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Sunday,
March 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Vadodara violence: 132 arrested Uma Bharti to lead BJP poll campaign
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Let’s talk, Tripura tells ultras Hurriyat leaders meet Sonia
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Why it’s difficult to catch
Osama Cops suspect LeT hand in Mulund blast Fresh row in Jharkhand Advani’s Mauritius visit off
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Vadodara violence: 132 arrested Vadodara, March 15 The police has so far arrested 132 persons in connection with the violence and rioting. Besides, two trucks carrying stones, iron pipes and other lethal weapons were seized at Madvi and the police arrested all 15 occupants in the trucks, police sources said. They said the violence, which erupted at around 4.30 p.m. yesterday near Sarasiya talab, spread to most parts of the city as rioting mobs continued to fight on streets till the wee hours today. The police fired six rounds at Sarasiya talab, leaving two persons wounded. The police resorted to firing 16 rounds at Sarasiya talab, Ladwada and Adaniapole after teargassing and lathi charge failed to disperse the irate mobs that set ablaze four vehicles, damaged Additional Commissioner of Police Pritam Singh’s car, ransacked two houses, and torched three lorries and many ‘kuchha’ houses in different areas of the walled city. Violence and rioting were reported from more than a dozen places, including Fatehapur, Mehtapole, Yakutpura, Ranawas, Bhutdizampa, Champaner Darwaja, Ladwada, Gourav Society, Kumbharwada, Panjrigar Mohalla, Sarasiya Talab and Akota, sources said. The injured included Kirti Pandya, a photojournalist, and ACP Thakur’s driver Manji Baremda, who was admitted to the SSG hospital with an injury caused by a sharp-edged weapon at Sarasia talab. According to Mr Thakur, the situation in the city was tense but under control and combing operation was on to nab the culprits involved in the violence. UNI BALLIA: Tension gripped two towns of Uttar Pradesh after trouble broke out during Muharram processions on Friday, the police said. Members of two communities clashed in Khejuri town in Ballia district when Hindus objected to the Tazia procession passing near a temple, they said. Members of both the communities indulged in heavy brick-batting and the situation was
brought under control only after the security forces reached the scene. The PAC has been deployed in the area and situation there is tense but under control, the police said. Meanwhile, Hindu Yuva Vahini activists allegedly set fire to a Tazia at Magahar town in Sant Kabir Nagar district sparking off tension in the area, they said. A case has been registered against five Vahini activists. Hundreds of activists today staged a demonstration protesting the registration of the case and demanding its immediate withdrawal, the police said, adding security personnel have been deployed in strength in the town.
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Uma Bharti to lead BJP poll campaign Bhopal, March 15 Addressing a Sankalp (resolve) rally at Lal Parade Grounds, BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu, in presence of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, gave the party’s seal of approval to BJP state unit president Kalaish Joshi’s proposal of challenging the Congress at the next Assembly elections. Earlier in his address to the gathering, Mr Joshi had appealed to the party’s national leadership to announce Uma Bharti’s appointment. Ms Bharti promised that she would leave no stone unturned to ensure the overthrow of the corrupt, and anti-people government of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. Ms Bharti, using mythological images and analogies, made a passionate appeal to her workers to undertake a resolve that they would go back to their respective areas and would expose the corrupt and a failed
administration of the Congress government. In his address, Mr Advani said while the Centre was determined to root out terrorism from the country, the BJP, if given majority in the next Lok Sabha polls, would take the country to the front row of the developed countries. Using the prevailing cricket enthusiasm in the country, Mr Advani agreed with the BJP president that while the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Rajasthan were like the semi-final for the BJP, the next Lok Sabha elections would be like the world cup final which India was going to win. |
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Let’s talk, Tripura tells ultras Agartala, March 15 Announcing the new policy, finalised by the Council of Ministers at its recent meeting, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar in his first press conference after assuming office on March 7 said: “Our door is always open for the militants to talk with the government under the framework of the Constitution, and anybody can negotiate between the government and the militants to resolve the two-and-a-half-decade-old militancy problem in this North-Eastern region.” If any organisation or any NGO came forward to act as a negotiator in this regard, the Left Front government would welcome that organisation, Mr Sarkar said, adding Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga had also been requested to take the initiative to talk with Tripura militants. He said the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) had not only set up 51 camps on the Bangladesh territory, the NLFT had also set up five camps in Mizoram. The Mizoram Chief Minister and his government have been informed about it on a number of times, the Tripura Chief Minister added. To a question, the Chief Minister said no time-frame was given to militants to lay down arms, and that on extending or withdrawing the Disturb Areas Act, now enforced in 27 of the 51 police stations of the state no decision had been taken so far. Mr Sarkar said militants renouncing the gun would be economically rehabilitated and be given incentives for deposit of arms. Vocational training would also be imparted for their rehabilitation, he added. Except the cases related to violence against women, pending criminal cases against militants would be considered for withdrawal, Mr Sarkar said.
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Hurriyat leaders meet Sonia New Delhi, March 15 This was the first meeting of the Hurriyat leaders with Mrs Gandhi, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani have not met the Hurriyat leaders so far, despite efforts made by the Kashmir Committee. Senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh was present at today’s meeting with Mrs Gandhi, which lasted about 40 minutes. Dr Manmohan Singh later said that Hurriyat delegation comprising its former Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and JKLF chief Yasin Malik and Khaleel Mohammed met Mrs Gandhi for “informal talks.” Sources said Hurriyat leaders apprised Mrs Gandhi of the political situation in the valley and the steps taken by the Centre “against” certain Muslim institutions in Jammu and Kashmir. The sources said that the leaders also conveyed their viewpoint about the recent developments concerning the state, including the appointment of Centre’s new interlocutor. |
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Why it’s difficult to catch
Osama New Delhi, March 15 The US-Pakistan joint hunt for Laden is going on at Chitral in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), in Barihot, Shingal and Asmar areas of Afghanistan’s province of Kunar and Dalbandin and Nushki areas of Baluchistan near Pakistan-Iran border, according to diplomatic sources. Soon after Khalid Sheikh’s arrest, the Pakistani officials claimed that on the basis of valuable information got from him, Laden would be arrested soon. But terrorism-watchers and Bin Laden specialists in the government here think otherwise. They point out the following reasons for this from operational and geo-political points of view: lDuring his stay in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Laden had married a Pashtun girl. It is suspected that Osama is under the protection of Pashtuns in the lawless areas on Pakistan-Afghanistan border. lThere are credible reports that for his security Laden has completely shunned the use of modern communication means like the internet, e-mail, mobile phone and satellite phone and is now learnt to be relying on human couriers to pass on his messages. The Osama-watchers here say that if Laden were to be convinced that he is holed up and his capture was a matter of days, his loyalists were under instructions to kill him. |
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Cops suspect LeT hand in Mulund blast Mumbai, March 15 “We suspect that the LeT could be involved in the blast,” the top official said on condition of anonymity. The blast on Thursday night killed 11 persons and injured 71 when the fast train was on its way to Karjat from the Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus. Meanwhile, city Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Sharma said they had received the forensic report of the samples collected from the blast site.
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Fresh row in Jharkhand Ranchi, March 15 On the other hand, Chief Minister Babulal Marandi has summoned a Cabinet meeting contending it was for the government to decide on summoning the House. “I got a communique from the Governor last night, asking me to see that the budget is passed by March 31. So I have decided to reconvene the Assembly on March 17,” Mr Namdhari told reporters here, brushing aside questions whether he was competent to convene the House. But the Chief Minister questioned the Speaker’s competence to convene the House which was adjourned sine die by him on Thursday after he had announced from the Chair that the government had lost a crucial vote on a cut motion. Mr Marandi said he would also meet the Governor and explain to him that since the House was adjourned sine die, it was the right of the Cabinet to advise the Governor on a new date for session. He also said the House was originally to have a week-long holiday on account of the Holi festival from March 14. Governor Rama Jois last night issued a communique rejecting the demand of Opposition MLAs — who had elected Mr Namdhari as their leader — to be given a chance to form an alternative government on the ground that the Marandi-led coalition ministry had lost a financial vote on a cut motion.
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Advani’s Mauritius visit off New Delhi, March 15 Mr Advani was to visit Mauritius from March 23 to 27 following a long-standing invitation from the Mauritius Government. He was scheduled to have meetings with Mauritian leaders on various aspects of bilateral relations and regional and international situation including combating terrorism. No new dates have been proposed so far, the spokersperson added. |
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