On Wednesday Nov. 26th 2008, Hemant Karkara was killed in Mumbai, a casualty of the largest coordinated terrorist attack in India’s history. There have been conflicting reports about the details of his death. Some claim he was at the Taj Mahal hotel when he was fatally shot, others maintain that he was in a van chasing down militants in a separate part of the city. On Saturday, mourners gathered for Karkare’s funeral, and India saluted him as one of their fallen heroes, as his confessed gunman, Ajmal Qasab, reportedly of Pakistan, told his interrogators that he had no regrets.
Hemant Karkare’s career in law enforcement began in 1982 when he joined the India Police Service. He quickly rose in rank, and served for 9 years in the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s foreign intelligence service, where he was stationed in Austria for seven years. On January 22 2008, Karkara was appointed Chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and, in less than a year, led two investigations that rocked the popular discourse on terrorism.
Hemant Karkare is credited with solving the serial bombings of Panvel, Vashi, and Thane, which occurred in February, May, and June of 2008. Karkare challenged criticism that India was soft on Hindu terrorism by charging Ramesh Hanumant Gadkari, Mangesh Dinkar Nikam, Vikram Bhave, and Santosh Sitaram Angre, activists with the Hindu extremist groups Sanathan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, as the masterminds behind the bombings of auditoriums featuring performances considered offensive to Hinduism. [“The Silent Emergency of Hindu Terrorism” by Subhash Gatade. CounterCurrents. June 29, 2008]
Karkare’s investigation into the September 29 2008 bombing in Malegaon, which killed 6, sent shockwaves through India’s security apparatus, and touched off a political firestorm. Retired major Ramesh Upadhyay, a former military intelligence officer, was arrested Tuesday Oct. 28 for providing training to the bombers. [“Ex-army man arrested in Malegaon case” by Mateen Hafeez. Times of India. Oct. 28 2008]
The investigation soon targeted other military officer, and spread to members of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the official opposition party in parliament. [“Malegaon blasts: BJP MP under scanner” The Times of India. Nov. 11 2008] Rumors were circulating that suspects were, also, under investigation for the February 19 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express traveling from Pakistan to India, which killed 68.
Karkare was the subject of death threats, due to his unprecedented investigations into the terrorist activity of Hindu groups, however, Islamic militants are the suspected perpetrators of the terrorist attack that resulted in Karkare’s death. The international media has been slow to report the organizations responsible for the siege of Mumbai, due to tensions between India and Pakistan.
The Deccan Mujahedeen, an obscure Islamic splinter group in India, has claimed official responsibility for the terrorist siege. However, Ajmal Qasab, the only captured militant in the attacks, confessed to belong to the Lashkar-e-Taibi, a Pakistani militant group that has been engaged in a protracted war with India over the Kashmir region. [“India clears last Mumbai siege sight” by Jenny Barchfield. AP. Dec 1 2008] Hemant Karkare’s death is expected to fundamentally alter the investigation into the Malegaon bombing.
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