Internal Security Thread
Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:07 pm
Discussions about issues affecting internal security of India like terrorist activities, espionage, law order issues.
It’s interesting to hear chatter in various parts of national media about the imminent fading of Maoist chief Ganapathy, or Muppala Laxman Rao. It is based on rebel chatter and correspondence that security agencies compile and share from time to time.
A major newspaper even termed the possible elevation of Ganapathy’s colleague, Nambala Keshav Rao, who goes by the nom de guerre of Basavraj (or Basava Raju), as heralding a shift to a “military movement” as opposed to a primarily ideological one for the Communist Party of India (Maoist), or CPI (Maoist), the country’s largest and most active rebel group.
While a change of guard has been indicated for several years, including in this column, the second assertion is bunkum.
The movement, whether in its 13-year-old avatar of CPI (Maoist) or its earlier components that in late-2004 merged to make up the rebel conglomerate, military action through its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army, has always gone hand-in-hand with indoctrination. It’s the pipeline that feeds the movement with recruits from urban areas as well as those—as is increasingly the case—in the hinterlands, the rebel strongholds in parts of central, south and eastern India. Indeed, it was a massive spurt of military action from 2004 onwards that led Manmohan Singh, the prime minister at the time, to describe the Maoist rebellion as India’s “single biggest internal security challenge” in April 2006.
Even with current security chatter of Maoists attempting to expand their base in the Balaghat region of southern Madhya Pradesh near a tri-junction with Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, is about how Maoists are moving up from areas of Bastar in southern Chhattisgarh where they are under severe pressure from security forces, to prepare the ground for another sanctuary. Indeed, much like Maoist rebels of the day did in Bastar in the late-1980s and early 1990s to prepare ground with research, propaganda, and indoctrination, to create a rebel sanctuary as an alternative to the Telangana area where they were being actively hunted down, their networks infiltrated, their sympathizers weaned away.
(It is easy also to forget that Balaghat was not long ago counted as an active Maoist zone. All that changes is the ebb and flow of rebellion driven by the intensity and success of the state’s response to it.)
The Maoists are the last to deny they are severely stressed at present—and they have been so since 2010 when security response began to be massively ramped up—but that is not the reason for a change of leadership.
At 68, Ganapathy, and his more elderly number two, Prashanta Bose, or Kishan-da, are past their prime. I wrote in this column four years ago: “The brutal fact is that, even as its aftermath can often resemble extended geriatric enterprise, active rebellion and revolution is a younger person’s game … the era of rebel churn will inevitably witness a leadership transition. At the very least, it will evidence the anointing of future leadership to secure the movement and quell the restlessness of the remaining—and younger—first- and second-tier leaders.”
Basava Raju, 10 years younger than Ganapthy, and long-time head of the CPI (Maoist)’s Central Military Commission, the umbrella operational command, is seen as one who fits the bill.
The Maoists have been open about victories as well as vicissitude. I mentioned in this column an introspective letter written by Ganapathy in 2013 to his senior colleagues in the already beleaguered rebel party, as much a revelation of vulnerability as an aggregation of observations that had been voiced by many—including Maoists themselves—for close to two years.
The introspection began over the Lalgarh uprising in West Bengal—the movement culminated in the death of top Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao, or Kishenji, in end-2011. In the letter Ganapathy bemoaned the loss of several of the party’s top leaders through arrests, death in combat or staged encounters, and ill-health, since 2007. He underscored the loss of territory. Ganapathy urged the need for revival, and even suggested jailbreaks to free leaders from prison. A formal resolution passed by the party’s central committee in 2013 was as introspective.
Then, as now, while matters remain greatly sobering for Maoists, they are far from done. I would keep my eyes on the two distinct Maoist areas of control that are peopled by two distinct leadership groups. The Bastar, or “Telugu” lot, and the Bihar-Jharkhand lot. The give and take here will be crucial for whatever transpires. More on that next week.
New Delhi: Indian Army officer Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who walked out of jail in August after spending nine years as an undertrial in the 2008 Malegaon case, had submitted a secret report to Southern Command in Pune in 2006.
TIMES NOW has accessed the report, which exposed links between radical Muslim groups, netas and liberal intellectuals.
Notably, Colonel Purohit's report was appended by the National Investigation Agency in the charge sheet submitted before the court.
Indian Army officer Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who walked out of jail in August after spending nine years as an undertrial in the 2008 Malegaon case, had submitted a secret report to Southern Command in Pune in 2006.
Two top Maoists in Bihar and Jharkhand who boast of fighting for the cause of marginalised sections of the society are millionaires and their family members lead a lavish life with the extortion money collected by cadres, according to an intelligence report prepared by the special task force (STF) of Bihar police.
TOI is in possession of a copy of the report which has been submitted to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The report says that children of top Maoists Sandeep Yadav and Pradyuman Sharma, who are active in Bihar and Jharkhand, study in prestigious colleges, own sports bikes and travel by air.
Sandeep, who is in charge of Bihar-Jharkhand special area committee (BJSAC), is wanted in 88 cases and carries a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head. His brother Dhanik Lal is also a Maoist.
Pradyuman is wanted in 51 cases and carries a reward of Rs 50,000. He is also a member of the special area committee. The report says that Sandeep's elder son Rahul Kumar is a second semester BBA student at a reputed private college in Patna. A sports bike, purchased from an Aurangabad showroom on down payment, is registered in his name. Sandeep's younger son Rahul Kumar lives with his mother Rajanti Kumari in Ranchi.
He also owns a sports bike and studies at one of the most reputed colleges in Ranchi. His sister studies at a private residential school in Gaya district.
Sandeep's wife is an untrained teacher at a government primary school in Lutua panchayat of Gaya district.Though Rajanti remains absent from school, she gets regular salary and owns property worth at least Rs 80 lakh, the report says.
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Maoists extort 1300 crores per annum from tea grden contractors and road contractors and so far killed 12,800 people that include 4000 police personal. CPM arranges guns for Maoists from Beijing and ... Read More
Around two years after its attempt to sell Dawood Ibrahim's property, Hotel Raounaq Afroz-also known as Delhi Zaika-the Union finance ministry has again announced an auction of the premises along with five other properties reportedly owned by the underworld don.
The administrator of the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) had issued a newspaper advertisement for public auction of six properties on November 14 with a total reserve price of Rs 5.54 crore.
This includes Damarwala building near Bhendi Bazar where Dawood's younger brother, Iqbal Kaskar, resided till recently. It's the same street where Dawood once lived until he fled the country in the late '80s. "The building was bought by Amina Bi, Dawood's mother, and Kaskar from Abdul Hussain Damarwala in the 1980s," said a tenant.
The others are Shabnam Guest House on Mohammed Ali Road, a flat in Pearl Harbour building at Mazgaon, tenancy rights of a room in Dadriwala chawl at Saifee Jubilee Street, and a 600 sq metre factory plot in Aurangabad district. All the Mumbai properties are within a 2 sq km area encompassing Mazgaon, Dongri and Mohammed Ali Road, a stretch that was under the D-company's sway for decades. The Mumbai properties are all part-commercial, part-residential comprising lodges, shops and residences.
The second-in-command rank officer, Deepak K Mondal, in-charge of the 145th battalion of the border guarding force was evacuated to Kolkata after the attack.
The incident took place at about 2am near the Belardeppa border post in the Sipahijala district of the state when the officer was allegedly hit by a four-wheeler being used by the smugglers. He was patrolling the area with his team to check cattle smuggling and other illegal activities along the international border which is “unfenced” here, an accompanying BSF jawan said.
Mondal saw some cattle smugglers and challenged them, he said, adding the officer along with his guard and driver tried to stop them.
“The group of about 25 smugglers were carrying bricks, lathis and machetes. When challenged, the smugglers tried to gherao the officer and the patrol party. Smugglers’ vehicle hit the officer from behind and he sustained severe injury to his head and legs and he is critical,” the jawan added.
An accompanying Border Security Force jawan fired five rounds from his rifle to control the situation, he said adding the area has been cordoned off.
As many as 383 police personnel, including 56 belonging to the BSF and 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir, have laid down their lives in the line of duty in last one year, Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain said today. Addressing the Police Commemoration Day, where Home Minister Rajnath Singh led the nation in paying tribute to martyrs of police forces, Jain said the 383 police personnel lost their lives while performing various duties across the country from September 2016 to August 2017. Among these police personnel, 76 belonged to the Uttar Pradesh Police, 56 belonged to the BSF, 49 were from the CRPF, 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 23 belonged to Chhattisgarh, 16 were from West Bengal, 13 each belonged to Delhi and the CISF, 12 each were from Bihar and Karnataka and 11 from the ITBP.
Majority of the police personnel died while dealing with cross-border firing from Pakistan, fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxals and other law and order duties. The day is observed to pay homage to 10 policemen martyred in firing by Chinese troops in 1959 and 34,400 others who laid down their lives protecting India's unity and integrity.
Read more at: http://www.jammulinksnews.com/newsdetai ... ort_to_J&KAfter remaining under the scanner of National Investigation Agency (NIA) for 40 days, separatist Devender Behl has once again surfaced in the Kashmir Valley where he was seen thanking Pakistan for supporting and standing behind people of Jammu and Kashmir during difficult times. Chants of Jeeve Jeeve Pakistan also rent the air after he thanked Pakistan for supporting their cause.
His house was raided by the NIA in Bakshi Nagar area of Jammu on July 30, 2017. Following the raids, he was directed to report at the NIA headquarters. His name had surfaced during interrogation of other separatists picked up by the NIA to investigate cases of terror funding and hawala transactions used to fuel anger against the security forces.
Khalistanis in armed forcesDepartmental enquiry has been ordered against Constable Harvindar Aulakh of Sashastra Seema Bal by Ministry of Home Affairs, his social media account is now secured so that no changes can be made, probe is going on. After satisfying with the formal procedure I am sharing this with everyone. This Constable allegedly shared anti national & pro Khalistani content, photograph of Tiranga with shoes on it was also shared from his account, being a CAPF's Jawan he was allegedly doing such pathetic things, hence I made a complaint & forwarded the matter to the concerned authority. Once the Enquiry gets over & if goes against his favour then departmental action will take place & he shall be booked under various acts of IPC which includes sedition.
The NIA, which registered the case in 2011, revived the investigation recently.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Syed Shahid Yusuf, son of Hizb-ul- Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin.
The detention comes a day after the Central government announced the appointment of a special representative to carry forward the dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir.
A government official told The Hindu that Yusuf, who works in the agriculture department of the J&K government, was detained as his name cropped up in a 2011 case registered by the NIA pertaining to terror funding.
The investigation revealed that one of the accused, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, based in Syria, allegedly transferred money to Yusuf on the direction of Salahuddin.
“The money was sent between 2011-14 and it was used for terrorist activities in the Kashmir Valley,” said the official. The NIA revived the investigation recently, even though the case is under trial in a city court.
Four persons related to this case — Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, Mohammad Sidiq Ghanaian, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga, were arrested earlier. Two others, Mohd. Maqbool Pandit and Aijaz Ahmed Bhat are absconding.
Read more at: http://www.jammulinksnews.com/newsdetai ... o_propertyJammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has promulgated an ordinance making persons calling for strikes or demonstrations, which lead to damage of public property, liable for fines and imprisonment up to five years, an official spokesperson said today. "It will more effectively discourage/prevent the deleterious activities of individuals/organisations which result in damage to public and private properties," said a statement.
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Property (Prevention of Damage) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 amends the existing law relating to damage to public property and comes into effect immediately. This ordinance, the spokesperson said, has been enacted to achieve the twin objectives of making mischief to public and private property due to direct action punishable and of making any person calling for direct action liable for abetment of such offence. The spokesperson said the amendment to the existing law has been made to implement directions given by the Supreme Court in the case, ‘In Re-Destruction of Public and Private Properties vs. State of A.P (Andhra Pradesh) and others (2009)'. As the state legislature is not in session, the governor, on the recommendation of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, exercised his powers under Section 91 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir to promulgate the ordinance.
Whoever announces direct action in the form of strikes, demonstrations or other public forms of protests which result in damage to public as well as private property can be punished with imprisonment for a period of two to five years and can be imposed a fine equivalent to the market value of the property damaged or destroyed. Moreover, the scope of the existing law which was earlier restricted to public property - primarily government property or property owned by government entities - has been enlarged to include private property.