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Lie-detector
test raised doubts on Madhumani Two killed in Gujarat
violence Mumbai
police chief quizzed again
Ambitious
agenda for SAARC Information
Ministers’ meet |
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PM for effective strategy to eradicate poverty Hindu,
Muslims resolve gate row for now Three
parties release lists of candidates in Rajasthan TDP
will return with majority, says Naidu Mamata
to join Samata-Janata front SAFMA
deplores action against scribes ‘Brahmos’ test-fired successfully Nirankari
congregation from November 15 Tributes
paid to Mother Teresa
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Lie-detector test raised doubts on Madhumani New Delhi, November 9 “We had doubts about her even during that time, Tripathi was evasive on queries related to his wife,” agency officials said today. Amarmani after being arrested on September 21 was brought to the Capital where he was made to face the lie-detector tests twice after he repeatedly tried to evade it on health ground. During the lie-detector tests, he replied to various questions related to him, but was not categorical on certain questions related to his wife. Investigators wanted to know about the behaviour of Madhumani towards Madhumita and on the charges that she was jealous of the poetess due to her growing intimacy with her husband. “But he (Tripathi) did not reply to certain questions while remaining evasive on others,” the officials said. The CBI’s questionnaire on Madhumani was related to statements of a large number of people, questioned by the CBI, that she was the real “brain behind the poet’s murder”. The agency, however, did not arrest her in the absence of any direct or corroborative evidence, indicating her involvement. However, the scenario changed after Santosh Kumar Rai, the arrested contract killer who eliminated Madhumita, revealed that he executed the killing on the direction of Madhumani who hired him through Tripathi’s maternal cousin Rohit Chaturvedi. Rai was paid Rs 2 lakh for executing the killing of the poetess at her Paper Mill residence in Lucknow on May 9. CBI officials do not rule out Madhumani’s fresh interrogation or a possible arrest. She has already been questioned twice. Madhumani, who went underground after her husband’s arrest, had left everybody surprised when she moved an anticipatory bail application before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court without the CBI issuing any arrest warrant against her. The plea was rejected and she had to appear before the agency for interrogation.
— UNI |
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Two killed in Gujarat violence Ahmedabad, November 9 One person was burnt alive when his scooter was set on fire by a mob while another was stoned to death, the police said. Heavy stone-throwing was reported from the area since 10 pm and tension reportedly spread to nearby areas. The police lobbed several teargas shells to quell the mobs and banned people from taking to the streets and gathering, senior officials said. The late-night violence was triggered by reports of stabbing of a minority community person in Juhapura area over a personal feud, the police added.
— PTI
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Mumbai
police chief quizzed again Mumbai, November 9 Mr Sharma, who was questioned twice for almost six hours yesterday, was summoned at SIT’s Worli office this morning and questioned by SIT chief DGP S.S. Puri. Mr Sharma, who retires as Mumbai police chief on November (30), was grilled by SIT on allegations made by senior police officer
S.M. Mushriff about “lopsided probe” in to the fake stamp and stamp paper scam registered by the Bund Garden police in Pune when Mr Sharma was police commissioner at the time. The questioning of Mr Sharma assumes significance in the wake of the Mumbai High Court order directing Mr Puri to probe the alleged role of Mr Sharma and other top officers in the scam and file a report on November 12. A special court in Pune yesterday remanded Joint Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Sridhar Vagal to police custody under the MCOCA till November 13 in connection with the same case. So far SIT has arrested six police officers and is likely to arrest more this week, sources said.
— PTI |
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Ambitious agenda for SAARC Information New Delhi, November 9 The seven-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which is bogged down in Indo-Pak tensions, stands a chance to get a massive boost and become relevant. The most important proposals before the conference, are: ensuring free movement of accredited media personnel in the region on the pattern of the existing facility available to Parliamentarians of the region and setting up a SAARC media development fund. Other important agenda points are: * Creating a SAARC regional media forum with editors and working journalists of the region as members. * To review the implementation of a decision taken last time for establishing a SAARC information centre with media production research and training units. * Publicity and projection of SAARC activities within and outside the region. Diplomatic observers say if all these proposals are accepted and implemented at the forthcoming conference, it will signify a thaw in the Indo-Pak relations also. That is because India has been keen on step-by-step approach in improving Indo-Pak relations and is a votary of consolidating people-to-people contacts first. |
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PM for effective strategy to eradicate poverty New Delhi, November 9 Inaugurating the Gender Poverty Summit here, Mr Vajpayee said gender issues should be the specific focus of this action plan and the successful experience of other countries in this regard should be suitably incorporated. He pointed out that 93 per cent of India’s total work force was now in the informal sector and one third of them were women, including those working as vendors of fruits and vegetables, bamboo workers and makers and sellers of diyas during Divali. ‘‘We have not yet paid sufficient attention to the wealth and assets being created in this sector,’’ he said. Stressing the need for a holistic approach towards realising the poverty alleviation potential of the informal sector Mr Vajpayee said that the best of plans would work only when those who implemented them had a little care and compassion for the poor. The Prime Minister said neither the government sector nor the organised industry today could generate a significant number of employment opportunities. ‘‘The informal sector should not be viewed as a marginal or short-term phenomenon. It is here to stay,’’ he asserted. Mr Vajpayee, however, asserted that the poverty level in the country had reduced significantly as a result of economic reforms. “I have observed that excellent results are achieved wherever the local administration, banks, NGOs, self-help groups and small entrepreneurs have worked closely together”, he said. Lauding the work done by the Rural Employment Generation Programme of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission in providing financial support to a large number of women entrepreneurs, Mr Vajpayee said the government would soon expand scope of its programmes for the unorganised sector. The conference, being attended by representatives from about 30 countries and organised by the Women’s Political Watch in collaboration with the Central Social Welfare Board, will deal with the issue of human poverty faced by women. Mr Vajpayee observed, ‘‘The assumption that the problem of poverty and unemployment can be solved mainly by promoting the industry and agriculture through the right mix of policies and programmes and the traditional sector over a period of time will get absorbed in the formal sector of economy had not stood the test of time.’’ Stating that not only India but almost all the developing countries in the world have to mainly rely on the informal sector of the economy, the Prime Minister said neither the government sector nor the organised industry today could generate a significant number of employment opportunities. The conference would deal with the issue of human poverty faced by women. Mrs Veena Nayyar, President of the Women’s Political Watch, in her welcome address said there must be a policy which took gender into account and regretted that a committee for gender had not been constituted so far. She demanded a white paper to be brought out on the status of women’s poverty. She also wanted Women’s Reservation Bill to be passed. |
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Hindu, Muslims resolve gate row for now Aligarh, November 9 However, where the situation remained tense, but under control today. Under the interim agreement reached at a meeting of the leaders of both communities
at the District Magistrate’s residence yesterday, the iron gate to the Shahjamal graveyard would remain in place, but it would be kept open the round-the-clock under the police protection, they said. Although some sections had raised objections over the unlocking of the gate, senior district officials are confident that the agreement has by and large been accepted by most people belonging to both communities,” sources said. District Magistrate S.M. Bobde said the agreement between representatives of the Shahjmal Graveyard Committee and office-bearers of the Hindu cremation ground was a temporary solution and negotiations for finding a permanent one would be held during the next few days. Members of the Hindu community have been using a path through the graveyard as a shortcut to the cremation ground. The issue boiled over last week when a Muslim funeral party arrived at the graveyard while some BJP leaders were protesting against the installation of the gate at the graveyard which they termed was an infringement of an agreement reached between two
communities in 1999. Meanwhile, an uneasy calm prevailed in the city. Tight
security measures had been taken all over the old city. However, there was no report of any untoward incident, sources said. Curfew was abruptly re-imposed yesterday in the old city after VHP and Bajrang Dal activists tried to hold a demonstration in the railway road area. Protestors also had some heated arguments with shopkeepers in the railway road market as they had opened their shops following a marked improvement in the situation.
— PTI |
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Three parties release lists of candidates in Rajasthan Jaipur, November 9 The Communist Party of India (CPI) released its first list of 15 candidates, while the Samajwadi Party — which had earlier announced the names of 32 candidates — released a third list of 11 candidates and the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal of member of Parliament D P Yadav released its first list of 21 candidates. Prominent among the candidates announced today was Hansram Gujjar, who had fought the last elections as the BJP candidate from Karauli. Mr Gujjar said he had quit the BJP and was contesting the seat as SP nominee this time. He lashed out at the BJP, calling it “a party of Rajas and Maharajas”. The BJP has fielded Kishan Pal Singh of the former royal family from Karauli, the seat represented by state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Janardhan Singh Gehlot in the outgoing Assembly. Mr Gujjar’s announcement to quit the
BJP has come at a time when differences over the party’s first list of candidates have come to the fore. Disillusioned with the ticket distribution process, Bharatpur MP Vishvendra Singh has faxed his letter of resignation from the Lok Sabha to the Prime Minister while the party office here has been witnessing daily protests. A few BJP leaders have threatened to defeat the official nominees in the elections while some have already joined the Rajasthan Samajik Nyay Manch led by expelled BJP MLA Devi Singh Bhati and the Indian National Lok Dal of Mr Om Prakash Chautala. Developments have, however, been dismissed by senior BJP leaders as events of “minor”
significance. Political observers say such dissension is also likely to surface in the ruling Congress once it announces its candidates’ list. The SP, the CPI, the
CPI (M), the JD (S) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have entered into a seat-sharing arrangement for the poll so as to gain greater foothold in the state while the Congress and the BJP suffers from infighting. “We want to check the Congress ego and defeat the BJP’s communal designs. We want people to elect candidates who can raise their just concerns in the Assembly and infuse fresh energy in the House,” CPI Secretary Atul Kumar Anjan told reporters.
— UNI |
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TDP will return with majority, says Naidu Hyderabad, November 9 During his brief interaction with the media, after the “Dial Your Party President” programme at the NTR Bhavan, the party headquarters here, Mr Naidu gave enough indication about early poll in the state. Asked when he would make the important announcement (on the snap poll) as the party cadre had shown enthusiasm about the election announcement, he quipped, “I will let you know soon. There is no confusion among the party cadre as in the media.” Carefully skirting specific questions on the forthcoming elections to the state Assembly during the programme on a private TV channel, the TDP chief said the party need not be afraid as it would come back with an overwhelming majority (whenever the elections to the state Assembly are held). “I thought I would speak about development, irrigation and other issues but you are talking about elections,” he responded to a question from party activists from Nizamabad, who urged him not to give their constituency to the BJP as done in the last elections as “the TDP could defeat APCC President D. Srinivas by a margin of 50,000 votes.”
— UNI |
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Mamata to join Samata-Janata front Kolkata, November 9 Ms Banerjee now feels it is Mr George Fernandes, Union Defence Minister, who can help her get an important portfolio by persuading the Prime Minister and the BJP leadership. Ms Banerjee was inducted into the Cabinet recently, but no specific portfolio had been allotted to her. She was offered the Coal Ministry, which she refused. wanted back the Railways, which she had been holding at the time of her resignation on the Tehelka issue. The Trinamool Congress leadership said Mr Vajpayee was willing to offer an important ministry to Ms Banerjee, but the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, and a section of the BJP leadership were opposing it. Mr Digvijay Singh, State Minister for External Affairs, who is an office-bearer of the Samata Party, met Ms Banerjee last week at her residence in Kolkata and persuaded her to join the NDA’s mini-front, comprising the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (United). Ms Banerjee had been assured by Mr Singh that Mr Fernandes and Mr Yadav would now jointly put pressure on the Prime Minister and the BJP leadership for allotting an important ministry to her. |
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SAFMA deplores action against scribes New Delhi, November 9 The president of the Indian chapter of the
SAFMA, Mr K.K. Katyal said in a statement that the "perpetrators of the action" in Chennai had "damned" themselves. "But that does not mitigate the gravity of the situation. Nor is it to be allowed to distract attention from the serious problems created by the blatant attack on the freedom of the Press and the constitutional right of free expression, on the one hand, and the boorish conduct of the Chennai police, on the other," he said. He said SAFMA had, from to time, drawn attention to the problems faced by the media. The association had already decided to hold a meeting of senior journalists from South Asia in Islamabad in the first week of January next year on the eve of the SAARC summit to focus on freedom of media and Press laws in the countries of the region. Mr Katyal said that Tamil Nadu episode was certain to add a new dimension to the planned discussion. |
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‘Brahmos’ test-fired successfully
Balasore, November 9 After achieving the precision guidance capability in surface-to-surface version from a fixed launcher in its fourth trial on October 29 last, the missile was test-fired to check its other parameters today and a mobile launcher was used for today’s trial, defence sources said. The present version of ‘Brahmos’, the product of an Indo-Russian joint venture weighing about three toones, can strike a target located at 290 km. The missile is eight-metre long and carries a conventional war-head weighing about 200 kg. — PTI |
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Nirankari congregation from November 15 New Delhi, November 9 The event, which will bring together thousands of people, will be inaugurated by the Nirankari sect chief, Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj. The itinerary includes religious discourses, a poetic symposium and a grand painting exhibition. The other highlights include a Sewa Dal rally on November 16, featuring an impressive display of physical exercises, besides a number of cultural programmes based on the philosophy of the mission. The concluding session will be marked by a multi-lingual poetic symposium, in which over 50 poets will participate. An exhibition,
Nirakari Pradarshini, will include models, paintings and photographs. The annual event will be held in Burari like the previous years. |
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Tributes paid to Mother Teresa Kolkata, November 9 Hindu monks and nuns sat alongside Armenian priests and Roman Catholic clergy at the St Xavier’s College ground in proclamation that all religions are one. “It is wonderful to see so many of our brothers and sisters of other faiths congregating in Kolkata in the name of Mother. In her life, too, she united us in love and prayer,” Sister Nirmala, superior-general of the Missionaries of Charity, said at the all-faith prayer meeting organised by the Archdiocese of Kolkata.
— PTI |
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BJP leader resigns Bhopal, November 9 |
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