ISI behind attack on Ghising?
by Subhrangshu Gupta

KOLKATA, FEB 13 — Police investigation has revealed the ISI’s hand in the attempt on the life of GNLF chief Subhash Ghising on Saturday night. Mr Ghising and six others, travelling to Darjeeling had been shot at by an ambush militant gang near the Pankhabari tea estate.

One of the assailants killed in the shootout was identified as R.B. Singh, an activist of the ISI-backed NSCN (Isak-Muivah) gang, which has been now engaged in striking at Mr Ghising jointly with the dissident group, Gorkhaland Liberation Organisation (GLO) leader, Chhatray, Subha.

A cellphone and some incriminating documents were recovered from the belongings of the killed assailant. Dimple Dewan, a middle-aged woman and O.R. Kothwal were among the 15 others arrested from various places of the hill district in connection with the attempt of killing the GNLF, leader.

Mr Ghising, now recovering at a Siliguri nursing home after about half-a-dozen pellets had been extracted from his body, appealed to the hill people to maintain peace and normalcy.

However, his loyalists and other followers in defiance, attacked Chhatray Subha’s family near Kalimpong town and burnt his house. Several government vehicles and shops and other establishments were also stoned and set to fire by angry GNLF supporters.

The Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharyya, who had assured action against the trouble-makers, appealed to the angry GNLF supporters to maintain peace in the hills. An additional contingent of the armed police force was dispatched to the hill district from south Bengal to help maintain peace and normalcy.

The Chief Secretary, Mr Manish Gupta, admitted the ISI’s involvement in the attempt on Mr Ghising. He said the police intelligence network had been stepped up to track the militants engaged in various subversive activities in the Bengal-Assam-Nepal border region. The government has set up a task force for conducting a joint operation by the paramilitary force and state police against the militants.

Mr Gupta said attempts were made to trace Chhatray Subha and other dissident leaders who might have escaped to Nepal. Chhatray Subha and other activists have recently joined hands with the militant outfits in the area, in the movement for a separate homeland for the Gorkhas, which was Mr Ghising’s initial demand.

But Mr Ghising now demands Constitutional protection of the Nepali-speaking people in the hills under Sixth Schedule. Mr Ghising went to Delhi to attend a meeting on February 7, to discuss the Darjeeling issue with senior Home Department officials in which Mr Gupta was also present. He was returning after that meeting and became a target on his way back, Mr Gupta said.

Geelani meets Pak envoy

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 — Jamaat-e-Islamia leader and former Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani had talks with Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehnagir Qazi for the second consecutive day today.

Mr Geelani, who is in the Capital since Sunday, met the Pakistan High Commissioner for nearly two hours this morning, sources said here.

They were, however, tight-lipped over what transpired at the meeting.

When contacted the Hurriyat spokesman in Delhi refused to say anything.

Significantly, Mr Geelani, considered to be a pro-Pakistan supporter in the Hurriyat Conference, had met Mr Qazi last night also alongwith another senior Hurriyat and Shia leader Maulana Abaas Ansari.

While the crucial Hurriyat Conference meeting was being held in Srinagar, the duo had a dinner meeting with the High Commissioner here.  — PTI

DMK bid to woo TMC
From Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

CHENNAI, FEB 13 — Aware of the need to strengthen its alliance in Tamil Nadu which faces a hard task in the coming Assembly elections, the ruling DMK is making all efforts to woo the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC).

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has said he was hoping a “favourable reply” from the TMC to its invitation to join the DMK-led National Democratic Alliance in the state.

Not only Mr Karunanidhi but Assembly Speaker P.T.R. Palanivelrajan and DMK General Secretary K. Anbazhagan have invited the TMC to join the NDA.

On his part, TMC chief G.K. Moopanar is keeping his cards close to his chest. At the meeting of TMC’s executive committee yesterday, Mr Moopanar sought to clarify that his party was in a secular front thus obliquely hinting about BJP’s communal credentials. Mr Moopanar refused to comment on the reported statement of AIADMK general secretary Jayalalitha that the TMC was part of the AIADMK front.

Mr Moopanar said he had been misquoted as saying that the TMC was a part of the AIADMK front. He said party’s alliance would be announced soon. Though the majority of 500 district functionaries at the party’s executive meeting preferred an alliance with the AIADMK, some favoured having a truck with the DMK.

The TMC, in fact, has become crucial to the DMK which is seeking allies to make up the loss its alliance has suffered after the PMK walked out of it and decided to join the AIADMK-led front. The PMK’s joining Jayalalitha has caused some friction in her alliance and the DMK is hoping to cash in on this.

TMC supporters are clear that in case they have to go with Ms Jayalalitha, the party should insist on getting at least 60 out of the 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Mr Moopanar has not clearly indicated his party’s stance so far and his going to the DMK would put the Congress in an awkward position. Such a scenario will also significantly boost the chances of DMK which is facing an uphill task in the elections.

Not only has the DMK to contend with a strong anti-incumbency factor, the steep price rise in the cost of rice and kerosene and the internal tussle within the party are likely to cast their shadow in the ensuing assembly elections. There is also a sympathy factor working in favour of Ms Jayalalitha whom some people see as having been victimised. The PMK and AIADMK complement each other with the former having its strength in the northern and western areas of the state and the latter strong in the south.

The DMK leaders, however, say that they will be relying on their achievements in the past five years to counter Ms Jayalalitha’s influence. They say that even if Ms Jayalalitha is convicted in the corruption charges which come in the way of her contesting elections, they would not make it a poll issue. “It is for the people to decide”, said senior DMK leader and Union Minister Murasoli Maran.

Reshuffle in Navy on the cards
by Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 — A reshuffle in the Naval appointments is expected soon with the Vice-Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral P.J. Jacob, due to retire from service later this month.

Reports said that the Naval Headquarters (NHQ) had already worked out the reshuffle of the senior Navy officers and a formal announcement was expected soon. Although the Navy was not ready to say when a formal announcement would come but it was expected in the coming few days.

As per the details worked out Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh is expected to take over as the new Vice-Chief of Naval Staff in place of Vice-Admiral P.J. Jacob. This appointment would also directly affect other senior Naval officers resulting in a reshuffle to be carried out as per the seniority of these officers.

Sources in the NHQ disclosed that Admiral Madhvendra Singh being the senior most among the officers comes as the natural choice for the post of Vice-Chief of Naval Staff. Presently being the seniormost after the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sushil Kumar and the incumbent Vice-Chief, he had been holding the post of CNC, Western Command.

He is expected to be replaced by the other seniormost officer after him, Vice-Admiral Vinod Pasricha. The post of CNC (Western Command) is generally reserved for the officer seniormost after the Chief of Naval Staff and the Vice-Chief. Vice-Admiral Vinod Pasricha would become the seniormost officer after the Chief of Naval Staff and the new Vice-Chief when Vice-Admiral Jacob retires.

As per reports, with Vice-Admiral Vinod Pasricha expected to move to the Western Command from Eastern Command, his place is expected to be taken by Vice-Admiral Harinder Singh, who is presently holding the post of CNC, Southern Command. Vice-Admiral John De Silva, who is at present holding the post of Director-General, Coast Guard, is expected to take over as the next CNC, Southern Command.

The Coast Guard is to get a new Director-General also with Vice-Admiral De Silva moving to Southern Command. As per available reports Vice-Admiral Arun Prakash could be the next choice for the Director-General, Coast Guard. He is presently the Chief of Personnel in the NHQ.

Incidentally there is already a debate underway at the NHQ about the possibility of Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh taking over as the next Chief of Naval Staff after the retirement of Admiral Sushil Kumar.

While some say that he lost his chance of being the Chief of Naval Staff when Admiral Sushil Kumar took over after the sacking of former Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, others say that he would still be in running even after his taking over as the Vice-Chief of Naval Staff. It is said that generally the Vice-Chief of Naval Staff is not made the Chief of Naval Staff but some say that there is no such hard and fast rule.

Generally the choice is made from the four seniormost officers, which also include the three CNCs and it is not a guarantee that the Vice-Chief of Naval Staff be the natural successor.

When Admiral Sushil Kumar retires at the end of this year, having completed his two-year tenure, Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh would still have some service left and that would put him in line to take over the next Chief of Naval Staff, sources said. But then he would also have to contend with the other three CNCs— Vice-Admiral Vinod Pasricha, Vice-Admiral Harinder Singh and Vice-Admiral John C De Silva— for the post.

In the case of Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh, he would be at an advantage of having already served as the CNC, Western Command, which is considered very important a posting while making the choice for the post of Chief of Naval Staff.

Rabri’s brother surrenders

PATNA, Feb 13 — Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s MLA brother Sadhu Yadav today surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Patna, in the case relating to misbehaviour with a senior IAS officer and was granted bail.

Yadav surrendered before CJM C.K. Sinha at noon and was given bail as he was charged under bailable Sections, his counsel Gorango Chatterjee said.

He was earlier granted bail by the police which had charged him under Section 448 (criminal trespass), 353 (obstruction in due discharge of duty of a government servant) and 506 (use of abusive language and intimidation) of the IPC.

Mr Chatterjee said that Yadav surrendered before the court of the CJM as it would have been incumbent upon him to apply for bail if the police chargesheeted him in the case.

State’s Transport Secretary N.K. Sinha, who alleged that Yadav had manhandled him and forced him at gunpoint to sign an order revoking the transfer of enforcement inspector of the department Sitaram Paswan to Patna from Gopalganj, had filed a complaint petition before the CJM alleging that the police had deliberately weakened the case.

Meanwhile, the Bihar IAS lobby, up in arms against Sadhu Yadav for his alleged manhandling of the State’s Transport Secretary, has received a shot in the arm with Governor V.C. Pande asking the government to submit a detailed report on the incident.

Raj Bhavan sources said today that the Governor had written to the state government to furnish a detailed report on the incident.

A late last night meeting of the BIASA decided to send a message to the Union Home Secretary requesting him to provide personal guards to all IAS officers. — PTI

Ayodhya Case
BMMCC for new notification

LUCKNOW, Feb 13 — Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati today said the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya demolition case had exposed the nexus of the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here, she said the notification issued in October, 1993, to entrust the case against eight accused, including Union Ministers L.K. Advani, M.M. Joshi and Uma Bharti to a special CBI court was deliberately made “defective’’ in order to protect the leaders. The notification was issued when the state was under President’s rule with Mr Moti Lal Vora as the Governor.

Ms Mayawati stated, “Since the Congress was in the power at the Centre, the state government had connived with the former to issue such a notification, which would stand nowhere in the court’’.

“While everyone believed that there was a tacit understanding between the Congress and BJP in the Ayodhya demolition, the court had finally put a stamp on it by pointing out the flaw in the all- important notification’’, she added.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, who was here to hold party workers’ meetings, was of the view that the Rajnath Singh government would hold the next assembly elections in April or May next. “There is every indication of an early poll in the state’’, she asserted.

Ms Mayawati criticised the state government’s plan to go for a vote-on-account for barely three months, instead of taking the full Budget during the next assembly session commencing on March 15. “Mr Rajnath Singh has no reason to justify it, except the fact that the state is heading for an assembly election in three months’ time’’, she pointed out.

The BSP leader said her party was not worried about the possibility of an early poll. “The holding of division-level workers meetings is an exercise in this direction’’, she said, adding, “I have told my partymen to get prepared for the assembly poll’’.

Reiterating her party view, Ms Mayawati said the BSP would go alone in the election and any speculation about alliance should be construed as a “figment of the imagination’’.  — UNI

Cong mounts pressure on Ayodhya verdict
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 — The Congress today mounted pressure on the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh Government to file a fresh notification on the Babri Masjid demolition case even as the ruling party was in a dilemma to evolve an appropriate strategy to counter the opposition onslaught on the issue.

Stating that the Allahabad High Court order was “purely temporary and conditional relief on technical ground” to the chargesheeted Ministers, including the Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, the Congress said that the political and moral “onus lies” on the BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh .Initially, the BJP leadership was happy over the verdict of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court yesterday declaring the notification for trial of eight accused including the three BJP Union Ministers in the Babri Masjid demolition trial, “improper and defective”, but the BJP Vice-President, Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi, today was at a loss to explain the party’s stand on the issue.

“At the outset, we can say that the learned Judge has not faulted the chargesheet, the Congress spokesman, Mr Anand Sharma said, adding that the high court has also not gone into the merit of the case nor has the Court declared the accused leaders “innocent”.

The BJP led Government in Uttar Pradesh has three options before it, Mr Krishnamurthi said in an effort to brush aside the issue.

“As a lawyer, I can say that the Uttar Pradesh Government should either respect the high court’s verdict, or if the State Government feels aggrieved then it should go into appeal or amend the charge sheet and seek the High Court’s permission.

When pressed for the party’s advice to its Government on the issue, Mr Krishnamurthi said that the party had not given any thought to it and had not invested any time on it.

Meanwhile, the Congress, it appears, has decided to further step up the pressure on the BJP and its Government in Uttar Pradesh as evident in a long statement of the Congress spokesman at the regular party media briefing.

With the budget session of Parliament beginning from next week, the Congress is determined to press the issue.

The BJP and the Central government’s options are limited, and therefore, the present dilemma, the sources said.

Mr Sharma stressed that “this is purely a temporary and conditional relief on technical ground.” The Judge himself has been good enough to suggest the way in which this can be done, the spokesman said adding that the Court has tossed the ball back to the Uttar Pradesh Government.

“Therefore, the political and moral onus is on the BJP Government in UP”, Mr Sharma said adding that it was incumbent upon the State Government to forthwith issue a fresh notification so that truth and justice can prevail.

The court has also not found defect with the CBI charge sheet related to the case but there has been an inexplicable delay on the part of the CBI in expediting the case, he said.

Relief for kin of firing victim sought
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 — The Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in Jammu has moved a petition before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking compensation for the family of a Sikh bankman who was killed in police firing in Jammu last week. He was identified as Mohinder Singh.

Mr N. Gopalaswamy, Secretary-General of the commission, said here today that the petition was handed over to the NHRC delegation during its three-day visit to Jammu.

He said that Mohinder Singh’s widow, Gurmeet Kaur, has also sent a petition to the commission seeking relief and action against erring officers. He said that the petition is likely to be placed before the commission in the coming week.

Mohinder Singh’s family members told the delegation that he was not among those demonstrating during curfew against the killing of six members of their community by armed youth in Mahjoor Nagar in uptown Srinagar on February 3. They stated that he was hit by a bullet on his way to the market.

Mr Gopalaswamy said that his family told them that Mohinder Singh was the lone bread winner of his family and supported his two children, wife, mother and two brothers. An employee of the State Bank of India, he had also served the Indian Air Force for 15 years. The family alleged that he died of negligence as he was not taken to the hospital on time.

The delegation headed by the commission Chairman, Justice J.S. Verma, drew the attention of government officers to areas where compliance is not satisfactory. These include reporting custodial deaths and rapes, adoption of a model autopsy form, guidelines on arrest in regional languages and constitution of a district complaint authority. The delegation also met representatives of more than 12 non-government organisations who complained of human rights violations.

Shortage of tents in Gujarat
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 — Faced with acute shortage of tents for the quake-affected people in Gujarat, the Central Government has asked the Defence Ministry to explore the possibility of making available old and unused parachutes lying with the Army to be used as tents.

“We are told that old and unused parachutes could also be used as tents, so the Defence Secretary has been asked to explore the possibility of making available old and unused parachutes lying with Army units,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj told newspersons after the fourth meeting of Empowered Group of Ministers (GoMs) on Disaster Management, held under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister L K Advani.

The Defence Secretary, Mr Yogendra Narain, will inform the GoM tomorrow about the availability, Ms Swaraj said.

Stating that the general management of the crisis and the relief operations by the Gujarat Government was “satisfactory”, she pointed out that there was still a shortage of 1.20 lakh tents.

She informed that while 15,000 tents each were being sent by an international NGO and the International Red Cross Society, the State Government has bought 10,000 tents and has hired another 30,000.

Regarding shifting of tents from the Kumbh mela in Uttar Pradesh to the quake affected Gujarat, Swaraj said since the tents put up for Kumbh belonged to private company, the UP Government and the Gujarat Government were still negotiating with the company on whether to purchase them or to hire them.

During the meeting, Mr Advani, directed immediate purchase of sophisticated equipment like cutters, censors, etc which were being used by foreign rescue teams in quake-hit areas, she said.

She also informed that the Textile Ministry has modified its deendayal hathkarga protsahan yojna to help rehabilitation of 2,500 weavers affected in the Gujarat quake.

Under the new proposal, meant only for the Gujarat region, the Ministry will extend Rs 10,000 towards working capital and Rs 7,000 loom and accessaries purchase, Swaraj said.

Naidu forms panel on dam
From Our Special Representative

HYDERABAD, Feb 12 — The Chief Minister, Mr Chandrababu Naidu, tactfully avoided what was turning out to be a confrontation between the Opposition parties and the government over the issue of the laying of the foundation stone of one of the proposed constructions of a major dam over the Godavari at Inchampally by calling an all- party meeting yesterday. The needless controversy on the eve of the Budget session of the Assembly beginning on Wednesday blew over after the Chief Minister agreed to constitute a committee represented by all parties to go over the legal and environmental problems that were delaying the project apart from the mobilisation of huge funds needed to start the project.

The Chief Minister had earlier announced that he would lay the foundation stone of the project ,but back-tracked realising the necessity of getting all clearances from the Centre, including commitment of the needed funds. In the meanwhile, he agreed to go ahead with the scheme to lift the waters by pumping from the Godavari .

President’s Address

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 — A special Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow to finalise President K.R. Narayanan’s Address, to be delivered by him on February 19 to members of both Houses on the first day of the Budget session.

The Address will contain the policies and initiatives expected to be taken by the Vajpayee Government during the next financial year.

The Presidential Address will also deal with the problems faced by the country at present and also suggest measures, the government proposes to take up in the coming months. — UNI

Shahnawaz pulled up by Laxman
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 — The Prime Minister’s blue eyed boy Shahnawaz Khan, who was recently given independent charge of the Ministry of Coal, was given a tough tongue-lashing by BJP President Bangaru Laxman for ‘dilly-dallying’ his campaign trips to Muslim-dominated constituencies where byelections are taking place next week.

The lone Minister from the minority community from the BJP ranks in the Vajpayee Cabinet was called by Mr Laxman to his party office at the party head quarters and was asked to proceed immediately to Ramgarh, from where the Jharkhand Chief Minister, Mr Babu Lal Marandi, is contesting.

No budget for housing scheme
From Our Correspondent

HANUMANGARH, Feb 13 — The Indira Housing Scheme was started by the state government, two years ago, for providing houses to the Garia community of blacksmiths, but for the past one year no budget has been sanctioned. Thus the families for whom the scheme was launched, are not getting any benefits.

After its introduction in 1998-99, 13 applicants were given a financial assistance of Rs 65,000 for the construction of the houses. An amount of Rs 5,000 was sanctioned for every family to construct houses, which was paid in two instalments.

For the past one year the Social Welfare Department, which runs the scheme is ignorant about it. Sources in the department, revealed that during the last financial year, no budget has been sanctioned. However, the office is hopeful of getting a budget passed, as the office had sent proposals of amount to provide aid to the community to purchase the raw material.

In the absence of any budget, department is not accepting any applications. Whenever an applicant approaches the Welfare Department, he is told about the non-availability of the budget and in most cases they are sent back without applying for the aid. Only those who are residing at a place in huts are getting benefits.

Shakeel tapes given to cops

MUMBAI, FEB 13 — In keeping with a court directive, Zee TV and India Today magazine handed over to the police the cassettes of telephonic interviews of Karachi-based gangster Chhota Shakeel used by them in their network on the Bollywood-underworld nexus.

According to the police, India Today had carried Shakeel’s interview after Shah’s arrest in the case .

Joint test for IIT admissions

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 —  The government proposes to introduce a combined test from next year for admission to all under-graduate engineering courses, Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi said today.

“This has become necessary to avoid multiplicity of work as well as to check overlapping of schedules,” Mr Joshi told a meeting of the council of IITs called to discuss the issue.

Such a step would also put an end to the trauma experienced by both the students and the parents because of the plethora of tests conducted on all-India basis by various institutions and the states.

The minister pointed out that the UGC guidelines for deemed universities also provided for admission on all-India basis through a common entrance test to be conducted by it or an institution approved by it.

Mr Joshi said all regional engineering colleges would soon be made deemed universities.

Stating that many central institutions conducted their own test on an all-India basis, he said taking these into consideration and the public opinion, it was now proposed to conduct the combined test from 2002 onwards. —  PTI

Muslims must stand by J&K Sikhs: NMC
by Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

SRIGANGANAGAR, FEB 13 — “It is the moral duty of every Muslim in the country besides the Hurriyat leadership to stand by the targeted Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir in the interest of secularism and internal peace. If the Sikhs leave the valley, the possibility of a Muslim state within the Indian Union will become a grim reality,” says Mr Tarlochan Singh, vice chairman of the National Minorities Commission (NMC).

He was in the city to preside over the annual function of Sri Guru Nanak Post Graduate College here this evening. He was part of the committee deputed by the Prime Minister to ascertain the killing of innocent Sikhs in the Mahjoor area of Srinagar by militants. Defence Minister George Fernandes is heading the investigation. In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, he said, “After driving out the Hindus from the valley, it is the turn of the Sikhs. Such was the outrage among the 60,000 strong community spread out in 129 villages of the state, that the decision to migrate en masse was almost taken at a huge congregation a few days ago,” he revealed.

“As many as 70 representatives of the community had met to discuss the third attack in the couple of years and were of the opinion that they were sitting ducks with the state government failing to protect their lives or safeguard their interests. Since they were defenceless, there was no option but to migrate, a painful step which had to be taken in the larger interests of the community, he added.

“It was after assurances by Mr Fernandes, the Hurriyat leaders besides pleas by members of the committee that the migration proposal was shelved. At one point of time, the situation almost got out of hand when irate members of the community shouted down the Hurriyat team which wanted to offer their condolences,” he observed.

He said, “Every time the Muslims are targeted in other states, they say the minorities are being persecuted and in a secular country it is the duty of the majority community to protect them. Where is this duty of the majority community in the valley today,” he questioned.

“The Muslims in the valley have to understand and let it be known to all that once the Sikhs migrate, the populace would have acknowledged that they tacitly approved the severence of their last link with secularism,” he pointed out.

Earlier while addressing a select gathering of eminent dignitories at the college he warned that if the migration of labourers in Punjab continued, there was the danger of demographical changes in the state. He also added that the majority of rural youth were moving away from farming just to acquire meaning less degrees.

Koijam stakes claim as Nipamacha quits

IMPHAL, FEB 13 — Manipur Chief Minister W. Nipamacha Singh submitted his resignation to Governor Ved Marwah this evening paving the way for state Samata Party leader Radha Binod Koijam to form the next government.

According to official sources, Mr Radhabinod Koijam of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has staked claim to form the new government.

In a dramatic development earlier in the day, 12 MLAs of the Samata Party defected from the opposition camp on the pretext of having lunch and joined Nipamacha Singh’s Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP).

Following a deal, Nipamacha Singh decided to step down paving the way for leader of the state Samata Party Radha Binod Koijam to form the next government.

According to an aide of Mr Nipamacha Singh, he drove to the Governor’s house at 5.15 p.m. and submitted his resignation.

Mr Koijam, if invited to form the government by the Governor, may prove his majority by tomorrow.

The Manipur Assembly session has been convened tomorrow for the trial of strength of the Nipamacha Government. Mr Nipamacha Singh, however, managed to engineer defection in the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) this noon bringing the 12 Samata Party MLAs to his fold.

The ruling Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) and the Samata Party today formed the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and elected Mr Radha Binod Koijam as their leader.

In a shrewd manoeuvre, Mr Nipamacha Singh thwarted the move of the UDF to topple his government by sacrificing his own seat but managed to stop his colleague, Union Minister Chouba Singh, to stake claim to form the next government with the help of the BJP. — UNI

Cop’s murder: one held
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 — With the arrest of an employee of a private firm, the Delhi police today claimed to have worked out the murder of its constable, Kishan Kumar who was shot dead from a point blank range on the Salwan road in the central district area of New Delhi range last week.

The accused, Vijai Kumar Shukla, had worked with several private firms in NOIDA and Delhi. He gunned down the constable along with his accomplice Rajesh, alias Raja.

Corbett park to remain open for public

DEHRA DUN, Feb 13 — Reversing their earlier decision to close Jim Corbett National Park for tourists from Tuesday, the authorities have decided to let it remain open during the search for poachers.

Only the Bijrani area of the reserve has been closed to visitors, said Mr R.S. Tolia, Principal Secretary (Forests), Uttaranchal. The decision was taken on Monday to chalk out a strategy to nab the poachers who have killed five tuskers at the park.
— UNI

NATIONAL BRIEFS

2 gangsters shot dead
MUMBAI: Two members of the Fajlu gang were gunned down in an encounter at Churchgate in south-Mumbai on Monday night, the police said. Acting on information that members of the Fajlu gang would be arriving to extort money from a businessman, the police laid a trap in the vicinity. On spotting three persons alighting from a car, the police ordered them to surrender. The trio, however, began firing at the police, who immediately retaliated. Two of the gangsters Javed and Jahid, sustained bullet injuries while their third accomplice managed to flee in the vehicle, The injured gangsters were rushed to GT hospital where they were declared dead by the doctors. — PTI

Spit betel juice and get fined
PURI: Irked over the habit of people spitting betel juice, the new managing committee of the local Sri Jagannath Temple has decided that anyone doing so within the temple precincts would attract a fine. Henceforth, it would be considered a punishable crime and anyone found spitting within the temple premises will be fined Rs 5, temple sources said. — PTI

Five women buried alive
ambikapur : Five women were killed and five injured when a mud mine near Radha Kishennagar village, about 130 km from here, on Balampur-Chandi road, caved in on Monday. Mr B.S. Maravi, SP, said the mine began collapsing soon after 10 women workers entered it. — PTI

Ashtawan polling booths sensitives
PATNA: The Bihar Government has declared all booths of the Asthawan Assembly seat as sensitive and would deploy adequate police forces there on February 19, the day the by-poll takes place. Bihar Home Secretary UN Panjiyar said all booths had been declared sensitive on the basis of report submitted by the district administration. — PTI

VHP Vidarbha chief Roy dead
NAGPUR: The VHP’s Vidarbha region working president Manik Roy passed away after a brief illness in a private nursing home here on Monday night, according to family sources. He was 73. Besides the VHP, he was closely associated with various organisations. Roy’s funeral on Tuesday was attended by a large number of VHP activists. — PTI

Manekshaw bereaved
COIMBATORE: Ms Siloo Manekshaw, wife of Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw, passed away at Coonoor on Monday evening, family sources said on Tuesday. An octogenarian, she had been ailing for some time, they said. — PTI

HANUMANGARH
APPREHENSIONS: There are apprehensions that the agriculture research centre situated here will be closed by the state government in the current financial year though there has not been a decision over the issue yet. Dr Ram Partap, MLA, has sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister opposing the possibility of closing the centre.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION: The annual prize distribution function of Saraswati Girls College was held here recently. Mr J.P. Chandellia, District Collector, was the chief guest. Ms Meena Sharma, principal of the college, and Mrs Uma Sharma, Principal of the Saraswati School, also spoke on the occasion.