Internal Security Watch

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 03 Jul 2009 08:33

Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Financial Network Targets India from the Gulf States

Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 19
July 2, 2009 04:12 PM Age: 7 hrs
Category: Terrorism Monitor, Global Terrorism Analysis, Home Page, Terrorism, South Asia
By: Animesh Roul

Hafeez Muhammad Saeed, Founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba

An impending threat from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group has prompted security establishments to raise an alert along India’s western sea-coast. According to intelligence sources, the LeT’s marine wing is planning a Mumbai-type incursion to target vital installations in the three coastal states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. The group is also reported to have funneled huge amounts of money from its Gulf-based networks to fund jihad activities in India (Times of India, June 30). This is not an isolated intelligence alert. The threat emanating from the LeT was partially revealed following the recent arrest of Muhammad Omar Madni, a close associate of LeT/Jamaat-ud- Dawa chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed. The arrest and interrogation of Madni revealed several startling details, including new routes used by terrorists, the location of bases inside and outside India, terrorist finances, and the recruitment strategy of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Muhammad Omar Madni, who also oversees LeT’s Nepal operations, was on a mission to recruit youths and send them to Pakistan for training. Madni travelled widely through Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and the Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, seeking funding and logistical support. His task was to recruit educated and computer-savvy youths from the major metropolises of India (Press Trust of India, June 7). Indian agencies believe he is not the only LeT recruiter in the sprawling hinterland of India (Statesman, [Kolkata], June 5). Madni’s brother Hafiz Muhammad Zubair, another Lashkar operative who worked closely with him, is presently based in Qatar (Telegraph [Kolkata], June 6).

Besides the usual routes of intrusion in Jammu and Kashmir, LeT has managed to build alternate routes through the porous borders of Nepal and Bangladesh while establishing bases in the Gulf countries. Investigating agencies have now confirmed that LeT is working on a new strategy which involves using Dubai as the center of planning for future strikes against India (India Today, June 22). Past and ongoing terror investigations suggest the Gulf countries have been the major hubs for LeT terrorists and many terrorist plots against India are now hatched outside Pakistan’s territory.

After groping in the dark for some time, India’s intelligence agencies have now confirmed that the Gulf link to terror in India is thriving and there are LeT cells operating in the Gulf that have financed and facilitated terrorist operations in India.

Mumbai’s crime branch probe revealed that the November 2008 Mumbai terror events were financed by LeT’s Gulf cells and Gulf-based operatives masterminded and executed a series of blasts in Indian urban centers ( Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Delhi and Surat) in 2008. These operations were carried out in collusion with militants of the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) and the proscribed Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

While investigating the August 2003 twin blasts in Mumbai (car bombs at the Gateway of India and the Zaveri Bazaar), Mumbai Police unearthed a strong Dubai link. The plot was hatched by LeT’s Dubai operatives, who colluded with sleeper cells in Hyderabad, Ernakulum and Chennai. The blasts were claimed by an unknown group—the “Gujarat Muslim Revenge Force” (GMRF)—one of the many groups set up by SIMI and LeT following the 2002 Gujarat communal riots to avenge atrocities perpetrated against the Muslim community (Press Trust of India, October 10, 2003). Hanif, one of the Lashkar militants arrested in connection with the blasts, reportedly told police about the planning, logistics and targets of the LeT’s GMRF wing. Since 1993, Hanif worked in Dubai as an electrician and was sent to Mumbai in September 2002 to organize and execute the attacks. Police also interrogated Hanif about his ties to Basheer, a fugitive SIMI figure who fled to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one Abu Hamza, affiliated to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) (Frontline [Chennai], September 13-26, 2003).

Another major example of Lashkar’s Gulf connections arose in mid-2006, following the serial commuter train blasts in Mumbai. Mumbai’s Anti-Terrorist Squad seized approximately 37,000 Saudi Riyals from the residences of the LeT’s Mumbai cell chief, Faizal Ataur Rehman Sheikh (Indian Express, August 2, 2006). The money reportedly came in two installments from Saudi Arabia via the hawala network operated by Faizal’s London-based brother Rahil Sheikh and another Lashkar operative identified as Rizwan Ahmed Davre, an IT professional based in Riyadh. [1] Rizwan acted as a conduit between the unidentified Saudi funder, Pakistan based LeT commander Azam Cheema and Faizal Sheikh. Cheema reportedly designated Davre the ‘amir-e-baitulmaal’ (chief exchequer) for his able handling of monetary transactions (Indian Express, October 1, 2006)

Investigations by India’s intelligence agencies into the 2008 urban terrorist attacks uncovered ties to many Gulf hotspots, especially the financial networks in Muscat (Oman). At least four LeT operatives handled India operations from Gulf cities like Muscat and Sharjah. They are identified as Wali (a.k.a Shameem), Muslim Basheer, Sarfaraz Nawaz (a.k.a Hakeem Sarfoor) and Abu Haroon. These four are believed to be of Pakistani origin and to have been deputed in the Gulf to raise funds and monitor operations planned for India. While Wali was involved in fundraising activities and responsible for coordinating with SIMI and IM militants in India, Muslim Basheer, based in Muscat, was the chief coordinator for the LeT in the Gulf. Funds for the terrorist operations were raised by Wali, who provided the money for the blasts and who sent youths from the southwestern state of Kerala to Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK) for terrorist training (New Indian Express [Chennai], March 27). Investigating agencies identified Abu Haroon, a travel agent in Muscat, as the operative who facilitated the movement of money to India from the Gulf region through hawala channels. Abu Haroon also coordinated between the Lashkar leadership in Pakistan and India (Rediff.com, May 27). The fourth terrorist, Sarfaraz Nawaz, another LeT man from Muscat and a former SIMI leader who likely fled to Oman following the countrywide crackdown on SIMI establishments, was brought from Muscat to India in a dramatic secret operation earlier this year by India’s external intelligence agency, Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). The swift operation surprised many Indian officials, especially in the absence of any extradition pact between India and Oman (Rediff.com, March 04, 2009).

Three other terrorists involved in the July 2008 Bangalore serial blasts and other incidents have been identified as Saleem and Jaheed from Bangladesh (hawala operators) and Ali Abdul Azeez Hooti of Oman, the chief terrorist financier.

The Gulf’s increasing ties to terrorism resurfaced when investigations into the November 2008 Mumbai carnage tracked a similar pattern involving Gulf-based financiers and Lashkar coordinators. The role of Aziz Hooti as one of the financers in this connection is currently under probe. Hooti, the Oman based businessman and key Lashkar operative there, was in touch with Lashkar terrorist Fahim Ansari just before late November’s carnage in Mumbai. At present, Fahim Ansari is on trial and Aziz Hooti is in the custody of the Oman police for plotting against Western establishments in Oman. According to the information shared between Oman and Indian police, Aziz Hooti could have had direct ties to the Mumbai attackers. It is now believed in investigating circles that both Aziz Hooti and Nawaz played vital roles in financing terrorist activities in India, especially in providing funds for Indians taking jihadi training in the PAK region (The Hindu, May 28; Rediff.com, May 28).

Nawaz’s interrogation has revealed many facts about Lashkar’s plans in southern India. According to his statement, he and Ummer Haji, an IM cadre and key figure in the terror network in south India, had hatched a plan to carry out serial bomb blasts in Chennai and Bangalore (New Indian Express, June 29). However, Lashkar’s Chennai plot was dropped by Wali due to funding issues. Haji is the man who sent Kerala youths to Muzaffarabad in Kashmir for training. Aziz Hooti was also involved in the Bangalore plan while the terrorist triumvirate (Wali, Nawaz and Hooti) met in Sharjah in early 2008. Nawaz’s statement also sheds some light on Lashkar’s operational strategy in southern India. Bangalore police revealed that Nawaz was in close touch with Abdul Nazar Madhani, leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP - a left wing Kerala political party) (New Indian Express [Chennai], March 28)

SIMI has operational ties with many militant student groups, including the Saudi Arabian Jamayyatul Ansar (JA), whose membership is comprised of former SIMI activists and expatriate Indian Muslims. It should be emphasized that the LeT and its Jamaat ud-Dawah (JuD) subsidiary were born out of the Ahl-e-Hadith (AH) movement with roots in the Middle East and in the Indian subcontinent. LeT largely draws its ideological inspirations from this transnational Islamic puritanical movement that openly propagates the doctrine of jihad in India. AH has been influential in the subcontinent with active ties to Saudi Wahhabis and strong diaspora links. One of the reasons for this could be the AH inspired student movements (e.g. the Mujahid Students Movement) active in Kerala with branches in Gulf countries, along with Indian Islahi centers in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. [2]

The beginning of this year was marked by Islamabad's crackdown on the LeT and other Pakistan based terror groups in which LeT came under severe pressure from the Pakistan administration to de-escalate its jihadi agenda against India. Despite the crackdown and the detention and subsequent release of LeT leaders in Pakistan, the LeT is reportedly once again looking to strike India by plotting against its vital installations and infrastructure.

The recent spurt of terror activities by the LeT in India has a direct connection to contributions from the Gulf-based cells that have planned and financed most of the group’s operations. The LeT’s Gulf based networks are becoming the lifeline for LeT/JuD operations in Pakistan and India. With this threat in view, India is now seeking a comprehensive anti-terrorism treaty with the Gulf nations. For now, Madani and Nawaz’s confessions have provided investigating agencies an outline of the shape of things to come regarding the LeT’s plans for terrorist operations in India.

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 03 Jul 2009 23:35

Chargesheet against Varun

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 04 Jul 2009 20:29

City squad for malls & flats
Calcutta, June 23: Calcutta will get a combat force trained on the lines of the elite National Security Guard to deal with terrorists.

The police brass had proposed the force a few months ago but the state cabinet cleared it today, in the middle of the crackdown in Lalgarh against Maoist guerrillas.

“This 1,000-strong force will be specifically for the city and equipped to tackle different forms of terrorist attacks,” chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said.

A force comprising three battalions with 2,200 jawans will be formed especially to combat the Maoists across the state, he added.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090624/j ... 151462.jsp

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 04 Jul 2009 20:51

Ultras dead under snow in Kashmir

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 04 Jul 2009 21:17

Was Election 2009 rigged?

The Election Commission has now officially taken up the investigation of charges of rigging and fraud through the Electronic Voting Machines.

Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla [ Images ] is sitting over a major scandal of a possible massive rigging of elections by manipulation of software of the Electronic Voting Machines.

But for the charge levelled by a former Delhi [ Images ] chief secretary five years senior to him in the Indian Administrative Service cadre, Chawla would have rejected such claims of rigging.

Omesh Saigal, a 1964 batch IAS officer of the Union Territory, stunned him with a presentation to force him to order an inquiry into any possibility of such a rigging.
Chawla is himself a Union Territory cadre IAS of 1969 batch.

Deputy Election Commissioner Balakrishnan has been asked to conduct the inquiry on the basis of a report handed over by Saigal to the CEC, with a software he got developed to show how the elections can be rigged.

Saigal, who is an Indian Institute of Technology alumni, has demanded an urgent check of the programme that runs the EVMs used in elections since 2004.

He demonstrated with his software that its manipulation ensured that one has to just key in a certain code number and that will ensure every fifth vote cast in a particular polling booth goes in favour of a certain candidate.

In his letter to the CEC, Saigal alleged that the software written onto the EVMs has never been checked by the Election Commission ever since these machines were manufactured than 6-7 years back.

His contention is that the EC merely relied on the certificates supplied by the manufacturers, the government-run BEL and ECIL. He alleged that these government firms had subcontracted private parties who actually provided these certificates.

"A public software audit of these machines from time to time, especially after and before an election, was a must to retain the credibility of the elections," Saigal affirmed, demanding that for the sake of transparency names and ownerships of these private companies must be disclosed, as also the details of the factories where they were actually manufactured.

The records retained in the factories must also be immediately taken over by the EC to prevent any tampering and to facilitate an audit, he said.

He also pointed out how, after nearly two years of deliberation, Germany's [ Images ] Supreme Court ruled last March that e-voting was unconstitutional because the average citizen could not be expected to understand the exact steps involved in the recording and tallying of votes. Earlier, Ireland had given up e-voting for similar reasons.

In the United States too, after considerable controversy the Federal Election Commission has come up in 2005 with detailed voting system guidelines which run into more than 400 pages.

Saigal said that it is noteworthy that not a single safeguard mentioned in these guidelines are in place in India.

Saigal said he had gone into all the safeguards built into the e-voting system in India with the help of former colleagues and IT experts and finds it both 'possible and plausible' to rig these machines and get a crooked result.

"If the credibility of the electoral process is to be ensured, pre- and post-election checks of the software now fused onto the chips of the EVMs is a must," Saigal said.

It is not that all the 10 lakh odd machines used in the poll need to be checked. If we take only those booths where one of the candidates has received 75 per cent of the votes and in constituencies where the
margin of the winner is less than 15,000, not more than 7,000-odd machines will need to be checked.

Saigal argued in his report that "if we cannot do this we must revert to the paper ballot."

"The need for a fair, free and transparent polling system transcends any reasons anyone may have to the contrary," he added.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 04 Jul 2009 22:01

Muppalla wrote:Was Election 2009 rigged?

Page gone. Looks like rajmata called up rediff.

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derkonig · Post by **derkonig** » 04 Jul 2009 23:01

^^^
This makes the rigging affair even more intriguing. Besides, is there any reactions from political parties on this yet?

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 05 Jul 2009 10:37

The article has reappeared:
http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jul/ ... rigged.htm

I am personally 100 percent convinced about the rigging. The results are simply bizzare and too convenient for Congress. Also, now congress is losing in every byelection. For example, just 15 days after Congress “swept” all five of Uttarkhand Lok Sabha seats, BJP wins the state assembly seat of Kapkot.
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?660668
The Congress candidate comes third.
What changed in a mere 15 days? Doctored voting machines, that is what changed. The Congress “wave” went away as soon as doctored EVMs were sent packing. Congress last week lost a state assembly seat in MP too.

derkonig · Post by **derkonig** » 05 Jul 2009 11:39

^^^
Sanjayji,
Weren't EVMs used in the assembly by-polls? BTW, Advaniji has taken cognisance of the rigging issue & has asked for paper ballots of Maha polls.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 05 Jul 2009 11:45

but no chillam chillu on this issue by other parties point to the other way.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 05 Jul 2009 12:26

There might be loopholes in the software and might be a good suggestion to get sofware cerified by public independen agencies before and afer elections. These features can be incorporated in the nex assembly elections and improved on. Thats how one evolves a better product and expertise. However nowhere in the Article is any mention that actual rigging has taken place. So Advani again displays his immature psyche by instead of demanding systemic checks and independent assurances on sofware credibility during election times, goes for banning the system and thus flushing down the drain alread tremendous expertise and investment in the system. This is precisely what ails the BJP leadership..the inclination towards fanciful, snapshot solutions in a flash. It's really irritating to see the attitude.."that if they are not doing it, how are we capable of doing this?". Smacks of inferiority and a total lack of confidence in one's and the Nations capabilities.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 05 Jul 2009 13:05

So Advani again displays his immature psyche by instead of demanding systemic checks and independent assurances on sofware credibility during election times, goes for banning the system and thus flushing down the drain alread tremendous expertise and investment in the system.

Many "mature" and "self-confident" countries in the West have evaluated EVMs and banned their use, starting with the US and UK.

Winning elections made easy
http://www.indianexpress.com/storyOld.php?storyId=45296

Dutch government bans electronic voting
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=003AE6 ... 0DCFA62609

U.S. district judge refuses to lift state ban on electronic voting
http://www.wvcag.org/news/fair_use/2004/07_01e.htm

California bans the use of some e-voting machines
http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2004/05/3721.ars

20 Calif. Counties Scrap Electronic Vote Machines
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=18672642

Germany bans electronic voting machines
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2009/04/389461.shtml

German high court bans electronic voting
http://www.eurotrib.com/comments/2009/3/4/912/56737/21

Analysis finds e-voting machines vulnerable
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... ting_x.htm

Most electronic voting isn't secure: CIA
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/64711.html
The CIA, which has been monitoring foreign countries' use of electronic voting systems, has reported apparent vote-rigging schemes in Venezuela, Macedonia and Ukraine and a raft of concerns about the machines' vulnerability to tampering.

Europeans Reject Electronic Voting
http://www.newsweek.com/id/199102/

Ireland scraps electronic voting
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0423/evoting.html

Italy calls halt to electronic voting
http://www.jasonkitcat.com/h/f/JDOM/blog//1//?be_id=320

Quebec puts the brakes on electronic voting
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/25/queb ... ic-voting/

California "Top to Bottom" Review of Electronic Voting Machines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic ... tom_Review
In May 2007, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen commissioned a “Top to Bottom review” of all electronic voting systems in the state. She engaged computer security experts led by the University of California to perform security evaluations of voting system source code as well as “red teams” running “worst case” Election Day scenarios attempting to identify vulnerabilities to tampering or error. The Top to Bottom review also included a comprehensive review of manufacturer documentation as well as a review of accessibility features and alternative language requirements.

The end results of the tests was released in the four detailed Secretary of State August 3, 2007 resolutions (for Diebold Election Systems, Hart InterCivic, Sequoia Voting Systems and Elections Systems and Software, Inc.) and updated October 25, 2007 revised resolutions for Diebold and Sequoia voting systems.[47] The security experts found significant security flaws in all of the manufacturers’ voting systems, flaws that could allow a single non-expert to compromise an entire election.

Electronic Vote Distrusted in Venezuela
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00969.html

U.S. Investigates Voting Machines’ Venezuela Ties
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/washi ... allot.html

This is what EVMs can do:

Chidambaram's highly suspect win
Chennai: Delay in receipt and changed serial numbers of EVMs

The report received from the Collector on the counting of votes in Sivaganga constituency is seriously enquiring into the affair by reviewing the video recordings. During the counting of votes in the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency, from round 1 to round 15, AIADMK Candidate Raja Kannappan was in the lead.

In a sudden twist, during the next two rounds, Home Minister P. Chidambaram was declared to be in the lead and declared elected by a difference of 3354 votes. By 12: 30 PM in a situation when most party agents had left the counting premises, at about 6 PM, the declaration of election was made and has led to intense debate.

Raja Kannappan’s complaint: Stating that there were malpractices in the counting of votes, Raja Kannappan has lodged a complaint with Naresh Gupta, State Election Commmissioner and asked for recount. In his petition, Raja Kannappan has noted: “When counting of votes had ended by 1:30 PM, I was declared to have been in the lead and that I had won by a difference of 3552 votes. Claiming that there were differences in the counting, the District Election Officer declined to declare the result. Thereafter, a declaration was made that P. Chidambaram had won”

There is a difference of 15,000 votes between the recordings made during the counting, by Election Party Agents and details mentioned in the Announcement Board.

Why delay? Electronic Voting Machines used in Alangudi Assembly segment were received in Karaikkudi counting centre only on May 14 (that is, the day after the election at 6 AM). The distance between Karaikudi and Alangudi is only 60 kms. Despite this, there has been delay in bringing in the EVMs. Some Machine numbers are also different from the one recorded earlier. On some EVMs, there are no signatures of Election Party Agents. There is no tally between the number of voters and the votes recorded. So said, Raja Kannappan in his petition.

After reviewing the petition, Naresh Gupta has ordered for a detailed report from the Election Officer, who is Collector Pankaj Kumar. Naresh Gupta who gave a Press Statement on May 20 that there were no malpractices in the counting process, has, on the very next day asked for a detailed report from the Collector. This has fueled further debate. Election Commission is seriously engaged in matching the video recordings with the reports made by the Collector.

Got this in my email after my blog post about riggig in 2009 elections:

You might be interested to hear that Dr Anupam Saraph (CIO of Pune, India, and an adviser to the UN and the Asian Development Society) and Professor Madhav Nalapat (Director of the Department of Manipal University, India, as well as a UNESCO Peace Chair holder, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalapat) accidentally discovered files on an official Indian government website that seemed to have voting result numbers long before votes were actually cast.

On May 6th, while looking for routine, publicly available, candidate data during the election, a detailed Excel file of votes polled results for every candidate in India was found on the official website of the Election Commission of India (http://eci.nic.in/candidateinfo/frmcandidate.aspx). That was 9 days before the final votes were cast on May 15. And, even so, the Election Commission was not supposed to have access to votes cast data until May 16, when official counting was to be done.

On May 7 and 11, the Excel file was downloaded again from the Election Commission site. The numbers of votes cast for some candidates changed in each version of the file. In the version of the file downloaded on the last day before the official counting, May 15th, the votes cast results column was blank.

The downloaded files can be found here (the votes cast numbers are in Column N “votespolled”): http://government.wikia.com/wiki/Tracking_the_elections

When news of the files started to spread, the Election Commission closed its site from May 23 to 25. It was back up on the 25th but, until the 29th, you couldn’t download the file anymore. You can now, but the votes cast data for each candidate is gone (you can just see who won) even though now, two weeks after the election, is when that data should be available.

The implications are unsettling.

Are electronic voting machines tamper-proof?
By Subramaniam Swamy
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/17/stories ... 160900.htm

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 05 Jul 2009 13:17

derkonig wrote:^^^
Sanjayji,
Weren't EVMs used in the assembly by-polls? BTW, Advaniji has taken cognisance of the rigging issue & has asked for paper ballots of Maha polls.

That is why congress is having khujli and is now making the same allegations!

Faults in Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) lead to defeat of Congress in Madhya Pradesh: Srinivas
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-65212.html

Voting machines 'manipulated' in Orissa polls, claims Azad
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090618/81 ... oriss.html

So even the Congress admits that EVMs can have flaws and can be tampered to swing election results. don't you find anything suspicious about congress' determination to install Chawla on the top post in EC?

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 05 Jul 2009 13:26

Sanjayji, readsome of your sites. yes indeed there are vulnerabilites in any system. Name a system that is not vulnerable? the paper ballot is not vulnerable? I would'n even bother posting about Venezualians distrust in EVMs. I remember reading tremendous differences in the US EVM and the Indian one. I did not discount vulnerabiliy. What i discount is rejection instead of moving forward. EVMs can be made safer and necessary independent audits for same can be introduced to make the possibility of hacking and rigging to minimum. Thats how any or all products develop, all expertize is built on this. There is indeed no cause for rejecting EVMs. Calls by Subramanium Swamy and Hugo Chavez don't count.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 05 Jul 2009 17:01

Maoists, troop cut on PC plate
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090705/j ... 198466.jsp

Four more battalions of the CRPF’s elite anti-Maoist wing, Cobra, will be ready by 2010-2011, the ministry says. Orissa will get two ALF Dhruv helicopters to fight the Naxalites while insurgency-hit Tripura too will get two.

The ministry has pledged to appoint 6,666 special police officers (SPOs) in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Orissa and Bihar.

Chidambaram also wants the National Counter Terrorism Centre set up by September 30, along with a tactical wing at the National Police Academy, Hyderabad, to counter rural and urban terrorism.

The national intelligence grid will be strengthened through sharing of inputs among the various agencies. The ministry wants to ready the scheme of central assistance to state intelligence wings by September 30.

At the same time, the ministry plans to provide the Assam Rifles — a paramilitary force under the army’s operational command — with an intelligence wing and commando units.

Fencing and floodlighting of the country’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will gain speed. By the September deadline, 383 outposts will be set up on the Bangladesh border and 126 on the Pakistan border.

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 05 Jul 2009 17:43

All historical monuments to get security cover

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 05 Jul 2009 17:45

Force One to be operational by Aug 15: Patil.

Force One, set up by Maharashtra government on the lines of the National Security Guards in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, will be operational by August 15.

Force One will be ready to take up its job on August 15 and its members have already completed preliminary training, home minister Jayant Patil said.

Over 1,600 young policemen from the state had expressed their willingness to join the force, but after a thorough physical and mental examination, only 320 were shortlisted.

Some had to be dropped as they could not cope up with the strenuous physical exercises during their training period.

Presently, 150-odd commandos are being trained at the State Reserve Police campus in Pune.

After completing the ongoing second phase of the training, the selected candidates of the Force would be sent to Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa for advanced training, Patil said.

The objective is to show them how to deal with various conditions and learn modern combat techniques, Patil said.

Graduate and English speaking cadets would be given preference for the training, he added.

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 05 Jul 2009 17:49

Militancy in Meghalaya down.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 05 Jul 2009 17:51

Vipul wrote:Force One to be operational by Aug 15: Patil.

After completing the ongoing second phase of the training, the selected candidates of the Force would be sent to Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa for advanced training, Patil said.

The objective is to show them how to deal with various conditions and learn modern combat techniques, Patil said.

Graduate and English speaking cadets would be given preference for the training, he added.

SAPS STF?? but why??

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 05 Jul 2009 18:19

3000 girls missing in Chhattisgarh
Where we are heading

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 05 Jul 2009 18:29

harbans wrote:There might be loopholes in the software and might be a good suggestion to get sofware cerified by public independen agencies before and afer elections. These features can be incorporated in the nex assembly elections and improved on. Thats how one evolves a better product and expertise. However nowhere in the Article is any mention that actual rigging has taken place. So Advani again displays his immature psyche by instead of demanding systemic checks and independent assurances on sofware credibility during election times, goes for banning the system and thus flushing down the drain alread tremendous expertise and investment in the system. This is precisely what ails the BJP leadership..the inclination towards fanciful, snapshot solutions in a flash. It's really irritating to see the attitude.."that if they are not doing it, how are we capable of doing this?". Smacks of inferiority and a total lack of confidence in one's and the Nations capabilities.

EVMs can be easily tweaked: Expert

Rahul Mehta · Post by **Rahul Mehta** » 05 Jul 2009 19:14

Jamal K. Malik wrote:3000 girls missing in Chhattisgarh
Where we are heading

The trafficking thrives because local thugs in charge of this business have nexuses with local DySP and judges, give bribes to them and so the DySP/judges let them run amok.

The commons cant do a zilch as they have no powers to expel these DySPs and judges.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Jul 2009 19:27

Rather than looking under every stone and bush for corrupt judges, and blaming them for the ills of society, it may be more profitable to look at the socioeconomic conditions in the area.

What kind of life do the young have to look forward to there? What hope is there? For a female, would prospects not be far worse?
Better to escape, even into the hands of a trafficker.

The idyllic romantic view of rural existence is fine for those who don't have to lead that sort of life. All sorts of fanciful schemes for rural development are proposed, ignoring the facts of resource constraints and the advantages of urbanization such as economies of scale. People are surprised when the rural poor use the newly built rural roads to escape into the cities.

AnimeshP · Post by **AnimeshP** » 05 Jul 2009 19:42

Jamal K. Malik wrote:
harbans wrote:There might be loopholes in the software and might be a good suggestion to get sofware cerified by public independen agencies before and afer elections. These features can be incorporated in the nex assembly elections and improved on. Thats how one evolves a better product and expertise. However nowhere in the Article is any mention that actual rigging has taken place. So Advani again displays his immature psyche by instead of demanding systemic checks and independent assurances on sofware credibility during election times, goes for banning the system and thus flushing down the drain alread tremendous expertise and investment in the system. This is precisely what ails the BJP leadership..the inclination towards fanciful, snapshot solutions in a flash. It's really irritating to see the attitude.."that if they are not doing it, how are we capable of doing this?". Smacks of inferiority and a total lack of confidence in one's and the Nations capabilities.
EVMs can be easily tweaked: Expert

Pragati: Are electronic voting machines tamper-proof?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Jul 2009 19:58

So even the Congress admits that EVMs can have flaws and can be tampered to swing election results.

As opposed to the ballot box, which cannot be stuffed, tampered with, captured, switched etc.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 05 Jul 2009 20:08

Gerard wrote:
So even the Congress admits that EVMs can have flaws and can be tampered to swing election results.
As opposed to the ballot box, which cannot be stuffed, tampered with, captured, switched etc.

When ballot boxes are stuffed, voters and media can actually see it with thier own eyes and even capture it on their cameras, as opposed to EVMs where you never know to whom your vote went.

Stuffing ballot boxes is a practise restricted to rural, remote areas or the badlands where law and order has been subverted by the ruling party. While a repoll can be ordered on recieving news of stuffing ballot boxes, how exactly is the voter supposed to discern EVM fraud? How will you complain about a crime when you have no idea a crime has been committed?

While stuffing ballot boxes can change the verdict in a few booths, with EVMs, fraud can be committed on a nationwide scale. This is what happened in 2009 election. Give me the possibility of stuffed ballot boxes anyday over the possibility of EVMs being manipulated by external forces which do not want Hindu nationalists to regain power at the center.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 05 Jul 2009 20:42

Lets analyze...the problems:

1. Voting machines are “black boxes” whose workings are opaque to the public and whose feedback to the voter is generated by the black boxes themselves. Therefore, whether or not they are operating properly cannot be independently verified and the machines should not be used.

Excerpt: That a machine contains a computer and the computer contains object code not readily viewable or understandable by the public is by itself no reason not to use the machine. If it were, no one ought to own a personal computer. Neither passenger nor pilot can see or understand the software that operates the control surfaces of a jet plane. Such software could contain code, malicious or otherwise, that might send the plane into a dive at noon on a specific date from which the pilot could not recover. How do we know for a fact that such code is not present? We don’t. Yet pilots and passengers continue to board planes every day. Let’s look carefully at the reasons we allow jets to operate. All of them apply to voting systems as well...

2. No amount of code auditing can ever detect malicious or even innocently erroneous software. Therefore the machines should not be used.

Excerpt: It is pointless to discuss the security of a computer system in the absence of a well-articulated list of threats. So let’s enumerate and deal with them in order.

1. Isolated attacks on individual machines. There are any number of ways of interfering with the operation of any computer system, such as pounding on it with a sledge hammer or the slightly more sophisticated technique of exposing it to several watts of radio-frequency emission. Such efforts fall into the class of mischief rather than tampering because they cannot be used to cause a predetermined result.

A different form of attack is to gain access the hardware or software of an individual machine or small number of such machines and alter them, either by connecting to ports and interfaces or by opening the machine by force or with the help of an insider who may have the keys, along with manuals, plans and source code listings for the machine. It should be obvious that no machines should be used that allows any voter to connect to it electrically to during an election and any device that permits this should be decertified immediately. The question is how to prevent people from modifying the machines offline or at least to be sure the tampering will be detected before the machines are used.

One solution is to ensure that all software needed to operate the machines, including the operating system, is not installed in the machine until election day. The authorized, certified software, distributed from a central authority (not the manufacturer), can be brought up at the time the polls are opened. In this way no advance modification of any software would be fruitful. If it is deemed undesirable to do a full machine boot, a portion of the code can be loaded on election day and verify through message digests and encrypted checksums that none of the prestored files has been altered.

2. Attacks by hackers or insiders at a polling place. The tendency to use networked voting machines at polling places for ease of administration also increases the risk that an insider could use a computer connected to the network to distribute malware to the voting machines after the election has begun. The miscreant would presumably remove the malicious code or restore the original at some time before the end of voting so that no trace would remain of the misdeed. This sort of attack presupposes that the insider is able to erase evidence of his deed during the election, for if the altered software is still present in the machine at the close of polls it can be detected. It also is a highly localized manipulation that affects the results at a single precinct only....

3. No feasible test plan can ever exercise every possible combination of inputs to the machine or exercise every one of its logic paths. Therefore the machines should not be used.

Excerpt: Since 1990, the Federal Election Commission has developed and promulgated Voting System Standards[12]. The current version of these standards is now several hundred pages long. They deal with hardware, software, telecommunications, security, qualification, testing and configuration management, among other issues. They are voluntary in that any state may, but is not required to, adopt the standards as part of its voting system certification process. As of this date, 36 states and the District of Columbia have done so. The standards are clearly a step in the right direction and obviously enjoy widespread state support, although one wonders whether the states have really evaluated the standards and found them to be meritorious or have adopted them for convenience. It is difficult, however, for a standards-making body to keep up with developments in computer security, develop countermeasures for newly-recognized threats and document them in the form of precise standards. Thus Volume I Standard 6.4.2, entitled “Protection Against Malicious Software” is just two sentences long: “Voting systems shall deploy protection against the many forms of threats to which they may be exposed such as file and macro viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and logic bombs. Vendors shall develop and document the procedures to be followed to ensure that such protection is maintained in a current status.” An Independent Testing Authority (ITA) would be justified in claiming that the standard gives no operational guidance in testing a system to see whether it is secure against malicious code. It also appears to pass the burden to vendors, who are the very parties against whom we seek protection...read further

4. Hackers can break into the FBI’s servers and deface its website. It ought to be child’s play for them to throw an election. Therefore the machines should not be used.

Excerpt: 1.4. Testing

DRE opponents argue that DRE software may contain up to 50,000 lines of poorly-written code that is impossible to read or test[16]. The argument is misleading – deliberately so in the author’s opinion. It is true that complete voting software systems, including ballot setup and printing components, may reach that size, but the portions of code that accept input from the voter and record ballot images – the very portions suspicions about which have given rise to calls for paper trails – are tiny by comparison.

While it is surely true that not every logic path of a computer program of any size can be exercised, this is obviously not a reason not to use software. Otherwise no commercial software would ever be used, and surely not in any situation in which human life were at risk. The issue is whether any combination of code reading, program testing, open source code publication and other techniques can give us adequate assurance that the software does not contain malicious code or logic errors that will cause votes to be altered. The answer is certainly yes. If code is too obscure, or contains portions that are not readily understandable, it should not be used. Only if the relevant programming is transparent and available to the public should we be confident about using it.

One should realize that the basic loop that interrogates portions of a touchscreen and interprets them as votes is not very complex, although an entire election administration system might be. When the user touches the screen the processor is notified through an interrupt and receives the geographic coordinates of the point that has been touched. A search is made to determine which box on the screen has been touched. Any code that is present that treats candidates differently based on their ballot positions should not be there.

PAPER VOTING:

On March 20, 2004, a presidential election was held in Taiwan. The winner by 29,518 votes (out of over 13 million cast) was the incumbent, Chen Shui-bian. To achieve this result, the Central Election Commission had to declare 337,297 ballots as invalid, more than 11 times the supposed margin of victory. The voting method was by paper ballot, and there weren’t even any DRE machines to blame. Surely if the voters could rely on the paper ballots to be counted properly this result could not have occurred.

The largest industry in the world in terms of daily cash flow is foreign currency trading, which often totals more than $2 trillion per day. The entire world securities industry rarely exceeds one-tenth of that amount, and no sector that deals in physical goods can even approach it. The vast majority of foreign currency trades are made without any use of paper whatsoever, either in the form of an original order or a generated receipt. If computers are unsafe and hackers and well-placed insiders lurk behind every door, one wonders why the traders don’t lose a billion dollars a day (or at least a million) as a result of malware. In December 2003, no less a figure than Senator Hilary Clinton stated while introducing her “Protecting American Democracy Act of 2003[17]”: “You go to an ATM, you get a receipt. You play the lottery, you get a ticket. Yet when you cast your vote, you get nothing. The systems used by the people of the United States to exercise their constitutional right to vote should be as reliable as the machines people depend on to get their money. What's required for money machines should be required for voting machines.” Statements that play well to the electorate often fail when subjected to the cool light of logic.

Prety good exercise in comparison..can go through the entire thing here:

http://euro.ecom.cmu.edu/people/faculty ... /paper.htm

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 06 Jul 2009 00:36

CPI(M), LJP support Advani on EVM charge

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 06 Jul 2009 02:48

Army officers running guns: Govt

Several serving and former army officers are involved in illegal sale of prohibited weapons and imported arms to criminals. Some arms dealers and Rajasthan government officials in the border districts of the state are also party to gun-running.

AnimeshP · Post by **AnimeshP** » 06 Jul 2009 04:14

vera_k wrote:CPI(M), LJP support Advani on EVM charge

Election Commission of India Press release regarding EVMs

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 06 Jul 2009 12:58

India protests firing along Punjab border

by Praveen Swami
The link has fotu.

NEW DELHI: India has called on Pakistan to strengthen security along the international border in Punjab, following a mysterious rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on Saturday night.

Sources in the Border Security Force said an RPG exploded in a field near the Pul Kanjari Border Observation Post, shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Its fragments were later recovered.

Minutes earlier, troops stationed along India-Pakistan border in the Attari area, heard a loud explosion from the area around Pakistan’s KS Wallah Border Post.

Both incidents followed an early-afternoon shooting, in which a Pakistani attempting to cross the fencing on the India-Pakistan border was killed. It is unclear, however, if the shooting and the subsequent explosions were linked.

Terrorist attack?
“Based on the trajectory of the rockets, our best guess is that both were aimed at the KS Wallah Post, but one missed its target and landed on our side of the border,” a senior BSF official said.

In March, terrorists believed to be linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had attacked a police training academy at Manawan, near Attari.

Six weeks ago, government sources said, the BSF informally shared communications intelligence that TTP terrorists were planning to target the Rangers’ forward positions.

Rahul Mehta · Post by **Rahul Mehta** » 06 Jul 2009 14:22

Admins,

Pls allow a thread on EVM. EVM-phillic and EVM-phobic people are both hyperactive and are putting too many pro-EVM and anti-EVM posts. I dont blame them, nor am I complaining --- they have valid reasons. I myself has EVM-phobia and want to put anti-EVM posts. So please allow a separate thread for that, so that other general topics can get some space here.

----

Jamal:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indi ... 740844.cms

3000 girls missing in Chhattisgarh. Where we are heading

Rahul Mehta: The trafficking thrives because local thugs in charge of this business have nexuses with local DySP and judges, give bribes to them and so the DySP/judges let them run amok. The commons cant do a zilch as they have no powers to expel these DySPs and judges.

Gerard: Rather than looking under every stone and bush for corrupt judges, and blaming them for the ills of society, it may be more profitable to look at the socioeconomic conditions in the area.

What kind of life do the young have to look forward to there? What hope is there? For a female, would prospects not be far worse? Better to escape, even into the hands of a trafficker. ... .

Gerard,

I dont blame policemen, judges for every thing that goes wrong. But when ills are amplified due to Nbjp, not blaming them and passing the buck on social factors, social processes and fate alone is also wrong. The real culprits walk away and so problem stays.

I dont mind girls above 18 eloping. But trafficking involves taking girls to hostile places, and this is the task of gangs - not just one person. Also, people in this business are repeat offenders, and they have dense nexuses with Nbjp with whom they share profits as well as the "spoils". This is a PG-13 forum, and so I will not disclose X-rated details that involve Nbjp and this flesh trade. But they are pretty gory. And why dont the girls in these hostile places dont report to policemen after they land in hostile places? Because they know that policemen and judges will NOT help them. And this problem is due to administrative reason - not social factors. The Nbjp promote these gangsters only because we commons have no way to imprison such Nbjp.

... All sorts of fanciful schemes for rural development are proposed, ignoring the facts of resource constraints and the advantages of urbanization such as economies of scale. People are surprised when the rural poor use the newly built rural roads to escape into the cities.

Yes. Rural and tribal areas are hell holes. And solution is giving mineral royalties and land rent DIRECTLY to people in rural areas rather than wasting money in NREGS schemes. This will reduce poverty and so people in villages and forest areas will be better off. In addition, a property tax in urban area should be imposed. This will bring down land prices, and so it will be easy for poor to rent/buy home in cities. This will reduce miseries of people in rural areas as well as forest areas.

What other solutions do you propose?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 07 Jul 2009 03:32

I thought you already had a thread on GD forum started by you. So whats this "please allow a thread on EVM"?

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 07 Jul 2009 04:08

http://www.india-seminar.com/semframe.html

#

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Rudra Chaudhuri, Doctoral Fellow at Department of War Studies, King's College, London
#

INDIA AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Timothy D. Hoyt, Professor of Strategy and Policy, US Naval War College, Newport
#

THE ABSENT DIALOGUE
Anit Mukherjee, doctoral candidate, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC
#

MODERNISING THE INDIAN ARMY
Gurmeet Kanwal, Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, Delhi
#

THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGING INDIAN MILITARY DOCTRINE
Walter C. Ladwig III, Predoctoral Fellow, Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia
#

INTELLIGENCE FAILURES AND REFORMS
Srinath Raghavan, Associate Fellow, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
#

INSURGENCY AND COUNTERINSURGENCY
Rajesh Rajagopalan, Professor, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi

#

THE CHALLENGE OF TERRORISM
S. Kalyanaraman, Research Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Delhi
#

DETERRENCE AND ASYMMETRIC WARFARE
S. Paul Kapur, Associate Professor, US Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
#

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Srinath Raghavan, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore and Rudra Chaudhuri, Doctoral Fellow at Department of War Studies, Kingt's College, London
#

HABIT OF FREE-RIDING
Bharat Karnad, Professor, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 07 Jul 2009 17:04

I thought there was something odd about the communal riots in Mysore.

Emerging news:

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/122 ... -held.html

Mysore: PFI activists held
Mysore,DH News Service :

In a dramatic development, City unit President of Popular Front of India (PFI, formerly known as Karnataka Dignity Forum), Kaleem was arrested along with 15 others in Mysore on Monday.

The activists were whisked away by City police as they were coming out after addressing a press conference at the Mysore District Journalists’ Association building, late in the afternoon. They were bundled into a van and taken away. They have been charged with inciting violence and preventing police from discharging their duties, in connection with the Thursday’s violence in Mysore city.

A button knife and mobile phones were confiscated from the activists after the police searched them.

Kaleem and his men blamed Sri Rama Sene Chief Pramod Mutalik, who visited the area 26 days ago, for the violence. “Police did not act fast and remove the carcass of the piglet. The delay led to escalation of violence. The government has not acted impartially in this manner,” they said, pressing for a CBI inquiry into the incidents.

Police sources said that Kaleem and his associates had also played a ‘crucial’ role in the Kytamaranahalli violence, which took place three months ago.

The activists allegedly have been named in the FIR lodged in connection with the Thursday’s incidents, and were asked to surrender at Udayagiri police station.

The Popular Front of India is a thinly veiled Islamist group that promises violence in revenge. I have previously linked pictures of the posters they have made:

sum · Post by **sum** » 07 Jul 2009 17:35

The activists were whisked away by City police as they were coming out after addressing a press conference at the Mysore District Journalists’ Association building, late in the afternoon. They were bundled into a van and taken away. They have been charged with inciting violence and preventing police from discharging their duties, in connection with the Thursday’s violence in Mysore city.

Good stuff....

Like this new attitude of the police where they cock a snook at the Human rights wallahs/ fifth columnists by arresting people from press conferences.

Even the other day, the Maoist spokesman was picked up from a press conference. Wish that vote banking doesn't come into play and such front orgs for terrorists are quickly dismantled all over India.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 07 Jul 2009 18:06

harbans wrote:There might be loopholes in the software and might be a good suggestion to get sofware cerified by public independen agencies before and afer elections. These features can be incorporated in the nex assembly elections and improved on. Thats how one evolves a better product and expertise. However nowhere in the Article is any mention that actual rigging has taken place. So Advani again displays his immature psyche by instead of demanding systemic checks and independent assurances on sofware credibility during election times, goes for banning the system and thus flushing down the drain alread tremendous expertise and investment in the system. This is precisely what ails the BJP leadership..the inclination towards fanciful, snapshot solutions in a flash. It's really irritating to see the attitude.."that if they are not doing it, how are we capable of doing this?". Smacks of inferiority and a total lack of confidence in one's and the Nations capabilities.

There is no need to show actual rigging has taken place. Elections like justice should not only be fair but also should seem fair. If the doubt about credibility of election arises, most people will not vote.

I don't know about BJP leadership. You brain needs little knowledge and maturity. It is not about political parties. It is about a process being fair and appearing fair. Advani and BJP are being careful because they will be called sore losers. If investment is made and it is wrong, you need to cut losses. Just because investment is made, you don't destroy democracy.

It is irritating to see your attitude. It is not nation's capabilities. you idiot! It is accountability. If there is a doubt about machines, there has to be a tamper proof record which is a paper ballot. Even the US does not use electronic voting because it is non-auditable. There is a paper trail because you mark the vote on a paper and scan those papers.

How will you check the software and how many machine will be tested?

As has been clearly demonstrated in Chidambaram's recount, it was totally a sham.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 07 Jul 2009 22:10

shiv wrote:The Popular Front of India is a thinly veiled Islamist group that promises violence in revenge. I have previously linked pictures of the posters they have made:

Now that you mentioned it, if I remember correct this organisation is in close contact with a few organisations in Kerala as well. IIRC it is NDF (National Democratic

Front). This party now is supposed to be the new face of PDP (and ISS) started by Abdul Nassar Mahdani. A.N Mahdani declared that he has turned over a new leaf after his stint in Coimbatore Prison, but I really doubt it.

Will try to dig up a few news link which mentions the close tie up of organisations like NDF, Popular Front of India etc. All seems to have common masters.

[Digging up the links took 30 seconds thanks to Google]
Wikipedia
Popular Front and NDF

sum · Post by **sum** » 10 Jul 2009 09:36

PFI on the rampage again

Fresh incidents of violence broke out in the Mandi police station limits in Mysore on Thursday as a ‘jail bharo’ by activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) turned violent at the Fountain Circle here.

The police lobbed tear gas shells and resorted to lathi charge to quell the mob, which indulged in stone throwing. While a police constable was stabbed, a few police personnel, including Assistant Commissioner of Police A K Suresh, were hurt in stone throwing. A press photographer, who suffered injuries, was admitted to a private hospital.

Police arrested 219 persons, including six women, in connection with the incident. As a precautionary measure, the district administration has declared holiday for educational institutions in the Narasimharaja Constituency on Friday.

Night curfew

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal, who was in Bangalore in connection with a meeting convened by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, rushed back to Mysore. He told Deccan Herald that night curfew would be clamped in the three police station limits of Udayagiri, Mandi and Narasimha Raja from Thursday till further orders.

Trouble began around 2:30 pm when a group of people under the banner of the PFI gathered at the Five Lights Circle as part of the ‘jail bharo’ programme. Within minutes more than 1,000 persons arrived at the place and took out a procession towards the Tipu Circle. They blocked the Mysore-Bangalore Highway for more than an hour. Senior police officers, through the public address system, appealed to the agitators to disperse as prohibitory orders were in force. However, the protesters squatted on the road and staged a ‘rasta roko’ in the lashing rains.

They raised slogans against the State government and demanded the release of 16 PFI activists who had been arrested by the police. A few miscreants threw stones at KSRTC buses damaging window panes. The nearby shops were also stoned by the mob.
Sensing trouble, KSRP and Rapid Action Force personnel, who had been deployed in the Udayagiri police station limits, were summoned to the Fountain Circle. As the police started arresting the protesters, the miscreants rained stones on the police and RAF personnel.

The police, who were taken aback by the stone throwing without any provocation, resorted to lathi charge. The RAF personnel also joined the police and lobbed tear gas shells. The protesters were beaten black and blue.{The SOBs deserve it}

While ACP Suresh was trying to control the mob, a stone hit his face. Mahesh, a police constable attached to the V V Puram police station, who was on bandobust duty at the spot, was stabbed by some miscreants. The duo was immediately taken to a private hospital where their condition was said to be out of danger.

The whole place resembled a battle ground with the mob pelting stones from one corner of the road and police bursting tear gas shells from the other side. Some miscreants pelted stones at the shops on Ashoka Road, which prompted the traders to down shutters as a precautionary measure. The police had diverted vehicular movement till the situation became normal.

Serious action is needed against the PFI before it goes the SIMI way. Good that no mercy was shown by the police.

derkonig · Post by **derkonig** » 10 Jul 2009 10:02

sum wrote: Serious action is needed against the PFI before it goes the SIMI way. Good that no mercy was shown by the police.

Why do you think they are not already linked with their ummah birathers in SIMI and else where?