New Delhi, May 21
The alleged telephone taping records in the 2G scam may not play much of a role in the CBI’s probe. CBI director Ashwini Kumar hinted at it while talking to the mediapersons at the CBI here yesterday.

When asked if the agency would consider a PR firm CEO Nira Radia’s alleged telephone conversation recorded by the Income Tax Department’s investigation as evidence, Kumar said media should first check if the conversations were made in the period under investigation.

He did not make a categorical answer but added: “We will also have to see if these tapes are relevant to our investigation or not.” The 2G spectrum has been rocking the UPA government for long with the Opposition demanding resignation of Telecommunication Minister A Raja for his alleged involvement in it. The recent Parliament session witnessed continuous uproar over this issue. Raja was the Telecommunication Minister in the previous UPA regime too when 2G spectrum was allotted on “first-come-first-served” basis. The procedure had yielded the government Rs 1,600 crore.

Interestingly, the auction of the 3G spectrum, which ended on Thursday, yielded the government Rs 67,000 crore. The Opposition has been alleging that the 2G spectrum was not auction and was given to industry players for a song. The CBI chief said: “Our investigation is confined to a specific period of time.” A section of media, on the basis of the “leaked” taped conversation of Radia, had recently reported that she had influenced the 2G allocation to favour some particular mobile players due to her alleged proximity with Raja. It is alleged that he state exchequer had suffered huge losses due to inordinate delay in the allocation of 2G spectrum and names of many bureaucrats also cropped up for their alleged role in the scam. Unofficial estimates put the extent of scam to a whopping Rs 60,000 crore.

The CBI chief said they had asked the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to set-up a team to “go into the audit part” due to the scam’s wide financial dimensions.

New Delhi, May 21
The Confederation of Newspapers and News Agencies Employees Organisations today warned the government of a nation-wide agitation from May 24, if no announcement is made regarding the extension of wage boards for journalists and non-journalists by that date.

This decision was taken during an emergency meeting of confederation leaders, which was held this afternoon. The leaders said they would be left with no other option but to launch a nation-wide agitation, if the government did not give an extension to the existing wage boards till the end of this year.

"If the government fails to accept our just demand by May 23, then we would be forced to observe May 24 as a day of betrayal by the UPA government against the interest of newspapers and news agencies employees," general secretary of the confederation M S Yadav said.

Yadav also said working journalists would attend Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's press conference on May 24, wearing black arm bands and protests would also be held in various state capitals.

The issue of extensions, to be given to various wage boards, including the Majithia Wage Board, came up during this week's Union Cabinet meeting, but it was deferred after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apparently asked Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge to speak to the confederation leaders. —PTI

New Delhi, May 21
As many as 27 out of 1,846 encounters by the police of different states were fake, as disposed of by country’s premier human rights watchdog National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

NHRC said they had registered 2,956 cases in connection with police encounters in different parts of the country till April, since its inception on October 12, 1993. These included 1,590 cases registered on basis of the information received from the public authorities about the police encounters and 1,366 cases registered on complaints received from public alleging fake encounter by the police.

Examining various reports and material on record sought by the NHRC through its notices to the public authorities, the commission has concluded that 27 encounters were fake. The NHRC has disposed of 1,846 cases, while 1,110 cases were still at different stages of consideration in the commission.

“Depending on the facts and circumstances of all such cases, where encounters were found to be fake, we have recommended that the state authorities take punitive action against the guilty officials and pay monetary relief to the next of the kin of the deceased,” the NHRC said. — TNS

New Delhi, May 21
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the Union Home Ministry would decide on the file pertaining to Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mercy petition.

“The Home Ministry will decide on the issue.... We have sent the file to Lt Governor for further action,” Dikshit told reporters when asked about the next course of action regarding Afzal's mercy petition.

She said the Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna would put his view on the mercy petition and then the file would be sent to the Home Ministry.

On Wednesday, the Delhi Government had sent the file on Afzal to Khanna, unambiguously backing capital punishment for the convict.

But at the same time, the Delhi Government had asked the Centre to take care of the law and order situation while carrying out the execution here.

The Delhi Government, whose opinion on the mercy petition was sought by the Union Home Ministry almost four years ago, had sent the file to Khanna on Monday but the LG had returned it on Tuesday seeking more clarifications. — PTI

New Delhi, May 21
President Pratibha Patil led the nation in paying homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 19th death anniversary on Friday.

Vice-President M Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were among those who paid floral tributes to the late leader at Veer Bhumi, his memorial, here this morning.

Rajiv Gandhi’s widow and Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited Veer Bhumi along with son Rahul, daughter Priyanka and other members of her family. Besides, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister AK Antony, Congress MPs and other leaders were present there. Rajiv, son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sriperumbudur near Chennai during an election rally on May 21, 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of the country at the age of 40, soon after his mother was assassinated by her bodyguards in 1984.

New Delhi, May 21
A Delhi judge hearing a 1984 anti-Sikh riots’ case involving senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar recused himself from hearing the case, citing personal reasons.

Additional Sessions Judge VK Goyal has now sent the case, in which the police never filed a chargesheet allegedly to help Sajjan, to District Judge. He was expected to deliver the order on a prosecution application, seeking direction with regard to the chargesheet prepared by the police against Sajjan but never submitted before a judicial officer. “Due to some personal reasons, I do not want to try and adjudicate this matter. Let the file be placed before learned District Judge VIII with a request to transfer the same to some other court of competent jurisdiction,” Goyal said.

The court directed the parties to appear before the District Judge on May 24. On April 21, the prosecution had said before the court that the chargesheet against the former MP was prepared but never brought before a judge.

Instead, the FIR was clubbed with other riots cases in which the trials were already going on before the court, Special Public Prosecutor BS Joon had said. Senior counsel HS Phoolka, appearing for the riot victims, had said the chargesheet should be filed before the court concerned and summons be issued against the accused to face trial.

New Delhi, May 21
Even as the Congress is maintaining a wait and watch policy on Jharkhand, the BJP appears clueless on the happenings in the state, with reports emanating from Ranchi indicating a split in the ruling JMM over supporting a BJP-led government.

According to information, only six MLAs supposedly owing allegiance to Chief Minister Shibu Soren’s son Hemant Soren arrived at Bokaro, where the Sorens have gone to observe the first death anniversary of Shibu’s elder son Durga who died last year. The JMM has 18 members in the state Assembly.

Shibu had decided to utilise the occasion to discuss with his MLAs and party leaders the agreement reached between BJP general secretary Arjun Munda and Hemant Soren to replace him (Soren Senior) with Munda on May 25, thus requiring Shibu Soren to resign and JMM offering support to a BJP-led government. However, reports indicated that a number of JMM MLAs, as also the Chief Minister himself, who is not yet a member of the legislative assembly, are opposed to handing over the reins of power to the BJP, even on rotational a basis, as agreed upon by Munda and Hemant Soren.

Two JMM MLAs consistently opposed to the move to install a BJP-led government, Teklal Mahto and Lobin Hembrom, arrived here last night and sent emissaries to the Congress leadership to start dialogue for a possible tie-up. The duo claimed that by tomorrow another four MLAs were arriving.

But AICC in charge of Jharkhand K Kesava Rao insisted that he has neither met nor is his party interested in opening any dialogue with any parties till a more clear picture emerged about the political situation. On its part, the BJP is dazed by the latest u-turn by Shibu Soren and insistence that he will not resign on May 25. Though the BJP continued to feign ignorance about the developments in Jharkhand, privately some leaders said it is time that the party announced withdrawal of support.

Sources in the BJP said no decision is likely to be taken on this issue at least till May 27 when BJP president Nitin Gadkari returns from his foreign tour. In any case, the party is too embarrassed to speak about Jharkhand at all.

Srivastava said a separate Court of Inquiry to be headed by an officer of the rank of IG had been instituted against these three officers. The CRPF DG said RS Sahota would replace Prabhat while Ashok Swami would move in as Commandant of 62 batallion. — PTI

New Delhi, May 21
Girls have done it again. They outscored boys by a big margin in the Class XII results announced by the CBSE today even as the overall pass percentage of students went down about 1 per cent compared to last year. The pass percentage of girls stood at 85.28, leaving boys way behind at 75.90 per cent, according to the statistics released by the board. The pass percentage for regular students is 81.95, while it is 41.99 per cent for those who pursued studies through correspondence.

With results of all six regions out now, Chennai is on the top, scoring a success rate of 92.17 per cent while Delhi is at a distant second with 84.97 per cent.

Students of private schools might have hogged the top few positions but what should be heartening for many is that Central government-run Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas have beaten public schools thoroughly in the overall success story. Amidst the general decline, 95.31 per cent of the students of the Navodaya have cleared the exam, an improvement from last year's 94.09 per cent.

A total of 699,129 students — 408,367 boys and 290,762 girls — took the Class XII board exams in the country and abroad.

As it announced the results, the CBSE also launched post-result psychological counselling for students through tele-helpline, Interactive Voice Response System and its website. 

Chandigarh, May 21
With an eye on next Assembly poll, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is into its fourth year in office, has come up with a novel idea to please party cadres. It may, though, not please the babus.

The party is preparing a list of workers, who would be in “direct touch” with the deputy commissioners in the state.

The move that has got a go-ahead from Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal comes after SAD workers complained to him that the bureaucracy was not listening to them.

The ‘identified’ party workers will hold review meetings every month to ascertain the progress on work recommended by them to the bureaucrats. Party workers have been assured that feedback on their recommendations will be taken from officers in front of them.

However, the Deputy CM said the system is being instituted for the people and the party men should approach officers for development works only. Badal Junior said he would also take feedback on what kind of work was recommended by workers to ensure that the facility is not misused.

At the two-day party meeting which concluded here today, SAD leaders said the workers are responsible for getting votes polled and it was necessary to boost heir morale by telling them that they would be listened to in the corridors of power.

Meanwhile, in another significant development, the SAD has decided to form a 1,000-strong brigade of active workers in all 117 constituencies to assist the party in the coming Assembly elections. The Deputy CM is taking a keen interest in formation of this brigade that sources said “will be directly visible to the people”. The party, however, will only choose workers, who have a clean image as members of this core group.

The party has also decided to strengthen its various wings. It was noted that the farmer wing of the party, which is headed by senior leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder, is not visible and did not stand up to farmer organisations during the agitation over unbundling of the state electricity utility. It was felt that the NRI wing, which is headed by former legislator Surjit Singh Rakhra, also needed to be strengthened. Other wings, which the party hopes to rev up in the coming months, include the backward castes wing and the scheduled castes wing.

The SAD, meanwhile, disclosed that the organisational structure would be revamped by July 15 and that 50 per cent of the new officer-bearers would include elected members of Panchyati Raj institutions. 

Bhopal, May 21
Former Madhya Pradesh Revenue Minister and BJP MLA Kamal Patel has been arrested by the CBI here for allegedly destroying evidence related to a murder case in which his son's name figured, CBI officials said today.

Patel, an MLA from Harda constituency, was questioned by the CBI, after which he was arrested last night, they said.

The former minister has been arrested under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 204 (destruction of document) and 120(B) (criminal 
conspiracy).

Patel alleged the CBI was trying to implicate him.

"I am innocent in the case and the CBI is falsely trying to implicate me," Patel told reporters before leaving for Indore, where he will be produced in a CBI court.

The BJP MLA was arrested in connection with the murder of Durgesh Jat on March 5, 2008, at the farm house of Congress leader Rajendra Patel in Deotalao.

Durgesh's body has not been found till date even as Patel's son Sudeep Patel, who had been arrested for the murder, is on bail. — PTI 

Kolkata, May 21
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) president Madan Tamang was stabbed to death allegedly by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporters around 10 am at a public meeting in the busy Chakbazar area in Darjeeling today. The news of the death led to a spontaneous shutdown in the region.

Tamang was sitting in a chair on the dais and was about to get up to address the gathering, when a group of people, carrying khukris, lathis and other sharp weapons, attacked him from the back and stabbed him repeatedly on the chest and throat.

The critically injured ABGL leader succumbed to his injuries on way to a hospital in Siliguri.

Tamang, a vocal opponent of the GJM, had earlier levelled corruption charges against its chief Bimal Gurung. The GJM had then threatened to banish him from the hills.

State Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya said in Kolkata that GJM supporters had carried out the attack on Tamang.

"The GJM's goons have committed the murder. The GJM is a fascist party, which does not want any opposition in the hills. They are opposed to a democratic atmosphere prevailing in the hills," he said.

"We are deeply concerned. The hills are very tense," said Bhattacharya, who hails from Siliguri in Darjeeling district.

A spontaneous bandh was observed soon after the killing at Darjeeling and two other subdivisions at Kurseong and Kalimpong. Agitated ABGL, BJP and CPI(M) supporters came out in the streets in large numbers to protest against the brutal killing of Tamang. They demanded the arrest of Bimal Gurung and other GJM leaders for the “killing” of Tamang. They also burnt effigies of Gurung and other GJM leaders.

The police dispersed the mob by firing in the air and throwing tear-gas shells. Tension prevailed in the area and the paramilitary forces were called in to patrol the streets. Special police pickets have been set up in vulnerable areas as a precautionary measure.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee asked the police and the district administration to take firm steps against the people involved in killing of Madan Tamang. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned the murder of Tamang. She appealed to the people and leaders of all political parties to maintain peace in the hills

The IG( north Bengal), K.L. Tamta, left for Darjeeling with a large contingent of para-military forces from Jalpaiguri to maintain law and order in the hills.

Fiftythree-year-old Tamang had been opposing the GJM bandhs and agitations in the hills. He was also demanding a separate statehood but not through bandhs and agitations. The CPI(M) and the BJP were supporting Tamang’s peaceful movement in the hills.

l Tamang, who led the anti-GJM front, was stabbed at a public meet

l Spontaneous bandh held after the killing in Darjeeling and surrounding areas

Hyderabad/Bhubaneswar, May 21
At least 23 persons were killed and normal life was thrown out of gear as coastal Andhra Pradesh reeled under the devastating impact of the tropical cyclone Laila, which is now headed for Orissa.

Rains and powerful winds triggered by Laila lashed Orissa's winding coast today.
The storm was centred near Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh early in the day, said the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre. It is expected to hit the state.

Orissa has been lashed by rains since last evening. Gopalpur town in Ganjam district and Puri have received about 4 cm of rains. The authorities have evacuated nearly 4,000 people from three villages near the sea at Gopalpur fearing the area could be worst hit by the sea surges.

A day after the cyclone hit coastal Andhra and left a trail of death and destruction, the authorities began assessing the damages in 11 coastal districts and reaching out to the victims.

As torrential rains battered the region under the influence of severe storm, seven deaths were reported from Krishna, five from Prakasam and four each from Nellore and Guntur districts since yesterday. Two persons died in East Godavari district, while Visakhapatnam district accounted for one death.

Three more persons were reported missing in East Godavari district, the officials of the state disaster management department said.

Over 6,000 hectares of land with agricultural crops, spread over five districts, and an equal extent with horticultural crops was completely damaged, state Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao said after a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister K Rosaiah here.

The cyclone wreaked havoc in the coastal region, uprooting trees, snapping power lines and damaging roads and communication networks. Power supply to over 1,000 villages was affected and 108 power sub-stations were damaged.

After gradual weakening, “Laila” began its northward movement and now lay stationary about 100 km west of Kakinada town. Yesterday’s 120 km-an-hour gales have slowed down to 55 km but torrential rains were

reported at Krishna, East and West Godavari districts.

By tomorrow, the deep depression is expected to enter Orissa, where it is expected to weaken further before making its entry into West Bengal.

“According to numerical weather prediction model, there is possibility of emergence of the system into the north Bay of Bengal. In that case, the system may intensify again over the sea,” the IMD said in a statement.

Over 71,000 people from low-lying areas have been shifted to 300 relief camps. The Chief Minister appealed to them not to leave the camps and return to their homes till complete normalcy was restored.

Rosaiah held a teleconference with collectors of the coastal districts and asked them to be on maximum alert as there was a threat of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region over the next two to three days.

l Orissa on alert as rains, winds lash its coast

l Over 4,000 evacuated from 3 Orissa villages

l 71,000 people evacuated from low-lying areas in Andhra

l Cyclone wreaks havoc in coastal region, uprooting trees, damaging roads

l Power supply to over 1,000 AP villages affected

l Coastal districts on alert for next two days

l Army personnel, disaster-management teams rushed to affected areas