How a simpleton8217; transformed Nanded into an ISI base

DHARMABAD NANDED, MAY 22: When a deafening sound shook this tiny placid village nestling on the border of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh...

DHARMABAD NANDED, MAY 22: When a deafening sound shook this tiny placid village nestling on the border of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh on the night of November 7, 1998, none of its 50,000 odd residents realised it had signaled the arrival of Pakistan8217;s Inter Services Intelligence ISI. Even the Maharashtra police were caught napping with Nitin Kausadikar, inspector in charge, telling the village folks as well as his seniors that it was an innocent fire-cracker set off.

Two years later, Andhra Pradesh police officials nudged awake their Maharashtra counterparts to reveal that it was certainly not a fire-cracker but a bomb explosion. Worse, the seemingly happy-go-lucky people that wined and dined the Maharashtra police had sheltered the hard-core terrorist of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Azam Gauri.

Gauri8217;s tale and the network he established began to piece together after four more blasts, one in Nanded and three in various parts of Andhra Pradesh but the full impact of the blasts was felt just over a week ago when Home Minister L K Advani disclosed in Parliament that Aurangabad and Nanded in the State have become a beehive of ISI activities.

The 30-year-old Gauri, who lived in Dharmabad for more than two years, passed himself off as a small-time pen vendor. He was killed in an encounter with the AP police April 6, 2000 but he was able to set up a group of highly motivated, well organised and young people who the police believe are trained and prepared to carry his message of Jehad.

The Nanded police is now drowned in a sea of highly objectionable8217; literature that they seized during a raid on the house of Gauri8217;s close aide in Dharmabad, Mansoor Ahmed Abdul Sattar. Also, the police seized Rs 13 lakh cash, one kilo of gold biscuits and cassettes of fiery speeches of Azhar Masood released after the IC 814 hijack, weapons and diaries.

Even as the eight accused in the case now shuttle between police and magisterial custody, from the Maharashtra police to the Andhra Police, the incident has left a deep scar on this small village. There is distrust, anger and disbelief. 8220;I want to know why not a single soul from the hundreds who moved freely with Azam Gauri in this town has said yes I knew him8217;, asked an agitated young councillor, Surrendra Belkonikar.

Off-record, however, there is no dearth of people who talk of their association with Gauri during his two year stay. He appeared to be a fun-loving young man always making friends with youngsters, treating them at hotels, engaging them in discussions over endless cups of tea and often taking his group on picnics to nearby areas, says a shopkeeper.

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The tall, fair, well-built Gauri worked his charm on senior citizens as well. In fact, reports are that a senior retired government employee had hired Gauri to teach his grand-children the holy scriptures. Now the old man swears he had never met anybody by the name Gauri. Others recall how Gauri would hold clandestine meetings in mosques and also in the houses of some highly respected people.

Gauri and his team had several meetings in various places of the eight districts of Marathwada but it will take time before their activities can be fully revealed, a senior police official told The Indian Express. Theofficials say that Gauri had recently sent a team for training camps in Pakistan on the pretext that they were leaving for a pilgrimage.