Probe turf war

[Ray]

Probe turf war

Chidambaram today said he would have liked to have "better co-ordination" between central agencies and Mumbai police, the comment coming a week after a turf battle had erupted around a man arrested in connection with last year's serial blasts in Mumbai.

On January 23, Maharashtra police's anti-terror squad (ATS) had announced the arrest of two men allegedly linked to the July 13 blasts, but the "breakthrough" was challenged by sources in Delhi who claimed one of the suspects, Naqi Ahmed, was a Delhi police and Intelligence Bureau informer.

Chidambaram said IB, Delhi police and ATS officials had recently held a meeting where attempts were made to "reconcile" their versions. "While I was not briefed about the meeting, I was told by the director of IB that reconciliation has taken place."

The minister suggested that the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), his brainchild, could resolve misunderstandings between agencies. "Once the NCTC is set up, there will be better exchange of information between anti-terror agencies."

The Maharashtra ATS today announced a third arrest in the blasts case. ATS chief Rakesh Maria said Kanwar Nain Waziar Chand Pathreja, 42, alleged to have facilitated the transaction of money used for the blasts, had been picked up from Delhi's Chandi Chowk yesterday.

PC grounds Dhruv after two crashes

Notwithstanding all the grandstanding after the ignoble departure of the last Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, the so called tough and 'hands on' Chidambaram is still floundering like a landed fish.

How can there is such confusion that only embarrass the country and make it look foolish.

Can the police and intelligence agencies not be first on the block for publicity and instead discuss the issue out before acting as Sir Galahads charging around in shining armour?

What is worse is that the Union Govt and the Maharastra Govt are Congress controlled and the Chief Minister was but recently a Union Minister!!!

 

[Ray]

Mumbai blasts - Wednesday 13 July 2011

Pakistan issues a condemnation after three attacks blamed on terrorists strike Mumbai, targeting the city's Opera House district, its Zaveri bazaar and the central Dadar area

Mumbai blasts - Wednesday 13 July 2011

Pakistan issues a condemnation after three attacks blamed on terrorists strike Mumbai, targeting the city's Opera House district, its Zaveri bazaar and the central Dadar area



3.28pm: Three explosions have rocked Mumbai during rush hour, in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the city, India's home ministry said.

There were no confirmed numbers of fatalities or injuries but NDTV quoted reports saying 10 people have been killed.

Two of the explosions took place in the Opera House district in South Mumbai at Opera House and in Zaveri bazaar. A third occurred in Dadar in the centre of the city.

Six people have died in the Dadar blast and four in the explosion at Zaveri Bazaar, according to NDTV.

NDTV has rolling television coverage here.

3.38pm: The blasts occurred about an hour ago. At least 60 people have been injured, according to the Maharashtra home secretary (Maharashtra is the state in which Mumbai lies).

The Maharastra government is not describing the blasts as terrorist attacks at the moment but the home ministry in Delhi has unequivocally said that the explosions were acts of terrorism.

Mumbai was of course the scene of 2008 terrorist attacks by gunmen, which killed 166 people.

3.50pm: On the Mumbai Help blog, a series of useful phone numbers have been posted. They are also offering to try to contact people you know in the city if you're having trouble reaching them.

People are also putting their phone numbers and in some case twitter names in a google spreadsheet being rapidly updated to offer other people in the area help.

(Links provided by my colleague Laura Oliver)

3.53pm: Police say at least 8 people have been killed and 70 others injured, Reuters reports.

NDTV says Mumbai police are blaming the Indian Mujahideen for the attacks.

3.57pm: Maseeh Rahman sends these details from Delhi:


The home ministry said it's a terrorist attack and has rushed three teams from the newly-created National Intelligence Agency to Mumbai, including forensic experts.

Most people were injured at Zaveri Bazaar, where Mumbai's bullion traders and jewellery shops are located, and at Opera House, where diamond exporters have their offices and workshops.

Zaveri Bazaar is close to the city police headquarters, and has been bombed by terrorists twice in the past - in 1993 and in 2002. This time the improvised explosive device was placed inside an electrical meter box.

The third blast was near Dadar Railway Station in central Mumbai at a road intersection known as Kabutar Khana (Pigeon House), where devout Hindus come to feed the city's pigeons.

Manohar Joshi, former parliament speaker and a leader of the militant Mumbai Shiv Sena party said: "The message from this is not good."

4.07pm: I mentioned that Mumbai police are reportedly blaming the Indian Mujahideen. This group was described by NDTV in 2008, before the terrorist attacks the same year, as a "front for groups operating out of Pakistan most likely the Lashkar-e-Taiba".

Lashkar-e-Taiba planned the commando-style attacks in the city in November 2008.

The BBC says of today's blasts: "According to some reports, the blasts came on the birthday of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman from the 2008 attacks."

4.10pm: Here's a map of where the attacks took place, provided by my colleague Paddy Allen:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/jul/13/mumbai-blasts

Backgrounder.