India Timeline - Year 2000

January 10

Israel’s ambassador to India, Yeho Yada, says in New Delhi that Indian and his country should work together to counter terrorism in all forms, including state-sponsored terrorism.

January 13

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh meets his Italian counterpart Lomberto Dini, in Rome, and reviews the state of the global menace of terrorism, in the context of the IC-814 hijack.

January 14

India and Britain decide at a meeting in London to accord top priority to combating global terrorism. Britain agrees to share information with India in the joint fight against terrorism.

During his official visit to India, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia says cross border terrorism should be dealt with firmly, and extends support to India’s fight against terrorism.

January 17

Police arrest three persons, including a Pakistani, in Delhi, and recover 860g of RDX, two ABCD timers and four electronic detonators from them. The Pakistani national was arrested earlier in 1998, too, for circulating counterfeit currency.

January 21

Police in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, seize 8,000 ordinary detonators, 4,000electric detonators, 925 gelatin sticks, 160 bags of ammonium nitrate and 30 bundles of safety fuse wire from a lorry and arrest three persons.

January 24

Delhi Police arrest a Pakistani national with 2.9kg of RDX, electronic detonators, hand grenades and Rs 50,000 in fake currency.

January 31

A Court in Kolkata, convicts six of the seven accused in the Purulia arms drop case, including Peter Bleach.

February 8

Two persons are killed and another injured in a blast in Gaya district of Bihar.

February 18

16 persons are injured in an explosion inside a bogie of the Lucknow–bound Gomti Express near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

March 14

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh says in Parliament that there was triangular coordination between Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, in the hijack of flight IC-814, in December 1999.

March 16

Eight people are injured in a low-intensity bomb blast at Sadar Bazar, Delhi.

Delhi Police arrest three Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists allegedly responsible for a recent bomb blast in the city and also recover 32 kg. RDX and a huge cache of arms from them.

March 21

A Union Home Ministry report says there is a visible build-up of mercenaries across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil sector, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

March 22

US President Bill Clinton, on an official visit to South Asia, condemns the March 20-Chattisighpora massacre in J&K in which 36 Sikhs were killed. He says it highlighted "the tremendous suffering this conflict has caused to India" and adds, "the violence must end".

March 31

Police arrest three activists of the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA), a chauvinist extremist group, in connection with the March 21-railroad blast near Cuddalore.

The External Affairs Ministry conveys the country’s rejection of Pakistan's proposal for initiation of bilateral dialogue.

April 1

Turkey's Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit supports India's proposal for a global convention to fight terrorism.

A Pakistani terrorist confesses to his involvement in the bomb blast in Agra, which had occurred ahead of President Clinton's visit to the city. He was arrested in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

April 9

At the Non Alignment Movement (NAM) Summit in Cartagena, Colombia, Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh urges NAM to strengthen the international consensus as well as the legal regimes against terrorism. He seeks the support of member states to India’s proposal at the UN for a comprehensive international convention against terrorism.

April 16

Police arrest four suspected ISI agents in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, in connection with the bomb blasts in the city and in other places of the State.

April 18

The Union government informs Parliament that 24 persons have been arrested for supplying fake passports to the IC-814 hijackers. The Government adds that the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) was involved in the hijack.

April 19

The Union government sets up a high-level panel to review the country’s national security system.

The Union government seeks the consent of the various State Governments to its proposal to amend the Explosive Substances Act (ESA), 1908. The amendment proposes to delegate more powers to the States to sanction prosecution against violators of the Act.

May 1

Addressing the 103rd Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Amman, Jordan, Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi says a comprehensive international convention is need to understand the gravity of the problem of global terrorism.

May 4

Reports say the Union Home Ministry has convened a meeting of State police chiefs to discuss the growing threat posed by the ISI.

May 5

The Judicial Commission probing the 1998-Coimbatore bomb blasts confirms that the Al-Umma was responsible for the blasts.

May 8

Customs officials seize two China-made 9mm pistols and two magazines at the Wahag-Attari border, in Punjab, and arrest two Indians.

May 11

An activist of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) is killed and 13 police personnel, including a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, is injured in an encounter in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal.

May 14

Home Minister L K Advani says the Government is 'actively considering' releasing imprisoned Khalistan terrorists against whom no serious charges are pending.

May 19

Bangalore Police launches a search operation for some Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres, who were injured in battles in Jaffna and are reportedly being treated at a private hospital in the city.

An External Affairs Ministry official says, on conditions of anonymity, the country has decided not to pay to the Afghan Taliban regime the bill they sent for services rendered during the flight IC-814 hijack. India "was sure of its complicity in the hijack'' and would, hence, not pay the charges of US$ 100,000 demanded by the Taliban.

June 18

Two civilians are killed in a bomb blast near the Red Fort in Delhi.

Police arrest a Babbar Khalsa terrorist in Dhingar village, Mansa, Punjab. The terrorist was declared as a proclaimed offender in 1992 under various sections of the Arms Act and the now defunct Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA).

June 20

Police arrest a Pakistani mercenary of the Al-Badr and an ISI agent in Delhi. Some explosives and equipment are recovered from their possession.

June 30

Police in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, unearth an illegal bomb-manufacturing unit and seize at least 20 country made bombs.

July 11

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says there is no need for the Union Government to enact the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2000 or any similar law.

July 26

A smuggler, suspected be a member of the narco-terrorism network backed by the ISI, is arrested in Jalandhar, Punjab.

August 3

Police raid the residence of a top leader of the Deendar Anjuman, an Islamic extremist outfit, in Nuzvid, Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, and recover a huge haul of 200 timer devices.

August 7

Terrorists of the KLO gun down two local-level leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal.

August 11

One person is killed and 45 more injured in a powerful explosion in Ahemedabad, Gujarat.

August 14

Nine persons are killed and 60 more injured in a powerful explosion inside the Sabarmati Express train near Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

August 24

Delhi Police arrest three terrorists of a module of the KZF. An explosive device and some fake currency are recovered from their possession.

August 29

Two suspected ISI agents are arrested in Anoopgarh district in Rajasthan.

September 3

Uttar Pradesh Police arrest two of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorists from two different places of Uttar Pradesh.

SIMI activists––Mohammed Maroof and Abdul Mobin––confess to their role in a series of bomb blasts in Uttar Pradesh on the eve of independence day. They also reveal that a new terrorist outfit called Qaafila-e-Saaqt Jaan (QSJ) has been founded in Uttar Pradesh.

September 8

Rejecting an offer of dialogue made by Pakistan's Chief Executive, General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asserts, "terrorism and dialogue do not go together."

September 9

Police arrest a LeT terrorist in Delhi. He confesses that he was involved in the August 10-car bomb explosion in Srinagar, in which 15 persons were killed and 30 more injured.

September 25

Police recover approximately 5000kg of explosives in raids at two warehouses in Nawada district, Bihar.

September 26

A two-day session of the Indo-US Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter-terrorism decides to expand the sharing of experience and coordinate approaches of the two countries in tackling international terrorism. The JWG also extends support to a comprehensive United Nations Convention on Terrorism and hopes that such a convention would be ratified soon.

October 4

Police seize a huge cache of explosives, grenades and other equipment in Kamaguna, Kutch district, Gujarat, and arrest three persons.

Delhi Police arrest a Pakistan-trained HuM terrorist and seize some explosives from his possession.

October 10

Delhi Police arrest a medical student who is a supporter of the Tehriq-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) outfit and seize some explosives and rupees one million.

October 15

Police in Delhi recovere a large cache of arms and ammunition and arrest four suspects.

October 27

Union Minister of State for Home Vidyasagar Rao says the Deendar Anjuman might be banned.

Two Sikh suspects are arrested in Canada for their role in the 1985-Kanisha explosion.

October 30

The Sikh terrorists arrested in Canada are remanded to police custody.

Eight ISI agents have been are arrested in Delhi and Rohtak, Haryana in the past five days, say reports.

October 31

Canadian authorities release the third suspect in the 1985 Kanishka bombing case.

November 6

Interpol issues a ‘lookout’ notice for the five hijackers of IC –814.

November 7

Punjab Police arrest two BKI activists and two others recover a large quantity of arms, ammunition, fake currency and heroin.

November 10

Police seize a huge cache of crude bombs in Kanpur in two separate raids and arrest five persons.

November 20

Delhi Police arrest an HuM terrorist and also recover some explosives.

November 24

Maharashtra Police says an estimated 150 LeT terrorists are suspected to have infiltrated into India to kill important leaders.

November 29

Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja says India and Israel are working towards establishing a dialogue on counter-terrorism.

December 1

Police arrest three Babbar Khalsa terrorists in Mumbai and unearth a plot to abduct former Gujarat Chief Minister Amarsingh Chaudhary.

December 6

Delhi Police arrest an ISI agent, a resident of Lahore, Pakistan and seize 10 kg of RDX, some arms, ammunition and documents.

December 22

LeT terrorists storm the Red Fort in and kill three security force personnel.

An ISI agent is arrested in Siliguri.

Source:Compiled from news reports and are provisional.