tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Tuesday, January 26, 1999
weather today's calendar

Christians complain to SC
NEW DELHI, Jan 25 (UNI) — The Christian community today complained to the Supreme Court that given the "communal agenda" of the leading members of the central government, the community can never be secure and sought its intervention. "Asking the government to provide it (the community) security, we realise, is futile. Various requests, appeals and memoranda to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister and chief ministers have merely ended in assurances. Given the real communal agenda of the leading members of the present coalition government at the Centre, the community can never be secure,’’ a memorandum addressed to the Chief Justice of India by the group, Concerned Christians Citizens, said. The memorandum appealed to the Chief Justice to order the government to grant security to the community in accordance with the Constitution so that Christians could live as citizens, in security, safety and dignity.

IAS officer shot dead in Imphal
IMPHAL, Jan 25 (PTI) — Two assailants shot dead the Manipur Tourism Director Dasarath Prasad at his office here today, official sources said. Two gunmen entered Prasad’s office, opposite the D M College of Science, and shot him dead at point-blank range. An Assistant Director of the Tourism Department, who was present in Prasad’s room, had a narrow escape as the gunmen missed the first shot when he resisted them. The motive behind the killing was not yet known.

HC rejects pleas
NEW DELHI, Jan 25 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today dismissed two petitions seeking an independent probe into the award of contract to a consortium of Enron Oil and Gas India Limited, Reliance Industries Limited and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in 1994 and its cancellation. "We have not found any deficiency or discrepancy in the status report submitted by the CBI so as to direct an independent investigation either by the Central Vigilance Commission or by any other authority", a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Mr Justice K.S. Gupta said.

Directive to CBSE
NEW DELHI, Jan 25 (TNS) — The Delhi High Court today asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to show the answer sheets to students, if required, as they were not "sensitive documents." A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Y.K.Sabharwal and Justice K.S.Gupta, observed that "showing of answer sheets would not cause any security threat to the country and the CBSE should be more tranparent in its evaluation policy."

Revolt in RJD
PATNA, Jan 25 (PTI) — Office-bearers of the RJD’s State Youth Committee today expressed resentment against the party’s national president, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav’s announcement dissolving the Youth Committee and challenged Mr Yadav to prove the allegations against the youth wing. The vice-president and general secretary of the dissolved committee, Mr Dhananjay Kumar Raju and Mr Ajay Kumar, said in a joint press statement that the RJD president should make public the charges of corruption levelled by him (Laloo Yadav) against the party’s youth leaders.

Swell dead
NEW DELHI, Jan 25 (PTI) — President K.R. Narayanan has condoled the death of former Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker G.G. Swell and said with his passing away the North-East had lost its most vocal advocate, Mr Swell died in Shillong today. "I had a good fortune of knowing Mr Swell well and being associated with him. In his death, I have lost a personal friend, the country a noble son who strove relentlessly for the welfare of the people and the North-East its most vocal advocate," Narayanan said in a message. Mr Swell, who also served as India's Ambassador to Norway and Myanmar, died in Shillong today.

19 massacred
PATNA, Jan 25 (PTI) — Nineteen persons, belonging mostly to backward class, were gunned down by suspected activists of the banned Ranvir Sena at Shankarbigha village in Bihar's extremist-hit Jehanabad district late tonight, the police said. Nearly 11 people received grievous injuries in the attack by the private Army of landlords. Senior police and civil officials have rushed to the spot, further details are awaited.