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1993 Serial Blasts: Is Mumbai less vulnerable to terror strike?

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On March 12, 1993, a series of 12 bomb blasts ripped across Mumbai in which officially 257 persons died and 1,400 were injured. It was the worst urban terrorist attack then. Is Mumbai less vulnerable now to a similar terror strike than what it was 30 years ago? The answer is an emphatic ‘No’. 

NN Vora Committee report yet to be made public


The biggest injustice has been done to the metropolis by the government by not making public the report of NN Vora Committee, which was appointed to unearth the links between the underworld, politicians, police and bureaucrats. The 100-page report by the former Union home secretary had gone into the depth of the problem and submitted a remarkably candid report to the government, a source privy to the document told the Free Press Journal.

Despite several efforts by citizens to get the report made public through PILs and other means, it continues to gather dust in the archives of the North Block. Only 11 pages were placed on the floor of Parliament. But, these 11 pages hardly gave any worthwhile information.

The report exposes, among other things, the close nexus between a top politician and the Dawood Ibrahim gang. Reportedly that is one of the primary reasons why the political establishment wants to keep it under wraps.


People have every right to read report: Suradkar

Even though the people of Mumbai have a right to know the contents of the report, they have been kept in the dark. Former IPS officer SS Suradkar, who had fought a brave battle to break the deep nexus between politicians and the underworld of Vasai-Virar, said the people have every right to read the Vora report.

Interestingly, Sharad Pawar, who was the chief minister during the blasts, confessed that he had lied to the people about the number of blasts. While the fact was that the 12 blasts had taken place in Hindu-dominated areas, Pawar had claimed that there was a 13th blast in a Muslim-majority area. He had also hinted at the role of the LTTE in the blasts, while it was very clear from day one that the attacks were the handiwork of the Dawood Ibrahim gang working at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI. Pawar claimed that he lied because he did not want more communal riots in Mumbai, but there are few takers for his claim even today.

The RDX explosives, grenades and AK 47s were smuggled through the Raigad coast by Dawood’s men with the connivance of certain corrupt Customs officials.

Raigad coast continues to be vulnerable

The Raigad coast continues to be vulnerable. It was because the authorities had not learnt any lesson that on November 26, 2008 Ajmal Kasab and his men came through the coast in front of Badhwar Park in Colaba, hired cabs and launched terror strikes.

They were provided logistics support by the Ali gang which was dominating the Mumbai docks. The truth is that this gang, which is primarily into diesel smuggling from the high seas, is still active in the docks. In fact, it spread its tentacles to the JNPT port.

Corruption in customs a big menace

Corruption in the Customs department has increased as exposed by the FPJ in a series of reports recently. There is open talk of links between certain IPS officers and the underworld with the ex-Director General of Police Sanjay Pande and ex-Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve submitting detailed reports on the issue to the state home department.

But these reports have been junked for no apparent reason. Retired assistant commissioner of police Rajendra Kumar Trivedi said he filed RTI applications to get copies of the reports sent by Pande and Barve, but the home department rejected his applications.

Today, even though the violent activities of Mumbai’s underworld have reduced substantially, their money and muscle power has increased exponentially.

Pramod Goenka, a prominent builder, was summoned by Choota Shakeel to Maputo in Mozambique and today nothing is heard from him. Big builders are still required to give protection money to D-Company. One of the builders said, “We have to do it to ensure our physical safety.”

Crime

Blaze kills woman in Mumbai’s Lokhandwala; 10-day infant among 6 injured

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Mumbai, April 26: A woman was killed and six people, including a 10-day-old infant, were injured in a fire in an high-rise building in Mumbai’s Lokhandwala in Andheri (West), early on Saturday, said the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

Abhina Kartik Sanjanvalia, 34, died on the way to Cooper Hospital. Her family member Kartik Sanjanvalia, 40, is undergoing treatment for smoke inhalation, said an official.

Five fire tenders fought the blaze, which started at around 2.40 am in Broke Land Building near Ashok Academy Lane, and restricted it to room number 104 on the first floor before extinguishing it at 5.30 a.m, said an official.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Mumbai Fire Brigade suspect that the fire in the eight floor building was sparked by an electric short circuit. However, the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be confirmed.

The blaze burnt down furniture, mattresses, clothes, split and window air-conditioners and electrical installations in the flat on the first floor, said an official.

The other injured residents taken to Kokilaben Hospital were identified as 10-day-old baby boy Pradumna Gupta, Rihan, 3, Daya Gupta, 21, Aparna Gupta, 41 and Polam Gupta, 40.

The incident revived painful memories of another fire incident in a 15-storey building in Lokhandwala last October which claimed the lives of three people, including a visually impaired citizen.

Soon after the fire in Riya Palace building, a 37-year-old building at Cross Road Number 4 of Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri, there were demands for opening a fire station on a plot allotted for the purpose in the area three decades ago.

The October 2024 blaze that broke out on the 10th floor of the building started around 8 am and was doused around 9 p.m. The victims were identified as Kanta Soni, 74, Chandraprakash Soni, 74, and Pelubeta, 42.

In another fire incident on Saturday in Maharashtra, a plywood godown was gutted in Thane district. The fire started around 3.30 a.m, in a three-storey building in Rahnal village in Bhiwandi and four fire tenders continued to battle the flames for hours.

A firefighter of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) got a fracture in his leg during the operation to douse the blaze.

An official said due to a huge pile of plywood the blaze had posed a challenge to fire-fighters.

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Crime

Tahawwur Rana denies role in Mumbai terror attack during interrogation (Ld)

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Mumbai, April 26: Tahawwur Rana, the Pakistani-Canadian national accused of involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has denied any role in the conspiracy during his interrogation by the Mumbai Crime Branch.

According to senior officials, Rana, who is currently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi, was questioned for over eight hours by a team of Mumbai Police officers.

During the interrogation, Rana distanced himself from the attacks that claimed over 166 lives and injured hundreds on November 26, 2008.

Rana reportedly told investigators that he had “no connection whatsoever” with the planning or execution of the attack.

He also claimed that his childhood friend and co-accused, David Coleman Headley, was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning aspects.

Headley, who turned approver in the case, had earlier admitted to conducting recce missions across India, including in Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

During questioning, Rana said that apart from Mumbai and Delhi, he had also travelled to Kerala.

When asked about the purpose of his visit to Kerala, he claimed he had gone there to meet a known acquaintance and had provided the individual’s name and address to the agency.

Following this, sources said a team from the Mumbai Crime Branch may soon travel to Kerala to verify his claims and question the said person.

Officials revealed that Rana was largely uncooperative during the interrogation and frequently gave evasive answers.

He also cited memory lapses, stating that he was unable to recall specific details related to the attack that occurred over 17 years ago.

The interrogation is part of an ongoing probe by the NIA into the extensive three-year groundwork carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) prior to the Mumbai terror attacks.

Rana is also being questioned about his alleged links to several individuals whose names surfaced in intercepted communications, including Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, Sajid Majid, Ilyas Kashmiri, and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi — all of whom are believed to have played crucial roles in the 26/11 conspiracy.

Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps, was extradited to India from the United States recently to face justice in the Mumbai attack case.

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‘Rise against your govt, army for encouraging terrorism,’ Sunni cleric’s appeal to Pakistanis

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Lucknow, April 24: In a strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, senior Sunni cleric and Imam of Aishbagh Eidgah, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, on Thursday called on the people of Pakistan to rise against their government and military for facilitating acts of terror on Indian soil.

The remarks come after 26 people, most of them tourists, were gunned down in a brutal targeted terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam on Tuesday.

The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based terror outfit and offshoot of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba, is suspected to be behind the massacre.

Speaking to Media, Firangi Mahali said, “The people of Pakistan should understand that no one will support such activities. They should raise their voices against their own government and army, which are encouraging these acts of terrorism.”

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced a series of stringent measures in response to the attack.

These include the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the Attari-Wagah border, cancellation of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, expulsion of Pakistan’s military attaches from New Delhi and a reduction in diplomatic staff at both High Commissions.

Calling these actions “necessary and timely,” Firangi Mahali stated, “The horrific incident of terrorism in Pahalgam has been condemned in the harshest terms. This tragic event has shaken the entire country. The steps taken by the Government of India — whether on the water agreement, diplomatic expulsions, or visa cancellations — are absolutely appropriate.”

Appealing for national unity, he urged political parties to come together on a single platform in support of the government’s decisions.

“This is not the time for political division. All parties must stand united so that a positive image of national solidarity is conveyed internationally,” he said.

The cleric also warned against communalising the tragedy. “My appeal to fellow Indians is not to view this terror incident through a religious lens. No religion condones violence or terrorism,” he said.

“Some of the posts circulating on social media are sending out a very negative message. In this hour of crisis, every Indian — regardless of religion or political affiliation — must stand together,” he added.

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