticised Tatas who she said “have money to publicise against us and there seems to be some politics behind their exit from the state”. She further emphasised that she only wanted a fair deal for the farmers.

 

The Sorrow of Bihar

Bihar: Again Flooded!

The Sorrow of Bihar, the Kosi, has struck again. The river in neighbouring Nepal changed its course last week due to a two-and-a-half kilometre breach in the Kosi barrage embankment. Villages in Bihar were flooded, crops destroyed and houses flattened by the fury of the river. This year’s floods have been described as one of the worst in recent years. Ten flood-related deaths have been reported so far with six deaths in Madhepura and four from Saharsa. But unconfirmed reports claim that the toll may be as high as 55.

According to figures provided by the state’s Disaster Management Department, approximately 19.78 lakh people from 725 villages in the districts of Madhepura, Araria, Supaul and Saharsa, have been affected by the floods. “Over 1 lakh people have been evacuated by the government agencies involved in rescue operations,” Prataya Amrit, additional disaster management secretary, told rediff.com. According to official sources, nearly 10 lakh people are still trapped in the flooded areas, particularly in Madhepura, Araria, Supaul and Saharsa districts.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decsribed the situation as a catastrophe and appealed to the Centre for help. Over 32 lakh people have been left homeless, with the floods affecting 15 of the state’s 38 districts. During his visit to the flood-hit areas in the state on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the floods as a national calamity and announced the immediate release of Rs 1,000-crore flood relief for Bihar. Image: Villagers are transported in army boats following their rescue from floodwaters in Sursur area in Araria district.

Several government agencies, including the army, the Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force and local police were helping in the rescue operations. “The government plans to intensify its evacuation operations in the next 48 hours,” he said. He said that over 400 boats have been deployed in the rescue operations but this number will double by Saturday. Emergency supplies were rushed to lakhs of people who have been marooned by the floods. Army helicopters are being used to air drop food packets in the flooded areas. Image: Medical staff use a stretcher to carry a patient in Patna after the evacuation of a hospital due to severe waterlogging. Photographs: AFP/Getty Images

 

How Musharraf missed the Nobel Peace Prize

How Musharraf missed the Nobel Peace Prize

Pervez Musharraf is still living in a fool’s paradise. He resigned as Pakistan’s president not out of any guilt but he resigned under political pressure. Just a few minutes before his speech on Monday he told one of his close friends that the coalition partners will start fighting with each other very soon, there will be more political instability in his absence, people will come out on the roads in the next six months and they will demand, ‘come back Musharraf’. That is the reason Musharraf is not going out of Pakistan. He will stay in Pakistan under heavy security and he will wait for the people to call him back. He is badly mistaken. The people of Pakistan had already rejected him and his policies on February 18. They were sick of him and that was why even US President George W Bush abandoned him in his last days. but Musharraf still thinks that Pakistan cannot survive without him. He claimed in his Monday’s speech that Pakistan was about to be declared a terrorist state in 1999 but he rescued Pakistan and gave it a new identity. He never mentioned Kargil which gave a bad name to Pakistan, he never mentioned anything about the judicial crisis he created in 2007 and he never mentioned anything about the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto . Her death started Musharraf’s downfall. His government lost its writ for at least one week after Benazir’s assassination. There was violence everywhere and the government evaporated. That was the time when the Army decided to stay away from Musharraf to save its credibility, and that was how Musharraf lost his power. Benazir Bhutto’s assassination was also a big blow to the peace process in South Asia. Don’t humiliate Musharraf, US tells Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had agreed on an “out of the box “solution to the Kashmir dispute after many rounds of direct and indirect talks. They decided in 2006 to resolve the Kashmir dispute latest by the end of 2007. US President George W Bush was also on board with them. Both the leaders were hoping for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 but now they have missed the chance. Musharraf is no more in a position to sell an “out of the box” solution to the Kashmir dispute. Manmohan Singh will also face difficulties from the Indian parliament for the approval of an “out of the box” solution to Kashmir after the recent violence in Jammu and Kashmir . Musharraf and Manmohan Singh first met during the UN Summit in New York when the Indian prime minister called on the Pakistani president at his hotel in New York on September 24, 2004. It was an extremely pleasant encounter. Musharraf met Manmohan Singh again on April 18, 2005, during a one-day cricket match between India and Pakistan in Delhi . India lost the match but Musharraf and Manmohan Singh decided that they will find a Kashmir solution in which no side will be a loser but all will be winners. After a few months they had another dinner on September 14, 2005, in New York, during the UN General Assembly. Musharraf proposed demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir, self-governance and joint management mechanism of the troubled valley. Initially Manmohan Singh raised many objections but later on both of them decided to continue their efforts for reaching on an “out of the box” solution without compromising the stated positions of their governments. Indian National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Pakistani National Security adviser Tariq Aziz continued their quite diplomacy in Dubai to discuss some more details. The Indian side convinced the People’s Democratic Party’s pro-Delhi leader Mehbooba Mufti and the Pakistani side took into confidence separatist Kashmiri leaders Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik for resolving the Kashmir dispute in the year 2007. The details of the great Kashmir solution were finalised in June 2006. Musharraf wanted Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan in July 2006 but the Indian prime minister was looking for a politically suitable opportunity to break the ice. Musharraf sent a message to Benazir Bhutto that the Kashmir problem will be resolved soon and she will have to support an “out of the box” solution. Unfortunately 2006 was wasted and 2007 began. That was the year Musharraf started committing suicidal blunders. He sacked and arrested a sitting Chief Justice of Pakistan. Lawyers and civil society came out on the streets against him. He lost a legal battle in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on July 20, 2007, and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was reinstated. Musharraf never digested this legal defeat. He struck a deal with exiled opposition leader Benazir Bhutto with the help of the USA and the UK. Musharraf agreed to take off his Army uniform and hold elections. Benazir Bhutto agreed to support the war against terrorism in return for free and fair elections. Benazir returned to Pakistan in October but there was a lot of trust deficit between her and Musharraf. She was not ready to take a clear position against the Chief Jutice. An agitated Musharraf imposed emergency in Pakistan on November 3, 2007, mainly against the Supreme Court and “rebel media”. Benazir Bhutto declared this emergency as martial law and announced that she was stopping her dialogue with Musharraf. Elections were announced on January 8, 2008, but Benazir Bhutto suspected rigging and started making noises against it. She had a long meeting with the director general of ISI, Lt Gen Nadeem Taj, on the night of December 26, 2008. Taj warned her about some security threats and suggested she abandon her election campaign. Benazir Bhutto refused. The next day she was assassinated in Rawalpindi. This assassination actually marked the political death of Musharraf. He lost his popularity in Pakistan completely. He delayed elections for one month but his rigging plans failed because the Army decided to stay away from politics. Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kyani even ordered the ISI not to support any political party in the election. The neutral role of the Army was a big blow to Musharraf. His supporters lost with big margins. The February 18 election was a clear vote of no-confidence by Pakistani voters against Musharraf, but he never accepted his defeat. He was not happy with the Army Chief. He was in a position to sack the Army Chief as the supreme commander of the armed forces but he was aware that the Army could defy his orders, like he defied the orders of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 as Army chief. He decided to wait for an appropriate time to hit both the Army chief and the new coalition government. Musharraf was sure that only he could resolve the Kashmir dispute, he was sure that only he has the guts to pave the way for the recognition of Israel by Pakistan. He was also sure that the Pakistan Army needs him despite the fact that he was no more in uniform. He thought that only he could negotiate more and more military aid from the US. He was sure that he will catch Osama bin Laden soon and the West will force the new coalition government to accept him as President for the next five years. Musharraf delayed the government-making process in Pakistan for more than one month. He tried to make deals with PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif through top US diplomats but he failed. Musharraf is still popular in Western capitals but he is the most unpopular human being in Pakistan. The new coalition sent him messages to resign but Musharraf threatened to use his constitutional powers. His rough attitude created problems, and finally the coalition leaders decided to impeach him. All his old buddies have ditched him. The US and the UK were not in a position to help him. They requested the new coalition to provide a safe passage to Musharraf instead of impeaching him. He has lost everything. All his friends want him to say goodbye. Musharraf ruled Pakistan for more than eight years but he never ruled the hearts and minds of his people like a true leader because he never came to power through the ballot but through the bullet. He was definitely in a position to become a real peace-maker with the help of Manmohan Singh and Benazir Bhutto in 2007 but he missed this golden chance. He missed 2007 because he created a political turmoil in Pakistan by attacking the judiciary. He also missed a chance to win the Nobel Peace Prize along with Manmohan Singh due to his self-righteousness. He has missed everything now. He will soon realise that there is no use in staying on in Pakistan and ultimately he will leave the country because it’s difficult for him to face the common people. He will also miss Pakistan very soon but the people of Pakistan will not miss him. Musharraf was definitely the last military dictator of Pakistan; many people will remember him not only as a dictator but also as a traitor who broke the constitution of Pakistan not once but twice.

 

Amarnath fallout may engulf India

Amarnath fallout may engulf India   When Omar Abdullah declared in the Lok Sabha that the Amarnath Yatra would continue in Jammu and Kashmir as long as there were Muslims in the Valley, he was applauded by all sections of the House during the trust vote. The reason why he struck a chord in many was because he was articulating the very basis of India — and of Kashmir– as an entity, and indeed of Kashmiriyat. It is these ideas which are at stake in the conflict, which has engulfed Jammu and Kashmir during the last month, and not just the transfer of a piece of land. The upheaval since May 20, when a decision of the J&K cabinet to transfer 100 acres of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, has brought into focus all the faultlines in the state over 60 years. It was a classic case of how non-issues become issues. Nobody — not even the separatists — are suggesting that the yatra be stopped. There is an all round consensus that the yatris should be facilitated in every way. The contentious issue is one of modalities. Viewed dispassionately, the transfer of land was not to outsiders, though there was the environmental angle to it. Rationally speaking, the fear of the demographic change was misplaced. It was not as if thousands of Hindus were about to be settled, which as many pointed out, would not even be feasible at an altitude of 10,000 feet in an area which is snowbound for eight months in a year. The land was transferred to the SASB on a temporary basis. But the government failed to explain this to people before the situation spun out of control. Damage was also done when an aide of then J&K Governor General (retired) S K Sinha explained to journalists that the land transfer, though temporary, was meant for as long as needed, and was therefore “forever”. Politics is about perception and in this case the government should have been mindful of the context in which it was making the decision — 60 years of distrust of Delhi and the sensitivity of a border state. The decision to transfer the land to the SASB was needless. The state government had been making the arrangements for the yatris and could have enlarged and improved the facilities, without anyone taking objection. With elections slated for later this year, then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Aad may have hoped to win brownie points with the people of Jammu by going in for the land transfer. Another reason could be to please his friend, Sinha, who may have wanted to be remembered by posterity for doing for Amarnath yatris what former Governor Jagmohan had done for Vaishno Devi. But Vaishno Devi is located in Jammu while the Amarnath cave is in the Valley , though paradoxically that is also the beauty of what Amarnath represents — a place of pilgrimage of the Hindus, discovered and tended by the Muslims, lying in the heart of a Muslim dominated area and the yatra taking place every year despite the conflict of six decades. Competitive politics has played havoc with issues. The People’s Democratic Front leadership seized on the anger in the Valley to delink from the government, even though its ministers were involved in the cabinet decision to transfer land to SASB and the nodal forest ministry was headed by a PDP minister. In a bid to upstage Azad, who belongs to Jammu and it is here that the Congress got most of its seats last time, the Bharatiya Janata Party got an issue to flog. Its affiliates got into the act the moment the land order was revoked by Azad after mass protests convulsed the Valley. The Hurriyat leadership saw in the situation an opportunity to bounce back centrestage and they played on the fears of the Valley Muslims — and their distrust of Delhi — about a demographic change. The moderates led by Mirwaiz Omar Farooq and hardliner Syed Ali Geelani sunk their differences. Once, the decision had been made to transfer the land, it was bad politics to revoke it under pressure. If those who are supposed to be in the know are to be believed, Intelligence Bureau reports on day one suggested that the order should be revoked. Had it been rescinded then, the Hindus of Jammu might not have reacted the way they did. When they did, after sitting on it for two weeks, the message went to the country that the government was caving in under pressure because the shrine was a Hindu one. Even the liberal Hindus began to react. Now the implications of the land transfer are not confined to Jammu alone which continues to burn. Nor are they limited to the Congress, which is expected to lose in both regions of the state. The Hurriyat and the separatists have got a fillip in the Valley and the BJP in Jammu. Pakistan too is fishing in troubled waters. After its studied silence initially, the Pakistan Senate passed a resolution last week criticising the attacks on Muslims in Jammu, and the economic blockade imposed by the Hindus. As it is Indo-Pak relations had hit a rough patch, after the recent ceasefire violations and bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. The Kashmir events may have serious all-India implications. The BJP has called for a `jail bharo’ movement nationally to protest against the Amarnath fiasco, and this will have its own fallout in the days to come The Kashmir flareup is reminiscent of the politics of flip flop in the eighties — from the Shah Bano judgement to the opening of the locks of the Ram Mandir, culminating in the demolition of Babri Masjid — and it changed the politics of north India. The whole affair has underscored the bankruptcy of leadership at all levels. Azad was clearly out of sync with the mood in the Valley, and with what BJP leader Arun Jaitley later described as the “Jammu psyche”. As for Delhi, it was like Rome burning and Nero sleeping. The Centre was too occupied with the nuke deal politics to pay heed to what was happening in the border state and left it to the Governor to sort things out. Finally when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took the initiative to call an all party meet and it was decided to send an all party group to Srinagar and Jammu to try and defuse the situation, it was like an attempt to shut the gates after the horses had bolted. This time the divide between the Valley and Jammu is so sharp and along communal lines and it will take a long time for the wounds to heal. It may give an impetus to the moves for trifurcation of the state. There is talk already in Jammu. In the past such efforts did not take off. Today they may find more takers. The struggle of Kashmiris for autonomy is one thing. The idea of trifurcating the state — a Muslim Valley, a Hindu Jammu and a Buddhist Ladakh — will undercut the very idea of India. India said `no’ to nationhood on the basis of religion at the time of independence, and this would also apply to statehood. If it accepts this, or is forced to accept it, it could be a downhill journey for a multi-faith, multi-cultural society, and have a bearing on the future of India as an entity.