Kasab – how a poor Pakistani became India’s terror nightmare

From the bylanes of a village in Pakistan to a heavily guarded prison cell in Mumbai as India’s most wanted terrorist, Ajmal Amir Kasab had indeed come a long way in his 23 years. The lone Pakistani terrorist to be caught alive after the 26/11 terror attack was Monday held guilty, closing one more chapter in his troubled life.Kasab, who became the face of the 2008 Mumbai mayhem that left 166 people dead with shots of his casually striding into the Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus with a gun and a backback captured on CCTV that has remain imprinted in public memory, was indoctrinated into the Lashkar-e-Taiba after he left home following a fight with his parents.It was Nov 26, 2008. The heavily armed Kasab, who was Monday held guilty on 83 of 86 charges by a special court, with nine other terrorists had sneaked into India’s buzzing financial and entertainment capital from Pakistan to unleash 60 hours terror that shook India. He was the only one to be arrested while the rest of his group were gunned down by security personnel.Born to poverty in Faridkot village in Okara district in Pakistan’s Punjab province in 1987, he left school because his parents couldn’t afford it.When he was barely in his teens, he shifted to Lahore and began to live with his elder brother.A fight with his parents in 2005 changed his life and a determined Kasab vowed never to return.He began working as a labourer and then took to petty crime to earn quick money. It was during these days that Kasab was indoctrinated into the LeT and underwent the terror group’s basic training, the Daura-e-Aam.He did well in the basic course and was selected for advanced combat training – the Daura-e-Khaas.Kasab was then selected with nine others to undergo special training where they would learn about commando warfare and navigation.They carefully studied the layout of Mumbai before embarking on a journey that would end in a terror strike, leading to a new low in the relations between the two nuclear armed nations.
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Muslim groups demand fresh probe into"Mecca Masjid blast"

Hyderabad, May 3: Muslim groups in Hyderabad have demanded a fresh probe into the 2007 bomb blast at Mecca Masjid in view of the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) revelation that the 2007 blasts at the historic mosque and the Ajmer shrine were linked.The CBI and Rajasthan's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) believe that the  blast at the Hyderabad mosque and the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthi dargah in Ajmer are the handiwork of same group. The CBI, which is probing the Mecca Masjid blast, reportedly got some leads after the Rajasthan ATS arrested Devender Gupta and Chandrasekhar Patidar of the Hindu group Abhinav Bharat in connection with the Oct 11, 2007 blast at the Ajmer dargah that killed three and injured 30 people. The Mecca Masjid blast May 18 the same year had claimed claimed nine lives. Five people had died in subsequent police firing on protestors near the mosque. Muslim groups are now demanding that the CBI reopen the mosque blast case and probe the involvement of Hindu activists, including Col P.S. Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who also belong to Abhinav Bharat and are accused in a 2008 bombing in Malegaon in Maharashtra that killed six people. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), the key Muslim political party here, has called for a "thorough probe" to unravel the truth. MIM leaders alleged investigating authorities were going soft on the real culprits and hence no progress could be made for three years. They pointed out that no sincere efforts were made to probe the involvement of Hindu terrorist groups and interrogate Sadhavi, Purohit and other accused in the Malegaon blast. Tameer-e-Millat, a Muslim socio-religious organization, has urged the government to reopen the case. It regretted that five minutes after the blast the police, without even initial probe, blamed the Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI) and other organisations belonging to some Muslim countries. "It appears some police officials did not want the investigations into the involvement of Hindu outfits," the group said in a statement. Home Minister P. Chidambaram had said during his visit to Hyderabad last year that the Mecca Masjid blast case had turned "cold" as the two primary suspects were dead. Police claimed that Shahid Bilal, a key suspect in the case, was killed in a shootout in Pakistan a few weeks after the mosque blast. Shahid, a native of the city, was allegedly working for the HuJI. Another suspect was also presumed dead. Immediately after the blast in the 17th century mosque, the police blamed Bilal, who was also considered the mastermind behind the terror attacks in other parts of south India during last few years. The Tameer-e-Millat also alleged that police concocted a story that the blasts in Lumbini Pak and Gokul Chat were carried out to avenge the blast at Mecca Masjid. The near simultaneous blasts at Lumbini Park and a popular eatery Gokul Chat in Hyderabad Aug 25, 2007 had killed 43 people. "It is surprising that the alleged accused in the twin blasts were arrested but the culprits in Mecca Masjid blast are still at large," it said. Muslim groups have also demanded action against police officials who blamed Muslim youths for the Mecca Masjid blast, arrested and tortured them. They pointed out that the police also conducted narco analysis test on some innocent Muslim youths and demanded their immediate release.
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Temp soar at many places in coastal Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, May 3 : The temperatures rose at many places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, at a few places over Rayalaseema and one or two places over Telangana.According to Met office here maximum temperature was above normal at one or two places over coastal AP and normal over Telangana and Rayalaseema.Isolated rain occurred over Telangana and Rayalaseema. Weather has been dry over the coastal Andhra Pradesh.Rainfall recorded in cm: Rayadurg 3, Hakimpet, Kadiri, Pulivendala and Vikarabad 2 each and Dummagudem, Kalyandurg and Tandur one each.The highest maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius was recorded at Rentachintala. The weather office said isolated rain or thundershowers would occur over Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
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Confer Nat status for Polavam, Pranhita-Chevella projects:TDP

Hyderabad, May 3: Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to confer 'National Project' status to Pranahita-Chevella and Polavaram projects.In a letter to Prime Minister, copy of which was made available to the press here, Mr Naidu urged him to help the people of the state in fulfilling the long pending demands for conferring National Project status to the two projects.'I wish to impress upon you the need to confer the status of ''National project'' to Indira Sagar Irrigation Projct (Polavaram Project) and the B R Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Ssravanthi (Pranahita-Chevella project) of Andhra Pradesh as a special case.' Both these projects were very crucial and unless the Union Government supports by treating them as National projects, it would be very difficult for the state government to complete these two projects in the near future, he said.The Polavaram project, which has been pending for long, caters to the needs of people in number of districts providing irrigation to nearly 7 lakh acres in the state and power generation. Similarly, Prajanihta-Chevella project was aimed at providing irrigation to 16.40 lakh acres in seven drought-prone districts of the state apart from drinking water supply to capital city.'In the name of 'Jalayanam', the state government has so far spent Rs 51,000 crore during the last five years without expansion of irrigation facilities which was pointed by the Planning Commission also. It is estimated that another Rs two lakh crore are needed to complete all these projects,''Mr Naidu pointed out.Under these circumastances, the state government could not complete these priority projects on its own, he added.
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3 killed, 2 injured in road accident,

Hyderabad, May 3: Three people were killed and two injured when the car in which they were travelling was hit by a lorry at Gunagalla-Nagarjuna Sagar road at Yacharam in Ranga Reddy district today.According to police, five persons were travelling in a car to Brahmanapalli in Mahaboobnagar district to attend a marriage function when the lorry coming from the opposite direction dashed against the car killing two persons on the spot. Another person succumed to injuries while being shifted to hospital.The other two injured were admitted to local hospital, police added.
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