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17/01/2011 by navanavonmilita
Jolt to RSS as Aseemanand sticks to his confession
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: January 16, 2011 09:38 IST
New Delhi: In a major setback to the RSS, terror-accused Aseemanand
has stuck to his confession. The RSS had tried to junk Aseemanand’s
earlier confession before a magistrate saying he was coerced, but on
Saturday Assemanand stuck to his confession that Hindutva radicals
were behind the bomb attack on the Samjhauta Express in 2007 which
killed 68.
In a statement he has named Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, both on
the run as the key plotters in the terror attack.
His statement came days after the CBI announced that it will
reinvestigate the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. A MCOCA court had earlier
granted the permission to CBI.
Aseemanand, alias Jatin Chatterjee, had reportedly made a statement
before a magistrate on December 18, 2010 in which he said that in June
2006, he and other members of the Sangh Parivar like Riteshwar, Sadhvi
Pragya and Sunil Joshi met at Riteshwar’s house in Valsad (Gujarat).
Aseemanand reportedly told everyone present at the meeting that ‘bomb
ka jawab bomb se dena chahiye’. He also said that he realised that
Joshi and his group were already doing something on the subject.
Aseemanand is believed to be a close aide of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, one
of the main accused in the Malegaon blast case.
Thirty one people were killed and another 312 injured in Malegaon
blast on September 8, 2006.
Story first published:
January 16, 2011 09:36 IST
Tags: Aseemanand, right-wing terror, RSS, Samjhauta blast
In editorial, RSS questions Aseemanand confession
Press Trust of India, Updated: January 17, 2011 16:13 IST
New Delhi: Raising questions over the role of investigating agencies,
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said it found “intriguing” that
only those persons arrested for alleged links to Hindu radicalism were
“confessing” to terror acts, whereas convicted militants like Ajmal
Kasab and Afzal Guru appeared to be more “tight-lipped” with them.
“…Intriguing that only persons named in alleged Hindu radicalism seem
to be making ‘confessions’. We have not heard of a Kasab or Afzal Guru
or captured jehadi, terrorist making such a confession. Are they so
tight-lipped?” the Sangh said in an editorial in its mouth-piece
‘Organiser’.
The RSS editorial was a reflection on the recent alleged ‘confession’
of Swami Aseemanand, a key accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast that
killed nine people, to the CBI.
He was heading the RSS-affiliated Van Vasi Kalyan Ashram, Shabri Dham
in Dangs, Gujarat.
Aseemanand has allegedly confessed to playing the role of an ideologue
to the terrorists. Besides presiding over terror meetings held in
Dangs and Valsad in Gujarat, he also selected Malgeaon, Ajmer Sharif
and Hyderabad as terror targets.
The Sangh said in the editorial that if the agencies wanted to really
unearth the plot behind the terror strikes, they would not have given
“this kind of propaganda to the so-called confession of Aseemanand”.
The Sangh termed the “leak” of the “confession” to the media as
“politically motivated”.
“Before the CBI took over the case, the Hyderabad police named HuJI,
the banned outfit, to be behind the Mecca Masjid blast”, it said.
Story first published:
January 17, 2011 16:09 IST
Tags: Ajmer blasts, Aseemanand confession, Mecca Masjid blasts, RSS,
RSS Aseemanand
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samjhauta Express bombings
Location Panipat, Haryana, India
Date 18 February 2007
23:53 (UTC +5:30)
Target Samjhauta Express train
Weapon(s) Improvised explosive devices
Death(s) 68
Injured 50
Belligerent(s) Not established yet. Allegations on various Hindu
nationalist organisations including Abhinav Bharat[1] Allegations also
concurred on Lashkar-e-Taiba[2]
v · d · e
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)
Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold
2001: Indian Parliament – Srinagar – 2002: 1st Raghunath Temple –
Akshardam Temple – Kolkata – Kaluchak massacre – Qasimnagar massacre –
Rafiganj train – 2nd Raghunath Temple – Mumbai 2002 – Kurnool train –
2003: 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – 2005:
Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Jaunpur train – 2006: Varanasi – Jama Masjid –
Doda massacre – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – West Bengal train – 2007:
Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Ajmer Dargah – Uttar
Pradesh – 2008: Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd
Delhi 2008 – Malegaon/Modasa – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008
– 2009: 1st Guwahati – 2nd Guwahati – 2010: Pune – Dantewada –
Gyaneshwari Express – Varanasi 2010
The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings were a terrorist attack that
occurred around midnight on 18 February 2007 on the Samjhauta Express,
a twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi, India, and Lahore,
Pakistan.[3][4] Bombs were set off in two carriages, both filled with
passengers, just after the train passed Diwana station near the Indian
city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of New Delhi.[3][5]
Sixty-eight people were killed in the ensuing fire and dozens more
were injured.[6] Of the 68 fatalities, most were Pakistani civilians,
but the victims included some Indian civilians and Indian military
personnel guarding the train.[7]
Investigators subsequently found evidence of suitcases with improvised
explosive devices (IEDs) and flammable material, including three
undetonated IEDs. Inside one of the suitcases containing the
undetonated IEDs, a digital timer encased in transparent plastic was
packed alongside a dozen plastic bottles containing fuel oils and
chemicals.[7] After the bombings, eight unaffected carriages were
allowed to continue onwards to Lahore with passengers.
Both the Indian and Pakistani governments condemned the attack, and
officials on both sides speculated that the perpetrators intended to
disrupt improving relations between the two nations, since the attack
came just a day before Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud
Kasuri was to arrive in New Delhi to resume peace talks with Indian
leaders.[4] There have been a number of breaks in the investigation of
the bombings. As of 2011, nobody has been charged for the crime though
it has been linked toAbhinav Bharat, a shadowy group headed by former
army officer Prasad Shrikant Purohit.[1]
Background
Main article: Indo-Pakistani relations
Since their formation resulting from the Partition of India in 1947,
India and Pakistan have had a conflict-ridden relationship. In their
plan for the partition, the British allowed all 565 princely states to
decide which country they wanted to join.[8] Most Hindu-majority
princely states acceded to the Republic of India, while most Muslim-
majority princely states joined the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The
decision made by the leaders of some of these princely states has been
a source of conflict and tension between the two countries. Kashmir is
one of these princely states—its population was mostly Muslim, but the
Hindu ruler Hari Singh of the state decided to join India.[8] The
countries have fought three wars over this disputed region: the Indo-
Pakistani Wars of 1947 and 1965 and the Kargil War in 1999.[9] Since
the 1980s, militants in Jammu and Kashmir have targeted attacks on
civilians, members of the government and the Indian Army. Some groups,
like the Islamist militant organisations Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-
Mohammed, believe that Kashmir should be integrated into Pakistan,
while others—such as the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front—believe it
should become an independent state. All told, thousands of civilians
have died due to the insurgency.[10][11]
In recent years, the Indian and Pakistani governments have made
attempts to bring peace or to at least calm the tensions between the
countries. One such attempt in the peace process came with the launch
of the Samjhauta Express, so-named because the word samjhauta means
“accord” and “compromise” in Hindi and Urdu, the national languages of
India and Pakistan, respectively. This twice-weekly train service runs
between Delhi and Attari in India and Wagah and Lahore in Pakistan.
[12] Launched in 1976, the Samjhauta Express served as the only rail
connection between the two countries until the launch of the Thar
Express. Given the nature of the transnational service and the ongoing
violence in the region, the Samjhauta Express was always heavily
guarded, as it was a high-risk target for terrorist attacks. Weeks
after the Indian Parliament terrorist attack on 13 December 2001, the
train service was discontinued amid security concerns.[13] Although it
resumed service on 15 January 2004, the train was placed on high
security. Just days before the attack, Pakistani Foreign Minister
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri announced that he was going to Delhi on 21
February 2007 to meet with Indian government officials to continue
peace talks and to sign a nuclear risk reduction agreement.[14]
Details
Panipat is located in India
Panipat
Location of Panipat within the state of Haryana
Twin blasts shook two coaches of the Samjhauta Express travelling
between India and Pakistan at around 23:53 IST (18:23 UTC) on Sunday,
18 February 2007, shortly after the train had passed through the
railway station in the village of Diwana, near the Indian city of
Panipat.[15] One railway employee manning the level crossing at the
time stated:
It was about 11.52 when I showed the signal lantern to the Attari
[Samjhauta] Express which was coming in very fast, probably at over
100 kilometers an hour (62.1 mph). Just as [it] reached near the home
signal, I could hear two loud explosions from the coaches near the
guards’ van at the rear.[5]
After the explosions, both carriages were engulfed in flames and many
passengers were incapacitated by the smoke. Witnesses claim to have
seen passengers screaming and attempting to escape, but since most of
the train’s windows were barred for security reasons, many could not
escape in time. The injured were pulled out of the burning carriages
by fellow passengers and local residents.[3]
In the end, the terrorist attack left 68 people dead and 50 injured.
[14] Most of the dead and injured were Pakistani nationals, though
some Indians, including railway workers, were also killed. Initial
identification of the victims was hindered by the fact that many of
the bodies were charred beyond recognition.[7] The rest of the train,
which was left undamaged by the attack, continued on to the border
town of Attari.[7] There, passengers were transferred to a Pakistani
train which took them to their destination in Lahore.[7]
Reactions
India
Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Indian Minister of Railways
Indian Minister of Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav, condemned the
incident[16] and went on to say that the attack was “an attempt to
derail the improving relationship between India and Pakistan.”[15] He
also announced compensation payments of Rs. 1,000,000 (approx. €17,500
or US$22,750) for the next-of-kin of each of the deceased and Rs.
50,000 for those injured.[17] Home Minister Shivraj Patil claimed that
“whoever is behind the incident is against peace and wants to spoil
our growing relationship with other countries”. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh expressed “anguish and grief” at the loss of life, and
vowed that the culprits would be caught.[3] India’s foreign ministry
also promised to issue visas for Pakistani relatives of those killed
or injured in the blasts.[18] Indian journalist Siddharth Varadarajan
argued that the peace process should stay on track and that any
wavering would be tantamount to surrendering to terrorism.[19]
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the attacks and
petitioned the ruling Indian National Congress to ask Pakistan to
comply with its 2004 promise to crack down on cross-border terrorism.
The party also argued for a harsher anti-terror bill to take a “zero
tolerance” approach to terrorism in India.[20]
Pakistan
The government of Pakistan reacted in the same vein, through its
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, proclaiming that this was an
act of terrorism that should be investigated by Indian authorities.
Kasuri said that the terrorist attack would not halt his trip to
India, as he “will be leaving tomorrow for Delhi to further the peace
process.” He went on to say that “we should hasten the peace
process.”[21] In response to the terrorist attack, President Pervez
Musharraf stated “such wanton acts of terrorism will only serve to
further strengthen our resolve to attain the mutually desired
objective of sustainable peace between the two countries.”[21]
Musharraf also said that there must be a full Indian investigation of
the attack.[3] In regards to the upcoming peace talks, he stated “we
will not allow elements which want to sabotage the ongoing peace
process to succeed in their nefarious designs.”[7]
Elsewhere
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Office minister Kim Howells condemned
what he termed “utterly shameful” attacks, offered his “condolences to
the family and friends of those killed and injured”, and offered “the
Governments of India and Pakistan whatever assistance they require, to
bring to justice the perpetrators of this brutal attack.”[22][23]
Leaders in the British Pakistani community called the terrorist attack
a “despicable act” and urged for a speedy investigation into the
tragedy so that those responsible could be arrested and jailed.[24]
The Bush administration condemned those responsible for the bomb
explosions aboard the Samjhauta Express. On behalf of the United
States government, White House spokesman David Almacy stated:
We express our deepest sorrow for this tragedy and extend
condolences to the families of the victims. We appreciate the
leadership of Indian Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh and Pakistani
President (Pervez) Musharraf, and condemn those who seek to undermine
the progress in relations between the two countries.[25][26]
Tension
On 23 February, a Pakistani Air Force C-130 plane landed, upon being
granted approval, in New Delhi to evacuate Pakistanis injured in the
train bombings. Of the ten people to be evacuated, three were missing,
all from the same family. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson,
Tasneem Aslam, claimed that the father, Rana Shaukat Ali, was harassed
by Indian intelligence agency personnel at the Safdarjung Hospital.
Aslam also said that Pakistan High Commission officials were denied
entrance into the hospital. An Indian External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson, Navtej Sarna, denied these allegations and stated that
the patients would be taken to the airport. Sarna told the press that
Ali’s family was not missing, and that hospital doctors had decided
not to allow Pakistani officials access into the hospital.[27] He also
stated that the C-130 plane had developed a problem and could not take
off. Later, Aslam told press correspondents that the “[C-130] aircraft
was still at the airport” and that Mr. Ali chosen to travel back to
Pakistan via a land route.[28] Despite the tensions between the two
countries’ External Affairs ministries, the C-130 aircraft took off
from New Delhi at around 21:00 local time.[27] After the incident, Ali
criticized the media, who asked him for “stories for their
publications at a time when I am not in my senses because of the death
of my five children.”[29] He also stated that Indian officials showed
him sketches of suspects, but he could not identify them.[29]
Investigation
The day after the bombings, Indian police stated that the suitcase
bomb attack was the work of at least four or five people with a
possible militant connection.[30] The police also released sketches of
two suspects who the police Inspector General said had left the train
just fifteen minutes before the explosions.[30] The police say that
one of the men was around 35 or 36 years old, “plumpish” and dark,
with a moustache, and the second was around 26 or 27, wearing a scarf
wrapped around his head. The police also stated that both men were
speaking Hindi.[31] Another man, a Pakistani national who was drunk at
the time, was being questioned because he said he threw one of the
bomb-containing suitcases off the train. A senior Haryana state
railway police official said that the man’s “account has been
inconsistent and we have no definite conclusions yet.”[32] Later, the
Inspector General said “the suitcase was thrown on the track” and that
the Pakistani national “was there and said he had thrown it.”[30]
In early March, Haryana police arrested two people from the city of
Indore who allegedly sold the suitcases used in the bombings.[33] No
charges were pressed on the individuals. A probe conducted by the
commissioner of Railway Safety officially determined that the
explosions and fire on the Samjhauta Express had been caused by bombs
located in the upper compartments in coaches GS 03431 and GS 14857.
[34] The probe also showed that the train slowed down to a speed of 20
kilometres per hour (12.4 mph) just before it was going to pass the
Diwana train station. The results strengthened the belief that the
suspects got off the train before the explosions.[35] On 31 March, a
25-year-old man was interrogated after being arrested in Amritsar
after jumping off a moving train under suspicious circumstances.[36]
Later developments
No major developments took place in the investigation since late March
2007. Meanwhile, the Indian and Pakistan governments agreed to a
bilateral pact to extend passenger train and freight services between
the two countries until 2010.[37] In late April, the Indian and
Pakistan governments initiated steps for safety and security measures
for the Samjhauta Express. The two countries started sharing
information on passengers travelling on the trains. The train is now
under a reservation system, and as one Railway Ministry source said,
“[w]ith no unreserved coaches, we now have complete passenger details
from their ticket reservation data a few hours prior to their
boarding, and departure of the train.”[38] Also in late April, three
new coaches equipped with India’s most advanced fire fighting systems
were added to the Samjhauta Express. Indian Railway Ministry sources
commented that the system acts with brake pressure, and this glass-
encased system could throw water up to 15 metres (49.2 ft).[39] Indian
and Pakistani members of the Anti-Terror Mechanism (ATM) group met on
22 October 2007 to update each other regarding the status of the
investigation.[40]
In November 2008, it was reported that Indian officials also suspected
the attacks were linked to Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian army
officer and member of Hindu nationalist group Abhinav Bharat.[41]
Investigators concluded that the suitcases used to make the suitcase
bombs originated from Indore in India, based on their stitching.[42]
Indian officials said they were prepared to share their findings with
Pakistan.[43]
Reports suggested that the prime suspects in the bombing were the
Islamic groups Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, both of whom have
been blamed for many high-profile bombings in the past.[44] On July 1,
2009, the United States Treasury and UNSC placed sanctions on Lashkar-
e-Toiba, and named Arif Qasmani as having played a role in the bombing.
[45] In January 2010, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik accused
India of not pursuing the case seriously, and of refusing to divulge
details about the role of Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit.[46][47]
Malik alleged that Purohit had hired Pakistani extremists to carry out
the bombing.[46][47] In October 2010, an 806-page chargesheet prepared
by the Rajasthan anti-terrorist squad revealed that the Samjhauta
Express had been discussed as a potential target for an attack at a
meeting of Hindutva bomb makers in February 2006; the group
subsequently travelled to Indore.[48]
Involvement Of David Headley
Wikileaks reports name David Headley as behind the Samjhauta
attacks[2], and the NIA has been unable to rule out the role of
Lashkar-e-Toiba in the attacks[49]
Confessions By Swami Aseemanand
On December 30, 2010, National Investigation Agency claimed that they
have solid evidence that Swami Aseemanand was the mastermind behind
the blasts. He had roped in Sandeep Dange, an engineering graduate,
and Ramji Kalsangra, an electrician, to build the improvised explosive
devices used in the blasts.[50] On January 8, 2011, Aseemanand
allegedly confessed that Saffron terror outfits were behind the
bombing of Samjhauta express[51], a statement later found to be
obtained under duress.[52]. Later RSS sent a legal notice to CBI
accusing it for deliberately leaking Swami Aseemanand’s confession in
media. RSS spokesman Ram Madavh called the investigation maligning of
organizations and individuals.[53]
See also
* 2006 Malegaon blasts
* 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing
* Hindu extremism
* 2008 Malegoan & Modasa bombing
* 2004 Moscow Metro bombing
* 2004 Madrid train bombings
* 2005 London subway bombings
* 2006 Mumbai train bombings
* 2010 Moscow Metro bombings
* Islamic terrorism
Notes
1. ^ a b The Mirror Explodes – Outlook – July 19, 2010
2. ^ a b US review finds five warnings of Headley’s militant links
DNA India – November 8, 2010
3. ^ a b c d e “Dozens dead in India train blast”. BBC News.
2007-02-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6374377.stm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
4. ^ a b Naqvi, Muneeza (2007-02-19). “66 Die in India-Pakistan
Train Attack”. The Washington Post. Associated Press.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/18/AR2007021801136.html.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
5. ^ a b Rao, Hitender (2007-02-19). “66 killed as Samjhauta
Express becomes terror target”. Hindustan Times.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=8dda2692-f3f2-4096-aa7d-3c3b81c80791.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
6. ^ “Toll reaches to 68 in Samjhauta Express explosions”. Islamic
Republic News Agency. 2007-02-20. http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-239/0702206010190550.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
7. ^ a b c d e f Rajesh, Y. P. (2007-02-19). “At least 66 killed in
India-Pakistan train blast”. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSDEL34195220070219.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
8. ^ a b “Kashmir: The origins of the dispute”. BBC. 2002-01-16.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1762146.stm. Retrieved
2008-05-16.
9. ^ Wirsing, Robert (2003). Kashmir in the Shadow of War: Regional
Rivalries in a Nuclear Age. New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc.. p. 4. ISBN
0-7656-1090-6.
10. ^ “Thousands protest civilian deaths in Indian Kashmir”.
Reuters. 2007-04-16. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP241652.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-19.
11. ^ Kapur, S. Paul (2007). Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons
Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia. Stanford: Stanford
University Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-8047-5550-7.
12. ^ “Samjhauta only between Attari and Wagah”. United News of
India. 2000-04-16. http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20000416/ina16011.html.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
13. ^ Bhardwaj, P. K. (2003-12-19). “Samjhauta Express from December
25?”. The Hindu. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/12/19/stories/2003121905561100.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
14. ^ a b “Terror on agenda: Kasuri arrives, visits Samjhauta blast
victims”. The Times of India. 2007-02-20.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1646561.cms. Retrieved
2007-07-01.
15. ^ a b Sengupta, Somini (2007-02-19). “Train bombing tests India-
Pakistan ties”. International Herald Tribune.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/19/news/india.php. Retrieved
2007-02-19.
16. ^ Pandey, Alok; Rati R, Sushmit Sengupta, and Vikram Chowdhury
(2007-02-19). “Cross border tragedy: Samjhauta Express blasts kill
66″. NDTV. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070002287.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
17. ^ Swami, Praveen (2007-02-19). “Samjhauta Express firebombed, 67
killed”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/20/stories/2007022012520100.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
18. ^ “India offers visas after train attack”. Press Trust of India.
2007-02-19. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070002256.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
19. ^ Varadarajan, Siddharth (2007-02-19). “Keep the peace process
on track”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/20/stories/2007022005101000.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
20. ^ “BJP seeks anti-terror bill in budget session”. The Times of
India. 2007-02-19. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1639890.cms.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
21. ^ a b “Musharraf says train blasts won’t sabotage peace”.
Reuters. 2007-02-19. http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/20/d70220130182.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
22. ^ “68 killed as blasts rock Indo-Pak special train”. Press Trust
of India. 2007-02-20. http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/feb/19blast.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
23. ^ Page, Jeremy; Devika Bhat (2007-02-19). “India and Pakistan
unite to condemn train bombing”. The Times (London).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1405283.ece?token=null&offset=0.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
24. ^ “British Government condemns bomb attack on India–Pakistan
train”. Pakistan Press International. 2007-02-19.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29691164_ITM.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
25. ^ “White House condemns those behind India train bombing”.
Reuters. 2007-02-19. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1934135020070219.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
26. ^ “US condemns attack on Samjhauta Express”. Press Trust of
India. 2007-02-20. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070927215807/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200702201823.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
27. ^ a b Baruah, Amit (2007-02-23). “Pakistani plane waits for
hours”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/23/stories/2007022308480100.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
28. ^ Baruah, Amit (2007-02-24). “Train attack probe: plea to
Pakistan”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/24/stories/2007022404911200.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
29. ^ a b “Adieu to Pakistani brethren”. The Hindu. 2007-02-25.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/25/stories/2007022520110800.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
30. ^ a b c Denyer, Simon (2007-02-20). “Police release sketches of
bomb suspects”. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDEL34195220070221.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
31. ^ “Images Of Bomb Suspects”. Sky News. 2007-02-20.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1252387,00.html.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
32. ^ “Indian police release sketches of 2 suspects in bombing of
India-Pakistan train”. USA Today. Associated Press. 2007-02-20.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-02-18-india-train_x.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-04.
33. ^ “Two held over Indian train blast”. BBC News. 2007-03-14.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6448671.stm. Retrieved
2007-03-14.
34. ^ “Samjhauta Express fire caused by bombs: Railway probe”. Press
Trust of India. 2007-03-26. http://ushome.rediff.com/news/2007/mar/26samblast.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-01.
35. ^ “Samjhauta Express slowed down before blasts”. Press Trust of
India. 2007-03-28. http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14419091.
Retrieved 2007-07-01.
36. ^ “Man interrogated in Samjhauta Express bomb blast case”. The
Indian Express. 2007-03-13. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=226465.
Retrieved 2007-07-01.
37. ^ “India, Pak to continue running Samjhauta, Thar Express
trains”. Press Trust of India. 2007-04-09.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200704091614.htm. Retrieved
2007-07-01.
38. ^ “Safety measures initiated for Samjhauta Express”. Press Trust
of India. 2007-04-28. http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/apr/28samblast.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-01.
39. ^ Vasuki, K. G. (2007-04-25). “Coaches with fire fighting system
for Samjhauta Express”. United News of India.
http://samjhauta-express-news.newslib.com/story/9881-170/. Retrieved
2007-07-01.
40. ^ Dikshit, Sandeep (2007-10-22). “India to seek data on terror
suspects”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/22/stories/2007102251990100.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-14.
41. ^ Agencies. “Purohit supplied RDX for Samjhauta bomb: ATS”.
Express India. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Purohit-supplied-RDX-for-Samjhauta-Express-blast-ATS/386143/.
Retrieved 2010-12-22.
42. ^ “Police reach Mumbai to quiz Purohit,Sadhvi Pragya”. Mumbai/
Lucknow: Hindu.com. 2008-11-13. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200811132161.htm.
Retrieved 2009-02-15.
43. ^ Subramanian, Nirupama (2008-11-25). “India may share Samjhauta
probe details with Pakistan”. ISLAMABAD: The Hindu.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112559321000.htm.
Retrieved 2009-02-15.
44. ^ “Leaders condemn India train blast”. BBC News. February 19,
2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6375749.stm. Retrieved on
Feb. 19, 2007
45. ^ “Treasury Targets Al Qaida and Lashkar-E Tayyiba Networks in
Pakistan”. US Treasury. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on
2009-07-25. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXZBzwtJ. Retrieved
2009-07-22.
46. ^ a b “Pak blames India for not providing details about
Samjhauta Express bomb blast”. oneindia. January 23, 2010.
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/01/24/pakblames-india-for-not-providing-details-about-samjhautae.html.
Retrieved 31 January 2010.
47. ^ a b “India not providing details on Samjhota: Malik”. Dawn.
January 23, 2010.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-india-not-providing-details-on-samjhota-malik-ss-05.
Retrieved 31 January 2010.
48. ^ “A blast and a conspiracy”. Indian Express. October 25, 2010.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-blast-and-a-conspiracy/701976/0.
Retrieved 10 November 2010.
49. ^ Samjhauta blast: The story so far Rediff – July 30, 2010
50. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/Direct-hand-of-Aseemanand-in-Samjhauta-blasts-NIA/Article1-644360.aspx
51. ^ Vishwa Mohan; Abantika Ghosh (8 January 2011). “Aseemanand
owns up to strike on Mecca Masjid” (in English). Times of India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aseemanand-owns-up-to-strike-on-Mecca-Masjid/articleshow/7238763.cms.
Retrieved 8 January 2011.
52. ^ Swami Aseemanand ‘confessed’ under duress Times of India –
January 10, 2011
53. ^ Iyer, Shekhar (8 January 2011). “Indresh lawyers issue notice
to CBI for statement ‘leak’”. Hindustan Times.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Indresh-lawyers-issue-notice-to-CBI-for-statement-leak/Article1-647916.aspx.
Retrieved 8 January 2011.
External links
* Wikinews:Bombing on train from India to Pakistan kills at least
68
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2007_Samjhauta_Express_bombings“
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2006 Malegaon blasts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality
standards. Please improve this article if you can. The talk page may
contain suggestions. (August 2007)
2006 blasts at Malegaon
Location Malegaon, Maharashtra, India
Date 8 September 2006 (UTC+5.5)
Target Vicinity of Mosque
Attack type Bombings
Death(s) 37
Injured >125
Belligerent(s) (Suspected outfits)—Lashkar-e-Toiba[1], Students
Islamic Movement of India[2] and Bajrang Dal[3]
v · d · e
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)
Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold
2001: Indian Parliament – Srinagar – 2002: 1st Raghunath Temple –
Akshardam Temple – Kolkata – Kaluchak massacre – Qasimnagar massacre –
Rafiganj train – 2nd Raghunath Temple – Mumbai 2002 – Kurnool train –
2003: 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – 2005:
Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Jaunpur train – 2006: Varanasi – Jama Masjid –
Doda massacre – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – West Bengal train – 2007:
Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Ajmer Dargah – Uttar
Pradesh – 2008: Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd
Delhi 2008 – Malegaon/Modasa – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008
– 2009: 1st Guwahati – 2nd Guwahati – 2010: Pune – Dantewada –
Gyaneshwari Express – Varanasi 2010
The 2006 Malegaon bombings were a series of bomb blasts that took
place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon, a town in the Nashik district
of the Indian state of Maharashtra, located at some 290 km to the
northeast of state capital Mumbai.
The explosions, which caused the deaths of at least 37 people and
injured over 125 more, took place in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a
mosque, at around 13:15 local time after Friday prayers on the Shab e
Bara’at holy day. Most of the blast victims were Muslim pilgrims.
Security forces spoke of “two bombs attached to bicycles”, but other
reports indicated that three devices had exploded. A stampede ensued
after the devices exploded. A curfew was imposed in the town and state
paramilitaries were deployed in sensitive areas to prevent unrest.
Reactions
* Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh promised
compensation payments of Rs 1,00,000 (approx. €1700 or US$2150) to the
next-of-kin of the deceased.
* Relatives of victims cancelled the compensation payments of Rs
1,00,000 (approx. €1700 or US$2150) immediately.
* Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed
for calm.[4]
* Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the incident seemed designed to
“divide the various sections of the public.”[5]
* Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has called on Indians to
maintain calm.[6]
* A home ministry official in Delhi said central security forces,
including personnel from the anti-riot Rapid Action Force, were sent
to Malegaon.[7]
* There were episodes of violence when Muslims in Malegaon
attacked police and their vehicles following the blasts.[8]
* Various Muslim leaders have denounced the bombings and prayed
for peace.[9][10] In particular, Muslims in the state of Gujarat
demonstrated against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in the
blasts.[11]
* US ambassador David Mulford said he was “shocked and saddened by
the brutal terrorist bombings” and that the US stood “with India in
its fight against terrorism”.[12]
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ATS-files-chargesheet-in-Malegaon-blast-case/413034/
Investigations
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality
standards. Please improve this section if you can. The talk page may
contain suggestions. (October 2008)
Arrests
On 10 September, news channel NDTV reported it had learnt that
investigators had identified the owner of one of the bicycles on which
a bomb was planted.[13]
On the same day, police released sketches of two suspects wanted in
connection with the bomb attacks.[14]
On 11 September, Maharashtra Director General of Police P. S. Pasricha
said that the officers investigating the Malegaon blasts probe had
gained vital leads and expressed confidence that a breakthrough will
be achieved soon.[15]
On 30 October, Times of India reported that first arrest is made in
Malegaon blast case. This is the arrest of Noor-Ul-Hooda, an activist
of the Students Islamic Movement of India. [1]. The DGP of Mumbai, Mr.
Pasricha said the they are very close to crack the case and the two
other suspects are Shabeer Batterywala and Raees Ahmad.
On 30 October, many other news media reported from Mr. Pasricha saying
that this is the first arrest [2]. An earlier news in Indian express
that twenty arrests have been made has not been confirmed by any media
including Indian Express. Yahoo news publishes the story with headline
first arrest [3].
On 6 November the times of India reported from Anti Terrorist Squad
(ATS) that the prime conspirator Shabbir Batterywala is an operative
of Lashkar-e-Toiba [LeT] and the co-conspirator is Raees Ahmad is from
SIMI [4].
the blast at Malegaon, police filed a chargesheet that named Army
officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit as the main conspirator who provided the
explosives, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as the prime accused who
arranged for the men who planted the explosives.
The 4,000-page chargesheet, filed by Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad
(ATS) before the Special MCOCA court here, stated that Purohit floated
right wing group Abhinav Bharat in 2007 with an intention to
‘propagate a separate Hindu Rashtra with its own Constitution’.
According to the document, the Army officer collected ‘huge amounts’
to the tune of Rs 21 lakh for himself and Abhinav Bharat to promote
his “fundamentalist ideology.”
Suspicions and press releases
The Maharashtra police initially suspected Bajrang Dal, the Lashkar-e-
Toiba or the Jaish-e-Mohammed of involvement in the attacks. No
evidence was released against any of these groups,[16] though the
police claimed on 13 October to have identified the perpetrators.[17]
Lashkar-e-Toiba has had contacts with the controversial Students
Islamic Movement of India in the region before.[18] Police are also
suspecting Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami in the attacks.[19] On September
10, police sources said that the methods used are similar to attacks
on mosques earlier in 2006 for which 16 Bajrang Dal activists,
allegedly part of a “fringe group” of the organization, were arrested
but not charged.[20]
Malegaon has been the focus of communal tension for some time, which
spilled out into the open in 1984, 1992, and 2001, when there were
large scale protest over the US invasion of Afghanistan. Police had
killed 12 Muslim protesters after a brief altercation with
them[citation needed]. The erstwhile Taliban regime in Afghanistan had
enjoyed immense support from Muslims in Malegaon.[8]
On May 2006, police recovered a cache of RDX explosives and automatic
rifles from the region based on information they said was provided by
arrested extremist Islamists.[21][22] The arrested were former members
of the Students Islamic Movement of India.[23]
In the September 2006 incident,police investigations have determined
that the explosives contained in these bombings were “a cocktail of
RDX, ammonium nitrate and fuel oil — the same mixture used in 7/11″,
[24] referring to the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings, a terrorist
incident for which several Islamist groups are suspects. Since the
investigation was still under way, Nasik Superintendent of Police
Rajvardhan declined to give details, saying: “We can’t say anything
till we get reports from all the agencies”.[25]
However, the Anti-Terrorist Squad has prima facie ruled out the
involvement of Hindu Nationalist groups like the Bajrang Dal in the
Malegaon blasts citing two reasons:
1. RDX is only available to Islamist outfits.
2. Bajrang Dal activists so far have only used crude bombs, nothing
as sophisticated as the ones in Malegaon.[26]
Ajai Sahni, an intelligence analyst who tracks terrorist groups in
South Asia, also said it was unlikely to be a Hindu group because they
“lacked the organisation for such an attack”.[14]
On September 12, 2006, Indian Prime Minister referred as inappropriate
to “rule out or rule in” the involvement of Hindu groups saying that
“It will be inappropriate for us to rule out anything or rule in
anything. I think there should be a fair investigation which inspires
confidence and brings out the truth and nothing but the truth without
any pre-conceived notion. That has to be the objective”.[27]
Reporter B. Raman, in an op-ed published on September 11, noted that
“while it is too early to rule out the possibility of either Islamic
or Hindu extremists as the perpetrators, there have been “attempts by
some leaders of the Muslim community to create a divide between the
community and the police by questioning the impartiality of the police
and levelling other allegations against the investigating officers”.
[28]
As of October 30, 2006, the most recent arrests involved members of
the Students Islamic Movement of India and suspicions are presently
directed at them as, after the arrests, the police have claimed to be
closer to solving the case [5].
On 28 November 2006, Mumbai police stated that two Pakistani nationals
were involved in the explosions. “We have successfully detected the
Malegaon blasts case. We are, however, on the lookout for eight more
suspects in the case,” said DGP PS Pasricha. The Anti-Terrorism Squad
probing into the case has already arrested eight suspects, including
two booked in the July 11 Mumbai serial blasts, in connection with
four explosions that rocked the town killing 31 people and injuring
more than 200.[29][30]
Three accused gave a confession before a competent authority about
their involvement in the conspiracy but soon thereafter two of them
retracted before a magistrate, saying they had not made a voluntary
disclosure.
This was revealed to a special court by the accused themselves when
they were produced before it for remand.
The development assumes significance as under MCOCA, a confession does
not have evidential value if it is not a voluntary and true
disclosure.
Seeking their remand, public prosecutor Raja Thakre said the accused
had played a vital role in the conspiracy and investigations conducted
by Anti-Terrorist Squad so far had revealed involvement of more
persons who are yet to be arrested.[31]
See also
* List of terrorist incidents, 2006
* 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
* 2007 Ajmer Dargah attack
* 2008 Malegoan & Modasa bombing
References
1. ^ Maharshtra doctor arrested for LeT links Times of India – May
15, 2006
2. ^ Malegaon blasts: SIMI activist held Times of India – October
30, 2006
3. ^ Hari, Kumar (November 11, 2008). “India Police Say They Hold 9
From Hindu Terrorist Cell”. The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/world/asia/12india.html. Retrieved
October 16, 2010.
4. ^ Blasts rock Malegaon 38 killed, over 100 injured ‘Hindustan
Times’
5. ^ Chicago Tribune.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609090030sep09,1,2178741.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true.
6. ^ Khan, Aftab (9 September 2006). “Gandhi Calls on Indians to
Maintain Calm Washington Post”. The Washington Post. Archived from the
original on 2009-05-16. http://www.webcitation.org/5gpG2rUPg.
Retrieved 2009-03-21.
7. ^ Centre rushing additional forces to Malegaon Indian Express
8. ^ a b “Indian town seething with anger”. BBC News. 9 September
2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5330832.stm.
9. ^ Religious leaders pray for peace NDTV
10. ^ . http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20384569-1702,00.html.
[dead link]
11. ^ Gujarat Muslims hold anti-Pak rally IBN
12. ^ “Blasts kill 37 in India graveyard”. BBC News. 8 September
2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5326730.stm.
13. ^ Breakthrough in India Blasts Probe Saudi Gazette
14. ^ a b AFP Police release sketches of India blast suspects Yahoo
News (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)
15. ^ Cops gain vital leads ‘Rediff.com’
16. ^ No evidence of Bajrang involvement Times of India
17. ^ Perpetrators of Malegaon Blasts identified
18. ^ South Asia Terrorism Portal
19. ^ Malegaon blasts Is it Bajrang or Lashkar? Times of India
20. ^ DNA India
21. ^ Serial blasts kill 31 in India al-Jazeera
22. ^ . http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/08/india.blast.reut/index.html.
[dead link]
23. ^ NDTV
24. ^ Times of India
25. ^ Indian Express
26. ^ Malegaon, 7/11: Same Lethal cocktail used The Times of India
27. ^ PM Not OK With ‘Rule Out, Rule In’ of Hindus Samachar
28. ^ Terrorists make no distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims
Rediff.com
29. ^ “Police crack Malegaon serial blasts case, spot SIMI hand-
Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times”. The Times Of India.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/610189.cms.
30. ^ SIMI behind Malegaon blasts: Police – Sify.com
31. ^ 3 confess in Malegaon blast case, 2 retract
External links
Wikinews has related news: 38 dead, over 180 injured as blasts rock
Maharashtra town
* Thirty-five people killed in India blasts
* Blasts kill 37 in India graveyard
* 38 killed in Malegaon blasts
* Pictures of the blast
* Voice of America news article
* BBC news article
* Aljazeera news article
* Google news link
* Allegations by Indian Muslim Newspaper of “Corpse with fake
beard found”
* http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ATS-files-chargesheet-in-Malegaon-blast-case/413034/
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Malegaon_blasts“
Categories: Terrorist incidents in India in 2006 | Islamic terrorism
in India | Hindu terrorism
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* This page was last modified on 12 January 2011 at 07:22.
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Mecca Masjid bombing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mecca Masjid Bombing
Location Hyderabad, India17°21′36″N 78°28′24″E / 17.360106°N
78.473427°E / 17.360106; 78.473427
Date 18 May 2007
13:15 (IST (UTC+5.30))
Target Mecca Masjid
Attack type RDX activated by Mobile
Death(s) 16
Injured 100
Suspected belligerent(s) Abhinav Bharat[1] or Harkat-ul-Jihad al-
Islami[2][3]
v · d · e
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)
Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold
2001: Indian Parliament – Srinagar – 2002: 1st Raghunath Temple –
Akshardam Temple – Kolkata – Kaluchak massacre – Qasimnagar massacre –
Rafiganj train – 2nd Raghunath Temple – Mumbai 2002 – Kurnool train –
2003: 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – 2005:
Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Jaunpur train – 2006: Varanasi – Jama Masjid –
Doda massacre – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – West Bengal train – 2007:
Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Ajmer Dargah – Uttar
Pradesh – 2008: Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd
Delhi 2008 – Malegaon/Modasa – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008
– 2009: 1st Guwahati – 2nd Guwahati – 2010: Pune – Dantewada –
Gyaneshwari Express – Varanasi 2010
Wikinews has related news: Bomb blast kills at least seven at Mecca
Masjid mosque, India
The Mecca Masjid bombing occurred on May 18, 2007 inside the Mecca
Masjid, a mosque the old city area in Hyderabad, capital of the Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh[4] located very close to Charminar. The blast
was caused by a cellphone-triggered pipe bomb.[5] Fourteen people were
reported dead in the immediate aftermath, of whom five(official
record:disputed) were killed by the police firing after the incident
while trying to quell the mob.[5]
Overview
According to the Deccan Chronicle, the bomb comprised a high explosive
substance filled in a 10-inch (250 mm) by 3-inch (76 mm) pipe. The
Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory claims that RDX and TNT
were used in the 10 inches (25 cm) by 3 inches (7.6 cm) pipe bomb. The
bomb was placed under a heavy granite slab that broke in two. Police
later said that the slab had taken the force of the impact and saved
many lives.
The blast occurred near the open air section of the Mecca Masjid. At
the time of the blast more than 10,000 people were inside the mosque
premises, for the Friday prayers. The injured were treated at the
Osmania hospital in Hyderabad.
Following this Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra were put on
alert. State Home Minister K Jana Reddy said the blast, which injured
over fifty people in addition to the death toll, could be the act of
foreign elements.
Rioting and Police firing
Five individuals died as a result of the police firing. This has
caused considerable controversy. The Telegraph reports[6]:
Six rounds were fired in the afternoon and evening to prevent
shops and public property from being damaged, including petrol pumps
and ATMs. One person was killed in the firing in the Moghapura area,
while two fell to the police bullets elsewhere. Another lost his life
when the police had to pull the trigger to control a mob trying to
break into an ATM.
According to police commissioner Balwinder Singh, his men resorted
to firing after water cannons, tear gas and baton-charge failed to
bring the mob fury under control.
It is reported that[7] a frenzied mob attacked state-owned road
transport corporation buses, forcing the closure of Falaknuma bus
depot.
According to the police, the rioters were trying to set fire to a
petrol pump.[8] Inspector P. Sudhakar of Falaknuma police station, who
has been removed from his position on the charge of opening fire
`indiscriminately’ to control the rampaging mobs[9] stated:
“While I asked my subordinates to be on high alert, mobs from
Shalibanda and the mosque came towards Moghalpura pelting stones. They
set ablaze a wine shop and charged towards a petrol pump where we were
stationed.”
The mobs took out petrol from the dispenser and sprinkled it on
the room. “When they tried to ignite it with the help of dry grass, I
ordered my men to open fire with .303 rifles to disperse them,” he
says. “As the situation turned worse, I sought additional forces.
Quick Reaction teams along with Moghalpura Inspector arrived and
scattered the crowd by opening fire.” At least 10 persons, including
policemen, could have been killed if fire orders were not issued, he
insists.
Suspected bombers
While the United Progressive Alliance-led central government has
claimed that Abhinav Bharat was behind the Mecca Masjid bombing[10],
the South Asia Terrorism Portal[11], the Institute for Defence Studies
and Analyses[12], the National Counterterrorism Center[13] the United
States[14], and the United Nations[15] have asserted that the Islamic
outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks.
Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman has questioned “the
two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American
investigators.”[16].But every thing was proven wrong when CBI
investigated the matter.
The Central Bureau of Investigation produced the preacher Swami
Asimanand before the court in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast
in Hyderabad in May 2007. The court remanded Swami Asimanand to CBI
custody till 30th of November and was taken to Chanchalguda Jail. He
was nabbed in Haridwar and was brought to Hyderabad. The Additional
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi had granted CBI the transit
remand of Swami for two days. Today the CBI produced him in the CBI
Court seeking his custody. Two more accused in the case are already in
judicial custody. The face of the Swami was covered when he was taken
inside the designated court in Nampally.[17][18][19][20]
See also
* 2006 Malegaon blasts
References
1. ^ The Mirror Explodes – Outlook – July 19, 2010
2. ^ Arrest of Some Hindus as Terrorists- Getting Curiouser &
Curiouser South Asia Analysis Group – August 7, 2010
3. ^ Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) South Asia Terrorism Portal
4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6668695.stm Article on
BBC website
5. ^ a b bomb in Mecca Masjid
6. ^ The Telegraph – Calcutta : Nation
7. ^ Mob violence after Hyd blast, 4 killed : hyderabad, blast,
mecca masjid, char minar, police firing, mob violence : IBNLive.com :
CNN-IBN
8. ^ Decoding the Hyderabad blast
9. ^ I’ve acted to avert a disaster: Inspector
10. ^ HuJI ban takes no note of ‘Hindu terror’ role Times of India –
August 8, 2010
11. ^ Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) – South Asia Terrorism Portal
12. ^ HuJI after the Death of its India Chief Institute for Defence
Studies and Analyses – February 13, 2008
13. ^ ‘Huji, not Hindu group, behind Mecca Masjid blast’ Hindustan
Times – September 23, 2010
14. ^ US, UN declare HuJI as terrorist organisation Times of India –
August 8, 2010
15. ^ US, UN declare HuJI a terror group NDTV – August 7, 2010
16. ^ Bahukutumbi Raman (7 August 2010). “Arrest of Some Hindus as
Terrorists- Getting Curiouser & Curiouser”. South Asia Analysis Group.
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers40%5Cpaper3971.html.
Retrieved 9 August 2010.
17. ^ http://www.rediff.com/news/report/why-swami-aseemanand-is-a-prize-catch-for-the-cbi/20101119.htm
18. ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-Swami-Aseemanand-sheltered-Best-Bakery-accused-on-the-run-/713969
19. ^
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Aseemanand-arrest-Major-boost-to-Ajmer-dargah-blast-probe/articleshow/6956704.cms
20. ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Swami-aseemanand-sheltered-be…/713969/
External links
* Article on Zee News
* Bomb hits mosque in India
* 9 killed in Hyderabad blast; 5 in police firing
* Bomb hits Indian Mosque (MSNBC)
* 5 killed in Indian Mosque attack (CNN)
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Hindutva
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v · d · e
For Veer Savarkar’s book, see Hindutva (book).
Hindutva (Devanagari: हिन्दुत्व, “Hinduness”, a word coined by Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a
Hindu? ) is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu
nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.
[citation needed]
In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions
the concept of Hindutva. The sangh comprises organizations such as the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
Bajrang Dal, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
This ideology has existed since the early 20th century, forged by Veer
Savarkar, but came to prominence in Indian politics in the late 1980s,
when two events attracted a large number of mainstream Hindus to the
movement. The first of these events was the Rajiv Gandhi government’s
use of its large Parliamentary Majority to overturn a Supreme Court
verdict granting alimony to an old woman that had angered many Muslims
(see the Shah Bano case). The second was the dispute over the 16th
century Mughal Babri Mosque in Ayodhya — built by Babur after his
first major victory in India. The Supreme Court of India refused to
take up the case in the early 1990s, leading to a huge outcry. Tempers
soon flared, and a huge number of nationalist Hindus from all parts of
India razed the mosque in late 1992, causing nationwide communal
riots. The razing of the mosque and subsequent conflict arguably
lifted the BJP and Hindutva to international prominence.
Definition
Ancient Hindu flag with two pennants.
According to Savarkar, Hindutva is meant to denote the Hindu
characteristic, or Hinduness.[1]
In a judgment the Supreme Court of India ruled that “no precise
meaning can be ascribed to the terms ‘Hindu’, ‘Hindutva’ and
‘Hinduism‘; and no meaning in the abstract can confine it to the
narrow limits of religion alone, excluding the content of Indian
culture and heritage.” The Court also ruled that “Ordinarily, Hindutva
is understood as a way of life or a state of mind and is not to be
equated with or understood as religious Hindu fundamentalism. A Hindu
may embrace a non-Hindu religion without ceasing to be a Hindu and
since the Hindu is disposed to think synthetically and to regard other
forms of worship, strange gods and divergent doctrines as inadequate
rather than wrong or objectionable, he tends to believe that the
highest divine powers complement each other for the well-being of the
world and mankind.”[2]
Central concepts
Cultural nationalism
According to this, the natives of India share a common culture,
history and ancestry.
M S Golwalkar, one of the main proponents of Hindutva believed that
India’s diversity in terms of customs, traditions and ways of worship
was its uniqueness and that this diversity was not without the strong
underlying cultural basis which was essentially native. He believed
that the Hindu natives with all their diversity, shared among other
things “the same philosophy of life”, “the same values” and “the same
aspirations” which formed a strong cultural and a civilizational basis
for a nation.[3]
Savarkar similarly believed that the Indian subcontinent (which
includes the area south of the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush or Akhand
Bharat (undivided India, अखण्ड भारत) is the homeland of the Hindus. He
considered “Hindus” as those who consider India (Bharat, भारत) to be
their motherland (matrubhumi), fatherland (pitrubhumi, पितृभूमि) as
well as their holy land (punyabhumi, पुण्यभूमि), hence describing it
purely in cultural terms.[1]
RSS, one of the main votaries of Hindutva has stated that it believes
in a cultural connotation of the term Hindu. “The term Hindu in the
conviction as well as in the constitution of the RSS is a cultural and
civilizational concept and not a political or religious dogma. The
term as a cultural concept will include and did always include all
including Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims, Christians and Parsis. The
cultural nationality of India, in the conviction of the RSS, is Hindu
and it was inclusive of all who are born and who have adopted Bharat
as their Motherland, including Muslims, Christians and Parsis. The
answering association submit that it is not just a matter of RSS
conviction, but a fact borne out by history that the Muslims,
Christians and Parsis too are Hindus by culture although as religions
they are not so.”[4]
Decolonization
Emphasizing historical oppression of Hindus by colonial invaders like
the Muslims (see Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent) and the
Christians (see Goa Inquisition) and the call to “reverse” the
cultural influence resulting from these intrusions.[3]
Social justice
The acceptance that Hindu social structure “is ridden with castes and
communities”, and that this has led to “barriers and segregation” and
condemnation of “obnoxious vice of social inequality” and
“untouchability”.[5] The supporters of Hindutva have a positive
outlook towards the Dalit community, which they aim to bring to
leadership positions in their organizations.[6]
Uniform Civil Code
Leaders subscribing to Hindutva have been known for their demands for
a Uniform Civil Code for all the citizens of India. They believe that
differential laws based on religion violate Article 44 of the Indian
Constitution and have sowed the seeds of divisiveness between
different religious communities.[7]
The advocates of Hindutva often use the term pseudo-secularism to
refer to policies which they believe are unduly favorable towards the
Muslims and Christians. They oppose what they see as a ‘separate-but-
equal‘ system; some supporters of Hindutva see it as the Indian
National Congress party’s effort to woo the sizable minority vote bank
at the expense of true equality.[8] The subject of a Uniform Civil
Code, which would remove special religion-based provisions for
different religions (Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc.) from the
Indian Constitution, is thus one of the main agendas of Hindutva
organizations.[9] The Uniform Civil Code is opposed by Muslims[10] and
political parties like the Indian National Congress and The Communist
Party of India (Marxist)[11]
Followers of Hindutva have questioned differential religious laws in
India which allows polygamy and triple talaq among Muslims and thereby
compromises on the status of Muslim women and “marginalizes” them.[12]
The passing of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act,
1986 by Rajiv Gandhi government to dilute the secular judgment of
Supreme Court under pressure from the conservative Muslims was opposed
by Hindutva organisations. The new act, in tune with the Shariat,
denied even utterly destitute Muslim divorcees the right to alimony
from their former husbands.[13]
Protection of Hindu interests
The followers of Hindutva are known for their criticism of the Indian
government as too passive with regard to the ethnic cleansing of
Kashmiri Hindus[14][15] by Kashmiri Muslim separatists and advocates
of Hindutva wish a harder stance in Jammu and Kashmir.[16]
They have called for the protection of native Hindu traditions,[17]
holy structures, rivers[18] and the cow (which is considered holy by
Hindus).
Hindu nationalists have the stated aim of uniting the Hindu society
which is plagued by casteism, regionalism, and passive religion.
Views on other faiths
The votaries of Hindutva believe that the way Muslims and Hindus have
treated each other in the past is a one-way compromise and they intend
on making society more balanced and fair towards the majority Hindu
population.[19] The BJP has also invited Muslims to be a part of this
new society and work with the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs for a
better India.[20] Even more militant parties such as the Shiv Sena
have invited Muslims to join and the party leader declared after the
Babri Mosque incident,
“We must look after the Muslims and treat them as part of us.”[21]
Hindutva groups are supportive of the Jewish State of Israel,
including Savarkar himself, who supported Israel during its formation.
[22] The RSS is politically pro-Israel and actively praised the
efforts of Ariel Sharon when he visited India.[23][24] RSS
spokesperson Ram Madhav recently expressed support for Israel.[25]
Views on Indian history
The Hindu organisations like the RSS believe that the history of India
was written by the British with a condescending attitude towards the
native people and their culture. M S Golwalkar writes that the history
of ancient India was summed up as “Tanglewood Tales“. Similar concerns
were raised by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in his essay, “The
History of Bharatvarsha”, in 1903. He calls the history books
“nightmarish account of India”. He writes “while the lands of the
aliens existed, there also existed the indigenous country” meaning the
latter was grossly being neglected. He adds that the British accounts
of Indian history “throw a beam of artificial light on such a spot
that in our own eyes the very profile of our country is made dark”.
[26]
M S Golwalkar argues that it was a delibrate Imperialist strategy to
teach Indians a wrong version of history.[3] In this context, writings
of Lord Macaulay,”the brain behind the system of English education”,
are referred to as an indication of this.[3]
Lord Macaulay had stated “We must at present do our best to form a
class who may be interpreters between us and millions whom we govern-a
class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in
opinions, in morals and in intellect.” [27]
He had also written “No Hindu who has received an English education
ever remains sincerely attached to his religion. It is my firm belief
that if our plans of education are followed up, there will not be a
single idolater among the respected classes 30 years hence.” [28]
Senior RSS leader H V Sheshadri refers to this attitude of “White
man’s burden” which he believes shaped the English education system in
India and British version of Indian history.[29]
The RSS is opposed to the theory of Indo-Aryan migration to India, a
number believing in the alternative Out of India theory. While largely
uncontroversial in academia, the “Aryan Invasion theory” debate in
India, involving e.g. Sita Ram Goel, Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib and
Arun Shourie, is also a matter of politics.[citation needed]
Further information: Indigenous Aryans and Aryan Invasion Theory
(history and controversies)
Organizations
Main article: Sangh Parivar
Hindutva is commonly identified as the guiding ideology of the Sangh
Parivar, a family of Hindu Nationalist organizations, and of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in particular. In general, Hindutvavaadis
(followers of Hindutva) believe that they represent the well-being of
Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Ayyavazhi, Jainism and all other
religions prominent in India.
Most nationalists are organized into political, cultural and social
organizations. The first Hindutva organisation formed was the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925. A prominent Indian
political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (BJP) is closely
associated with a group of organisations that advocate Hindutva. They
collectively refer to themselves as the “Sangh Parivar” or family of
associations, and include the RSS, Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu
Parishad. Other organisations include:
* Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh – Overseas branch of the RSS
* Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh – Worker’s Union
* Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad – A Student’s Union
* Bharatiya Kisan Sangh – A Farmers’ organisation
The major political wing is the BJP which was in power in India’s
Central Government for six years from 1998 to 2004 and is now the main
opposition party. It is also in power in the states of Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Uttaranchal. It is an alliance
partner in the states of Orissa, Punjab, and Bihar.
Political parties pertaining to the Hindutva ideology are not limited
to the Sangh Parivar. Examples of political parties independent from
the Sangh’s influence include Praful Goradia’s Akhil Bharatiya Jana
Sangh[30] and Uma Bharti’s Bharatiya Janshakti Party.[31] The
influence of these groups is relatively limited.
The controversial Maharashtrian political party, the Shiv Sena,
converted its ideology to the Hindutva one in recent times. It has
been very influential in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The party is
not part of the Sangh Parivar but is associated with the Bharatiya
Janata Party. Similar is the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is a Sikh
religious party but maintains ties with Hindutva organizations, as
they also represent Sikhism.[32]
Criticism and support
The opponents of Hindutva philosophy consider Hindutva ideology as a
euphemistic effort to conceal communal beliefs and practices.[citation
needed]
Many Indian Marxist sociologues have described the Hindutva movement
as fascist in classical sense, in its ideology and class support
specially targeting the concept of homogenised majority and cultural
hegemony.[33] The Hindutva movement on the other hand terms such
description as coming from the far left.[34][35] More moderate critics
of Hindutva do not base their criticism on allegations of “fascism”,
but raise issues with regards to their sometimes-vacillating attitudes
towards non-Hindus and secularism. The epithet of “fascism” is also
used to evoke double standards against Hindus in political and
academic discourse. The academia and polity have been accused of
engaging in a form of anti-Hindu McCarthyism against Hindu political
expression by leveling the accusation of “fascism” against anyone who
expresses sympathy for Hindus.[36]
Marxist critics,[37] have used the political epithets of “Indian
fascism” and “Hindu fascism” to describe the ideology of the Sangh
Parivar. For example, Marxist social scientist Prabhat Patnaik has
written that the Hindutva movement as it has emerged is “classically
fascist in class support, methods and programme”[38]
Patniak bases this argument on the following “ingredients” of
classical fascism present in Hindutva: the attempt to create a unified
homogenous majority under the concept of ‘the Hindus’; a sense of
grievance against past injustice; a sense of cultural superiority; an
interpretation of history according to this grievance and superiority;
a rejection of rational arguments against this interpretation; and an
appeal to the majority based on race and masculinity.[citation needed]
Views on Hindutva and fascism include those of the Christian convert
to the RSS viewpoint, Anthony Elenjimittan, who based his views on
RSS’s symbolism of the Bhagva (the banner of lord Shiva), Dharma
Chakra [the Wheel of Faith] and Satyameva Jayate [Truth alone
triumphs] (one must note that these symbols are normative in Hinduism
and bear no relation to Hindutva and the latter is the national motto
of a secular democratic India).[citation needed]
The description of Hindutva as fascist has been condemned by pro-
Hindutva authors such as Koenraad Elst who claim that the ideology of
Hindutva meets none of the characteristics of fascist ideologies.
Claims that Hindutva social service organisations such as the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are “fascist” have been disputed by
academics such as Vincent Kundukulam.[39]
Academics Chetan Bhatt and Parita Mukta reject the identification of
Hindutva with fascism, because of Hindutva’s embrace of cultural
rather than racial nationalism, because of its “distinctively Indian”
character, and because of “the RSS’s disavowal of the seizure of state
power in preference for long-term cultural labour in civil society“.
They instead describe Hindutva as a form of “revolutionary
conservatism” or “ethnic absolutism”.[40]
Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul also rejects these allegations and views
the rise of Hindutva as a welcome, broader civilizational resurgence
of India.[41]
See also
* Veer Savarkar
* Indian nationalism
* Hindu nationalism
* Hindu nationalist parties
* Uniform civil code
References
1. ^ a b Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar: Hindutva, Bharati Sahitya
Sadan, Delhi 1989 (1923)
2. ^ Supreme Court on Hindu Hindutva and Hinduism
3. ^ a b c d M S Golwalkar (1966), Bunch of thoughts, Publishers:
Sahitya Sindhu Prakashana
4. ^ Quoting RSS General Secretary’s reply to the Tribunal
constituted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 to
hear the case on the RSS, Organiser, June 6, 1993
5. ^ M. G. Chitkara 2004, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Published by
APH Publishing, ISBN 81-7648-465-2, 9788176484657 (Quoting Late RSS
leader Balasaheb Deoras “If untouchability is not a sin, nothing is a
sin”).
6. ^ Organize under Dalit leadership: RSS
7. ^ BJP leader, Rajnath Singh demanding Uniform Civil Code
8. ^ [1]
9. ^ Uniform Civil Code, Article 370 back on BJP Agenda
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Uniform-civil-code-Article-370-back-on-BJP-agenda/317218/
10. ^ http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=23591
11. ^ Uniform civil code will divide the country on communal lines:
Congress
12. ^ http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=239&page=36
13. ^ Shah Bano Case
14. ^ See refs in Kashmiri Pandit
15. ^ see refs in Wandhama massacre
16. ^ Indian Summer looks set to become a long autumn by Robert
Jenkins
17. ^ Speech by RSS leader K S Sudarshan,Oct 18 2008
18. ^ ‘Save Ganga’ Campaign by RSS, BJP
19. ^ BJP Official Website See philosophy
20. ^ Bharatiya Janata Party Official Website Hindutva: The Great
Nationalistic Ideology
21. ^ The Rediff Election Interview/Bal Thackeray,Rediff.com
22. ^ Hindu-Zion
23. ^ The Hindu
24. ^ Rediff
25. ^ Press spotlight on Sharon’s India visit,BBC
26. ^ Rabindranath Tagore, The History of Bharatavarsha, Bhadra 1309
Bengal Era (August 1903)
27. ^ George Anderson, Manilal Bhagwandes Sudebar, The Last Days of
the Company: A Source Book of Indian History, 1818-1858, Published by
G. Bell, 1921
28. ^ Benedict Richard O’Gorman Anderson, Imagined
Communities:Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism,
Edition: 2, revised Published by Verso, 1991, ISBN 0-86091-546-8,
9780860915461
29. ^ Sheshadri H V, Tragic story of Partition, Publisher: Sahitya
Sindhu Prakashana
30. ^ Jana Sangh promises to make India Hindu nation
31. ^ Uma launches new party
32. ^ SAD-BJP Alliance helped bridge Hindu Sikh gap Indian Express
33. ^ Fascism of our times Prabhat Patnaik
34. ^ eg. Partha Banergee
35. ^ – Rajesh Tembarai Krishnamachari, South Asia Analysis Group
36. ^ Puzzling Dimensions and Theoretical Knots in my Graduate
School Research, Yvette Rosser
37. ^ eg. Partha Banergee, Romila Thapar, Himani Bannerji, Prabhat
Patnaik
38. ^ “The Fascism of Our Times” Social Scientist VOl 21 No.3-4,
1993, p.69 [2]
39. ^ Christian Post,archive link
40. ^ Ethnic and Racial Studies Volume 23 Number 3 May 2000 pp. 407–
441 ISSN 0141–9870 print/ISSN 1466–4356 online
41. ^ Naipaul V.S. India, a million Mutinies now, Penguin 1992
Further reading
* Andersen, Walter K., ‘Bharatiya Janata Party: Searching for the
Hindu Nationalist Face’, In The New Politics of the Right: Neo–
Populist Parties and Movements in Established Democracies, ed. Hans–
Georg Betz and Stefan Immerfall (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998),
pp. 219–232. (ISBN 0-312-21134-1 or ISBN 0-312-21338-7)
* Banerjee, Partha, In the Belly of the Beast: The Hindu
Supremacist RSS and BJP of India (Delhi: Ajanta, 1998). (ISBN
81-202-0504-2) (ISBN not available)
* Bhatt Chetan, Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern
Myths, Berg Publishers (2001), ISBN 1-85973-348-4.
* Elst, Koenraad: The Saffron Swastika. The Notion of “Hindu
Fascism”. New Delhi: Voice of India, 2001, 2 Vols., ISBN 81-85990-69-7
[3], [4]
* Elst, Koenraad: Decolonizing the Hindu Mind. Ideological
Development of Hindu Revivalism. Rupa, Delhi 2001.
* Embree, Ainslie T. , ‘The Function of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh: To Define the Hindu Nation’, in Accounting for Fundamentalisms,
The Fundamentalism Project 4, ed. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby
(Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1994), pp. 617–652. (ISBN
0-226-50885-4)
* Goel, Sita Ram: Perversion of India’s Political Parlance. Voice
of India, Delhi 1984. [5]
* Goel, Sita Ram (editor): Time for Stock Taking. Whither Sangh
Parivar? 1996.
* Gold, Daniel, ‘Organized Hinduisms: From Vedic Truths to Hindu
Nation’ in: Fundamentalisms Observed The Fundamentalism Project vol.
4, eds. M. E. Marty, R. S. Appleby, University Of Chicago Press
(1994), ISBN 978-0-226-50878-8, pp. 531–593.
* Nanda, Meera, The God Market. How Globalization is Making India
more Hindu, Noida, Random House India. 2009. ISBN 978-81-8400-095-5
* Ruthven, Malise, Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction,
Oxford University Press, USA (2007), ISBN 978-0-19-921270-5.
* Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar: Hindutva Bharati Sahitya Sadan, Delhi
1989 (1923).
* Sharma, Jyotirmaya, Hindutva: Exploring the Idea of Hindu
Nationalism, Penguin Global (2004), ISBN 0-670-04990-5.
* Shourie, Arun: A Secular Agenda. HarperCollins ISBN
81-7223-258-6
* Smith, David James, Hinduism and Modernity, Blackwell Publishing
ISBN 0-631-20862-3
* Webb, Adam Kempton, Beyond the global culture war: Global
horizons, CRC Press (2006), ISBN 978-0415953138.
External links
* Veer Savarkar Website
* Article by Koenraad Elst on allegations of “Hindu fascism”, More
articles on “Hindu fascism”
* Hindu Holocaust Museum
* Article on Hindutva by Ashok Chowgule
* “Hindutva” by VD Savarkar at Hindus Arise.com
* Report of Human Rights Watch, referring to the role of Hindutva
organisations in the Gujarat Riots 2002
* The Myth of the Hindu Right
* Anti-Hindu Bias of Mainstream Media
Videos
* Film on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits
v · d · e
Hindu reform movements
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Ramakrishna Mission · Sri Aurobindo Ashram · Swadhyay Parivar ·
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17/01/2011 by navanavonmilita
Jolt to RSS as Aseemanand sticks to his confession
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: January 16, 2011 09:38 IST
New Delhi: In a major setback to the RSS, terror-accused Aseemanand
has stuck to his confession. The RSS had tried to junk Aseemanand’s
earlier confession before a magistrate saying he was coerced, but on
Saturday Assemanand stuck to his confession that Hindutva radicals
were behind the bomb attack on the Samjhauta Express in 2007 which
killed 68.
In a statement he has named Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, both on
the run as the key plotters in the terror attack.
His statement came days after the CBI announced that it will
reinvestigate the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. A MCOCA court had earlier
granted the permission to CBI.
Aseemanand, alias Jatin Chatterjee, had reportedly made a statement
before a magistrate on December 18, 2010 in which he said that in June
2006, he and other members of the Sangh Parivar like Riteshwar, Sadhvi
Pragya and Sunil Joshi met at Riteshwar’s house in Valsad (Gujarat).
Aseemanand reportedly told everyone present at the meeting that ‘bomb
ka jawab bomb se dena chahiye’. He also said that he realised that
Joshi and his group were already doing something on the subject.
Aseemanand is believed to be a close aide of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, one
of the main accused in the Malegaon blast case.
Thirty one people were killed and another 312 injured in Malegaon
blast on September 8, 2006.
Story first published:
January 16, 2011 09:36 IST
Tags: Aseemanand, right-wing terror, RSS, Samjhauta blast
In editorial, RSS questions Aseemanand confession
Press Trust of India, Updated: January 17, 2011 16:13 IST
New Delhi: Raising questions over the role of investigating agencies,
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said it found “intriguing” that
only those persons arrested for alleged links to Hindu radicalism were
“confessing” to terror acts, whereas convicted militants like Ajmal
Kasab and Afzal Guru appeared to be more “tight-lipped” with them.
“…Intriguing that only persons named in alleged Hindu radicalism seem
to be making ‘confessions’. We have not heard of a Kasab or Afzal Guru
or captured jehadi, terrorist making such a confession. Are they so
tight-lipped?” the Sangh said in an editorial in its mouth-piece
‘Organiser’.
The RSS editorial was a reflection on the recent alleged ‘confession’
of Swami Aseemanand, a key accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast that
killed nine people, to the CBI.
He was heading the RSS-affiliated Van Vasi Kalyan Ashram, Shabri Dham
in Dangs, Gujarat.
Aseemanand has allegedly confessed to playing the role of an ideologue
to the terrorists. Besides presiding over terror meetings held in
Dangs and Valsad in Gujarat, he also selected Malgeaon, Ajmer Sharif
and Hyderabad as terror targets.
The Sangh said in the editorial that if the agencies wanted to really
unearth the plot behind the terror strikes, they would not have given
“this kind of propaganda to the so-called confession of Aseemanand”.
The Sangh termed the “leak” of the “confession” to the media as
“politically motivated”.
“Before the CBI took over the case, the Hyderabad police named HuJI,
the banned outfit, to be behind the Mecca Masjid blast”, it said.
Story first published:
January 17, 2011 16:09 IST
Tags: Ajmer blasts, Aseemanand confession, Mecca Masjid blasts, RSS,
RSS Aseemanand
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samjhauta Express bombings
Location Panipat, Haryana, India
Date 18 February 2007
23:53 (UTC +5:30)
Target Samjhauta Express train
Weapon(s) Improvised explosive devices
Death(s) 68
Injured 50
Belligerent(s) Not established yet. Allegations on various Hindu
nationalist organisations including Abhinav Bharat[1] Allegations also
concurred on Lashkar-e-Taiba[2]
v · d · e
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)
Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold
2001: Indian Parliament – Srinagar – 2002: 1st Raghunath Temple –
Akshardam Temple – Kolkata – Kaluchak massacre – Qasimnagar massacre –
Rafiganj train – 2nd Raghunath Temple – Mumbai 2002 – Kurnool train –
2003: 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – 2005:
Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Jaunpur train – 2006: Varanasi – Jama Masjid –
Doda massacre – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – West Bengal train – 2007:
Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Ajmer Dargah – Uttar
Pradesh – 2008: Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd
Delhi 2008 – Malegaon/Modasa – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008
– 2009: 1st Guwahati – 2nd Guwahati – 2010: Pune – Dantewada –
Gyaneshwari Express – Varanasi 2010
The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings were a terrorist attack that
occurred around midnight on 18 February 2007 on the Samjhauta Express,
a twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi, India, and Lahore,
Pakistan.[3][4] Bombs were set off in two carriages, both filled with
passengers, just after the train passed Diwana station near the Indian
city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of New Delhi.[3][5]
Sixty-eight people were killed in the ensuing fire and dozens more
were injured.[6] Of the 68 fatalities, most were Pakistani civilians,
but the victims included some Indian civilians and Indian military
personnel guarding the train.[7]
Investigators subsequently found evidence of suitcases with improvised
explosive devices (IEDs) and flammable material, including three
undetonated IEDs. Inside one of the suitcases containing the
undetonated IEDs, a digital timer encased in transparent plastic was
packed alongside a dozen plastic bottles containing fuel oils and
chemicals.[7] After the bombings, eight unaffected carriages were
allowed to continue onwards to Lahore with passengers.
Both the Indian and Pakistani governments condemned the attack, and
officials on both sides speculated that the perpetrators intended to
disrupt improving relations between the two nations, since the attack
came just a day before Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud
Kasuri was to arrive in New Delhi to resume peace talks with Indian
leaders.[4] There have been a number of breaks in the investigation of
the bombings. As of 2011, nobody has been charged for the crime though
it has been linked toAbhinav Bharat, a shadowy group headed by former
army officer Prasad Shrikant Purohit.[1]
Background
Main article: Indo-Pakistani relations
Since their formation resulting from the Partition of India in 1947,
India and Pakistan have had a conflict-ridden relationship. In their
plan for the partition, the British allowed all 565 princely states to
decide which country they wanted to join.[8] Most Hindu-majority
princely states acceded to the Republic of India, while most Muslim-
majority princely states joined the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The
decision made by the leaders of some of these princely states has been
a source of conflict and tension between the two countries. Kashmir is
one of these princely states—its population was mostly Muslim, but the
Hindu ruler Hari Singh of the state decided to join India.[8] The
countries have fought three wars over this disputed region: the Indo-
Pakistani Wars of 1947 and 1965 and the Kargil War in 1999.[9] Since
the 1980s, militants in Jammu and Kashmir have targeted attacks on
civilians, members of the government and the Indian Army. Some groups,
like the Islamist militant organisations Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-
Mohammed, believe that Kashmir should be integrated into Pakistan,
while others—such as the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front—believe it
should become an independent state. All told, thousands of civilians
have died due to the insurgency.[10][11]
In recent years, the Indian and Pakistani governments have made
attempts to bring peace or to at least calm the tensions between the
countries. One such attempt in the peace process came with the launch
of the Samjhauta Express, so-named because the word samjhauta means
“accord” and “compromise” in Hindi and Urdu, the national languages of
India and Pakistan, respectively. This twice-weekly train service runs
between Delhi and Attari in India and Wagah and Lahore in Pakistan.
[12] Launched in 1976, the Samjhauta Express served as the only rail
connection between the two countries until the launch of the Thar
Express. Given the nature of the transnational service and the ongoing
violence in the region, the Samjhauta Express was always heavily
guarded, as it was a high-risk target for terrorist attacks. Weeks
after the Indian Parliament terrorist attack on 13 December 2001, the
train service was discontinued amid security concerns.[13] Although it
resumed service on 15 January 2004, the train was placed on high
security. Just days before the attack, Pakistani Foreign Minister
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri announced that he was going to Delhi on 21
February 2007 to meet with Indian government officials to continue
peace talks and to sign a nuclear risk reduction agreement.[14]
Details
Panipat is located in India
Panipat
Location of Panipat within the state of Haryana
Twin blasts shook two coaches of the Samjhauta Express travelling
between India and Pakistan at around 23:53 IST (18:23 UTC) on Sunday,
18 February 2007, shortly after the train had passed through the
railway station in the village of Diwana, near the Indian city of
Panipat.[15] One railway employee manning the level crossing at the
time stated:
It was about 11.52 when I showed the signal lantern to the Attari
[Samjhauta] Express which was coming in very fast, probably at over
100 kilometers an hour (62.1 mph). Just as [it] reached near the home
signal, I could hear two loud explosions from the coaches near the
guards’ van at the rear.[5]
After the explosions, both carriages were engulfed in flames and many
passengers were incapacitated by the smoke. Witnesses claim to have
seen passengers screaming and attempting to escape, but since most of
the train’s windows were barred for security reasons, many could not
escape in time. The injured were pulled out of the burning carriages
by fellow passengers and local residents.[3]
In the end, the terrorist attack left 68 people dead and 50 injured.
[14] Most of the dead and injured were Pakistani nationals, though
some Indians, including railway workers, were also killed. Initial
identification of the victims was hindered by the fact that many of
the bodies were charred beyond recognition.[7] The rest of the train,
which was left undamaged by the attack, continued on to the border
town of Attari.[7] There, passengers were transferred to a Pakistani
train which took them to their destination in Lahore.[7]
Reactions
India
Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Indian Minister of Railways
Indian Minister of Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav, condemned the
incident[16] and went on to say that the attack was “an attempt to
derail the improving relationship between India and Pakistan.”[15] He
also announced compensation payments of Rs. 1,000,000 (approx. €17,500
or US$22,750) for the next-of-kin of each of the deceased and Rs.
50,000 for those injured.[17] Home Minister Shivraj Patil claimed that
“whoever is behind the incident is against peace and wants to spoil
our growing relationship with other countries”. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh expressed “anguish and grief” at the loss of life, and
vowed that the culprits would be caught.[3] India’s foreign ministry
also promised to issue visas for Pakistani relatives of those killed
or injured in the blasts.[18] Indian journalist Siddharth Varadarajan
argued that the peace process should stay on track and that any
wavering would be tantamount to surrendering to terrorism.[19]
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the attacks and
petitioned the ruling Indian National Congress to ask Pakistan to
comply with its 2004 promise to crack down on cross-border terrorism.
The party also argued for a harsher anti-terror bill to take a “zero
tolerance” approach to terrorism in India.[20]
Pakistan
The government of Pakistan reacted in the same vein, through its
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, proclaiming that this was an
act of terrorism that should be investigated by Indian authorities.
Kasuri said that the terrorist attack would not halt his trip to
India, as he “will be leaving tomorrow for Delhi to further the peace
process.” He went on to say that “we should hasten the peace
process.”[21] In response to the terrorist attack, President Pervez
Musharraf stated “such wanton acts of terrorism will only serve to
further strengthen our resolve to attain the mutually desired
objective of sustainable peace between the two countries.”[21]
Musharraf also said that there must be a full Indian investigation of
the attack.[3] In regards to the upcoming peace talks, he stated “we
will not allow elements which want to sabotage the ongoing peace
process to succeed in their nefarious designs.”[7]
Elsewhere
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Office minister Kim Howells condemned
what he termed “utterly shameful” attacks, offered his “condolences to
the family and friends of those killed and injured”, and offered “the
Governments of India and Pakistan whatever assistance they require, to
bring to justice the perpetrators of this brutal attack.”[22][23]
Leaders in the British Pakistani community called the terrorist attack
a “despicable act” and urged for a speedy investigation into the
tragedy so that those responsible could be arrested and jailed.[24]
The Bush administration condemned those responsible for the bomb
explosions aboard the Samjhauta Express. On behalf of the United
States government, White House spokesman David Almacy stated:
We express our deepest sorrow for this tragedy and extend
condolences to the families of the victims. We appreciate the
leadership of Indian Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh and Pakistani
President (Pervez) Musharraf, and condemn those who seek to undermine
the progress in relations between the two countries.[25][26]
Tension
On 23 February, a Pakistani Air Force C-130 plane landed, upon being
granted approval, in New Delhi to evacuate Pakistanis injured in the
train bombings. Of the ten people to be evacuated, three were missing,
all from the same family. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson,
Tasneem Aslam, claimed that the father, Rana Shaukat Ali, was harassed
by Indian intelligence agency personnel at the Safdarjung Hospital.
Aslam also said that Pakistan High Commission officials were denied
entrance into the hospital. An Indian External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson, Navtej Sarna, denied these allegations and stated that
the patients would be taken to the airport. Sarna told the press that
Ali’s family was not missing, and that hospital doctors had decided
not to allow Pakistani officials access into the hospital.[27] He also
stated that the C-130 plane had developed a problem and could not take
off. Later, Aslam told press correspondents that the “[C-130] aircraft
was still at the airport” and that Mr. Ali chosen to travel back to
Pakistan via a land route.[28] Despite the tensions between the two
countries’ External Affairs ministries, the C-130 aircraft took off
from New Delhi at around 21:00 local time.[27] After the incident, Ali
criticized the media, who asked him for “stories for their
publications at a time when I am not in my senses because of the death
of my five children.”[29] He also stated that Indian officials showed
him sketches of suspects, but he could not identify them.[29]
Investigation
The day after the bombings, Indian police stated that the suitcase
bomb attack was the work of at least four or five people with a
possible militant connection.[30] The police also released sketches of
two suspects who the police Inspector General said had left the train
just fifteen minutes before the explosions.[30] The police say that
one of the men was around 35 or 36 years old, “plumpish” and dark,
with a moustache, and the second was around 26 or 27, wearing a scarf
wrapped around his head. The police also stated that both men were
speaking Hindi.[31] Another man, a Pakistani national who was drunk at
the time, was being questioned because he said he threw one of the
bomb-containing suitcases off the train. A senior Haryana state
railway police official said that the man’s “account has been
inconsistent and we have no definite conclusions yet.”[32] Later, the
Inspector General said “the suitcase was thrown on the track” and that
the Pakistani national “was there and said he had thrown it.”[30]
In early March, Haryana police arrested two people from the city of
Indore who allegedly sold the suitcases used in the bombings.[33] No
charges were pressed on the individuals. A probe conducted by the
commissioner of Railway Safety officially determined that the
explosions and fire on the Samjhauta Express had been caused by bombs
located in the upper compartments in coaches GS 03431 and GS 14857.
[34] The probe also showed that the train slowed down to a speed of 20
kilometres per hour (12.4 mph) just before it was going to pass the
Diwana train station. The results strengthened the belief that the
suspects got off the train before the explosions.[35] On 31 March, a
25-year-old man was interrogated after being arrested in Amritsar
after jumping off a moving train under suspicious circumstances.[36]
Later developments
No major developments took place in the investigation since late March
2007. Meanwhile, the Indian and Pakistan governments agreed to a
bilateral pact to extend passenger train and freight services between
the two countries until 2010.[37] In late April, the Indian and
Pakistan governments initiated steps for safety and security measures
for the Samjhauta Express. The two countries started sharing
information on passengers travelling on the trains. The train is now
under a reservation system, and as one Railway Ministry source said,
“[w]ith no unreserved coaches, we now have complete passenger details
from their ticket reservation data a few hours prior to their
boarding, and departure of the train.”[38] Also in late April, three
new coaches equipped with India’s most advanced fire fighting systems
were added to the Samjhauta Express. Indian Railway Ministry sources
commented that the system acts with brake pressure, and this glass-
encased system could throw water up to 15 metres (49.2 ft).[39] Indian
and Pakistani members of the Anti-Terror Mechanism (ATM) group met on
22 October 2007 to update each other regarding the status of the
investigation.[40]
In November 2008, it was reported that Indian officials also suspected
the attacks were linked to Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian army
officer and member of Hindu nationalist group Abhinav Bharat.[41]
Investigators concluded that the suitcases used to make the suitcase
bombs originated from Indore in India, based on their stitching.[42]
Indian officials said they were prepared to share their findings with
Pakistan.[43]
Reports suggested that the prime suspects in the bombing were the
Islamic groups Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, both of whom have
been blamed for many high-profile bombings in the past.[44] On July 1,
2009, the United States Treasury and UNSC placed sanctions on Lashkar-
e-Toiba, and named Arif Qasmani as having played a role in the bombing.
[45] In January 2010, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik accused
India of not pursuing the case seriously, and of refusing to divulge
details about the role of Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit.[46][47]
Malik alleged that Purohit had hired Pakistani extremists to carry out
the bombing.[46][47] In October 2010, an 806-page chargesheet prepared
by the Rajasthan anti-terrorist squad revealed that the Samjhauta
Express had been discussed as a potential target for an attack at a
meeting of Hindutva bomb makers in February 2006; the group
subsequently travelled to Indore.[48]
Involvement Of David Headley
Wikileaks reports name David Headley as behind the Samjhauta
attacks[2], and the NIA has been unable to rule out the role of
Lashkar-e-Toiba in the attacks[49]
Confessions By Swami Aseemanand
On December 30, 2010, National Investigation Agency claimed that they
have solid evidence that Swami Aseemanand was the mastermind behind
the blasts. He had roped in Sandeep Dange, an engineering graduate,
and Ramji Kalsangra, an electrician, to build the improvised explosive
devices used in the blasts.[50] On January 8, 2011, Aseemanand
allegedly confessed that Saffron terror outfits were behind the
bombing of Samjhauta express[51], a statement later found to be
obtained under duress.[52]. Later RSS sent a legal notice to CBI
accusing it for deliberately leaking Swami Aseemanand’s confession in
media. RSS spokesman Ram Madavh called the investigation maligning of
organizations and individuals.[53]
See also
* 2006 Malegaon blasts
* 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing
* Hindu extremism
* 2008 Malegoan & Modasa bombing
* 2004 Moscow Metro bombing
* 2004 Madrid train bombings
* 2005 London subway bombings
* 2006 Mumbai train bombings
* 2010 Moscow Metro bombings
* Islamic terrorism
Notes
1. ^ a b The Mirror Explodes – Outlook – July 19, 2010
2. ^ a b US review finds five warnings of Headley’s militant links
DNA India – November 8, 2010
3. ^ a b c d e “Dozens dead in India train blast”. BBC News.
2007-02-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6374377.stm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
4. ^ a b Naqvi, Muneeza (2007-02-19). “66 Die in India-Pakistan
Train Attack”. The Washington Post. Associated Press.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/18/AR2007021801136.html.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
5. ^ a b Rao, Hitender (2007-02-19). “66 killed as Samjhauta
Express becomes terror target”. Hindustan Times.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=8dda2692-f3f2-4096-aa7d-3c3b81c80791.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
6. ^ “Toll reaches to 68 in Samjhauta Express explosions”. Islamic
Republic News Agency. 2007-02-20. http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-239/0702206010190550.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
7. ^ a b c d e f Rajesh, Y. P. (2007-02-19). “At least 66 killed in
India-Pakistan train blast”. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSDEL34195220070219.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
8. ^ a b “Kashmir: The origins of the dispute”. BBC. 2002-01-16.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1762146.stm. Retrieved
2008-05-16.
9. ^ Wirsing, Robert (2003). Kashmir in the Shadow of War: Regional
Rivalries in a Nuclear Age. New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc.. p. 4. ISBN
0-7656-1090-6.
10. ^ “Thousands protest civilian deaths in Indian Kashmir”.
Reuters. 2007-04-16. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP241652.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-19.
11. ^ Kapur, S. Paul (2007). Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons
Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia. Stanford: Stanford
University Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-8047-5550-7.
12. ^ “Samjhauta only between Attari and Wagah”. United News of
India. 2000-04-16. http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20000416/ina16011.html.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
13. ^ Bhardwaj, P. K. (2003-12-19). “Samjhauta Express from December
25?”. The Hindu. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/12/19/stories/2003121905561100.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
14. ^ a b “Terror on agenda: Kasuri arrives, visits Samjhauta blast
victims”. The Times of India. 2007-02-20.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1646561.cms. Retrieved
2007-07-01.
15. ^ a b Sengupta, Somini (2007-02-19). “Train bombing tests India-
Pakistan ties”. International Herald Tribune.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/19/news/india.php. Retrieved
2007-02-19.
16. ^ Pandey, Alok; Rati R, Sushmit Sengupta, and Vikram Chowdhury
(2007-02-19). “Cross border tragedy: Samjhauta Express blasts kill
66″. NDTV. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070002287.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
17. ^ Swami, Praveen (2007-02-19). “Samjhauta Express firebombed, 67
killed”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/20/stories/2007022012520100.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
18. ^ “India offers visas after train attack”. Press Trust of India.
2007-02-19. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070002256.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
19. ^ Varadarajan, Siddharth (2007-02-19). “Keep the peace process
on track”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/20/stories/2007022005101000.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
20. ^ “BJP seeks anti-terror bill in budget session”. The Times of
India. 2007-02-19. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1639890.cms.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
21. ^ a b “Musharraf says train blasts won’t sabotage peace”.
Reuters. 2007-02-19. http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/20/d70220130182.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
22. ^ “68 killed as blasts rock Indo-Pak special train”. Press Trust
of India. 2007-02-20. http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/feb/19blast.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
23. ^ Page, Jeremy; Devika Bhat (2007-02-19). “India and Pakistan
unite to condemn train bombing”. The Times (London).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1405283.ece?token=null&offset=0.
Retrieved 2008-05-16.
24. ^ “British Government condemns bomb attack on India–Pakistan
train”. Pakistan Press International. 2007-02-19.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29691164_ITM.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
25. ^ “White House condemns those behind India train bombing”.
Reuters. 2007-02-19. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1934135020070219.
Retrieved 2007-02-19.
26. ^ “US condemns attack on Samjhauta Express”. Press Trust of
India. 2007-02-20. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070927215807/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200702201823.htm.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
27. ^ a b Baruah, Amit (2007-02-23). “Pakistani plane waits for
hours”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/23/stories/2007022308480100.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
28. ^ Baruah, Amit (2007-02-24). “Train attack probe: plea to
Pakistan”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/24/stories/2007022404911200.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
29. ^ a b “Adieu to Pakistani brethren”. The Hindu. 2007-02-25.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/25/stories/2007022520110800.htm.
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30. ^ a b c Denyer, Simon (2007-02-20). “Police release sketches of
bomb suspects”. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDEL34195220070221.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
31. ^ “Images Of Bomb Suspects”. Sky News. 2007-02-20.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1252387,00.html.
Retrieved 2007-02-20.
32. ^ “Indian police release sketches of 2 suspects in bombing of
India-Pakistan train”. USA Today. Associated Press. 2007-02-20.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-02-18-india-train_x.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-04.
33. ^ “Two held over Indian train blast”. BBC News. 2007-03-14.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6448671.stm. Retrieved
2007-03-14.
34. ^ “Samjhauta Express fire caused by bombs: Railway probe”. Press
Trust of India. 2007-03-26. http://ushome.rediff.com/news/2007/mar/26samblast.htm.
Retrieved 2007-07-01.
35. ^ “Samjhauta Express slowed down before blasts”. Press Trust of
India. 2007-03-28. http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14419091.
Retrieved 2007-07-01.
36. ^ “Man interrogated in Samjhauta Express bomb blast case”. The
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Retrieved 2007-07-01.
37. ^ “India, Pak to continue running Samjhauta, Thar Express
trains”. Press Trust of India. 2007-04-09.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200704091614.htm. Retrieved
2007-07-01.
38. ^ “Safety measures initiated for Samjhauta Express”. Press Trust
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Retrieved 2007-07-01.
39. ^ Vasuki, K. G. (2007-04-25). “Coaches with fire fighting system
for Samjhauta Express”. United News of India.
http://samjhauta-express-news.newslib.com/story/9881-170/. Retrieved
2007-07-01.
40. ^ Dikshit, Sandeep (2007-10-22). “India to seek data on terror
suspects”. The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/22/stories/2007102251990100.htm.
Retrieved 2008-05-14.
41. ^ Agencies. “Purohit supplied RDX for Samjhauta bomb: ATS”.
Express India. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Purohit-supplied-RDX-for-Samjhauta-Express-blast-ATS/386143/.
Retrieved 2010-12-22.
42. ^ “Police reach Mumbai to quiz Purohit,Sadhvi Pragya”. Mumbai/
Lucknow: Hindu.com. 2008-11-13. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200811132161.htm.
Retrieved 2009-02-15.
43. ^ Subramanian, Nirupama (2008-11-25). “India may share Samjhauta
probe details with Pakistan”. ISLAMABAD: The Hindu.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112559321000.htm.
Retrieved 2009-02-15.
44. ^ “Leaders condemn India train blast”. BBC News. February 19,
2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6375749.stm. Retrieved on
Feb. 19, 2007
45. ^ “Treasury Targets Al Qaida and Lashkar-E Tayyiba Networks in
Pakistan”. US Treasury. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on
2009-07-25. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXZBzwtJ. Retrieved
2009-07-22.
46. ^ a b “Pak blames India for not providing details about
Samjhauta Express bomb blast”. oneindia. January 23, 2010.
http://news.oneindia.in/2010/01/24/pakblames-india-for-not-providing-details-about-samjhautae.html.
Retrieved 31 January 2010.
47. ^ a b “India not providing details on Samjhota: Malik”. Dawn.
January 23, 2010.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-india-not-providing-details-on-samjhota-malik-ss-05.
Retrieved 31 January 2010.
48. ^ “A blast and a conspiracy”. Indian Express. October 25, 2010.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-blast-and-a-conspiracy/701976/0.
Retrieved 10 November 2010.
49. ^ Samjhauta blast: The story so far Rediff – July 30, 2010
50. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/Direct-hand-of-Aseemanand-in-Samjhauta-blasts-NIA/Article1-644360.aspx
51. ^ Vishwa Mohan; Abantika Ghosh (8 January 2011). “Aseemanand
owns up to strike on Mecca Masjid” (in English). Times of India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aseemanand-owns-up-to-strike-on-Mecca-Masjid/articleshow/7238763.cms.
Retrieved 8 January 2011.
52. ^ Swami Aseemanand ‘confessed’ under duress Times of India –
January 10, 2011
53. ^ Iyer, Shekhar (8 January 2011). “Indresh lawyers issue notice
to CBI for statement ‘leak’”. Hindustan Times.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Indresh-lawyers-issue-notice-to-CBI-for-statement-leak/Article1-647916.aspx.
Retrieved 8 January 2011.
External links
* Wikinews:Bombing on train from India to Pakistan kills at least
68
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2007_Samjhauta_Express_bombings“
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2006 Malegaon blasts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality
standards. Please improve this article if you can. The talk page may
contain suggestions. (August 2007)
2006 blasts at Malegaon
Location Malegaon, Maharashtra, India
Date 8 September 2006 (UTC+5.5)
Target Vicinity of Mosque
Attack type Bombings
Death(s) 37
Injured >125
Belligerent(s) (Suspected outfits)—Lashkar-e-Toiba[1], Students
Islamic Movement of India[2] and Bajrang Dal[3]
v · d · e
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)
Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold
2001: Indian Parliament – Srinagar – 2002: 1st Raghunath Temple –
Akshardam Temple – Kolkata – Kaluchak massacre – Qasimnagar massacre –
Rafiganj train – 2nd Raghunath Temple – Mumbai 2002 – Kurnool train –
2003: 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – 2005:
Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Jaunpur train – 2006: Varanasi – Jama Masjid –
Doda massacre – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – West Bengal train – 2007:
Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Ajmer Dargah – Uttar
Pradesh – 2008: Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd
Delhi 2008 – Malegaon/Modasa – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008
– 2009: 1st Guwahati – 2nd Guwahati – 2010: Pune – Dantewada –
Gyaneshwari Express – Varanasi 2010
The 2006 Malegaon bombings were a series of bomb blasts that took
place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon, a town in the Nashik district
of the Indian state of Maharashtra, located at some 290 km to the
northeast of state capital Mumbai.
The explosions, which caused the deaths of at least 37 people and
injured over 125 more, took place in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a
mosque, at around 13:15 local time after Friday prayers on the Shab e
Bara’at holy day. Most of the blast victims were Muslim pilgrims.
Security forces spoke of “two bombs attached to bicycles”, but other
reports indicated that three devices had exploded. A stampede ensued
after the devices exploded. A curfew was imposed in the town and state
paramilitaries were deployed in sensitive areas to prevent unrest.
Reactions
* Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh promised
compensation payments of Rs 1,00,000 (approx. €1700 or US$2150) to the
next-of-kin of the deceased.
* Relatives of victims cancelled the compensation payments of Rs
1,00,000 (approx. €1700 or US$2150) immediately.
* Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed
for calm.[4]
* Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the incident seemed designed to
“divide the various sections of the public.”[5]
* Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has called on Indians to
maintain calm.[6]
* A home ministry official in Delhi said central security forces,
including personnel from the anti-riot Rapid Action Force, were sent
to Malegaon.[7]
* There were episodes of violence when Muslims in Malegaon
attacked police and their vehicles following the blasts.[8]
* Various Muslim leaders have denounced the bombings and prayed
for peace.[9][10] In particular, Muslims in the state of Gujarat
demonstrated against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in the
blasts.[11]
* US ambassador David Mulford said he was “shocked and saddened by
the brutal terrorist bombings” and that the US stood “with India in
its fight against terrorism”.[12]
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ATS-files-chargesheet-in-Malegaon-blast-case/413034/
Investigations
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality
standards. Please improve this section if you can. The talk page may
contain suggestions. (October 2008)
Arrests
On 10 September, news channel NDTV reported it had learnt that
investigators had identified the owner of one of the bicycles on which
a bomb was planted.[13]
On the same day, police released sketches of two suspects wanted in
connection with the bomb attacks.[14]
On 11 September, Maharashtra Director General of Police P. S. Pasricha
said that the officers investigating the Malegaon blasts probe had
gained vital leads and expressed confidence that a breakthrough will
be achieved soon.[15]
On 30 October, Times of India reported that first arrest is made in
Malegaon blast case. This is the arrest of Noor-Ul-Hooda, an activist
of the Students Islamic Movement of India. [1]. The DGP of Mumbai, Mr.
Pasricha said the they are very close to crack the case and the two
other suspects are Shabeer Batterywala and Raees Ahmad.
On 30 October, many other news media reported from Mr. Pasricha saying
that this is the first arrest [2]. An earlier news in Indian express
that twenty arrests have been made has not been confirmed by any media
including Indian Express. Yahoo news publishes the story with headline
first arrest [3].
On 6 November the times of India reported from Anti Terrorist Squad
(ATS) that the prime conspirator Shabbir Batterywala is an operative
of Lashkar-e-Toiba [LeT] and the co-conspirator is Raees Ahmad is from
SIMI [4].
the blast at Malegaon, police filed a chargesheet that named Army
officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit as the main conspirator who provided the
explosives, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as the prime accused who
arranged for the men who planted the explosives.
The 4,000-page chargesheet, filed by Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad
(ATS) before the Special MCOCA court here, stated that Purohit floated
right wing group Abhinav Bharat in 2007 with an intention to
‘propagate a separate Hindu Rashtra with its own Constitution’.
According to the document, the Army officer collected ‘huge amounts’
to the tune of Rs 21 lakh for himself and Abhinav Bharat to promote
his “fundamentalist ideology.”
Suspicions and press releases
The Maharashtra police initially suspected Bajrang Dal, the Lashkar-e-
Toiba or the Jaish-e-Mohammed of involvement in the attacks. No
evidence was released against any of these groups,[16] though the
police claimed on 13 October to have identified the perpetrators.[17]
Lashkar-e-Toiba has had contacts with the controversial Students
Islamic Movement of India in the region before.[18] Police are also
suspecting Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami in the attacks.[19] On September
10, police sources said that the methods used are similar to attacks
on mosques earlier in 2006 for which 16 Bajrang Dal activists,
allegedly part of a “fringe group” of the organization, were arrested
but not charged.[20]
Malegaon has been the focus of communal tension for some time, which
spilled out into the open in 1984, 1992, and 2001, when there were
large scale protest over the US invasion of Afghanistan. Police had
killed 12 Muslim protesters after a brief altercation with
them[citation needed]. The erstwhile Taliban regime in Afghanistan had
enjoyed immense support from Muslims in Malegaon.[8]
On May 2006, police recovered a cache of RDX explosives and automatic
rifles from the region based on information they said was provided by
arrested extremist Islamists.[21][22] The arrested were former members
of the Students Islamic Movement of India.[23]
In the September 2006 incident,police investigations have determined
that the explosives contained in these bombings were “a cocktail of
RDX, ammonium nitrate and fuel oil — the same mixture used in 7/11″,
[24] referring to the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings, a terrorist
incident for which several Islamist groups are suspects. Since the
investigation was still under way, Nasik Superintendent of Police
Rajvardhan declined to give details, saying: “We can’t say anything
till we get reports from all the agencies”.[25]
However, the Anti-Terrorist Squad has prima facie ruled out the
involvement of Hindu Nationalist groups like the Bajrang Dal in the
Malegaon blasts citing two reasons:
1. RDX is only available to Islamist outfits.
2. Bajrang Dal activists so far have only used crude bombs, nothing
as sophisticated as the ones in Malegaon.[26]
Ajai Sahni, an intelligence analyst who tracks terrorist groups in
South Asia, also said it was unlikely to be a Hindu group because they
“lacked the organisation for such an attack”.[14]
On September 12, 2006, Indian Prime Minister referred as inappropriate
to “rule out or rule in” the involvement of Hindu groups saying that
“It will be inappropriate for us to rule out anything or rule in
anything. I think there should be a fair investigation which inspires
confidence and brings out the truth and nothing but the truth without
any pre-conceived notion. That has to be the objective”.[27]
Reporter B. Raman, in an op-ed published on September 11, noted that
“while it is too early to rule out the possibility of either Islamic
or Hindu extremists as the perpetrators, there have been “attempts by
some leaders of the Muslim community to create a divide between the
community and the police by questioning the impartiality of the police
and levelling other allegations against the investigating officers”.
[28]
As of October 30, 2006, the most recent arrests involved members of
the Students Islamic Movement of India and suspicions are presently
directed at them as, after the arrests, the police have claimed to be
closer to solving the case [5].
On 28 November 2006, Mumbai police stated that two Pakistani nationals
were involved in the explosions. “We have successfully detected the
Malegaon blasts case. We are, however, on the lookout for eight more
suspects in the case,” said DGP PS Pasricha. The Anti-Terrorism Squad
probing into the case has already arrested eight suspects, including
two booked in the July 11 Mumbai serial blasts, in connection with
four explosions that rocked the town killing 31 people and injuring
more than 200.[29][30]
Three accused gave a confession before a competent authority about
their involvement in the conspiracy but soon thereafter two of them
retracted before a magistrate, saying they had not made a voluntary
disclosure.
This was revealed to a special court by the accused themselves when
they were produced before it for remand.
The development assumes significance as under MCOCA, a confession does
not have evidential value if it is not a voluntary and true
disclosure.
Seeking their remand, public prosecutor Raja Thakre said the accused
had played a vital role in the conspiracy and investigations conducted
by Anti-Terrorist Squad so far had revealed involvement of more
persons who are yet to be arrested.[31]
See also
* List of terrorist incidents, 2006
* 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
* 2007 Ajmer Dargah attack
* 2008 Malegoan & Modasa bombing
References
1. ^ Maharshtra doctor arrested for LeT links Times of India – May
15, 2006
2. ^ Malegaon blasts: SIMI activist held Times of India – October
30, 2006
3. ^ Hari, Kumar (November 11, 2008). “India Police Say They Hold 9
From Hindu Terrorist Cell”. The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/world/asia/12india.html. Retrieved
October 16, 2010.
4. ^ Blasts rock Malegaon 38 killed, over 100 injured ‘Hindustan
Times’
5. ^ Chicago Tribune.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609090030sep09,1,2178741.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true.
6. ^ Khan, Aftab (9 September 2006). “Gandhi Calls on Indians to
Maintain Calm Washington Post”. The Washington Post. Archived from the
original on 2009-05-16. http://www.webcitation.org/5gpG2rUPg.
Retrieved 2009-03-21.
7. ^ Centre rushing additional forces to Malegaon Indian Express
8. ^ a b “Indian town seething with anger”. BBC News. 9 September
2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5330832.stm.
9. ^ Religious leaders pray for peace NDTV
10. ^ . http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20384569-1702,00.html.
[dead link]
11. ^ Gujarat Muslims hold anti-Pak rally IBN
12. ^ “Blasts kill 37 in India graveyard”. BBC News. 8 September
2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5326730.stm.
13. ^ Breakthrough in India Blasts Probe Saudi Gazette
14. ^ a b AFP Police release sketches of India blast suspects Yahoo
News (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)
15. ^ Cops gain vital leads ‘Rediff.com’
16. ^ No evidence of Bajrang involvement Times of India
17. ^ Perpetrators of Malegaon Blasts identified
18. ^ South Asia Terrorism Portal
19. ^ Malegaon blasts Is it Bajrang or Lashkar? Times of India
20. ^ DNA India
21. ^ Serial blasts kill 31 in India al-Jazeera
22. ^ . http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/08/india.blast.reut/index.html.
[dead link]
23. ^ NDTV
24. ^ Times of India
25. ^ Indian Express
26. ^ Malegaon, 7/11: Same Lethal cocktail used The Times of India
27. ^ PM Not OK With ‘Rule Out, Rule In’ of Hindus Samachar
28. ^ Terrorists make no distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims
Rediff.com
29. ^ “Police crack Malegaon serial blasts case, spot SIMI hand-
Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times”. The Times Of India.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/610189.cms.
30. ^ SIMI behind Malegaon blasts: Police – Sify.com
31. ^ 3 confess in Malegaon blast case, 2 retract
External links
Wikinews has related news: 38 dead, over 180 injured as blasts rock
Maharashtra town
* Thirty-five people killed in India blasts
* Blasts kill 37 in India graveyard
* 38 killed in Malegaon blasts
* Pictures of the blast
* Voice of America news article
* BBC news article
* Aljazeera news article
* Google news link
* Allegations by Indian Muslim Newspaper of “Corpse with fake
beard found”
* http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ATS-files-chargesheet-in-Malegaon-blast-case/413034/
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Malegaon_blasts“
Categories: Terrorist incidents in India in 2006 | Islamic terrorism
in India | Hindu terrorism
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* This page was last modified on 12 January 2011 at 07:22.
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Mecca Masjid bombing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mecca Masjid Bombing
Location Hyderabad, India17°21′36″N 78°28′24″E / 17.360106°N
78.473427°E / 17.360106; 78.473427
Date 18 May 2007
13:15 (IST (UTC+5.30))
Target Mecca Masjid
Attack type RDX activated by Mobile
Death(s) 16
Injured 100
Suspected belligerent(s) Abhinav Bharat[1] or Harkat-ul-Jihad al-
Islami[2][3]
v · d · e
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)
Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold
2001: Indian Parliament – Srinagar – 2002: 1st Raghunath Temple –
Akshardam Temple – Kolkata – Kaluchak massacre – Qasimnagar massacre –
Rafiganj train – 2nd Raghunath Temple – Mumbai 2002 – Kurnool train –
2003: 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – 2005:
Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Jaunpur train – 2006: Varanasi – Jama Masjid –
Doda massacre – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – West Bengal train – 2007:
Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Ajmer Dargah – Uttar
Pradesh – 2008: Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd
Delhi 2008 – Malegaon/Modasa – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008
– 2009: 1st Guwahati – 2nd Guwahati – 2010: Pune – Dantewada –
Gyaneshwari Express – Varanasi 2010
Wikinews has related news: Bomb blast kills at least seven at Mecca
Masjid mosque, India
The Mecca Masjid bombing occurred on May 18, 2007 inside the Mecca
Masjid, a mosque the old city area in Hyderabad, capital of the Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh[4] located very close to Charminar. The blast
was caused by a cellphone-triggered pipe bomb.[5] Fourteen people were
reported dead in the immediate aftermath, of whom five(official
record:disputed) were killed by the police firing after the incident
while trying to quell the mob.[5]
Overview
According to the Deccan Chronicle, the bomb comprised a high explosive
substance filled in a 10-inch (250 mm) by 3-inch (76 mm) pipe. The
Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory claims that RDX and TNT
were used in the 10 inches (25 cm) by 3 inches (7.6 cm) pipe bomb. The
bomb was placed under a heavy granite slab that broke in two. Police
later said that the slab had taken the force of the impact and saved
many lives.
The blast occurred near the open air section of the Mecca Masjid. At
the time of the blast more than 10,000 people were inside the mosque
premises, for the Friday prayers. The injured were treated at the
Osmania hospital in Hyderabad.
Following this Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra were put on
alert. State Home Minister K Jana Reddy said the blast, which injured
over fifty people in addition to the death toll, could be the act of
foreign elements.
Rioting and Police firing
Five individuals died as a result of the police firing. This has
caused considerable controversy. The Telegraph reports[6]:
Six rounds were fired in the afternoon and evening to prevent
shops and public property from being damaged, including petrol pumps
and ATMs. One person was killed in the firing in the Moghapura area,
while two fell to the police bullets elsewhere. Another lost his life
when the police had to pull the trigger to control a mob trying to
break into an ATM.
According to police commissioner Balwinder Singh, his men resorted
to firing after water cannons, tear gas and baton-charge failed to
bring the mob fury under control.
It is reported that[7] a frenzied mob attacked state-owned road
transport corporation buses, forcing the closure of Falaknuma bus
depot.
According to the police, the rioters were trying to set fire to a
petrol pump.[8] Inspector P. Sudhakar of Falaknuma police station, who
has been removed from his position on the charge of opening fire
`indiscriminately’ to control the rampaging mobs[9] stated:
“While I asked my subordinates to be on high alert, mobs from
Shalibanda and the mosque came towards Moghalpura pelting stones. They
set ablaze a wine shop and charged towards a petrol pump where we were
stationed.”
The mobs took out petrol from the dispenser and sprinkled it on
the room. “When they tried to ignite it with the help of dry grass, I
ordered my men to open fire with .303 rifles to disperse them,” he
says. “As the situation turned worse, I sought additional forces.
Quick Reaction teams along with Moghalpura Inspector arrived and
scattered the crowd by opening fire.” At least 10 persons, including
policemen, could have been killed if fire orders were not issued, he
insists.
Suspected bombers
While the United Progressive Alliance-led central government has
claimed that Abhinav Bharat was behind the Mecca Masjid bombing[10],
the South Asia Terrorism Portal[11], the Institute for Defence Studies
and Analyses[12], the National Counterterrorism Center[13] the United
States[14], and the United Nations[15] have asserted that the Islamic
outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks.
Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman has questioned “the
two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American
investigators.”[16].But every thing was proven wrong when CBI
investigated the matter.
The Central Bureau of Investigation produced the preacher Swami
Asimanand before the court in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast
in Hyderabad in May 2007. The court remanded Swami Asimanand to CBI
custody till 30th of November and was taken to Chanchalguda Jail. He
was nabbed in Haridwar and was brought to Hyderabad. The Additional
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi had granted CBI the transit
remand of Swami for two days. Today the CBI produced him in the CBI
Court seeking his custody. Two more accused in the case are already in
judicial custody. The face of the Swami was covered when he was taken
inside the designated court in Nampally.[17][18][19][20]
See also
* 2006 Malegaon blasts
References
1. ^ The Mirror Explodes – Outlook – July 19, 2010
2. ^ Arrest of Some Hindus as Terrorists- Getting Curiouser &
Curiouser South Asia Analysis Group – August 7, 2010
3. ^ Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) South Asia Terrorism Portal
4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6668695.stm Article on
BBC website
5. ^ a b bomb in Mecca Masjid
6. ^ The Telegraph – Calcutta : Nation
7. ^ Mob violence after Hyd blast, 4 killed : hyderabad, blast,
mecca masjid, char minar, police firing, mob violence : IBNLive.com :
CNN-IBN
8. ^ Decoding the Hyderabad blast
9. ^ I’ve acted to avert a disaster: Inspector
10. ^ HuJI ban takes no note of ‘Hindu terror’ role Times of India –
August 8, 2010
11. ^ Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) – South Asia Terrorism Portal
12. ^ HuJI after the Death of its India Chief Institute for Defence
Studies and Analyses – February 13, 2008
13. ^ ‘Huji, not Hindu group, behind Mecca Masjid blast’ Hindustan
Times – September 23, 2010
14. ^ US, UN declare HuJI as terrorist organisation Times of India –
August 8, 2010
15. ^ US, UN declare HuJI a terror group NDTV – August 7, 2010
16. ^ Bahukutumbi Raman (7 August 2010). “Arrest of Some Hindus as
Terrorists- Getting Curiouser & Curiouser”. South Asia Analysis Group.
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers40%5Cpaper3971.html.
Retrieved 9 August 2010.
17. ^ http://www.rediff.com/news/report/why-swami-aseemanand-is-a-prize-catch-for-the-cbi/20101119.htm
18. ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-Swami-Aseemanand-sheltered-Best-Bakery-accused-on-the-run-/713969
19. ^
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Aseemanand-arrest-Major-boost-to-Ajmer-dargah-blast-probe/articleshow/6956704.cms
20. ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Swami-aseemanand-sheltered-be…/713969/
External links
* Article on Zee News
* Bomb hits mosque in India
* 9 killed in Hyderabad blast; 5 in police firing
* Bomb hits Indian Mosque (MSNBC)
* 5 killed in Indian Mosque attack (CNN)
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_Masjid_bombing“
Categories: Hyderabad, India | Terrorist attacks on places of worship
| Massacres in places of worship | Terrorist incidents in India in
2007 | Hindu terrorism | Islamic terrorism in India
redirectToFragment(“http://wikipedia.org/wiki/
#Criticism_and_support”);
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For Veer Savarkar’s book, see Hindutva (book).
Hindutva (Devanagari: हिन्दुत्व, “Hinduness”, a word coined by Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a
Hindu? ) is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu
nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.
[citation needed]
In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions
the concept of Hindutva. The sangh comprises organizations such as the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
Bajrang Dal, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
This ideology has existed since the early 20th century, forged by Veer
Savarkar, but came to prominence in Indian politics in the late 1980s,
when two events attracted a large number of mainstream Hindus to the
movement. The first of these events was the Rajiv Gandhi government’s
use of its large Parliamentary Majority to overturn a Supreme Court
verdict granting alimony to an old woman that had angered many Muslims
(see the Shah Bano case). The second was the dispute over the 16th
century Mughal Babri Mosque in Ayodhya — built by Babur after his
first major victory in India. The Supreme Court of India refused to
take up the case in the early 1990s, leading to a huge outcry. Tempers
soon flared, and a huge number of nationalist Hindus from all parts of
India razed the mosque in late 1992, causing nationwide communal
riots. The razing of the mosque and subsequent conflict arguably
lifted the BJP and Hindutva to international prominence.
Definition
Ancient Hindu flag with two pennants.
According to Savarkar, Hindutva is meant to denote the Hindu
characteristic, or Hinduness.[1]
In a judgment the Supreme Court of India ruled that “no precise
meaning can be ascribed to the terms ‘Hindu’, ‘Hindutva’ and
‘Hinduism‘; and no meaning in the abstract can confine it to the
narrow limits of religion alone, excluding the content of Indian
culture and heritage.” The Court also ruled that “Ordinarily, Hindutva
is understood as a way of life or a state of mind and is not to be
equated with or understood as religious Hindu fundamentalism. A Hindu
may embrace a non-Hindu religion without ceasing to be a Hindu and
since the Hindu is disposed to think synthetically and to regard other
forms of worship, strange gods and divergent doctrines as inadequate
rather than wrong or objectionable, he tends to believe that the
highest divine powers complement each other for the well-being of the
world and mankind.”[2]
Central concepts
Cultural nationalism
According to this, the natives of India share a common culture,
history and ancestry.
M S Golwalkar, one of the main proponents of Hindutva believed that
India’s diversity in terms of customs, traditions and ways of worship
was its uniqueness and that this diversity was not without the strong
underlying cultural basis which was essentially native. He believed
that the Hindu natives with all their diversity, shared among other
things “the same philosophy of life”, “the same values” and “the same
aspirations” which formed a strong cultural and a civilizational basis
for a nation.[3]
Savarkar similarly believed that the Indian subcontinent (which
includes the area south of the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush or Akhand
Bharat (undivided India, अखण्ड भारत) is the homeland of the Hindus. He
considered “Hindus” as those who consider India (Bharat, भारत) to be
their motherland (matrubhumi), fatherland (pitrubhumi, पितृभूमि) as
well as their holy land (punyabhumi, पुण्यभूमि), hence describing it
purely in cultural terms.[1]
RSS, one of the main votaries of Hindutva has stated that it believes
in a cultural connotation of the term Hindu. “The term Hindu in the
conviction as well as in the constitution of the RSS is a cultural and
civilizational concept and not a political or religious dogma. The
term as a cultural concept will include and did always include all
including Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims, Christians and Parsis. The
cultural nationality of India, in the conviction of the RSS, is Hindu
and it was inclusive of all who are born and who have adopted Bharat
as their Motherland, including Muslims, Christians and Parsis. The
answering association submit that it is not just a matter of RSS
conviction, but a fact borne out by history that the Muslims,
Christians and Parsis too are Hindus by culture although as religions
they are not so.”[4]
Decolonization
Emphasizing historical oppression of Hindus by colonial invaders like
the Muslims (see Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent) and the
Christians (see Goa Inquisition) and the call to “reverse” the
cultural influence resulting from these intrusions.[3]
Social justice
The acceptance that Hindu social structure “is ridden with castes and
communities”, and that this has led to “barriers and segregation” and
condemnation of “obnoxious vice of social inequality” and
“untouchability”.[5] The supporters of Hindutva have a positive
outlook towards the Dalit community, which they aim to bring to
leadership positions in their organizations.[6]
Uniform Civil Code
Leaders subscribing to Hindutva have been known for their demands for
a Uniform Civil Code for all the citizens of India. They believe that
differential laws based on religion violate Article 44 of the Indian
Constitution and have sowed the seeds of divisiveness between
different religious communities.[7]
The advocates of Hindutva often use the term pseudo-secularism to
refer to policies which they believe are unduly favorable towards the
Muslims and Christians. They oppose what they see as a ‘separate-but-
equal‘ system; some supporters of Hindutva see it as the Indian
National Congress party’s effort to woo the sizable minority vote bank
at the expense of true equality.[8] The subject of a Uniform Civil
Code, which would remove special religion-based provisions for
different religions (Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc.) from the
Indian Constitution, is thus one of the main agendas of Hindutva
organizations.[9] The Uniform Civil Code is opposed by Muslims[10] and
political parties like the Indian National Congress and The Communist
Party of India (Marxist)[11]
Followers of Hindutva have questioned differential religious laws in
India which allows polygamy and triple talaq among Muslims and thereby
compromises on the status of Muslim women and “marginalizes” them.[12]
The passing of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act,
1986 by Rajiv Gandhi government to dilute the secular judgment of
Supreme Court under pressure from the conservative Muslims was opposed
by Hindutva organisations. The new act, in tune with the Shariat,
denied even utterly destitute Muslim divorcees the right to alimony
from their former husbands.[13]
Protection of Hindu interests
The followers of Hindutva are known for their criticism of the Indian
government as too passive with regard to the ethnic cleansing of
Kashmiri Hindus[14][15] by Kashmiri Muslim separatists and advocates
of Hindutva wish a harder stance in Jammu and Kashmir.[16]
They have called for the protection of native Hindu traditions,[17]
holy structures, rivers[18] and the cow (which is considered holy by
Hindus).
Hindu nationalists have the stated aim of uniting the Hindu society
which is plagued by casteism, regionalism, and passive religion.
Views on other faiths
The votaries of Hindutva believe that the way Muslims and Hindus have
treated each other in the past is a one-way compromise and they intend
on making society more balanced and fair towards the majority Hindu
population.[19] The BJP has also invited Muslims to be a part of this
new society and work with the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs for a
better India.[20] Even more militant parties such as the Shiv Sena
have invited Muslims to join and the party leader declared after the
Babri Mosque incident,
“We must look after the Muslims and treat them as part of us.”[21]
Hindutva groups are supportive of the Jewish State of Israel,
including Savarkar himself, who supported Israel during its formation.
[22] The RSS is politically pro-Israel and actively praised the
efforts of Ariel Sharon when he visited India.[23][24] RSS
spokesperson Ram Madhav recently expressed support for Israel.[25]
Views on Indian history
The Hindu organisations like the RSS believe that the history of India
was written by the British with a condescending attitude towards the
native people and their culture. M S Golwalkar writes that the history
of ancient India was summed up as “Tanglewood Tales“. Similar concerns
were raised by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in his essay, “The
History of Bharatvarsha”, in 1903. He calls the history books
“nightmarish account of India”. He writes “while the lands of the
aliens existed, there also existed the indigenous country” meaning the
latter was grossly being neglected. He adds that the British accounts
of Indian history “throw a beam of artificial light on such a spot
that in our own eyes the very profile of our country is made dark”.
[26]
M S Golwalkar argues that it was a delibrate Imperialist strategy to
teach Indians a wrong version of history.[3] In this context, writings
of Lord Macaulay,”the brain behind the system of English education”,
are referred to as an indication of this.[3]
Lord Macaulay had stated “We must at present do our best to form a
class who may be interpreters between us and millions whom we govern-a
class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in
opinions, in morals and in intellect.” [27]
He had also written “No Hindu who has received an English education
ever remains sincerely attached to his religion. It is my firm belief
that if our plans of education are followed up, there will not be a
single idolater among the respected classes 30 years hence.” [28]
Senior RSS leader H V Sheshadri refers to this attitude of “White
man’s burden” which he believes shaped the English education system in
India and British version of Indian history.[29]
The RSS is opposed to the theory of Indo-Aryan migration to India, a
number believing in the alternative Out of India theory. While largely
uncontroversial in academia, the “Aryan Invasion theory” debate in
India, involving e.g. Sita Ram Goel, Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib and
Arun Shourie, is also a matter of politics.[citation needed]
Further information: Indigenous Aryans and Aryan Invasion Theory
(history and controversies)
Organizations
Main article: Sangh Parivar
Hindutva is commonly identified as the guiding ideology of the Sangh
Parivar, a family of Hindu Nationalist organizations, and of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in particular. In general, Hindutvavaadis
(followers of Hindutva) believe that they represent the well-being of
Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Ayyavazhi, Jainism and all other
religions prominent in India.
Most nationalists are organized into political, cultural and social
organizations. The first Hindutva organisation formed was the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925. A prominent Indian
political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (BJP) is closely
associated with a group of organisations that advocate Hindutva. They
collectively refer to themselves as the “Sangh Parivar” or family of
associations, and include the RSS, Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu
Parishad. Other organisations include:
* Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh – Overseas branch of the RSS
* Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh – Worker’s Union
* Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad – A Student’s Union
* Bharatiya Kisan Sangh – A Farmers’ organisation
The major political wing is the BJP which was in power in India’s
Central Government for six years from 1998 to 2004 and is now the main
opposition party. It is also in power in the states of Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Uttaranchal. It is an alliance
partner in the states of Orissa, Punjab, and Bihar.
Political parties pertaining to the Hindutva ideology are not limited
to the Sangh Parivar. Examples of political parties independent from
the Sangh’s influence include Praful Goradia’s Akhil Bharatiya Jana
Sangh[30] and Uma Bharti’s Bharatiya Janshakti Party.[31] The
influence of these groups is relatively limited.
The controversial Maharashtrian political party, the Shiv Sena,
converted its ideology to the Hindutva one in recent times. It has
been very influential in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The party is
not part of the Sangh Parivar but is associated with the Bharatiya
Janata Party. Similar is the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is a Sikh
religious party but maintains ties with Hindutva organizations, as
they also represent Sikhism.[32]
Criticism and support
The opponents of Hindutva philosophy consider Hindutva ideology as a
euphemistic effort to conceal communal beliefs and practices.[citation
needed]
Many Indian Marxist sociologues have described the Hindutva movement
as fascist in classical sense, in its ideology and class support
specially targeting the concept of homogenised majority and cultural
hegemony.[33] The Hindutva movement on the other hand terms such
description as coming from the far left.[34][35] More moderate critics
of Hindutva do not base their criticism on allegations of “fascism”,
but raise issues with regards to their sometimes-vacillating attitudes
towards non-Hindus and secularism. The epithet of “fascism” is also
used to evoke double standards against Hindus in political and
academic discourse. The academia and polity have been accused of
engaging in a form of anti-Hindu McCarthyism against Hindu political
expression by leveling the accusation of “fascism” against anyone who
expresses sympathy for Hindus.[36]
Marxist critics,[37] have used the political epithets of “Indian
fascism” and “Hindu fascism” to describe the ideology of the Sangh
Parivar. For example, Marxist social scientist Prabhat Patnaik has
written that the Hindutva movement as it has emerged is “classically
fascist in class support, methods and programme”[38]
Patniak bases this argument on the following “ingredients” of
classical fascism present in Hindutva: the attempt to create a unified
homogenous majority under the concept of ‘the Hindus’; a sense of
grievance against past injustice; a sense of cultural superiority; an
interpretation of history according to this grievance and superiority;
a rejection of rational arguments against this interpretation; and an
appeal to the majority based on race and masculinity.[citation needed]
Views on Hindutva and fascism include those of the Christian convert
to the RSS viewpoint, Anthony Elenjimittan, who based his views on
RSS’s symbolism of the Bhagva (the banner of lord Shiva), Dharma
Chakra [the Wheel of Faith] and Satyameva Jayate [Truth alone
triumphs] (one must note that these symbols are normative in Hinduism
and bear no relation to Hindutva and the latter is the national motto
of a secular democratic India).[citation needed]
The description of Hindutva as fascist has been condemned by pro-
Hindutva authors such as Koenraad Elst who claim that the ideology of
Hindutva meets none of the characteristics of fascist ideologies.
Claims that Hindutva social service organisations such as the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are “fascist” have been disputed by
academics such as Vincent Kundukulam.[39]
Academics Chetan Bhatt and Parita Mukta reject the identification of
Hindutva with fascism, because of Hindutva’s embrace of cultural
rather than racial nationalism, because of its “distinctively Indian”
character, and because of “the RSS’s disavowal of the seizure of state
power in preference for long-term cultural labour in civil society“.
They instead describe Hindutva as a form of “revolutionary
conservatism” or “ethnic absolutism”.[40]
Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul also rejects these allegations and views
the rise of Hindutva as a welcome, broader civilizational resurgence
of India.[41]
See also
* Veer Savarkar
* Indian nationalism
* Hindu nationalism
* Hindu nationalist parties
* Uniform civil code
References
1. ^ a b Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar: Hindutva, Bharati Sahitya
Sadan, Delhi 1989 (1923)
2. ^ Supreme Court on Hindu Hindutva and Hinduism
3. ^ a b c d M S Golwalkar (1966), Bunch of thoughts, Publishers:
Sahitya Sindhu Prakashana
4. ^ Quoting RSS General Secretary’s reply to the Tribunal
constituted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 to
hear the case on the RSS, Organiser, June 6, 1993
5. ^ M. G. Chitkara 2004, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Published by
APH Publishing, ISBN 81-7648-465-2, 9788176484657 (Quoting Late RSS
leader Balasaheb Deoras “If untouchability is not a sin, nothing is a
sin”).
6. ^ Organize under Dalit leadership: RSS
7. ^ BJP leader, Rajnath Singh demanding Uniform Civil Code
8. ^ [1]
9. ^ Uniform Civil Code, Article 370 back on BJP Agenda
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Uniform-civil-code-Article-370-back-on-BJP-agenda/317218/
10. ^ http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=23591
11. ^ Uniform civil code will divide the country on communal lines:
Congress
12. ^ http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=239&page=36
13. ^ Shah Bano Case
14. ^ See refs in Kashmiri Pandit
15. ^ see refs in Wandhama massacre
16. ^ Indian Summer looks set to become a long autumn by Robert
Jenkins
17. ^ Speech by RSS leader K S Sudarshan,Oct 18 2008
18. ^ ‘Save Ganga’ Campaign by RSS, BJP
19. ^ BJP Official Website See philosophy
20. ^ Bharatiya Janata Party Official Website Hindutva: The Great
Nationalistic Ideology
21. ^ The Rediff Election Interview/Bal Thackeray,Rediff.com
22. ^ Hindu-Zion
23. ^ The Hindu
24. ^ Rediff
25. ^ Press spotlight on Sharon’s India visit,BBC
26. ^ Rabindranath Tagore, The History of Bharatavarsha, Bhadra 1309
Bengal Era (August 1903)
27. ^ George Anderson, Manilal Bhagwandes Sudebar, The Last Days of
the Company: A Source Book of Indian History, 1818-1858, Published by
G. Bell, 1921
28. ^ Benedict Richard O’Gorman Anderson, Imagined
Communities:Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism,
Edition: 2, revised Published by Verso, 1991, ISBN 0-86091-546-8,
9780860915461
29. ^ Sheshadri H V, Tragic story of Partition, Publisher: Sahitya
Sindhu Prakashana
30. ^ Jana Sangh promises to make India Hindu nation
31. ^ Uma launches new party
32. ^ SAD-BJP Alliance helped bridge Hindu Sikh gap Indian Express
33. ^ Fascism of our times Prabhat Patnaik
34. ^ eg. Partha Banergee
35. ^ – Rajesh Tembarai Krishnamachari, South Asia Analysis Group
36. ^ Puzzling Dimensions and Theoretical Knots in my Graduate
School Research, Yvette Rosser
37. ^ eg. Partha Banergee, Romila Thapar, Himani Bannerji, Prabhat
Patnaik
38. ^ “The Fascism of Our Times” Social Scientist VOl 21 No.3-4,
1993, p.69 [2]
39. ^ Christian Post,archive link
40. ^ Ethnic and Racial Studies Volume 23 Number 3 May 2000 pp. 407–
441 ISSN 0141–9870 print/ISSN 1466–4356 online
41. ^ Naipaul V.S. India, a million Mutinies now, Penguin 1992
Further reading
* Andersen, Walter K., ‘Bharatiya Janata Party: Searching for the
Hindu Nationalist Face’, In The New Politics of the Right: Neo–
Populist Parties and Movements in Established Democracies, ed. Hans–
Georg Betz and Stefan Immerfall (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998),
pp. 219–232. (ISBN 0-312-21134-1 or ISBN 0-312-21338-7)
* Banerjee, Partha, In the Belly of the Beast: The Hindu
Supremacist RSS and BJP of India (Delhi: Ajanta, 1998). (ISBN
81-202-0504-2) (ISBN not available)
* Bhatt Chetan, Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern
Myths, Berg Publishers (2001), ISBN 1-85973-348-4.
* Elst, Koenraad: The Saffron Swastika. The Notion of “Hindu
Fascism”. New Delhi: Voice of India, 2001, 2 Vols., ISBN 81-85990-69-7
[3], [4]
* Elst, Koenraad: Decolonizing the Hindu Mind. Ideological
Development of Hindu Revivalism. Rupa, Delhi 2001.
* Embree, Ainslie T. , ‘The Function of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh: To Define the Hindu Nation’, in Accounting for Fundamentalisms,
The Fundamentalism Project 4, ed. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby
(Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1994), pp. 617–652. (ISBN
0-226-50885-4)
* Goel, Sita Ram: Perversion of India’s Political Parlance. Voice
of India, Delhi 1984. [5]
* Goel, Sita Ram (editor): Time for Stock Taking. Whither Sangh
Parivar? 1996.
* Gold, Daniel, ‘Organized Hinduisms: From Vedic Truths to Hindu
Nation’ in: Fundamentalisms Observed The Fundamentalism Project vol.
4, eds. M. E. Marty, R. S. Appleby, University Of Chicago Press
(1994), ISBN 978-0-226-50878-8, pp. 531–593.
* Nanda, Meera, The God Market. How Globalization is Making India
more Hindu, Noida, Random House India. 2009. ISBN 978-81-8400-095-5
* Ruthven, Malise, Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction,
Oxford University Press, USA (2007), ISBN 978-0-19-921270-5.
* Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar: Hindutva Bharati Sahitya Sadan, Delhi
1989 (1923).
* Sharma, Jyotirmaya, Hindutva: Exploring the Idea of Hindu
Nationalism, Penguin Global (2004), ISBN 0-670-04990-5.
* Shourie, Arun: A Secular Agenda. HarperCollins ISBN
81-7223-258-6
* Smith, David James, Hinduism and Modernity, Blackwell Publishing
ISBN 0-631-20862-3
* Webb, Adam Kempton, Beyond the global culture war: Global
horizons, CRC Press (2006), ISBN 978-0415953138.
External links
* Veer Savarkar Website
* Article by Koenraad Elst on allegations of “Hindu fascism”, More
articles on “Hindu fascism”
* Hindu Holocaust Museum
* Article on Hindutva by Ashok Chowgule
* “Hindutva” by VD Savarkar at Hindus Arise.com
* Report of Human Rights Watch, referring to the role of Hindutva
organisations in the Gujarat Riots 2002
* The Myth of the Hindu Right
* Anti-Hindu Bias of Mainstream Media
Videos
* Film on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits
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