Mumbai, Nov. 28: The militants holed up at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel had ordered for around five kg of chicken and mutton biryani, according to police sources. Police officials who viewed some of the closed-circuit television grabs were aghast at the barbarity with which the terrorists created a state of panic in the hotel. The terrorists tore apart bedsheets in the rooms to tie the hands and mouths of the hostages, after which they ordered for biryani.
“On Wednesday and Thursday night, the militants had ordered for around five kg of chicken and mutton biryani,” a police officer said. The terrorists relied on biryani and dry fruits alone, to sustain themselves in their gun battle with National Security Guards and Marcos personnel.
In a sack recovered by the Marcos commandos from the hotel on Thursday, they found bags of dry fruits along with arms and ammunition. “It appears the militants were getting their energy by eating dry fruits alone,” an officer said. There is a CCTV room on the first floor. “These images have been taken from the CCTV footage,” he added.
According to sources, when the militants came to know that their associates had killed Hemant Karkare, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief, they started shouting in joy. Some hostages later said the militants were not aware that they had killed some of the city’s top officers. Nearly 200 hostages were rescued from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel since Wednesday night.
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Hyderabad, Nov. 28: The elite anti terror force of the State, Octopus, on Friday took the investigation of three cases related to twin explosions that rocked the city last year. Police sources said the Special Investigation Team of the city police handed over cases relating to explosions at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park and unexploded bomb at Dilshuknagar to Octopus.
The Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park blasts on August 2007 claimed the lives of 42 persons. The Mumbai Anti Terrorism Squad, which busted the Indian Mujahideen module lead by Riyaz Bhatkal, found that it was the IM that triggered explosions. According to ATS, Bhatkal and his two other associates, Aneeq and Akbar were involved in the 2007 twin explosions.
The SIT filed a prisoner transit warrant petition in a Maharashtra court but couldn’t get their custody of the accused. The case will now be heard on December 2. Meanwhile, Octopus has re-registered the three cases that were transferred to it as crime numbers 1/2008. 2/2008 and 3/2008. Recently, the government issued orders making Octopus a police station.
Meanwhile, the home minister Mr K. Jana Reddy appreciated that all sections of the society had severely condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Mr Jana Reddy said that the Coast Guard was being strengthened as the state had a big coastline and terrorists were using the sea route for attacks.
He said that more marine police stations would be set up and about 16,000 police personnel were recruited already, soon after their training they would be deputed for surveillance along the coast. He said that security had been tightened at all irrigation projects, religious places and important installations as a precautionary measure.
Replying to a question, he said that there were no political pressures in dealing with terrorists. There is not a single incident where terrorists were freed due to political pressure, Mr Jana Reddy said. Mr Jana Reddy admitted to the problems being faced by the government in deadling with infiltrators. "We are booking cases against those who are staying illegally and those who stay even after lapse of their visas are being sent to their country," the home minister said. He also refused to agree that Hyderabad was slowly becoming a centre for terrorists. He said that state intelligence was effective and all steps are being taken to prevent any untoward incidents.
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Hyderabad, Nov. 28: Following the Mumbai terror attacks, police has increased security for about 30 Jewish families in a little known village in Guntur. These families, who live at Kothareddypalem near Chebrolu, are on the hit list of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. This was revealed when a module was busted in Hyderabad in 2004. In Mumbai, terrorists had targeted Nariman House, where Jewish families from Israel were staying. This has persuaded police to increase patrolling in Chebrolu too. "There are around 200 Jews in the villages," said the Guntur superintendent of police, Mr Mahesh Chandra Laddah. "We have kept a constant watch on the area and have intensified patrolling." The Police has also stepped up intelligence network in the area which is 20-km away from Guntur. Most of the families are poor. "We are not going into their claims that they are Jewish," said a senior police officer. "But the terror groups are under impression that they are Jews. After in Nariman House attack, it is clear that the terrorists are trying to target Jews." The Guntur police is also planning to hire speedboats to patrol the coast in the wake of the developments in Mumbai, where terrorists came in from the sea.
Hyderabad, Nov. 28: Following the Mumbai terror attacks, police has increased security for about 30 Jewish families in a little known village in Guntur. These families, who live at Kothareddypalem near Chebrolu, are on the hit list of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. This was revealed when a module was busted in Hyderabad in 2004.
In Mumbai, terrorists had targeted Nariman House, where Jewish families from Israel were staying. This has persuaded police to increase patrolling in Chebrolu too. "There are around 200 Jews in the villages," said the Guntur superintendent of police, Mr Mahesh Chandra Laddah. "We have kept a constant watch on the area and have intensified patrolling." The Police has also stepped up intelligence network in the area which is 20-km away from Guntur. Most of the families are poor. "We are not going into their claims that they are Jewish," said a senior police officer. "But the terror groups are under impression that they are Jews.
After in Nariman House attack, it is clear that the terrorists are trying to target Jews." The Guntur police is also planning to hire speedboats to patrol the coast in the wake of the developments in Mumbai, where terrorists came in from the sea.
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NIZAMABAD, Nov. 28: Newly married Ameena Begum, 18, of Mujahidnagar Colony in Nizamabad, was shot dead and her father Abdul Rasheed, 45, received serious bullet injuries in the Mumbai terrorist attack on Wednesday night.
The incident came to light on Friday. Three other family members, including a seven-year-old girl, were in Mumbai for the last two days. The tragedy struck when Ameena Begum’s family went to Chatrapati Shivaji railway station to catch the Nizamabad-bound Devagiri Express.
According to sources, a 15-member team from Mujahidnagar Colony visited the Bijapur dargah in Karnataka last week. En route, they also visited Mumbai. Abdul Rasheed, his wife Shanur Begum, daughter Ameena Begum, son Mahboob and granddaughter Anjum missed the Devagiri Express on Wednesday night as they got late at their relative’s place. They waited at the station to take another train. Around this time, the terrorists entered the railway station and opened fire indiscriminately on the passengers.
While the gun battle was on, the passengers including Abdul Rasheed’s family lay down on the floor. Unfortunately, seven-year-old Anjum tried to run on the platform. To save the girl, Ameena Begum too ran, and received a bullet shot by the terrorists. Her father Abdul Rasheed received bullet injuries on the leg, while the girl had a narrow escape. Rasheed was admitted to hospital. Now, Hameed await the body of his wife Ameena who died on the spot.
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Hyderabad, Nov 27 (IANS) The first ever convention of male homosexuals held here urged the society to change its attitude towards them and accept them. Over 1000 gays from across Andhra Pradesh attended the convention organised by Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society and two NGOs. A cultural programme was held after the convention. This was the first time that gays held a state-level meeting with some activists from Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and other cities voicing concern over social stigma they faced. They demanded that the society accept them as a part of it. “We face social stigma. Who is to be blamed. We or the society which failed to understand us?” asked Rex, an activist from Bangalore. The convention also called for an end to harassment by the police, who arrest gays under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “The law considers sex between men as unnatural and due to police harassment many gays go underground,” said B. Gangaiah, head, HIV-AIDS division, Hindustan Latex Family Promotion Trust. The AIDS Control Society called for removing stigma and discrimination towards the high risk community, saying it is key to HIV prevention efforts. Sujatha Rao, director general of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), called for amending certain sections of the IPC. “It is difficult to access the gay community and encourage it to access HIV care and prevention services unless certain clauses of the section are amended,” she said. She said there was a greater need to reach out to the vulnerable communities and to encourage them to take confident and decisive steps in arresting the epidemic. “HIV prevalence among the general population in India is 0.38 per cent while among the gay, it is seven percent, and in Andhra Pradesh it is 17 percent. Given this scenario, it is the need of the hour that this mostly hidden community partners the programme.” An empowered community takes decisive steps, like the transgender community in Tamil Nadu which overcame difficult conditions to become a force to reckon with in reducing HIV prevalence, Rao said.
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