Police framed journalist in Israeli case, claims lawyer

Syed Mohammed Kazmi’s lawyer has pointed out several loopholes in the chargesheet filed by the Special Cell. This was first carried here.

The car carrying Israeli diplomat Tal Yehoshua Koren was attacked on 13 February. PTI he chargesheet against journalist Syed Mohammed Ahmad Kazmi filed by Delhi police special cell is filled with loopholes. Kazmi's lawyer Mehmood Pracha alleges that the discrepancies prove that the Delhi police is trying to frame the journalist in the Israeli embassy car bomb blast case. Kazmi is an accused in the attack on Israeli diplomat Tal Yehoshua Koren on 13 February, which left her seriously injured. The chargesheet names Kazmi as the main accused and lists four Iranians among the suspects. Kazmi was arrested on 6 March. The chargesheet has three different versions on the motorbike that was allegedly used by the person who carried out the attack. According to Koren, the attacker was riding a black bike. However, two independent witnesses, "A" and "B", who were driving behind Koren's car, said that the bike was red, and that there was no bike, respectively. "These two witnesses were at a vantage point to see what was happening. Even they are not sure whether the bike was black, red, or whether there was any bike," Pracha told this newspaper. Pracha says that his client has been "made a scapegoat". "The police had to book someone. As soon as Sanjeev Yadav of the Special Cell (SC) took over the case on 26 February, the investigation went in a wrong direction. It was he who came out with the sticky bomb theory," said Pracha. Similarly, the Special Cell cited a mobile phone number that it alleged was being used by Houshan Afshar Irani (Iranian national accused in the case). Kazmi often called this number from his own mobile phone, the Special Cell claimed. It provided a copy of Irani's passport, which it furnished as proof for obtaining the number. { Kazmi’s lawyer said that his client was being framed because he was in the forefront of the Karbala movement and the restoration of the graveyard located under Rajdhani Nursery in BK Dutt Colony. "It is easy to use someone else's documents to get a SIM card. How can we be sure that someone else did not use Irani's passport to buy the SIM? The copy of the passport can be easily obtained from FCRO (Foreign Credentials Referral Office) .Why wasn't the statement of the shop owner who gave the SIM taken by the Special Cell?" asked Pracha. Surprisingly, the call records of the mobile phone allegedly used by Irani to show that he was present at the attack site have not been attached as evidence. Pracha also questions the recovery of the "bomb making material" from room number 305 of Hotel High 5 in Karol Bagh where the alleged perpetrators of the attack were staying. According to the hotel manager, the room was unoccupied from 13 February to 26 February when the police first went there to seal the room. All the other rooms were occupied during that period. "It is hard to believe that for 13 days no one occupied this room when all the other rooms were booked. Secondly, it's harder to believe that for 13 days the hotel staff did not go inside the room to clean it." Kazmi's lawyer said that his client was being framed because he was in the forefront of the Karbala movement and the restoration of the graveyard located under Rajdhani Nursery in BK Dutt Colony: "He was a leading member of the movement and his writings criticising Israel were not liked by people in the establishment." "He is innocent and soon he will be released. However more than focusing on his release, Kazmi has told me that I should also make sure that the court punishes the police personnel who have wrongly framed him," said Pracha.

Anti-India Hizb-ut-Tahrir raises its head, goes unnoticed

ABHINANDAN MISHRA  NEW DELHI | 26th Feb 2012

This was first published here.

The Indian government is yet to take note of the accelerating emergence of the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), a political organisation banned in several countries. The HuT was recently in the news for its alleged involvement in the failed coup attempt in Bangladesh, orchestrated to bring down Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is seen as pro-India. Till now, the only instance of HuT's presence acknowledged by the Indian security establishment is the demonstration that it arranged at Batla House in New Delhi, in 2010, to protest Israel's action in Gaza. "The HuT has a presence in the national capital. This was visible in the 2010 rally, which was mostly attended by students," said a top official who is with an anti-terror body. The HuT is known to be behind the floating of several NGOs that target police action in sweeping locations where terrorists are suspected to be clustered. The HuT, which was founded in 1953 in Jerusalem by a religious cleric Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, has a presence in more than 40 countries. It aims to establish an "Islamic" way of life in Muslim countries and unify them under a caliphate. It continues to grow in several European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. However, it is the UK that is considered to be the HuT's main recruiting ground. A top official with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), requesting anonymity, said that the name of HuT has not come up in any major incidents in India till now, and hence it is not seen as a major threat here. Its name also does not figure on the list of 35 organisations that have been declared as terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Preventions) Act, 1967, which has been compiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs. "Do we need a covert organisation to give a newspaper advertisement before taking steps to check its activities?" asked a security expert in exasperation at the Indian government's "indifference" to HuT. Another example he gave was the granting of an Indian visa to Anjem Choudhry, who has openly called for the overthrow of the political system in India and its replacement by (his version of) Shariah law. A former RAW chief said that the emergence of HuT needs to be followed because of its philosophy. "Even though the HuT says that it is a non-violent political group, it is hard to believe this because its philosophy is based on the Khilafat movement of 1921, which turned violent in Kerala." Former Director-General of Police (DGP) Hormis Tharakan feels that even though the HuT has not made its presence felt in India in an obvious way, yet, it cannot be conclusively ruled out that it's trying to build a base in India so as to cause serious problems to national security. Commenting on the fact that no security agencies see HuT as a serious threat, Tharakan said, "Their presence in India cannot be ruled out just because they have not (publicly) undertaken any major incident. Security agencies have not studied the HuT deeply enough. They need to follow them and study their subtle way of functioning, which is quite dangerous." Sanchita Bhattacharya of Institute of Conflict Management (ICM), a Delhi based think tank, did not rule out the possibility of the HuT working with the militant organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and Indian Mujahideen (IM) covertly. "The specialty about HuT is that they are focusing on scholars and elites of the Islamic society. Unlike other militant organisations that target the illiterate and the mullahs, the HuT is focusing on the progressive population of Muslims. They try to indoctrinate the educated elite." The Hizb ut-Tahrir follows a strong anti-Jewish policy and has repeatedly called for the dismantling of Israel. Sources in the police said that the recent attacks on the Israeli diplomat are being investigated through every angle and the HuT is on the radar. Experts believe that the modus operandi of HuT to bring military personnel, members of academia and the elite under its umbrella makes them highly dangerous. In the past they have used this method to destabilise Pakistan where it tried to bring change through the military. Brigadier Ali Khan of Pakistani army who was arrested by the police was alleged to have links with HuT and was working on a plan to bring an Egyptian and Tunisian style uprising in Pakistan.

IB report says extremist PFI has shifted base to Delhi

OUR CORRESPONDENT  NEW DELHI | 11th Mar 2012

This was first published here.

he Intelligence bureau (IB) has expressed its concern over the expansion of Popular Front of India (PFI) which as per its reports has shifted base to Delhi. An IB report, a copy of which is with this newspaper reads, "PFI cadres have been trained in the use of sharp-edged weapons and in fabrication and deployment of crude bombs and IEDs." Security agencies see this as a serious security threat to the VIPs living in the city. The fact that PFI is now making its presence felt in the capital is causing more problems for the security agencies. "PFI is not a problem limited to the southern states as was manifested in the recent shifting of its national headquarters to Delhi. Why they have shifted their base to the capital is an easy guess," said a senior official. PFI was formed in December 2006 after merger of three prominent Kerala-based Islamic organisations, National Development Front, Manitha Neethi Pasarai and Karnataka Forum for Dignity. It first grabbed headlines in 2010 when its members chopped off the hands of a professor in Kerala for "blasphemy". Following a crack down after the incident, the state police had recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from its offices and centres. According to the IB, PFI is clandestinely working on indoctrinating people against the state under the garb of political empowerment. A top official with IB said, "PFI is actually concentrating on taking up the cause of the so-called injustices meted out to the Muslims to garner their support for its own agenda." The report further states that the organisation is trying to develop links with human rights groups, Left Wing Extremist elements and various Dalit bodies. "PFI has emerged as a new area of concern due to its radical Islamic belief and covert tactics. It had recently organised a secret training camp for recruits from different parts of the country in Kerala". This was confirmed by security officials. "A Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) module that was busted in Madhya Pradesh has also revealed the link of PFI with SIMI," the source said. In May last year, one Mohammad Niaz was arrested in Paris who was believed to be recruiting members for the Popular Front's French arm. As per Indian security agencies, Niaz was trying to set up a branch of this organisation — the Popular Front of India in France. Sources say that 80 to 90% of the people influenced or accessed by the group had Gulf or foreign links.

Now, Jaiswal’s relatives in CBI net, Coal Minister directly linked

ABHINANDAN MISHRA   This was first carried here.

Shriprakash Jaiswal (extreme left) with Manoj Jayaswal standing next to him. Photo Courtesy: Abhijeet.in nion coal minister Shriprakash Jaiswal is now being directly linked to the internal operations of the Jayaswal family, one of whom, Manoj Jayaswal, owns the Abhijeet Group, the parent company of JAS infrastructure and JLD Yavatmal. Shriprakash Jaiswal was named as the arbitrator in case of any dispute over the allotment of shares in the family owned AMR Iron & Steels, as per a 2008 agreement between Basant Lal Shaw and his three sons, Manoj Jayaswal, Arvind Jayaswal and Ramesh Jayaswal. "In case there was any dispute regarding the allotment of shares, it was to be decided by "Shri Prakash Jaiswal of Kanpur" (read coal minister Shriprakash Jaiswal)," the agreement between the Jayaswal brothers and their father reads (copy with us). Sriprakash Jaiswal and Manoj Jayaswal are related by marriage. Sriprakash Jaiswal's daughter is married into the same family that Manoj Jayaswal is married into. Sriprakash's daughter has married into a Kolkata-based business family headed by Ganesh Prasad. Manoj is married to the daughter of Prasad's brother. AMR is owned by Manoj Jayaswal and his brother, Arvind Jayaswal. The above mentioned companies have been named in the FIR filed by the CBI in the Coalgate scam on Tuesday. The Jayaswal business family owns several companies in the area of power, roads, steel, iron ore and mining. Abhijeet Group has significant presence in core sector areas like Power, Roads, Mining, Ferroalloys, Steel and Cement and is headquartered in Nagpur, Maharashtra. As per the agreement, it was decided to give at least 26 per cent free equity shares to anyone who was instrumental in getting coal blocks allotted to the family companies. It was decided that 26 per cent shares in AMR, which got a coal block in Maharashtra in 2009, will be transferred to the Lokmat group (copy of documents with this newspaper). As per the documents, the Lokmat Group played an instrumental role in getting the family its coal blocks. Congress Rajya Sabha MP, Vijay Darda, is the chairman of the Lokmat group. Darda has also been named in the CBI FIR filed on Tuesday. He, however, has denied the charge. Later, after a business disagreement within the family, Manoj Jayaswal wrote a letter to his father, Basant Lal Shaw, about matters pertaining to the settlement. The letter (copy with us) also mentions the name of "Shri Prakash Jayaswal" and Lokmat Group. The Manoj Jayaswal letter reads, "As per the understanding, 26 per cent of the shares of AMR are to be allocated free of cost to the Lokmat group. The rights of the balance 14 per cent needs to be decided by Shri Shriprakashji... AMR has been allotted coal blocks because of efforts of Lokmat Group. The commitment should be honoured." Here "Shri Shriprakashji" refers to the minister who has already been named in the agreement once and in other documents available with us pertaining to the deal. The letter further read, "26 per cent equity be immediately allotted to Lokmat and a nominee of Lokmat should be appointed chairman and the director, or matters relating to the family would be jeopardised. Further, I urge that a suitable time be communicated to Shri Sriprakashji for settlements of ownership of 14 per cent shares of AMR." Since 2005, various companies related to Manoj Jayaswal have been coal mines in various parts of the country. This includes Abhijeet Infrastructure, which got 3 coal blocks in Jharkhand in 2005, and, JLD Yavatmal, which got one block in 2008 in Chhattisgarh

Conservationists have tourism interests in tiger reserves

This article was first carried here. 

Belinda Wright and Valmik Thapar, who are opposed to the Supreme Court’s interim ban on tourism in core tiger areas, “own” resorts in Kanha and Ranthambore.

ABHINANDAN MISHRA  New Delhi | 2nd Sep

A Royal Bengal Tiger at an enclosure of Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata. PTI almik Thapar and Belinda Wright, two renowned tiger conservationists, who are opposing the interim ban by the Supreme Court on tourism in the core areas of 41 tiger reserves, are associated with resorts that flank national parks. Interestingly, they had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking for his intervention to save the tigers and stating that "people and tiger do no co-exist". Wright owns a resort near Kanha National Park, while Thapar's nephew runs another resort next to Ranthambore National Park. According to an official list of 53 resorts surrounding the Kanha National Park, Belinda Wright owns the Kipling Camp, which is at a distance of less than 4 km from the park boundaries. Kipling has 14 rooms, and as per Wright, was established in 1982. At least 9 more resorts are slated to come up in and around Kanha. Similarly, Thapar's nephew Jaisal Singh owns Sherbagh Resort in Ranthambore. The fact that Sherbagh is owned by Valmik Thapar's family was confirmed by many travel sites including Indian Wildlife. Thapar's association with the resort has been displayed as its USP. The "campaign letter" written to the Prime Minister on 29 May 2007 asked for tiger reserves to be made inviolate, and bore the names of other activists such as, Raghu Chundawat, Bittu Sahgal, P.K. Sen and Toby Sinclair. "Secure inviolate areas. The WII/NTCA data shows clearly that people and tigers do not co-exist. We must focus our attention on protecting the few remaining inviolate tiger-bearing tracts — largely Tiger Reserves — and the connectivity between them, before all is lost," it reads. Valmik Thapar The Tour Operators for Tigers (TOFT), one of the most well known tiger-tour operators, which has several eco-resort owners and tour operators as partners, has called for funds from tour operators across the world to fight the ban and the government's guidelines. TOFT is also opposing the imposition of a cess on its revenues to be used for conserving wildlife and providing livelihood to locals as proposed in the government guidelines. Most of the funds received by TOFT till now have come from the UK and has big names such as Cox and Kings, a travel agency. The association, along with prominent wildlife NGOs, such as Wildlife Protection Society of India, headed by Wright, has taken a stand against the 24 July ban. Wright has described the tourism ban as a "total disaster". Activist Ajay Dubey, the man behind the PIL which led to the ban, feels that vested interests are spreading misinformation: "This is not the final order but an interim stay. And nowhere have I prayed for a complete ban, I just want the court to see to it that the laws are implemented. That's why I have demanded that there should be some guidelines to control tourism so that it does not affect the tiger." The pressure being put by the tourism lobby can be gauged from the fact that H.S. Pabla, who is presently the advisor to Madhya Pradesh eco-tourism board, wrote an email to resort owners and to TOFT, when he was still the Chief Wildlife Warden, advising them to take "whatever steps" required to protect their interests after Dubey first filed the PIL in Jabalpur High Court in 2010. "This is to let you know that a PIL has been filed in the HC Jabalpur seeking ban in core areas of tiger reserves ... although the government of MP will oppose the ban, still lodge owners, travel operators may also implead themselves as affected parties to make sure that the PIL does not succeed," the email reads. Belinda Wright Resort owners, including Wright, say that there are a huge number of people (according to Wright over a million) who depend, either directly or indirectly, on wildlife tourism. According to her, without an income from tourism, most local people would have little option but to turn to the forest for resources, including poaching for food and illegal wildlife trade. However, Dubey says that this is not true. "What kind of livelihood has been provided to the locals all these years? Washing utensils, doing laundry? Can the resort owners give even 10 names of persons who have moved upwards in the economic chain and progressed apart from the owners themselves?" According to Wright, poachers do not feel safe operating in areas where there is unpredictable vehicle movement. "There are numerous examples where guides and tourists have reported suspicious intruders, and twice to my knowledge tigers caught in a steel jaw trap," Wright told this newspaper through email. Siddharth Gupta, Dubey's counsel, is not convinced. "The visitors go inside the park for roughly 6-8 hours and that too in daytime. Poachers prefer darkness and they don't wait for the tourists to come." The core question, according to Dubey, is wildlife tourism, which is growing in an unregulated manner.