10 years since IISC attack: How Bengaluru's traffic saved the day
Bengaluru, Dec 28: It has been ten years since Bengaluru faced its first major terror attack. We are speaking about the attack on the Indian Institute of Sciences which took place on December 28th 2005.
IISc and Church Street attack on December 28: Just a coincidence
It was the first time that the city witnessed an attack that was planned in Pakistan and while there was one casualty, it made the entire nation sit up and take notice.
There
are
some
interesting
aspects
that
cropped
up
during
the
investigation
of
this
case.
One
such
incident
was
how
the
traffic
jam
in
Bengaluru
messed
up
the
plan
for
the
two
fidayeens.
In
the
words
of
the
Lashkar-e-Tayiba
the
attack
at
IISC
was
a
failed
one.
One of the suspects in the attack, Sabahuddin Ahmed narrated to his investigators that the masterminds in Pakistan was very upset that the attack which ought to have claimed 50 lives or more fizzled out due to the wrong timing by the fidayeens.
The investigations were slow at the start, but gained steam later. Two persons were present during the attack- Sabahuddin Ahmed and Abu Hamza. While Ahmed is currently in jail for his alleged role in the CRPF camp attack at Uttar Pradesh, Hamza according to the Intelligence Bureau is at Pakistan.
Thank you Bengaluru traffic:
During
the
probe
some
interesting
details
did
crop
up.
When
Sabahuddin
Ahmed
was
questioned
he
told
interrogators
about
the
details
of
the
attack
right
from
the
planning
to
the
execution.
He
spoke
about
the
utter
confusion
that
prevailed
during
the
last
couple
of
hours
leading
up
to
the
attack.
He
was
in
a
car
with
his
AK-47
concealed
under
a
cloth.
He was to reach the IISC campus where Hamza was already waiting for him. The plan was Ahmed would reach the campus and then hurl a grenade into the hall where the delegates were present. Then the duo would open fire.
However Ahmed was stuck in a traffic jam and this delayed his arrival at the IISC by nearly an hour. By the time he reached there, the delegates had started to leave and this led to confusion. He hurled the grenade and the delegates on hearing the sound took shelter inside the hall.
Both Hamza and Ahmed began firing indiscriminately and before they could unleash any real damage, it was time for them to flee.
Accused
at
large:
The
name
of
Abu
Hamza
has
made
it
in
the
five
dossiers
that
India
has
sent
to
Pakistan
following
the
26/11.
Mumbai
attack.
There
were
reports
that
he
was
present
in
Kashmir
for
sometime
and
some
others
claimed
that
he
may
have
died.
However IB officials say that that the latest inputs suggest that Hamza is very much in Pakistan and works at a Lashkar-e-Tayiba camp in Murdike.
The
fact
of
the
matter
is
that
India
is
not
getting
Hamza
from
Pakistan
and
his
trial
and
conviction
in
a
court
of
law
will
remain
in-absentia.
The
trial
in
the
case
took
a
very
long
time
to
commence.
It
was
only
in
the
year
2011
that
a
court
in
Bengaluru
convicted
six
persons
on
the
charge
that
they
had
aided
Hamza
and
Ahmed.
Mohammed Razur Rehman, Afzar Pasha, Mehboob Ibrahim Chopdar, Noorulla Khan, Mohammed Irfan and Nizamuddin were convicted but one Chand Pasha was acquitted.
OneIndia News