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Wednesday,
February 6, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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UTTAR PRADESH ELECTIONS UTTARANCHAL ASSEMBLY
POLL HC notice
to Shiv Sena on V-Day celebrations
Haryana
without asylum: SC shocked |
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Bihar told
to submit foreign prisoners’ list Man
charged with killing four of family acquitted Train
bogie catches fire Sacked
priest backs Cong rebel Plane
makes emergency landing NGO to
educate voters, candidates
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UTTAR PRADESH ELECTIONS Meerut, February 5 Mr Pandit visited Meerut to take stock of the law and order situation in the Saharanpur and Meerut areas two days ago. He instructed senior police officers of both divisions to keep a strict vigil on anti-social elements who were operating on behalf of the political parties. A senior police officer told this correspondent here today that the DGP had ordered to seal the borders of western Uttar Pradesh with Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh from February 7 onwards. This was being done so that musclemen or other anti-social elements could not easily enter the western UP areas. The western UP Police is more cautious because of the entry of the INLD led by Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala into the poll arena. The INLD is contesting about 125 seats in western UP. The police thinks the INLD cadres could resort to strong-arm tactics during electioneering and on the day of polling. A police officer disclosed that the Haryana DIG (CID) hails from Muzzaffarnagar district. He is reported to have relatives and other close links in the otherwise sensitive Muzzaffarnagar area. The UP Police is, therefore, naturally suspicious about the activities of Haryana policemen “in mufti”, who may be deployed in the areas from where the INLD candidates are fighting. It was in this context that the DGP had ordered to check the entry of suspicious elements into the areas much in advance before the polling day. Otherwise also, the towns like Kairana, Muzzaffarnagar, Kandhla, Deoband and Saharanpur areas are known for the anti-national activities of the ISI of Pakistan. It is being feared that pro-ISI elements may foment communal trouble in these areas. It has been ordered to deploy special task force men in these areas. Furthermore, almost all political parties, including the BSP, SP, BJP, RLD and the Congress have sought the support of “armies of musclemen” who are operating in this area. It is feared that the INLD may choose to bring “pehalwans” from akharas operating in Sonepat, Rohtak and Delhi areas to terrorise voters in some constituencies. All this has made the task of the police and other security forces “doubly tough”, maintains a senior police officer. Meanwhile, some musclemen and history-sheeters are fighting the elections as candidates of different parties. The much dreaded muscleman, D.P. Yadav, who operates in western UP, has formed a new party and has fielded his son as a candidate. The son is a co-accused in the famous Jesica Lal murder case and is on bail these days. Yadav’s henchmen are likely to operate against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s candidates. Inquiries by this correspondent further show that over 110 musclemen and history-sheeters, who at one time or the other had figured in the crime record of the UP police, are in the poll fray in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Even some ministers in the Rajnath Singh ministry, who are fighting the election, figure in the police record. The BSP is reported to have given ticket to three history-sheeters. In eastern UP, Mr Amar Mani Tripathi, who was dismissed from ministership, is fighting on the BSP ticket from Laxmipur constituency. Numerous criminal cases are reportedly pending against him. Mr Atiq Ahmed, who heads a party named Apna Dal, is fighting from a constituency in Allahabad. He is facing trial under MISA. Another known and dreaded muscleman Miritunjya Shukla is fighting on the BSP ticket. He at one time was one of the most-wanted men by the UP police. Adjoining to Saharanpur, the Congress has fielded Tilak Raj Behar, a former minister, at a Doon Valley Assembly seat. Tilak Raj is known mafia don of wine and queries in the area. He was dumped by the BJP before the elections and denied the ticket. The Congress immediately picked him up. Rajinder Shah, another mafia king, is seeking election as an Independent from Rishikesh. This is only to name a few. A large number of the local leaders, who are known musclemen in their areas, are also fighting the elections. |
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UTTARANCHAL ASSEMBLY POLL Dehra Dun, February 5 These “danavas” are none other than the criminals whose endeavour is to rule the state after winning in elections. Of the 927 candidates contesting the 70 Uttaranchal Assembly seats, as many as 125 candidates have a criminal record. According to police sources these candidates have criminal cases registered against them in various police stations on charges ranging from assault to murder. There are at least 50 candidates against whom serious criminal cases have been pending. Against the other candidates, the sources say, the cases of rioting and assault had been registered because of their role in various political movements and agitations. A criminal of Paudi Garhwal district has been contesting elections as an independent candidate from the jail. He is behind bars because of his alleged involvement in several cases of murder, dacoity and illicit distillation in Beeronkhal and Ramnagar towns of the district. Almora district too has a candidate with a criminal record. As many as 33 cases have been registered against him. The sources say to ensure that these candidates, are not able to intimidate the voters, a strict watch is being kept on their activities by the law-enforcement agencies. they have been warned not to disrupt the election process or try to breach the peace. The police has also set up special barriers to keep a check on the movement of anti-social elements. The maximum number of barriers have been set up in Dehra Dun, Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts. |
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HC notice to Shiv Sena on V-Day celebrations New Delhi, February 5 Justice Sharda Aggarwal issued notices to the Shiv Sena, its Delhi unit functionaries, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and the Police Commissioner asking why the application should not be admitted. Archies sought an ex parte ad interim injunction against the defendants in its application, already fighting a suit seeking a permanent injunction in the regard. The court, however, preferred to send notices to the parties seeking to have an undertaking from them on the matter. The company, through the counsels, Mr N.N. Aggarwal and Mr Ajit Warrier, had asked for court directives to restrain the defendants and their activists from picketing or stopping the ingress and egress of employees and customers at various Archies showrooms and outlets and those of its franchisees. It also requested that the defendants be prevented from holding any demonstrations or committing acts of violence, vandalism on or around the aforesaid premises and from issuing any threats of interfering and halting the celebrations. The police protection had also been sought by the plaintiff as it apprehends large-scale and irreparable damage to its employees and property in the light of loss of several crore rupees to business and reputation caused to the company last year on the said day. It was claimed that the defendants, under the garb of being the moral police, were openly threatening the plaintiff and the public in general not to celebrate the day, failing which they would face dire consequences, including physical harm.
UNI |
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Govt can
intercept e-mails New Delhi, February 5 The authorities may also declare “any computer, computer system or computer network” as “a protected system,” and punish attempts to access such systems with up to ten years’ imprisonment, an official statement said. These steps to deal with cyber space hackers and other violators are to be administered by the Controller of Certifying Authorities appointed under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and rules framed
thereunder, the statement said. The Controller was appointed towards the end of 2000. The Act defines ‘information’ as inclusive of data, text, images, sound, voice, codes, computer
programmes, software and databases or micro film or computer generated micro fiche. Citing how hackers got into a computer network at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the statement said the new provisions were essential to preventing “anti-national elements from hacking into our computers and networks.” According to one published account, the incident occurred shortly after the Pokhran tests and possibly involved “American-Australian” hackers. The USA, for instance, has a comprehensive action plan called the Critical Infrastructure Protection aimed at protecting essential services such as electricity, transportation, defence and security, the statement said. In India, before setting out to intercept any electronic information, the Controller must be satisfied that doing so is in the interests of the country’s security, sovereignty or integrity, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence, and must record his reasons in writing.
UNI |
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Haryana without asylum: SC shocked New Delhi, February 5 The Chief Secretaries of the states and union territories were directed to file a comprehensive compliance report in this regard. The court also ordered the closure of all unregistered mental asylums and mental healthcare centres within two months, after undertaking a district-wise survey to determine whether they adhered to the minimum required standards. The directives were issued by a Bench of Mr Justice M.B. Shah and Mr Justice B.N. Agrawal during resumed hearing of the case relating to death of 25 chained inmates of a Tamil Nadu mental asylum during a devastating fire last year. The then Chief Justice A.S. Anand had taken a suo moto notice of the ghastly incident and issued notices to all states and union territories requiring them to inform the court about the status of mental asylums. The court asked the Cabinet Secretary to file within one month an affidavit indicating the contribution made or proposed to be made by the Centre under Section 21 of the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999, which would constitute the corpus of the national trust. The complaince report to be filed by the chief secretaries, should also state that no mentally challenged person was chained in any part of the state or union territories, the court said. The court issued the directions adopting the suggestions made by the amicus curiae, Dr A.N. Singhvi. The court directed listing of the case after three months for monitoring the compliance report.
UNI |
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Bihar told to submit foreign prisoners’ list Patna, February 5 The Union Home Ministry has asked the state government to submit a list of foreigners specially Pakistanis, in the jails of Bihar. The Jharkhand Government is also learnt to have been sent the same request by the Centre. This comes in the wake of intelligence reports that the international terrorist, Farhan Mallick, has threatened to carry out a similar attack as that at Kolkata and resort to kidnappings of big personalities to free some foreign terrorists in the jail. The name of Hazaribagh jail in Jharkhand had appeared after the Kolkata attack. Bihar jails are reported to have many foreign nationals lodged as many of them are caught near the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh borders close to Bihar. In recent times, many Afghans and Pakistani nationals have been arrested in Bihar's border areas close to Nepal in connection with trade of drugs and fake notes. |
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Man charged with killing four of family acquitted New Delhi, February 5 “Both the sessions court and the high court have failed to appreciate evidence in its correct prospective and have thus committed a manifest error in coming to a finding” that one Ravi Virmani committed the murder of four, a Bench comprising Mr Justice U.C. Banerjee and Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said in a recent order. It was alleged by the prosecution that Ravi murdered father, mother, wife and brother of a businessman Deepak Kumar, who grappled with the assailant who was demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh holding his child at a knife point. However, Ravi escaped after inflicting injuries on Deepak and his brother after a hue and cry was raised. It was stated by the prosecution that an independent witness also grappled with the assailant. The trial court found Ravi guilty of the murder and imposed death penalty but the high court commuted the capital sentence into life imprisonment.
PTI |
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Train bogie catches fire Mumbai, February 5 No casualties were reported, the Government Railway Police control room at Byculla said here. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, Western Railway spokesperson Bhagwat Dahisarkar said. The fire was noticed and the train halted at Malad station at 12.08 p.m. The bogie (no 710), which caught fire, was sixth from the engine. It took nearly half-an-hour to control the blaze, he said. Senior Western Railway, Railway Police and Fire Brigade personnel have rushed to the spot and a departmental inquiry has been ordered to probe into the cause of the fire, Mr Dahisarkar added. However, the halting of the train at Malad station resulted in delaying the arrival of Borivli and Virar-bound trains. The Churchgate-bound trains were also delayed by around 30 minutes, he said, adding that the services between Goregaon and Borivli stations were briefly halted.
UNI |
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Sacked priest
backs Cong rebel Dehra Dun, February 5 Mr Namboodaripad, while campaigning for Congress dissident Harshvardhan Sharma from Rishikesh, termed his dismissal from the post as “unconstitutional” and part of a “political conspiracy” hatched by the BJP. Mr Namboodaripad held the post of chief priest (popularly called rawal) of Badrinath till last month until he was removed from the post by the Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti which manages the affairs of the two famous Hindu shrines in the Himalayas. He was expelled for not following the “code of conduct.” However, he blamed the BJP for his dismissal. |
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Plane makes emergency landing New Delhi, February 5 The flight which departed for Jaipur at 5.55 a.m. with 40 passengers on board, landed after a few minutes as the Commander experienced a loss of power on the starboard and shut down the engine as a precaution. An official release of the airlines said the Commander had informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the flight landed at 6.30 a.m. All passengers were deplaned safely. |
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NGO to educate
voters, candidates Dehra Dun, February 5 Through its awareness campaign launched here yesterday, Sri Bhuwaneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA) intends to educate the people and the politicians on development issues besides also exhorting the latter to keep party affiliations aside for common public good. |
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