The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Saturday, July 28, 2001,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I N N E W S

Ex-Air Vice-Marshal, 7 others held
Documents regarding defence purchases seized
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27
The CBI has arrested eight persons, including a former Air Vice-Marshal for allegedly ferreting out secret information from Air Headquarters here relating to defence purchases.

A case has been registered under various provisions of the IPC, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Official Secrets Act against the accused — Air Vice-Marshal J.S. Kumar, Y.S. Tomar, K. Karuthu, H.K. Nagpal (all retired Wing Commanders), Sergent K.C. Saini, working at Air Headquarters, S.P. Bajaj, accountant with the Purchase Department of the Defence Ministry and two businessmen Kishore K.Bajaj and Bhagat Ram.

While Air Vice Marshal Kumar (retd) and Saini were arrested last night after the CBI laid a trap at the former’s Sainik Farm House in South Delhi, other accused were arrested this morning after the sleuths of the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch raided 13 places across the Capital, CBI spokesman S.M. Khan told newspersons this evening.

The CBI action followed a complaint from Air Headquarters a couple of days ago about the racket.

The CBI has so far not been able to arrest three other accused — Flt Lt V.K. Anvekar and two other businessmen Sudhir Oberoi and V. Subramaniam.

Centre bows to pressure
Ceasefire restricted only to Nagaland
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27
Bowing to the pressure of Manipur and other North-Eastern states, the Centre tonight decided to restrict the ceasefire with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) to Nagaland and not extend it to other North-Eastern states in the wake of violent protests by Manipuri people.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told a meeting of Chief Ministers of North-Eastern states that the words “without territorial limits” in the agreement reached between the Centre and the NSCN(I-M) on June 14 would be deleted and the status quo ante on June 14 would be restored. Manipur was represented at the meeting by its Governor, Dr Ved Marwah.

Soon after the meeting at Prime Minister’s House, Home Minister L.K. Advani told waiting newspersons that the government representatives had already discussed the issue with NSCN(I-M) which was agreeable to the proposal.

The Centre’s turnaround on the issue came after Prime Minister’s emissary for Naga peace talks K Padmanabhaiah held a fresh negotiations with NSCN(I-M) leader Thuingaleng Muivah in the Netherlands for four days which ended on July 25 evening.

The ceasefire with the NSCN(I-M) had been extended for one more year from July 31 following talks held by the Central emissary with the Naga group in Bangkok on June 14.

Ever since the Centre signed an agreement with the NSCN (I-M) for extension of ceasefire to other areas in the North-East beyond Nagaland, there had been violent opposition to the decision from Manipur even as other states wanted a review of the ceasefire expansion, which was to come into effect from August 1, 2001.

Leaders and MLAs from Manipur had been demanding a review of the agreement and immediate withdrawal of the expansion of ceasefire “without territorial limits” as the only viable strategy for peace in the North-Eastern region. The same views had been expressed by Assam and Meghalaya.

Manipur leaders were of the viewpoint that the ceasefire expansion would put to danger the state’s territorial integrity as the ceasefire agreement would give the NSCN(I-M) armed cadres licence to free-run in the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur.