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Sunday,
June 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Auto-bullet identification system for Chandigarh Let Advani handle Ayodhya: VHP PM briefs CCS on China visit Poll heat: Digvijay, Uma debate Hindutva Hil Kaka bred terror: Army Hawala case: evidence against ex-CBI DIG |
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Nair to be new UP DGP
MCC threatens to hang Judge Red tape strangles progress 35-year-long wait for husband
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Auto-bullet identification system for Chandigarh New Delhi, June 28 The decision to shift to the sophisticated mode from the manual one was taken last year by the Ministry of Home Affairs for a better detection rate. However, for some inexplicable reasons the procurement of this equipment was delayed and the ministry is now in the process of buying it. There is also a proposal to establish satellite units in every state. Under the police modernisation grant each state will have satellite centres to receive and transfer data to the centralised unit in Chandigarh for processing data. “This system will enormously help in networking with the states and help in solving cross-border crimes. In future, the system will also be linked to international organisations like the FBI and Interpol for sharing the database of terrorists and their outfits,” observed a senior official. Till now forensic experts have been dependent on the rifling marks to identify the weapons used in the crimes. But in the new automated system, the complete database about the weapons, serial number and their make will facilitate easy identification. The new system will also identify whether the bullet is fired from a licensed weapon or a country-made weapon. “This system digitally captures the images of bullets and cartridge cases, stores these in a database, performs automatic computer-based comparisons of images and ranks these according to the match. Firearm examiners are then able to employ specialised skills in performing microscopic comparisons of high-confidence,” according to officials. Another advantage of this system is that analysis can be done locally, nationally and internationally. It also assists in solving more crimes, links previously unsolved crimes, empowers the firearm examiner to be proactive and uses human resources more effectively. There is also a mobile extension which can be carried to the scene of crime for identification. It also has a match point system which is an accessory to the main system. This provides firearm examiners direct access to the correlation scores and images of cases entered into the system. |
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Let Advani handle Ayodhya: VHP Raipur, June 28 “If Mr Vajpayee allows his deputy to solve the Ayodhya problem, we are confident that Mr Advani will be able to do that,” the VHP working president, Mr Ashok Singhal, told newspersons here. He was talking about the deliberations at the two-day VHP working committee meeting that concluded here today. Asked if the VHP was of the view that Mr Advani should become the Prime Minister to find an early solution to the vexed issue, he said: “There is no need for a leadership change. It can be done without that.” Asked why the VHP leaders were targeting Mr Vajpayee, Mr Singhal said: “The Prime Minister tried to keep the VHP out while striking a deal with Muslims. We had to say that Mr Vajpayee had never been associated with the temple movement.” He said Mr Advani had taken out the Rath Yatra to muster support for the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. Besides, Mr Advani had also said on several occasions that legislation was the only way through which the dispute could be settled. Mr Singhal said attempts had also been made to appease the Muslims in the guise of offering reservation to the economically weaker sections. “There were also talks about government considering funding madrasas. Instead of playing such tricks, the government should bring a Bill for the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. If the Bill falls in Parliament, it should seek a fresh mandate,” the VHP working president said. While 159 members of Parliament had already signed a VHP resolution expressing support for a legislation on Ayodhya, Mr Singhal said most of the NDA allies were also in favour of it. Meanwhile, a resolution adopted at the VHP working committee meeting said the VHP would welcome effort by anyone to find an honourable solution to the Ayodhya imbroglio. “We will not accept any compromise on Kashi and Mathura,” the resolution said. The VHP also urged the NDA government not to succumb to foreign pressures in search of ‘imaginary peace’ in Kashmir.
— UNI |
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Justice Liberhan visits Ayodhya Lucknow, June 28 The visit is part of the probe into the circumstances which led to the demolition of the disputed site in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Justice Liberhan, who was accompanied by two officials of the commission, went to the disputed site and the makeshift temple. He is likely to meet the officials, according to sources. The sources claimed that the commission members wanted to see what exactly had happened on December 6, 1992 and how kar sevaks, mostly activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, demolished the structure. |
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PM briefs CCS on China visit New Delhi, June 28 Mr Vajpayee, who returned last night after a six-day visit to China, detailed the members of the CCS on the developments in the relations between the two countries. It was during his visit that India and China signed the first-ever joint declaration outlining the roadmap for bolstering bilateral ties. After almost one-hour deliberations at the Prime Minister’s residence, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters that the informal meeting of the CCS had been convened to discuss the developments on the China front. “The meeting was about the China visit”, he said. Asked whether the issue of sending troops to Iraq figured during the meeting, the minister replied in negative. The meeting chaired by the Prime Minister was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal were also present at the meeting. |
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Poll heat: Digvijay, Uma debate Hindutva Bhopal, June 28 Earlier, Mr Digvijay Singh had denied in a two-part article that he was following soft Hindutva. “There is no such thing as soft Hindutva. This is a creation of the media. The communists took this line. Why should the Congress follow the communist agenda”, he explained. Ms Bharti says it is not proper to blame the media or the communists for the use of soft Hindutva. In the context of Madhya Pradesh, the phrase is being today used by none but senior Congress men, who are Mr Digvijay Singh’s “well-wishers”. She asks the Chief Minister: “If you take Sonia ji to a Hanuman temple and make her garland the idol of God, how will your ‘friends’ describe it other than soft Hindutva?” Mr Digvijay Singh says: “I am a religious person, a believer in God, and brought up in a religious atmosphere. I do not excessively propagate my deep religious commitments. We must understand that people everywhere, whether in south, north, and east or west, have deep faith in religion. A Congress man like Bal Gangadhar Tilak used Ganesh Utsav to unite people against the British rule. Mahatma Gandhi used the religion to unite people during the freedom struggle. Will you call it soft Hindutva?” Ms Bharti says that the RSS is the only organisation which has the views similar to those of the Mahatma. Nehru, on the other hand, was too much influenced by the West, she adds. |
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Hil Kaka bred terror: Army New Delhi, June 28 The fears of Intelligence agencies, which had been warning of the presence of these camps since last year, came true when dummies and target-shooting equipment were recovered by the Special Group-III of the state police during the operation, official sources said. According to a report with the Home Ministry, these camps had been running since early last year when the presence of troops at the border and the Line of Control increased after the December 13 Parliament attack. During the operation, small training camps were found in Sukhiban, Mgndi and Wansi forests in the Hil Kaka region where boys from Kashmir and adjoining areas of Poonch and Rajouri were trained by the Pakistan-based militants. The
Intelligence agencies had given information about the presence of these camps in the region in June last year, the sources quoted a report as saying. The report quoted a specific intelligence input of February-March this year whereby information was shared with the Army about the arrival of General Mossa, commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed, at Hil Kaka to train a group of 150 boys hailing from South Kashmir. However, the operation was deferred due to heavy snowing and bad weather. The report quoted another specific information about gathering of a large number of terrorists at Poshana Dhoke, opposite the Suran river. During the operation, the Army authorities also found a full-fledged medical first-aid set at Sinhali Dhoke and Lalpur Dhoke on Nainsukh Hil, a part of Hil Kaka. Earlier, some of the Kashmiri boys
rescued by the Special Group-III of the local police had revealed that besides being imparted arms training, they were made to carry heavy loads of Pakistani and Afghani militants and wash utensils and were not being fed well. No big bunkers were found during the operation expect one in Banawali near Hil Kaka and that, too, was only equipped to save the militants from harsh winter. — PTI |
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Hawala case: evidence against ex-CBI DIG New Delhi, June 28 After hearing pre-charge arguments in the case registered by the CBI in 1991, when the Jain-Hawala case was being probed by the agency, the special Judge, Mr P.K. Bhasin, has fixed July 1 for framing the charges
against Sharma. According to the CBI chargesheet filed about a decade ago, Sharma was allegedly caught accepting the bribe from L.K. Kaul, who acted on behalf of the three Jain brothers — B.R. Jain, S.K. Jain and N.K. Jain — when the investigating agency was at the initial stage of the probe into the hawala case. Kaul, in his statement to the CBI, had alleged that Sharma had told him to bring Rs 30 lakh, failing which, he would implicate his friends, Surender and Jitender, in a TADA case, the agency had said. The probe into the Jain-Hawala case started with the alleged transfer of money to some militant organisations in Kashmir through hawala channels. |
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Gen Niazi’s pistol stolen New Delhi, June 28 The police said the pistol had been among the arms surrendered by the Pakistan army after the surrender of Gen Niazi. “The 7.62 mm pistol in working condition was stolen from the gallery, where mostly defence seizures of various era were put on display for the public,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police in New Delhi, Mr Manoj Lal. The incident came to light at about 1.30 pm, after which, the police registered an FIR and started investigation to find out the missing weapon. A large number of persons, including the
museum employees and visitors were questioned by the police about the pistol. After the incident, the museum was closed for the public. |
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Nair to be new UP DGP Lucknow, June 28 Mr Nair, a 1971 batch IPS officer, was currently Additional Director-General (ADG) Intelligence at Lucknow. Speculation had been rife in bureaucratic circles here about the fate of Mr Singh, given his poor health. Though it had not been yet confirmed, police sources had recently claimed that Mr Singh had himself wanted to take a break from the hectic life and take care of his health. Mr Haakam Singh had taken over as the DGP earlier this year, succeeding Mr Radhey Mohan Shukla.
— UNI |
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MCC threatens to hang Judge Ranchi, June 28 Earlier, a judge of the Gaya special court, Mr Jawahar Lal Chowdhary, had received death threats on phone after he delivered death sentences to accused in carnage cases. The judge, heading a TADA court, has been provided security. The judge had demanded security as he is to retire this year. The Gaya police assured him of security even after his retirement. The administration has made tight arrangements for the security of the judge. |
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Red tape strangles progress New Delhi, June 28 “Successive governments have failed to raise India to the level of developed nations. A number of reasons have been cited for our lack of performance. In my opinion, we have failed because of a lack of management talent in the government,’’ Mr Murthy said while delivering the Govind Ballabh Pant memorial lecture here. The event was chaired by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K.C. Pant, who is also the son of Govind Ballabh Pant.
— UNI |
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35-year-long wait for husband Chennai, June 28 Vijayalakshmi Somasundaram refuses to believe that her husband, Flight Sergeant Somasundaram, is dead and has now filed a petition before the State Human Rights Commission, seeking its help to trace and bring him back home. Flt Sgt Somasundaram was flying back from Leh to Chandigarh in February 1968 with 98 persons on board AN-12-BL534, when the Antonov aircraft lost contact with ground control. It had since been presumed that the aircraft crashed and its occupants were killed. A certificate of official presumption of death was issued by the IAF on November 8, 1968. Despite the IAF’s declaration on the fate of the occupants, Vijayalakshmi continued to strongly believe that her husband and others were alive. Her belief was strengthened after she came across a report in a national daily two years ago about prisoners of war (PoWs) languishing in Pakistani jails. The report had carried the names of 54 PoWs detained in various prisons in Pakistan, including that of Squadron Leader P. N. Malhotra, one of the co-pilots of the ill-fated aircraft piloted by her husband, Vijayalakshmi said. Stating that there was no proof or evidence to conclude that the plane had crashed, she pointed out that the aircraft had not found a mention in the list of ‘Indian crashes’ between May 1962 and April 1979. Accepting the petition, commission member S. Sambandham assured her that he would write to his counterpart in the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of External Affairs to find out the whereabouts of her husband. “If one has to believe the findings of the court of inquiry held in connection with the missing ill-fated AN-12 aircraft and its occupants...it is strange that one of the occupants Sq Ldr P. N. Malhotra finds a place in the list as one of the PoWs languishing in a Pakistani jail,’’ Vijayalakshmi said in her petition. The 98 persons on board the aircraft included four Army officers, one civilian and six crew members. The Rohtang Pass had long since been converted into a tourist place and had the aircraft really crashed, at least someone would have come across the wreckage of the plane or the remains of its occupants, she added. “All these clearly indicate that the occupants of the missing plane are very much alive and are likely held PoWs in prisons in Pakistan,’’ she said. She also demanded a thorough probe if necessary, with the help of Amnesty International to unearth the facts, including the fate of her husband, “who would now be 71-year-old’’.
— UNI |
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Florence Bell’s century celebrated Kolkata, June 28 Florence Bell today stepped into her 100th year. The rare occasion was celebrated at Oxford Mission at Barisa in South 24-Parganas by hundreds of poor and hapless children of the mission. Her Majesty The Queen sent her a message on the occasion which the acting British Deputy High Commissioner (Eastern India), Mr Paul Walsh, handed over to the centenarian woman. Inspired by Florence Nightingale, she began her career as a nurse in a London hospital during the Second World War. |
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Howrah station to be closed on Sept 13 Kolkata, June 28 |
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Donkeys wedded to please rain god Chennai, June 28 |
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