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More heads roll in MP temple
tragedy
Phailin Fury
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Cong questions Madani’s love for Modi
Now, UIDAI moves SC on Aadhaar card
Gujarat Police takes Asaram Bapu to Ahmedabad, in Jodhpur on Monday. — PTI
Police gets CD on burials in Jammu ashram
ASI to pursue UP sadhu’s gold dream
Dreamliner’s panel falls off mid-air; DGCA probe on
Barrel of Bofors bursts during trials
3 days on, no water, power in Ganjam; offices shut
Notice to Sami for overstaying in India
Pantry car of Rajdhani Express catches fire
Co-operative societies don’t fall within ambit of RTI Act: SC
Was beaten up by Mulayam’s kin: Doctor Priyanka in politics? No, says Cong Quality, not quantity of proof needed for conviction, says SC
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More heads roll in MP temple
tragedy
Besides Collector Sanket Bhondwa and SP CS Solanki, the state government also suspended Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) BN Basave, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahip Tejasvi, three sub-inspectors, three head constables and 11 constables, official sources said. Those suspended include policemen posted at Atreta and Indergarh police stations of Datia and not Sevdha police station as reported earlier, sources said. The officials and police personnel were suspended after the state government took the nod of the Election Commission, as the state is bound by the model code of conduct after the announcement of Assembly polls scheduled for next month, they said. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took the decision after reviewing the situation at Datia along with Chief Secretary Antony JC DeSa, Director General of Police (DGP) Nandan Dube and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Intelligence, Sarabjeet Singh. Raghuraj MR has been posted as the new Collector of Datia and RK Marathe as SP. Meanwhile, the death toll in the tragedy remained at 115 today with no fresh casualties reported, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chambal Range, DK Arya said. The stampede, which also left over 100 injured, was triggered by rumours on October 13 that a river bridge on the Sindh leading to the temple that the devotees were crossing was about to collapse. Meanwhile, Congress leaders today came down heavily on the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh and claimed that more people had died in the stampede at Ratangarh temple in Datia district than the official figure. Addressing a Congress rally in Neemuch in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Congress leader and Union Minister of State for Power Jyotiraditya Scindia said that he visited Ratangarh yesterday and found that the number of victims was much more than the figure of 115 quoted by the state government. "The death toll figure of 115 for the Ratangarh tragedy which the state government is giving is totally fake. I have been to Ratangarh and found that between 300 and 400 persons have died there," he claimed. Scindia, who is also the chairman of Madhya Pradesh Congress poll campaign committee, said the tragedy was not the first of its kind in the state under the BJP rule. "In 2006, a similar incident had taken place in Ratangarh and such tragedies have been witnessed in Sehore, Dewas and Ashoknagar districts," he said. Senior Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi too claimed that "between 300-400 people had died at Ratangarh." The state government should be pushed out, he said. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh alleged the stampede had been caused due to corruption in police postings in the state. If a policeman pays money for his posting, he would try to earn back this money from the people, Digvijay said.
— PTI
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Phailin Fury Berhampore, October 15 Electricity poles and mobile towers had fallen during Saturday night's strong cyclonic winds, snapping power supply as well as Internet and telephone lines. Long queues are being witnessed at petrol pumps, which have resumed partial services since last evening. "There is absolutely no electricity for four days. The inverters are not working and there is no easy availability of diesel to run generator sets," Pramod Jena, a local resident, said. Even water from Municipal Corporation pipelines cannot be pumped and stored overhead as there is no power, he said. District Collector Krishan Kumar told PTI that work was on in "full swing" to repair power lines and operationalise sub-stations. "There is an electricity problem... we are working on it and partial restoration of services is expected in a day or two. This will ease many things," said Kumar, whose office is running on the power from a diesel genset. Bank branches and ATMs in the district are also closed as officials said the links to the main servers were down. However, local markets are beginning to show activity with essential items such as milk and vegetables being supplied in largely all areas of this district. "We are getting supplies of vegetables but the prices are high. Once goods start arriving from Bhubaneshwar and Andhra Pradesh, the prices would come down," Pavitra Kumar, a hotel owner said. Public transport like three-wheelers and buses are also running, although with reduced frequency, an official said.
— PTI
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New Delhi, October 15 The Central government, which dispatched teams to assess the damage, said due to Phailin the FCI godown at Jagannathpur, with foodgrain stocks of 13,888 tonnes, suffered partial damage. Besides, State Warehousing Corporation’s godown at Jagannathpur had also been damaged partially, it added. At Behrampur, three sheds of CWC godowns have been damaged. “The Centre has directed FCI officials to prepare a report damaged stocks and ensure quality of grains before issuing it for the PDS,” officials said. — TNS
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Cong questions Madani’s love for Modi
New Delhi, October 15 Meem Afzal, Congress' national spokesperson, trashed the remarks of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind chief Mehmood Madani as a joke and demanded their immediate withdrawal. Launching a scathing attack on Madani, who leads an organisation known to be the best crowd-puller among Muslims, Afzal said, "I wonder what the reason behind this newfound love between Madani and Modi could be." Maintaining that Madani's remarks were an insult to the entire Muslim community, the Congress spokesperson said it was foolhardy to imagine the community had no maturity of its own to sift the good from the bad. "What Madani has said is an utter misrepresentation of the factual position. I am surprised at such remarks from a man who has in the past praised the Congress for its secularism. Madani should desist from making such statements and should withdraw them immediately," Afzal said, causing a soft withdrawal of remarks by Madani who had yesterday said the Congress and some other parties (read the SP) were stoking fears of the BJP among the Muslims to attain electoral edge. Privately, Congress leaders said they were not perturbed by Madani's outburst even though he was leading an organisation of "some influence" among Muslims. The party said it believed the Muslims could decide what was best for them. When questioned on how the party was taking the support of an important Muslim leader for Modi, a senior leader said, "Muslims don't just detest the BJP. They hate it. “The two feelings are very different. While detestation can be worked upon, hatred can't be." A party leader also recalled how Kapil Sibal won his last Lok Sabha election by simply saying he would send Modi to jail. "Muslims will question people like Madani whose father was a Congress member," party sources said while insisting that they were not worried about Modi in any case.
WHAT MADANI SAID
Speaking at a Jaipur conference yesterday demanding reservation for Muslims, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind Chief head Mehmood Madani had said the Congress was creating fear of Narendra Modi to win Muslim voters in the 2014 elections. He said a country can't be divided or ruled based on a single religion and advised the Congress to work for the uplift of Muslims instead.
AFTER PC, SIBAL HITS OUT AT MODI
IT and Communications Minister Kapil Sibal today accused Narendra Modi of spreading misinformation in the cyber world.
The accusation came close on the heels of Finance Minister P Chidambaram questioning Modi's credentials especially his Gujarat development claims.
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Now, UIDAI moves SC on Aadhaar card
New Delhi, October 15 The UIDAI also contended that its order dated September 23, putting the onus on it to check that Aadhaar card should not be given to illegal immigrants, impinges on the jurisdiction of the appropriate authorities that are entrusted with the task of verifying citizenship. In an application before the Supreme Court, the UIDAI submitted that Aadhaar is stated to be a proof of identity and there are other agencies to perform the task of verifying citizenship and detecting illegal
immigrants. "UIDAI has been mandated to provide Aadhaar to resident of India as a matter of conscious policy decision of government. Aadhaar is upfront stated to be a proof of identity not citizenship. It may be mentioned the government has specific agencies to perform the task of verifying citizenship and detecting illegal immigrants," it said. "The interim order of the court in directing UIDAI to check the citizenship status of a person applying for Aadhaar and identifying illegal immigrants impinges on the jurisdiction of the appropriate authorities under law that are entrusted with this task," it said while pleading with the court to modify the interim order against which Centre and Oil PSUs have already approached the apex court.
— PTI
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Asaram in 5-day police remand
Ahmedabad, October 15 Asaram Bapu was brought to Ahmedabad under heavy security cover last evening from Jodhpur where he was in judicial custody on charge of another rape, that of a minor. He was produced in the Gandhinagar court today with the Ahmedabad police demanding a 14-day remand. But Magistrate VA Budh remanded him to police custody only till Saturday. The police wanted his custody for 14 days on various grounds, including the time required to reconstruct the crime situation, investigating and questioning him if similar crimes were committed with other women in the Asaram ashrams in various parts of Gujarat and the country, as well as if any other unlawful activities were going on in his ashram and other issues. As Asaram’s advocate opposed the demand claiming the issues forwarded by the police were all “imaginary,” the magistrate granted the police only five days remand “for the time being.” The Surat sessions court, meanwhile, postponed the hearing on the anticipatory bail of his son Narayan Sai till October 17 while the order on the anticipatory bails sought by his mother Laxmi and sister Bharati were also reserved till that day. The court, however, today granted further extension till Friday to the police remand of Mohit Bhojwani, a close associate of Narayan Sai while granting anticipatory bail to Dhruvi, a close associate of his mother and sister. The police claimed that it had received information about the alleged illegal activities in the Asaram ashram from Bhojwani who was arrested in Ahmedabad three days ago.
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Police gets CD on burials in Jammu ashram
Jammu, October 15 On the CD, Bhola Nand, a close aide of Asaram, is reportedly heard offering a youth from the nearby Bhagwati Nagar locality money to bury some skeletons of children in the ashram. The police has refused to comment on the recording. The Jammu High Court on Friday had directed the police to conduct a search on the ashram premises after Raj Singh Choudhary, a social worker, had filed a petition seeking a probe into a statement made by Bhola Nand on a news channel. On air, Bhola Nand had claimed that three bodies of children were buried in the Jammu ashram.
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ASI to pursue UP sadhu’s gold dream
Lucknow, October 15 An ASI team has reached Daundia Khera village in Unnao district, some 65 km from here, and would begin digging for the treasure from October 18, confirmed ASI state head PK Mishra. The treasure hunt started when Swami Shobhan Sarkar dreamt about it. According to his dream, the gold belongs to Unnao’s famous freedom fighter and 19th century taluqdar Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, who was hanged by the British after 1857. In the dream, the raja apparently told the mystic that he wanted his gold in government hands so that the country could recover from its economic crisis. Sarkar wrote to the Prime Minister, President, Archaeological Survey of India and many others about his dream of treasure buried in the 180-year-old temple but did not hear from anyone. It was Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industry Charan Das Mahant who believed him. Belonging to Chhattisgarh, Mahant had evidently heard about the gold from a priest of Kanpur. The minister visited the ruined fort twice on September 22 and October 7. He also convinced the ASI and the Geological Survey of India to visit the area. The ASI and GSI teams drilled two holes at the points indicated by the mystic. After drilling, they hit upon something at 20 metres. A full excavation will only establish what lies beneath the temple. The fort of Babu Rao Ram Bux Singh has been lying abandoned for years. He was a great freedom fighter of Biaswara, Unnao, who fought against the British. But ultimately his forces were defeated and he was caught at Varanasi and hanged to death in Daundia Khera on December 28, 1858.
Hunt for treasure begins
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Dreamliner’s panel falls off mid-air; DGCA probe on
New Delhi, October 15 There were 148 persons, including the crew, on board flight AI-803 which landed safely at the Bangalore airport, the sources said, adding that the hole was noticed by the ground staff when they came to inspect the aircraft for its return journey. A spare panel was flown to Bangalore and fitted on the Boeing 787, which was later declared fit to fly. But the return flight was delayed by over nine hours, they said. Confirming the incident, airline officials said a panel had fallen off but was replaced and the aircraft was cleared for flights. "Yes, there was a gaping hole. During the normal transit inspection, it was observed. Engineers immediately rectified it," an AI official said requesting anonymity. "It was not an emergency. There was no safety problem," he said. Besides long-haul international operations, Air India operates the Dreamliners on domestic routes like from Delhi to Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. The incident came in the wake of a series of problems faced by the new aircraft, starting with the battery fire incident that grounded all Dreamliners across the world for four months. In July again, a fire broke out in an empty aircraft that was parked at Heathrow.
— PTI
Gaping hole
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Barrel of Bofors bursts during trials
New Delhi, October 15 During the recent trials of the gun in Pokharan, the barrel of the gun burst when the Army was conducting the user trials for approving the gun for induction in the Army, sources said here. The OFB has now been asked to carry out a defect identification inquiry
(DII) by the Defence Ministry to ascertain the reasons behind the bursting of the barrel during the crucial trials, they said. The user trials are carried out by the Services for approving the product being tested for induction. The gun design, provided as part of technology transfer, has been gathering dust due to the taint associated with Bofors in the light of the payoffs scam.
— PTI
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3 days on, no water, power in Ganjam; offices shut
Berhampore (Ganjam), Oct 15 Electricity poles and mobile towers had fallen during Saturday night’s strong cyclonic winds, snapping power supply as well as Internet and telephone lines. Long queues are being witnessed at petrol pumps, which have resumed partial services since last evening. “There is absolutely no electricity for four days. The inverters are not working and there is no easy availability of diesel to run generator sets,” Pramod Jena, a local resident, said. Even water from Municipal Corporation pipelines cannot be pumped and stored overhead as there is no power, he said. District Collector Krishan Kumar said work was on in "full swing" to repair power lines and operationalise sub-stations. "There is an electricity problem... we are working on it and partial restoration of services is expected in a day or two. This will ease many things," said Kumar, whose office is running on the power from a diesel genset.
— PTI
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Notice to Sami for overstaying in India
Mumbai, October 15 The Foreigners Branch of the Mumbai police is probing the matter after it emerged during the divorce proceedings between him and his estranged wife Sabah Galadari that Sami’s visa had expired. While Sami said he was in the middle of renewing his visa, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena demanded that he be deported from India. In its notice, the police asked Sami to explain within a week why he should not be deported from the country. Police say, foreigners usually deposit a copy of their application for extending their visas while their case is under progress. The singer told reporters earlier this week that he was in the process of renewing his
visa. Sami, who has made a career for himself in Bollywood, has purchased flats in suburban Mumbai.
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Pantry car of Rajdhani Express catches fire
Guwahati, October 15 No one was injured in the fire, although 15 workers in the pantry car jumped to safety when the train stopped immediately after the incident, Northeast Frontier Railway Spokesman Subroto Lahiri said. The fire broke out at around 4.30 am in the pantry car and soon engulfed the whole bogie. Fire tenders and local people fought for two hours to douse the flames before the train was brought to Dharamtul station. After the burnt pantry car was detached, the train made its onward journey to New Delhi from Guwahati around noon, Lahiri said. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. Trains on the single line Guwahati-Lumding railway track were stopped for three hours till it was cleared at 8 am. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
— TNS
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Co-operative societies don’t fall within ambit of RTI Act: SC
New Delhi, October 15 A Bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and A K Sikri said mere supervision or regulation of a body by government would not make that body a public authority and quashed the Kerala High Court's order holding the circular valid. "Societies are, of course, subject to the control of the statutory authorities like Registrar, Joint Registrar, the Government, etc. but cannot be said that the state exercises any direct or indirect control over the affairs of the society which is deep and all pervasive,” the Bench
said. — PTI
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Aarushi’s body tampered with, says CBI Ghaziabad, October 15 “The scene of the crime had been heavily dressed up. The bed, on which Aarushi’s body was found, didn't have a single crease on it,” special CBI prosecutor RK Saini said. The CBI also argued that according to the service provider, Internet router activity was switched on and off on the night of crime, which shows that the “Talwars were awake and using Internet, and they knew about happenings in Aarushi’s room.” On the third day of the final arguments in the case, Saini said a spot of wetness was detected on the bed sheet on which Aarushi’s body was lying, which suggests that her private parts were also cleaned up. — PTI
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The Mumbai police today issued a notice to Pakistani singer Adnan Sami for overstaying in India after his visa expired last fortnight, sources said.
The Foreigners Branch of the Mumbai police is probing the matter after it emerged during the divorce proceedings between him and his estranged wife Sabah Galadari that Sami’s visa had expired. While Sami said he was in the middle of renewing his visa, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena demanded that he be deported from India.
Bhopal, October 15