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Sunday,
June 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Probe role of Centre,
IB, courts: BJP target — absolute majority in LS Race for BJP, Cong chiefs in UP hots up |
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NCP MLAs harassed by BJP men Rail pantry staff beat up BJP MP 573 Gentlemen Cadets pass out of IMA
Animals’ plight draws world pressure CM seeks 70-cr to modernise airport Red alert sounded
Salman’s arms elude him Storm claims 5 lives in UP
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Probe role of Centre, IB, courts: ex-DM New Delhi, June 8 Mr Srivastava, who concluded his eight-day-long deposition before the Commission said today that the security of the disputed structure had always been a national concern. The Union Government had been monitoring it by regularly sending teams for security assessment of the structure. Members of the Intelligence Bureau were camping in Ayodhya before December 6, 1992, and the judiciary too passed security orders from time to time. The former District Magistrate, who faced a lot of harassment following the demolition, told the Commission that the CBI, state government and the Central Government prejudged the issue, held him and then SSP D.B. Rai under suspension and instituted a departmental and CBI inquiry. “We have already suffered a lot. Even if the findings of the Liberhan Commission are against us, we could not have faced worst days. Is it not interference in the jurisdiction of the Commission to prejudge the issue while the matter was pending before this Commission?” he asked. Many senior officers were present on the date of the incident and had already stated before the CBI and the Commission about the action taken on December 6, 1992. It was in their consultation and they were in full knowledge of the actions taken then “why only two of us were spotted and dealt with separately?” Mr Srivastava lamented. About why the Army was not called in by the district administration to prevent the demolition, the former District-Magistrate said when the Central Paramilitary forces were not being used there was no question of calling the Army. Complaining about non-cooperation of the Central Paramilitary forces with the district administration, he said hurdles were put when they were called in the afternoon of December 6, 1992, so they could not reach the Ramjanambhoomi Babri Masjid complex in time to stop the demolition. Mr Srivastava said the Central Forces stationed at Faizabad had demanded that 50 magistrates accompany them to Ayodhya on the fateful day, but the district administration could provide only 23 magistrates. Finally, 18 companies led by a magistrate proceeded towards Ayodhya but were stopped due to hurdles put by ‘karsevaks’ in the way to the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid complex. He said the SSP had demanded more forces and if 150 to 200 companies would have been there from December 4 onwards, the situation could have been dealt with more effectively. Denying that the district administration had neglected “karsevaks militia”, Mr Srivastava said it took all steps to ensure peaceful conduct of the ‘karseva’ and protection of the disputed structure “but no effort was sufficient because the number of ‘karsevaks’ was so large and frenzy so high.” He also admitted that some ‘karsevaks’ had raised the slogans: “Yeh andar ki baat hai ki police hamare sath hai” (It is an internal fact that police is with us) and said it might have created some doubt in the minds of the people about the police.
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BJP target — absolute majority in LS New Delhi June 8 Describing the party’s recent victory in Goa as a “turn in the tide”, Union Home Minister L K Advani attributed it to good governance provided by the Chief Minister and said it had raised the morale of party workers and cadres across the country. He was addressing the meeting of the party’s central office-bearers and state in charges, which concluded here today. Mr Advani exhorted the party workers to be ready for the challenge of the coming elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly later this year and 10 states next year. In his inaugural address yesterday, Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said the people wanted the party to return with absolute majority in the next general elections in 2004. “The allies would be with us, but the meeting felt that BJP should have its own majority,” party spokesman Sunil Shastri said. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who interacted with RSS leaders last night, urged them to reach out to the people and further strengthen the party at grassroot level. It had also identified about 300 Lok Sabha constituencies, where it had either won or come a close second, to be focused on for the next elections. The party appeared in favour of fresh Assembly elections in Maharashtra in the event of the NCP-Congress alliance failing to prove its majority in the House on June 13. Asked whether the party favoured dissolution of the House, Mr Shastri said, “Let the picture become clear. The state government has lost its majority and the Chief Minister should resign on moral grounds. The BJP-Sena combine will come into action once that happens.” He had earlier said the saffron alliance would stake claim if the Democratic Front failed to prove its majority. Persons in charge of three to five parliamentary constituencies would meet in Jaipur for two days from July 6 to chalk out their strategy, Mr Shastri said. The spokesman further said it had been decided to have bimonthly meeting of state in charges, besides having their zone-wise meetings in between two central level meetings. The meeting also decided to focus on local issues for Assembly elections as it was felt that the BJP had lost wherever it had neglected local issues, he pointed out. The BJP also authorised its Gujarat unit to take a decision on advancing Assembly elections in the state, due in February, 2003. To a query if the party would favour early elections in Gujarat, Mr Shastri said the issue had been left to the BJP’s state unit. Mr Shastri said BJP leaders called on the Prime Minister last night and he told them about the Indo-Pak tensions and the diplomatic success achieved by the country from the Agra to Almaty summits. The two-day meeting discussed ways to gear up the party to regain its strong bastions like Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where elections were due within a year. The BJP, Mr Shastri said, had not decided upon leadership change in the states since organisational elections were due. The party would not impose any ad hoc changes, he said. |
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Race for BJP, Cong chiefs in UP hots up Lucknow, June 8 BJP’s Kalraj Mishra and Mr Sriprakash Jaiswal of the Congress put in their papers this month, leaving both parties in the doldrums. Mr Mishra has owned responsibility for his party’s debacle in the February elections despite the formation of the Bahujan Samaj Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in May ending the political stalemate. Both parties are “going slow” in selecting new chiefs despite the hectic lobbying by senior leaders in support of their candidates and keeping in view the failure of state leaders to deliver in the last Assembly elections. Mr Mishra, who quit on June 1 during a meeting of the party’s state executive, has blamed internal bickerings for the BJP debacle in the Assembly elections but offered to resign taking moral responsibility for the defeat. Before announcing his resignation, Mr Mishra made a very hard-hitting speech criticising some senior BJP leaders for leading the party to ruin. The BJP central leadership met yesterday in New Delhi to select the new state chief, but in vain. Names of several politicians, including firebrand pro-Hindutva leader and Faizabad MP Vinay Katiyar, Minister of State for Petroleum Santosh Gangwar, state Irrigation Minister Om Prakash Singh along with senior state leaders Rampati Ram Tripathi and Satya Deo Singh, were being floated. On the other hand Congress sources here said several contenders were in the race even as the appointment of a new president was not expected before June 20. UNI |
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NCP MLAs harassed by BJP men Bhopal, June 8 Caught in the ‘ayaram gayaram’ whirlpool in Mumbai, the 40-odd NCP MLAs were airlifted to Indore in the early hours of June 6. With some more party MLAs having joined them later on, their number had swelled to 51. The Congress MLAs, forming the other major faction of the Democratic Front government of Maharashtra, were taken to Bangalore. At Indore, the NCP MLAs were initially put up at Hotel President. As the hotel does not have a bar and does not serve non-vegetarian food, they were shifted to Hotel Sayaji and Hotel Taj outside the city. BJP activists held a demonstration against them at Indore and another more ugly, demonstration at Ujjain where the MLAs had gone yesterday to have darshan of Lord Mahakal. The district administration at the two places could not apparently contain the BJP activists in spite of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s instructions to this effect.
PTI adds: Meanwhile, At least 51 MLAs and ministers of the NCP, a major partner in the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra, flew
to Bangalore today to join their Congress counterparts who are already camping in the
city. The contingent, which came from Indore via Mumbai, joined the Maharashtra Congress MLAs, staying in a luxurious resort owned by film personality Sanjay Khan on the city
outskirts. “There is no problem in winning the confidence vote,” NCP’s Maharashtra unit Chief Babanrao Pachpute told reporters at the airport here accompanied the NCP
MLAs. They were received by Karnataka’s Minister of State for Power Veerakumar A Patil and the Congress chief whip in the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed. |
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Rail pantry staff beat up BJP MP Kota, June 8 Mr Koli, en route to Kota from Delhi to attend a two-day state executive meeting of the BJP, was beaten up between Gangapur and Kota stations in the running train late last night, party sources said. The MP said he had asked a pantry car employee to bring hot water for MLA Jaswant Singh Gurjar who was not well. However, the staff member refused saying the pantry had been closed. When the Parliamentarian insisted he was dragged into the pantry car and allegedly beaten up by three employees in the presence of other members of the staff. Party workers present at the Kota railway station on learning about the incident thrashed the pantry car manager and waiter. They also damaged goods, witnesses said. The train left the station last night after a delay of few hours. A case has been registered with the Railway Police.
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573 Gentlemen Cadets pass out of IMA Dehra Dun, June 8 Commanded with total confidence and smooth professionalism by parade commander, academy Under Officer Manoj Kumar, the Gentlemen Cadets joined the officers’ corp the moment they, gracefully marched to the soulful tune of ‘auld lang syne’, crossed over “the Final Step” and entered the portals of the IMA’s Chetwode Building. The audience, which included parents, guardians and relatives of the passing out cadets, military attache of a few countries, senior defence officials and retired IMA alumni, was held spellbound by the impressive display of drill performed with excellent timings and
synchronisation. A total of 573 Gentlemen cadets, which include 429 from the regular course, 56 from Technical Graduates Course, 11 from SCO, 55 from TES and 22 from friendly foreign countries passed out on the occasion and entered the finest and noblest profession of military leadership. Addressing the assembled cadets, the chief guest and today’s reviewing officer Adml Madhvendra Singh, P.V.S.M., A.V.S.M., A.D.C., Chief of the Naval Staff, exhorted the cadets to acquire proficiency in latest technology and continuously update themselves with the emerging technological advancements. “But whatsoever technological advancements may have been made in military science, there are certain values connected with the profession of arms which will never change. The long and deep-rooted Army traditions of patriotism, valour, camaraderie and self-sacrifice are proven and values of personal integrity, physical and moral courage, time tested”, the Admiral said. Exhorting the cadets to imbibe and inculcate these values as these could not be “thrown down one’s throat”, Admiral Singh told them to “live up to their academy’s credo and bring glory to the country”. Congratulating the cadets for having chosen to join the Army, he stated that they “could not have made a better choice”. Adml Madhvendra Singh thanked their parents for having allowed their wards to join the Army. “You will carry the sacred trust that the nation has reposed in you. You will get the opportunity and honour to lead the best soldiers in the world. They will give you their unreserved loyalty and be with you through every thick and thin. Look after them and lead them by example. Victory will always be yours”, he said. Earlier, the Admiral arrived at the venue in a four horse drawn “Patiala Coach” and received the “General Salute”. Later he inspected the parade accompanied by the parade commander academy Under Officer Manoj Kumar and Lieut-Gen T.S. Shergill, P.V.S.M., Commandant, IMA. Senior Under Officer Sandeep Poonia led the IMA colour party. After the companies had marched past the saluting dais and re-assembled on the inspection line, the Reviewing Officer gave away the main awards to the winners. Battalion Under Officer Vinodkumar Bapuso Patil won both the “Sword of Honour” and the Gold Medal. The Silver Medal was won by Academy Under Officer Manoj Kumar and Bronze Medal by Academy Cadet Adjust Rohan Falnikar. The Technical Graduate Course Silver Medal was awarded to Abhishek Singh Lodha. The Chief of the Army Staff’s Banner was awarded to Alamein Company. The parade function was followed by the pipping ceremony on the lawns of Khetarpal Auditorium, named after Second Lieut Arun Khetarpal, Param Vir Chakra. Happy and proud parents, family members and friends displayed a pair of shining stars on the newly commissioned officers’ epaulets, which indicated their new status as Lieutenants. Adml Madhvendra Singh, his wife Mrs Kaumudi Kumari, Lieut-General Shergill and his wife Mrs Rindi Shergill, pipped the friendly foreign countries Gentlemen Cadets. The oath taking ceremony was held later, in the presence of the Reviewing Officer and Commandant of the IMA. The newly commissioned officers expressed their ecstatic feelings by raising their caps in the air. |
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Animals’ plight draws world pressure New Delhi, June 8 In a recent letter to the Union Health Minister, Dr C.P. Thakur, Mr Stephen R. Kaufman, co-Chairman of the Medical Research Modernisation Committee, has expressed distress on reports of the abysmal condition of monkeys at the NIV. Mr Kaufman has stated that the poor care of animals shows a lack of compassion and a lack of scientific rigor. “Stress affects hormone levels, changing the function of every organ, including the immune system and the brain. One cannot tell whether the results of an experiment in which animals experience high degrees of stress reflect some insight into physiology or simply an effect of stress. Since there is now way to know this, stress renders results meaningless,” the letter reads. While appreciating that India’s poverty makes adherence to humane standards difficult, Mr Kaufman has said that the Indian scientific establishment will be wise to support a smaller number of more costly and more relevant experiments rather than funding larger number of experiments that cause animals to suffer pointlessly. The Medical Research Modernisation Committee is an international organisation comprising 700 scientists and clinicians who evaluate different research methods for their clinical relevance and efficiency. Mr Don Sloan, an Associate Professor, New York College of Medicine, has sought Dr Thakur’s “heuristic investigation” into the state of animals houses in research laboratories. “It has come to my attention that the maintenance offered to the experimental animal population at the NIV in Pune is of a nature that is well below any ethical standards. Inspection reports have documented the animal groups’living in overcrowded cages without adequate ventilation, nutrition and sanitation. Indeed, there are indications that such deplorable conditions have led to animal anomalies and ailments that render them unable to sustain a physiologic state,” the letter reads. Mr Sloan further says that it is “shameful that we physicians who have pledged ourselves to care for all living creatures would allow such treatment. Having the animal group in such a pathological state can only render the data derived from the research less than valid.” Ms Maneka Gandhi, who heads the animal welfare division in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, wrote to the Prime Minister in mid-May demanding a CBI inquiry into the misuse of money given to the NIV, Pune, for experiments. In another letter, Ms Gandhi reported observations made by the representatives of the Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision and Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) and an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Bombay veterinary College, during two inspections in early May. Ms Gandhi drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the poor condition of animals and the animal houses in the NIV, including “monkeys/primates having symptoms of skin diseases, paralytic conditions,” “fowl having white falky scaly lesions,” “feed mixed with fecal matter,” and “filthy animal houses” sans “veterinary doctor” or “animal house keeper.” She further warned that research carried on sick animals was bound to give misleading and incorrect results. |
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CM seeks 70-cr to modernise airport Visakhapatnam, June 8 Winding up his two-day visit of north coastal Andhra districts in connection with the Janmabhoomi programme today, he said he would soon have a dialogue with the Centre to expedite completion of the project, so that the port city could earn a place in the international tourist map. Reiterating his commitment for making Visakhapatnam a model city to tap its tremendous tourism potential, the Chief Minister said the proposal to convert it into an international tourist hub, required the four-laning of 29-km Vizag-Bhimili road along the picturesque beach at a cost of Rs 30 crore in the next 20 months.
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Red alert sounded Kolkata, June 8 Disclosing this to mediapersons today, the state home secretary, Mr A.K.Deb, said precautionary steps had been taken against any such attack. He said the Home Ministry had warned them that the terrorists would attack Writers Buildings as their next target some time during June 10 to 15 and accordingly, special protective measures had been taken after a high level meeting in the presence of the senior Army officials and the state police this morning. During coming weeks, the entry to Writers Buildings would be totally banned to the public as a precautionary measure. Similar restrictions would be also imposed in important places like Raj Bhavan, Assembly House, Victoria Memorial, Kolkata Port Trust, Reserve Bank building and Netaji Subhas International Airport etc, during the period, Mr Deb added. |
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‘Devdas’ irks Sarat Chandra kin Patna, June 8 They believe Bhansali’s “Devdas” is a degraded microcosm of the clasical and transcendental macrocosm of Sarat
Chandra. They think Madhuri has taken the soul out of the character of
Chandramukhi. In Bhagalpur, about 200 km south-east of the state capital Patna, a large number of Bengalis are upset. Among them are relatives of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay who had known him when he lived here. The real character of
Chandramukhi, the “tawaif” whom Sarat Chandra visited to understand her character, lived in
Bhagalpur. Her white Bengali-style building still exists. The tales of the “noble prostitute” are still the treasure of the town. Asim
Ganguly, a relative of Sarat Chandra who lives in his uncle’s house in
Bhagalpur, says, “The Bengali community here is sad and rather upset that the new film on Devdas has breached the original spirit of Sarat
Chandra. “Devdas” is not a simple love story, it is a statement on the contemporary Bengali culture and human values.” He regrets that Bhansali eventually “killed the spirit” of the masterpiece by portraying the love triangle prominently and that too with such opulence that was nowhere in the scope of the masterpiece. Asim said Sarat Chandra did his schooling from Collegiate School. He lived in Bhagalpur with his maternal uncle Kedarnath
Ganguly. He used to visit the “kotha” of Chandramukhi at Budhanath
Chowk. He maintained that the original Devdas had semblance of what Sarat Chandra saw about the traditional Bengali society of the time and while writing the book, he portrayed the finer elements of simple human beings and also made a statement on the ills of the contemporary society. The youth, in fact, are more vocal and sentimental about the “ill-treatment” of the subject by the enthusiastic director. They are irked more so after the film has been premiered in the Cannes Film Festival. More youth are angered over the “un-authoritative” changes Bhansali made in the script. Asked how could they say so when the film had still not been released in India, they said, “We know it as Shah Rukh Khan has himself said that the film is different from all earlier films on
Devdas.” They also refer to reviews appearing in the media. Talk about the
favourite, the youth and old alike say in unison, “the Devdas what Dilip Kumar portrayed was the best and nobody could match him”. And Shah Rukh Khan? No way! He cannot stand tall in front of Dilip saab”, they say. |
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Salman’s arms elude him Jodhpur, June 8 “Khan, who personally appeared in a local court yesterday to execute a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and surety of like amount for getting released his seized air rifle, two air guns, a US-made revolver, a knife, a tele-lens and a camera, could not get them,” his counsel Hastima Saraswat said today. After execution of the bond, the Judicial Magistrate ordered release of the items from the court’s godown in the morning. However, permission of the District Collector was needed for taking the arms to Mumbai. When Khan and his counsel reached the District Collectorate at 11.45 am, they were told to come at 3.30 pm, Saraswat said. The District Collector finally issued permission at 4.45 pm, but by then it was too late to collect the arms from the court godown. Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali of a local hotel, who was presented as prosecution witness in court yesterday, denied having told the police that he had cooked the meat of poached animals. “Neither did Khan bring any dead deer to my hotel nor did I cook meat for him. There were no stains of animal blood in the kitchen of the hotel,” Ali said. The cases of killing protected wild animals were registered against Khan and others, including actors Saif Ali Khan and Satish Shah and actresses Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam, in October 1998, when they were shooting in and around Jodhpur.
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Storm claims 5 lives in UP Lucknow, June 8 Three deaths were reported from Agra while two persons were killed and over 50 injured in Mainpuri. Electricity and telephone systems failed as the poles were uprooted in both the districts. The report from Agra said the villages were worst affected by the storm as many houses collapsed. A villager in Mankeda village, his wife and son were injured when their house collapsed. The woman, later, succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital. In Lakshmipur village, a woman died after being trapped under the debris of her house. The roof of a “dhaba’’ collapsed in the Malpura police station area killing one and injuring many others. Another report from Mainpuri quoting District Magistrate Narendra Kumar said two persons died under the Kotwali police station when they came in contact with a live electric wire during the storm. About 50 others were injured when their hatched houses were destroyed, the District Magistrate said DM said.
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