Terrorism in India
Summary Of Terrorism in Indian Metros
Mumbai/Bombay
• 6 Dec 1992 – Babri Masjid Demolition & riots • 6 Dec 1993 – Babri Masjid Anniversary – 5 major trains blasts • 12 Mar 1993 – Bombay blasts (200 dead, 700 injured) • 1994 – Dr. Jales Ansari – Byculla chief of Ahle Adis (Crush India movement) was arrested. 100 people were working under him to trigger small blasts in AP and Maharashtra • 1995 – 23 ISI agents
Delhi
• 1985 – Transistor bombs by Sikh militants at 25 bus stops and other places (85 dead, 150 injured) • 1993 – 40 kg RDX exploded at the Indian Youth Congress office (12 dead) • 1996 – Lajpat Nagar market blast (14 dead) • 1997 – Low intensity chemical blasts, Sena Bhavan, North Block, etc. – Shamli Express (22 injured) • 2000 – 3 LeT terrorists storm the Red Fort • 2001 – Attack on Parliament • 1996 – 2002 – many RDX and explosive hauls
Punjab
Sikh terrorists with Pakistani support are responsible for acts of terrorism. 1999 – many RDX hauls on the rail tracks in Punjab.
J &K
Civilian casualties result because of Pro-Govt & Anti-Govt rivalries or Islamic militants killing Hindu villagers or acts of terrorism in public places. 27 July 1999 – bomb blast in a rickshaw in Anant Nag town (6 dead, 30 injured) 28 Oct – Attack on the Civil Secretariat – Srinagar 3 Nov 1999 – Badami Baug storming of 15 Corps HQ
Ahmedabad
1969 – communal riots 2002 – communal riots
Hyderabad
1993 – 4 bomb blasts on nerve centres of the city.
Assam
30 Dec 96 – Brahmaputra Mail bombing – (300 dead) 8 June 97 – attempt on the life of CM, Prafulla Mehanta by remote bomb vehicle on the road. 19 Jan 2000 – derailment of a wagon train by a bomb.
Strategy & Tactics used by Indian Terrorists
Explosives – pencil timers, VHF radio (deto) sets, car bombs, human bombs, time clocks, IEDs.
Types of Tactical Ops are as follows:
1. Aircraft – as a missile – WTC – Al Qaeda – hijack aircraft & take hostages – HuM – bombing of aircraft – Al Qaeda – bringing down an aircraft over a specific city (Lockerbie)
2. Car laden with explosives as a missile (suicide bomber) driven into a building, Assembly, Army HQ, (all by JeT), Police Station, Jaffna (LTTE)
3. Suicide Raids (or hit and run raids) Parliament, Red Fort by JET and into HQ of 11 JKLI,
4. IED Assassination & Sabotage • Attempt on ex Army Chief K.V Krishna Rao • Tel transmission towers (Banihal, J & K) bridges, military installations, oil & petrol installations, Army HQ – LTTE
5. Assassinations, kidnapping – e.g. of • 14 officials & ONGC engineers by ULFA • Extortion – shoot political leaders (ULFA, LTTE) and relatives (ULFA)
6. Human bombs – self detonation (LTTE), radio detonation – Rajiv Gandhi
7. Ambush Army convoys with mines at narrow roads & fire at anything that moves, mutilate bodies – LTTE
The Bombay Blasts
After the 1992 Babri Masjid incident, the Bombay Blasts took place on 12 March 1993, killing more than 200 and injuring over 700. Blasts also occurred in Hyderabad on 4 Nerve Centres, in Nagaland on Kamrup Express (in Nov), in Punjab on 5 major trains (in Dec) in Delhi at the IYC office (40 kg RDX).
1. Bombay blasts occurred 3 months after Babri Masjid – 6 Dec 1992. It was naturally assumed that Dawood Ibrahim and the muslim underworld had taken revenge, but Bombay blasts was not a Hindu Muslim problem.
2. Large scale stockpiling of weapons took place even prior to the demolition of Babri Masjid. These were smuggled by Mustafa Manjus launches from the Middle East (Dubai). 3. Moles in Pakistan passed message to Indian IB that the ISI had targeted Bombay for bomb blasts and that one target was a nuclear power centre. Consequently the security was stepped up. A frustrated ISI instructed its agents to turn to civilian targets.
4. The choice of targets was not Anti-Hindu, but to destroy the Indian economy and discourage foreign investors from investing in Bombay. 5. The unexploded scooter bombs contained Semtex – no Plastique is manufactured in India. One raid recovered 500 kg of RDX 1 day after the blasts.
Parliament Attack – The Plot
1. The aim of the attack on the Parliament was to kill the PM and the Home Minister, to seize the Parliament & to hold MPs and MLAs hostage. 2. Under the ISI instruction, the LeT leader Zaki-Ur-Rahman & JeM leader Masood Azhar joined hands to organise militant attacks in Delhi at many vital installations.
3. ‘Ghazi’Baba’ from Srinagar, Mohd Afzal, the Delhi JeM coordinator, his cousin Shaukat Hussain, a truck owner and Syed Abdul Rehman Gillani, a lecturer in Zakir Hussain College were the key persons involved in the conspiracy.
4. Afzal went to Srinagar repeatedly, met Ghazi baba & one Tariq Ahmad. Tariq introduced him to the 5 terrorists who he brought back to Delhi & kept in safe houses organised by Shaukat. The explosives and the 5 member squad was brought from Tral in Srinagar to Delhi in Shaukat’s truck.
5. Initially in Nov 2001, only one terrorist Mohammed was transported. He was the hijacker of IC-814 who had killed Rippan Katyal, a civilian overboard (he later blew himself up in the Parliament premises). Later 4 terrorists came in 2 separate visits (2×2 ) to Delhi. (total 5 terr in the attack)
6. In Dec, they bought a motorcycle to recce the Parliament area and an ambassador car which they fitted with a beacon & tinted glasses.
7. On Dec 11, they went ahead with their plan. During the operation they tried to call Afzal on his cell phone but he broke all contact with them.
Hijack IC-814 – The Conspiracy
(the longest hijack Op till date – 24 Dec1999)
1. It was masterminded by the ISI.
2. The Mumbai ISI agent was Abdul Latif Momim who had enrolled from Gujarat in 1996, had taken training in Pakistan in 1997 and came to Mumbai in 1998.
3. His mission was to hijack an aircraft from Sahar International Airport. After a study, he found that it was impossible due to tight security. 2 ISI agents were sent from Pakistan to help him.
4. In Dec 1999, Latif made two trips to Kathmandu and met Pakistan High Commissioner.
5. In Oct 99, 4 men robbed Rs. 7.5 lakh from Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank in Borivali, took away ID cards from bank employees. They bought mobile phones & called Karachi, Kandahar & Kathmandu.
6. Car licenses were obtained from Jogeshwari Motor Training School, Bombay. They procured two original passports from travel agencies and used them to forge passports under false names for the 6 hijackers. The Chief of the 6 hijackers was Ibrahim Azhar, Maulana Azhar’s brother.
7. The sixth hijacker was Yusuf Nepali who was still in Bombay even after the hijack.
8. The Police arrested Abdul Latif Momim and Rafiq Mohd along with 2 AKs, 5 grenades, 4 anti-tank shells, RDX and detonators stock piled in their room in Behrambaug in Jogeshwari (East). They gave no resistance during the arrest.
24 Dec 1999 – Tactical
5 HuM Terrorists, 1 Dead, 178 Passengers, 11 Crew for 3 Leaders exchanged by Govt had 2 pistols, knives and RDX – 5.10pm
1. Kathmandu 5.10 take off
The security was lax. Anyone could easily get in by the departure lounge. 4 gentlemen checked in and went to departure where they met a “transit passenger”. A bag was exchanged and contents distributed among the 5. It is unclear whether the Pakistan Embassy was involved.
2. Amritsar
Unexpected landing 7 pm without refueling took off 7.50 pm.
CMG (Crisis Management Group) asked Amritsar to a) delay the plane b) immobilize by puncturing the tyres . c) block the runaway d) 7.00pm, DG-NSG was alerted & the Black Cat Commandos were on red alert and waited for Central negotiators to arrive.
3. Lahore 8.10 pm
Despite instructions, the aircraft landed in Pakistan because of confusion or for refuelling and took off after 21⁄2 hrs at 10.30 pm. Before the landing, a passenger Rupin Katyal was stabbed to death in the neck. Jaswant Singh (External Affairs Minister) called his Pakistani counterpart and asked him to
• prevent the take off • provide a chopper for Indian Ambassador to reach airport. However Pakistan secretly refuelled & used delaying tactics:
• ISD lines of Indian Embassy were cut off during negotiations.
• Permission to fly over Pakistan air space to Kandahar was delayed by asking for a passenger list, etc.
4) Dubai 1.30 am 25 Dec
• Permission to land in Kabul was denied. They landed in Dubai Air force base after Jaswant Singh spoke to US Secretary of State.
• Authorities exchanged 26 of 70 women, children, elderly for fuel at 6.16 am
• Dead body of Katyal was thrown out. Commandos were waiting on standby.
• NSG followed in an aircraft but were denied permission to land and the sole runway was closed.
4) Kandahar 25 Dec
The aircraft was taken to Kandahar. Taliban under the guise of negotiators might have actually supported the hijackers.
On the 26 Dec, the UN Coordinator came for negotiations but the hijackers were not very cooperative. There was a breakdown of the Aux unit of aircraft. 27 Dec – the hijackers demanded the release of Mohd. Azhar and 35 terrorists and 200 million $ or else they would “blow the aircraft with passengers”. The Taliban decided to negotiate.
28 Dec – The aircraft door was opened to let in fresh air and Indian engineers began to repair the aircraft. These were good opportunities for storming the aircraft
29 Dec – the hijackers’ demands came down to only 3 militants and no money (under pressure by the Taliban)
• 31 Dec – Jaswant Singh left India along with the 3 released terrorists and made the exchange in Kandahar.
After the exchange, the 5 hijackers and the 3 terrorists were driven to the Pakistan border by the Taliban, where they disappeared.
Attack on the Parliament (13 Dec 2001) – Tactical
1. 5 Militants, JEM 30 kgs RDX, 7dead, 18 injured
2. Ambassador with red beacon speeds past the main Parliament gate and turns right to gate 11, hits Vice President’s convoy and comes to a halt.
3. Security Officer J. P. Yadav speaks into his walkie talkie and he is killed at point blank range along with CRPF constable who tried to stop the car and a gardener.
4. 4 terrorists scale the wall armed with AKs and 12 grenades each (newly constructed wall between gate 0 and 11)
5. They ran towards gate 5, the PMs entrance. They are fired upon by CRPF from behind columns of the 1st floor verandah and perimeter of the wall. 3 died (here are PM and Advani’s office)
6. 4th terrorist tried to climb the 1st floor on a TV cable.
7. He was shot, fell down and tried to still crawl to gate 5 where the PM is expected to come in, throwing grenades as he was shot.
8. Meanwhile due to Yadav’s security alert, all doors leading inside are shut.
9. The fifth terrorist breaks off from the group from the car itself and rushes near the main entrance (gate no 1) shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” lobbing grenades. He reaches the main stairs and blew himself up. He had explosives on him. He was the Parliament building sabotage backup.
10. The car contained 30 kg RDX. They wanted to ram it into the office gate of the PM or home minister (collision with the Vice President’s car loosened the IED wires hence no explosion). At the same time terrorist would enter main bldg entrance, take a few hostages & create hell (they had dry fruits rations for 2 days) Taking advantage of the diversion, the 5th terrorist would have again entered main bldg entrance and destroyed the surrounding 3 goals – PM + Hostage Negotiation + Sabotage.
Srinager Assembly Bombing 1 Oct 2001, 2pm, Tactical
1. JeM, 4 militants (38 dead, 80 injured)
2. A Tata Sumo (stolen from the Telecom) packed with RDX drove towards J & K Assembly bldg. The vehicle was occupied with the 4 militants in CRPF uniforms.
3. 3 terrorists got off just before the gate. The terrorist driving rammed the vehicle into the Assembly gate. A massive explosion resulted over a 2 km area.
4. Taking advantage of the confusion, 3 terrorists entered the premises and they exchanged fire with the security forces. A five hour Close Quarter Battle ensued in which mortars & grenades were used.
5. A fire resulted in the Assembly building. Many people inside died as a result of the fire.
Storming of 15 Corps HQ Badami Baug, Cantt, Srinagar Tactical – 3 Nov 99, 5.45 pm
1. 3 Terrorists of LeT, Total – 9 dead .
2. On morning, Lt Gen Kishan Pal ,15 Corps Cdr was in press conference talking about control of terrorism by the Indian Army.
3. The same evening at 5.45pm, 3 terrorists waited in a minibus parked outside Badami baug Cantt entrance.
4. 1 terrorist shot a rifle fired grenade to create a diversion, where soldiers accidentally killed 1 BSF jawan.
5. The 3 terrorists climbed a 4 foot wall got into the Cantonment and hid behind bushes.
6. They moved towards Public Relations Office. A major and 7 of the staff came out and were shot.
7. Soldiers cordoned off the area. Close quarter battle went on from 6 pm to the next morning 4.30am
8. The terrorists blew up a bldg next to the Public Relations office. One terrorist was found buried in the cement rubble.
Terror Statistics
These are the approximate statistics, as available from published sources.
• India and Pakistan share a 1600 km long border. • Pakistan Army is 51⁄2 lakh strong, while Indian Army is 12 lakh strong • India spends Rs 2500 crore every year on the defense of terrorism • Pak spends Rs 1000 crore every year on terrorism • 20,000 Kashmiris are trained by Pakistan in the recent years • There are 30 militant groups in J & K
1990-1998
Terrorists – 9000 killed, 27000 arrested, 3000 surrendered
Army – 1500 killed, 3500 injured
1986-1998
Army – 4000 killed, 9000 injured, more lives lost than all the 3 wars together.
APPROX 600 TERRORISTS ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR
In 1994, militancy reached a peak with 6043 incidents. • India deploys 4 Lakh Army and Paramilitary in J & K. • In J & K, till 2009, 3400 people have disappeared and 47000 people dead.
• In 1984 Pak started the Kashmir Terrorist program. • Pak trains militants from LTTE, Bangladesh, S.Africa (Egypt, Sudan) & Afghanistan • Trg camps exist in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) & the largest is in Muzaffarabad Pakistan, and the advanced camps are in Afghanistan • Al Badar 1 – Basic Trg Camp (weapons) of 6 weeks duration • Al Badar 2 – Advanced Training Camp (Tactical training & Explosives) of 4 weeks duration • Al Badar 3 – Commando training of 8 weeks duration • Terrorists use 60 & 80 mm mortars, RLs Stingers (Surface to Air Missile), Anti aircraft 12.7 mm guns, US
“TOW” Anti Tank missiles • A terrorist earns Rs 200,000 /year, whereas foreign mercenaries earn Rs 400,000 /year • 65,000 – 1,00,000 civilians died in Kashmir (1988). 7,50,000 Indian Pundits displaced. • 30,000 kilos of explosives recovered from militants. • 49 militant camps in PoK • 37 militant camps in Pakistan • 32 militant camps in Afghanistan
