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Tuesday,
October 1, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Akshardham reopens today CCS reviews security scene Bitta gives
Rs 1 lakh to commando’s kin Pervez ‘interfering’ in Indian affairs |
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Advanced planes to be on
show Advani, Joshi to meet RSS
chief Cauvery panel visits TN
today NCM for action in hair-cutting case ULFA demands 50 lakh from company SC dismisses Sidhu’s
plea High-level probe into Salman case
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Akshardham reopens today Gandhinagar, September 30 The 23-acre compound located in Sector 20, a stone’s throw from the Chief Minister’s residence and the ministerial enclave, witnessed hectic activity today after the Bochasanwasi Shri Akhsar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, Ahmedabad, announced the reopening of the temple. Men of the Border Security Force were seen pacing up and down the compound to keep vigil at various points in the complex. They were taken around the complex by volunteers this morning. But by late afternoon, there were murmurs that the Central Reserve Police Force which had arrived from Delhi would take over from the BSF men who had come from Rajasthan. Senior officers of Gandhinagar police too arrived to monitor the security arrangements. Saints and volunteers, inspired by the spiritual strength of 81-year-old Pramukh Swami Maharaj, continued their efforts to restore the stillness and calm of the temple which was disturbed by the terrorist attack last Tuesday. The massive turnout at the prayer meeting at Akshardham on Sunday evening has boosted the morale of the volunteers. Nisheeth Acharya, volunteer and administrative assistant at the temple, told TNS that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) men had been guarding the premises since Tuesday. He said that CRPF was expected to take over from the BSF. Asked if the 30 volunteers-turned-security men deployed at eight gates of Akshardham would be given some arms and ammunition, Acharya said, “For the past five days, mahants and sadhus have been holding discussions with security experts to make arrangements for proper security on the premises. A decision is yet to be taken.” State Forensic Laboratory experts have picked up personal belongings left by visitors in the stampede in front of gate number 1 last Tuesday. The hole on the granite floor caused by the grenade blast is yet to be cemented. The exhibition halls are likely to be reopened to the public within a week. Volunteers are optimistic that Akshardham will continue to attract visitors. “The prayer meeting on Sunday evening drew an overwhelming response. About 20,000 persons, including spiritual leaders, Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari, Chief Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Keshubhai Patel, Leader of the Opposition Amarsingh Chaudhary, Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Dhirubhai Shah, Ahmedabad Mayor Himmatsinh Patel, relatives of those who were killed in the attack and devotees gathered at Akshardham to pray for the peace of the departed souls,” said Acharya. |
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CCS reviews security scene New Delhi, September 30 The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, lasted for about one and a half hours. Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh were among the others who were present at the meeting. The meeting took note of Tuesday’s terrorist strike in Gandhinagar, blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists, in which more than 30 persons were killed and scores injured. It also reviewed the security scenario in view of the four-phase Assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir which is half-way through, an official spokesman said. |
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Bitta gives
Rs 1 lakh to commando’s kin New Delhi, September 30 The family of the martyr was presented a cheque for Rs 1 lakh by AIATF Chairman M.S. Bitta and Mr L.M. Singhvi, MP, at a function here. Mr Bitta said he would soon visit Gujarat to meet the families of the victims of the attack. Accusing Pakistan of sponsoring cross-border terrorism, he said all political parties should join hands to tackle the issue. |
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Pervez ‘interfering’ in Indian affairs New Delhi, September 30 “Pakistan should set its own house in order rather than pontificate on matters it is not concerned with,” a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said in response to a question at her briefing. An observation of the European Union’s team of election observers in Pakistan that the debarring of former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif was “illegal”, the spokesperson said it only showed that “Pakistan’s invention of sustainable democracy is a concept that is not recognised or shared by other countries.” The spokesperson said while top leaders had been debarred, a “luminary” of sectarian outfit Sipah-e-Saheba of Pakistan had been given election ticket. |
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Advanced planes to be on
show New Delhi, September 30 A Ministry of Defence press note said here today that the aerospace exposition had been designed to profile the entire spectrum of the aeronautical industry and would have on display military and civil aircraft, weapon systems, instrument landing systems, airport equipment, communication systems and equipment relevant to the space industry. |
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Indian defence products to be shown in Greece New Delhi, September 30 The event, which will be attended by major buyers, is expected to provide an opportunity to Indian defence production units to display their products and also enhance the export potential. |
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Advani, Joshi to meet RSS
chief New Delhi, September 30 Mr Sudarshan’s intervention is being sought after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee understood to have taken exception to VHP international president Ashok Singhal’s recent disparaging remarks in Lucknow on him. Inclusion of Dr Joshi for a meeting with the RSS chief is reflective of his growing clout within the party, source said, adding that this was also to project the impression that the BJP was a united house. Mr Singhal was reported to have said in Lucknow, Mr Vajpayee’s constituency, that the Prime Minister had lost the “trust” of the Sangh Parivar as he had failed to tackle terrorism and had done nothing to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. Mr Singhal had not only attacked Mr Vajpayee but also not spared the BJP which the VHP leader said had buckled under western pressure. Remarks of the VHP leaders in Gujarat were also likely to figure at the meeting, party sources said, adding that the NDA allies were not very pleased with the statements. The move comes close on the heels of the BJP taking exception to the attack on Mr Vajpayee by the VHP after the attack on Akshardham temple. Meanwhile, Mr Naidu convened a meeting of party general secretaries today to discuss various issues, including the VHP statement and the anti-terrorist day to be observed tomorrow, the sources said. |
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Cauvery panel visits TN
today New Delhi, September 30 The CMC, which was scheduled to meet today, decided to postpone its sitting to October 2 in view of the Supreme Court’s directive to Tamil Nadu to extend all cooperation to the CMC to visit the state and analyse the situation. “The team will visit Thanjavur and Mettur from tomorrow to complete its task and meet in Chennai the day after tomorrow”, Union Water Resources Secretary
A.K. Goswami told newspersons here. The committee had visited reservoirs in Karnataka on September 25, but could not go to Tamil Nadu following objections from the state on the grounds that such an action would tantamount to contempt of court as the Supreme Court was seized of the contempt petition filed by Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu also boycotted the committee’s visit to the four Cauvery reservoirs of Karnataka last week and had announced its intentions of not attending today’s meeting also. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had directed the CMC to visit the reservoirs in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the Cauvery basin area and assess the ground situation. While Karnataka is contending that it had “substantially complied” with the Supreme Court orders to release 1.25 TMC of water everyday. |
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NCM for action in hair-cutting case New Delhi, September 30 Jaideep, a Sikh student, was allegedly beaten up by a group of unidentified boys, who later cut his hair to settle a dispute. Jaideep’s parents, who had moved the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to probe the matter, today held a meeting with the Chairman of the NCM, Mr Tarlochan Singh. “We have asked the Delhi police to take immediate steps to identify the culprits ”, pointed out Mr Tarlochan Singh. The NCM today called a meeting of Delhi police officials and the Principal of the school, Mrs Lata Vaidyanathan. The school had arranged for the identification of the culprits, who were allegedly part of the tennis workshop that was being held on the school premises. |
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ULFA demands 50 lakh from company New Delhi, September 30 The recent extortion demand has been made for funding ULFA’s “national freedom struggle”, sources said here today. ULFA’s commander-in-chief Paresh Barua was said to have contacted company officials for pressing the demand. The demand was made to the company through a letter. Barua was also understood to have nominated a personal confidant as a middleman for collecting this amount. ULFA had warned of dire consequences if the company did not pay up. Significantly, the company had come forward to invest Rs 200 crore in the road construction sector in Assam. |
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SC dismisses Sidhu’s plea
New Delhi, September 30 A Bench comprising Chief Justice B.N. Kirpal, Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat, dismissing the petition said “under the exercise of our jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution, we are not inclined to interfere in the high court order.” Counsel for Sidhu, who was accused of taking bribes for giving jobs, contended that his client was being harassed by the state Chief Minister and even though the first FIR did cover the disproportionate assets allegations, a second FIR was lodged against him.
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High-level probe into Salman case
Mumbai, September 30 Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) Javed Ahmed will conduct the probe into the entire matter and submit his report within a week, Mr Bhujbal, who also holds the Home portfolio, told reporters here. Mr Bhujbal had held a high-level meeting with police officials this afternoon to examine the details of the star being granted bail by the police in the accident case. Meanwhile, police sources said Salman Khan’s assertion that he was not on the driver’s seat when his car rammed into a bakery, killing a person and injuring four others on Saturday, may not help him with eyewitness accounts giving a contrary version. One of the victims, reportedly told the police that he saw Salman Khan getting down from the driver’s seat.
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New Delhi, September 30
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