Shooting terrorists and other stories

They are quick – our cops. In less than 30 minutes of dishum-dishum encounter, two terrorists and one cop were killed. The headline says the cop was “martyred”. I can imagine those jihadis getting irritated that their shaheed idea is now being taken over by those who go after them. Did anyone go after them?

Here is a part of the report:

It lasted for less than half an hour, and a total of 33 shots—25 by the cops, eight by terrorists—were exchanged. After a fierce shootout in Jamia Nagar area, the Delhi police killed two terrorists, including key SIMI operative Bashir alias Atiq, who allegedly played a crucial role in the September 13 Delhi blasts. But it also lost a gallant officer, inspector Mohan Chand Sharma of the special cell.

According to police sources, sub-inspector Dharmendra then went to the place, posing as a salesman. After seeing suspicious characters who told him to go away, he gave a missed call to Sharma, who was standing downstairs with his team.

Note: the terrorists only fired eight rounds. They opened the door to a salesman. What was he trying to sell? Did they buy anything? Did they not notice him looking at them carefully? Did all the “suspicious characters” stand at the door to welcome him?

This Atiq is suddenly being touted as a “mastermind”. It is also emphasised that he had “strong Delhi links since he studied at Jamia Milia Islamia”. Huh? All of you whose alma mater is in the capital are now suspects. Of course, it is sad that software engineers are losing out to whatever they teach at the Jamia.

Now for more news:

As early as July 2006, Mumbai police officer Daya Nayak had alerted the state government in writing about the activities of Atiq alias Bashir.

Nayak, who is under suspension, had written a confidential letter to the state on July 24, 2006, in which he had mentioned the activities of Bashir and his involvement in several blasts across the country. Nayak said Bashir was an expert in making timer bombs. When contacted, Nayak declined comment.

Over two years and this fellow was roaming free? And suddenly he gives his game away to a salesman, and it wasn’t even a Miss Chamko?

If Bashir was such an expert at making timer bombs – and they say he was involved in the earlier blasts too – then why did those bombs in Surat not even go phuss?

We have had enough of these soap operas where some cop gets killed (always of inspector rank, never higher) and we ‘solve’ these cases.

No one asks the tough question: What have our intelligence agencies been doing even if they have prior information?

And here we have the real smarties:

Police have learnt that 7/11 serial blasts accused Ehtesham Siddiqui, a former general-secretary of the Maharashtra unit of SIMI, lodged in Arthur Road jail since 2006, has used the time to compile a handbook on the interrogation techniques of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The book in Gujarati is titled. ‘How to prevent yourself from police interrogation’.

This guy made notes in prison, smuggled it out of jail and it came out as a handbook that became a bestseller among SIMI activists! The police, of course, discovered it now…although they know all about SIMI and the organisation is banned.

Deir aaye durust aaye.