By Makhdoom Babar
(Additional reporting by Christina Palmer & Ajay Mehta in New Delhi and Pryanka Joshi in Mumbai)
The so-called lone survivor accused of last years deadly attacks in Indias financial capital, Mumbai Ajmal Kasab( or Kassaab) is set to get a court verdict today, Thursday. The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Mr. Shashi Tharoor has already announced that Indian government was in no hurry to punish the accused as to the Indian government, the accused was a fountain of information regard Pakistan related matters. Tharoor also took this opportunity to reaffirm New Delhis stubborn stand that it would not resume the dialogue process with Islamabad until Pakistan does not take action against those, responsible for Mumbai attacks. The Indian government has also handed over a dossier to Pakistan government, claiming that the dossier was an ocean of evidences and knowledge about those who were responsible for Mumbai terror attacks. The main source of information in the Indian dossier however remained the alleged arrested accused Ajmal Kasab who has already retracted from his earlier statements, saying that he was forced and tortured to make those statements by his captors.
It is surprising that the Indian government is constantly insisting that Pakistan must act upon the information that is more than 90 % based upon the statement of the accused that he made under the custody on February 21,2009 before lady Magistrate R V Sawant Waghule. Interestingly Kasab, later, just after a few days and upon his maiden formal appearance in a court retracted his confession and gave a completely different version of events before judge M L Tahaliyani. This development, according to Indian law as well international judicial norms, made his earlier statement null and void and made that inadmissible in any court of law as it was a statement in custody and not in a court. However, the Indian government, without keeping in view the new development, continued and still continues upon the Pakistan government to act in line with accused Ajmals custodial statement that has already become invalid.
The Daily Mails investigations into the matter reveal that that there were enormous lacunas in the Indian dossier, based on Kasabs custodial statement. The Daily Mails investigations indicate that the Indian dossier was nothing more than just a wish list of Indian Intelligence agency RAW. These investigations reveal that the 900 plus pages dossier including accused Ajmals statement, that was handed over to Pakistan government was ironically written in a regional Indian language Marathi and there was no English version of the same provided to Pakistan. The Daily mails findings indicate that New Delhi was bound under UN Model Convention Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to provide Pakistan with officially authenticated English version of each and every paper that it gave to Pakistan as the UN laws clearly restrict the for the same. However, upon repeated requests of Islamabad New Delhi finally acted but to everyones dismay, Pakistan was given only a 2-page English translation out of the 900-page floppy dossier and these 2pages were those of accused Ajmals custodial statement while English translation of no other documents has even so far been given to Pakistan as if rest of the documents of the dossier were either irrelevant or of no importance at all for India. This is not the end of the non-serious attitude of New Delhi as in yet another blunder; New Delhi sent DNA samples of same person with 2 different names to Islamabad and upon Islamabads pointing out, the Indian government termed it merely a typographical mistake, irrespective of the highly sensitive nature of the issue.
The Daily Mails investigations reveal that whatever the Indian governments Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affair have been doing and saying has been scripted by RAW with very faulty, sandy and easily challengeable evidences, based upon accused Ajmals custodial statement. These investigations indicate that RAW, with the connivance of Mumbai Police and Crimes Branch acted in some acute haste to frame a Pakistani who has now emerged as a pre-arrested accused.
The Daily Mails investigations further reveal that in the trial of Ajmal Kasab case, the prosecution has far earned nothing but just complete embarrassment and shame. These investigations reveal that in the beginning of the trail, just ten days after a witness testified regarding the participation of Indias National Security Guard Captain R.K. Sharma in the operation against terrorists at Hotel Oberoi Trident during the 26/11 terror attack, the director of the elite commando force intimated the Mumbai police that the NSG does not have any officer by that name. On September 24, 2009, Rajesh Kadam, an assistant chief security officer at Hotel Oberoi Trident, testified that Captain R.K. Sharma had participated in the operation against the terrorists at the hotel and played a key role in arrest of accused Ajmal Kasab. He testified before the court that the captain had also participated in an encounter in the morning of November 28.
The special court had sought the NSG captains address to summon him to court. However, special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam informed the court that he had received a fax from the NSG director saying no such officer has ever worked with the elite commando group. The development came as huge shock and brought massive embarrassment for the prosecution and it forced the prosecution to express before the court that it had no further unwillingness to examine NSG personnel as witnesses in the case. Many similar flaws kept emerging as the trail went on but the drama took a new turn earlier this month when, in another case, an Indian Lawyer exposed the tactics of RAW and Police to frame innocent people as terrorists from Pakistan and proved it in the court. According to The Daily Mails research, a Delhi based criminal lawyer M. S. Khan, earlier this month succeeded in proving the innocence of two persons who were alleged to be associates of a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba divisional commander. Advocate Khan successfully proved it in the Delhi court that both the persons who were arrested by Delhi Police in September 2006 on the charges of being terrorists with Pakistan links were actually framed by Delhi Police and Intelligence officials of RAW. On the basis of concrete evidences that the lawyer presented to prove that it was just a case of framing innocent people into terror cases by Police and RAW, the Delhi Court dismissed the case and declared both the accused innocent and ordered Police to set them free. Now, this case has emerged as a very big legal reference for the defense in Ajmal Kasab case as Ajmal also pleads that he is innocent and is just the victim of framing tactics of Police and intelligence officials.
In his recent statement before the court the accused Ajmal Kasab has stated that he was already in Mumbai Polices custody without any charge when the terror drama took place
Giving his statement in the court, he said that he was not a Jihadi and had not undergone any training at the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) camp in Pakistan.
Kasab told the court, which was recording his final statement on the prosecutions evidence; he was a cook with a catering company in Saarayee-Alamghir near Jhelum in Pakistan. I heard the names of Lash-e-Taliban and JUD from the police here. Crime Branch officials had shown the photograph of Lakhvi, Kasab said.
Asked by the court if he was introduced to one Major General Saab at the training camp, Kasab said, This is absolutely wrong.
The judge, M L Tahaliyani, was putting questions to Kasab on the basis of his confession before magistrate in February; however Kasab disowned the confession, saying it was given under duress.
When special Judge M L Tahaliyani referred to his statement in the confession that Hafeez Sayed had told 30 boys at the LeT training camp that they would have to lay down their lives for liberating Kashmir, Kasab said: This is absolutely wrong.
Alleging that the police had threatened to administer electric shocks to him if he did not give a statement to the magistrate, Kasab said the police had prepared the confession and forced him to recite it.
Asked by the court, if he was told in the training that they would go to heaven if they attacked India, Kasab replied in the negative saying he did not attend the training.
Kasab also denied having told the police anything about Kuber boat and a dead body found on the boat. According to the prosecution, the group of ten terrorists had highjacked Kuber on their way to Mumbai from Karachi in Pakistan.
I have never seen the boat; crime branch and FBI had showed me pictures of Kuber and my clothes and articles seized from the boat. These articles must belong to either fishermen or smugglers. The AK 47 rifle may belong to the police and it is not mine. The accused earlier told the court that he had come to India in search of some place in film industry and was looking for a place to live in Chupathi area of Mumbai. He was walking with some local friends in Juhu when Police picked him up without any reason, a day before the Mumbai terror attacks took place and later forced him to narrate what he was told by police and plane-clothed (RAW) officials. He also told that he was shot in the hand by police during his custody.
The Daily Mails investigations reveal that the Indian government is constantly dancing foolishly to the tuned of RAW and the extremists of Hindu radical influential groups of Hindutva Brotherhood. These investigations clearly indicate that the basic purpose of Mumbai terror attacks was to get rid of Hemant Karkare who had exposed the nexus of Hindu extremists with their like-minded officials in Indian Army and RAW and who was going further to expose this nexus completely. The Mumbai terror drama was created to eliminate Karkare and to divert global focus from the outcomes of Karkares investigation that led to the arrest of a serving Indian Army Colonel for multiple terror attacks including that of blazing of Pakistan bound passenger train Samjhota Express, for which RAW made Delhi believed to have done by Pakistanis.
The Daily Mails investigations indicate that there is no truth in the Kasab episode of RAWs 26/11 drama as the actual purpose of the same was eliminating Karkare and changing the wind towards Pakistan. These investigations prove that Saffron terrorist groups belonging to Sangh Parivar were behind the recent Mumbai Carnage and several suicidal attacks and assassinations in Pakistan and India. According to these findings Indian terrorist setup Atma Ghataki Pathak (Hindu Suicide Squad), established by General ® Premnath Hoon founder of Shiv Senas Military Wing and his disciple Colonel ® Jayant Chitale, was responsible for planning and execution of the operation. AGP, because of its close linkages with the Indian military has succeeded in forming an unholy nexus between the serving Indian military personnel and the Hindu extremist-terrorist groups. Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, alias Mithun Chakraborty who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast and 2007 Samjhauta Express blaze ( killing 69 Pakistani passengers returning from India) was also working for General ® Hoon and Colonel ® Chitales Atma Ghataki Pathak (AGP). AGP was also responsible for Godhra train fire leading to Gujarat carnage against Muslims in 2002 and attack on Akshardham temple in Gujarat also in 2002. Colonel ® Jayant Chitale and his associate Sanjeev Atre, were arrested in November 2002 for running a suicide training camp on the outskirts of Mumbai but were later released at the intervention of RAW. It is no coincidence that Col ® Chitale is now the next door neighbour of Col Purohit, the main accused in Samjhauta Express blaze and Malegaon blasts.
The Daily Mails investigations into the encounter leading to the cold blooded assassination of Karakare and his team investigating the terrorism perpetrated by Indian home grown terrorists reveals that the terrorist were staking out for Karkare and that Karkare also had revealed threats to his life to his wife Kavita, because of which, she refused to accept compensation from Indian government and later filed a case that the bulletproof vest given to her slain husband was faulty and was part of conspiracy to kill him. The Indian police have now, after more than a year, created a sweeper who claims that he had thrown Karkares bulletproof vest, mistakenly in a dustbin.
The Daily Mails finding say that according to Constable Arun Jadhav, who was with the officers Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte when they were assassinated, the three officers and four constables had received information that their collegue Sadanand Dutt had been injured in the gunfire at the Cama and Albless Hospital for women and children. They took a Toyota Qualis which was being driven by Salaskar while Kamte was in the passenger seat, Karkare in the second row, and the four Constables, including Jadhav, were in the back row of seating. According to Jadhav, five minutes later two terrorists stepped out from behind a tree and opened fire with automatic rifles. The six policemen, other than Jadhav, were all killed quickly in the gunfire. The two terrorists approached the vehicle, dumped the bodies of the three officers on the road and, leaving the constables for dead. They proceeded to Metro Junction where they aimed three bursts of automatic fire at police and journalist vehicles drawn up at that location, then drove off towards the government offices (Vidhan Bhawan) in South Mumbai. Here again they fired several times. While attempting to leave the area, one of the tires of the vehicle burst, so the terrorists departed to obtain another vehicle. At this point, Jadhav emerged from the heap of dead bodies of his collegue constables and was able to contact headquarters.
The Daily Mails findings indicate that there is a long-standing internal feud amongst Hindutva groups vying for ascendancy with each other. Although Bal Thackeray is probably the most popular icon with cultist following amongst the Hindu fanatics yet at times he has shown signs of frustration that this popularity has not translated in electoral successes outside his home state of Maharashtra. Much to Thackerays annoyance when it comes to votes, BJP through a broader and more organized supporting network of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal managed to steel electoral success at the cost of Sena. Although his Shiv Sena (Hindu God Shivs Army) was in coalition with BJP in the Union Government and in the state of Maharashtra, Thakeray was not happy with the portfolios allotted to his party.
Thakeray who has always maintained big political ambitions now wants to assume the image of militant Hindutvas sole champion in a bid to woo many elements in the ranks and file RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal that are disillusioned with the BJP. These disgruntled elements regard top leadership of BJP, all of whom incidentally are concurrent members of RSS and VHP, to be soft paddling on converting India into a Hindu Rashstra (Hindu State) denouncing secular character of its constitution. A former Minister belonging to Shiv Sena in Indian Cabinet reflected these sentiments in 2003 stating that everyone living in India must either be a Hindu or subservient to Hindus. Nonetheless, the core supporters of militant Hindutva feel that time is ripe to make this declaration and the doctrine of Hindu Rashstra to become a state policy by formally ending the secular constitutional status of India. Sensing the infuriation of these elements Thackeray finally let the cat out the bag in a further recruitment drive of Hindu fanatics to his camp by giving an open call for Hindu suicide squads.
The Daily Mails research reveals that two names that surfaced in press in November 2002, in connection with Hindu Atma Ghataki Pathak (Hindu Suicide Squad), General ® Premnath Hoon former Chief of Western Command and who after retirement became Chief of Shiv Senas Military Wing and Colonel ® Jayant Chitale, had served on deputation with RAW imparting training on the Sri Lankan Tamil militants. Col ® Jayant Chitale also headed the Army Services Selection Board Centre in Pune for several years, where he was able to select Hindutva militant sympathizers for regular commission in the army. Col ® Chitale kept a contact with these recruits who through normal and sponsored progression in their careers went on to assume many responsible and important posts in the Indian army.
According to The Daily Mails findings the fanaticism of these Hindu suicide squads took a spine shuddering concept of target reverse suicide attacks in early 2000s as witnessed in the reverse suicidal attacks against Hindu temples and government installations to blame Pakistan and Muslims. The attacks on Indian parliament in 2001, Godhra train fire in Gujarat and attack on Akshardham temple in Gujarat.
It may be recalled that the official findings of Forensic Science Laboratory of Ahmedabad, revealed that the fire in the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, in 2002 which became Casus belli for Muslim mayhem in Gujrat, was set from within the train compartment all filled with Hindu passengers and not from any outside pouring of gasoline by Muslim vendors on the train station, as alleged by Hindu fanatics. According to, Forensic Science Laboratorys Assistant Director M J Dahiya about 60 litres of highly inflammable material inside the train, probably petrol, was responsible for the fire in the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express. Giving evidence before the Justice G T Nanavati and Justice Shah Commission of Inquiry, Dahiya had ruled out the possibility of the coach catching fire from outside as that would have left its effect on the outside of the coach. Besides, the quantity of fuel required to set it on fire could not have been poured from outside. He said that a large number or quantity of burning objects or liquids could not have been thrown inside and neither would burning rags alone result in such a big fire that burnt the entire coach in just 40 minutes. It is pertinent that all the passengers inside the compartment comprised Hindu Kersevaks, as it was a train especially reserved for them and the group members knew each other. There was no chance for an outsider to get in to set fire as he or she would have immediately spotted. Thus it was a clear act of a Hindu suicide volunteer carrying large quality of inflammable liquid, who self immolated to create raison d etre for carrying out Gujarat carnage.
In light of these facts that speak loudly, the analysts believe that Mumbai carnage was another act of Indias home spun and nurtured saffron terrorists with the main objective of eliminating Mumbai anti-terrorist squad Chief Hemant Karkare and his colleagues to sabotage the on going investigations into the unholy nexus between Indian military and terrorist networks with gratuitous benefit of maligning Pakistan by framing people like Ajmal Kasab. Ironically the Indian government finds itself helpless in front of this RAW-Hindutva nexus and keep dancing foolishly to their tunes.
