Amid tight security, the century's first Nabakalebar Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was held in Puri on Saturday with fanfare, religious fervour, enthusiasm and a spirit of camaraderie.
The probe into Sunday's serial blasts near a political rally addressed by the Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has been handed over to National Investigation Agency following recommendation from the Bihar government.
Toral Varia Deshpande brings you the details of how rivalry between India's two of the most recognised agencies, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad and the Special Cell of Delhi Police, has cost India one it's most wanted terrorist and 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts mastermind -- Yasin Ahmad Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal.
Rich tributes were on Saturday paid to the 26/11 martyrs on the third anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks by Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and a host of other leaders.
A year on, how successful have investigators been in taking to task perpetrators of the triple blasts that wreaked havoc in Mumbai on July 13, 2011?
Investigators on Tuesday said that they think at least six newly recruited terrorists could have been involved in placing explosives in the triple bombings. However, there has been no breakthrough in the probe nearly a week after the attack.
Kavita Karkare, widow of former Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare who died fighting terrorists during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, has been admitted to a hospital after she suffered brain haemorrhage and slipped into coma, police sources said.
S M Mushrif says, in this brief interaction with rediff.com, that he would not allow the issue of Karkare's death to die down unless and until the matter is probed.
'The entire idea behind the serial bomb blasts was to strike fear in the minds of Indians.' 'I don't think the blasts were targeted to derail the Indian economy; the idea behind the blasts was retribution.'
A top CISF official said the device resembled a low-intensity IED. It was taken away from the airport in a bomb disposal unit vehicle and defused at Kenjaru ground in a controlled-explosion by keeping the unclaimed laptop bag in sand-packs.
Shahzad, arrested from Azamgarh district by Uttar Pradesh by Anti-Terror Squad on February 1, was remanded to judicial custody till March 4 by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja as police did not seek his further custodial interrogation.
The lone captured Pakistani gunman, Ajmal Kasab, today looked flustered and confused while trying to prove his innocence in front of judge M L Tahaliyani.
A video purportedly released by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing in Times Square in New York City, a Washington-based intelligence group said.
Kavita Karkare, widow of Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare who was killed during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, has died.
Former IPS officer D G Vanzara, who was accused in the alleged fake encounters of Ishrat Jahan and Sohrabuddin Sheikh and was later discharged in both the cases, has been given post-retirement promotion as the inspector general of police (IGP) by the Gujarat government, six years after he retired from service. As per the notification issued by the state home department, a copy of which Vanzara tweeted on Tuesday night, he has been promoted as the IGP with effect from September 29, 2007. Additional secretary to the state home department, Nikhil Bhatt, on Wednesday confirmed that his department has issued a notification about Vanzara's promotion.
K P Raghuvanshi removed as the chief of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, said sources from Maharashtra's home department on Thursday.
Nashik has become a crucial centre for terrorists, say sources in Mumbai's Anti-Terrorism Squad, after interrogating the two terror suspects arrested in connection with the German bakery blast. One of the accused admitted that he had conducted a reconnaissance of a few security establishments in the city. Groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba have been trying to set up base in Nashik. One of the reasons is to strengthen their hold over Maharashtra.
Over ten lakh devotees witnessed the world famous annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath held in Puri on Sunday with fanfare, religious fervour and enthusiasm amid tight security as the practice of people climbing the chariots was stopped in a major reform initiative.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday made a sensational claim that two hours before the terrorists struck in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare had called him and informed him that his life was under threat from those who opposed to his probe into the Malegaon blast.
Authorities of the Mumbai police had to protect Ajmal Kasab, the sole Pakistani terrorist arrested during the November 26 attack on the city, not only from the angry public, but even "from within the (police) department," Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria said on Monday. "There was a lot of public anger. The dept had lost some of the best officers (during the attack), so we had to protect Kasab from within dept because there was anger in the department," said Maria.
Kavita Karkare and Smita Salaskar, the widows of slain Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar, on Monday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and apprised her of problems they face. Both Karkare and Salaskar died while fighting terrorists during the Mumbai terror attack.
With each team working on a dedicated task, the SOG is moving full steam ahead with its efforts to hit out at terrorists trying to make Srinagar their base, said senior officials anxious to recast the image of the force.
The mystery behind the missing bullet-proof jacket of slain Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare took a new turn on Wednesday with a sweeper of a government hospital in Mumbai claiming that he had disposed it off long ago. The statement evoked a sharp reaction from Kavita Karkare, wife of the slain officer, who said, "This theory had cropped up now because the government is under pressure. I have lost all hope of getting fair justice in this case."
The bullet proof vests, worn by slain Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare and two other senior officers while fighting terrorists on November 26 last, belonged to the batch of 110 defective pieces purchased by the police way back in 2002, a litigation filed in Bombay high court has alleged.
Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab should not be allowed to approach the Supreme Court and should be hanged publicly, says Kavita Karkare, wife of slain Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare. Reacting to the special court awarding the death sentence to Kasab, Kavita said, "I don't think this is the end of the chapter of 26/11. This is just the beginning. Now we should hang Kasab publicly and we should not give him a chance to go to the Supreme Court".
The Special Operation Group and the anti-terrorism squad of Rajasthan Police arrested Mohd Sirazudin, the marketing manager of IOC in Jaipur.
Clearing the air on why all three top officials -- Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar who succumbed to bullet injuries -- were sitting in one vehicle, Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said: "Given the circumstances they sat together in the police vehicle, which was available to them."
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has alleged that an Indian Army officer linked to the 2007 bombing of the trans-border Samjhauta Express train had hired Pakistan-based militants to carry out the attack.
Maharashtra Forensic Laboratory will soon complete the testing of blood samples of slain Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare and two other police officers, who were killed in the terror attack in Mumbai last month, for alcohol content, laboratory sources said.State FSL at Kailna said that it has received the blood samples of the officers, who were killed by the terrorists on November 26, and the results will be handed over to the investigating authorities.
Afzal Usmani, an accused in 2008 Ahmedabad and Surat blast cases, escaped from the MCOCA court in Mumbai on Friday.
Ismail Khan, an accomplice of arrested terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman alias Kasab, is the one who gunned down three top police officials in a gun battle at Cama Hospital, according to Kasab's statement recorded by the police. Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar were shot dead by Ismail Khan.
Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil has directed the police to probe the case of the 'missing' bulletproof vest of Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare, who died fighting terrorists during the 26/11 attacks.
As the body of the 41-year-old was brought to his residence in South West Delhi's Dwarka area in a flower-decked vehicle, family members, neighbours and well wishers started chanting slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Long live Mother India) and M C Sharma Amar Rahe (Long live M C Sharma).
Experts say the 12-hour long anti-terror operation is incontrovertible evidence of the fact that Islamic State has developed its roots in the country.
Trial lawyer Naresh Gehi once took on the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the agency jailed an Indian American because his name and date of birth matched with those of a suspected terrorist. Gehi tenaciously fought the case against the FBI and eventually got him freed.
Were the thugs not visible to the police team in the Qualis's headlights, alerting the policemen to their presence?
Insurance industry is gearing up to clear claims from the attack on Mumbai even as many of the injured are finding it tough to produce the required documents.
Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, who was probing the Malegaon blasts case, suffered three bullet injuries in his chest as he was leading the offensive against the terrorists in one of the places the ultras had holed out early this morning.
'When these fugitives flee to Karachi they don't have much to do, but tweedle their thumbs.' 'I have seen a number of criminals coming back to India because they realise they can meet more people over here.' 'After the 1993 blasts, Latif was not mentioned in the chargesheet.' 'He probably felt he could safely return to India.'
Intelligence agencies have warned of a possible terror threat ahead during the Republic Day celebrations by Pakistan-based terror groups who may use Afghan IDs to sneak into India and carry out attacks.
