The Hindu : `Terrorists were armed to the teeth'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 26, 2002

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National

`Terrorists were armed to the teeth'

By Manas Dasgupta

Bodies of the two militants who were shot dead by the NSG commandos at the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar in the early hours of Wednesday. — Photo: Paras Shah

GANDHINAGAR Sept. 25. Intelligence reports had warned of possible terrorist attacks on certain vital installations, including some places of worship in Gujarat, but in "unexpected attacks on soft targets'' such as the Akshardham complex — stormed by terrorists on Tuesday — police are helpless, the Gujarat Director-General of Police, K. Chakravarthi, said today.

The two terrorists were in their early twenties, clean-shaven and it looked like they were wearing civilian clothes beneath their blood-stained army fatigues. According to the Chief Commander of the National Security Guards, Raj Sitapati, who briefed the media about the commando operation in which the terrorists were killed, the two were carrying AK-47 rifles with six magazines each of 30 rounds and hand grenades. They had emptied the magazines and lobbed 25 grenades in which at least three commandos were injured. They also carried Indian currency notes and enough dry fruits to sustain them for at least 48 hours.

The terrorists were killed around 6.00 a.m. and the operation was declared closed by the NSG at 6.40 a.m. after mopping up the complex to look for any other terrorist. The commandos cleared the unexploded grenades strewn all around.

Contrary to Tuesday's conjectures, there were only two terrorists (unconfirmed reports had said there were four terrorists) and they entered the temple complex by jumping the wall near gate number 3 and started firing indiscriminately. They also lobbed grenades as they ran towards the main temple housing the idol of Lord Swaminarayan.

At least two persons, including a woman volunteer, were killed at the entrance. The gunshots alerted the security staff, who told the volunteers through the intercom to shut the doors of the main temple. Having failed to enter the main temple, the terrorists opened fire at the gate. A bullet pierced through the eight-inch door and hit a volunteer in the leg.

The terrorists then moved to the right and were at the entrance of the exhibition hall where hundreds had queued up at the ticket counters. Most of the dead were trapped at this point. There were pools of blood all over the place, which was littered with shoes, chappals, ornaments and other articles. The terrorists then took position at the rooftop.

At least 70 persons were stranded in the temple and 90 in the exhibition hall. They were rescued after the terrorists were killed. Both the Deputy Prime Minster, L.K. Advani, and Brig. Sitapati said the terrorists had plans to take some people hostage but the volunteers' presence of mind saved the situation. The terrorists had come prepared for a long standoff but as there were no hostages, the task became easier for the commandos.

Brig. Sitapati said the commandos had been informed of the siege at the NSG headquarters in Manesar, near Delhi, around 6.40 p.m.

They arrived in Gandhinagar by 10 p.m. and after the initial reconnaissance, entered the complex by midnight. But the actual operations began only by 2.30 a.m. Brig. Sitapati first pinpointed the location of the terrorists as being near the washroom of the exhibition hall when they opened fire at him while he was inspecting the body of the State police commando near the main temple, he said.

The terrorists were encircled. A squad occupied the rooftop forcing them to flee to the garden to the right of the exhibition hall, which had an opening towards the main entrance.

The darkness, coupled with tall trees and thick foliage, made the task difficult for the commandos.

"They were static under the tree while we were moving between the lighted and the dark areas, making the commandos easy targets,'' the Brigadier said. They decided to wait until dawn.

As day broke, the commandos moved in quickly and Subedar Suresh shot at one of the terrorists from close range. But he was killed and his body found barely five metres from where the two terrorists were found killed.

Another commando, Naik Surjan Kumar, sustained grievous injuries in a grenade explosion and his condition is critical.

Three injured commandos, however, rejoined action after taking first aid.

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