Masood Azhar was shaken, rattled by just a slap from Army jawan

Agencies
February 19, 2019

New Delhi, Feb 19: The dreaded architect of some of the most gruesome terror attacks in India, Maulana Masood Azhar, was a "easy man" to handle in custody and he got shaken up on the first "slap" from an army jawan prompting him to blurt out details of his movements, says a former police officer who interrogated him after his arrest in 1994.

Azhar, who had used a Portuguese passport to enter India through Bangladesh and reach Kashmir, was arrested in February 1994 in Anantnag in South Kashmir. In the custody, the intelligence agencies did not have to do much work on Azhar who started speaking after the first slap from an army officer and gave deep insights into the functioning of terror groups operating from Pakistan, the officer said.

"He was an easy man to handle and a slap from an army officer had shaken him completely," former Director General of Sikkim Police Avinash Mohananey, who interrogated Azhar many a times during his two-decade tenure in the Intelligence Bureau, told PTI.

After his release in exchange of passengers of hijacked IC-814 flight of Indian Airlines in 1999 by the then BJP government, Azhar formed Jaish-e-Mohammed and scripted many audacious terror strikes in India, including on the Parliament House, Pathankot air force base, army camps in Jammu and Uri, and the latest suicide attack on CRPF in Pulwama which claimed the lives of 40 personnel.

While in custody, Azhar, in his early 50's now, shared information about recruitment process and functioning of terror groups in Pakistan at a time when the intelligence agencies were still grappling to understand the proxy-war unleashed by Pakistan's espionage agency ISI, said Mohananey, a 1985-batch IPS officer who headed the Kashmir desk in the agency at that time.

"There were several occasions when I met him in Kot Balwal jail and interrogated him for hours together. We did not have to use any coercive method as information flowed consistently from him," he said.

Azhar gave the Indian agencies vital insights into diversion of Afghan terrorists into Kashmir Valley and merger of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI) into Harkat-ul-Ansar, represented by him as its general secretary, he said. After his arrival into India from Bangladesh in 1994, Azhar had travelled to Saharanpur before reaching Kashmir where he held meetings of warring factions of HuM and HuJI to formulate a common policy, Mohananey said.

"I came on a forged Portuguese passport for ensuring that HuM and HuJI are together in the valley. It was not possible for me to cross the Line of Control on foot," the police officer recalled Azhar telling them. A man of mannerism and etiquette during questioning sessions, Azhar used to give a detailed description to any question that was asked to him, he said.

The Jaish chief, during his stint as a journalist with 'Sada-e-Mujahid', a tabloid published from Karachi, had travelled in 1993 with a group of Pakistani scribes to some countries drumming up support for "Kashmir cause', he said. Mohananey recalled that Azhar would often boast that police could not keep him in custody for long as he was important for Pakistan and the ISI.

"You are underestimating my popularity. The ISI would ensure that I am back in Pakistan," the police officer recalled him as saying. Surprisingly, some foreigners were kidnapped from Delhi 10 months after his arrest in February 1994 and the kidnappers had demanded his release.

The plan failed with the arrest of Omar Sheikh, who was also released in exchange of the 1999 hijacking, and was later involved in the gruesome beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. Another attempt to release him was made by a shadow group of Harkat-ul-Ansar, Al-Faran, which demanded his release in exchange of five foreigners kidnapped in Kashmir in July 1995. Before shifting out to another posting, the officer said, "I met him again in 1997 when he was in the same jail. I informed him that I was proceeding out to a new posting to which he wished me good luck."

"I was at new posting when I heard about his release on December 31, 1999 in exchange for passengers of IC-814. He really meant that we will not be able to keep him for long," he said.

The then BJP-led NDA government had released Azhar, along with Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar alias 'Latram', in exchange of passengers of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 from Kathmandu to New Delhi which was taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

After the negotiations failed with hijackers, the government succumbed to their demands and the then external affairs minister Jaswant Singh took the three terrorists to Kandahar in Afghanistan in a special plane to ensure the release of passengers of the hijacked plane.

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Agencies
July 7,2020

New Delhi, Jul 7: Diesel price in the national capital on Tuesday touched an all-time high following a rate hike after a week-long hiatus.

Diesel price on Tuesday was increased by 25 paise per litre, according to a price notification of state-owned oil marketing companies.

This took the retail selling price of diesel to Rs 80.78 per litre in the national capital - the highest ever.

There was no change in petrol price for the 8th straight day, and it continues to be priced at Rs 80.43 per litre.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

Petrol and diesel price were last revised on June 29.

In the last one month, diesel price has been increased on 23 occasions while petrol rates have risen 21 times.

The cumulative increase since the oil companies started the cycle on June 7, totals to Rs 9.17 for petrol and Rs 11.39 in diesel.

In Mumbai, petrol is priced at Rs 87.19 - unchanged since June 29, while diesel was hiked to Rs 79.05 a litre from Rs 78.83.

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Agencies
July 7,2020

New Delhi, Jul 7: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued revised guidelines regarding the conduct of terminal semesters and final year exams by Universities and educational institutions. It has been suggested that exams may be completed by September in online or offline modes.

Releasing a statement, the UGC said it accepted the recommendations suggested by the expert committee. "In continuation to earlier Guidelines issued on 29.04.2020 and based on the Report of the Expert Committee, the UGC Revised Guidelines on Examination and Academic Calendar for the Universities in view of COVID-19 Pandemic were also approved by the Commission in its emergent meeting held on 6th July 2020," the statement read.

The Commission further said that while it was important to safeguard principles of health, safety and equal opportunities, it was also very important to ensure academic credibility, career opportunities and future progress of students.

"The Commission approved the recommendations of the Expert Committee regarding the conduct of terminal semester(s)/ final year(s) examinations by the universities/ institutions to be completed by the end of September 2020 in offline (pen & paper online/ blended (online + offline) mode," it added.

The UGC also said that if required it would also issue relevant details related to admissions and academic calendar in the universities and colleges. It asked the students to adopt the latest guidelines and complete the terminal semester or final year exams accordingly. 

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News Network
July 14,2020

Jaipur, Jul 14: In a show of strength, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot-led Rajasthan Congress camp on Monday released a video showing at least 16 MLAs sitting together.

This comes hours after the Congress held a legislature party meeting. Party leaders said 106 of 122 MLAs attended, a claim contested by the Pilot camp.

The 10-second video was shared late at night on Pilot's official WhatsApp group.

In the video, at least 16 MLAs are seen sitting together in a close circle. Pilot is not seen in the video.

Six other people can be seen in the video but they could not be identified.

Some of the MLAs seen in the video are Indraraj Gurjar, Mukesh Bhakar, Harish Meena.

Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh tweeted the video with the caption "Family".

Ladnun MLA Mukesh Bhakar tweeted, "...Loyalty in Congress means Ashok Gehlot's slavery. That is not acceptable to us."

Pilot has been upset since he was denied the Rajasthan chief minister's post after the December 2018 assembly elections.

On Sunday, he claimed to have the backing of 30 Congress MLAs and "some independents".

Those close to him disputed Gehlot's claim that his government had a majority, and said this is proven in the assembly and not at the CM's house.

Sources close to him have also ruled out the possibility of Pilot joining the BJP.

In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72. In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the Bharatiya Tribal Party, and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

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