CHENNAI: A woman passenger was killed and 11 others were injured, two of them grievously, when two bombs went off today in quick succession in two coaches of the Guwahati-Bangalore Express at the Chennai Central railway station, the main railway hub here.

Southern Railway General Manager Rakesh Mishra told reporters that the minor intensity blasts took place at around 7:45 AM in S-4 and S-5 sleeper coaches after the train arrived at the platform number 9.

One woman was killed and two others were injured grievously. The woman passenger travelling from Bangalore to Vijayawada died. She was identified as 22-year-old Swati, who was slated to go further to Guntur.

Seven persons received minor injuries, Mishra said. The injured were taken to the government-run Rajiv Gandhi general hospital across the road.

Bomb disposal squad and dog squad have been pressed into action. Mishra said the police was investigating the nature of the blast and those who could be behind it.

The Railway Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to the family of dead woman, Rs 25,000 for grievously injured and Rs 5,000 for those with minor injureis.

Mishra said the grievous injuries of the two persons were not life threatening. He said the whole train was being searched and it may be allowed to carry on with its onward journey.

Soon after the explosion, security personnel cordoned off the platform number 9 but the movement of other trains from and to Chennai Central has not been affected.

Police have mounted a massive search operation in all the trains following the incident. Mishra said the train had a brief 10 minute halt at the Central Railway station ahead of its ownward journey.

Police said they were probing the cause of explosion and device used for it. The Railway has started a help line 044-25357398 to render assistance to relatives of passengers. - PTI

CHENNAI: Security has been stepped up at airports, railway stations, bus-terminals and key installations in the state, including the Kalapakkam Atomic Power Plant here, in the wake of the bomb blasts on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express.

Police said security has been beefed up at the airports, railway stations, bus stations and other vulnerable areas.

"As you know Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI) and Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) are already under security blanket, we have told our security personnel to increase security", BHAVINI Project Director Prabhat Kumar told PTI.

Reports of security personnel subjecting trains to intensive checks resulting in delay in running of trains have come in from various parts of the state.

Authorities have also enhanced security cover at the strong rooms where Electronic Voting Machines that stored votes polled in 39 Lok Sabha constituencies on April 24, have been placed. - PTI

CHENNAI: DMK president M. Karunanidhi Thursday condemned the twin bomb blasts on a train here and said the incident could have been prevented had only the state government taken proper action after the arrest of a Sri Lankan with links to Pakistan's ISI.

In a statement issued here, Karunanidhi said as no proper follow-up action was taken after the arrest of Mohammed Zakir Hussain two days back by the police and the lack of guidance to police has resulted in the bomb blasts.

Tamil Nadu Police arrested Hussain, a Sri Lankan alleged to have links with ISI, on charges of plotting to damage vital installations in the state.

Karunanidhi urged the police to take appropriate action along with the intelligence department to find out what the plans of terrorists.

Two low intensity bombs exploded in two coaches of Bangalore-Guwahati train at a station here, killing one young woman and injuring 14. - IANS

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Arun Jaitley today questioned the Election Commission's order for registration of an FIR against Narendra Modi and said it acted in "haste and anger" and the interpretation given by it may fall foul of Constitutional provisions.

Jaitley said the poll body has missed out the larger vision as the meaning of criminal law cannot be stretched out and definition of polling area be defined as Modi was not inside the polling station while giving a media byte after voting like other leaders elsewhere in the country.

"When Constitutional institutions react in haste and even anger, they miss out the larger vision. Criminal law provisions are to be strictly construed. Their meaning can't be stretched out.

"A public meeting is a public meeting; the media byte is not a public meeting. If media is to be prosecuted for displaying comments of politicians on a voting day such a provision will fall foul of constitutional guarantee of free speech since it is not covered by the prescribed restrictions under Article 19 (2)," Jaitley said in an article on his blog.

Citing examples of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and other leaders who spoke to media after casting their vote, the BJP leader said, "I am only illustrating that an interpretation being given by the EC may fall foul." He said Article 324 of the Constitution is a reservoir of residuary jurisdiction and it cannot impact areas occupied by law. "It cannot dilute the import and content of the right to free speech," he said.

On defining the polling area, Jaitley said if the whole country is a polling area as scattered and phased elections are on in several parts of India, the political rallies and their reportage by media when polling is going on in some other parts of the country, would attract penal consequences.

He said the EC's order makes it appear that the entire country could be a polling area since the media comment could be seen in every part of the country.

Jaitley said every time senior politicians cast their vote, a large number of media persons assemble outside the polling station and they freely interact with media by making short comments and that is precisely what Modi did.

"He was not expected to be rude enough and give the media no comments," he said. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi should send an apology to the Election Commission after being "caught on the wrong foot" by the poll panel, Finance Minister P Chidambarm said today.

"When someone is caught on the wrong foot, the honorable thing is to send an apology. Mody was caught on the wrong foot yesterday," Chidambaram said addressing a press conference here at the AICC headquarters.

The Congress leader dismissed Modi's suggestion that there was a political conspiracy behind the registration of FIR against him by the Gujarat administration.

"I wonder how many complaints the BJP has made against other parties including Congress. If all these were political conspiracies, then this also is a political conspiracy," he said, adding that "These are political statements after being caught on the wrong foot." Modi had last night suggested the FIR was a political conspiracy of the Congress by saying that it showed how shaken the Congress is.

Addressing a campaign rally at Tirupati, Modi had said he has not committed any offence that warranted an FIR and that he only showed a lotus badge to people. Lotus is the symbol of BJP.

Stoking a huge controversy yesterday, Modi displayed the BJP symbol and made a speech in a polling booth in Gandhinagar in violation of electoral laws following which police filed an FIR against him.

The police action came after the Election Commission took serious note of the Gujarat Chief Minister's violation of the electoral laws, under which no person can display any election matter or address a meeting in a polling booth on the day of election, and ordered filing of an FIR against Modi. - PTI 

WASHINGTON: The US has ruled out any mediation on the Kashmir issue as long as India rejects such a proposal and asked Pakistan to avoid employing militancy as an instrument of state policy.

"As long as India rejects any actual medication there's not much we can do in that regard specifically," Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins told state-run Pakistani Television (PTV).

"India has consistently rejected any third party mediation and argued that this is an issue that needs to be negotiated directly and without the participation of any third party. So they've rejected mediation," said Dobbins, who was recently on a visit to Pakistan.

"I think as long as they reject mediation, there is only a limited amount that the US or any other party can do. We certainly in our dialogue with Pakistan and India encourage improved relations, encourage improved trade relations, encourage improved dialogue on strategy and military issues, and we certainly encourage dialogue and negotiation on the territorial issues that separate the two countries," he said.

Echoing India's concerns over cross-border terrorism, he said India certainly is concerned about cross-border militancy and terrorist attacks that have been conducted in India which they believe had their origin on Pakistani territory.

"I think as is the case with Afghanistan, this is something that's in everybody's interest. I think all of the states of the region need to avoid employing militancy as an instrument of policy," he said.

"That this has been a long-term strategy which has created a cancer in societies and particularly in Pakistani society which is now threatening of the actual existence of the state and of its democratic institutions," he said.

"So it's in the interest not just of Pakistan, but of Pakistan and all of its neighbors to move away from that approach to diplomacy and to geopolitical strategy, and to avoid employing these kinds of instruments and, as I've said, move toward the elimination of violent extremism in Pakistan and around Pakistan and all of the neighboring societies," Dobbins said.

Referring to the on-going Lok Sabha elections, Dobbins said India will have a new government soon.

"It will be a new opportunity. Pakistan now has a government that still has a long life in it with a clear political mandate," he said.

"I think two governments with clear political mandates and a long future in each case offer an opportunity for both governments to take some of the risks and the political costs that are always inherent in any real opportunity to overcome differences. The US will certainly use its influence to encourage both sides to take those risks," he said. - PTI 

WASHINGTON: The desire of the Obama Administration to start its relationship with the new Indian government after the general elections on a positive note is believed to have been one of the major reasons for the US Trade Representatives not putting India on its punitive Priority Foreign Country list.

This was despite intense pressure and lobbying efforts in this regard by a section of the influential American businesses.

By taking such a decision, it is understood that the long-term strategic relationship with India, which US President Barack Obama has described as the defining partnership of the 21st century, prevailed over the short-term goal of addressing the issues of alleged violation of intellectual property rights inside India and Indian policies with regard to pharma sector, which has angered the strong American pharma lobby and a section of the US lawmakers.

For not naming India as a Foreign Priority Country, the Obama Administration is expected to receive a lot of flak from the pharma sector and also at the Hill.

US Trade Representative (USTR) Mike Froman is scheduled to testify on the Hill tomorrow, wherein he is expected to defend the Administration's decision on this issue.

In a statement, the USTR said in the coming months, it will redouble its efforts to seek opportunities for meaningful, sustained, and effective engagement on IP-related matters with the "new government", including at senior levels, the report said.

"India remains on the Priority Watch List in 2014. In making this determination, the US recognises not only the concerns..., but also the critical role that meaningful, constructive, and effective engagement between India and the U S should play in resolving these concerns," US Trade Representative said in the 2014 Special 301 report.

It is learnt that Froman, on taking such a decision, argued that the Administration would like to make sure that whoever the new government is can be engaged in a constructive manner.

Putting India at this point of time in the middle of elections, and weeks ahead of formation of the new government, would not serve any purpose and in fact would have an adverse impact on establishing a positive and constructive relationship with the new leadership in New Delhi, it was argued.

From day one of the Obama Administration, Froman - in his previous capacity as the Deputy National Security Advisor - has been a strong advocate of India US strategic relationship and has played a key role in the shaping the economic ties between the two countries in the last five year, during which the bilateral trade has increased significantly.

The USTR also clarified that the out of review cycle is not "revisiting" India as a Priority Foreign Country or a short-term arrangement, neither an effort to continue the pressure building tactics for the new government in India.

This is to "evaluate the nature and depth" of the India US relationship, Froman is believed to have argued while taking such a decision.

The out of cycle review is expected to be completed in the Fall.

While the USTR report makes it clear that the American concerns about certain Indian policies remain, but its decision was driven by the consideration that it should not create difficulties for new government.

Declaring India as a Priority Foreign Country, it was felt, would have a "negative and adverse" impact on the relationship with the new government, which is not the objective of the United States, it was argued.

As the USTR was going through its motion of Special 301 Review, the Indian Embassy is understood to have conveyed to its counterparts in the US Government on the negative impact that such a decision would have on India-US ties.

The new Indian Ambassador to India, S Jaishankar, is believed to have met Froman several time in the past few months.

In fact, Froman called Jaishankar today to inform him about the US decision before it was made public.

In the past few months, Jaishankar is believed to have had a series of meetings with lawmakers, who had raised the issue in the past, and also with representatives of the American businesses, in particular those from the pharma sector and IPR.

In all these meetings, the Indian diplomat is understood to have articulated that putting India on the list of Priority Foreign Country was not in the best interest.

This might also result in retaliatory steps from India, he is understood to have cautioned.

He is believed to have said that going public with its differences rather than attempting it to resolve quietly through sitting across the table, is not the best way to address differences with a strategic country like India. - PTI