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Suspect in Red Fort attack killed

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

The Delhi police claimed to have gunned down one militant involved in the Red Fort shootout and arrested another from a locality near Jamia Milia University in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Three people, including an army personnel, were killed by militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayiba after they stormed the Fort around 9.30 pm on Friday.

Special Commissioner of Police R K Sharma told a crowded press conference on Tuesday evening that while Ashfaq was an active participant, his wife knew about his activities. According to P Kamaraj, deputy commissioner of Delhi South District, the encounter began at around 5 am, and there was cross firing from both the police and the militants side. "We recovered the body of Abu Samal, a Pakistani national, and arrested another person from the spot. The two were involved in the Red Fort shootout on Friday night. We have recovered some weapons and ammunition from the spot," he told newsmen who were present at the spot.

But he refused to give any further details about the incident, saying that the special commissioner of police, R K Sharma, would give the same at a press conference to be held at the police headquarters on Tuesday evening. Sharma, who visited the spot, refused to answer any question about the incident.

Sharma is currently deputising as the police commissioner of Delhi in the absence of Ajay Raj Sharma, who is on leave.

According to the residents of Batala House, Muradi Road locality, special branch officials had been keeping a watch on the first floor house of Gian Chand Gupta which had been rented by the suspects. "On December 3, the twomoved in, and lots of friends would visit the duo as would normally happen when tenants are of the age of 20-25. But they had no interaction at all with other residents. While one of them was Abu Samal, the other boy is named Mushtaq. I live on the floor right above their flat," Sabba Ifran told rediff.com .

Another resident of the same locality, Izaz Ansari, who is also general secretary of the Nai Awaz, said he was shocked to hear that militants were hiding in his locality. "This is bad for us because it places a question mark over our patriotism. I was surprised when I was told that a shootout had taken place, I have been living here since 1947," claimed Ansari.

A massive crowd had gathered at the site of the incident, and there were murmurs of scepticism as well. "Have you seen the inside of the house? The plaster has come off at various place because of the bullets, but not one bullet has hit a policeman or gone out of the house. Were the militants firing at themselves?" asked a senior resident of the locality, who claimed to be a journalist with a news agency.

The police, however, debunk such talk. "We have enough proof of what we have done. Just wait till the evening to hear our side of the story," said a police official.

The special branch of the Delhi police has been conducting raids at various places to nab the accomplices of the two militants. These raids are being conducted in NOIDA, Gaziabad, Delhi and some other places in Uttar Pradesh.

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