Batla House encounter case
Encyclopedia
Batla House encounter officially known as Operation Batla House, took place on 19 September 2008, against suspected Indian Mujahideen
(IM) terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, in which two suspected terrorist, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid, two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested, while one accused Ariz Khan managed to escape. Encounter specialist and Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma
, who led the police action was also killed during the incident. The encounter led to arrest of a number of local people, leading to widespread allegations and protests by political parties, civil society groups, activists, especially teachers and students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University. Several political organizations like the Samajwadi Party
and Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP) demanded a judicial inquiry into the encounter, in the Parliament, as "new versions" of the encounter, started appearing the newspapers. Subsequently, on the Delhi High Court
's directive on 21 May 2009, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its 22 July report cleared the police of any violations of rights. Public speculations and debate however continued.
The incident took place a week after five serial blasts on 13 September 2008
that hit Delhi in which at least 30 people killed and over 100 injured. The killing of Atif Amin, who was the chief bomber of the Indian Mujahideen, had dealt a severe blow to the group, which earlier been blamed for terror attacks between 2007 and 2009, in Delhi
, Ahmedabad
, Jaipur
, Surat
and Faizabad
, according to investigating agencies. On the two year anniversary of the encounter a shooting took place at the gates of historic Jama Masjid, Delhi
, in which two foreign tourists were injured, apart from that a car bomb with failed timer was also found in the vicinity. The police had filed the chargesheet
against Shahzad, Ariz Khan (absconding), Atif Ameen and Mohammed Sajid on 28 April 2010, accusing them of killing Inspector Sharma on 19 September 2008. On February 15 2011, Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar framed charges against accused Shahzad Ahmed alias Pappu for the offences of murder (Section 302), attempt to murder (Section 307), section 333 (causing hurt to public servant), 353 (assault to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code, besides section 27 of the Arms Act for his role in the 'encounter'.
Upon reaching the four-storied house the police’s attempt to storm the flat on the second floor at around 10 30 AM (IST) led to a heavy exchange of fire. Sharma received the first burst of fire from the terrorists holed up inside. After the ensuing exchange of fire two suspected terrorist, Atif Amin and Mohd Sajid were killed, two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested, while one managed to escape. Also two Delhi police personnel injured, one of whom, Sharma who led the operation, later succumbed to the injuries. Later, the intelligence team said that the arrested allegedly had links with Dubai
and further questioned if they had any link with Dawood Ibrahim
.
on 21 May 2008, asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to enquire into the police version of the encounter, and submit its report in complete within two months. Subsequently on 22 July, NHRC after its investigations, in 30-page report submitted its report which gave a clean chit to Delhi Police in the case. The inquiry ruled out the conspiracy theory suggest that it was "inter-departmental rivalry" which might have led to the death of Inspector M C Sharma, as per postmortem report he had a gunshot wound on the “hypochondriac region of the abdomen”, which ruled out an attack from behind. In August 2008, the Delhi high court accepted the findings of NHRC and declined to institute a judicial probe.
Sharma was a much decorated police officer and had won seven gallantry medals including the President of India
's Medal in 2008. He was posthumously awarded India's highest military decoration
the Ashoka Chakra
on 26 January 2009.
, spoke against what he called the "intellectually dishonest" representatives of Muslims who "live in denial"…"They first deny that there is such a thing as jihadi terrorism, resorting to conspiracy theories blaming every act of jihadi violence either on Israel, the U.S. or India. Then they argue that unjust wars by these three nations [in Palestine, Iraq and Kashmir] are the primary cause for jihadi violence; a phenomenon whose very existence they have already denied."
in Delhi
and injured two Taiwan
ese tourists. Subsequently police investigations revealed that one of the timers of the cooker bomb planted in a car was timed at exactly 11.37 am, the time when the Batla encounter had taken place. The e-mail, sent to the BBC and Mumbai ATS, claiming responsibility for the attack mentions two terrorists as Shaheed or martyrs. The attack gains significance from the fact that it took place on the two-year anniversary of the Batla House encounter in which Atif Amin, the chief bomber of the Indian Mujahideen
was killed, this had dealt a severe blow to the group, which earlier been blamed for terror attacks between 2007 and 2009, in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur Surat and Faizabad, according to investigating agencies, the blast announced the revival of the group, in an email to the media, with the intention of avenging the killed terrorists.
investigations after the 2010 Varanasi bombing
, indicated that Pakistan-based Bhatkal brothers, Riyaz and Iqbal, the chiefs of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) being the brains behind the explosion, which was carried out by Dr Shahnawaz presently based both in Dubai and Pakistan. He is the brother of IM foot soldier Mohammed Saif, who was arrested in the Batla House encounter. Dr Shahnawaz along with Khalid, Abu Rashid and Bada Sajid or Mohammed Sajid had fled to Nepal after the encounter. Shanawaz is a former physician in Lucknow Hospital, and all four now hold Nepalese passports.
Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist group based in India, known for carrying out several attacks against civilian targets in India....
(IM) terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, in which two suspected terrorist, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid, two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested, while one accused Ariz Khan managed to escape. Encounter specialist and Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma
Mohan Chand Sharma
Mohan Chand Sharma was an Indian Police Inspector who served in the Delhi Police, Special Cell and was killed during the Batla House encounter in Delhi with suspected terrorists. Sharma was a much-decorated police officer and had won seven gallantry medals including the President of India's Medal...
, who led the police action was also killed during the incident. The encounter led to arrest of a number of local people, leading to widespread allegations and protests by political parties, civil society groups, activists, especially teachers and students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University. Several political organizations like the Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party is a political party in India. It is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party...
and Bahujan Samaj Party
Bahujan Samaj Party
The Bahujan Samaj Party is a centrist national political party in India with socialist leanings. It was formed to chiefly represent Bahujans , referring to people from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes as well as Buddhists. The party claims to be inspired by the...
(BSP) demanded a judicial inquiry into the encounter, in the Parliament, as "new versions" of the encounter, started appearing the newspapers. Subsequently, on the Delhi High Court
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi was established on 31 October 1966. The High Court of Delhi was established with four judges. They were Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. K. Kapur.-History:...
's directive on 21 May 2009, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its 22 July report cleared the police of any violations of rights. Public speculations and debate however continued.
The incident took place a week after five serial blasts on 13 September 2008
13 September 2008 Delhi bombings
The 13 September 2008 Delhi bombings were a series of five synchronised bomb blasts that took place within a span of few minutes on Saturday, 13 September 2008 at various locations in Delhi, India...
that hit Delhi in which at least 30 people killed and over 100 injured. The killing of Atif Amin, who was the chief bomber of the Indian Mujahideen, had dealt a severe blow to the group, which earlier been blamed for terror attacks between 2007 and 2009, in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
and Faizabad
Faizabad
City of Faizabad , previous capital of Awadh, is the headquarters of Faizabad District and a municipal board in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, situated on the banks of river Ghaghra . Faizabad has a twin city of Ayodhya, which is considered to be the birthplace of Rama...
, according to investigating agencies. On the two year anniversary of the encounter a shooting took place at the gates of historic Jama Masjid, Delhi
Jama Masjid, Delhi
The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā , commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal,in the year 1644 CE and completed in the year 1658 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India...
, in which two foreign tourists were injured, apart from that a car bomb with failed timer was also found in the vicinity. The police had filed the chargesheet
Chargesheet
A Chargesheet is a formal document of accusation prepared by a law-enforcement agency in India. It is distinct from the First Information Report , usually refers to one or more FIRs, and charges an individual or organization for the crimes specified in those FIR...
against Shahzad, Ariz Khan (absconding), Atif Ameen and Mohammed Sajid on 28 April 2010, accusing them of killing Inspector Sharma on 19 September 2008. On February 15 2011, Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar framed charges against accused Shahzad Ahmed alias Pappu for the offences of murder (Section 302), attempt to murder (Section 307), section 333 (causing hurt to public servant), 353 (assault to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code, besides section 27 of the Arms Act for his role in the 'encounter'.
The encounter
The encounter took place only after seven member police Delhi Police team led by Mohan Chand Sharma Inspector in the Special Cell of Delhi police, stumbled upon IM commander Atif Amin and his comrades in their rented address at L-18, Batla House in the morning of 19 September 2008. The team had received specific information that a suspected person wanted in connection with the serial bomb blasts in Delhi was hiding in a flat in Batla House area of Jamia Nagar.Upon reaching the four-storied house the police’s attempt to storm the flat on the second floor at around 10 30 AM (IST) led to a heavy exchange of fire. Sharma received the first burst of fire from the terrorists holed up inside. After the ensuing exchange of fire two suspected terrorist, Atif Amin and Mohd Sajid were killed, two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested, while one managed to escape. Also two Delhi police personnel injured, one of whom, Sharma who led the operation, later succumbed to the injuries. Later, the intelligence team said that the arrested allegedly had links with Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and further questioned if they had any link with Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
.
Aftermath
After the incident doubts were allayed various politicians, media and civil society outfits accusing the Delhi Police of carrying out a fake encounter. Upon the plea filed by an NGO, "Act Now For Harmony and Democracy", the Delhi High CourtDelhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi was established on 31 October 1966. The High Court of Delhi was established with four judges. They were Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. K. Kapur.-History:...
on 21 May 2008, asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to enquire into the police version of the encounter, and submit its report in complete within two months. Subsequently on 22 July, NHRC after its investigations, in 30-page report submitted its report which gave a clean chit to Delhi Police in the case. The inquiry ruled out the conspiracy theory suggest that it was "inter-departmental rivalry" which might have led to the death of Inspector M C Sharma, as per postmortem report he had a gunshot wound on the “hypochondriac region of the abdomen”, which ruled out an attack from behind. In August 2008, the Delhi high court accepted the findings of NHRC and declined to institute a judicial probe.
Sharma was a much decorated police officer and had won seven gallantry medals including the President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
's Medal in 2008. He was posthumously awarded India's highest military decoration
Military decoration
A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....
the Ashoka Chakra
Ashoka Chakra Award
The Ashok Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other...
on 26 January 2009.
Response
In an 2008 article, Muqtedar Khan, Director of Islamic Studies at the University of DelawareUniversity of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, spoke against what he called the "intellectually dishonest" representatives of Muslims who "live in denial"…"They first deny that there is such a thing as jihadi terrorism, resorting to conspiracy theories blaming every act of jihadi violence either on Israel, the U.S. or India. Then they argue that unjust wars by these three nations [in Palestine, Iraq and Kashmir] are the primary cause for jihadi violence; a phenomenon whose very existence they have already denied."
Jama Masjid shooting 2010
On the two year anniversary of the encounter, on 19 September 2010 two gunmen on a motorcycle fired at a foreign tourist bus near Gate 3 of the historic Jama MasjidJama Masjid, Delhi
The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā , commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal,in the year 1644 CE and completed in the year 1658 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and injured two Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese tourists. Subsequently police investigations revealed that one of the timers of the cooker bomb planted in a car was timed at exactly 11.37 am, the time when the Batla encounter had taken place. The e-mail, sent to the BBC and Mumbai ATS, claiming responsibility for the attack mentions two terrorists as Shaheed or martyrs. The attack gains significance from the fact that it took place on the two-year anniversary of the Batla House encounter in which Atif Amin, the chief bomber of the Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist group based in India, known for carrying out several attacks against civilian targets in India....
was killed, this had dealt a severe blow to the group, which earlier been blamed for terror attacks between 2007 and 2009, in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur Surat and Faizabad, according to investigating agencies, the blast announced the revival of the group, in an email to the media, with the intention of avenging the killed terrorists.
2010 Varanasi bombing
Mumbai PoliceMumbai Police
The Mumbai Police is the police force of the city of Mumbai, India. It has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The department's motto is ""...
investigations after the 2010 Varanasi bombing
2010 Varanasi bombing
The 2010 Varanasi bombing was a blast that occurred on 7 December 2010, in one of the holiest Hindu cities, Varanasi. The explosion occurred at Sheetla Ghat, adjacent to the main Dashashwamedh Ghat, where the sunset aarti, the evening prayer ritual to the holy river, Ganges had commenced, on these...
, indicated that Pakistan-based Bhatkal brothers, Riyaz and Iqbal, the chiefs of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) being the brains behind the explosion, which was carried out by Dr Shahnawaz presently based both in Dubai and Pakistan. He is the brother of IM foot soldier Mohammed Saif, who was arrested in the Batla House encounter. Dr Shahnawaz along with Khalid, Abu Rashid and Bada Sajid or Mohammed Sajid had fled to Nepal after the encounter. Shanawaz is a former physician in Lucknow Hospital, and all four now hold Nepalese passports.