Author: Prof. S. V. Seshagiri Rao
Publication: BJP Today
Date: December 16-31, 2002
The ISI had struck again in Hyderabad.
On 21/11/2002, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists had planted an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) in a scooter just in front of the famous Saibaba
temple of the busy Dilsukhnagar locality and activated it at 8.30 p.m.
A woman and a child were killed and 14 other devotees were injured in the
powerful blast. Had they been successful in igniting the second IED (5-kg
explosives) as planned, probably the huge temple complex would have been
reduced to rubble.
Two terrorists, Mohd. Azam and Mohd.
Imran responsible for the blasts were killed in separate encounters on
22nd and 23rd at Hyderabad and Karimnagar respectively. They were trained
in Pakistan. An ISI operative, Abdul Bari, who is now believed to be in
a Gulf country recruited them for militant activity. Imran is stated to
be the chief of LeT for the southern states. He went to Saudi Arabia in
January 2001 and after some months landed in Muzaffarabad in occupied Kashmir.
He underwent 20 days training called Daura-e-aam, 40 days intense training
called Daura-e-khas and the third phase of training for about 60 days at
Bahawalpur. The duo planned to blow up temples and to kill prominent VHP
leaders.
The presence of Hizbul Mujahidden
surfaced in Hyderabad about a decade ago. An intelligence Superintendent
of Police, G. Krishna Prasad and his gunman were shot dead in November
1992 in Bhavaninagar colony while raiding a terrorist hideout. The assassin
was one Muzeeb, hailing from near by Sangareddy town. After undergoing
training in Kashmir he returned to Hyderabad to implement ISI'sK-2 (Kashmir-Khalistan)
plan. A few weeks later, one JKLF terrorist Layaq was killed in an encounter
in Tolichowk locality.
Fasiuddin of Nalgonda district had
graduated from N.B. College, Hyderabad, and obtained P. G. degree from
Aligarh Muslim University. After joining the ISI, he roped in several youth
into fundamentalist activity. Almost on the model of PWG, he had introduced
courier system for intra-group communication, gave code names to members.
The group established dens at First Lancers, Sanatnagar, Balanagar and
stock piled arms and explosives. They hatched several plots to do away
leading political leaders and strike terror by exploding bombs and land
mines at busy places. Fasiuddin tested a land mine at Gandipet on the outskirts
of Hyderabad. This ISI squad assassinated G. Papaiah Goud, VHP division
secretary, on 22/1/93. Within 10 days, on 2/2/93, Nandaraj Goud, BJP corporator
was shot. However, before the squad could escalate its terrorist actions,
Fasiuddin was killed in a police encounter in July 1993.
By 1993 the activities of another
fundamentalist organization, lqwan ul Muslimeen, too spread to Hyderabad.
Iqwan was headed by a Kashmiri militant, Hilal Baig settled in Islamabad.
On 10/ 11/1993, two Kashmiri terrorists belonging to this organization
were arrested in Hyderabad. Gowher Ameer Meer took admission in Nizamia
Tibbi College to camouflage his movements. He and the other one, Nisar
Ahmed Bhat were recruiting prospective agents to be sent to Pakistan for
training. The duo had sent 16 youths to Pakistan via Kolkata and Dhaka.
Liyaqat Khan, who was also caught, was trained in Islamabad in making use
of RDX.
On December 6 and 7, 1993, the Islamic
fundamentalists exploded bombs in Abids, Humayunnagar, Secunderabad Railway
Station, Madina Education Centre and in A.P. Express. Eight persons lost
their lives, 150 injured and an extensive damage were done to property.
Tanzeen Islahul Muslimeen, headed by Dr. Jalees Ansari of Mumbai, was responsible
for these killings. Saleem, an employee of Mazagaon docks of Mumbai, and
Habeeb, a former lieutenant of Fasiuddin, were arrested together with Jalees
Ansari in January 1994.
Mohammed Ishitiaq, resident agent
of ISI in Hyderabad, arrived from Pakistan illegally in 1996, after undergoing
intensive training at Faislabad. He was on top in Lashkar's command. He
had acquired a new name, Salim Junaid, and obtained two passports one from
Mumbai and another from Hyderabad. Ishitiaq's mission was to recruit youth
for LeT and send them to Pakistan for training in subversion. He established
contacts with Jammat-e-Islami, SIMI and Darsgah Jehad-o-Shahadat (DJS).
The ISI had further dispatched two more agents, Abbu Kafa alias Mansoor,
Abbu Farukh alias Shakeel to strengthen Ishitiaq. Farukh was a specialist
in making explosive devices. The two Pakistanis crossed the border at Bhuj
in Gujarat with huge quantity of lethal material. Ishitiaq received them
at the border and drove to Hyderabad. The trio had attempted to blow up
the railway track in February 1998 at Ghatkesar, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
They had also planned to explode bombs during Ganesh procession that year.
The ISI squad might have succeeded in their terror activities but for the
tip off from Delhi police. They were caught in July 1998 with a cache of
weapons and 18 kg RDX.
Mujeeb, convicted in Krishna Prasad's
murder, continued his activities inside the jail with the same zeal. He
had lured in several under trial prisoners (Farid, Obaid Bari, Asgar Ali,
Khaled, Shabaz, Nazir etc.) into terrorist activities. Asgar Ali turned
out be the most potential of them. After his release on bail, Asgar developed
contacts with Harkat ul Ansar and Hizbul Mujahidden. He was stated to have
established contacts with Bilal Ahmed Kullu, a Kashmiri militant, stationed
in Hyderabad. Asgar Ali unsuccessfully fired at Maisaiah Goud, a prominent
BJP leader of Nalgonda. In 1996, he organized the daring escape of a Kashmiri
militant, Mirza Fayaz Baig, from police custody. They both then went to
Kashmir. Asgar returned to Hyderabad. Baig was shot by the Army in an encounter
near Bilal Ahmed Kullu's house at Badgaon.
Jammu based terrorist, Islamuddin,
who was trained at the notorious Murdike (Lahore) camp of Lashker e Toiba
had recruited one Hafeez Quari Vali Mohammed Jahid, an Imam of Hyderabad
(both originally belong to the same village in Gurgoan district of Haryana).
After exploding some bombs on 15 August 1999 in the north, Islamuddin planed
to take shelter in the house of Jahid in Hyderabad. The plot was foiled
with the arrest of Islamuddin in Jammu on 11/8/99 and Jahid in Hyderabad.
Azam Ghori, a former Naxalite of
Warangal, had gone to Saudi Arabia where he came into contact with LeT.
He was sent to Afghanistan to receive training in terrorist activities.
On his return to Hyderabad, he had floated India Muslim Mohammadi Mujahiddin
(IMMM) as an affiliate of LeT and started indoctrinating the youth. He
used to distribute cassettes of Masood Azhar's speeches. Azam Ghori and
his group established an effective communication network through e-mail,
mobile phones, telephone booth operators and Internet operators.
This terrorist group shot an RSS
activist Devender on 25/11/1999 and organized 7 explosions during January
February 2000 in Hyderabad. They hatched the plan to kill Devender at the
residence of a SIMI leader (Salahuddin) in Nalgonda under the guidance
of Asgar Ali. The group, however, received a set back with the arrest of
Ghulam Yazdari alias Naveed, Md. Rawoof and Md. Azmatullah, on 7/3/2000.
Asgar Ali too was caught in his Dabirpura hideout on 27/3/2000.
Azam Ghori was killed on 6/4/2000,
in a police encounter at Jagityal, Karimnagar district. Within a couple
of hours of this incident, his followers struck in Hyderabad. Sayed Mukhtar
Ahmed alias Shafeeq, Abdullah Baghdadi, Mohammed Mujahid and Abdul Wasey
had planted an IED in the jewelry shop of Mahaveer Prasad Modi in Siddamber
Bazar. When it did not explode, Shafeeq took his weapon and shot Modi.
The assassins were arrested on 14/4/2000.
In May and June 2000, a series of
bomb explosions were triggered in churches by the Deendar Anjuman in Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa. The Chief of this organization lives in Mardan,
Pakistan. He visited Hyderabad in October 1999 and planned these explosions
ostensibly to create communal tensions and implicate the RSS. Bombs carried
by Deendar members for planting in a Church in Bangalore accidentally exploded
in the car in the city on 9/7/2000 exposing the entire conspiracy. Two
fundamentalists (Mohd. Zakir of Hyderabad and Rehman Siddique of Bangalore)
lost their lives on the spot. In Andhra Pradesh about 25 culprits of Deendar
Anjuman were arrested in July-August 2000 in connection with the Church
blasts.
Seven Hizbul Mujahidden militants
(Gulam Mohiuddin, Nazir Ahmed Loni, Md. Nayeem Loni, Altaf Hussain Shah,
Nusul Shah Khan, Shoukat Ahmed Malik, Naseer Ahmed Dar, who took shelter
in Hyderabad (Flat NO.201, Kurshid Manjil, AC Guards) were arrested on
1/8/2001. Four of them were masquerading as students.
Two ISI agents Abdul Aziz alias
Ashrafi of Langar Houz, and Md. Nissar of Kulsumpura were arrested on 29/8/2001.
Hyderabad is also a nerve centre
of terrorist related activities such as havala transactions, circulation
of fake currency and fake passports.
On 26/8/2001 a gang of four (Abdul
Kareemullah, Khaja Altaf Ali, Khureshi Mahabbob Ali, Mahaboob Istaq) were
caught while trying to send money to Davood Ibrahim through havala channels.
The ransom demanded for releasing kidnapped Kolkata industrialist Partha
Dev Barman (about Rs. three crore) was transferred to Dawood Ibrahim through
Hyderabad havala operators. A dreaded underworld criminal, Mohammed Haniff
alias Yameen Takla of Mumbai (close associate of Chota Shakeel) was killed
in an encounter on 26/8/2001 near Qutub Shahi tombs, Hyderabad. His den
was located in Malakpet locality.
On 2/11/2001 seven persons were
arrested for indulging in counterfeit currency transactions consisting
of Rs 500 and Rs 100 denomination notes worth of several lakhs. The accused
received this fake currency (printed in Pakistan) from Aftab Bhatki alias
Sultan (native of Mumbai) and Abdul Raheem Bajaber alias Babu Gaitan (native
of Hyderabad) Both have settled in Dubai and are close associates of the
underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. On 11/6/2002 three persons were arrested
for possessing fake currency supplied by the same Dubai gang.
The underworld don, Abu Salem and
Monica Bedi, detained in Portugal on 20/ 9/2002, obtained their passports
from Hyderabad.
Why the IST has chosen Hyderabad
as an important centre in its network? The reasons are too obvious.
A large number of Muslim youth go
to Gulf countries for employment. Effortlessly the ISI could lure a good
number of them. Secondly there is no dearth for safe hideouts both in old
city and west Hyderabad. Since the access to these houses is through narrow
lanes and bye-lanes,
There is another more important
reason. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) provides the much needed
political cover. The political clout of MIM is enormous. Its numbers (3
or 4 MLAs, one MP and 30 plus corporator) are no indicators of its influence.
The spineless administration prostrates before the MIM leadership. The
MIM legislators are feared more than the ministers of the State Government.
The MIM
controls unlimited resources.
The MIM's condemnation of violent
acts by terrorists was more for record and certainly not borne out of conviction.
When the body of the terrorist Azam who died in encounter on 22 November
was brought to his house, the MIM and Congress legislators rushed to the
place and made provocative speeches. The funeral procession turned violent
at Madannapet and attacked the police. A defiant mob offered namaz near
the house of the slain terrorist. The speech delivered by Salahuddin Owaisi,
supremo of MIM, in Mecca Masjid on 29 November 2002 clearly indicate that
the MIM has now come out openly in support of jehadi terrorists. This means
more trouble.
