| Delhi |
By Abhishek
The return of Sheila and terror
Batla House and Blasts
On September 13, terror returned to haunt Delhi after the 2005 serial blasts. Once again, Delhi’s busy areas were targeted bombs were planted in Karol Bagh’s busy Gaffar market, Barkhamba road metro station, Connaught Place and Greater Kailash market. Claiming more then 30 lives and leaving scores injured, the blasts left scars on Delhi’s face just before the festive season.
The serial blasts brought the Delhi as well Central govt face to face with the public outrage for intelligence failure, security lapses and absence of stringent anti-terror laws while the opposition accused government for being soft on terror.
Under pressure, the investigation agencies soon claimed to have cracked the case and gunned down the mastermind of the Delhi serial blasts in the most controversial encounter of the year, Batla house encounter.
House no F-42 in Jamia Nagar’s Batla House building got a dubious distinction when three of the tenants in the house were shot down by Delhi Police, calling them the perpetrators of the blasts. The encounter became controversial when people raised fingers on the theory given by the police. Several NGOs claimed all alleged masterminds of the Delhi serial blasts students to be Jamia Millia Islamia students and called it a fake encounter fake.
Delhi police encounter specialist Mahesh Chand Sharma was also killed in the cross firing during the encounter. And there were theories doing the rounds that Sharma was killed by his own colleagues.
The encounter became further more controversial when Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor offered legal help to the killed terrorists and his decision got backing from HRD Minister Arjun Singh.
Assembly Elections
The month of December saw Assembly elections being conducted in the 70-seat Delhi Assembly. It was expected to be a neck to neck tie between Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party. But the Congress, led by incumbent Shiela Dikshit won the Delhi Assembly Elections for the third successive regime.
Though the main issue of the election, as per the Opposition, was expected to be terrorism and anti incumbency, but riding high on Sheila’s achievements, the Congress secured majority of seats on the basis of local issues of development.
Delhi Assembly elections» |
|
|
