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Monday,
August 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Jaya recommended UTI ex-chief’s name: Fernandes
1 killed in police firing at DMK rally Phoolan case: 13-day remand for 3 accused 13 years of trial, 5.56 mm rifles yet to be developed Mamata seeks to rejoin NDA 3 militants killed
in Manipur |
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Idol damaged, tension in UP town Stem cells for brain cure
SERIAL BLASTS CASE Tehri Dam may be ready by 2002
Mass food poisoning kills kid, 2,000 affected They still sing for supper 5 militants
killed in Assam Attachment of SE’s jeep ordered
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Jaya recommended UTI ex-chief’s name: Fernandes Chennai, August 12 Talking to newsmen after a meeting with DMK President M. Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence here, he said it was Ms Jayalalitha who had put forward Mr Subramanyam’s name. “Yes she sent me the name and I took it down myself’’. Mr Fernandes said she was insistent about the appointment. Ms Jayalalitha had yesterday categorically denied that she had any nexus with the former UTI chief. Asked why she was denying her nexus with Mr Subramanyam now, he quipped “ask her’’. Meanwhile the AIADMK on Sunday said there was not even an ‘iota of truth’ on the reports of nexus between Ms J. Jayalalitha and the former UTI chairman P. Subramanyam. Responding to BJP Vice-President Ram Das Agarwal’s demand made in Jaipur on Friday last for a probe into alleged nexus between Jayalalitha and Subramanyam, AIADMK’s organising secretary and Tamil Nadu Education Minister Thambidurai said the allegation was ‘concocted’ and said nobody would believe it. He said it had become the habit of the BJP to accuse other parties whenever its legitimacy to govern becomes questionable and the BJP-led alliance becomes shaky. “I am confident that when the whole truth relating to the UTI scam is unravelled, the stock of the BJP would have sunk to its lowest ebb”, Mr Thambidurai, said here in a statement. He said it was “surprising” that the BJP, which was under severe attack over its “unethical involvement” with the UTI scam issue, had chosen to point an accusing finger against Jayalalitha, which was a “totally unwarranted move”. He said the statement of Agrawal was “extremely sadistic and deliberately mischievous in nature”. Thambidurai said the BJP which was unable to set its own house in order, in its “eagerness to shift the blame on others”, had found a scapegoat in the AIADMK. The Prime Minister’s Office itself stood accused by one of BJP’s allies in the UTI scam, he said in an obvious reference to Shiv Sena’s charge of PMO’s involvement in the scam. UNI, PTI |
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1 killed in police firing at DMK rally Chennai, August 12 More than 50 persons, including 10 media personnel and 15 policemen were injured in the violence. DMK sources maintained that two persons were killed in the firing. The police gave the name of the dead as Solai Murugesan. The mob also stoned and threw bottles at the police headquarters on the Marina. Trouble started when rallyists pulled down a cut-out of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on TTK Road here.
UNI |
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Phoolan case: 13-day remand for 3 accused New Delhi, August 12 Vicky, whose seven days’ police remand expired today, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Kamini Lau who remanded him in judicial custody till August 25 along with two other accused Pradeep Singh and Surender Singh alias Suri. Pradeep and Surender were arrested for their alleged role in furnishing the forged bail bonds for the alibi of prime accused Sher Singh Rana, alias Pankaj who was in Hardwar jail. Pradeep had forged documents to furnish the bail bond of Shravan, an alibi of Rana, while Surender also committed the same offence for another accused, Ravinder, alias Rajinder who were in jail till July 26, a day after the killing of the Samajwadi MP. Vicky was remanded in police custody on August 5 after the police had requested his custodial interrogation was necessary for recovery of a mobile phone, two SIM cards and clothes worn by the accused at the time of committing the crime. The investigating officer had informed the court that during interrogation, Vicky had confessed about his presence at the spot when Phoolan was killed. Rana, who is the prime accused in the case, is also in judicial custody. His younger brother Vijay Singh Rana, alias Raju, was yesterday remanded in three days of police custody. The police had claimed Raju had helped Pradeep and Surender in forging the documents for executing the bail bond for the alibi of Rana and Ravinder and was the founder member of the conspiracy. Meanwhile, three weeks after Phoolan Devi’s sensational killing, the Delhi police is convinced that Sher Singh Rana had plotted the crime to become a hero in the Thakur community with the intention of joining politics and virtually ruling out any political conspiracy. “The motive behind the killing is that Sher Singh wanted to become a hero among Thakurs by murdering Phoolan with an eye on joining politics. “That is why he is citing the Behmai massacre as the reason for the killing,” said a senior police official after three weeks of intense investigation and interrogation of 11 accused arrested so far in the July 25 killing. He asserted that Sher Singh, alias Pankaj had no connection with Behmai massacre which was committed in 1981 by the then dacoit Phoolan Devi. “Neither was he a resident of Behmai nor was he too old to nurse a grudge against the massacre,” he said.
PTI |
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13 years of trial, 5.56 mm rifles yet to be developed New Delhi August 12 The Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) in its latest report on the Army and ordnance factories has pointed out that the plan of developing the 5.56 mm small arms system was still a distant dream with corrective measures to be taken for various shortcomings in it. Major defects like breakage and cracking of the components and barrel bulge have been noticed in various models of the 5.56 mm small arms system. But most importantly the rifles develop “cold arrest”, they get jammed in the sub zero temperatures, the temperatures which exist in the region where the Army guards the borders. The plan to arm the Army with the 5.56 mm small arms system was drawn up more than a decade ago with the basic idea of providing the forces with various types of small arms which would, however, have the same ammunition. The system was seen as one which would provide an alternative not only for the existing vintage 7.62 mm system, but also for AK-47 rifles. Although the initial designs were ready a long time ago but the development of the weapons suffered greatly. From development of ammunition to development of barrels, the system has seen all kinds of problems, forcing the army to go scouting again for the AK-47 rifles. Based on the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s claims about its inability to design and develop the weapons and ammunition, the Ministry, of Defence assigned the ARDE in November 1982 a project to design and develop of the weapons and ammunition with a date of completion in 1985. The ministry then sanctioned the project in February 1990 for the manufacture of 5.56 mm rifles, LMG and ammunition in ordnance factories at Rs 321.01 crore. The CAG noted that the ordnance factories supplied only 26.55 crore rounds of ammunition to the Army against its order for 43.46 crore rounds during 1993-94 to 1999-2000 due to delayed creation of capacity for manufacture. The army had to import 10 crore rounds of ammunition and 100,000 AK-47 rifles at a cost of Rs 85 crore due to the delayed and short supply of weapons. The Ordnance Factory Board said the Army indicated its requirement of ammunition of 300 crore rounds for 10 years only in May 1989 after a delay of seven years. This led to delay in the sanctioning of the project for the creation of facilities in ordnance factories. Although the Army accepted Mark-I ball ammunition having low velocity in December 1991 as an interim measure, development of the Mark-II ammunition having higher velocity could not be established even after seven years. The CAG found that the Ministry of Defence and Ordnance Factory Board took three years to finalise the procurement of cartridge case plants for 5.56 mm ammunition. The board concluded a contract in November 1995 for four plants at a cost of Rs 91.42 crore but they were commissioned between November 1998 and June 1999. They were only technically accepted by the ordnance factories in Varangaon and Kirkee by September 1999 as the machines malfunctioned. |
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Mamata seeks to rejoin NDA Kolkata, August 12 Mr Mishra said the NDA would be soon meeting in New Delhi to finalise a specific code of conduct which would be mandatory for partners to follow. In other words, the partners would not be allowed to leave and re-enter the NDA as they wished. The national BJP President, Mr Jana Krishnamurthi, also
announced in New Delhi that Ms Banerjee would be welcome if she gave a written undertaking that she would behave rationally and would not blackmail the Vajpayee government and the NDA for her vested interests. On the other hand, Trinamool Congress (TC) Chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Mr Sudip
Bandopadhyya, reacting strongly to Mr Krishnamurthi and Mr Mishra’s remarks said “who are they to talk about our returning? Only the Prime Minister and the NDA convener, Mr George Fernandes, can discuss and decide about TC’s re-entering the NDA and not a Jana Krishnamurthi or a Kailashpati Mishra”. Mr Mishra said Mr Fernandes might have requested Ms Banerjee in his personal capacity, but before going to Contai, Midnapore to attend the TC’s convention on martyrs’ day observance, Mr Fernandes did not seek Mr Vajpayee’s permission for inviting Ms Banerjee to rejoin, he asserted. Ms Banerjee left the ministry and the NDA in March last on the eve of West Bengal’s Assembly elections on the Tehelka expose. Mr Fernandes also had to resign as Defence Minister as demanded by Ms Banerjee. The TC then severed ties with the BJP and formed an electoral alliance with the Congress to fight the CPM in the elections, which Mr Ajit Kumar Panja opposed. He resigned from the ministry but remained a partner of the NDA. The results of the elections were not favourable for the TC which prompted Ms Banerjee to cut off ties with the Congress as she found it to be “more of a liability than an asset”. |
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3 militants killed
in Manipur Imphal, August 12 Three militants of a valley-based underground organisation were killed and two BSF jawans injured when a troop of the BSF raided a hideout near Sagang village under Bishnupur district, the police said. However, other members of the outfit managed to escape. Meanwhile, two jawans were injured at Denjang of Churachandpur district when some miscreants ambushed a BSF outpost. Two Manipuri drivers were kidnapped after their trucks were set on fire by miscreants at Dimapur in Nagaland, official sources said here today. The miscreants hijacked the two rice-laden trucks bound for Manipur on Friday as they came out of an FCI godown and looted the vehicles before setting fire to them, the sources said. The Manipur Truck Owners’ Welfare Association (MTOWA) today urged the Director-General of Police, Nagaland, to trace the whereabouts of the two drivers. In a letter to the DGP, Nagaland, the association general secretary, Mr Y. Lokeshwor Singh, said if the two drivers and their associates were not found immediately it may lead to even communal riot. The MTOWA general secretary claimed the two hijacked vehicles were later found by the police at Diphu Par in Dimapur in Nagaland. The drivers identified as Dhamendra and Ch Ibungo had been missing since the incident and the Manipur Government was in touch with the police at
Dimapur to trace them, they added. |
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Idol damaged, tension in UP town Muzaffarnagar (U.P.) August 12 Inspector General of Police (Meerut zone) D.S. Sambhal said the idol was damaged this morning following which a mob blocked the Delhi-Saharnpur highway for three hours in protest. The police had to open fire in the air to remove the road blocade, he said. Mr Sambhal said special security arrangements would be made tomorrow when the idol is taken to Hardwar for immersion. Senior Superintendent of Police K. Maurya told newsmen that trouble first broke out yesterday when the temple door was found damaged after which hundreds of protesters held up movement of vehicles on Delhi-Saharanpur highway and indulged in heavy stone throwing. The police used batons to disperse the crowd that left several people injured.
PTI |
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Stem cells for brain cure New Delhi, August 12 Stem cells obtained from embryos have been successfully used in many experiments. However, due to ethical issues involved in their use, researchers are now trying to use non-embryonal stem cells, which reside in every tissue in the body and replace old cells when they die, a report in New Scientist said. But, without the knowledge that might be gained from studying embryonic stem cells, many of these efforts might be wasted, the report warns. In a research by Tracy McIntosh of the University of Pennsylvania, neural stem cells were shown to improve injured brain’s functioning in mice.
PTI |
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SERIAL BLASTS CASE Mumbai, August 12 The film star, whose identity has been withheld by the court for security reasons, has now sent an affidavit running into more than 18 pages to trial judge P.D. Kode, purporting to have documentary evidences to substantiate the allegations that the spy agencies were behind the blasts and were trying to secure acquittal of actor Sanjay Dutt who is a co-accused in the case. The affidavit sent by the film star, a copy of which has been procured by UNI from a defence advocate, has inter alia, accused cine personalities-cum-politicians and other politicians of being party to the blasts conspiracy. The film star has also accused a co-star of functioning as the leader of a CIA-sponsored international syndicate of organised crimes and conducting business of transferring black money from India to Luxembourg for investment in Euroshares for Indians. The allegations were made in two letters to judge Kode last month. The letters, among other things, alleged the transnational spy agencies had advised Sanjay Dutt to disown his confessional statement to the Mumbai police with a view to get him acquitted in the blasts case. Special Public Prosecutor Ujwal Nikam had urged the court not to entertain the letter writer who appeared to represent vested interests out to delay the trial proceedings. The judge had, however, directed the court Registrar to communicate with the letter writer to confirm the latter’s identity as well as the fact that the letters were sent by the same person. The said writer had then sent a third letter to the judge in confirmation and the court decided to treat the letters as a petition. Thereafter, the judge had directed the petitioner to send an affidavit detailing the charges and the evidences to support them. The judge had also asked the petitioner to explain how the claimed evidences were collected so as to establish their veracity. The serial blasts rocked the metropolis on March 12, 1993, leaving 257 persons dead and over 500 others injured besides causing large-scale destruction of public property. The prime conspirators were alleged to be underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his henchmen acting at the behest of the Pakistani ISI.
UNI |
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Tehri Dam may be ready by 2002 Tehri (Uttaranchal), August 12 Till now, almost Rs 3,500 crore has been spent on the project which, once completed, will generate 2,400 MW of electricity. It will also control floods in the area and provide additional irrigation facility to 2,70,000 hectares. But these seemingly abundant gains from the dam have failed to impress the local residents who have had to leave their homes because of the project. “The officials here think that the rehabilitation can be done only in the plains, but is that so?” asked a resident, Rajendra Singh. Almost the entire Old Tehri city and 22 other villages will be submerged once water is filled in the dam. The Tehri Hydro Development Corporation was assigned to rehabilitate more than 10,000 families of the region in 1990. But residents say more than 1,500 families are still waiting for rehabilitation. “The local administration has started a campaign to evacuate the Old Tehri town to pave the way for the filling water in the dam,” said Mrs Radha Raturi, District Magistrate, Tehri. Reports reveal that the district administration has taken the possession of about 50 shops for demolition during next week. More than 100 shops and 1,500 houses are yet to be taken into possession for demolition. |
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Mass food poisoning kills kid, 2,000 affected Guwahati, August 12 According to the GMC authorities, more patients were pouring in from Barpeta district where the doctors and district administration had a tough time coping with the health hazard that affected more than 2,000 persons. UNI |
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They still sing for supper Vrindavan, August 12 The ‘amount’ was raised to Rs 2 about four years back, prior to which it was a few annas. The money, which is not even enough to buy a packet of peanuts, is needed by these widows for buying fuel, salt, oil and even vegetables, neither of which can be purchased with the paltry sum. Today, even after having spent more than half a century in Vrindavan, Geeta Kumari, an 85-year-old widow from Nepal longs for enough food and medical facilities. Widowed at the age of five, only 20 days after her marriage, she was left in Vrindavan when she was 30. Since then, while the country has attained independence and a communication revolution has taken the nation by a storm, life for Geeta is the same as it was 55 years back. She still has to sing “bhajans” in praise of “Thakurji” for four hours in the morning to get a handful of dal and rice, her only meal of the day, and another stint in the evening to get Rs 2.
UNI |
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5 militants
killed in Assam Guwahati, August 12 Army troops in Kumarikata laid an ambush for militants when they came across four of them. In retaliatory fire the troops killed three of them. NDFB militant Rupeswar Boro, alias Newla Boro, was killed in a joint Army and police operation at Pakrimunda village. The Army shot dead a Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militant at Bhuban hills near Sonapur.
PTI |
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Attachment of SE’s jeep ordered Hanumangarh, August 12 The Civil Judge, Mr Ashok Kumar, passed these orders on an application by a resident of a village near here. The court on May 15, 2000, had ordered the nigam to reinstall electricity connection of the complainant, Krishan Lal of Jandawali. The complainant on October 9, 2000, had filed a complaint in the court. He had said the electricity board first served a notice on him to pay a fine of Rs 64,834 alleging that he had committed power theft. The board also warned him that the electricity connection of his flour mill would be cut if the amount was not paid. On October 11, 2000, the electricity connection of the complainant was disconnected. In the complaint, Mr Kishan Lal had requested not to collect the amount from him, as he said the amount demanded by the board was forged. After proceedings on July 15, 2000, the court ordered the JVVNL to reinstall the connections of the flour mill. The court also said the amount claimed by the Nigam was also not justified. On July 2, 2000, Mr Krishan Lal, presented an application, to settle the case as the electricity connection was not reinstalled up to that day even after the orders of the court. Acting over his application the court ordered to seize the government jeep of the Superintendent Engineer of the
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Hazare breaks ‘maunvrat’ Kopargaon, August 12 Mr Hazare, who began his maunvrat on August 9 at Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district, broke it in the presence of Law Minister Vilasrao Patil.
PTI |
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Ultras surrender Giridih, August 12 The surrender followed an “ambitious rehabilitation package” recently announced by the state government to bring the militants to the social mainstream. UNI |
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