Atul Karmarkar.Com» Terrorism

Bomb blast at German Bakery, Pune

Atul Karmarkar — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:19:27 +0000

After what seemed like a lull before the storm, terror reared its ugly head again with a vengeance, this time in Pune, one of the few big cities in the country to have escaped a terror strike so far.

Around 7.15pm today evening, a powerful bomb ripped apart the age old German Bakery, a very popular eating joint in Koregaon Park, Pune. Initially, everyone thought it was a cooking gas cylinder, but once the enormity of the blast was visible, it was clearly obvious that it was a bomb.

Apparently, a waiter tried to open an unattended bag lying around, which exploded, killing around 8 people and wounding atleast 30-35 more. A TV grab also showed another unattended bag lying in an autorickshaw, though it wasn’t immediately clear if it contained any explosives.

One of the motives for choosing this location seems to be the presence of foreigners, who usually frequent the German Bakery. There is also the famous Osho Ashram nearby and a Jewish prayer house too (Chabad House). US terror suspect David Headley was believed to have stayed at the Ashram a couple of years ago, marking down the area as a possible target.

As of now there are just too many theories floating around, and what is irritating me the most are the comments by our ‘esteemed’ politicians, repeating the same old bullshit again and again, especially the one about having received intelligence reports, but without any specific location! WTF man, do they expect terrorists to hand over a list of their targets on a platter ??

At the moment, there is no complete list of casualties, though I did get an update on Twitter that an employee of JP Morgan, Pune was among the deceased. Will update as more information comes in.

Update: February 14 10.30am: The names of the deceased who have been identified are: Ankit Dhar, Anandi Dhar, T.Sundari, Shankar Pansare, Binita Gadani and Shilpa Goenka.

Update: February 14 7.35pm: The names of the other deceased: Gokul Nepali, Saeed Abdul Ghani, Nadia Materinia.

Update: February 17 3.15pm: The death toll rises… Abhishek Saxena, Aditya Jaiprakash Mehta.

Update: February 21 2.30pm: Two more.. Vikas Tulsiani ( a friend of a friend), and Rajeev Agarwal.

The body count now stands at 15.

500 cops and 50 hrs – All this to kill one dacoit

Atul Karmarkar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:44:36 +0000

One of the biggest WTF kinda news I’ve come across… Ghanshyam Kevat, a dreaded dacoit, was gunned down by UP cops in a village in Chitrakoot yesterday.

Nothing particularly amazing about this piece of news, but then look at the stats.. it was a single dacoit against almost 500 heavily armed cops and commandos, and what’s more, it took them close to 50 hours to nail the bugger !!! As if this wasn’t enough, he even killed 4 cops and injured 11 others.. all this with a .315 rifle and some bullets.. Amazing !!

If he had been carrying the kind of ammo carried by the terrorists who attacked Mumbai, it is anybody’s guess as to how many more cops would’ve been killed…

Doesn’t say much about our security forces, huh…

Supari being outsourced by underworld

Atul Karmarkar — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:41:06 +0000

The DNA seems to be my latest source of timepass news and this time it was a piece on how the underworld is outsourcing “supari”, which in this context means contract killing , and not the betel nut we have after a meal.

Put briefly, it goes:

What is the similarity between the corporate and the underworld? In times of recession, both go for cost-cutting. The economic slowdown has hit the underworld so hard that its head honchos have stopped all recruitments. Instead, they are outsourcing the supari (contract) business to robbers and small-time criminals in the city.

According to intelligence inputs, the underworld has also invested heavily in real estate and the stock markets and both these markets are going through a rough patch. This has dealt a heavy blow to the underworld.

What is really frightening about this kind of desperation to make easy money is the value being placed on human life, which used to run in lakhs and crores and is now worth a few paltry thousand bucks. I guess it is also becoming tougher for cops to deal with people who have no prior history, come to a city like Mumbai, kill someone, pocket the cash and take the next train back to wherever they came from.

Certainly not all that easy to locate and bring such crooks to book, unless there is a powerful intelligence network in place…

Sanjay Dutt – MCP and wannabe MP

Atul Karmarkar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:23:01 +0000

In an interview with the TOI, Sanjay Dutt revealed his ancient thought process, when he made statements like “No sister gets along with her brother’s wife”, and also,

That’s a message not just to my sisters, but to all girls who hang on to their parents’ surname. It’s become fashionable these days. But I strongly feel that doing so disrespects the person they’ve married. This may sound harsh, but if Manyata had said that she wanted to retain her father’s surname, I would’ve felt offended.

A true blue MCP, Dutt seems to have gone off his rocker on this one or he’s travelled back in time.

If he’s even mildly aware about some of the bureaucracy that surrounds identification and address related documentation needed nowadays, he will realise how difficult it is for a girl to practically recreate a whole new identity for herself, starting from a change of name, marriage certificate, PAN card, passport, credit cards, phone bills, address proof, bank account details etc.

It is no longer that easy to simply change the name as each set of documentation requires some or the other proof and you just can’t get one created without having another in place. I’ve seen several friends and colleagues go through this process and it is harrowing to say the least. Of course, Manyata Dutt need not go through all this !!

There are a huge number of women who’ve retained their maiden names purely for the sake of convenience, and disrespect to their husband or his family has absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s time Dutt took a reality check and stopped feeling so bloody offended !

By the same token, I guess we can also say,

That’s a message not just to Dutt, but to all wannabe politicians who are ex-convicts in cases related to murder, kidnapping or abetting terrorists. It’s become fashionable these days. But I strongly feel that doing so disrespects the Indian people. This may sound harsh, but if Dutt actually becomes an MP, I certainly will feel offended. :-p

Ditto to Amar Singh, who says if Dutt can’t contest, his wife Manyata will.. Crap ! More offence ?

What Pakistan probably needs now

Atul Karmarkar — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:00:09 +0000

Pakistan has been in a state of continuous denial over involvement of their citizens in the Mumbai terror attacks, and it is amazing if not wholly surprising to see how long drawn this affair promises to be, with no country seemingly capable of doing anything about it.

While intelligence failure on India’s part has been glaring, one slightly “positive” aspect, if one may call it that, has been the involvement of the FBI (as US citizens were also killed in the attacks), for the simple reason that if anyone can bring pressure to bear on Pakistan, it is the US, rather than India.

For the US of course, such “adventures” are nothing new, and they’ve had a long history of covertly supporting such individuals, groups and countries when it suited their purpose, only to have them turn rogue some years later, following which the US has then proceeded to wage war against those very allies turned foes !!

Pakistan are summarily rejecting all evidence and proof, not allowing any requests for assistance, and to top it all, have said that even if any complicity by Pakistani nationals was proved, they would not extradite any of the alleged masterminds. To top it all, people in the Government like Zardari, Gilani and Sherry Rahman actually have the gall to say they’re all for peace and normalising ties! What bullshit, maaaan!! They’re redefining hypocrisy and turning it into an art form!

All these statements being issued by Zardari & Co. are only highlighting the fact that Pakistan has all along been a state sponsor of terrorism; even now, “apparently” banned outfits are functioning as usual, they have no clue about the whereabouts of Masood Azhar, who was ”apparently” under house arrest, people like Nawaz Sharif concur that Kasab is a Pakistani national, and retract their statement soon after. When nothing has worked, they’ve blamed the recent Lahore bomb blasts as the handiwork of Indians, only to have a local Pakistani outfit claim responsibility, leaving the Government with egg all over it’s face.

What Pakistan needs right now is a really strong reality check and if they continue with this posturing and bluster, it won’t be long before something like this were to happen… Only question is: who will have the guts to do it ?

Taj and Trident to reopen on 21-Dec

Atul Karmarkar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:10:00 +0000

Inspite of all the heavy damage suffered by them during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, along with the Trident, are both set to throw their doors open this coming Sunday, 21-Dec-08.

268 guest rooms, including nine suites and 26 Taj Club Rooms, located in the tower wing will be open to guests, though the heritage wing would take longer to re-open on account of the extensive damage it suffered at the hands of the terrorists. The restaurants - The Zodiac Grill, Aquarius, Masala Kraft, Souk, Shamiana, Starboard and La Patisserie will also be open along with the Rooftop Rendezvous banquet hall and the Chambers restaurant. The hotel is adding two new Jaguar cars to its luxury car fleet to be used for ferrying guests.

The Trident is planning to open all 550 rooms and suites for guests, along with special menus on offer at their Frangipani and India Jones – their restaurants. However, the Oberoi will remain shut on account of renovation work. The hotel has also announced the creation of an ‘Oberoi Care Fund’, towards support for the families of staff who died during the 60 hour ordeal.

Will you be there ?

Mumbai Terror Attacks – Thoughts

Atul Karmarkar — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:09:20 +0000

It is now just over a week since Mumbai faced the brunt of yet another terrorist attack. I was at Bangalore on 26/11, watching the India-England one day match being played, when a switch of channels brought this horrific reality into our living room.

It was difficult to take in the sheer volume of information the media was bombarding us with, starting from the nature of the attacks, the number of casualties, the places that were attacked, and of course, the manner in which three top police officers died.

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The role played by the media was a dangerous one, beaming live pictures of the rescue operation on TV screens that even the terrorists had access to. Each channel tried to outdo the other, giving all bullshit tidbits and soundbites to keep viewers hooked, as their live coverage sent channel TRPs soaring. The reporting by newspapers wasn’t any better, with TOI even publishing separate accounts of how the three top cops died… in different sections on the same page !! This was pathetic, and even a couple of days later, it was not clear exactly how they died with several theories doing the rounds all over;

Initially, the channels showed ATS chief Hemant Karkare donning a bullet proof vest, checking his pistol and getting ready to enter the building, after which he was reportedly shot.
Report # 2 claimed that nothing happened then, but some time later, he presumed the terrorists had moved elsewhere, took off the vest, and was shot when he did so, implying sheer carelessness on his part !
Report # 3 told us he was shot in the neck, above the protective lining of the vest !
Report #4 said he, along with the others, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, died when their police Qualis was fired upon by the terrorists. (the correct one, as it turned out).

As far as the news anchors are concerned, the less said, the better. At one time, long long ago, I thought people like Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt were good, but that line of thought has gone down the drain now. Too much hyperbole and drama now.

There is always a thin line between what is acceptable and what is not, and I think the media crossed the line this time. They should not be allowed to present live or even delayed coverage when it is a matter concerning any security issue. It wasn’t funny watching live footage of the positions of the cops and NSG snipers or the helicopter rescue mission near Nariman House or to watch these over enthusiastic anchors asking the cops what measures were being taken. Sadly, the cops, in this age of live reporting, gave in to the temptation of being heroes on TV and divulged sensitive information, which was fodder to watching terrorists. In another, an NSG officer admitted on TV that his men were facing problems due to lack of any knowledge of the layout of the Taj ! Crap !!! The terrorists had done a recce months ago ! The other issue of course, is with spellings… how the captured terrorist was called Kasab, then Kasav and even Qasab. Ditto for the Lashkar-e-Toiba / Taiba / Tayeba. Small point, but damn irritating all the same.

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This attack showed our politicians as crass, thoughtless, and shameless hypocritical bastards, each intent on saving his own ass and ensuring no blame was attached to him or his ministry. The worst of the lot were the two Patil’s (or as Ajay Awtaney referred to them on Twitter – Pottyl !); Shivraj Patil – Union Home Minister and R.R Patil – Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, more well known for snatching away the livelihood of dancing bargirls. Shivraj Patil offered to resign, claiming moral responsibility after Sonia Gandhi pretty much gave him no choice and he knew no amount of sucking up was going to work. He then went on to say a great load was lifted off his shoulders and it was his sheer nonchalance after quitting that was so upsetting. On the other hand, R.R Patil had the audacity to say that such “small incidents keep happening in big cities like Mumbai”. Hello ?? What were these guys thinking of when they made such stupid statements ?

Enter Kerala CM, V.S Achuthanandan. He came to offer condolences to the parents of slain NSG commando Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan. The late Major’s father refused the CM entry to the house upon which the CM remarked, “If it had not been Maj. Sandeep’s house, not even a dog would have looked that way”. WTF !!! People responded angrily on SMS’s and messages, saying they would prefer the dog over the CM. The old bugger even refused to apologize for 2-3 days, until his party comrades cracked the whip.

Enter hypocrisy – People like Narendra Modi and L.K Advani. During the investigation into the Malegaon blasts, these worthies heaped scorn on the ATS and Karkare, showering abuse and accusations in equal measure, and now they came forward to salute the martyr, paying homage and if I recall correctly, Modi even offered some Rs.1-2 crores, which Karkare’s widow flatly refused. Reminded me of Amar Singh offering money to the family of the slain cop in the Delhi encounter a month or so ago.

And how can we forget the Chief Minister – Vilasrao Deshmukh… He took along his son and film maker Ram Gopal Varma on a tour of the ravaged remains of the Taj as if they were on a picnic tour.

One politician, Raj Thackeray, was strangely silent during this entire operation. Perhaps he was stunned by the fact that so many non-Maharashtrians/non-Mumbaiites also laid down their lives for the very city he said they had no right to live in. Case in point – Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan – a Keralite from the Bihar regiment.

Predictably, there was a reshuffle and P.Chidambaram is now the new Home Minister. Am not sure how good a move that is, though. Also equally certain was Deshmukh’s ouster from the CM’s job, and his replacement is Ashok Chavan, with Chhagan Bhujbal the new Deputy CM.

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What of our intelligence and security forces? They too were hopelessly caught in this web of one-upmanship and playing the blame game. It took almost 8-10 hrs for the NSG to reach Mumbai, by which time a lot of damage had been already done, both to the Taj as well as human lives. The Navy blamed the Coast Guard and vice versa, the Intelligence Bureau blamed both. There was certainly a colossal intelligence failure. What made it worse was the fact that our cops fell woefully short when engaging the terrorists with their old and rusty .301 rifles, some which hadn’t been fired for almost ten years whereas in terms of technology and sophistication, the terrorists were light years ahead, with state of the art firearms, satellite phones and GPS devices!

It was reported that truck drivers can enter Mumbai by paying a bribe of a few hundred or lesser rupees at the check post. Hardly difficult to infiltrate terrorists by this method, or even for that matter, the Bangladeshis that merrily hop across the border into India.. In fact, in these attacks on Mumbai, one report even mentioned that each terrorist was carrying exactly $400 with him. The reason? That was the going ‘rate’ needed to bribe the Coast Guard officials !!!!

What else is left to be said ? Time to pick up the pieces, but for once, I hope this Government has the balls to actually take a tough stand on relations with Pakistan and read them the riot act, peace process and all be damned !

Number plates for cycles

Atul Karmarkar — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:11:35 +0000

One of the key ideas gushing forth from the cops in the light of the recent blasts at Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Malegaon, where cycles were used as bomb carriers:

Start registrations for cycles, and ensure they have number plates !!!

Are they serious? No, I mean it.. Are they really serious ? What next? A driving licence?

The RTO’s of almost states pretty much have their hands full as far as motorised two-wheelers and four-wheelers are concerned. Why this? The cops are being dense if they think this is really going to solve the problem. If you can have fake plates for other vehicles, why not cycles?

Instead of all these stupid ideas, they would do better to focus on the real issues at hand that are plaguing almost every city rather than creating more administrative headaches.

On similar lines, just wondering… what if terrorists were to use bullock carts next?

M & A in the underworld

Atul Karmarkar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:23:59 +0000

Given all the big deals and mergers and acquisitions happening lately, it seemed a formality before this phenomenon would reach the underworld as well !

According to an article in the TOI,

“D-Company’ is now officially part of the Lashkar-e-Toiba’s terror network, with Pakistan’s notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) getting Dawood Ibrahim to merge his gang with the fundamentalist terror organisation as part of a gameplan to crank up its anti-India campaign. “

and

“…On the other hand, Lashkar benefits immensely from collaboration with D-Company which continues to attract recruits and has acquired financial muscle by venturing into mainstream commercial enterprises without letting go of its original money spinner, smuggling.”

Looks like consolidation seems to be the buzzword even in this ”industry” !!

Scary thought, eh ?

A son’s advice to his father

Atul Karmarkar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:53:14 +0000

If only things were that simple !!!

Wonder if anything will come out of it, though…

Atul Karmarkar.Com» Terrorism

Bomb blast at German Bakery, Pune

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