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Friday,
June 29, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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CPM, Trinamool MLAs
clash in WB House
Sinha gets Tehelka probe panel notice Border peace talks with China held Manipur MLAs meet Krishnamurty |
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Fix quota for BCs, says Mayawati India dismisses
OIC resolution 11 killed, 13 hurt as bus falls into stream Ruling reserved on Tyagi’s bail plea Vikas case: Pak
yet to respond 2 sisters to be hanged for killing infants Withdraw postal hike: publishers 8 kids hurt in cracker blast
Nations to focus on mountain children Plan to
amend legal services Act Hip of 98-year-old man replaced Lawyer convicted in cheating case
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CPM, Trinamool MLAs
clash in WB House Kolkata, June 28 At least six MLAs sustained injuries due to scuffles. Throwing of paper weights and iron rods. Angry Trinamool MLAs twisted and broke microphones, threw papers in the air and came down to the well of the House, raising slogans and demanding sacking of Mr Chakraborty. Some CPM MLAs protested. Some tried to pacify the agitated MLAs but failed. They exchanged blows, resulting in injuries to some of them. Chaos and pandemonium prevailed. Failing to bring normalcy to the House, the Speaker, Mr Hashim Abdul Halim, adjourned the House for the rest of the day. Earlier, the Trinamool MLAs staged a walkout and marched to Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum to the Governor, Mr Vireen J. Shah, protesting against the CPM’s “links” with criminals and other anti-social elements. Congress MLAs,
however, did not join them. The trouble started as soon as the Assembly began at 11 a m. The TMC MLAs entered the House shouting slogans against the CPM. They demanded the Chief Minister’s statement on the alleged involvement of Mr Subhas Chakraborty, Minister for Transport and Sports, who had reportedly sheltered a gang of criminals inside the sports stadium at Salt Lake. The police, in a midnight swoop on Tuesday, caught 12 wanted criminals with firearms from the stadium guest house. They had been allegedly involved in dacoities and other criminal activities in Howrah, Hooghly and several areas in North 24-Parganas. On interrogation, they confessed to the police they had been hired by the Transport Minister who had sheltered them inside the stadium guest house prior to the Assembly poll to work for him in electioneering. But even after the elections were over, they were allowed to stay back. The Ananda Bazar Patrika published a front-page item this morning, narrating the entire police operation at Salt Lake stadium which caused an uproar in the House. Interestingly, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharyya himself was present along with his Cabinet colleagues. But none of them made any attempt to protect Mr Chakraborty. Mr Bhattacharyya, however, later said he would submit a detailed report in this connection in the Assembly on Monday. |
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Sinha gets Tehelka probe panel notice New Delhi, June 28 “The commission chairman issued notices to Mr Sinha and Mr Rudi on June 26 in their individual capacity for the references made in the tapes,” Mr Anand Rao, OSD to the commission, said today. Both Mr Sinha and Mr Rudi have been asked to submit their replies by July 2 when the commission will hold its second hearing. Mr Rao said the commission had also decided to seek extension of its term by another four months in view of the “wide-ranging nature of its terms of reference, voluminous records and need for examination and cross-examination of parties concerned.” The present term of the commission expires on July 23. He said the commission had so far sent 45 notices, of which replies for 40 had been received by it. Besides Mr Sinha and Mr Rudi, the commission is awaiting replies from Lieut-Col B.P. Sayal (retd), Vipin Khanna and Sudhir Choudhary. In response to its public notices under Section 5, 2(B), 23 individuals, including Mr Michael B.Fernandes, brother of former Defence Minister George Fernandes, and Samata Party Rajasthan unit president Gopal Pacharwal have filed affidavits. Mr Rao said the commission sent an interrogatory to tehelka.com after some respondents pointed out that pages 109-114 and 125-131 were missing from the transcripts. In reply, portal’s Managing Editor Tarun Tejpal attributed the missing pages 109-114 to pagination error, Mr Rao said. As for pages 125-131, the portal’s letter explained that the original transcripts were for four-and-a-half hours of tapes which were meant to be exhibited by Zee TV. But eventually, Zee TV allotted four hours which matched the transcripts supplied to the commission. “But since the transcripts distributed in Imperial Hotel on March 13 was for four-and-a-half hours, we have sent another interrogatory to tehelka.com and the reply is awaited,” Mr Rao said. Mr Rao said the Defence Ministry had submitted files pertaining to six transactions (deals) to the commission. “The ministry’s affidavit mentions 13 transactions having been referred to in the Tehelka tapes. If at any stage, the commission finds that the number of transactions are more, it will write to the ministry,” he said. He, however, refused to give details of the deals about which files have been submitted. He said the special investigation team was looking into, among other things, the authenticity of the tapes as some of the respondents have alleged that these have been doctored. “It does not come under the terms of reference. But if any respondent questions the veracity of the tapes, the onus lies on him to prove it,” Mr Rao said. He said 14 respondents either themselves or through their counsel viewed the released tapes at the commission’s premises on June 11. The special screening was seen by counsel of former BJP president Bangaru Laxman, former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly, Brig Iqbal Singh, Maj-Gen S.P.Murgai (retd), Lieut-Col B.P.Sayal (retd), RSS functionary R.K.Gupta and some others. Among those personally present were Samata Party leader R.K.Jain, the then Additional Secretary in Ministry of Defence L.M. Mehta and T. Satyamurthy (former private secretary to Mr Laxman). The commission was set up on March 24 at the height of the political heat, generated by the sting operation of the Tehelka news portal which released its secretly shot tapes on March 13.
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Border peace talks with China held New Delhi, June 28 The parleys come amid signals that both sides were keen to quicken the pace of negotiations to resolve the longstanding boundary dispute. The two sides held further discussions on the process of clarifying the LAC that began at the previous meeting in Beijing in November last year. Specialists from the Chinese foreign office and Defence Ministry conferred with their Indian counterparts on a range of related issues at the ninth meeting of the India-China Expert Group of Diplomatic and Military Officials. While the Indian side was led by Mr Vijay Gokhale, Director (East Asia) in the External Affairs Ministry, the Chinese delegation was headed by Mr Sun Guo Xiang, Deputy Director for Asia Department in the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
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Manipur MLAs meet Krishnamurty New Delhi, June 28 A 30-member Manipur MLAs delegation, which called on Mr Krishnamurty this morning, had to return empty handed with the BJP’s National President merely saying that “The Central Government should see how an assurance allaying the apprehension of the people of Manipur could be given on the issue.” The BJP which has been avoiding a clear cut stand on the raging controversy over the truce, has, however, expressed his agony over the recent developments in Manipur and had assured the people of the state that it would stand by them as far as territorial integrity of the state was concerned. The BJP President also assured that the NDA government would never allow any attempt by anyone to disrupt the territorial integrity of North-Eastern states, including Manipur. Earlier, the delegation comprising among others Manipur Assembly Speaker S Dhananjoy Singh, former Chief Ministers Radhabinod Koijam (Samata), Rieshang Keishing (Congress) and MSCP leader L Chandramani Singh, demanded before the BJP chief that his party and the Central Government should guarantee the preservation of territorial integrity of Manipur and the ceasefire arrangement with the NSCN (I-M) should be kept confined to Nagaland. The MLAs belonging to various political parties from Manipur are running from pillar to post meeting all and sundry to impress upon the need for the Centre to call off the clause pertaining to the extension of the area of ceasefire. They have so far called on President K R Narayanan, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani and NDA Convener George Fernandes. Facing the wrath of the Manipuri people, the MLAs have pitched camps in the Capital refusing to leave for their state until the crisis was resolved. To make things worst they served an ultimatum on the Centre to revoke the agreement by July 31, 2001, after which they threatened to resign enmasse. However, with the Prime Minister referring the matter back into the court of the Union Home Minister, the Manipur MLAs are anxiously awaiting his return to Delhi on July 3 after a three nation tour. |
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Fix quota for BCs, says Mayawati New Delhi, June 28 Talking to newspersons here today, Ms Mayawati lashed out at the BJP government for neglecting the aforesaid classes. She opposed the BJP’s stand of agreeing to a reservation quota of 15 per cent for most backward classes. “The most backward classes constitute 37 per cent of the total population of Uttar Pradesh which is touching 19 crore while the backward classes constitute 52 per cent of the total population. We have been raising this issue for the past four years since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh. We are not begging. It is a Constitutional obligation and we will reiterate this demand during our movement next month against the policies of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh,” she said. Replying to a question, Ms Mayawati ruled out any electoral alliance and said that her Party would contest on its own strength in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in the Assembly elections. Ms Mayawati said neither the SC/STs nor the backward classes are benefitting from reservation in judiciary, the Rajya Sabha or private sector in Uttar Pradesh. |
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India dismisses
OIC resolution New Delhi, June 28 While dismissing the OIC resolution, spokeswoman of the Ministry of External Affairs Nirupma Rao said in reply to a question on a possible meeting between Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Hurriyat leaders in the Pakistan High Commission’s high tea that “we have conveyed our views to Pakistan”. As to why Hurriyat leaders were not being allowed to meet the Pakistan President when they have been meeting with the Ambassadors and High Commissioner of different countries, Mrs Rao said “we don’t impose restrictions on movements of Hurriyat leaders”. Asked for a comment on Jammait Uelame Islam (JEI) leader Fazulur Rehman’s appeal to militant organisations to observe ceasefire to enable a successful Indo-Pak summit, the spokeswoman said there was always a need for cessation of terrorist activities. |
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killed, 13 hurt as bus falls into stream Karnprayag (Uttaranchal), June 28 At least seven other persons are feared to have drowned struck inside the bus as it is yet to be pulled out of the fast-flowing stream. The injured have been admitted to the local Civil Hospital. The condition of five persons is stated to be serious. Meanwhile, the state government has announced an immediate relief of Rs 20,000 each to the families of the victims. According to police sources, the bus, belonging to Roopkund Travels, bearing number UP5-0537, left from Kanprayag at 3.30 pm for Jeta Koti. At about 10 km from the Futia turn, it fell 50-metres deep into the Pinder stream. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the bus was carrying 30 persons. Ten bodies were recovered last night and the search is on for the remaining seven persons. The search operation was suspended late last night due to darkness and heavy rainfall. It resumed early in the morning. Seven bodies out of the 10 recovered have been identified as Raghuvar Dutt (60), Prasadi Devi (50), Ashish (12), Rajendra Singh (27), Vimla Devi (30), Kumari Arti (12) and Chandi Prasad (22), the conductor of the bus. The bodies of two male persons and one child yet to be identified. While, one child are died in Civil Hospital, Karnprayag. When contacted the SSP of Chamoli district, Mr S.S. Negi told The Tribune that efforts were on to get the bus out of the stream. |
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Ruling reserved on Tyagi’s bail plea Mumbai, June 28 Mr Justice A.B. Palkar directed the Special Task Force (STF) appointed by the Maharashtra Government not to arrest Tyagi till July 4 while granting a prayer by the government counsel P.R. Vakil that the retired police official should be restrained from leaving the city limits during the period. Earlier today, both the government and defence counsels submitted written arguments to the judge in his chamber, thereby concluding their submissions. The STF had yesterday pressed for the custodial interrogation of Tyagi who is charged with ordering firing at the Suleman Bakery here during the January 1993 riots that led to the death of nine persons. The STF registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Tyagi in May this year charging him with tampering with evidence in the bakery firing case after the state government armed it with the mandate to initiate action against those found culpable by the Justice Srikrishna Commission which probed the 1992-93 Mumbai riots and 1993 serial bomb blasts in the metropolis. Tyagi, who was the Joint Police Commissioner during the riots and headed the Special Operations Squad (SOS) of the Mumbai police which resorted to firing at the bakery, has alleged that the move to arrest him, eight years after the incident, is politically motivated. The firing at the bakery was carried out in self-defence after the police party was fired upon from inside the bakery, he has submitted.
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Vikas case: Pak
yet to respond
New Delhi, June 28 “We have not yet received any response from Pakistan,” an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad has sought consular access for Lucknow-based Vikas, who entered Pakistan through Afghanistan after travelling 62 countries in 14 years, and is now under detention in a Peshawar jail. The Indian mission had contacted Pakistan Foreign Office as early as February this year with a request that a visa be given to Vikas who was stranded on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border for three weeks.
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2 sisters to be hanged for killing infants Kolhapur, June 28 The verdict was pronounced in a jam-packed courtroom by the Sessions Judge, Mr G.L. Yedke, who ordered that Renuka Kiran Shinde (27) and Seema Mohan Gavit (25), shall be hanged till death. The sisters were on June 22 convicted by the court but the judge had reserved his order until today on the quantum of sentence. The court, however, set free Kiran Shinde, husband of Renuka, who had turned approver. Ujjwal Nikam, Public Prosecutor, pressed for death sentence saying that it was the rarest of the rare case. The defence lawyer, Mr Manik Mulik, said the accused would prefer an appeal before the High Court. The main accused Anjanabai Gavit passed away before the trial began. Renuka and Seema are her daughters. The accused had kidnapped 13 infants from various parts of the state. Nine kids were killed by them, while four others were abandoned at different places because they were found to be unfit for the gang.
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Withdraw postal hike: publishers New Delhi, June 28 “This increase in the postal rates will affect the book-reading masses, particularly in the rural areas. It is not possible to have bookshops in each nook and corner of the country. We have to cater to people’s need through the post”, said the Chairman of the Copyright Council, Mr D.N. Malhotra. He said the minimum postal charge which a reader had to bear for procuring a book was roughly 30 to 40 per cent of the price of the book. With the hike in the postal rates the Department of Posts would bring down its deficit due to subsidy from Rs 37 crore to Rs 34 crore. |
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8 kids hurt in cracker blast New Delhi, June 28 The children were admitted to GTB Hospital from where they were discharged after first aid. Two children are still admitted to the hospital, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Yashpal Singh said. The Additional DCP said children were playing in a park where waste material of the area was dumped. One child picked up a packet from the waste material and lighted it with a match-stick. The packet suddenly exploded, injurying the children playing nearby. There was no sharpnel in the packet. It was only explosive used in the cracker. Children received minor injuries. |
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Nations to focus on mountain children Dehra Dun, June 28 Talking to The Tribune here yesterday, Mr Cyril R. Raphael, Executive Director of the Research, Advocacy and Communication in Himalayan Areas (RACHNA), said the international conference would prove to be a curtain raiser for the “International Year of Mountains-2002” declared by the United Nations. Many NGOs, like Plan International, SBMA, etc were cooperating to developing a common platform for policy making in mountain regions. The major objectives of the conference are to redefine the way the world perceives children, to formulate a special developmental policy focusing on mountain children to be endorsed by hill states and to accredite children to attend international deliberations and conferences as recognised delegates. The parameters of a development policy for children would include better health care facilities, right to compulsory education, food security and a clean environment to live in. He said RACHNA was in the process of putting together a blueprint of the background work for the conference. A specialist organisation working on creative interventions with children was operating in Uttaranchal to streamline the selection procedure and design child-centered activities as children prepare for the conference. The pre-conference consultative phase will involve two lakh mountain children as they prepare for country status reports and deliberate upon the form raison d’etre of the Mountain Children’s Forum (MCF). Each delegate country will present its country status report at the inaugural session. The development policy for mountain children will evolve from the sharing of these reports. The MCF will share the results of these discussions in local and global development arenas with a focus on mountain children. |
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Plan
to amend legal services Act New Delhi, June 28 “The Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, is proposed to be amended to include these categories,” an official press note said here today. Under the act, free legal services are admissible to every citizen whose income is less than Rs 9,000 per annum in cases before subordinate and high courts and Rs 50,000 in cases before the Supreme Court. |
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Hip of 98-year-old man replaced Jolly Grant (Uttaranchal), June 28 According to the surgeon, osteoporosis — the weakening of bones, is the common problem in old people. It caused due to lack of calcium in the body and changes flexible bones into brittle bones. These brittle bones behave like glass and break due to carelessness or minor injury to the hip region. This problem is more common in the females. Hence, they are more prone to the osteoporosis. After the menopausal period, this problem increases with the age. Mangat Singh (98) of Thana Bhawan, Muzzafarnagar (UP) was admitted to the Himalayan Institute last week. He had slipped in the bathroom and had broken his hip. He consulted many doctors of the region, but all of them refused to take the risk due to his old age, cardiac problems, high risk of surgery and side effects of anaesthesia. However, the team of doctors under Dr Sanjay took the risk and performed hip replacement surgery, thereby, achieving the rare distinction of performing high risk surgery on the 98-year-old patient. |
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Lawyer convicted in cheating case New Delhi, June 28 Metropolitan Magistrate M.S. Rohilla, who found advocate Om Prakash guilty under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, however, ordered his release on probation of good conduct for a period of one year in view of his good behaviour during the trial. He has been asked to furnish a personal and surety bond for Rs 10,000. In default or in case he violated any term or condition of his release, he will have to undergo a sentence of one-year imprisonment coupled with Rs 10,000 fine, the court order said. However, the court acquitted Om Prakash of forgery charges for lack of sufficient evidence.
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