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UP police foil plot to kill PM, Sonia

The Uttar Pradesh police's special task force has foiled a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Lal Kishinchand Advani during their election campaign in Eastern UP by arresting one of Dawood Ibrahim's hitman in the cantonment area of Varanasi today.

Inspector General of Police (Varanasi zone) O P S Malik told a press conference that gangster Ram Singh Thakur had planned to carry out the assassination at some location in the eastern districts. Thakur's interrogation revealed that the RDX explosive would have been used in the plan after finalising the date and venue for the crime.

Vajpayee, Sonia and Advani are expected to undertake extensive campaigning in Eastern UP which goes to the polls on September 18.

Malik said Thakur had been staying in the city for the last four months and keeping in touch with fugitive gangsters Ibrahim in Dubai and Chhota Shakeel in Karachi on the telephone. He was directed to establish the network to carry out the assassination and create violence during the election process. The operation was perhaps directed by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence directorate, he said.

According to UP Director General of Police K L Gupta, "Thakur's interrogation has brought out startling revelations about the Pakistani agency's plans to create trouble during the general election."

Originally from Jaunpur, a district bordering Varanasi, Thakur moved to Bombay some years ago, where he came in contact with the underworld. His sensational killings earned him notoriety that drew Ibrahim's attention and got him assignments with the gangster. He returned to Varanasi to carry out Ibrahim's mission, the police said.

The state police chief claimed the Bombay police had confirmed Thakur's direct involvement in several killings including that of an Air-India executive, Kevin Coelho and restaurant owner Vijay Karki." According to Gupta, "Thakur has also confessed extorting Rs 300,000 from a well known Hindi film star."

The IGP said Thakur's ''operational area'' was UP, especially the eastern region. He was in Varanasi when Sonia and Vajpayee visited the city recently.

The STF and central intelligence agencies kept a close watch on him after an ISI agent Azizuddin Sheikh was arrested at Lucknow in June.

The police have recovered a 9 mm Bulgarian pistol together with 95 live cartridges, about Rs 100,000 in cash, 11 SIM cards, a motorcycle and a driving licence from his possession.

Interestingly, not long ago, Thakur had moved a petition before the Human Rights Commission, alleging that the UP police had plans to eliminate him.

Sharat Pradhan, UNI

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