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| Sunday,
December 31, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Security tightened in Capital NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — In the wake of the Red Fort shootout, the Delhi police has made elaborate security arrangements in the Capital to ensure that no untoward incident occurs during the New Year’s celebrations. Uttaranchal yet to get special status Mob stones cops, 80 arrested Rush forces to Tripura: MP Prasar Bharati CEO
given extension Tihar inmate dies in clashes |
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| Khurana, 2 party leaders detained NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — A Former Delhi Chief Minister and senior BJP MP, Mr Madan Lal Khurana and two other party leaders were today detained by the police for trying to prevent sealing of polluting industries by the enforcement squads in a East Delhi colony. 8-member spying gang chargesheeted Home Ministry year-ender PM’s holiday Councillor sits on dharna against
‘fake’ encounter
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Security
tightened in Capital NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — In the wake of the Red Fort
shootout, the Delhi police has made elaborate security arrangements in
the Capital to ensure that no untoward incident occurs during the New
Year’s celebrations. Special emphasis has been placed on the security around vital installations, crowded market places and other sensitive areas, top police officials said. With a large number of revellers anticipated to gather at the Connaught Place and India Gate areas, special traffic and security arrangements have been made there. Even as security personnel are maintaining a strict vigil on all exit and entry points including railway stations and the inter-state bus terminus, the Delhi police has advised denizens to inform the police control room immediately if they come across any suspicious persons or objects. The police has also advised motorists to avoid drunken driving and carry their licences and vehicle documents to avoid inconvenience. The 55,000-strong force of the Delhi police will be on duty during the celebrations of the New Year’s Eve. Leave of all police officials has been cancelled. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Ajai Raj Sharma, who was on leave for December 31, joined duty yesterday. According to police sources, spotters have been called from Jammu and Kashmir to merge with revellers on the New Year’s Eve in Connaught Place to identify militants who may plan to strike at this time. All high-rise buildings in Connaught Place and other areas of the Capital have been ordered closed. The spotters, who are generally called to help in preparations for the Republic Day, have a special task to perform during the New Year’s Eve celebrations this year. The spotters will be in constant touch with the local police to intimate them of any suspicious persons. |
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Uttaranchal yet to get special status DEHRA DUN: The Uttaranchal Government has failed to put pressure on the Central Government to declare a special economic status to the new state and on the parent state Uttar Pradesh to get the assets transferred. Critics of Mr Nityanand Swami, Chief Minister, say that he lacks administrative and diplomatic skills to run the affairs of the state. Since Mr Swami was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the new state on November 9 this year, he met the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, three times, besides other Central ministers on a number of occasions. However, none of these leaders have ever talked about the problems of Uttaranchal. The Planning Commission has not granted a special package of Rs 1,000 crore as demanded by the state government. On the other hand, Mr Ajay Vikram Singh, Chief Secretary of the state, visited Lucknow on a couple of occasions to discuss the matter pertaining to the transfer of assets to Uttaranchal. But the Uttar Pradesh Government has given no proper response except a diplomatic answer — “the matter is under process and a decision will be taken soon.” Interestingly, the UP Government is trying to derive every economic benefit from the common assets before they are formally transferred to Uttaranchal. Recently, the Chief Secretary of UP ordered officials of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation to transfer Rs 210 crore into the state exchequer. Later, hearing a PIL last week, the Uttaranchal High Court stayed the orders of the Chief Secretary and demanded a reply from the UP Government. While issuing the stay orders, the high court was of the view that until the corporation is divided into two parts, no single party has the right to transfer the money into its accounts. Similarly, the UP Power Corporation is still collecting power tariff, from households and industrial units in Uttaranchal. Although, the Uttaranchal Government has objected to it, yet no legal framework has been developed to transfer the assets. Mr Swami recently announced the appointment of Mr Tilak Raj Behar as Chairman of the Terai Seed Development Corporation without seeking advice from his legal adviser. The corporation is still under the control of the UP Government and hence Uttaranchal has no right to appoint a Chairman or an official. Although, Mr Swami may have done this to end the ongoing dissidence within the BJP legislature party, political observers are of the view that this shows lack of administrative skills. |
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Mob stones
cops, 80 arrested RANCHI, Dec 30 (PTI) — A mob of about 500 persons belonging to a minority community today stoned policemen at the Azad Bustee defying indefinite curfew, which continued for the second day in the Jharkhand state capital. The police dispersed the mob and arrested 80 persons, Chief Secretary V.S. Dubey told PTI. The Army staged flag marches, as the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force patrolled the five police station areas of Doranda, Hindpiri, Lower Bazar, Daily Market and the Kadru locality, Mr Dubey said. Chief Minister Babulal Marandi said the situation was gradually returning to normal, “but the curfew will remain in force for some more time. We will review the situation”. He said he held a meeting with members of the minority community and had appealed to them to maintain peace and harmony. Indefinite curfew was imposed in Ranchi yesterday following incidents of stoning and arson during a 12-hour bandh called in protest against Thursday’s police firing in which three Muslim youths were killed, after violence following the death of a seven-year-old girl in a road accident. |
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Rush forces to
Tripura: MP AGARTALA, Dec 30 (PTI) — A CPM, mp, Mr Samar Chowdhury, has demanded the immediate despatch of the security forces to tackle insurgency in Tripura. In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, Mr Chowdhury has urged him to despatch forces to intensify counter-insurgency operations across the state and for guarding the 840-km long porous border to check the trans-border movement of the insurgents. He said 80 per cent of the border with Bangladesh remained unguarded, which helped the insurgents to have a free run. The CPM leader said despite half of the total state being declared as disturbed area, the withdrawal of security forces and the Army by the Central Government virtually made it impossible for the state government to continue the anti-insurgency operations. |
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Prasar Bharati
CEO given extension NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — The Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Rajeeva Ratna Shah, has been asked by the government to continue in the post till further orders. Mr Shah, who is also the Special Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, had been holding charge as the CEO of Prasar Bharati since June last year and his tenure was to end this month. There had been reports that the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, was thinking of replacing him as the CEO. However, since apparently a suitable replacement had not been found as yet he had been asked to continue, sources said. However, reports said that since on this occasion no specific time-limit had been given in the extension, a change at the CEO’s level could be in the offing soon. On previous occasions Mr Shah had been given specific six months extensions. Reports also said that since there was growing criticism of the Prasar Bharati functioning, the government wanted to replace Mr Shah. Despite all efforts Doordarshan’s viewership has been on a decline, which has also hit its revenue. Mr Shah was initially appointed vide the Prasar Bharati Removal of Difficulties Order under Section 35 of the Prasar Bharati Act on an ad hoc basis for a period of six months or till the post was filled in terms of section 4 of the Act, subject to the result of two writ petitions pending in the Delhi High Court. One of the petition was filed by Mr S.S. Gill challenging his removal as CEO. Mrs Sushma Swaraj has already written to the Selection Committee headed by Vice-President Krishan Kant to expedite the procedure for filling the existing vacancies of Chairman, full-time and part-time members of the Prasar Bharati Board. The committee has two other members: the Press Council of India Chairman Justice
P. B. Sawant and the presidential nominee, Mr T.V.R. Shenoy. |
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Tihar inmate dies in clashes NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — The Additional Inspector-General, Prisons, Mr
S. S. Harit, will head the probe into the rioting which broke out in the high-security Tihar Jail last night between members of two gangs killing one inmate and injurying 41, including the head warden and 18 other jail staff members. The rioting broke out in jail number 5 where undertrials were
summoned by jail officials for punishment over a fight took place between Naseem and Dharm Vir gang members two days back, jail sources said. The sources said Naseem, who was seriously injured, was admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he died. The head warden of jail number 5, Mr Bhoop Singh, who is also admitted to the DDU hospital, is reported to be serious. This is second rioting incident inside the jail. The first incident took place in 1996 when an undertrial was killed in jail number 1. The Director-General of Tihar Jail, Mr Ajay Aggarwal, said the security had been tightened with the additional police deployed in the high security central jail following clash and rioting. The warring groups had been segregated and put in different barracks. Additional guards had been deployed and the situation was under control. Mr Aggarwal, however, denied reports that the riot which broke out in the jail was communal in nature and said both groups had members of both majority and minority communities. According to jail sources, the rioting broke out when 20 members of each gang were
summoned by jail officials for punishment over a fight that broke out two days back. As the undertrials appeared before the officials they started fighting with improvised weapons. The sources said that Naseem, who died in the rioting, was a resident of the Seelampur area and was an accused in several cases of murder and attempt to murder. Surgical blades, flower pots, bricks, furniture, ceiling fans, tube lights, plastic sheets and whatever else the groups could lay their hands on were used in the free-for-all fighting. While Nasim died in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, another inmate, Anil, who had suffered head injuries, had been admitted to LNJP Hospital. Twenty others injured were discharged this morning. An FIR of rioting, murder and attempt to murder had also been registered. Mr Aggarwal said both groups had long-standing rivalry with each trying to bully the other. He said the problem started on the morning of December 28 when the members of the two groups, housed in barrack No 2 in jail No 5, had a fight over sleeping space. Following the fight, Nasim was taken out and lodged in another barrack. Last evening members of both groups were called for a counselling session with jail Superintendent Ajay Kaushal. However, before Mr Kaushal could arrive, the members of Nasim’s group assaulted Dharam Vir, and in no time the rival group members were at each others’ throats. Efforts by the jail staff to separate the warring groups failed initially and some of them were also injured in the melee, Mr Aggarwal said. |
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Khurana, 2 party leaders detained NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — A Former Delhi Chief Minister and senior BJP MP, Mr Madan Lal Khurana and two other party leaders were today detained by the police for trying to prevent sealing of polluting industries by the enforcement squads in a East Delhi colony. Mr Khurana, accompanied by Mr Lal Bihari Tiwari, MP from East Delhi and Mr H S Bhalli, former Delhi Industries Minister, were taken to the Vivek Vihar police station and detained there for some time. They were trying to prevent the sealing of polluting units in the Vishwas Nagar area, sources said. The BJP leaders assembled at Vishwas Nagar at around 11.00 a.m. along with a large number of owners of polluting industries and argued with the Subdivisional Magistrate heading the enforcement squads against the closure of the units. They were contending that some of the units being closed by the enforcement squads were non-polluting and their sealing was being done in violation of the guidelines. As Mr Khurana and others were unrelenting and the situation was getting tense, the Delhi Police personnel on the complaint of the enforcement officials detained them. The operations to seal the units resumed after about two-and-a-half hours and there was no untoward incident reported, the sources said. As per the Supreme Court’s December 7 order, all polluting units in the Capital’s residential areas have to be closed down by January 3. The sealing operations started on December 18 after the Delhi Government issued detailed guidelines to the 40-odd enforcement squads on how to go about the sealing operations. |
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8-member spying gang chargesheeted CALCUTTA, Dec 30 — The police has chargesheeted an ISI-backed eight-member spying gang involved in smuggling secret defence documents from the Chandipur installation in Orissa. The “mystery of smuggling” of defence documents, which was detected by the Central intelligence some four years back with the detention of Alok Biswas at Gaighata in North 24-Parganas, can finally be resolved. The arrested persons were given charge sheets at the Subdivisional Magistrate’s court at Barasat, North 24-Parganas. The case was, however, referred to the Calcutta High Court on legal grounds which will take it up in due course for further hearing. The arrested persons had also been transferred from Barasat jail to Alipore jail in Calcutta. According to the charge sheet framed by intelligence sleuths, the conspiracy had been hatched by a Pakistan national, Ahmed Ali (who camouflaged as Ranjit Singh, Tapan Dev and Ramjan Gazi at different times) some time in September, 1996, in Calcutta. On secret information, the police arrested Ahmed Ali from his hide-out and subsequently detained seven others from different parts of Calcutta and Orissa. A huge bunch of secret papers, relating to the country’s arms deal with France and other incriminating documents were seized from their possession. Investigations have revealed that the Calcutta-based gang was operating in the entire north-eastern region for some time on behalf of Pakistan. The ISI-agent had set up link with some senior officers of Chandipur and others. After interrogating Ahmed Ali, the police later raided some places in Orissa and detained Abdul Aziz, couple-Ashit and Lakshmipriya Panda, — Mrinal Podder, Mohammad Yakub, an Afghan national, Brahmaprasad Singh, a defence personnel, and Birendra Chandra Das. They used to help Ahmed Ali in passing secret official information regarding the purchase of war equipment and the country’s various other defence deals with Russia, Germany and Switzerland. |
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Home Ministry year-ender NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — The Union Home Ministry’s behind-the-scene activity on the Kashmir issue and the resultant ceasefire announcements has raised hopes of peace returning to the troubled border state in the millennium year which witnessed the brutal massacre of Sikhs in Chhittisingpora and Amarnath pilgrims in Pahalgam. As the violence in the valley, perpetrated by Pakistan-backed militant groups, continued unabated, the Home Ministry worked behind closed doors in convincing leaders of various sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir about Islamabad’s machination to keep Kashmir on the boil through its proxy war. From Mr Bill Clinton to Russian President Vladimir Putin, world leaders understood India’s predicament vis-a-vis Kashmir and strongly condemned Islamabad’s role in backing cross-border terrorism. As the situation worsened with militant groups following up the Chhittisingpora massacre with a bloody attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Pahalgam, the Home Ministry realised the need for being more offensive than defensive. Its pro-active measures resulted in the elimination of about 400 hardcore militants, a majority of them foreign mercenaries. The behind-the-scene contacts established by Home Ministry officials with Kashmiri leaders helped in exposing the sinister motives of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and created a ground for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to boldly announce the ceasefire in Kashmir and extend the same by another month till January 26. Though foreign militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, which are opposed to peace talks in Kashmir, have stepped up their activities as evidenced by the suicide attack in the Badami Bagh area in Srinagar and the shootout in Red Fort in Delhi and triggering of IED — the prospects of peace in Jammu and Kashmir appears to have brightened. While the Centre drew flak for “improper” handling of the internal security scenario in the light of several attacks on minorities across the country, rise in casteist violence in Bihar and increasing Left-wing extremism in West Bengal, the initiative of the Home Ministry in garnering the support of the international community to fight cross-border terrorism bore fruit during the year. The USA, Israel, the UK and France agreed to work closely with India in countering cross-border terrorism. As the Centre was working for finding a negotiated settlement to the Kashmir tangle, the passage of the Autonomy Report in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and the subsequent pressure mounted by the Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, for its implementation put the Union Government in a quandary. Even as Home Minister L.K. Advani outrightly rejected Jammu and Kashmir’s demand for autonomy, the government was embarrassed by none other than two of its alliance partners demanding more autonomy for the states. The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and the Indian National Lok Dal openly demanded autonomy for the states, especially financial autonomy. Down south, a prolonged kidnap drama by forest brigand Veerappan in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu raised concerns over the links of extremists’ organisations with political parties and the proscribed LTTE in neighbouring Sri Lanka. The Centre remained an observer to the unfolding Veerappan drama as the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments struggled to get Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar freed from the clutches of the forest brigand. The intervention of the Supreme Court prevented the two state governments from conceding the demands put forth by Veerappan in exchange for the release of Rajkumar. Though it took 108 days to free Rajkumar, the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments have now worked out a strategy involving the Centre to nab Veerappan. The North-East continued to be troubled with a fresh spurt in militant violence in Assam, Tripura and Manipur. The Bills for carving out Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chhattisgarh from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, respectively, were passed by Parliament in the monsoon session and the three new states were accorded statehood in November. With regard to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Home Ministry appointed a Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice G.T. Nanavati to probe the matter afresh after a lapse of 16 years. |
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PM’s holiday KUMARAKOM (Kerala), Dec 30 (UNI) — Pushed into deep waters, literally, hundreds of fishermen around the lower Kuttanad areas of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts are perhaps waiting for the conclusion of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s holidaying at the lakeside resort here so that they could resume the means of their livelihood — fishing. Thousands of security personnel have descended into the small village, and with mine detector-attached speedboats zig-zagging the backwaters besides choppers hovering above with ear-splitting noise, the Vembanad Lake has rather become out of bounds for the fishermen. With the fishermen either prevented from entering the lake or voluntarily choosing not to go for fishing in view of the enhanced security, the prices of “karimeen” (a favourite variety of lake fish) have shot up from Rs 60 to Rs 150 a kg these days. On and off the season, the lake has been a treasure-trove for the fishermen, especially for varieties like karimeen. Besides, hundreds were finding a livelihood by collecting mussels (kakkayirachi) and mud (for the purpose of levelling the areas and plastering the paddy fields). As part of the massive security net, the Navy has deployed mine-detectors in the sprawling backwaters. Naval commandos are patrolling and are anchored at various spots. Air Force craft are hovering at times. Apart from these, there is a full Army squad led by a Major with cannons placed strategically on the land. According to the security people, security areas have been cordoned off by putting barricades and blocks in the backwaters, especially for the purpose of Mr Vajpayee’s boat ride, leaving the rest of the areas to the fisherfolk. However, a local fisherman, Sunny, said they could not cast their nets because of the frequent patrolling by speedboats of the security men. “we cannot catch anything worthwhile as fishing is not at all possible in such noisy
circumstances and disturbed waters.’’ The security personnel standing guard at different places by the lakeside also have added to the woes of fishermen. |
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Councillor sits on
dharna against ‘fake’ encounter NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — A municipal councillor from the Batla House area, Mr Asif Mohammad Khan, today sat on dharna at the Batla House Chowk demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged fake encounter of a militant
there. He said the minority localities in the Capital should not be suspected as militant-infested areas. The councillor said the police forced the arrested militant, Ashfaq, to state that “Mr Asif Mohammad Khan was his contact in the area. He helped me in getting the place for my computer institute in Ghafoor Nagar.” Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Mr Ashok Chand, clarified that Mr Asif Mohammad Khan had no contact with the arrested militant. He did not help him in getting a place to the militant for his computer institute. |
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