The militants, who came in a white Ambassador with a flashing red light and wore police outfit, were killed in a fierce five-minute encounter.
NAGPUR: Police foiled a terrorist plan to blow up the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters early on Thursday and shot three armed terrorists in an encounter.
The militants, who came in a white Ambassador with a flashing red light and wore police outfits, were killed by the special squad of the local police in a five-minute encounter that took place in a narrow lane, hundred yards from the Sangh building.
Though no terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility, the Nagpur police suspect it to be a handiwork of the Lashkar-e-Taiba or Kashmir-based Hizbul Mujahideen. This was the first terrorist attack in the city.
It began at 4.05 am, when patrolling security guards noticed the Ambassador circling the area from a peripheral road.
When two of them stopped the car a few metres from the barricades on the eastern approach lane, the militants opened fire. The two escaped unhurt as they wore bulletproof jackets and fired back, killing the three militants.
Barring RSS executive body member Indresh Kumar, no top leader of the Sangh was in the building at the time of the attack. Sarsanghchalak K S Sudarshan is in Kolkata, while general secretary Mohan Bhagwat is in Kamptee, RSS sources said.
Kumar told DNA that he had informed all Sangh leaders about the incident in the morning.
Police were on alert following intelligence inputs from central agencies about a probable terror attack.
The security cordon around the Sangh headquarters and Dr Hedgewar memorial in Reshimbagh were intensified following the attack.
Central intelligence agencies had given "specific information about a terrorist suicide squad which had entered Nagpur" to the police.
They had asked the police to seal the city, but police sources believe the terrorists may have entered Nagpur three days ago. After having monitored the RSS building and security arrangements, they might have decided to attack it in the morning, police sources said.
Police said the terrorists had come with AK-47s, hand grenades, about 500 gm of RDX, besides small arms and ammunition.
Police Commissioner Shiv Pratap Singh Yadav told newsmen the terrorists may have come from Patna. "We are probing details like where did they come from, where they stayed and for how many days they were in the city,'' he said.
PM FLAYS ATTACK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the terrorist bid to attack the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and appealed for calm and communalpeace.
"The entire nation is united against terrorism. All communities should live in amity and peace," the prime minister said.
Condemning the terrorist attempt, the RSS told its cadres across the country to remain calm while the Bharatiya Janata Party said the United Progressive Alliance must realise that terrorists cannot be fought with kid gloves.
Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee condemned the terrorist bid. He appealed to everyone to remain alert, an aide said.
"Jihadi forces have become bold enough to attempt to attack the RSS headquarters. It is heartening that police have been successful in thwarting their designs. The attempt highlights the need for all our activists to be more alert and cautious.
"There is no need to panic. They should remain calm and take steps for the security of our offices across the country," Sangh national executive member Ram Madhav said over the telephone from Hyderabad.
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