RANCHI: Naxalites on Monday carried out multiple IED blasts in Jharkhand's Giridih district, injuring 12 security personnel who were on a search operation to trace four persons abducted by Maoists.

Preliminary information coming to the base headquarters here said close to seven Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts were carried out in Dolkata area of the district, when troops were out for the search operation.

"Four security personnel of the state police and eight of the paramilitary CRPF have been injured. The forces are now trying to send reinforcements," a senior official said.

The team that came under the attack comprise a joint squad of state polices' Jaguar team and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Jharkhand DGP Rajiv Kumar and top CRPF officers are camping in this area for launching the search operations.

Four persons were travelling in a car when the rebels intercepted their vehicle on Saturday evening near Navkania village situated in the foothills of Parasnath of this district and abducted them. — PTI

MNS workers vandalise toll booths in Maharashtra 

Mumbai/Thane: Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers today went on a rampage, vandalising toll plazas in different parts of the state following their leader's diktat not to pay the levy and "thrash" those who raise a voice against it.

The vandalism invited condemnation from the state's ruling Congress-NCP alliance and demand for action against MNS.

"Aadve aale tar tudvun kadha" (if anyone raises a voice, thrash them). Unless you are told why toll is being levied, no one will pay," Thackeray had exhorted his party workers at a function in Navi Mumbai last night.

Hours later, they were on streets, pulling down barriers and unleashing violence.

At least half-a-dozen toll booths were ransacked by MNS activists in Thane district, adjoining Mumbai, alone.

MNS legislator Pravin Darekar and at least 25 of his supporters were detained at Dahisar after party workers attacked a toll plaza.

Several toll booths in Kalyan township of the district were raided by MNS supporters led by local MLA Prakash Bhoir.

Cases have been registered in connection with the attacks.

State Congress president Manikrao Thakre denounced the incidents and said he had discussed the matter with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. The Chief Minister, he said, had assured him that police complaints would be filed and action taken against the perpetrators.

"But what about those who incited the violence? Legal action should also be taken against them," Thakre said without naming Raj.

Thakre said the decision to levy toll for using various roads and bridges was taken by the Shiv Sena-BJP government for projects taken up on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, he added.

Senior NCP leader and Union Minister Tariq Anwar also slammed Raj Thackeray for the incidents, saying, " he (Raj) has been adopting such tactics for cheap popularity. He should change his ways." 

MNS has been targeting the government for continuing to levy toll for use of roads and bridges whose cost has already been recovered without providing better amenities.

Meanwhile, reinforcements have been rushed to vulnerable toll plazas, the police said. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Expelled AAP MLA Vinod Kumar Binny today called off his dharna against the Arvind Kejriwal government after just four hours but threatened to launch a major stir if his demands, including passage of the Janlokpal bill, are not met in 10 days.

A day after he was thrown out of the Aam Admi Party, the rebel MLA said he will continue support to the government on "public-related" issues and was withdrawing his stir for now as Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Anna Hazare had suggested that "some days" should be given to the AAP government to fulfil promises made by it during the Delhi Assembly elections.

"If Kejriwal government fails to bring Anna's Janlokpal Bill in the given time, I would begin protest across the country," Binny told reporters at Jantar Mantar here.

He also demanded immediate setting up of 'Mahila Surksha Dal' and 700 litres of free water to residents along with reduction in electricity bills by upto half as Kejriwal promised during election.

"If AAP government fails to meet these three demands in the next ten days, I will begin country-wide agitation from February 6 next month," he said.

"I am not withdrawing my support from the AAP-led government. I am giving support to the government on the public-related issues," he added.

The MLA began his protest at Jantar Mantar at noon and called it off nearly four hours later.

Asked why he he was withdrawing his dharna on the first day, Binny told reporters that the LG and Hazare had suggested to him that "some days should be given to the AAP-led government so that he (Kejriwal) could work on public-related issues".

"Women security is the first priority of mine. Before forming the government, Kejriwal had said that he would form 'Mahila Suraksha Dal' to ensure women security in the Delhi, but he is running away from this promise," Binny alleged.

Earlier, launching a blistering attack on AAP, he accused Kejriwal of acting like a dictator. He met the Delhi Lt Governor to take up issues which have not been addressed by the Kejriwal government and demanded action against controversial Law Minister Somnath Bharti. — PTI 

No govt has achieved what AAP has in a month, says Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Reacting to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Vinod Kumar Binny's comment about the party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said they did not need to play politics to save the government, and that none of the governments have done as much work as their government has done in one month.

"We do not have to do the politics of saving the government and let him do what he has to," said Kejriwal.

"None of the governments have done as much work as our government has done in one month," he said.

He further said that he was aware that Delhi was still not safe for women.

"There are many challenges that we need to address to in the Capital right now, and I have already said it that Delhi is not secure, especially for women," he said.

Binny was expelled from AAP for making false statements against the party on Sunday, and he had threatened a dharna against Arvind Kejriwal. — ANI

Tata Motors MD's death: Police suspects suicide 

BANGKOK/MUMBAI: Karl Slym, Managing Director of India's Tata Motors Ltd, died after falling from a hotel room in Bangkok in what police said on Monday could be possible suicide.

Slym, 51, had attended a board meeting of Tata's Thailand unit in the Thai capital and was staying with his wife in a room on the 22nd floor of the Shangri-La hotel. Hotel staff found his body on Sunday on the fourth floor, which juts out above lower floors.

"We didn't find any sign of a struggle," Police Lieutenant Somyot Boonyakaew, who is heading the investigation, told Reuters.

"We found a window open. The window was very small so it was not possible that he would have slipped. He would have had to climb through the window to fall out because he was a big man. From my initial investigation, we believe he jumped."

The police found a three-page note, written in English, which they were translating into Thai. An autopsy on Slym's body should begin on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Tata Motors, India's biggest automaker, declined to comment on the possible cause of Slym's death. A company statement on Sunday said Slym had provided leadership in a challenging market environment.

Slym, a British national, was hired in 2012 to revive Tata's flagging sales and market share in India. Tata Motors is part of the Tata conglomerate.

"His death comes at a time when the company seems to be close to turning the corner," said Anil Sharma, an analyst with researchers IHS Automotive. "It comes before his efforts bear fruit. We should be able to see the results in a year or two."

Tata Motors recently introduced a new petrol engine for its passenger vehicles and was planning to launch a hatchback and compact sedan this year, the first all-new Tata-branded passenger vehicles since 2010.

Slym led the automaker's operations in India and international markets including South Korea, Thailand and South Africa, but he did not look after the Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) luxury unit that Tata Motors acquired in 2008.

The Thai police said they were called to the Shangri-La hotel around 7:45 am on Sunday after staff found Slym's body. They woke up Slym's wife, who looked shocked when she was told what had happened to her husband.

Tata Motors had lost traction in the Indian passenger vehicle market as domestic and foreign rivals rolled out new models while it mostly tweaked existing models and offered heavy price discounts.

The firm has not had a hit car at home since 1998. Sales of the Nano, the world's cheapest car which it unveiled in 2008, have been lacklustre.

Before joining Tatar Motors, Slym was executive vice president of SGMW Motors, China, a General Motors joint venture. Before that he had headed General Motors in India. — Reuters