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Ranvir Sena chief shot dead,
curfew clamped in Ara
Ara: Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Bihar's Bhojpur district early this morning,
the police said.
Singh was on a morning walk when he was accosted by gunmen who pumped several bullets into him, killing him on the spot at Katira Mohalla under Nawada police station, 71
km from Patna, the police said.
Singh, alias Mukhiya ji, who was earlier facing life imprisonment in various carnage cases, was acquitted and released from jail in April this year.
Chief of Ranvir Sena, a private militia of upper caste landlords, is allegedly responsible for perpetrating several killings, including
the Laxmanpur Bathe massacre of 61 Dalits way back in December 1996.
His hand was also suspected in carnages that took place in Jahanabad, Aurangabad and Nawada districts in
the 1990s.
As the news of the killing spread, hundreds of Sena supporters gathered at the site of the killing and shouted anti-government slogans. They also tried to chase away policemen, including the
Superintendent of Police who had arrived at the spot.
Meanwhile, a day-long curfew was today clamped on this district headquarter town in Bhojpur district as tension escalated following the gunning down of
Singh.
"We have imposed a day-long curfew on Ara town," Sub-Divisional Officer Dharmesh Kumar said.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were also enforced in the district after the killing of Singh.
Kumar said the situation is tense, but under control. — PTI
No row will be brushed under carpet: Army
Chief
New Delhi: On his first day in office, Indian Army chief General Bikram Singh on Friday sent out a strong message regarding difficulties facing the force, including sexual misconduct allegations during deployment in the UN Congo mission, and said nothing would be brushed under the carpet. Bikram Singh, who took over as the 27th Indian Army chief and the 25th Indian to hold the coveted position, told reporters after a ceremonial guard of honour on the lawns of South Block in New Delhi that his key result area would be to maintain the army as a "secular, apolitical" force.
Bikram Singh, who took over from General VK Singh, said all units of the 1.13 million force and its commanders work towards improving the organisation's internal health and that effort would continue.
Only the second Sikh to take over as India's army chief, Bikram Singh had to overcome several hurdles, including a legal battle that sought to deny him the opportunity to head the world's second largest standing army.
Bikram Singh was the UN Congo mission deputy commander when the international body's oversight panel had indicted the Indian forces of sexually abusing local women.
He was, till Thursday, Kolkata-based Eastern Army Commander. — IANS
BEML serves legal notice on
Gen V. K. Singh
Bangalore: A day after Gen V.K. Singh retired as Chief of Army,
the public sector BEML on Friday slapped a legal notice on him demanding an apology for his “false and motivated” allegations against it on the Tatra truck issue.
“Legal notice has been issued today. If he does not apologise, we may file a defamation suit against Gen V. K. Singh”, BEML Chairman and Managing Director
V. R. S. Natarajan told reporters in Bangalore.
Gen Singh had alleged that he was offered Rs 14 crore bribe by a former officer to clear supply of a tranche of 600 Tatra trucks into which the CBI is investigating.
“The former Army Chief has made some allegations against BEML. As the CEO of the company, I deny them as absolutely false, motivated, damaging and defamatory”, Natarajan said.
The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry against retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh on a complaint filed by Singh in which he has alleged that the retired Army officer had offered him the bribe for clearing a ‘sub-standard’ consignment of Tatra trucks.
Natarajan defended the delay in initiating the process for defamation against
Gen Singh saying the company had to go through the process of seeking legal advice and then placing it before the board for approval.
BEML has not received a single letter that the Tatra vehicles is sub-standard, obsolete or over-priced, Natarajan said. — PTI
Oil companies
may cut petrol prices
New Delhi:
Petrol prices may be revised on Friday with companies talking about a scope of cutting rates by Rs. 1.50-1.60 a
litre.
Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum had over the past one week indicated of a scope of reducing rates from June 1. The three firms, as per practice, were to revise rates of petrol on Thursday based on average international oil price and rupee-US dollar exchange rate in the previous fortnight.
With international gasoline rates, against which petrol is benchmarked, falling to $114-115 from $124 (that was taken into account for the steep Rs. 7.54 a litre hike effected from May 24), there existed a scope for reducing prices by Rs. 1.50-1.60 a
litre.
Sources said the oil companies may take a call on Friday on the quantum of reduction considering that rupee has depreciated further against the US dollar - from Rs. 53.17 to a dollar to Rs. 55.30. Rupee depreciation raises cost of imports.Every dollar fall in oil price should translates into a cut in product price by 33 paisa. But every time rupee depreciates against US dollar by Re one, it translates into a requirement to raise prices by 77
paisa.
The government should restructure prices of petrol to avoid increase in prices now and then, senior BJP leader and former Union minister of petroleum Ram Naik has said.
Air India's interim plan ready
New Delhi: National carrier Air India will shift to an "interim plan" to salvage its international operations that have been crippled by a 24-day-old pilots' strike. "We have finished work on our interim plan and it will be implemented from June 1. Under the new plan, several destinations where
the load factors are quite low might be dropped for the time being," an Air India official said.
The airline is expected to fully shift to the truncated interim schedule from June 1, dropping seven international destinations including Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul and Toronto. The airline will operate only 38 services instead of the regular 45.
According to the airline official, bookings for international destinations have been tweaked. The interim plan will come into effect on the day when civil aviation minister Ajit Singh is expected to unveil some of the major suggestions of the Justice CS Dharmadhikari Committee.
The committee was constituted to recommend measures that will amend the integration barrier between Air India and the erstwhile Indian Airlines cadre, including that of pay scale and promotion.
Currently, the carrier is operating through a contingency plan under which a bare minimum number of flights are maintained by clubbing operations to various destinations in Europe and the US.
CVC refers coalgate to CBI
New
Delhi: The Central Vigilance Commission has referred to CBI the case of alleged irregularities in utilisation of coal blocks by some private companies.
CBI officials, who are tight lipped about the issue, reportedly held a meeting today in which the issue was discussed in detail, sources said.
The meeting, which was chaired by the CBI chief, discussed all aspects of the reference received from the vigilance panel and also which branch should handle the probe, they said.
BJP leader Prakash Javdekar has also made a complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission seeking a probe in the alleged irregularities in the utilisation of coal blocks by these companies.
When contacted, Javadekar said "we have made a formal complaint to CVC because there were so may glaring lacunae which needed to be probed. If the inquiry has been ordered, it's good."
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