Hemant Karkare: Difference between revisions

{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

| imagesize    = 200px

| caption      =

| birth_date  = 12 December 1954<ref>[http://www.svpnpa.gov.in/OtherPages/IPSSearch.aspx ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020131547/http://www.svpnpa.gov.in/OtherPages/IPSSearch.aspx |date=20 October 2008 }}</ref>

| department  = [[Indian Police Service]]<br>[[Anti-Terrorism Squad|Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad]]

| rank        = [[File:Insignia of Inspector General of Police in India- 2013-10-02 16-14.png|40px]]<br>[[List of police ranks in India|Joint Commissioner of Police]]

Karkare succeeded [[K. P. Raghuvanshi]] as the Chief of ATS in January 2008 and was eventually succeeded by Raghuvanshi after he was shot dead on 26 November 2008. He was credited with solving the serial bombing cases in [[Thane]], [[Vashi]] and [[Panvel]], and led the investigation of the [[29 September 2008 western India bombings|2008 Malegaon blasts]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/28/india.terror.chief/index.html | work=CNN | title=Colleagues: Slain terror chief 'superb,' a 'daredevil' |publisher=CNN.com | date=29 November 2008 | access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref>

Karkare did his primary schooling from Chittranjan Das Municipal Primary School, Wardha and then received his middle school and high school education from New English High School, Wardha.  He obtained a [[Bachelor of Engineering]] degree in Mechanical Engineering from [[Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology]], [[Nagpur]] in 1975. After graduation he worked for the [[National Productivity Council]] of the Government of India and then [[Hindustan Lever Limited]] (now called Hindustan Unilever Ltd.), India's largest [[Fast-moving consumer goods|FMCG]] company.<ref>http://patientcare.lvpei.org/vision-rehabilitation/images/feb-2010.pdf</ref>

==Police Service==

Karkare joined the [[Indian Police Service]] (IPS) as a member of the 1982 batch(35RR).<ref>{{Cite web|title=35RR IPS Cadre|url=https://www.svpnpa.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=378:1982-batch&catid=32&Itemid=170|url-status=live}}</ref> Before becoming ATS Chief of Maharashtra State in January 2008, he was Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration) of [[Mumbai Police]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?239150 |title=Steel In The Driftwood |publisher=www.outlookindia.com |access-date=2010-12-07}}</ref> He served seven years in Austria in the [[Research and Analysis Wing]] (RAW), India's external intelligence agency.

</ref><ref name=agentorange>

Some BJP, [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) and [[Vishva Hindu Parishad]] (VHP) leaders accused the ATS of being used as a tool to attack the [[Sangh Parivar]] and of using illegal detention and torture.<ref name = IE_1127/><ref name = CNN_1129>{{cite news|title = Colleagues: Slain terror chief 'superb,' a 'daredevil'| url = http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/28/india.terror.chief/index.html| publisher = [[CNN|CNN.com]]| date = 2008-11-29 | access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref> Thakur was given a clean-chit in the chargesheet presented by NIA in 2016 to the court. And the court dropped charges of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) put by ATS following which she applied for a bail and the Court granted it. The bail order stated that she is "suffering from breast cancer" and was "infirm and cannot even walk without support". She is currently facing charges of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other Indian Penal Code sections and a trial is ongoing as of April 2019.<ref>[https://www.dnaindia.com/india/photo-gallery-she-got-bail-on-health-conditions-malegaon-blast-victim-s-father-moves-nia-court-against-sadhvi-pragya-contesting-2741009 Blast Victim's father moves NIA court against Pragya Contesting]</ref> She contested and won the [[Bhopal (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bhopal]] seat during the [[2019 Indian general election|Lok Sabha elections of 2019]]. He tortured Pragya Thakur while being in Jail along with Parambeer Singh and a few others as alleged by the Pragya Thakur herself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pragya-singh-thakur-wins-bhopal-ls-seat-by-over-3-lakh-votes/videoshow/69474052.cms|title=Pragya Singh Thakur wins Bhopal LS seat by over 3 lakh votes|website=India Times|language=en|access-date=2019-05-24}}</ref>

[[File:2008 Mumbai terror attacks flowers at spot of Karkare's death.jpg|right|thumb|Flowers at the spot of Karkare's death after Mumbai terror attacks.]]

[[File:Smt. Kavita Karkare receiving Ashoka Chakra awarded to her husband Shri Hemant Kamalakar Karkare (Posthumous) from the President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, during the 60th Republic Day Parade-2009, in New Delhi.jpg|right|thumb|Karkare's wife receives the Ashok Chakra from president Pratibha Patil on 26 January 2009.]]

''Indian Express'' quotes statements by Constable Arun Jadhav, who was with the officers Hemant Karkare, [[Vijay Salaskar]] and [[Ashok Kamte]] when they died.<ref name=IndiaExpress29-11>{{cite news |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/witness-account-of-karkare-kamte-and-salaskars-death/392181/ |title=Witness account of Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar's death |publisher=India Express |date=29 November 2008}}</ref>

However the statement that Kasab fired "inside the car" was rejected by the court.<ref>[http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/constable-in-jeep-exaggerated-court/]</ref> The crucial evidence in Karkare's death - the source of bullet fired into his body was absent. The bullets did not match with few of the terrorist's recovered guns which made it impossible to decide who amongst the terrorists killed Hemant Karkare.<ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-evidence-is-weak-i-didn-t-kill-hemant-karkare-vijay-salaskar-ajmal-kasab-1479035]</ref><ref>[http://twocircles.net/2010jun03/26_11_court_s_observation_karkare_s_death_buried_media.html]</ref><ref>[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/evidence-is-weak-i-didnt-kill-karkare-salaskar-kasab/articleshow/7071757.cms]</ref>  

In an investigation, Headline Today, an Indian news agency, found that a substandard bulletproof jacket had been issued to Mr. Karkare. Though, according to the post mortem report, the quality of the vest was not a factor in his death as bullets did not pierce the vest.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-21/india/28105230_1_bullet-proof-jacket-ashok-kamte-and-inspector-entry-on-shoulder-blade | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910230127/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-21/india/28105230_1_bullet-proof-jacket-ashok-kamte-and-inspector-entry-on-shoulder-blade | url-status=dead | archive-date=10 September 2011 | first1=S Ahmed | last1=Ali | work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Karkare death not due to faulty jacket | date=21 November 2009}}</ref> Concerns in the media about the quality of the vest continue<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lies-betrayal-and-denial-in-Bombay/Article1-567007.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709090446/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lies-betrayal-and-denial-in-Bombay/Article1-567007.aspx |archive-date=2010-07-09 |title=Lies, betrayal and denial in Bombay |publisher=Hindustan Times |url-status=dead |date=2010-07-03 }}</ref> because the vest itself was, according to Indian authorities, misplaced in the hospital.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Karkare--s-bullet-proof-vest-misplaced-in-hospital--Police/632616 |title=Karkare's bullet-proof vest misplaced in hospital: Police |publisher=Indianexpress.com |date=2010-06-11 |access-date=2010-12-07}}</ref> In 2018, the [[Bombay High Court]] discarded a pending petition that had claimed that Karkare was not gunned down by terrorists [[Ajmal Kasab]] and Abu Ismail.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bombay-high-court-refuses-to-order-probe-into-former-ats-chief-karkares-death/article22541583.ece|title=Bombay High Court refuses to order probe into former ATS chief Karkare's death|date=2018-01-28|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-04-20|others=PTI|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

His wife Kavita Karkare, suffered a massive brain haemorrhage on 27 September 2014 and soon slipped into coma. Thereafter she died on 29 September 2014, at age of 57. She lived in, [[Dadar]], and was a professor at the NSS B.Ed college, Tardeo, but left work a few months before her death and was suffering from hypertension. The Karkares are survived by their two daughters and a son.<ref>{{cite web | title = Karkare's wife dies, gives life to others by donating organs|work= Mumbai Mirror | url = http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/Karkares-wife-dies-gives-life-to-others-by-donating-organs/articleshow/43835292.cms |author=Lata Mishra|date= 30 Sep 2014| access-date = 2014-09-30  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web  

A book ''The Last Bullet'' by Vinita Kamte, wife of additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte, who was killed in the 26/11 strike, alleges the police force ignored crucial information during the terrorist attacks. Vinita claims to have exposed Maria’s ‘feigned ignorance’ about the events unfolding in Rang Bhawan lane. Kamte, Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare and senior inspector Vijay Salaskar were killed there. Vinita also writes about how Karkare’s repeated pleas for reinforcement to block the passage of the terrorists fleeing Cama Hospital went unheeded for over an hour. <ref>{{cite web |title=Slain cop’s wife writes tell-all book |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/slain-cop-s-wife-writes-tell-all-book/story-sNlyBBjq0TnVuSo6rujYJJ.html |website=Hindustan Times |publisher=Hindustan Times |access-date=30 November 2021 |language=en |date=26 November 2009}}</ref>

''Who Killed Karkare?: The Real Face of Terrorism in India'' by S. M. Mushrif.  This book was published in October 2009, that is a year after 26/11 Terror Attack, is written by a former senior Maharashtra top cop, with a distinguished career that included unearthing the Telgi scam, peeps behind the propaganda screen, using material mostly in the public domain as well as his long police experience. The Times of India called this book controversial and quoted that the author he had highlighted in his book how former ATS chief Hemant Karkare was killed in a conspiracy hatched by Intelligence Bureau (IB) to pave way for the appointment of their favoured KP Raghuvanshi as ATS chief to thwart investigations against the Hindu hardliners allegedly involved in Malegaon blast of 2006.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jan 4 |first1=Soumittra S. Bose / TNN / |title=Maharashtra ex-IGP says IB got Karkare killed {{!}} India News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/maharashtra-ex-igp-says-ib-got-karkare-killed/articleshow/5408505.cms |website=The Times of India |publisher=The Times of India |access-date=29 November 2021 |language=en}}</ref>