L A T E S T      N E W S

Strike turns violent in UP, vehicles set on fire in Noida

LUCKNOW: The two-day nationwide strike called by Central trade unions disrupted normal life in many states on Wednesday leaving commuters in the lurch.

Violence erupted in some places on the first day of a two-day strike as workers, angry about high fuel prices in particular, tried to keep vehicles off the roads.

The strike turned violent in Noida in Uttar Pradesh, adjoining Delhi, after angry workers protested in Noida Phase II. They pelted stones at some factories and burnt vehicles, including a fire engine. The police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the restive crowd.

At least one factory complex was also torched, officials and witnesses said. Glass panes in many factories were shattered even as the security guards tried to pacify the mobs and later fired in the air, a police official said.

A hosiery unit in Noida was ransacked, police sources said.

Roadways buses remained off roads and bank branches were closed in support of the strike call, adversely affecting normal life since morning.

Reports from different parts of the state said employees of various government departments and banks assembled at their respective offices and held protest meetings raising slogans in support of their demands.

Commuters were left stranded, and overcrowding was reported at railway stations. Following this, the state government pressed 200 buses into service at the Kumbh in Allahabad.

The state government had made alternative arrangements like pressing private buses into service, but these were not enough to clear the office rush and people had to depend either on private vehicles or autorickshaws to reach their destinations.

In the state capital, all the major offices have remained shut with employees also taking out protest marches.

The bandh was total in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Unnao, Moradabad and Allahabad.

Major markets in Lucknow like Aminabad and Hazratganj were deserted, and operations at post offices and state-run banks were disrupted.

Banking, transport services hit

Normal banking operations were hit today as employees of public sector banks went on a two-day strike. The nationwide strike call has been given by United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), consisting of nine national level unions, including AIBEA, NCBE, BEFI, INBEF, NOBW and AIBOC.

Apprehending disruption in their normal banking operations, many banks had already informed their customers about the proposed strike.

Meanwhile, sources said, banks have taken steps to ensure that public do not face problems at least on the cash front during the strike period.

Banks have fed additional cash in ATMs to meet the cash needs of their customers.

Bank unions are pressing for early wage revision of employees, which they said is due from November 2012. They are also opposing banking sector reforms and any plan for merger of banks.

There are 26 public sector banks with employees strength of around 10 lakh.

In December 2012 also, four bank unions went on strike opposing amendments carried out in Banking Regulation Act and Banking Companies Act, enabling foreign equity in public sector banks.

The bank strike is part of a general strike call given by 11 central trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh ( BMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India United Trade Union Centre.

Trade union leader killed in Ambala

A trade union leader, who was squatting along with a group of workers near the local bus depot as part of the two-day nationwide strike call, on Wednesday died when he was hit by a bus in his bid to stop it from plying, a senior Roadways official said here.

"The incident took place around 4 am this morning when Narender Singh, a bus driver by profession, tried to stop the vehicle which was being taken out from the Ambala Depot despite the strike," district president, Haryana Roadways Workers Union's, Inder Singh Bhadana told reporters here.

Bhadana alleged that the district administration tried to forcibly ply the bus, which hit Singh, who was also the treasurer of a AITUC union, killing him on the spot.

After the incident, the other workers resorted to violence damaging vehicles belonging to the Ambala's Deputy Commissioner of Police and SHO of the Baldev police station area, police said.

Meanwhile, Bhadana demanded a case to be lodged against the General Manager of the Roadways, failing which they will not allow the body to be cremated.

In view of the tense situation, heavy police force had been deployed at the bus depot and its surrounding areas.

Earlier, however, AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said that the victim was allegedly stabbed to death by some miscreants.

Financial sector crippled as shutdown starts in Mumbai
India's financial sector was crippled on Wednesday after all banks, insurance companies and commercial establishments in this commercial capital remained shut on the first of the two-day nationwide strike, organisers said.

"The banking and financial sector is 100 percent closed, not only in Mumbai and Maharashtra but all over the country," All India Bank Employees Association vice-president V Utagi told IANS.

Utagi said all banks — nationalised, private, foreign, regional, rural and cooperative — had "wholeheartedly" participated in the strike.

Trains, road services hit in Bihar

Thousands of people were stranded across Bihar on Wednesday as trains were stopped and key highways blocked by activists affiliated to various trade unions that have called for a nationwide two-day strike.

Workers of trade unions stopped nearly a dozen passenger and long-distance trains at Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Hajipur, Bhagalpur and Darbhanga railway stations.

Strike hits normal life in Kerala

The 48-hour nationwide strike called by central trade unions hit normal life across Kerala today with workers from varied sectors, including transport and banking, staying away from work to protest the UPA government's economic and labour policies.

Early reports said buses and taxis were off the roads and shops and restaurants remained closed. Train services were not affected.

The Congress-led UDF government has declared 'dies non' (no work, no pay) as pro-Left service and teachers unions are also striking work.

Security has been tightened and no violence has been reported from anywhere. Police have offered protection to those willing to work and public conveyances ready to ply, police sources said.

West Bengal partially hit by strike

Life was partially affected in West Bengal on the first day today of the two-day countrywide strike called by central trade unions with the situation remaining peaceful.

Shops, markets and business establishments were closed in many parts of the metropolis, while government run buses and trams ran in large numbers in comparison to private buses and taxis, which were less.

Banking operations remained paralysed in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that attendance at the Writers' Buildings was 100 per cent.

Finance Mitra Amit Mitra also said that his department registered 100 per cent attendance.

Many government employees stayed overnight in their offices.

Partial impact to strike call in Tamil Nadu

The strike call given by 11 trade unions country wide had partial impact in Tamil Nadu as a majority of shops remained open and transport services plied normally.

However, banking services were hit hard as most public and private sector banks remained closed.

The United Form of Bank Unions, an association representing the banking community, had said it would join the strike call given by the Trade Unions.

City buses and auto-rickshaws plied as usual. Partial inter-city services were operated from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, sources said.

Members of agitating workers union including CITU and all India Bank Employees Association staged a demonstration in Chennai as part of the strike call. — Agencies

BJP takes aggressive stance at all-party meet

NEW DELHI: On the eve of Budget Session of Parliament, the government on Wednesday sought to buy peace with the Opposition saying it was ready for any kind of inquiry into the chopper scam on which there was a political consensus.

It also sought to mollify the BJP, which is incensed over Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s “Hindu terror” remarks, saying it would try to sort out the issue through dialogue.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded that Shinde withdraw his remarks and apologise so as to ensure smooth functioning of the House.

Taking an aggressive stance at the all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Swaraj said if the BJP was training terrorists, as alleged by Shinde, then she should cease to be the Leader of the Opposition and BJP members should not be allowed in Parliament.

“As custodian of the House, we seek your protection as the Home Minister, who is also Leader of the House, has alleged that BJP is running terror camps,” she told the Speaker during the meeting.

“If we are doing so, then I have no right to be Leader of Opposition and BJP members should not be allowed to sit in the House. We should be probed. But first resolve this matter,” Swaraj said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hoped that the session would see “productive and constructive debate leading to agreed solutions” to many national problems.

Noting that all parties have an obligation to ensure that Parliament runs smoothly, Dr Singh said, “I am hopeful and confident that this is going to be a fruitful session.”

He expressed the hope that at a juncture when the country is facing many economic challenges, all political parties would join hands for productive and constructive solutions.

Swaraj said political parties want discussion on several issues including VVIP chopper scam, Indo-Pak ties in the backdrop of beheading of two Indian soldiers, situation in Maldives, attempts by China to encircle India, severe drought in Maharashtra and plight of farmers due to hailstorm in Madhya Pradesh as also the burden of rising prices on the common man. — PTI

Jallianwala Bagh killings 'deeply shameful': Cameron

Amritsar: British Prime Minister David Cameron today described as "deeply shameful" the killing of peaceful protesters in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 during British rule but stopped short of a public apology.

Writing in the visitor's book of Jallianwalla Bagh, Cameron said, "This was a deeply shameful act in British history. One that Winston Churchill rightly described at that time as monstrous. We must never forget what happened here and we must ensure that the UK stands up for the right of peaceful protests around the world".

President of Jallianwalla Bagh Shaheed Pariwar Samiti (NGO) Bushan Behal had demanded an apology from the visiting British Prime Minister. He was not allowed to meet him.

Cameron, who is the first democratically elected British Prime Minister to visit the site, kneeled down while paying tribute to martyrs and observed one-minute silence with folded hands to give respect to the martyrs.

The visit of the British Prime Minister comes 16 years after Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip visited Amritisar in 1997 Cameron paid floral tribute to the martyrs of Jallianwalla Bagh. He also stood for a few seconds before the Amar Joyti (burning flame) at Jallianwalla Bagh where he bowed his head to show respect to the martyrs, officials said.

Cameron spent nearly 25 minutes in the park.

Indian media was kept at a distance during the visit of Cameron. Only photojournalists were allowed to click photographs from a distance distance.

Bushan Behal had requested the Deputy Commissioner Amritsar and Police administration besides Punjab Government to arranged an appointment with the British Prime Minister.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre had taken place in Amritsar on 13 April, 1919.

On hearing that a meeting of 15,000 to 20,000 people was taking place at Jallianwala Bagh, Brigadier General Reginald E H Dyer had ordered 50 riflemen to shoot at the crowd.

Dyer kept the firing for about ten minutes, till the ammunition supply was almost exhausted with approximately 1,650 rounds fired that resulted in the killing of more than 1000 innocent Indians besides leaving more than 1100 injured. — PTI

SC extends stay on execution of Veerappan aides

NEW DELHI: Hanging of four aides of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan has been further delayed with the Supreme Court on Wednesday extending its interim order staying the execution of death sentence imposed on them for killing 22 police personnel in a landmine blast in Karnataka in 1993.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir said it was keeping the matter pending since another bench, which has heard an identical plea, has reserved its judgement.

“In our view, the proper course of action is to adjourn the matter until another bench renders its judgement on similar matters. Therefore, accordingly we adjourn the hearing of this matter for six weeks to enable another bench to deliver the judgement in another pending matter.

“As a consequence, the interim order staying the execution of petitioners (Veerappan aides) passed on February 18 shall continue” until further orders, the bench also comprising justices A R Dave and Vikramajit Sen said.

The bench noted that the subject matter of the petition was relating to the right of the death row convicts to get their sentence commuted to life imprisonment on account of delay of execution of their death sentence.

“This is the main question involved when this matter was taken by us. It was brought to our notice that other writ petitions involving the same issue were heard by a bench of two judges in which senior advocates Ram Jethmalani and T.R. Andhyarujina were requested as amicus curiae,” the bench said.

Veerappan’s elder brother Gnanaprakash and his aides Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran were awarded death sentence in 2004 in connection with a landmine blast at Palar in Karnataka in 1993 in which 22 police personnel were killed.

Their mercy petition was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 13 and they are presently lodged in a jail in Belgaum in Karnataka.

A TADA court in Mysore had in 2001 sentenced them to life term which was enhanced to death sentence by the apex court.

Gang leader Veerappan was killed in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu Police in October 2004. — PTI 

3 sisters raped, killed, dumped in well

Bhandara (Maharashtra): Even before India could come over the pain and anger caused by the horrific Delhi gang-rape incident, another shocker — three sisters raped, killed and their bodies were dumped in a well.

The numbing atrocity on poor hapless girls occurred in Bhandara district of Maharashtra. The girls, aged 11, 8, and 6, went missing on February 14 after they did not return home from school.

Two days later their bodies were found in a well near Murmadi village in Lakhani town of Bhandara district. The well is near a farmhouse and a dhaba, about half a kilometre from the village. Their tiny slippers were found next to empty liquor bottles.

Some reports suggest that the fatherless girls – mother works as a domestic help and was away from home - driven by hunger had gone out to look for food and fell into a trap.

Inspector General (IG) of Police, Nagpur Range, Rajendra Singh, said, “The findings of the post-mortem report suggested that there was sexual assault on all three girls. But the report is not clear on how they were killed.”

The savagery meted out to the girls has led to huge protests in the region. 

$50 mn diamond heist in Brussels

Brussels: They arrived at Brussels Airport armed with automatic weapons and dressed in police uniforms aboard two vehicles equipped with blue police lights. But their most important weapon was information: the eight hooded gangsters who on Monday evening seized diamonds worth tens of millions of dollars from a passenger plane preparing to depart for Switzerland knew exactly when to strike — just 18 minutes before takeoff.

Brussels Airport security staff place barriers along a fence after thieves reportedly made off with millions of dollars worth of diamonds. Forcing their way through the airport’s perimeter fence, the thieves raced, police lights flashing, to Flight LX789, which had just been loaded with diamonds from a Brink’s armored van from Antwerp, Belgium, and was getting ready for an 8:05 p.m. departure for Zurich.

“There is a gap of only a few minutes” between the loading of valuable cargo and the moment the plane starts to move, said Caroline De Wolf, a spokeswoman for the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, an industry body that promotes the diamond business in Belgium. “The people who did this knew there was going to be this gap and when.”