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Killing terrorists, writing news. Just another day in India. This news comes to us courtsey NDTV but other accounts of this incident are not much different. my comments are in red.
Target: Mayawati
The terrorists, both stated to be Pakistani nationals, were coming from Nepal when they were intercepted by the STF, which kept a surveillance on them, triggering the encounter at around 5.50am, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brijlal said. How far is Nepal from Lucknow, if they were under surveillance what prompted the encounter? What attempt was made to capture them alive? He said the ultras opened fire on the STF team while raising slogans like ‘LeT zindabad’. They were raising slogonas “LeT zindabad”??? I wonder why? May be to leave no doubt in mind of the cops that they were LeT members. The two terrorists were killed on the spot during the gun battle, he said, adding both of them were fidayeens and were coming to Lucknow for targeting someone. Of course all the terrorsts who are encountered are killed on the spot.
Target: someone Asked about the possibility of Mayawati being their target, the ADG said a map found with the terrorists was of the area around the Chief Minister’s residence and had something written in Urdu.
Target: Mayawati, maybe.
Something written in Urdu! Hmmm, what was it? Investigation was on to trace the identity of the two terrorists, he said. Both of them were stated to be Pakistani national, police said.
I thought these two were under surveillance, so how come we still don’t know their identity? Intelligence agencies had recently received inputs indicating that Mayawati was a target of militants who could plan a suicide attack on her. Some terrorists were stated to have entered Uttar Pradesh through the Nepal border, police sources said.
Target: Mayawati. Besides a map of 5 Kalidas Marg, the official residence of the Chief Minister, 10 hand grenades, 10 hand grenade fuse, a detonator, two AK-47 rifles, a suicide belt and battery used in it, six magazines and a number of cartridges were recovered from the possession of the two men, Brijlal said. These two dreaded terrorists died without having used any of these and without injuring any of the cops. May be they were busy shouting “LeT zindabad” instead of firing their guns.
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I thought these two were under surveillance, so how come we still don’t know their identity?
I don’t see any reason why their identity should be known, their aliases, maybe.
Well NDTV is one of the most respected news channels……but investigative journalism has not been a great strength, most of the time these were press handouts by the cops. Is it the insinuation again that these were innocent till they have not blown themselves (and many others) in a suicide attack?
Surveillance….
Competency of surveillance is under question or is it the truth?..difficult to decipher
LET zindabad
Sounds bizarre…but when cornered what can they shout..???…Merry Christmas?
Terrorists killed on spot
Terrorists should be state guests who can be conveniently exchanged for hostages later on…
Maps and something written
Everything should be revealed in the print media…should it to ensure that all confidential info is on “youtube”
No cops injured
Either very lucky or very competent……must agree that looks sinister
..in situations like this it’s very difficult to find the truth. Police at times ends up using extra-constitutional means because every time terrorists seek refuge under the very system they undermine. Even the riot criminals are doing the same thing. Who is the witness when all are dead? When Sohrabuddin was killed, so was a Hindu criminal. Kausar Bi’s death was extremely sad. Yes, press needs to be vigilante and so should the citizens. Unfortunately the state machinery more often than not is a cause of bigger grief. But why don’t more of us join media and make a change if we want to.
Media should not blindly trust police press release, they have enough resources to investigate on their own, circumstances of the killings or at least ask some questions that an average intelligent person like me can raise.
Kashif,
”Media should not blindly trust police press release”.
They don’t have a reason to blindly doubt on it as well. The terrorists or people who have done Bomb Blasts or even Dons have taken the shelter of free press, democracy and judiciary to prove their innocence and later to carry on these acts again. Infact the media has become so biased towards their own democratic system that when the judiciary leaves someone they call it police excess but when judiciary orders someone like 2001 parliament bombing accused to be hanged, then they call the case to be reviewed.
In USA it has been found that the press at many times has been working at the behest of the money provided by the terrorists trying to paint the security system as evil. But when a major incident happens then they have nothing else but to blame the security system again. It is high time that sesationalist journalism needs to be checked and such biased media also be punished.
four days before the incident, UP Police gave enough warning to the terrorists that they are waiting for them, but apparently terrorist don’t read newspapers.
UP cops on lookout for fidayeen targeting Mayawati
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/19maya.htm
except for saying when and where they had all the information out there but fortunately for the residents of UP terrorists didn’t check rediff.
Manoj,
“They don’t have a reason to blindly doubt on it as well. ”
Media is supposed to act as watch dog on behalf of its readers and it should question and investigate all claims. It may be OK to assume in this case that the two killed are terrorists but the police report and manner of this killing raises several questions and need to be investigated whether it is another instance of “fake encounter” or “custodial killing.”
“In USA it has been found that the press at many times has been working at the behest of the money provided by the terrorists trying to paint the security system as evil.”
Please provide any evidence to this claim that US media have been taking money from the terrorists.
On Other hand I agree that it can be an easy means of gaining popularity for politicians. But the Benazir episode shows that vigilance is important than ever before. Somehow there needs to be accountability checks put into such encounters. A real vicious circle. With terrorism at peak and politicians always trying to get votes on sensational issues rather than development its really hard to be on any side.
Kashif,
Terrorists have been using media directly and indirectly to further their causes. I dont have any evidence of media taking money from terrorists and would like to take that statement out but media has acted in many cases for people who are actually the wrong doers.
There is a psychological warfare going on out there and media provides easy door to wrong doers to cry for their justice. For instance if some policeman would have shot down this terrorist who was aiming for Benazir then may be the media may have shouted that this is excess, wrong thing done and that the terrorist was standing their smiling very humanly when the police shot him down. But since we all know nothing like this happened we are now seeing the end of a politician who was giving some hopes to south asia’s peace.
Police may use encounters to kill terrorists where they know that evidence might be hard to gather later on and this otherwise confirmed wrong doer will escape. I don’t think media’s overhype and sensationalism has ever helped stopping terrorist acts. Down the line who knows that some media savvy television channel forges acts of terrorism or in connivance with terrorist groups to get breaking news.
Please see the links below as to how terrosists and media have been helping each other.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/vforum/01/brigitteNacos/index.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/14/AR2006061402025.html
Please see the below link as to what Rumsfield says about media being used to manipulate american people.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123030031
Kashif, just a small question? Does media questions terrorists ever about the acts they do to kill people or to damage property. Media does not acts as a watchdog here because the news wont sell. Isn’t then the media biased? If media’s only role is to question police always on its failures and success and to put them down in both the cases then such a media is a weapon for terrorists.
This I found recently on the front page of the Hindustan Times Delhi edition:
6 UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
The Pakistan governments theory about the cause of Benazir’s death raises serious doubts…
1 Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Igbal Cheema said Benazir died from the
impact after being thrown against the “loft” lover of the sun- roof of her armoured vehicle. But he also said the wound was on her right temple. How did she got that wound on her right side?
2 Cheema said the bullots fired at Benazir missed her. But Benazir’s spokesperson and friend Sherry Rehman said she saw a gunshot wound when she helped wash the body before her burial. What stopped the hospital from conducting a post-mortem on the body to establish the cause of death?
3 What happened to the driver of the Land Cruisor in which Bonazir was travelling? The suicide bomber’s detonation did not blow up the vehicio, so why did the driver not rev up and drive off with her immediately after the incident? Drivers of highly protected people are trained to act quickly in such situations.
4 From where did the mysterious video footage of Bhutto’s last moments appear? Why doesn’t the government reveal the source? The day she died, all the footage from numerous TV channels showed Bonazir alive, leaving the rally at Liaquat Bagh. They then showed footage of a vehicle surrounded by bodies. The vehicle was not seriously damaged.
5 How did the Interior Ministry get the videotape within 24 hours of the assassination?
Usually more sophisticated terrorist organisations capture assassinations carried out by their cadres. But why should a terrorist organisation provide the tape to the Pakistan government?
6 Cheema said the AI Qaeda was responsible and spoke of intelligence intercepts in which Baituliah Masud, a Qaeda operative, claimed responsibility. But Masud’s spokesman denied the claim on Saturday, saying it was against their norms to kill a woman.
SO WHO KILLED BENAZIR?
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Good legitimate questions and shows that media is capable of asking tough questions. I want them to ask these questions every time.
Now Manoj, I agree that terrorism can not sustain itself without publicity. Media can play an important role here by highlighting the atrocities committed by terrorists on the population that they are supposed to be serving. This will alienate and cut off their support base. By asking tough questions addressed to the police and the government they will act on people’s behalf and again frustrate the effort of terrorist recruitment who thrive on people’s hopelessness from the govt., law enforcement, judiciary and media.
It takes an incredibly gullible (or insincere) reporter to swallow a police press report whole. Alas, journalistic and editorial standards are so very low now, particularly in reporting on local and regional issues. Given our depressing past record of misidentifying “terrorists”, one must take such reports with a heap of salt.
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