Four juveniles commits crime every day in Delhi

Every day in Delhi, four juveniles are in conflict with law leaving investigators helpless and many such juveniles are involved in various crimes consecutively.

In 2013 till September, 1038 juveniles were found to be in conflict with law and there were apprehended.  “Many of them get out of Observation Home and again commit crime. They are repeat offenders but we are helpless as we can’t do anything,” said law enforcer, on condition of anonymity.  

The statistics are alarming: Till September, in heinous crimes 884, juveniles were involved. While in 2012, in 1171 heinous incident, including December 16 brutal gang rape case, juveniles were involved, in 2011, juveniles were involved in as much 757 heinous incidents.    

As per records, 1572 juveniles were apprehended in 2012 and were sent to Observation Homes. In 2011, 942 juveniles were sent to Observation Homes.

This year, 106 juveniles were apprehended in rape cases, 89 in robbery cases, 55 in murder cases, 47 for attempts to murder, 262 for burglaries and 111 for auto thefts.

With increase in numbers juveniles’ involvement in crime, the law enforcer agencies are feeling helpless as the existing law has tied their hands.

Around one and half month ago,  thirty-three juveniles detained at an observation home in north-west Delhi’s Kingsway Camp area, escaped from there after indulging in stone pelting, causing the explosion of two gas cylinders and starting a fire that gutted several offices of the Home, including that of the superintendent.

The staff of the observation home said that out of the 33 juveniles who escaped, 15 have been caught by the police. The rest 18 are at large. There was a previous breakout by about seven inmates from the observation home in 2010, according to the officials working there.

Five of these were again nabbed in brutal murder-cum-robbery at New Ashok Nagar area where they killed a middle aged woman while committing robbery.

Seeing the more and more juveniles’ involvement in crimes, the police is looking at Centre Government’s stand on this issue.

The parents of 23-year-old physiotherapist student -- Badrinath Singh and his wife Asha Devi – too recently approached apex court with a plea that criminal courts should be allowed to take a decision if to try juveniles like adults after gauging their “maturity and understanding”. “We are not satisfied over the sixth accused – juvenile – being sentenced for three years,” said Badrinath Singh adding that its not the government to take the decision on it.

ENDS

Real-life situations to overcome fear for Bomb Squad

In the initial days on the job, their hands trembled

Checking out live improvised explosive devices is not an easy task. “It needs a lot of courage, disciple, training and perfection. People’s lives are at risk,” says sub-inspector Jasbir Singh. He is posted with the bomb squad of the crime branch of Delhi Police.

When a bomb squad team gets a call about a suspicious object that “looks like a bomb”, its members rush to the spot. And till the time the object is not verified, they take it to be a live bomb.
During their early days with the squad, their hands would tremble, they would sweat and they would be scared. But gradually, after a few encounters, bomb squad members overcome fear.

“During the initial days, despite taking all precautionary measures, we used to get scared at the spot. We are also human beings. But over time, we have got used to it,” says Singh.

Under the guidance of the army and National Security Guard veterans, police officials learn to defuse bombs and operate bomb disposal robots. Head constable Tej Vir Singh says during training, they were conscious of the fact that they were dealing with dummy bombs. “But when you get into a real situation, it is a totally different thing,” he says.

Other team members say the best thing about training is that one can make a mistake and walk away. But in a real-life situation it is different. “You can’t make mistakes,” he reminds.

“You never know what is hidden or what is the bomb composition with bare eyes. One has to deal with it and there is only a limited time frame,” says Singh about real-life situations.

Most of the time highly trained sniffer dogs identify the suspicious object and the bomb disposal team then works on it with remotely operated vehicles and other equipment.

“Truly speaking, no bomb disposal squad has had to use bare hands even once to defuse bombs. If an improvised explosive device is detected, we use various gadgets to defuse or dispose it,” says inspector Kuldeep Malik, who heads the crime branch bomb disposal squad.

He says the job is not as glamorous as it is depicted. “You will only have one take in real life and there is no second chance,” says Singh.

Squad members say it their duty, and they have to perform it whether they like it or not. But being in Delhi Police bomb squad does make them feel proud at times.

They have their grievances and demand more attention from the government.

“Our lives are at risk when we are in the forefront. The lawmakers should at least give us a risk allowance, which bomb squad teams in other security agencies get. It will motivate us a lot.”

Whatever their grouses, they believe in their job. And they believe that people serving with the bomb squads of the Indian Army and National Security Guard are at par with those in any agency in the world.

Just one chance to get it right

BOMB DISPOSAL: HIGH-RISK JOB OF HANDLING EXPLOSIVES HAS NO ROOM FOR ERROR

Putting their lives on the line is their daily job. Carrying all the necessary equipment, they search jam-packed markets, parking lots, malls and vital points in the capital for explosives.

The bomb detection and disposal teams of Delhi Police remain busy throughout the day.

Being the national capital, Delhi is a prime target of terrorist and militant organisations based in and outside the country. With this threat in mind, a specialised unit, the Bomb Disposal Squad, was formed under the city police.

“Their prime work is to detect and dispose of bombs,” says special commissioner of police (crime) Dharmendra Kumar.

There are 13 bomb detection and four bomb disposal teams under Delhi Police;  and its crime branch is the nodal agency to handle the entire squad.

Apart from practising at the Police Training Institute, every year squad members are sent to the training camps of various security agencies — Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guard (NSG) and the army — for 90 days to learn how to deal with live bombs. They are also updated with information on new types of explosives which terror groups are using to carry out attacks.

These men do not have any technical background; they are junior officers of Delhi Police.

A bomb squad team comprises assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables. With law enforcement agencies running public awareness programmes to counter terror threats – such as asking people to be on the lookout for suspicious objects in marketplaces – the squad's work has increased tremendously.

The men work round-the-clock in three shifts, and are always on their toes in case they get a bomb threat call. Some 400 calls are received at city's police control room every year.

Many are dismissed quickly, and many handled by other security agences. The teams under Delhi Police crime branch tackled 44 situations in 2012, and seven so far this year.

“As soon as we get a bomb call, we rush to the spot and first cordon off the entire area. Then sniffer dogs with our team detect the suspicious item. Once it is confirmed that it is explosive material, we use a remotely operated vehicle to check it with an X-ray machine,” says a member of the squad.

“If we find that it is a low-intensity bomb, we cover it with a bomb safety ring and then place a bomb blanket over it and try to blow it up in a controlled manner,” says the member.

Handling suspect object

Elaborating, the officer says there are three layers of processes before disposing of a bomb. First, the suspicious object is searched by sniffer dogs. Second, a visual search is done by the squad. And third, the squad uses specialised equipment to find out the nature of the object.

If circumstances prevent a bomb from being destroyed on the spot – if, for example, it is planted near a temple or a vital building – the police squad has to take help from the National Security Guard bomb disposal squad to shift it and dispose it of in a ‘total containment vehicle’.

The success rate of sniffer dogs in detecting bombs in Delhi is 84 per cent, through visual search it is 82 per cent, and searches using equipment have been successful 48 per cent of the time. Searches through a combination of methods have yielded results in 98 per cent of cases, the officer says.

He says there is no room for error at any stage, and their first priority is to save lives.

The bomb disposal squad under Delhi Police is a highly competitive unit, but still in a nascent stage.

It lacks adequate manpower and infrastructure, and personnel with specialised skills.

These factors make it lag far behind India’s best bomb disposal squads belonging to the army and the NSG.

Since the police bomb squad does not have technical hands like engineers, it has to depend on the NSG and army most of the time.

There are infrastructure issues. The teams do not have enough space to store equipment, and the offices are in a bad shape. Although they have the necessary equipment to detect and dispose of bombs, the teams lack the more specialised gadgets.

The sanctioned strength of a bomb disposal squad is three inspector-level officers, seven sub-inspectors, eleven head constables, seven constables, three drivers and a bomb detection team. But it is making do with two inspectors, four sub-inspectors, four head constables, four constables and two drivers.

The 13 bomb detection teams in the city are managing with minimum hands, not even half the sanctioned numbers. Due to this, an important unit of Delhi Police is comes nowhere near city police bomb squads in the US or Europe.

Senior officers say they are helpless in procuring specialised gadgets, getting the required number of technical hands and having a full-strength squad as the government has to take these decisions. Several Delhi Police proposals to strengthen the squad are pending with the government.

Was published in Deccan Herald 

Cops try their best to protect witnesses, the unsung heroes

Unlike in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia where the government extensively support and protect witnesses who risk their lives by giving evidence in court, in India, especially in Delhi, despite ‘inadequate infrastructure’ the city police are giving their best to save the lives of witnesses through its version of a witness protection programme.

“Though witness protection programme is in a nascent stage in India, unlike in the US and the UK where a witness, whose life is at risk, is extensively protected and sometimes their identity changed to save them, we do our best with limited resources to provide security to witnesses,” said a senior police officer.

Be it a prime witness in the 2G spectrum scam in which politicians A Raja and M K Kanimozhi, government officials and top telecom industrialists were involved, or in the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Delhi Police have been providing protection to them for past several years.

“Any witness whose life is in danger is given the best possible protection. Though a lot of things have to been done to enhance support to such people, we give whatever possible we can,” said the officer.

This year so far, 13 crucial witnesses have been provided 24x7 protection in high-profiles cases like kidnapping, murder or cases in which gangsters are involved. In 2012, 33 witnesses were provided security, including a witness in the 2G scam, who had been receiving threat calls. Twelve witnesses got security from Delhi Police.

The officer said witnesses are the unsung heroes of society, for they play a major role in bringing criminals to justice. “They risk their lives to convict criminals. We cannot jeopardise their lives. Witnesses who are being threatened need to know that they can trust police for their safety,” said the officer.

The witness protection programme started in 2003 after the Delhi High Court issued a circular to police regarding this programme during the Nitish Katara case.

In the circular, the court said that the “edifice of administration is based upon witnesses coming forward and disposing in courts of law, without fear or favour”.

“Since case after case of the prosecution were collapsing owing to material witnesses turning hostile, it was felt in public interest that certain direction pertaining to witness protection needed to be issued as prevailing in countries like the UK, the US, Australia and Canada through legislation,” the court said.

Thereafter, police made the special programme and started providing security to witnesses whose lives are at risk. The court laid guidelines, which police have been implementing.

Three member of family gunned down in Delhi

Three members of a family were gunned down and two managed to escape when three armed people came in front of their house at south east Delhi’s Jaitpur and started firing bullets on Saturday night. The family lost three members only because they started constructing their dream house at neglected area of the city adjoining Delhi-Faridabad border and a neighbour did not like them.

Officially, the police said that the accused are victim’s neighbours and they attacked them over ongoing various disputes, including parking. However, the victims have reported the matter to the police numerous times before that they have been harassed and bashed up by the accused several times over six months. But of no avail

“They were gunned dead in front of their house by their neighbour -- Bir Singh and Sachin. They accused with the help of their associates were standing outside the victim’s house to kill them,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (south east) P Karunakaran adding that the duo has been arrested.

What a shame?

The deceased have been identified as Amit Mishra (26), his father Om Prakash Mishra (50) and mother Shanti Mishra (46).  Om Prakash elder son Sujit Mishra (29) and Sujit’s wife Sarla Mishra escaped, the officer said.  These people migrated from a Bihar years ago and worked tirelessly to earn money and make their dream house.

While Amit and Sujit worked for an Import- Export Company based in Okhla around 10 kilometers away from their house, Om Prakash also was employed in a garment manufacturing unit in Okhla.   
  
The incident took place at around 9: 30 pm at Om Nagar Colony in Jaitpur. The assailants fired around 25 bullets and few bullets at the main door when Sujit’s wife Sarla was trying to close the main door to escape from assailants and to save her three small kids who were playing inside the house.

On Saturday night, Om Prakash returned to his house and found that Sachin and Bir Singh were sitting in a car carrying guns in their hands in front of his house along with few others. He ignored them and went inside the house.

Om Prakash smelt a rat and telephoned his elder son Sujit telling him to be cautious while returning to the house. Sujit told his father to intimate the same message to younger brother Amit, who was about to reach the house. Om Prakash called Amit on his mobile but he did not take the call. Apparently, because Amit was driving bike and he might have ignored taking call.   

After few minutes, Amit reached in front of the house.  As he was approaching towards his house, Sachin deliberately opened the car's door which hit his bike. Amit fell down on the road and before he could get up, Sachin took out the pistol and pumped five bullets at Amit who died on the spot.

Hearing the gun shots, Amit’s mother Shanti rushed to save his son but Sachin and his associates started indiscriminate firing targeting her. He husband Om Prakash, who was following her to the spot, was also gunned down.

In the meantime, Sujit to rushed to his house from the nearby market to save the family members but they fired at him. Sujit ducked and fled from the spot.

The assailants saw Sujit’s wife Sarla was closing the main door of house. They fired at her but bullets hit the doors and she managed to escape.  The assailants fired several rounds at the deceased's house and even targeted several neighbouring houses just to scare neighbours.

Sujit said, “Sachin and Bir Singh have been indulged in regular fights and arguments with his family over petty issues, including parking for last five months.” 

Sujit informed police about the incident and thereafter, a police control room van reached that spot.  Amit, Om Prakash and Shanti were rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences where Amit was declared brought dead on arrival and Om Prakash and Shanti succumb to their injuries.

“The duo had been threatening us to eliminate the entire family for the past five months and we have also made several complaints to police but they did not entertain us,” added Sujit.

 “We are investigating into the matter and all the accused has been identified and raids are on to nab them,” Karunakaran

Why they were killed?

Interesting, they were killed for making house in the lane where Bir Singh was residing.  Bir Singh had been mentally and physically harassing Amit’s family ever since they started living in front of Bir Singh's house.

Around a year ago Om Prakash started building his house after buying a plot in the same street where Bir Singh was staying. From then onwards, the disputed started between them over petty issues.   

“The duo had been threatening us to eliminate the entire family for the last five months. The melee began on October 7, 2013 over parking issue when we went to reside in two rented rooms situated right opposite to Bir Singh's house. He thrashed us but we decided to keep quiet,” said Sujit.

“Later, on October 22, Sachin misbehaved with my family and when I objected, he bashed me very badly after which we registered a case against him,” said Sujit.

He was arrested by the police but later, got released on bail.

On November 3, Sachin and Bir Singh again thrashed Sujit, Om Prakash and Amit and Ajit after which police was informed and a case was registered against the duo accused.

As Bir Singh and Sachin used to threaten them on regular intervals by whipping guns, they used to keep a distance from them. The duo, however, would always search an opportunity to pick argument with us, added Sujit. 

In the meantime, police kept quite over the issue and let the dispute and allowed Bir Singh and Sachin to harsh and beat them.

Now, Sujit, his wife Sarla, his three kids and another younger brother Ajit are left in the family to mourn the death of their parents and brothers.

Police as usual arrested the accused after they gunned down the three people. Had they acted earlier stringently they could have been avoided.

The locals complained that police are busy collecting illegal money from shopkeepers, builders and water mafias in the area and they are least concerned about the people’s problem. 

Interestingly, convicts in Tihar take parole to get married

Rakesh Singh 35, who is lodged in Tihar jail and is serving a life term for murder, can’t wait to get married.

He has written to Delhi government seeking permission to be released on parole for four days to tie the knot with his long time acquaintance Roshni. In his letter he has written how he was committed to Roshni and his long-cherished dream to marry her.

Rakesh is not alone.

Tihar jail authorities are literally flooded with such requests from convicts languishing in Asia’s biggest prison over the past few years – several of them seeking parole to marry.

“Several of such convicts marry after being granted parole. This is a growing trend and we do not have any complaints. It is a positive thing and would also help them in rehabilitating once they get out of prison after serving their term,” said a senior prison official.

Over the past two years over 150 convicts have got married after being allowed parole.

“Another good thing is that the promise of an ordered family life after jail made such convicts to be on good behaviour inside prison. After marriage they become more disciplined and well-mannered, he added.

But there are others who misuse the relief and go missing after being granted parole --- 26 convicts have gone missing in the last two years after they were granted relief.

“This is why we have written to the Delhi government to make parole rules more stringent and amend the existing guidelines,” another official said.
Last year Delhi high court granted Manu Sharma, serving a life term for the 1999 murder of Jessica Lal, parole for five days to attend his brother’s wedding but laid down a condition -- he wouldn’t visit nightclubs or discotheques during the five days.

In 2009 Delhi government had landed in a soup after recommending parole to Sharma who was found partying in a discotheque in the capital the last time he had been granted parole to visit his ailing mother in Chandigarh and attend his grandmother’s last rites.

According to the official jail authorities get 20-25 applications every month from convicts seeking parole on several grounds including marriage.

“Only those who are well-behaved and have never been involved in any untoward incident inside prison are allowed,” said Sunil Gupta, law officer Tihar jail

Parole is granted to convicts on grounds of sickness in the family, perform funeral rite, attend marriage, sorting out property dispute, construct a house or repair a damaged house, education or any other sufficient reasons.

It is granted by the governor, Delhi, and the high court if the appeal is pending there.
The relief allows a convict to leave the prison for a period of maximum one month on condition that he would behave appropriately after release and report back to the prison on termination of the parole period.

At present 12,000 inmates are lodged in Tihar jail and 25-30 percent of them are convicts.

“Inmates in Tihar are relatively young and the average age being 25-40. We are very happy that some of them are getting married on parole. It helps them in rehabilitation after serving their terms,” Gupta said.

In 2010, Tihar also introduced a furlough provision which an inmate can avail thrice in a year.

“But again convicts with a good track record and having good conduct are allowed furlough. The director general (prisons) has the discretionary power to allow furlough to a convict or deny,” said a jail official.

Prison officials said that many women marry convicts with an eye on his property.

“Once married prisoners can also seek furlough,” an official added.

Another jail official pointed out how the love story of a convict touched the hearts of the two judges of the Supreme Court so much that they granted parole to him to marry his fianacee in June this year.

Justice H.L.Gokhale and Justice Ranjana Prakash granted four weeks parole to life convict Mahesh Sharma to get him married to his beloved Sonia on June 25 in Delhi.

Sharma’s counsel pleaded that families of both the bride and bridegroom would face great embarrassment if he could not make it for the marriage ceremony fixed for June 25.

Sharma got engaged to his fiancée on April 14 while he was on a month long parole from April 4 to May 4. Their marriage was fixed on May 20 but his application for extension of parole was rejected by Delhi government.

It was then the marriage was rescheduled for June 25.

Sharma was arrested on the charges of murder by Delhi police in May 15, 2004 and was convicted and awarded life term November 3, 2009 by the trial court and was upheld by the high court and the apex court.

According to jail norms wives are allowed to meet their husbands twice a week which is a normal procedure.

Last year Punjab government announced that they may allow select male inmates to have sex with their partners in a designated area of the jail.

 If the proposal, which is part of the jails reforms programme, is allowed then Punjab will become the first state to allow sex in prison.

ENDS

I just smiled...

Hi, Mandir Nagar Station House Officer is found to be involved in rape. There is allegation of sexual assault and I am checking.

This message popped up my chat box when I was busy writing a gang rape story of 13-year-old girl in east Delhi’s Nand Nagri on Thursday. Within two minutes, a similar note again erupted. 

It was around 7: 45 pm and deadline to submit was very near as I had listed two stories for the day.  I decided to complete the gang rape story and thereafter will confirm about the rape allegations against SHO.

My phone ranged after I wrote a paragraph and I could not ignore it as with was another reporter from different organization was calling up. The caller asked, “Do you any idea of Station House Officer of Mandir Marg has been accused to sexual assault?”  I replied, ‘Yes and will try to get details after 15 minutes.’  After saying ok, the caller disconnected the phone.  

I started writing the gang rape story….

A 13-year-old girl alleged that she was gang raped by three youths in north east Delhi on Thursday night. After registering the complaint of the rape, police arrested all three accused who were identified as local auto-rickshaw drivers, said police.

Police said that on January 7, the victim girl, who hails from Harsh Vihar area of north East Delhi had gone missing from her residence. Her parents lodged missing complaint with police after failed to trace her from all possible places.

According to the complaint of the girl, she left home and was loitering around Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital at night. There three youths befriended her and took her to a room.

From the description of the complainant, police have reasons to suspect that the girl was taken to an abandoned room inside the hospital premises. The girl alleged that three youths raped her in the room.

On Thursday the girl herself returned and complained that she was raped by three. She was taken to the hospital and after conducting medical test, police registered a case.

The accused three have been identified as Rehan, Saleem and Sonu — all local auto-rickshaw drivers at Nand Nagri. Sources said that still the girl could give a sketchy description of the entire incident. Police have started interrogating the accused three for detail. Cops also taking help of counseling to get a detail description from the complainant girl. “There are discrepancies in the victim’s statement and we are verifying it,” said a police officer.

After completing my story I called up additional deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma to get the information about the Mandir Marg SHO. He explained that there was no such incident or allegation against his junior. We talked for almost ten minutes regarding various rumours that start erupting during night hours. “It is just a rumour and there is no truth in that and no allegation of sexual assault against the SHO,” Verma clarified.

I wrote two words to the fellow reporter in chat who first fargi news. He called and said, “It’s not fargi and I got confirmation with Deputy Commissioner of Police SBS Tyagi.”

We argued for almost five minutes wherein I stated that DCP’s junior Madhu Verma stated that its might be just rumour.  He, however, stressed me to confirm. Before calling Tygai, I thought to check with my source. I called up my source who stated that it is a month old incident and it not a sexual assault case but sexual harassment case and assistant commissioner of police is looking in the matter.  

“The allegations were leveled by a woman sub-inspector working under him,” source said.

I called up DCP Tyagi and before I could say anything he said that it is a case of sexual harassment leveled against SHO a month ago and enquiry is on. As Tyagi and I share a trust, I asked him what the real story is and what he has found in enquiry. “A 45-year-old woman sub-inspector a child of two alleged that she was sexual harassed by the SHO. When we checked, we found that the SHO asked her repeatedly to come on time and she was not giving any heed to it and when he angry shouted at her, she alleged sexual harassment. We have conducted enquiry and he was clean chit and when we transferred the woman sub-inspector she went on leave for six months. Now, if you want to write story it’s up to you,” Tyagi said and I laughed and said there is no story.    

I left for home after doing another story that a man was charred to death when a fire broke out in the car which he was driving at Pul Prahladpur.

I was wondering how the heinous crime is now being used to settle score most of the times and how the real victims are ignored.

Next day, I was surprised to find that that a few newspapers carried this. I just smiled…

Peek into Special Cell

Unseen to the public, the Delhi Police Special Cell works round-the-clock to prevent terrorists striking in the capital. But the 700-personnel unit also faces controversy over the way it functions with human rights activists accusing it of often crossing the line.

The arrest of 71-year-old Abdul Karim Tunda, one of India’s most wanted terrorists, has brought the spotlight back on the Delhi Police's Special Cell, an elite counterterrorism agency.

Police sources admit that Tunda was actually captured by the Research and Analysis Wing and the Intelligence Bureau near the India-Nepal border. And then handed over to the Special Cell for interrogation into his alleged links with the likes of the mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and the 26/11 masterminds – Lashkar-e-Toiba's Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi.

The arrest has raised questions about the role of the Special Cell.

This is not the first time, the intelligence agencies have tracked down terrorists based abroad, and then let the Special Cell take over from there. In June last year, Zabiuddin Sayed Zakiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who coordinated the 26/11 Mumbai attack  from a Karachi control room, was brought to Indira Gandhi International airport from Saudi Arabia by intelligence agencies, and then handed over to the cell.

Is it mere coincidence or a part of a well-thought-out plan? Or is the Special Cell virtually an operations unit of country's  intelligence agencies? It obviously helps that Delhi Police reports to the Centre, just as the agencies do, and not to the state government.

The origins of the Special Cell go back to the 1980s when militancy raged in Punjab. As the Sikh ultras made their presence felt in the Capital as well, there arose a need to have special anti-terror unit of Delhi Police.

In 1985, the then Delhi Police Commissioner Ved Marwah constituted the Operation Cell, now known as the Special Cell. Around 15 inspectors and 15 sub-inspectors, among the best in the force, were picked to form it. The unit started operating from Lodhi Colony.

The Operation Cell's job was to coordinate with all intelligence agencies and police forces of other states, and gather information about terrorist activities. And its second main function was to conduct operations to arrest terrorists.

Its first major success was in 1985 itself in bringing to book the perpetrators of post-Independence India's first bomb blast case in Delhi. Sikh militants had carried out several transistor bomb blasts, leaving 69 people dead and 127 injured across the city in span of three days to avenge the anti-Sikh riots, which followed Indira Gandhi's assassination.

While the first breakthrough was made by the local police, the case was then handed over to a joint team of Operation Cell and Crime Branch of Delhi Police.

More terror strikes were to follow. In 1986, Surjit Singh Penta of the Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan was involved in strikes at Chittaranjan Park and Greater Kailash that left around 30 dead. The Operation Cell took up the investigation.

In 1987, the cell notched its second big success, taking on Khalistan Commando Force terrorists Harjinder Singh 'Jinda' and Satnam Singh Bawa in an encounter near Mall Road in north Delhi. Satnam was shot dead.  Wounded Jinda died later.

Also in 1987, there was an explosion in the underground Palika Bazar at Connaught Place. In 1988, there were three blasts, in 1989 four explosions.

The spillover of militancy in Punjab kept the Special Cell busy in the next few years.

By 1991, not only Punjab militants but Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir based groups had started carrying out terror attacks in the national capital. That year, there were around 12 explosions in the capital in the first six months. At least four people were killed and 40 injured when a bomb exploded in the market behind Red fort. A bomb also exploded at Indira Gandhi International Airport on June 24. There were 17 blasts in the capital in span of 14 months leading to 40 arrests in from the city.

Delhi Police decided to expand the Operation Cell.

The cell was split into two police ranges. With around 300 police personnel, Operation Cell worked under Asssitant Commissioner of Police Sukhdev Singh and later under Deputy Commissioner of Police B S Bhola. Both of them have now retired.

Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Harkat ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed had now started targeting  Delhi. In 1996, blasts took place in Lajpat Nagar Central Market, killing 13 people and injuring 39 others. The cell arrested six people.

In 1994, the cell was expanded to 500 personnel, divided now into three police ranges.

Between, 1994 to 1997, around 24 blasts took place in the national capital, carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba. The recently nabbed Abdul Karim Tunda was allegedly involved in them. Other arrests in these cases have been made earlier.

In 2000,  Lashkar-e-Toiba carried out at attack at Red Fort, killing two soldiers and a civilian. The Operation Cell nabbed some of those involved.

The Operation Cell morphed into the Special Cell in 2001, headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Chand. The year saw the Parliament attack, carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The strike led to an India-Pakistan military stand-off.

The Special Cell solved the case, arresting the recently hanged Afzal Guru and others. The Cell became more proactive after the  Parliament House attack: between 2001 and 2005 many encounters took place across the city.

From 2006 onwards, it also faced the challenge of dealing with Indian Mujahideen, which owed its origins to the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

On September 13, 2008, IM members  carried our serial blasts in Connaught Place, Karol Bagh’s Gaffar market and M-Block market in Greater Kailash-1. At least 25 people were killed and over 100 were injured. Since then, IM has carried out five more attacks in Delhi. The Special Cell have busted three IM terror modules so far, and some 30 terrorists have been arrested over four years.

The anti-terror wing faced criticism from various organisations after the Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar on September 19, 2008. The Special Cell cops had launched an operation there against suspected IM members. Three persons, including a police officer, died.

After this operation the Special Cell was put on the backburner for almost two years. The Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association, which was formed after the Batla House encounter, recently released a report alleging that the cell had arrested 14 innocent people, who were later acquitted by court.

It was after B K Gupta took charge as Police Commissioner in November  2010, that the Special Cell got a new lease of life. It became even more active when Neeraj Kumar took charge as police chief on June 30, 2012.  During Kumar's term over 20 terrorists were nabbed.

A senior police officer, who was in the specialised unit for 20 years, says, “Earlier, the terrorist were not very hi-tech. But with new technology easily available, they have become more dreaded. Similarly, the Special Cell too has become a more specialised unit over the last three decades with new anti-terror equipment in hand.” He adds that the militants striking in Delhi are backed by Pakistan.

As the cat-and mouse game continues between terrorists and cops, the Special Cell, now a team of 700 police personnel, needs to constantly keep pace.

This story was written by me and published in Deccan Herald

Unseen enemies lurk at home

KILL ZONE: TERRORISTS TARGET COUNTRY’S CAPITAL TO GET MAXIMUM ATTENTION

By virtue of being the capital of the world’s largest democracy, Delhi is a prime target of terrorist groups, and countering them has become a major challenge for security agencies. With the arrest of five Indian Mujahideen members this month and deportation of another, security agencies have managed to foil a major attack in the city.

But the presence of sleeper cells of terror operatives in Delhi has become a major concern as there are fresh threats of terror strikes in the upcoming festival season.

From the 2001 Parliament attack case to the bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat on February 13 this year, Delhi has seen over a dozen terror attacks with hundreds of people killed and thousands injured.

Why Delhi

There is a perpetual terror threat in the Capital. The main goal of Indian Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Lashkar-e-Toiba is to strike Delhi the hardest.

“Since it’s the national capital, terror outfits think that carrying out strikes here will have international implications, and the world will acknowledge their act of insane brutality. There is always a terror threat in Delhi,” said a senior police officer who, for the last two decades, has been involved in counter-terrorist operations in Delhi.

Sharing his twenty years of experience, the officer said members of terror outfits are fanatical people and their main motive is to create panic among people. “Remorseless, these men don’t show any sign of guilt on their face. They are tough nuts to crack. If caught they try to justify their doings,” he said.

Changes in trend

In the last decade, security agencies have seen changes in terror activities in Delhi. Earlier, foreign terrorists were directly involved in carrying out strikes in the city. They would enter India through one of the numerous porous borders that India share with Bangladesh and Nepal. They would strike and then flee via the same route.

Over the years some terrorist organisations started setting up bases in Delhi, and lately they have been successful in motivating some local residents to run homegrown terror modules.

“Things have changed a lot. Now homegrown terror modules are carrying out strikes in the city on directions from terrorists holed up in Pakistan and West Asian countries,” said the officer.

Citing the Parliament attack in 2001, the officer said that on December 13, 2001, five gunmen infiltrated Parliament House in a car bearing the Union home ministry’s and Parliament’s stickers, and opened up in a ‘suicide attack’. The assault was carried out by members of LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, who came from Pakistan. They also got help from local sympathisers in India.

Homegrown terror outfit

From 2006 onwards, homegrown terror module — Indian Mujahideen — formed by five students in Bhatkal in Karnataka in 2003, started carrying out attacks across the country.

IM was engineered with the help of Pakistani intelligence and LeT to spread terror in India.

The influence of conservative Islam, and funding from Pakistan and the Middle East, helped radicalise youth members of the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India, ultimately achieving the goal of making homegrown terrorists.

Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Aamir, Mohammad Tariq Anjuman Hasan and Fasih Mahmood transformed SIMI into Indian Mujahideen.

On September 13, 2008, IM members for the first time carried our serial blasts within 45 minutes in Connaught Place, Karol Bagh’s Gaffar market and M-Block market in Greater Kailash-1 in south Delhi. At least 25 people were killed and over 100 were injured.

Since then the homegrown terror outfit has carried out five attacks in Delhi. Before that, attacks in the Capital were carried out by Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and LeT.

Police have managed to bust three IM terror modules so far, and some 30 terrorists have been arrested within four years.

Anti-terror wing under flak

The anti-terror wing of the Delhi police special cell has also faced criticism from various organisations and government representatives after the Batla House encounter, which took place on September 19, 2008. The cops had launched an operation against suspected IM members in Batla House area in Jamia Nagar.

Two suspected terrorists, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid, were killed and two other suspects Mohammad Saif and Zeeshan were arrested. Another accused Ariz Khan managed to escape. Encounter specialist and inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the operation, was also killed in the firefight.

After this operation the anti-terror wing of Delhi police was put on the back burner for almost two years. The Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association, which was formed after the Batla House encounter, recently released a report alleging that the special cell had arrested 14 innocent people for terror activities, who were acquitted by court.

Refuting the allegation, Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said that six cases out of the 16 referred to in the report have actually ended in conviction, while one case is pending trial.

“One case has not been investigated by the special cell at all. Of the eight cases that ended in acquittal, in five cases our appeals are pending against the order of the trial court before the Delhi High Court,” he said.

Special cell revived now

It was after B K Gupta took charge as the police commissioner on November 10, 2010, that the special cell got a new lease of life.

He brought in some good counter-terror officers — Ashok Chand and Sanjeev Kumar Yadav — in the cell. The team, under additional commissioner Ashok Chand, busted two terror modules with the arrest of 18 terrorists.

Recent arrests and threats

In last few months intelligence have manged to nab four top terrorists -- Abu Jundal, Fasih Mohamed, Abdul Karim Tunda and Yasin Bhatkal.

Five suspected IM members were also arrested for involvement in the August 1 Pune serial blasts. With their arrest police found out that they had plans to carry out blasts in Delhi and Bihar in the upcoming festival season.

Sayed Maqbool, who hails from Maharashtra’s Nanded district, was arrested in Hyderabad on Tuesday for executing the blasts.

Earlier, police had arrested Asad Khan, 33, and Imran Khan, 31, from their hideouts in south-east Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur on September 26. Sayed Feroz alias Hamza, 38, was nabbed in Nizamuddin railway station on October 1 and Landge Irfan Mustafa, 30, was arrested in Jaipur on October 10.

“We have managed to bust the IM module behind the Pune bombings, but we are aware that over two dozen operatives are still at large. We also completely agree that there may be many more who are yet to be identified. We are trying to unearth the entire group by interrogating the arrested operatives. We will keep gathering intelligence about possible suspects,” said special commissioner of police (special cell) S Srivastava.

Security agencies have also managed to bring two terrorists from Saudi Arabia recently — Fasih Mahmood, one of IM’s founders, and Abu Jundal, LeT member who also plotted the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Abdul Karim Tunda, LeT member, and Yasin Bhatkal, IM founder.

Security tightened

Police have identified hundreds of vulnerable locations were terrorists may strike in the upcoming festivals. They have tightened security in those areas, and are gathering intelligence about possible terror activities in Delhi.

Additional armed teams have been deployed in several areas, and Quick Reaction Team commandos armed with sophisticated weapons have also sent to various locations.

“Security has been beefed up and additional forces have been deployed to ensure safety. All security mechanisms have been put into place," said Rajan Bhagat.

This story was written by me and was published in Deccan Herald

They keep you safe for nothing

LOWER-RANK COPS DO BIG CHUNK OF POLICING, GET LEAST ATTENTION

A 42-year-old constable was mowed down when he tried to stop a mini truck driven by suspected criminals in Bharat Nagar in north-west Delhi on Friday morning.

Naresh Kumar Verma’s head was crushed under its wheels, killing him on the spot. Three days earlier, a head constable was shot dead and his colleague injured in an attack by unidentified men while they were investigating a case in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

At least 60 policemen — 90 per cent of them constables or head constables — have lost their lives in the line of duty in the last five years. In 2010 alone, 14 were killed.

“God knows how many hours of duty we do in a month. But I can tell you that sometimes, a week passes by before I get to speak to my children. When I reach home late they are asleep, and by the time I wake up they have left for school. In my job as a constable, we consider 16 hours of duty as normal. It is a tough job and even a roadside hawker has a better life then us. We cannot even quit as it would be difficult to get a job at this age,” said a 41-year-old head constable from IP Estate police station.

The grievances mentioned by him are just the tip of the iceberg. A peek into the daily routine of lower rung police officials can only invite sympathy. Constables and head constables cut a sorry figure, and almost all of them seem to hate their job. Why?

Working odd and long working hours, earning low wages, risking their lives, making enemies, receiving abuses from seniors for small mistakes, and serving the bosses’ families while keep their own waiting and unhappy — the 42,300 constables and head constables in Delhi Police are a harassed, stressed out lot.

The police’s job is to maintain law and order and prevent crime. But to attain this objective, reformation and modernisation of the force at the ground level is imperative. Turning a blind eye to dismal service conditions of these men is a grave mistake.

Odd, long working hours

A beat constable wakes up at 6 am and after a briefing at 9 am at the police station, he heads towards his area, where he interact with vendors, hawkers and informers. He checks banks, jewellery shops and important buildings on his beat. He makes a list of doubtful characters, meets resident welfare association members and senior citizens, and carries out regular patrolling at parks and religious places. But there is more to a constable’s day.

He also has to visit the local court if an old case in which he is an investigative officer, along with a senior sub-inspector or inspector level officer, is coming up. Then he is back again in his area.

“On a normal day, we might get a call about a fight between two groups or a pickpocketing case. It takes another two to three hours to investigate such a case and get it registered at the police station,” said a constable posted at Malviya Nagar police station.

He said if a crime happens in his area, his seniors pull him up. “If something big happens, at least five of us have to rush to the spot and we never know how long it would take. No senior is bothered whether we have slept even for an hour,” he said.

Policemen feel that a proper shift system should be worked out for them – like the one they have in Tihar jail. “A good administrator can make this happen,” said a head constable posted at Nabi Karim.

Hardly any weekly offs

After working for long hours,  policemen can’t even be sure of getting one day off in a week. Quite often, their regular weekly off day gets cancelled due to something urgent — a VVIP might be coming to their area, there could be a rally, or a heinous crime.

Public ire

Beat constables are the core of policing. They have to interact with local residents on a day-to-day basis, and often they face their anger. A beat constable posted at Shakarpur police station said, “I was standing near a shop for half an hour. Suddenly, the owner came and questioned why I was standing in front of his shop. He asked me to leave. I left and went to another place. But  within an hour I got a call that a snatching had taken place outside his shop. I rushed to the spot, only to face public ire,” he said.

It's worse when they are posted at a police picket. “When we stop a car to check documents, they straightaway start abusing us and make calls to senior officials in some ministries or in our department,” said a Kamla Market head constable.

Low wages

At the time of joining the force, a constable gets a net salary of between Rs 17,000 and Rs 18,000 per month. Five years down the line, he would get Rs 21,000 per month if he is not allotted a government accommodation.

A shocking part is that they get just Rs 75 as bicycle allowance and Rs 75 for cleaning their uniform. “Not everyone gets a wireless set. Those who don’t have it have to make calls continuously to report to seniors. But we don’t get a phone allowance,” said another constable.

Risk to life

Low wages come with high risk, as recent cases of attacks against policemen show.  “We take risks. We don’t know what will happen on any given day,” said a head constable from Karol Bagh station.

Better facilities

New technology has helped police keep up with criminals. The mobility of criminals has been matched by new patrol cars and advanced communication systems. Analysis of the nature of crimes has allowed police to take preventive measures. But focus is also needed on improving the lives of constables and head constables.

“We are working to provide better facilities for the constabulary. We are building a residential complex with schools, shopping areas and community facilities for them. This is being seen as a huge step that will boost the motivational levels of the force,” said Dharmendra Kumar, Special Commissioner of Police (law and order).

They hurt to escape from pain

A 14-year-old boy killed three women last month in Jahangirpuri over a loan of Rs 50. The incident came as a rude shock to police, lawmakers and residents as well.

The first victim was a 30-year-old woman who had loaned the boy Rs 50 and had informed about his mother about it. The boy stabbed her to death.

 When another woman and her daughter tried to intervene, he killed them too. He was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to an observation home.

In February, a teenager was held in east Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar for kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old class 8  student of a government school. He wanted to take revenge after she turned down his attempts to start a relationship.

Such cases create a picture of children with an immense capacity to commit brutality. But visit an observation home, and you see their ‘innocent’ face as well.

“I never wanted to kill anyone. I just could not take the humiliation,” the boy who allegedly killed the three women told Deccan Herald during a brief interaction at the observation home.

Seeing him play cricket with other juveniles, it is hard to imagine that he had killed three persons.

However, incidents of minors committing serious crimes in the Capital are frequent, as the official figures show. The number of juveniles involved in heinous crimes like murder, attempt to murder, rape, kidnapping and robbery in Delhi has increased slightly in the last four years.

More juveniles commit crime

According to the National Crime Bureau records in 2010, 160 juveniles were involved in heinous crimes. In 2009, the figure was 157; in 2008, it was 122 children, and only 90 in 2007.

In 2010, the highest number of crimes by juveniles was theft — 81 cases. It was followed by 54 robbery cases, 44 causing hurt, 37 rape and 35 murder. A slight increase is noticed also in the number of children actually apprehended under different sections of the Indian Penal Code. While 627 kids were apprehended in 2010, 584 were held in 2009. In 2008, 520 kids were apprehended.

In 2010, the largest number of juveniles – 139 – were apprehended for theft followed by 93 for robbery, 55 murder and 40 rape. In that year, 20 boys in the age group of 7 to 12 years were apprehended, while as many as 275 were between the ages of 12 and 16 years. The maximum number of juveniles apprehended — 324 — belonged to the age group of 16 to 18 years.

In 2010, of the total number of juveniles apprehended, 169 were sent home after advice, 81 released on probation and placed under the care of parents or guardians, 178 sent to special homes, 27 acquitted and 156 cases are still pending.

Another classification shows that of all juveniles apprehended in 2010, 154 were found to be illiterate, 235 had gone to primary school, 204 attended middle school and 34 had done matriculation.

Of 627 juveniles detained in 2010, 504 were found to be living with their parents, 87 with guardians and 36 were homeless.

Treating them with care

What is worrying police and lawmakers is that an increasing number of juveniles are coming in conflict with law across the country. Child counsellors say such children need to be treated with care.

“They are not criminals. They children also need care and protection,” said Amod K Kanth, head of NGO Prayas and ex-chairperson of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Children commit crime because of neglect by parents, drug abuse, boredom, poverty and negative influence of movies. Some child rights groups have found a link between adolescent crime and family problems. “When these kids face or see financial problems at home, they turn towards crime,” said a senior police officer.

In 2010, the family income of 408 juveniles apprehended was below Rs 25,000 per annum, and 122 had a family income between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 per annum. The family income of 70 juveniles was between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

While 18 of them had an income of at least between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, only six were found to have an annual family income above Rs 3 lakh. More vulnerable Children who have been exposed to violent behaviour from childhood at home, have been victim of abuse or have suffered emotionally stressful conditions in the family, are prone to committing crime.

According to senior police officials, lack of attention from parents can result in children taking the wrong path.

In their search for affection and satisfaction, adolescents often turn to drugs to fulfill their needs. Some take to violence.

Class no bar

But many young offenders also come from affluent families.

“Nowadays, even children from well-off middle-class and upper middle-class families are turning to crime,” said Jeevan Anmol, a social worker. Peer pressure and the thrill they get out of doing an illegal act are major reasons, according to him.
 Child rights activists say good care and sound rehabilitation programmes will help affected kids keep themselves away from crime. They say such programmes are few in the country, and it is very difficult to maintain high quality in all of them.

“The need of the hour is to love children, nurture them and give them strength before it is too late,” said former child welfare committee member Randhir Kashap.

On the day Deccan Herald visited the observation home, a 16-year-old boy said, “Our parents barely manage three meals a day. I did not know that my act would bring shame on them. I will never do it again.”