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India, Pak fail to melt
Siachen ice
Lok Sabha admonishes
ex-Secy Gen Kashyap
Pope’s statement: Vatican
Charge d’Affaires summoned
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RBI cautions banks against
robbery by ‘human bombs’
Women panel to issue final summons to Udit Narayan
Uproar in RS over Narmada dam issue
Meerut fire: govt to convene advisory panel meeting
India to free 59 Pak fishermen
BJP MPs quit on Kashyap issue
BJP demands Chidambaram’s resignation Saran meeting Burns in London today
Lucknow SSP on ‘Hall of Shame’ list
SC notice to AP Govt on US firm’s plea
CBI probe allowed
into murder of BJP MLA Rai
Gangrape of tribals: Brinda seeks action
More refugees arrive from Sri Lanka
No central forces to guard trains
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India, Pak fail to melt
Siachen ice
New Delhi, May 23 The two sides, which held talks in two sessions from morning till evening and had a working lunch, stuck to their respective positions. India once again made it clear that mutual authentication of the present deployment of troops on both sides was the bottomline and a prerequisite for considering redeployment of troops. Pakistan rejected authentication and reiterated its suggestion for demilitarising Siachen -- the world’s highest battlefield. The Indian side told the Pakistanis categorically that it will not be possible for New Delhi to risk a disengagement and withdraw its troops from Siachen till Pakistan agreed to giving unequivocal and credible authentication, followed by effective and comprehensive measures for surveillance. The two-day talks will conclude tomorrow. The two sides are going to meet only for one session in the
morning. tomorrow after which a joint statement will be released. The Joint Statement will reiterate the two sides’ commitment to continue to find an amicable and mutually-acceptable solution to the problem. The feeling in both camps is that if the Siachen dispute has to be resolved, it requires political will by both parties to come out of their respective grooves in which they have remained stuck since 1984 when India sent its troops to the glacier. It is also felt that though the dispute has military implications, it has to be resolved by the political leadership with some give-and-take formula. This is the tenth round of talks by India and Pakistan on resolving the Siachen dispute. The Indian delegation was headed by Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt and the Pakistan side was led by Lt-Gen (Retd.) Tariq W. Ghazi, Secretary, Defence. After the talks, the Pakistani delegation called on Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Adviser M K Narayanan.
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Lok Sabha admonishes
ex-Secy Gen Kashyap
New Delhi, May 23 Amidst vociferous protest by BJP members who stormed the well, the motion to admonish Mr Kashyap was moved by Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee minutes before the over three-month-long Budget session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die. Mr Kashyap in an interview to a TV channel had allegedly cast aspersion on the Lok Sabha Speaker by imputing motives to him on an issue concerning Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. The motion was passed by a voice vote even as BJP members continued raising slogans against it. The Privileges Committee, in its report tabled on May 19, had recommended admonition of Mr Kashyap for committing “a gross breach of privilege and contempt of the House by imputing motives to the Speaker in discharge of his duties and casting reflections on his impartiality.” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani were present in the House when the motion was adopted while Congress President Sonia Gandhi came minutes before it was adjourned sine die after the playing of National Song “Vande Mataram.” Mr Kashyap was not present at the bar of the House when the motion was adopted. It was trouble from the word go with BJP Deputy leader V.K. Malhotra taking exception to the listed motion saying the committee’s report had not come up at the Business Advisory Committee meeting. The treasury benches and other allies of the UPA shouted counter slogans. As the din continued, the Speaker first adjourned the House till noon and then again till 2 pm. The House was adjourned sine die when it reassembled after the second adjournment. Raising the issue, Mr Malhotra said the report had not been discussed at all and suddenly “we see in the agenda it has been listed as a motion to be moved.” The motion said the House “... agrees with the findings and conclusions of the Committee and resolves that Dr Subhash C. Kashyap, former Secretary-General, Lok Sabha, has committed a gross breach of privilege and contempt of the House by imputing motives to the Speaker in discharge of his duties and casting reflections on his impartiality and admonishes him for his grave misconduct.” Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, deploring the behaviour of the BJP members, told reporters that the report was presented to the House on May 19 and the BJP members on the Privilege Committee had never put any objection to it. Meanwhile, four BJP MPs, who were members of the committee, quit from it, protesting against the government’s action of moving the motion to admonish the former Lok Sabha Secretary-General. The four members are Kishan Singh Sangwan, Rajendrasin Rana, Ananth Kumar Hegde and Virendra Kumar.
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Pope’s statement: Vatican
Charge d’Affaires summoned
New Delhi, May 23 The Pope had in remarks made to India’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Amitava Tripathi on May 18 said, “No citizen of India, especially the weak and the underprivileged, should ever have to experience discrimination for any reason, especially based on ethnic or religious background or social position.” In his address in English, the Pope said, “The disturbing signs of religious intolerance, which have troubled some regions of the nation, including the reprehensible attempt to legislate clearly discriminatory restrictions on the fundamental right of religious freedom, must be firmly rejected as not only unconstitutional but also as contrary to the highest ideals of India’s founding fathers, who believed in a nation of peaceful existence and mutual tolerance between different religions and ethnic groups.” Responding to the concern expressed by BJP member Ravi Shankar Prasad that the government had maintained a conspicuous silence on the issue, the minister asserted that the government had taken note of the statement by the Pope. “The government’s response was firm, appropriate and timely,” Mr Sharma said. The BJP member said the statement by the Pope was undue interference in India’s internal affairs. Mr Sharma said his ministry also pointed out to the Charge d’Affaires of the Vatican in India that the Pope had perhaps not been properly briefed on India’s secular and democratic character. He said the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs had also issued a statement expressing the government’s protest against the statement by the Pope. The spokesperson had said, “It is acknowledged universally that India is a secular and democratic country in which adherents of all religious faiths enjoy equal rights. The Constitution of India states that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice and propagate religion.”
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RBI cautions banks against robbery by ‘human bombs’
New Delhi, May 23 Although 27 cases of robbery of different kinds have been reported to the RBI by banks during the past six months, but this was the first case of looting by a ‘human bomb.’ The police is, however, sceptical of the bank manager’s story and is investigating the matter. The banking circles were stunned, when at the UTI bank branch in Vikas Puri, here, a man posing as human bomb fled away after collecting Rs 40 lakh from the branch manager on May 8 this year. Notably, in 2003 a pizza delivery man Brain Douglas Wells was killed when a bomb strapped to his body exploded after he robbed a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania in the US. “The RBI has forwarded a copy of news item containing robbery of UTI bank to Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and advised them to consider circulating the modus operandi adopted by the miscreant among its member banks so that the banks take all possible steps to abort any such future attempts,” Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Concerned with increasing number of robbery attempts, the IBA has already issued detailed guidelines to assess the risk factor in consultation with the local police. The banks have asked to post armed guards and install anti-burglary/robbery devices besides other security equipment like alarm systems, time lock devices and CC TV system to ensure security of the cash. In case of frauds, the RBI said, delay in reporting of frauds and the consequent delay in alerting other banks about the modus operandi and issue of caution advices against unscrupulous borrowers could result in similar frauds being perpetrated elsewhere. If the banks failed to report such fraud cases, the RBI warned banks would be liable for penal action as prescribed under Section 47(A) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
— TNS
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Women panel to issue final summons to Udit Narayan
Patna, May 23 The decision was taken by the commission after Narayan had failed to turn up before it responding to two successive summons issued to him in the recent past. The commission's chairperson, Ms Manju Prakash, reportedly made it clear to Narayan's lawyer, who wanted to know why the singer's presence was required, that the commission wanted him to verify Ranjana's claim. The panel also informed the counsel that it found Ranjana's claims to be true "on the basis of photographs, other documents and statements of many people who had attended the marriage". With regard to Narayan's allegations that the photographs and other papers shown by Ranjana were "tampered", Ms Prakash said "these photographs and documents are 20-to-25 years old and the technique to tamper with them had not been developed at that time." Ms Prakash said the panel wanted to know Udit's version on Ranjana's claim and also a clarification about his relationship with Prema Narayan with whom he is living at present. Sources in the commission did not rule out the possibility of legal action against Udit Narayan if he had failed to appear for the third time too. It may be noted that a month back during his trip to Patna to attend a marriage ceremony, Narayan took everyone, except perhaps him, by surprise with Ranjana Narayan surfacing with the claim of being his first wife by charging him with bigamy. It was learnt that Udit and Ranjana marriage dated back to 1980s when the singer was struggling to get a foothold in the Bollywood.
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Uproar in RS over Narmada dam issue
New Delhi, May 23 Tariq Anwar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who raised the question, was not convinced with the Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz’s reply that all rehabilitation measures were in place for raising the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam to 121.92 metres. The NCP member said the government’s claim was at variance with the ground reality. He demanded that a report of the Review Committee constituted for appraisal of resettlement measures should be placed in the House. CPM member Brinda Karat said , ''The minister’s reply reflects the internal contradictions of the government. '' Karat said the
constitution of the Shunglu committee was a pointer to the fact that rehabilitation of the affected families had not been done in a proper manner. Shiv Sena member Manohar Joshi alleged that the US and some foreign elements were trying to scuttle the project by supporting the protesters. ''The Narmada project is held up at times for political reasons and at times by foreign elements,’’ he said. The minister said he was not aware of any interference from the US or other foreign elements. ''It is basically the issue of the project- affected poor people and adivasis seeking proper rehabilitation which was their fundamental right. Development is important but their resettlement was equally important,’’ he said. The BJP members continued shouting during the minister’s reply and demanded a discussion on the issue.
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Meerut fire: govt to convene advisory panel meeting
New Delhi, May 23 On April 10, a fire caused by a short circuit at a consumer brands show in Meerut killed 58 persons and injured 164. Three persons are still reported to be missing. The Bureau of Indian Standards had in 1993 published its recommendations on fire precautions during construction of temporary structures and
pandals. “The district administrations and the municipal authorities have to enforce the by-laws to ensure that these measures are implemented during public outdoor assembly,” the minister
said. Reghupathy said that the Disaster Management Act, 2005 emphasises the preparation plans at the national, state and district levels for prevention of disasters, mitigation of their effects and capacity building for effective response. The minister said that the government has recommended a posthumous national bravery award for Javed, a youth from Meerut, who died after rescuing 13 to 14 children trapped in the fire.
— TNS
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India to free 59 Pak fishermen
New Delhi, May 23 The Pakistani fishermen are being released unilaterally on humanitarian grounds. There are 505 Indian fishermen in Pakistan who were taken custody by the Pakistani authorities between September, 2005 and March 2006. There are in addition 287 Indian fishing boats in Pakistani custody detained since as far back as October 2003. The Government of India is continuing its efforts to secure the release of Indian fishermen and their boats.
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BJP MPs quit on Kashyap issue
New Delhi, May 23 “This is a black day for democracy. All our four members in the Privileges Committee — Kishan Singh Sangwan, Rajendra Sinh Rana, Ananth Kumar Hegde and Virendra Kumar —have resigned. We are considering whether to withdraw our MPs from all other Parliamentary Committees as well”, BJP Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha V K Malhotra said. “We have taken it very seriously. There was a general opinion at this morning’s BJP parliamentary party meeting that a no-confidence motion should be moved against the Speaker. His conduct today has only accentuated the demand. We will talk with other parties on the issue.” Mr Malhotra said. The four BJP MPs of the Privilege Committee had yesterday demanded withdrawal of the report and inclusion of their “strong dissent” in it. Sources said the party MPs were asked by the party high command to come to the rescue of the former Lok Sabha Secretary-General, who is considered close to the party. In a letter to Committee Chairman V Kishore Chandra S Deo, the four MPs said they were “deeply distressed” over the manner in which the entire procedure leading to the recommendation was followed. The BJP members claimed that when the third report was circulated for consideration by the members, “the recommendation was to treat the matter as closed by cautioning Dr Kashyap to be more careful in future”.
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BJP demands Chidambaram’s resignation
New Delhi, May 23 "He (Mr Chidambaram) should own up responsibility and resign immediately," Mr Malhotra demanded. Earlier in the day, at the BJP parliamentary party meeting, chaired by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, party MPs said the party should mount pressure for the resignation of the Finance Minister. The meeting was attended among others by Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of Parliament L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh, BJP president Rajnath Singh and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.
— TNS
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Saran meeting Burns in London today
New Delhi, May 23 As Saran flew off to London for the two-day talks, official sources here said there appeared to be support in the Congress for the deal but the legislation on it needed to be passed at the earliest. The Saran-Burns meeting will take stock of the situation and the Indian side will seek to know how things are moving in the US Congress. New Delhi maintains that enactment of the legislation is the key step. The bilateral cooperation agreement to be worked out between India and the US, the India-specific safeguards agreement to be worked out with IAEA and a pact with the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) will have to follow. —PTI
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Lucknow SSP on ‘Hall of Shame’ list
Lucknow, May 23 According to a note issued by Scott Long, Director of the Human Rights Watch’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Programme, SSP Ashutosh Pandey is on the list as his agents “used the Internet to entrap four men and jailed them under his country’s colonial-era sodomy laws.” The SSP is in the august company as the others on this year’s list are Immigration Minister of the Netherlands Rita Verdonk, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Alabama State Representative Gerald Allen for their various acts of denial of rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. “This ‘Hall of Shame’ does not claim to include the worst offenders, but it highlights public officials who have failed in their basic duty to respect human rights for all,” said Long. “The abuses these officials have caused symbolise the daily, invidious forms of homophobia that countless people face around the world.” Recounting the event that has earned Lucknow SSP Pandey a place on the list, the note says, in January 2005, the Lucknow police arrested four men on charges of operating a “gay racket” on the Internet as well as of engaging in “unnatural” sex. Undercover agents, posing as gay men on an Internet website, entrapped one man and then forced him to call others and arrange a meeting where they were arrested. The SSP had said the men “had formed some kind of a gay club whose members would meet in both private and public places to indulge in unnatural acts .... The group had established online Internet links with gay groups outside the country too and strictly speaking, these groups, too, could be liable.” Responding to this news, Pandey said, “Till Article 377 is in our statutory book, it will be invoked. Unlike rape, this law does not qualify action in terms of consent or age. We have to act against any information that we receive. I can’t help it if it earns me such laurels”.
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SC notice to AP Govt on US firm’s plea
New Delhi, May 23 Though the MRTP had initially fixed cotton seed price at Rs 1250 for a 450-gram package and later reduced it to Rs 900, yet the MRTP Commission had said it was still on the higher side. Monsanto contended that the MRTP Commission had no jurisdiction to fix the price of any commodity but only to see if there was any unfair trade practice. Though the Commission had not fixed any amount for the Bt cotton package over which Monsanto has patent right, it had asked the company to keep the price on par with that prevailing in China. AP counsel sought an early decision in the case stating that the sowing season in the state would start by the end of the month. The court gave four weeks’ time to the Andhra Pradesh Government to submit its reply.
— TNS
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CBI probe allowed
into murder of BJP MLA Rai
Lucknow, May 23 Despite a vociferous demand for a CBI enquiry into the murder from all opposition parties, the ruling party had put its foot down and insisted on a probe by the STF and Uttar Pradesh police. On the basis of the FIR, ruling party MP Afzal Ansari, his brother-in-law and younger brother and don Mukhtar Ansari are presently lodged in the Ghazipur jail in connection with the murder. Today’s judgment delivered by a Bench, comprising Mr Justice Amitabh Lala and Mr Justice Shiv Shankar, observed that the matter be handed over to the CBI even if a charge sheet and final report had already been submitted in the court. The order passed on the petition of the deceased’s widow, Ms Alka Rai, directs her to take the permission of the court to approach the CBI. The court also asked the CBI to complete its investigations as soon as possible. The BJP MLA from Mohammadabad in Ghazipur district in eastern Uttar Pradesh was killed in broad daylight on November 29, 2005, along with eight persons of his entourage while he was traveling to attend a “tilak ceremony.”
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Gangrape of tribals: Brinda seeks action
New Delhi, May 23 Raising the issue during zero hour, Karat said although she was aware that “this is a state subject, it is an issue of importance if women living in remote areas feel that there is no concern for them”. Karat said although the women, including minors, were wronged in January, national attention was drawn to the incident only four months later when a delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW) visited the villages. Quoting the findings of the NCW team, the CPM member said the entire population of the two villages had have fled to Mizoram. “That entire area has been landmined. Their crops have been devastated.” Karat said the women had no access to medical help and the government of Manipur set up a commission only three months later. She said in a memorandum submitted to the NCW, the victims had asked why the government gave them an ultimatum to return to their villages within a short stipulated time when the situation had not improved. The memorandum also raises the question about non-availability of medical help to the victims. Karat demanded immediate provision of food supplies and compensation to the victims, removal of landmines and some immediate compensation for crop damage.
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More refugees arrive from Sri Lanka
Chennai, May 23 Nearly 234 refugees, which is a record figure on a single day, today arrived from Trincomalee in Sri Lanka to Rameswaram, 625-km from here. Till date, this was the highest number of refugees arriving from Sri Lanka on a single day since January 12, 2003. Last year, the so-called ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government became inoperative and violence escalated. Following that refuges started arriving at Rameswaram, the closest point between Sri Lankan and India. One hundred refugees arrived on May 18. With the 234 refugees, the arriving figure had crossed more than 1,600 and causing a lot of difficulty for officials managing the refugee camp near Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu Government officials said. They said there were about 56,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu housed in 103 camps. For the Tamil Nadu police and intelligence agencies it has become a stupendous task of interrogating refugees who might be LTTE sympathisers and many of them might also be LTTE militants. Last week, the Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Arun Prakash, said here, "We have enhanced both naval and air surveillance in the area in view of the situation in Sri Lanka. We are much more vigilant and on a reasonable state of alert. We should be ready to intervene if the need arises. "The Indian Navy is ready to render its services in Sri Lanka if the Government of India desires. We are watching the situation in Sri Lanka very carefully." Regarding the influx of refugees following increase in violence between Sri Lankan defence forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Admiral Prakash said the Indian Navy was keeping a close watch on the and after apprehending them handing them over to the police and intelligence agencies.
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No central forces to guard trains
New Delhi, May 23 In a written reply to a question, the Minister said the Railway Protection Force
(RPF) is also now supplementing such efforts. The Home Ministry has informed the Ministry of Railways that, if necessary, RPF personnel could be provided training by the training institutes of
CPMFs, he said. CATTLE SMUGGLING : Several steps, including special drives are undertaken on the Indo-Bangladesh border to check the illegal smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh, Minister of State for Home Affairs S Regupathy informed Lok Sabha. Unfenced gaps in the border fence are being plugged with improvised fencing and the fencing is being extended to as many areas as feasible. Besides, special raids are carried out in depth areas in coordination with local police and customs departments and a pilot project of flood lighting of 277 km of West Bengal border has been approved, of which approximately 50 per cent of stretch has been completed, the minister said.
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