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Bengal Sappers’ 200 yrs of valour SC wants harsher penalty in rape
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PM extends olive branch to Naga
militants
MCI reports deficiencies in Tanda college India
not to raise level of exercises with Britain POTA review panels get more teeth BJP’s CM candidates next
week Uma to contest
poll Police uncovers underworld links Verdict today in Tandoor case BSF for joint patrolling on Bangladesh border Rift in MP BSP widens All-party meeting on electoral reforms today EU welcomes peace proposals Samata,
JD(U)
to merge Malkani cremated
with state honours Two Pakistani boats seized
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Bengal Sappers’ 200 yrs of valour Roorkee, October 28 As the BEG celebrates its bicentenary at its regimental centre in Roorkee next week, it looks back at a glorious tradition and a chequered history spanning two centuries of valour and unparalleled feats. From the rugged Hindukush to the battlefields of Europe, from the the deserts of Africa to the swamps of Malaya, from Persia and Mesopotamia to China, officers and men of the BEG, or the Bengal Sappers as they are popularly known, have proved their mettle under trying conditions, as a tally of 80 Battle Honours and 11 Theatre Honours bear testimony to the fact and also makes it among the highest decorated groups in the world. The three service chiefs would be attending the bicentenary celebrations at Roorkee, scheduled to be held from November 5 to 8. The events planned for the occasion include equestrian, dog and motor cycle shows, a laser show, a 105-member Army band symphony, an aerobatic show by the IAF’s Surya Kiran team and a ceremonial parade. A large number of serving as well as retired officers, JCOs and men as well as a host of civil and military dignitaries would be attending the celebrations. A commemorative stamp and a first-day cover would also be released. “The Bengal Sappers has a number of firsts to its credit,” Brig G. Banerjee, Commandant of BEG Centre told The Tribune. “The first Indian recipient of a gallantry award was a Bengal Sapper. The BEG was also the Army’s first engineer group to receive the President’s Colours. The world’s highest airfield at Daulat Bed Oldi and the world’s highest motorable road were constructed by the Bengal Sappers,” he added. BEG officers said besides being awarded the second highest number of Victoria Crosses, the Bengal Sappers was also credited with constructing the longest bridge during World War II. Even the longest post-World War II bridge was constructed by the BEG during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The Bengal Sappers first distinguished itself by winning the Battle Honour Bharatpur in 1826. During the first Afghan war in 1839, it again distinguished itself by breaching the gates of the Ghuznee Fort, which were considered impregnable at that time. For this act, the Indian Order of Merit was bestowed upon Subedar Devee Singh and 12 other men of the corps. “The award was of singular importance because that time it was the highest gallantry award for Indian soldiers, considered equivalent to the Victoria Cross. Also, it was for the first time that awards were bestowed upon Indian soldiers,” an officer said. The Sappers was honoured with Battle Honours Ghuznee 1839 and Afghanistan 1839. The name of the corps too changed over the years, In 1903, it was designated as the First Sappers and Miners, which changed in 1906 to First Prince of Wales Own Sappers and Miners and then to First King George’s Own Bengal Sappers and Miners in 1923. It was redesignated in 1937 as King George V’s Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group and then as King George V’s Own Bengal Group Royal Indian Engineers in 1946 and finally on Independence in 1947 as the Bengal Engineer Group, Corps of Engineers. Subsequent to Partition, almost all tangible assets of the BEG, including equipment, mess property and regimental funds were transferred to Pakistan and the Bengal Sappers had to start from scratch. Actively participating in all wars and operations undertaken since Independence, the Bengal Sappers undertook repair and rehabilitation works in Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan. In contributed significantly in the ongoing Operation Meghdot in Siachen, where it built shelters, helipads, aerial cableways and laid optical fibre cables. It also introduced the concept of “snow-bunkers” in Siachen. Three regiments and and independent company from this group were deployed in Kargil during Operation Vijay, where one of the regiments received recognition for its combat efficiency in the form of a Unit Citation from the Army Chief. The Bengal Sappers has also shouldered its share of combat commitments in the recent politico-strategic manoeuvre during Operation Parakram, the largest of its kind in this region since 1971. Its troops are still engaged in several operations. |
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SC wants harsher penalty in rape cases New Delhi, October 28 This ruling was given by a Bench comprising Mr Justice Doraiswamy Raju and Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat yesterday while dismissing the appeal of a convict Tulsidas Kanolkar sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for repeatedly raping a woman whose mental age was one-third of her actual age. The Bench noted that IPC provided for higher sentences in case the physical age of the rape victim was below 12 years. “But what happens in a case when the mental age of the victim is not even 12 years of age?,” the Bench asked and said “such a woman is definitely at more vulnerable situation.” A rapist in such a case in addition to the physical ravishment, exploits the mental non-developoment and helplessness, it said. “The legislature would do well in prescribing higher minimum sentence in a case of this nature. The gravity of offence in such a case is more serious than the enumerated categories indicated in Sub-Section (2) of Section 376 of IPC,” Mr Justice Pasayat, writing for the Bench, said. —
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PM extends olive branch to Naga militants
Kohima, October 28 “I appeal to misguided organisations in this region which have taken to the path of extremism and violence to shun that path. The Centre is willing to have talks with all those who are ready to give up the gun culture and take to the culture of dialogue and democracy,” he said, inaugurating the Indira Gandhi Stadium here. There was no issue which could not be resolved through dialogue, he said adding like the people of Nagaland “the Centre has an equally strong desire for permanent peace in the state” with people living with honour and dignity. Mr Vajpayee said the time had come to leave the chapter of “conflict and violence behind us. It is time for reconciliation and peace-making.” The Prime Minister’s statement comes in the backdrop of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio seeking an early resolution of the vexed Naga problem. Rs
520-cr package
Announcing a slew of measures for the development of infrastructure and human resources in Nagaland, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said today that the Centre would provide a Rs 520-crore financial assistance to the state during the next three years. Mr Vajpayee announced that the proposed Golden Quardrilateral would be extended from Silchar (Assam) to Kohima and the Centre would provide Rs 400 crore for the development of a four-lane express highway during the next two years. At the same venue where he was accorded a public reception by the state government, the Prime Minister announced that the Centre would provide Rs 50 crore for the development of a road network in the state, but asked the government to judiciously utilise the fund. He
also assured that the Centre would work together with the state
government to create 25,000 jobs through direct and self-employment in
the areas of tourism, agro-based industry, village industry and
horticulture. —
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MCI reports deficiencies in Tanda college New Delhi, October 28 Medical Council of India (MCI) counsel K. K. Venugopal told a Bench comprising Mr Justice Shivaraj V. Patil and Mr Justice D. M. Dharmadhikari that fresh inspections of the facilites in 10 colleges in the country had been done by the council's teams as per the court's September 23 order and the reports had been submitted to the Union Government. "The Union Government has issued notices to these colleges to respond within 15 days why their recognition should not be recalled," he said. The court directed the Centre to file an affidavit within a week making its stand clear on the issue. The MCI was also given liberty to file its affidavit. The MCI had earlier questioned the Centre's decision granting recognition to these colleges despite its teams finding various deficiences in earlier inspections too. Besides the Tanda medical college, the court had ordered fresh inspection of five government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh, two in Maharashtra, one in Jammu and Kashmir and two private colleges. The court also directed the
colleges to submit their responses to the Centre and MCI's affidavits within four weeks of their submission. According to an available copy of the MCI report on the Tanda medical college, apart from having various other
deficiencies, it had a shortage of 10 Professors, 10 Associate Professors, 12 Assistant Professors, four Tutors, 11 Senior Readers and 19 Junior Readers. Among several other deficiencies pointed out by the MCI team, the report said that the college had a shortage of at least 87 beds. Himachal Pradesh's Additional Advocate-General J. S. Attri pleaded with the court to issue a direction to the Centre not to revoke the recognition of the college. He said steps had already been taken by the state government to remove the deficiencies. A reply, filed by the state government, said that it had made sincere efforts to provide the required facilities and the process for recruitment of teaching staff was on. The deficiency of staff was due to non-availability of doctors with required qualifications for recruitment and the problem was not confined to Himachal but was faced by other states also, the state government submitted. The state government had so far spent Rs 150 crore for creating the infrastructural facilities and planned to spend Rs 100 crore in the next two years to improve them further, the government said. |
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India not to raise level of exercises with
Britain New Delhi, October 28 Sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said here that India is not favourably disposed towards raising the level of joint exercises with Britain despite the issue being raised repeatedly during talks between defence officials of the two countries. Apparently Britain has been insisting that it wants to hold joint exercises of the same level which are conducted between the armed forces of India and the USA. But India has informed Britain that it is not ready for the same. Sources here said the issue was raised during the visit of Britain’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Sir Michael Walker to India late September. But India expressed its inability and as a result a small exercise will now be conducted in February-March next where 200 people will be involved. It will essentially be about command and control. Britain’s world-famed Special Air Services (SAS) are among the other units which have shown a keen interest in undertaking specialised exercises with the Indian specialised units. The SAS wants to carry out mountain and jungle warfare exercises with the Indian Special Forces. India and Britain have a defence consultative group which provides a bilateral forum where military collaboration matters are discussed. India and Britain have also undertaken a number of joint exercises in the past one year. On the other hand, India has been holding strategic-level joint exercises with the US forces, which also include exercises with the US Special Forces. |
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POTA review panels get more teeth New Delhi, October 28 President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam promulgated the ordinance last night to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, giving more powers to the Central and state review committees, making their decisions binding on the Centre and state governments and the investigating police officials. “The President is satisfied that circumstances existed which rendered it necessary for issuing the ordinance, as Parliament is not in session,” an official communique said here today. A Bill to replace the ordinance will be moved in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament, likely to be convened in December, official sources said. The new ordinance seeks to include a provision to this effect in Section 60 of POTA, under which the Central and state review committees were constituted to scrutinise complaints from POTA victims. It also provides that if the Central committee comes to the conclusion that POTA has been misused in a particular case, it can direct the release of the victims and this decision would be communicated to the state concerned immediately. If there are conflicting decisions between the Central and the state committees on any complaint, the Central committee’s decision will prevail. It may be recalled that under mounting pressure from its allies for scrapping POTA, the Union Cabinet last week cleared an ordinance to amend the tough anti-terrorism law that would make decisions of the review committees binding on the state governments. The NDA constituents DMK and MDMK demanded its complete repeal. While a three-member Central Review Committee is headed by Justice Arun Saharya, states could also set up such committees to deal with complaints lodged by those charged under
POTA. |
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BJP’s CM candidates next
week New Delhi, October 28 Party sources said that while the names of Mr Madan Lal Khurana for Delhi, Ms Vasundhara Raje for Rajasthan and Ms Uma Bharati would be cleared as chief ministerial candidates of the party, the BJP would not project anyone as its Chief Minister in Chhattisgarh as the state unit was unable to agree on any single leader. All three leaders are Lok Sabha members and a formal decision to this effect was expected to be taken by the Central Election Committee meeting in the first week of November, BJP sources said. Even as the BJP was not going to officially project anyone as the chief ministerial candidate in Chhattisgarh, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Dilip Singh Judev was fast emerging as the favourite for the top post. Having announced the names of Mr Khurana, Ms Vasundhara Raje and Ms Uma Bharti, the party was in a dilemma if it should actually field them as then campaigning of these candidates would be focused on their own constituencies during the crucial electioneering period. Of the three leaders only Ms Vasundhara Raje was inclined to share this view, while Mr Khurana and Ms Uma Bharati favoured contesting elections as candidates for the top post. In principle, the party had decided to field many new faces with a view to garner youth votes, sources said, adding that ‘winnability’ was going to be most important factor which would decide the fate of candidates. The BJP high command had instructed its state units to recommend women candidates in substantial numbers, sources pointed out, adding that the party was going to field more women as candidates in the coming elections. While the party would have no problems in clearing 80 per cent of the recommendations of the state units, only remaining 20 per cent would take time as the state lists contained more than one names for the same Assembly seat, sources pointed out. |
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Uma to contest
poll Bhopal, October 28 Reminded that the BJP General Secretary, Mr Pramod Mahajan, had recently stated that the party’s chief ministerial candidates would not contest the elections, Mr Naidu claimed that Mr Mahajan had been misquoted in the media. “I summoned Mr Mahajan and asked him if he had said so and he denied having made any such statement”, Mr Naidu said. The BJP’s chief ministerial candidates are Ms Uma Bharati in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Madan Lal Khurana in Delhi and Ms Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan. In Chhattisgarh, he said, the chief ministerial candidate had not yet been named as part of the strategy. Mr Naidu, Mr Mahajan and the minister in charge of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Arun Jaitley, had arrived here this morning to review poll preparedness. While Mr Jaitley was seated alongside Mr Naidu at the press conference, Mr Mahajan kept away. |
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Police uncovers underworld links Mumbai, October 28 Mobster Iqbal Mirchi was one of the owners of the Hotel Imperial where the youths were caught. The place had been under watch by the Dubai police
for quite sometime following the recent crackdown on
the Mumbai mafia in the
Emirates, according to sources here. Among those arrested include Farhan Azmi, son of Mumbai Samajwadi Party leader and businessman Abu Azmi, Shaan Sippy, grandson of film maker G.P. Sippy, Bonny Chhabria son of car designer Dilip Chhabria and Prashant Dandekar of a business family. Mumbai police officials
who have confirmed the arrests say, the four youths had attended a number of high-profile events in Dubai and were actively enjoying the night life there when the incident occurred. Some of the youths were snorting cocaine when the Dubai police raided their room in. The hotel was a favorite haunt of Mumbai’s mafiosi and had hosted a number of gangsters operating in the UAE under assumed names
in the past, according to
the police. Members of the Sippy and Chabbria families are in Dubai to secure the release So far Abu Azmi has not gone to Dubai. Though he denied that his son was involved in drugs, Mr Azmi said he was angry with his son for being mixed up in the affair. Farhan, though a college student, owns restaurant Koyla in South Mumbai. Mr Azmi told reporters here that Farhan and Sippy who were partners in the venture had gone to Dubai to recruit a chef for the business. Mr Azmi told reporters
here that Farhan called him initially and told him he
was arrested for driving
without a licence. Subsequently he told his parents about the raid. The politician, himself was arrested in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case. The Dubai authorities have begun a crackdown against the Indian mafia in the Emirates after Dawood Ibrahim gangster Sharad Shetty was gunned down at a club there last year. Since then several mobsters, including Iqbal Kaskar, brother of Dawood Ibrahim, have been extradited to India. |
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Verdict today in Tandoor case New Delhi, October 28 The judgement in the case was reserved after the conclusion of the trial on August 28. Additional Sessions Judge G.P. Thareja later summoned the prosecution and the defence and fixed October 29 as the tentative date for judgement. The police had recovered the charred body of Naina from the tandoor at Sharma’s Bagiya Restaurant at Ashok Yatri Niwas on the intervening night of July 2-3, 1995. While restaurant manager Keshav was arrested on the spot, the main accused Sharma, who allegedly fled from the scene, was nabbed in Bangalore on July 11, 1995. The body was identified much later on July 5, 1995, by her friend Matloob Karim after Naina’s relatives, including her parents — Harbhajan Singh and Jaswant Kaur — refused to identify the same. After investigations, a charge sheet was filed on July 28, 1995, charging Sharma and Keshav with being involved in the murder conspiracy and three others — Jai Prakash Pehalwan, Rishi Raj Rathi and Ram Prakash Sachdeva — with harbouring the main accused. After preliminary hearing, Additional Sessions Judge S.L. Khanna framed charges against all five accused in the case on May 9, 1996. According to the prosecution, Sharma shot dead Naina at his 8/2-A, DIZ Area, Mandir Marg flat and took the body in his car to Bagiya Restaurant for disposing of it. The police reached the Mandir Marg flat on July 4 on the basis of disclosures made by co-accused Keshav during interrogations and recovered several incriminating evidences, including a letter written by Naina indicating strained marital ties with the main accused. —
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BSF for joint patrolling on Bangladesh border New Delhi, October 28 “In the last DG-level meeting held at Dhaka in April this year, the BSF and the BDR had agreed on joint patrolling. Accordingly, we made a procedure for that and sent it to them for approval....I hope they would respond positively,” the BSF Director-General told The Tribune here. “As far as we know the BDR has agreed to do joint patrolling and are willing too. But, we believe that they have not been able to get the clearance from their government. The next BSF and BDR talks are going to be held in a month or two, and I think the position will be clear at that time,” Mr Sharma said. “If there is no response from their side, we would definitely raise the issue in the next (Director-General level) meeting,” he said. Regarding cooperation from the BDR in checking infiltration, the BSF chief said the change of guard in the BDR had resulted in improved cooperation. “The cooperation from the BDR has improved considerably in the past six or seven months. Their cooperation is a must,” Mr Sharma said. Reacting to the denial by the BDR recently about the presence of any ISI operatives on the Bangladesh soil, the BSF chief said: “The BDR can't go against the stand taken by the Bangladesh Government and we understand their problem. But our relations are good and if we require any help from them it will be forthcoming.” |
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Rift in MP BSP widens Gwalior, October 28 The office-bearers, including former legislator C.L. Baradia, announced their decision to resign from the party before mediapersons here. A separate list of 80 office-bearers who had resigned was circulated. —
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All-party meeting on electoral reforms today New Delhi, October 28 The meeting is in line with the assurance given by Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament that the proposed rules would be discussed with political parties before finalisation. Apart from the issue of open ballot for the RS poll, the meeting is also expected to discuss amendment to the Constitution to confer upon other election commissioners the same protection in the matter of removal from office which is currently available to the Chief Election Commissioner in accordance with Article 324, an official press note said here today. The issue of enhancement of the security of candidates’ deposit for contesting Parliamentary and Assembly elections will also be taken up at the meeting, the press note added. |
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EU welcomes peace proposals New Delhi, October 28 This was conveyed by top EU officials, Mr Javier Solana, High Representative of the Council of the European Union and Mr Chris Patten, Commissioner for External Relations of the EU, to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha in Brussels, a Foreign Office spokesman here said today. |
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Samata,
JD(U)
to merge New Delhi, October 28 A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting between Samata Party President and Defence Minister George Fernandes and JD (U) President and Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Yadav in the presence of senior Samata Party leader and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar. A brief statement on the merger, released after the meeting, bore the signatures of Mr Fernandes, also the NDA convener, and Mr Yadav. The two parties will announce details of the merger on October 30, sources in the two parties said. —
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Malkani cremated
with state honours Pondicherry, October 28 Mr Malkani’s son, Aravind
Malkani, lit the funeral pyre at 1600 hours. Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Union Ministers S. Thirunavuk-karasar and Pon Radha-krishnan, RSS chief Sudarshan, Madras High Court Chief Justice Subashan Reddy, Pondicherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, his Cabinet colleagues and leaders of different political parties were among those who attended the funeral. Earlier, thousands of mourners filed past the body kept at Raj Niwas to enable people to pay homage. —
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Two Pakistani boats seized New Delhi, October 28 The Pakistani boats — Al-Shaina and Al-Kabooter — were apprehended by Coast Guard ship Tarabadon about 60 km west of Dwarka in Gujarat. “The boats have been apprehended for fishing in maritime zone of India without valid licence or permit. In all, 11 Pakistani fishermen have been apprehended,’’ the spokesman said. A total fish catch of about 80 kg was also seized. —
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