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Hang all 6 culprits: Delhi rape victim’s mother
RS dispenses with question hour, discusses women’s issues
IPS officer Saji Mohan convicted
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DSP murder: CBI team visits Pratapgarh
Uproar in Odisha Assembly over
semi-nude protest at Posco site
Sportsmen-drug mafia nexus back in focus
AP taking tough measures to save girl child
In Gujarat, over 3 lakh children malnourished
M’rashtra losing cool as dams run dry
DRDO to test cruise missile this week
‘MNS not joining BJP-Sena-RPI alliance’
Cong’s strongman from Saurashtra Radadiya joins BJP
Janardhana Reddy sent to
CBI custody in fresh case
Be united, Rahul’s message to Uttarakhand partymen
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Hang all 6 culprits: Delhi rape victim’s mother
New Delhi, March 8 “We may get any number of awards or help. But the only thing that will give us succour is the hanging of all the six men who tormented my daughter and killed her. None of them should be spared. “The 17-and-a-half-year-old boy who assaulted my daughter is not a child. He participated in a crime as heinous as the one my daughter endured. He can’t be a child. He must be hanged with the others,” she said when The Tribune caught up with her after President Pranab Mukherjee had presented her with the Stree Shakti Award that salutes the bravery of her daughter. Present on the occasion was the whole family of the rape victim. They all appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee to use his exceptional powers to ensure all the six accused in the Delhi gang rape case get capital punishment. “We wanted to meet the President and tell him this personally. Our appeal is to hang all the six men. What is the point of trying the sixth accused separately on the grounds that he is a juvenile? He is no juvenile. If they are all not hanged, there will be mass protests and this time, we will be part of those protests,” brothers of the Delhi rape victim told The Tribune. Unfortunately, the family could not meet the President, thanks to protocol issues. But they said their appeal stands and they were hoping for justice to be done. “If need be, laws must be changed. Laws must respond to the changing times and circumstances. My daughter died because of the criminal acts of six men. You cannot allow one to escape the gallows saying he’s a child. My eyes will sleep and my heart will rest only on the day I see all the six hanging with my own eyes,” father of the Delhi victim said, associating himself with the sentiments of his wife. The family is expected to fly shortly to the US to collect the honour US First Lady Michelle Obama will present to the spirit of their daughter. “We got calls from the US Embassy and we told them that we have the passports,” the brother of the Delhi rape victim said. When asked what her message to the women of the country was on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the mother of Delhi’s braveheart said, “Keep your eyes and ears open. Be on the guard. I pray no one has to suffer the fate of my daughter. My request to the government is - make the country safer for women to move out, lead their life.” Earlier, when she was called out to the stage to collect the award, she was in tears and could not hold herself back. The President bowed to her when he presented the award. OTHER AWARDEES Stree Shakti awards were also presented to Praneeta Talukdar (Assam), Guramma Senkina (Karnataka), Omna TK (Kerala) and Olga D’ Mello (Maharashtra). Instituted in 1999 and managed by the Women and Child Development Ministry, the awards acknowledge the efforts of those who make a difference to the cause of women
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RS dispenses with question hour, discusses women’s issues
New Delhi, March 8 The Bill, which is pending in the Lok Sabha, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010. As Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari dispensed with the question hour and allowed members to make brief statements on the occasion of International Women's Day, members, particularly the women members, rose to voice concern for the safety of women. "Today, women have made remarkable progress in economic, political and social spheres, but gender equality remains a distant dream. On this occasion, let us rededicate ourselves collectively towards the cherished goal of women's empowerment," Ansari said. Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan said a true International Women's Day celebration would be when women felt safe and secure in the country. "The true celebrations will be if we are able to change the mindset of people and ensure security and safety of women. What is the use of such celebrations? We deliver lofty speeches here and the next day, read about rape and torture of women," said Bachchan. Rajni Patel of the Congress said that Parliament should pass the Women's Reservation Bill as early as possible. "The Women Reservation Bill has been pending in Parliament and it should be passed so that women get equal representation and have a say in all laws made in the country," she said.
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IPS officer Saji Mohan convicted
Chandigarh, March 8 Three other co-accused in the case, including former Superintendent of NCB, have also been also convicted while one accused PSO of Saji Mohan has been acquitted of all charges. The court convicted Saji Mohan under Sections 21c and 29 of the NDPS Act for sale of heroin. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on March 11. The court has, however, acquitted Saji Mohan under Section 59 (1) and 59 (2) of the NDPS Act for want of prior sanction. Other accused in the case who have been convicted under Sections of NDPS Act include the then NCB Superintendent Balwinder Kumar, Saji’s then PSO Naveen Kumar and a drug peddler Naseeb Chand. A Jammu and Kashmir constable, Devinder Pal Singh, is the only one out of the five accused to have been acquitted of all the charges. The case of drug pilferage was registered against then NCB Director Saji Mohan and four others on March 14, 2009 after inputs were received by NCB Chandigarh from the ATS Mumbai that Saji pilfered drugs during his tenure here. According to the case, Saji Mohan manipulated the contraband seized from various places in Punjab and Jammu during his tenure. Slaked lime was added to the contraband to enhance its quantity. According to the prosecution, Saji Mohan, along with four others, pilfered heroin from 13 unclaimed seizures, which was stored in the storeroom of NCB headquarters in Sector 2, in August 2009.
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DSP murder: CBI team visits Pratapgarh
Lucknow, March 8 CBI sources said the team, led by DIG Anurag Garg, met an IG-level officer of the state police and also visited the local police station in Balipur village in Kunda in the district to understand correct sequence of events on the night of violence on Saturday in which DSP Zia-ul-Haq, village head Nanhe Yadav and his brother Suresh were killed. After spending considerable time in Balipur, the CBI team returned to Kunda where they interrogated state policemen trying to establish the sequence of events. They also visited the building of the nagar panchayat. District panchayat chairman Gulshan Yadav is also one of the accused in the murder. Forensic experts were part of the CBI team. The CBI had yesterday registered four FIRs relating to the killings and the violence. Raja Bhaiya, along with his four associates, have been booked under the IPC sections relating to murder and criminal conspiracy in the killing of Haq on the basis of allegations levelled by the slain officer's wife. Meanwhile, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs RPN Singh along with UPCC president Nirmal Khatri and a delegation of Congress leaders visited Juafar village in Deoria today to offer condolences to the bereaved family of the
DSP.
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Uproar in Odisha Assembly over
semi-nude protest at Posco site
Bhubaneswar, March 8 Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout told the Assembly that it was unfortunate that some women stripped while protesting against work in the Posco site yesterday. He regretted that some political parties and NGOs were supporting such agitation without understanding the ground reality. Rout, who also holds small and medium enterprises portfolio, hails from Posco's proposed plant site in Jagatsinghpur district and has been an MLA for about 20 years. He told PTI outside the Assembly, "Innocent women were instigated by certain vested interest groups to strip during the protest yesterday." Rout held five political parties the CPI, the CPM, the Forward Bloc, the RJD and the Samajwadi Party responsible for the anti-Posco agitation since 2005. "The government is acquiring its own land in illegal possession of certain villagers and not an inch of private land is being acquired," he pointed out. When contacted, Jagatsinghpur Collector SK Mallick said that some mischief-mongers were behind the incident, but the women were chased away before they could stage nude protest. Police sources in Jagatsinghpur district said a handful of elderly women while being chased away from the prohibited area tried to disrobe in public. While Posco heat was felt inside the Assembly, a report from Paradip said there was no activity at the plant site. Neither was there land acquisition, nor protesters staged any demonstration, official sources said. — PTI
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Sportsmen-drug mafia nexus back in focus
Patiala, March 8 The investigating agency in the case has two vital points to probe — how Vijender’s car reached Zirakpur when he claims that he had parked it at NIS, Patiala, and the mobile tower locations of the person who dropped this car and was in touch with the main accused NRI Anup Singh Kahlon. “We are probing the entire link of sportsmen with the drug lords as not many can afford a lifestyle such as this to afford such an expensive contraband,” said a senior police officer. “The mobile records of the accused and the suspect will also be closely monitored,” they stated. A senior police officer said: “A police team will soon visit the NIS and try to get the details as to how the vehicle registered in the name of Vijender’s wife reached the spot from where we recovered a huge haul of drugs and the arrested accused named the boxer.” A player at the NIS confirmed that ever since Vijender’s financial situation got better, his connections at the top were always a fascination for various others. “He was always hanging around with two fellow campers and they were often seen in his car, even when he was not around,” he stated. In February last year, the Fatehgarh Sahib police had arrested members of a gang identified by the name of ‘Fortuner gang’ allegedly involved in numerous robberies in parts of Punjab by identifying their victims on the basis of luxury vehicles and later using these vehicles to rob traders in numerous parts of the state at gun point. The police had arrested five members of the gang, majority of who were national-level sportspersons, including an Asian Games
medalist.
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AP taking tough measures to save girl child
Hyderabad, March 8
Speaking at a function here on the occasion of Women's Day, she said the nature's balance would be disturbed if the girl child was not protected.
The government was taking tough measures to curb female infanticide, she said.
Meanwhile, rallies, seminars and various other programmes were organised across the state to mark Women's Day. State Home Minister P Sabita Reddy participated in an event organised by the Youth Congress here.
Observing that TDP took several measures for the benefit of women when in power, party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu said tough action is needed to control growing crimes against
women.— PTI
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In Gujarat, over 3 lakh children malnourished
Gandhinagar, March 8 Tribal district of Panchmahal in central Gujarat has the highest number of 69,961 malnourished children, while Vadodara, which has a sizable tribal population, has 6,676 children in the extremely malnourished category, she said in a written reply. In Ahmedabad district, ten talukas in rural areas have 31,966 malnourished children and 2,314 extremely malnourished children. Daskroi taluka has the highest number of malnourished children in the district at 5,336. In central Gujarat, Vadodara has 65,723 malnourished children while figures for Kheda and Anand are 36,291 and 24,273 respectively.
In south Gujarat, the number of malnourished children is 36,968 in Bharuch, while in coastal Valsad, it is 27,330. In Tapi and Navsari, it is 18,170 and 13,472 respectively. Junagadh in Saurashtra has 22,016 malnourished children, the House was informed.
Bharuch (3,167) and Navsari (3,862) have recorded high number of extremely malnourished children. To a question on steps being taken by the state government, Vasava said under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), children between six months and three years are provided food, while girls, pregnant women and children between 3 and 6 years are provided food for 300 days a year. —PTI
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M’rashtra losing cool as dams run dry
Mumbai, March 8 Maharashtra Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal warned his men to be prepared for volatile situations in the state over the coming days. The circular came days after the Police Commissioner of Aurangabad put his entire force on alert as water sources in the entire district ran dry. According to information available from the Marathwada region, the worst hit by drought, villagers at several places have been squabbling over sharing of water from tankers provided by the state government. All 11 dams in the region are running almost dry and only 9 per cent of their capacity is available as of now. “Water level is zero in some of the dams and Jaikwadi, the biggest dam, has just 3 per cent water,” a district official said. The water availability at the same time during the last year was around 30 per cent, according to official data. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government is looking at various options to supply water to the drought-hit areas of the state. Apart from negotiating for water from neighbouring Karnataka, it is preparing to send water by railway tankers to different parts of the state. Officials say the Railways has agreed to provide several rakes for transportation of water to interior Maharashtra during summer months.
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DRDO to test cruise missile this week
Chandigarh, March 8 Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and DRDO Director General Dr VK Saraswat told The Tribune here today that Nirbhay is a long-range, subsonic cruise missile. Though he declined to disclose the missile’s actual range, he said it was comparable to the US Tomahawk cruise missile, various versions of which have a reach of 1,300-2,500 km. With the capability of being launched from land, sea and air, Nirbhay would give the armed forces the ability to carry out precision strikes on high-value targets over distances that are beyond the reach of other missiles like the BrahMos or Prahaar. Unlike a ballistic missile which travels along a straight pre-determined flight-path that cannot be altered once it is launched, a cruise missile can be guided during the entire duration of flight and can change is altitude and path. The development of Nirbhay been under way for over six years, though not much has been revealed about its technical specifications and performance parameters. According to reports, it was slated to be test-launched in August last year, which was then postponed to December 2012, which also did not happen. Then in January, the DRDO chief had announced that the missile would be tested in February. Dr Saraswat also said the DRDO was working on an enhanced performance version of the recently test-launched 5,000-km range Agni-V ballistic missile that would carry multiple warheads. Called multiple independent re-entry vehicles (MIRV), each warhead would be capable of being programmed to independently hit different targets separated by long distances after being launched from a single missile. “We are in the technology development phase for MIRVs,” Dr Saraswat said. “We expect to conduct a demonstration flight for MIRVs by the end of 2014 and such a missile would be a huge force multiplier,” he added. The DRDO chief said two more test launches of Agni-V are scheduled to be held before the missile is operationalised. The missile was first test-fired in April 2012 and is rail and road mobile.
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‘MNS not joining BJP-Sena-RPI alliance’
Mumbai, March 8 However, he said the BJP feels that the MNS ought to be part of the grand-alliance, adding that senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde had said on earlier occasions that the MNS should be part of the alliance. —
PTI
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Cong’s strongman from Saurashtra Radadiya joins BJP
Ahmedabad, March 8 Considering the importance of Radadiya’s defection to the BJP, Chief Minister Narendra Modi personally welcomed the new entrants in the party at a function organised at the Radadiya home town of Dhoraji in Porbandar district where several of his supporters and office-bearers of the local Congress units also accepted the saffron scarf. Unhappy over the Congress high command denying him the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly in preference to the former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela, Radadiya, the once strong supporter of Vaghela, had resigned from the state Assembly along with his son, Jayesh, and had made their intentions clear to cross over to the BJP. Radadiyas had held prolonged negotiations with Modi before joining the BJP and it was learnt that the CM had promised to induct Jayesh in the state Cabinet if he was re-elected to the state Assembly in byelections from either Dhoraji, which was held by his father, or Jetpur from where he himself was elected in the December elections. For the elder Radadiya, Modi had promised to give him the party ticket to contest for the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat in the coming parliamentary elections and to back him for a ministerial berth at the Centre if the NDA was voted back to power. Vithhal Radadiya was a Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Porbandar before he quit the post to stay on in the state Assembly and also hold strong influence in the co-operative bodies in the Saurashtra region besides being the chairman of the all-powerful the Rajkot district cooperative bank. After joining the BJP, Radadiya said he quit the Congress because of the “injustices” meted out to him by the party leadership in the state and in Delhi and promised to “completely root out” the Congress from the Saurashtra region. Modi, while welcoming Radadiya, said his joining would further strengthen the BJP in the Saurashtra region particularly when the people in the region were “totally fed up” with the UPA government’s “anti-farmers policies”. Among those to join the BJP with Radadiyas were the Congress Rajkot district unit president Gordhan Dhameliya, Rajkot district co-operative dairy chairman Govind Ranparia, the Congress presidents of the Dhoraji, Gondal and Jetpur units and hundreds of other Congress workers and supporters. First elected as an Independent to the state Assembly from Dhoraji in 1990, the senior Radadiya had later joined the BJP under the leadership of Vaghela then and had quit the BJP to stay on in the Vaghela’s Rashtriya Janata Party and had come over to the Congress when the RJP merged with it in the late nineties.
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Janardhana Reddy sent to
CBI custody in fresh case
Bangalore, March 8 The case against them is known as the Belekeri port scam. It relates to 3.5 million tons of confiscated iron ore that was being exported illegally from Belekeri port near Karwar in Karnataka. It was later found that about 50 lakh tons of the confiscated ore had been surreptitiously exported from the port. The CBI special court in Bangalore had earlier issued a prisoner transit warrant enabling Reddy’s shifting to Bangalore from the Hyderabad central prison based on a request made by the CBI, Bangalore branch, which wanted him in connection with the case. Reddy, who was first arrested by the CBI in September 5, 2011, has been under incarceration for more than 18 months now. Barring a brief stay at the central prison in Bangalore in connection with a case, he was mostly in the Chanchalguda jail in
Hyderabad. Following his being made an accused in the Belekeri export scam, Reddy now will have to secure bail in four cases to come out of prison. He is already an accused in the case related to alleged illegal activities by the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), judges bribery case and the Associated Mining Company
(AMC) case. While the OMC case and the judges bribery case are registered in Hyderabad, the AMC case and the Belekeri case are being handled by the CBI unit in
Bangalore. Reddy today managed to talk briefly to reporters on the prison premises where the
court has been set up to hear the case. He blamed the Congress for booking him under a false case. He said the Congress wanted to scuttle every chance of former minister and BSR Congress leader Sriramulu emerging as a new leader with his help. He also added that the CBI should be renamed as the Congress Bureau of Investigation.
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Be united, Rahul’s message to Uttarakhand partymen Dehradun, March 8 He gave a clear message to the party and the state government that grassroot party workers ought to be given respect and preference with an aim to galvanise the party for the crucial 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi studied at Doon School here. After landing in the morning at Jollygrant Airport, Rahul Gandhi headed straight to a local hotel where he met party functionaries before lunch. It was a shock for senior party functionaries, including Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat, Congress general secretary in charge Birender Singh and state Congress president Yashpal Arya and party MP Satpal Maharaj when he asked them to leave the place as he wanted to interact one to one with the grassroot party workers from all over the state. A total of 11 groups from different districts of the state, including district presidents, block presidents, party legislators and former legislators and all those who fought state Assembly elections on the party ticket from each district, met him separately. Interestingly, each group was given nearly half an hour and party workers from the grassroot level gave vent to their feelings before Rahul Gandhi. From party infighting, lack of governance and being let down by senior party leaders and the state government during and after the state Assembly elections were some of the issues raised by party workers with Rahul Gandhi.
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Nearly three months after she lost her only daughter to a brutal sexual assault in a moving private bus in the capital, the mother of Delhi’s braveheart came out in the open for the first time today to seek justice for her daughter.
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shalini Nagpal today convicted 1995 batch IPS officer and former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chandigarh, Saji Mohan, in a case of drug pilferage.
Bhubaneswar, March 8
