After HuJI, Indian Mujahideen takes responsibility for Delhi High Court blast

A day after an unknown outfit, Harkat-ul-Jihadi, claimed responsibility for the Delhi High Court blast, Indian Mujahideen has said it carried out the explosion.

Headlines Today has received another terror mail. This time, the Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the Delhi blast, which killed 12 people and injured 90 others.

Headlines Today has forwarded the email to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the attack.

Sources quoting the NIA said they have taken the mail seriously and are checking its authenticity.

A person calling himself Chhotu and claiming to be a member of the Indian Mujahideen signed off the email.

The mail rubbished claims of the HuJI, insisting that it was the Indian Mujahideen, which planned and carried out the attack and the HuJI had nothing to do with it.

The mail goes on to say that Wednesday was deliberately chosen as the day of attack, because they knew it was the most crowded day in the high court.

Sources said security has been tightened in Delhi's major markets and public places following the email.

Youth detained in UP, releasedA youth who was detained from Balrampur district in Uttar Pradesh based on the sketch released by the police in connection with the Delhi HC bomb blast was released later in the day.

Twenty-eight-year-old Shehzad, who works as a labourer in Pune, was detained from Bela village as his face resembled with one of the two sketches released by the police.

He was freed after over 2.5 hours of questioning, Balrampur ASP confirmed. Shehzad had no police record and police could not establish his links with Delhi blasts. He has been handed over to gram pradhan of Bela village.

Fresh sketches
Unhappy with the sketches provided by the Delhi Police of the suspects, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) asked the former to get fresh sketches made.

NIA sources said that with more information pouring in and new eye-witnesses coming to the fore, fresh sketches would be made. Experts have been brought in from Mumbai to draw the sketches.

The ones released by the police on Wednesday evening described a 26-year-old man as one of the suspects. The 5 feet 9 inches tall man was said to have a middle parting. The other sketch was that of a 50-year-old man with light beard and a little stout.

NIA to question IM operatives
An NIA team eached Lucknow two question some suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives, who allegedly had prior information of the attack on the high court.

Four IM operatives, who have been in the custody of Uttar Pradesh Police, apparently gave them information related to the Wednesday's blast in Delhi. During their interrogation, these men allegedly said that they had been instructed to target courts and other judicial establishments in the country.

In an e-mail to various media houses, an unknown outfit -- Harkat-ul-Jihad -- had on Wednesday claimed that it was behind the terror attack. The agencies investigating the matter however have not ruled out the hand of IM or Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the bomb blast.

Reward for tip-off
As the investigators were yet to reach at any conclusion about the outfit involved in the bombing and the actual culprits, Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh on Thursday said that the NIA has announced a reward of Rs. 5 lakh to anyone who provides lead about the conspirators or the terrorists.

'Getaway car' theory falls
Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police's claims that it had found a stolen Santro car used by the bombers to escape fell through. Soon after the police claimed to have recovered the car from Faridabad, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said the vehicle had nothing to do with the blast investigation.

Terror email traced to Kishtwar
The investigators claimed their first breakthrough early in the morning after the terror e-mail sent from a Harkat-ul-Jihadi id was traced to Kishtwar distict of Jammu and Kashmir.

The police picked up the owner of a cyber cafe for questioning. They were looking for an 18-year-old boy who allegedly sent the email hours after the blast claiming responsibility for it.

Probe continues near HC
On the other side, after spending almost the entire day at the spot near gate number 5 of the high court after the blast, forensic and explosive experts gathered again at the site early on Thursday to collect crucial pieces of evidence.

Detailed forensic science examination reports on the blast were likely to be available to the investigators later in the day. The NIA investigators also used hydraulic lifters to look for traces of explosives on trees.

Use of PETN hints at HuJI's involvementHeadlines Today accessed the initial report submitted to the MHA on the incident. Sources said that the needle of suspicion was on Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) because of the use of plastic explosive PETN, a trademark of the group.

Sources said PETN was also used in the explosion outside the high court on May 25 this year. The agencies have been probing if there was one group that carried out both the blasts.

Also, the damage in Wednesday's blast was huge. A one foot deep and 2 feet wide crater has been left at the blast site indicating the use of PETN. Forensic experts have also not found any traces of ammonium nitrate.

So far, all evidences points to the use of PETN as it evaporates quickly and leaves little traces. Maximum damage has been caused from the explosion itself and not from shrapnel. Moreover, no timer was found at the blast site.

The investigators therefore believe that a battery operated remote was used to trigger the blast. A detailed chemical analysis report was expected later on Thursday.

Pressure on govt, investigatorsConsidering the embarrassing backlog of unsolved terror attacks on the national capital alone, the government has been under pressure. Even the agencies involved in the investigation have been under pressure to give results in the latest terror attack.

"After HuJI, Indian Mujahideen takes responsibility for Delhi High Court blast"

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Privilege notices issued but Team Anna won't say sorry to MPs

The lawmakers have hit back at Team Anna with vengeance and confrontation is in the air.

The core members of the team - Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi - have been served privilege notices for allegedly making derogatory remarks against MPs.

In an apparent bid to tighten the noose around the activists, the Delhi Police are also mulling action against them for flouting four conditions of the undertaking given by them before the start of the indefinite hunger strike by Anna Hazare at Ramlila Maidan.

Though the committee of privileges of both Houses has the power to even order imprisonment, an awkward situation could arise if the Team Anna members do not express regret and prefer going to jail to continue with their fight against the system.

As on Saturday, the civil society activists have decided not to apologise for the remarks they made, in spite of the breach of privilege notices issued to them.

Though Parliament had virtually bowed to ensure that Hazare ended his indefinite fast over the Lokpal Bill, several MPs had later decided to take up the issue of alleged insults hurled at them during the 12-day-long agitation.

Bhushan confirmed having received the notice and that he had been asked to respond. He, however, stated that speaking the truth in public interest did not amount to breach of privilege of the House and the notice was unjustified.

"If speaking truth in public interest amounts to breach of privilege, then the time has come for the country to review the whole notion of Parliamentary privileges," he said.

Kejriwal also confirmed that the letter had been received at his residence in Ghaziabad but said that he was yet to see it.

Bedi, who had talked about politicians wearing masks while addressing the gathering from the dais at the Ramlila Maidan, has maintained that her statement had to be considered in the context of the situation.

But she had made her intentions clear through her statement on Twitter. "Received breach of Privilege. Shall respond appropriately recording the distrust 'we the people' were suffering," she had tweeted.

Bedi stated that she would not apologise for her remarks against politicians but would instead show a bigger mirror to the House on the conduct of lawmakers.

"If I get a notice, I would say I am sorry I will not be able to say sorry," she said.

Social activist Aruna Roy, who differed with some of the provisions in Anna's version of Lokpal and also his mode of protest, disapproved the move to bring breach of privilege motion against the three activists.

"I agree that such comments are not acceptable, but I disapprove the move to bring privilege motion on the entire matter. There are other legal ways to deal with such cases," she told reporters.

On Income-Tax department's notice to Kejriwal to pay dues, Roy said the department should have served him notice in 2007.

Several MPs in both Houses of Parliament had moved the motion for action against Anna's team for publicly lampooning Parliamentarians.

The MPs were in particular upset with Bedi and actor Om Puri, who gave a fiery speech from the dais when he came to lend moral support to the movement.

Nine MPs had individually moved the breach of privilege motion against Bedi and Puri in the two Houses. Incidentally, none of the BJP MPs had sought action against the members of team Anna.

One Rajya Sabha member, Mohammed Adeeb, had included Prashant Bhushan's name in the motion. He had alleged that both Bedi and Bhushan had used offensive language against MPs.

Adeeb said that Bhushan had been shown by news channels as saying that MPs accept bribe to pass bills.

The motions were backed by members by the thumping of desks. The MPs demanded that Parliament should rein in those lowering the dignity of the House by using intemperate language.

Members had particularly taken umbrage to the remarks of Om Puri who had called them nalayak (useless) and ganwar (village bumpkins).

While accusing the MPs of wearing many masks and saying different things outside Parliament and in Parliament, Bedi donned a dupatta over her head to mock the 'duplicity' of the politicians.

Even before the motion for breach of privilege was formally moved, Sharad Yadav, while participating in the debate on the issues raised by Anna, had objected to the intemperate language used by activists.

Although Bhushan, Kejriwal and Bedi were unwilling to budge, Puri did not waste time in admitting his mistake. "I was very emotional and I regret using those words," he said. "If I am called I am ready to go before them and clarify," he added.

Bedi, on her part, maintained that her statement was made out of anger and desperation as Parliamentarians were going back on their word to discuss Anna's Jan Lokpal Bill.

In the Lok Sabha, the privilege motion was moved by P. L. Punia, Jagdambika Pal, Praveen Aron, Lalchand Kataria, Mirza Aslam Beg (all Congress), Ramshankar Rajbhar (BSP) and Shailendra Kumar (SP).

Ramgopal Yadav (SP) and Mohd Adeeb (independent) had moved the motion in the Rajya Sabha.

Under the rules, after the breach of privilege motion is admitted, the matter is referred to the Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges and the Rajya Sabha Committee of Privileges, respectively.

The committee issues notice and seeks the response of the persons charged with breach of privilege. It has the power to recommend censure and in severe cases even imprisonment.

With the police also preparing a case for use of loudspeakers beyond 10pm, taking out a torch procession, obstructing traffic and giving calls to supporters to gather at India Gate without permission, the stage is set for yet another showdown.

Whether these are pressure tactics or action will be taken against the "offenders" to bring them to heel, remains to be seen.

"Privilege notices issued but Team Anna won't say sorry to MPs"

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Prashant Bhushan receives breach of privilege notice...

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Saturday received a breach of privilege notice for allegedly using derogatory words against MPs. Bhushan has been asked to respond to the notice by September 14.

He is the second Team Anna member to receive such a notice. Earlier, a privilege motion was moved against former IPS officer Kiran Bedi for her remarks against Parliamentarians.. Another Anna Hazare aide and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal was on Friday sent an income tax notice asking to pay him dues of Rs.9 lakh.

Bhushan said he has been accused of using derogatory words against MPs and has been asked to file a reply.

Terming the notice as "totally unjustified", he said that "speaking the truth in public interest does not amount to breach of privilege".

"If speaking truth in public interest amounts to breach of privilege, then time has come for the country to review the whole notion of Parliamentary privileges," he said.

After Bedi had received the notice, she had said that she won't "apologise" for her remarks against politicians, but show a "bigger mirror" to the House on the conduct of lawmakers.

"If I get a notice, I would say I am sorry I will not be able to say sorry. If I get an opportunity I will go before the Committee and will show a bigger mirror to Parliament," she had said.

Bedi said whatever she had said was in reference to a situation, where it was needed to be said. "The truth has to be said. I didn't have any other option as we didn't know whether we would have a resolution," she said.

The privilege notice against Bedi came as she accused politicians of wearing "several masks" at the same time, drawing the ire of MPs from both Houses.

Read more at:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/prashant-bhushan-receives-breach-of-privilege-notice/1/149919.html?cp

"Prashant Bhushan receives breach of privilege notice..."

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