Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Aftermath
The nation’s worst terror attack, that killed 195 people and injured more than 300, ended almost 62 hours after it began on Wednesday night when commandos of the elite National Security Guards (NSG) on Saturday killed the last of the four terrorists holed up inside the Taj Mahal Hotel.
“All terrorists inside the hotel have been killed and our operation is over,” NSG director general J.K. Dutt told reporters outside the Taj.
However, the NSG took up the next several hours for sanitisiation of the hotel to ensure no explosive or even terrorist was inside the building.
Asked whether it was certain all terrorists had been killed and hotel free to move into, Dutt said that could be ascertained only after the combing operation was done.
“All operations are over. All the terrorists have been killed,” reiterated Mumbai police chief Hassan Gafoor, as the Special Forces units emerged from the smoke-filled hotel and firemen moved in to douse a fierce blaze.
Around 10 AK-56 rifles were recovered. “There was a lot of shooting. Grenades were lobbed and explosives were used by the terrorists,” said Rakesh Maria, joint commissioner (crime), heading the investigations on the Mumbai police’s side.
During the night, terrorists holed up inside the hotel engaged in a fierce gun battle with security forces at various places on the first and the ground floors of the 565-room building, set ablaze by explosions in the 105-year-old heritage complex in the Colaba area.
In a press statement released by Mr Raymond Bickson, chief executive and managing director of the Indian Hotels Company Limited — which the Taj is a part of, said that with regard to reports by some media outlets, “We would like to point out that we have no indications or information from the investigating authorities that any of the hotel employees or contractual staff has been involved in this terrorist attack. We continue to extend our full cooperation to the relevant authorities and await their full assessment of the situation.” Oberoi Group chairman Mr P.R.S. Oberoi also reiterated that none of the Oberoi staff could have been involved in the terror episode in any way. Four resident guests, 18 visitors dining in the restaurants and two staff members were killed in the assault, while three resident guests, four visitors and two staffers were injured and currently recuperating. Besides, 135 people had been evacuated from the Oberoi, while 316 had been evacuated from the Trident, Mr Oberoi said.
Foreign nationals killed in terror attack
German: 3
American : 1
British:1
Japanese: 1
Canadian: 2
Filipino: 1
Itatian: 1
Omani: 1
Chinese: 1
Israeli: 3
Yet to be ascertained: 3
The aftermath
Glaring intelligence lapses have come to the fore with reports indicating that the Maharashtra government was warned well in advance of an impending terror attack on Mumbai with the likelihood of terrorists arriving by sea. A fisherman from Navsari had alerted the Intelligence Bureau (IB) of suspicious activity and infringement of outsiders in the sea, four months ago.
The Asian Age has learnt from top ranking sources in the Gujarat police that the information provided by the fisherman, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, not only contained details of suspicious activities being carried out by unidentified people on the Gujarat coastline but also had the names of a few locals who were conniving with them.
“I had told the concerned IB officers that there is major movement happening in the sea,” said Shiva Bhagat (name changed) and added, “For the last 25 years, we have been going to sea almost every other day. We had been noticing a few new boats recently,” said Mr Bhagat who is a chief fisherman in Navsari.
“Everyday, as a rule we count all the boats that go out to sea and count them again when they return. I had been informed by my men that while parking their boats at the coast, the numbers of boats would increase. I was further told that they belonged to locals but I was suspicious so faxed the names of some of the locals,” added Mr Bhagat.
Meanwhile, the Central intelligence agencies had issued four specific advisories since January 2008 to the state government that a terrorist outfit was preparing to target Mumbai through the sea route. IB maintained that despite repeated advisories, the state police, especially the Mumbai police, did not carry out any adequate follow-up action. The state government did not take the input seriously as there was no follow-up, the sources added. When the specific input was shared with the state government, it should have acted upon it.
Following the interrogation of the arrested terrorist, it has been revealed that they had carried out a reconnaissance of Mumbai a few months ago. It was a well-planned operation, said an official.
"They had come along with at least 10 operatives, posing as students, and lived in a rented accommodation near Colaba. Investigations have revealed that the terrorists were given the impression that they would come back alive after carrying out their mission in Mumbai. They had enough explosives to blow up the hotel," sources said.
The interrogation has also revealed that the terrorists were trained in marine warfare and specialised commando raids. It is learnt that the arrested terrorist also revealed the names of other terrorists to the investigating agencies. The intelligence agencies had sent a warning note to the Coast Guard to stay on the lookout for an unidentified Pakistani trawler sailing from Karachi which, they feared, may enter Indian waters. While the Coast Guard was looking for a Pakistani or unidentified vessel, the terrorists hijacked an Indian fishing trawler, killed its crew and entered Mumbai seas. This trawler, Kuber belongs to a fisherman from Porbander, Vinod Masani, who has been detained by the Porbander police for interrogation. The Indian Coast Guard spotted the boat carrying the body of captain Amarsingh Naran. “One team of our officers has been dispatched to Gujarat for investigations and all angles and possibilities are being probed,” said Rakesh Maria, joint commissioner of police, crime.
As far as the involvement of Dawood's D-Company is concerned, an official said, "We are examining all aspects. It's too early to draw a conclusion. How the operation was funded, where the money came from, how the terrorists were provided arms and ammunition etc. We are examining all aspects."
The Asian Age has learnt from top ranking sources in the Gujarat police that the information provided by the fisherman, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, not only contained details of suspicious activities being carried out by unidentified people on the Gujarat coastline but also had the names of a few locals who were conniving with them.
“I had told the concerned IB officers that there is major movement happening in the sea,” said Shiva Bhagat (name changed) and added, “For the last 25 years, we have been going to sea almost every other day. We had been noticing a few new boats recently,” said Mr Bhagat who is a chief fisherman in Navsari.
“Everyday, as a rule we count all the boats that go out to sea and count them again when they return. I had been informed by my men that while parking their boats at the coast, the numbers of boats would increase. I was further told that they belonged to locals but I was suspicious so faxed the names of some of the locals,” added Mr Bhagat.
Meanwhile, the Central intelligence agencies had issued four specific advisories since January 2008 to the state government that a terrorist outfit was preparing to target Mumbai through the sea route. IB maintained that despite repeated advisories, the state police, especially the Mumbai police, did not carry out any adequate follow-up action. The state government did not take the input seriously as there was no follow-up, the sources added. When the specific input was shared with the state government, it should have acted upon it.
Following the interrogation of the arrested terrorist, it has been revealed that they had carried out a reconnaissance of Mumbai a few months ago. It was a well-planned operation, said an official.
"They had come along with at least 10 operatives, posing as students, and lived in a rented accommodation near Colaba. Investigations have revealed that the terrorists were given the impression that they would come back alive after carrying out their mission in Mumbai. They had enough explosives to blow up the hotel," sources said.
The interrogation has also revealed that the terrorists were trained in marine warfare and specialised commando raids. It is learnt that the arrested terrorist also revealed the names of other terrorists to the investigating agencies. The intelligence agencies had sent a warning note to the Coast Guard to stay on the lookout for an unidentified Pakistani trawler sailing from Karachi which, they feared, may enter Indian waters. While the Coast Guard was looking for a Pakistani or unidentified vessel, the terrorists hijacked an Indian fishing trawler, killed its crew and entered Mumbai seas. This trawler, Kuber belongs to a fisherman from Porbander, Vinod Masani, who has been detained by the Porbander police for interrogation. The Indian Coast Guard spotted the boat carrying the body of captain Amarsingh Naran. “One team of our officers has been dispatched to Gujarat for investigations and all angles and possibilities are being probed,” said Rakesh Maria, joint commissioner of police, crime.
As far as the involvement of Dawood's D-Company is concerned, an official said, "We are examining all aspects. It's too early to draw a conclusion. How the operation was funded, where the money came from, how the terrorists were provided arms and ammunition etc. We are examining all aspects."
State to form own special force
In the wake of the November 26 terror attacks on Mumbai, the Maharashtra government is now contemplating the formation a specialised state force on the lines on the National Security Guard (NSG), which was involved in the 59-hour operation against the terrorists who attacked 10 prominent places in Mumbai on Wednesday night.
The state force will be called Maharashtra Security Guard (MSG), which will be directly under the state director general of police.
“We have requested the Centre to deploy a battalion of NSG in Mumbai till the formation of MSG,” chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.
Mr Deshmukh also admitted that the state does not have sufficient police force. “Our population is 10 crore for which 1.5 – 1.75 lakh police personnel is enough. The state government has sanctioned 11,000 new posts in the police department and the recruitment process is going on,” he said.
However, it is important to note that the state government had sanctioned 11,000 new posts in the police department in March this year, which have not been filled yet.
Mr Deshmukh said that the modernisation and upgradation of the police force moves at a slow pace because his government gives priority to development work.
Mr Deshmukh and deputy chief minister R.R. Patil also confirmed that the state government had never received any specific intelligence input from the Centre. Though the Maharashtra leaders were not as critical as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who has compared the Centre’s intelligence inputs with weather bureau reports, they said that the information forwarded by the Centre is always very general.
Mr Deshmukh said, “The state and Centre regularly share information. But the intelligence inputs passed on to the state are always very general. We keep getting messages like ‘terrorists might attack Mumbai and therefore beef up the security’. Now we all know that Mumbai is a sensitive place and it is always a terrorist target.”
DCM Patil also echoed the CM’s view, saying that the state home department never receives any detailed intelligence report while general information keeps coming now and then.
Following the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur, Rajasthan in May this year, Mr Modi had vented his anger at the Centre’s intelligence inputs. In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Mr Modi said, “The Central intelligence agencies are more like weather reports, which are generally vague in nature.”
Prasad Patil for The Asian Age
The state force will be called Maharashtra Security Guard (MSG), which will be directly under the state director general of police.
“We have requested the Centre to deploy a battalion of NSG in Mumbai till the formation of MSG,” chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.
Mr Deshmukh also admitted that the state does not have sufficient police force. “Our population is 10 crore for which 1.5 – 1.75 lakh police personnel is enough. The state government has sanctioned 11,000 new posts in the police department and the recruitment process is going on,” he said.
However, it is important to note that the state government had sanctioned 11,000 new posts in the police department in March this year, which have not been filled yet.
Mr Deshmukh said that the modernisation and upgradation of the police force moves at a slow pace because his government gives priority to development work.
Mr Deshmukh and deputy chief minister R.R. Patil also confirmed that the state government had never received any specific intelligence input from the Centre. Though the Maharashtra leaders were not as critical as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who has compared the Centre’s intelligence inputs with weather bureau reports, they said that the information forwarded by the Centre is always very general.
Mr Deshmukh said, “The state and Centre regularly share information. But the intelligence inputs passed on to the state are always very general. We keep getting messages like ‘terrorists might attack Mumbai and therefore beef up the security’. Now we all know that Mumbai is a sensitive place and it is always a terrorist target.”
DCM Patil also echoed the CM’s view, saying that the state home department never receives any detailed intelligence report while general information keeps coming now and then.
Following the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur, Rajasthan in May this year, Mr Modi had vented his anger at the Centre’s intelligence inputs. In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Mr Modi said, “The Central intelligence agencies are more like weather reports, which are generally vague in nature.”
Prasad Patil for The Asian Age
French nationals Indian dream comes to a bitter end - the aftermath
The dream of a French national of Indian origin to teach his children the Indian way of life remained unfulfilled as both he and his wife were shot dead by terrorists at the Oberoi Trident Hotel on Wednesday night. The bodies of the couple that was claimed by a relative will be flown back to France for burial. Mr Mourad Amarsy (48), a successful entrepreneur in France had sold off his entire business to a Japanese firm last year and returned to India as he was in love with the country and its culture and additionally, wanted his children to learn to love and respect it. According to his cousin Gulam Raza Amarsy, who flew down to Mumbai on Saturday morning, Mourad was a very softhearted person and though the entire Amarsy family had settled in France for many decades, he had returned to India, as he wanted to get back to his roots. “It is very bizarre,” said a visibly shaken Gulam Raza. “The entire family is yet to come to terms with the fact that Mourad and Limiye are no more. Their children Naeem (12), Ilana (9) and Rayane (6) are still unaware that their parents have been killed. They are presently with their grandmother at her Bandra residence. We will be taking the children along with the bodies to France as there is no one to take care of them here,” added Gulam Raza.On Wednesday night, the couple had gone to the Oberoi Trident for dinner and expected to meet some people to discuss future business. According to sources, the couple’s bodies were found on the 18th floor of the hotel, which meant that they were held hostage by the terrorists and taken to the upper floors, where they were later shot dead. Mourad suffered a bullet injury to his heart while Limiye was hit four times. The bodies were found on Friday after the Indian army and NSG personnel had managed to rid the Oberoi Trident of the terrorists. The bodies were first sent to Sir J.J. Hospital where Gulam Raza identified his brother and sister-in-law. The bodies were then sent to Sion Hospital for a post-mortem, after which they were handed over to Gulam Raza on Saturday evening.
K.A. Dodhiya, The Asian Age
Taxi bombs planted way before operation - the aftermath
Police officers investigating the terror attack now believe that four terrorists in groups of two planted bombs in the two taxis that they had taken to their targets. The bombs in the two taxis — one detonated at the Dockyard and the other at Vile Parle — went off killing five people and injuring two on Wednesday night.One bomb exploded inside a taxi 300 metres away from the domestic airport killing the taxi driver, a Hyderabad based lawyer called Laxminarayan Goyal and two others. Minutes later, the next bomb went off at the Dockyard near Byculla killing taxi driver Phoolchand Bhim, a woman passenger and another woman who was passing by.“Mohammed Ajmal Mohammed Amir Kasab (21), the only terrorist to be captured alive told us that all the ten terrorists got off a boat three nautical miles away from Mumbai and reached the Machhimar Colony in front of Badhwar Park in Cuffe Parade in a speed boat. They formed five teams of two and took taxis to reach their targets,” said Mr Rakesh Maria, joint commissioner of police, crime.According to him, four teams left for the Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel and Nariman House, while the fifth left for CST railway station. “We now suspect that they had planted the bombs before getting out of the taxis. Ajmal has told us that they paid the taxi fare completely, so as to not arouse suspicions,” added Mr Maria.
CST was mere diversion - The aftermath
The police now believes that the mayhem at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on November 26 was just a diversionary tactic to allow terrorist teams holed up in the Taj Mahal Hotel, Nariman House and the Oberoi Trident Hotel to complete their plans and hold hundreds of people hostage.
According to senior officers involved with the investigations, the two terrorists went about creating mayhem at CST and then went on a shooting spree to ensure that the police would already be engaged with them when any alarm was sounded from either of the hotels about trouble brewing there.
“Their main targets were the two hotels as on any given day, several foreign nationals are lodged there. They wanted their attacks to be taken seriously even by western countries. They knew that the western world would definitely take the attack very seriously with several of their citizens taken hostage,” said a source.
The source further said that by opening fire at busy CST railway station in the evening, all top police officers would be engaged and in that time, their other teams could have enough time to enter the hotels.
This was seconded by some of the railway constables on duty at CST at the time who said that it didn’t seem like the terrorists had any particular purpose apart from creating panic and mayhem. Terrorists killed railway police inspector Shashank Shinde and Railway Protection Force head constable M.L. Chaudhary.
“It didn’t look like they were targetting anything in particular at CST or had any plans to get from A to B in the huge lobby of the station. In fact, they wanted to run towards the BEST bus depot outside and probably take the GPO road towards the Taj, but due to sustained fire from railway security forces, they changed their plan and went towards D.N. Road by using the foot over-bridge on the north end of the platform. It was from here that they went towards the Cama Hospital where a firefight killed ATS chief Hemant Karkare, additional commissioner Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.
Meanwhile, railway police commissioner A.K. Sharma only said, “I can neither deny or confirm this, as investigations are on.”
According to senior officers involved with the investigations, the two terrorists went about creating mayhem at CST and then went on a shooting spree to ensure that the police would already be engaged with them when any alarm was sounded from either of the hotels about trouble brewing there.
“Their main targets were the two hotels as on any given day, several foreign nationals are lodged there. They wanted their attacks to be taken seriously even by western countries. They knew that the western world would definitely take the attack very seriously with several of their citizens taken hostage,” said a source.
The source further said that by opening fire at busy CST railway station in the evening, all top police officers would be engaged and in that time, their other teams could have enough time to enter the hotels.
This was seconded by some of the railway constables on duty at CST at the time who said that it didn’t seem like the terrorists had any particular purpose apart from creating panic and mayhem. Terrorists killed railway police inspector Shashank Shinde and Railway Protection Force head constable M.L. Chaudhary.
“It didn’t look like they were targetting anything in particular at CST or had any plans to get from A to B in the huge lobby of the station. In fact, they wanted to run towards the BEST bus depot outside and probably take the GPO road towards the Taj, but due to sustained fire from railway security forces, they changed their plan and went towards D.N. Road by using the foot over-bridge on the north end of the platform. It was from here that they went towards the Cama Hospital where a firefight killed ATS chief Hemant Karkare, additional commissioner Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.
Meanwhile, railway police commissioner A.K. Sharma only said, “I can neither deny or confirm this, as investigations are on.”
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