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Bill against communal violence on the
anvil
French turban law silly, says UK
jurist
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Landmine victims pray for peace on
border
Sonia’s sacrifices eclipsed by tainted ministers:
Paswan
Sovereignty not possible but must be discussed:
Goswami
Troop reduction reversible:
Pranab
BJP under Advani attempts revival strategy
Uttaranchal farmers up in arms
Justice Roy recommended for Gauhati
HC
CBI seizes Rs 2.3 crore from suspended IAS
officer
Sukhoi 30MKI handed over
to IAF
New department to look after welfare of
ex-servicemen
Konark fest begins
tomorrow
Gujarat cop charged with rape, murder
2 new gas fields found in Assam
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Bill against communal violence on the
anvil
New Delhi, November 28 The bill will define communal disturbance, provide for stringent punishment to offenders and extend compensation to the victims. “We want to make a law which is really effective and which will remain in the statute books for many, many years to come. And the bill will be in accordance with the wishes of the people and their demands and opinions.” “The new Bill is being drafted by the Law Ministry on the basis of a detailed paper prepared by the Home Ministry to control communal disturbances. The draft and the paper will be put on the internet and we will hold seminars and encourage a countrywide debate to elicit people’s opinion on it before finalising it,” Mr Patil told PTI. The proposed law was expected to lay down the parametres of investigation into communal incidents and might also provide as to whether the Centre or the state would probe such a disturbance and in how much time. The Centre, Mr Patil said, had also decided to set up a new committee to suggest measures to ensure smooth relationship with the states. The multi-member committee, he said, would comprise people who understood the totality of governance, lawmakers and those implementing and interpreting the laws. On the Bill to deal with the communal situation, Mr Patil said elements relating to punishment to the offenders and compensation to the victims had been suggested in the Home Ministry’s paper on the Bill. The proposed law, which forms part of the UPA Government’s Common Minimum Programme, is expected to focus on the procedure for investigation and trial of crimes related to communal violence, relief and rehabilitation measures and mechanism for speedy control of law and order in affected areas. Besides the Bill, Mr Patil said three other major issues — repealing the anti-terrorist law POTA brought in by the previous NDA regime, declaring Tamil as a classical language and a decision on setting up a new committee to examine the Centre-state relations —as promised in the CMP have been fulfilled by the Home Ministry in the first six months since the UPA came to power. Although the Bill is not expected to be tabled in the coming winter session of Parliament, sources said the Home Minister had laid down a time schedule for completion of this task so that the Bill was introduced in Parliament in the “shortest possible time”. Before finalising the approach paper on the bill, Mr Patil had held several meeting with top officials. — PTI |
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French turban law silly, says UK
jurist
New Delhi, November 28 “In England, we would never make such silly laws,” he said and pointed that several European countries had allowed the Sikhs to wear the turbans and had even amended their local laws to accommodate the religious sentiments of this community. The French government has barred students in state-run schools from wearing religious symbols and Sikh boys have been told not to wear the turban. While most of the Sikh students have shifted to private schools or left the country following the ban, few students are holding sit-ins in front of schools to protest against the law. Terming the law as more politically motivated than fundamentally based on judicial principles, he said there was a good case made out to challenge it in the European Court of Human Rights. Hinting to the Indian community, especially the Sikhs, to pressure the European governments to discuss it in European Parliament, Lord Slynn said: “All laws of the European Union member states have to conform to the EU laws and the French law clearly violates it in letter and spirit.” Asked what role the Indian Government could play in protecting the interest of the Sikh community abroad, he said the French law with its political overtones had to be fought politically. Stating that the French law was primarily aimed at curbing Islamic fundamentalism, he had a dig at the role played by France in the PLO Chairman Yassar Arafat episode and Middle East politics. He said the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, himself being a member of the Sikh community, could play a crucial role in convincing the French authorities to change the law. |
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Landmine victims pray for peace on
border
New Delhi, November 28 Raj Kaur is not alone. Darshan Singh (45) and 18-year-old Naveen Kumar, also of Ferozepore, have lost a leg each. Darshan lost his left leg when he stepped on a mine while trying to retrieve his mule that had strayed into a field. Naveen lost his right toe in a mine explosion while herding his cattle. “Since we are talking peace, why can’t there be an agreement on this?” asked Dr Balakrishna
Kurvey, who is spearheading the “Indian Campaign to Ban landmines”. Governments should act because mines do not distinguish between friend or foe, asserted Mr Satnam Jit Singh, a retired diplomat who is a landmine victim of 1965 war. Referring to the trauma that civilians like Raj Kaur have had to suffer, Mr Satnam Jit Singh advocated a moratorium on the use of anti-personnel mines pending the signing and ratification of the Mine Ban Convention by India and Pakistan. “It is a man-made epidemic that requires urgent attention,” he said. Ironically, more persons have been killed or injured due to anti-personnel mines than shelling or firing in the past two years. According to data compiled by the Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament and Environmental Protection, mines have killed or injured 758 persons as compared to 379 casualties due to shelling or firing. The data shows that 120 persons have been killed or injured in the three border districts of Amritsar (33), Gurdaspur (29) and Ferozepore (58) in Punjab between January 2002 and March 2004. The corresponding figure for Jammu and Kashmir is 454 with mines maiming or killing 117 in Jammu, 169 in Poonch, 135 in Rajauri and 33 in Kathua. According to Dr Kurvey, the Army operations along the border affected 19 lakh farmers in 1,818 villages cultivating 60,915 acres in the three border districts of Ferozepore, Gurdaspur and Amritsar after mines were laid along the 1,800-mile border with Pakistan, including in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Till September 30, 2003, the Army is reported to have recovered a majority of the mines, but the mine clearance process, which is painstakingly slow and dangerous, is continuing. Ramchander (27) of Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan is the latest casualty. He lost both his eyes and hands in a landmine explosion as recently as last month. |
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Sonia’s sacrifices eclipsed by tainted ministers:
Paswan
Patna, November 28 “The entire world knows that the RJD is a corrupt party and the Congress, an alliance partner of the
RJD, is to take a decision whether it would continue to play the second fiddle or join the grand alliance likely to take place to overthow the RJD dispensation in Bihar”, Mr Paswan told mediapersons here after celebrating the fourth foundation day of the party. Sonia Gandhi’s image is being sullied by the presence of tainted RJD ministers in the UPA government at the Centre, he said and added “I have extended invitation to her to allign with us and it is for her to take a decision”. Asked if he would resign from the Union cabinet for raising the banner of revolt against the
RJD, Mr Paswan said: “Why should I....I will not leave the UPA government... There is nothing wrong in speaking against a coalition partner as the CPM, a constiutent of the UPA government, is fighting the Congress in West Bengal. I am doing the same thing in Bihar and, moreover, there is no UPA government in Bihar.” “We will contest all the 243 seats in Bihar and 81 in Jharkhand all alone in the event of the failure of a grand alliance”, Mr Paswan said and added the Congress should come forward in bringing the
anti-RJD parties on a common platform. The leader said he hoped the two major left parties — the CPI and the CPM — too would join the LJP’s
commitment to get rid Bihar of the RJD’s misrule. —PTI |
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Sovereignty not possible but must be discussed:
Goswami
Guwahati, November 28 “Sovereignty is not possible but if we do not discuss the issue, the militants will not come forward for talks and we will not know about their other demands”, Ms Goswami told reporters on the sidelines of the Kamal Kumari Foundation Awards which she presented here. The government can ask the militants why they want sovereignty and as the discussions proceed their other demands will become transparent and if these can be fulfilled then other issues “might be compromised”, she said. The Jnanpith Award winner, who has taken the initiative of bringing the ULFA to the negotiating table and had recently submitted an appeal to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on this, said this was a golden chance to resolve the issue of insurgency in Assam and the Centre should not let it go. “I am optimistic about the outcome of my efforts on holding talks with the militants” Ms Goswami said adding the Prime Minister had assured her to wipe out blood from Assam during his tenure when she submitted her appeal. The Prime Minister’s Chief Security Adviser has also shown keen interest in the matter and ''I feel that the government will not back down at this stage”. Asked about the series of blasts triggered by the ULFA on Thursday last, Ms Goswami said it was in reaction to the Prime Minister’s statement that sovereignty could not be discussed. She had talked to ULFA leaders after the blasts who conveyed that the Prime Minister’s statement indicated that talks could not be held but “I urged them to restrain the cadres and wait till the Prime Minister replies to the issue of sovereignty mentioned in my appeal to him”, Ms Goswami said. Holding talks was a very delicate issue and all concerned must proceed in a cautious manner. “This will take time but I was hopeful that something positive will come out of my efforts to hold talks”, she added. Asked what made her take up the initiative of bringing the militants for dialogues, she said “I have visited several villages in Assam and realised the agonies of the family members of the ULFA cadres”. —
PTI |
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Troop reduction reversible: Pranab
Onboard IAF Aircraft, November 28 “We made an experiment which was very well received by the international community. But there is no guarantee on the situation deteriorating. If need arises we can go back on this,” Mukherjee told reporters onboard IAF aircraft on his return from Nasik after witnessing the roll out of the first indegenously built Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft. In the backdrop of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s recent statement that the troop reduction was “cosmetic”, he asserted that it was “substantial” and the decision was taken after considering the security situation in the state. “This decision was made after feedback from the army. We know that extremists are still there. But these types of problems will be there,” he said. Earlier addressing a gathering at the HAL engineering depot here, he said the decision to reduce troops was made “not merely to convey some message because of some visit from neighbouring country.” He was referring to the recent visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. He said the decision was made after recognising the fact that due to the efforts by the armed forces, “we were able to reduce the rate of infiltration”. “We have taken the decision on the basis of so many facts. Despite many attempts from other side of the border, our security forces and because of effective fencing, we were able to frustrate infiltrators,” he said. —
PTI |
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BJP under Advani attempts revival strategy
Ranchi, November 28 Though the success or failure of the evolved strategy will be put to test at the coming Assembly elections in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana early next year but Mr Advani along with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapyee made every possible effort to project an united image of the party to enable it “strive for a giant leap forward in 2005”. At least Mr Advani, who is a cereberal politician and does not utter a single word without deep contemplation and calculation, tried to enthuse the party cadres and “cream” of the party leaders assembled at Ranchi by telling them that the BJP was “really the Chosen Instrument of the Divine” and that is whey they should be reminded of the “nobility of the mission” and should rise above their individual and selffish interest and work to further the interests of the party. Even, Mr Vajpayee made a conscious effort to minimise the differences saying that “Hinduatva” and “Bhartiyata” were almost synonym to each other and difference if any was like between him Mr Advani. The real fight was between two ideologies whether “Hindustan” will be able to defend its cultural legacy or would end up merely as a copy of the West, Mr Vajpayee told the assembled delegates. The three-day exercise was to project an united image of the party and to sink rather suppress existing differences so that it could take on the Congress and the Left and win the confidence of the electorate. For this, Mr Advani and his colleagues succeded to a large extent to convince the Sangh Parivar that the BJP has returned to its basics. “The arrest of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Math” is unprecedented in the spiritual and political history of India”, Mr Advani said in his opening remarks. When Mr Advani raised an accusing finger at the Congress saying that its government had apologised to a certain Muslim seminary in UP on the issue of a raid by the IB on a hostel inside the seminary for nabbing ISI-backed terrorists with links to a terrorist act in Jammu and Kashmir, he must have pleased the Sangh parivar members. “Who has created this bizzare and preverse intellectual atmosphere in this country where anything associated with Hinduism, Hindu ethos and Hindu faith is considered communal, obscurantist and -my blood boils when I hear the term ‘toxic’ “, Mr Advani said setting the tone of discussion on the opening day. Knowing full well that its NDA partners would only make noises but not go away from it as parties like JD (U) need the BJP in Bihar, the party leadership focussed guns on the UPA and comparing with the Vajpayee regime tried to prove to the people that the NDA was far superior to the present despensation at the Centre. The language and choice of words by Mr Advani and subsequently in the four resolutions was deleberately aggressive and sharp so that cadres were enthused and get motivated. By adopting resolution on price rise, agriculture, internal security and foreign policy, the BJP has armed its leaders with enough arguments to score points on their political adversaries and convince people that the UPA was ruining the country. In full knowledge that the party has to become strong on its own turf, the three day deleberations were more to set its house in order then to care for the NDA partners. |
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Uttaranchal farmers up in arms
Dehra Dun, November 28 The government, which signed an MoU with the firm and launched it in August amid fanfare, now finds itself in a tight spot with farmers from all over the state demanding that the government pay their dues. The government gave the Chennai-based firm, UA Agricoop, the largest state owned cold storage in Almora district on lease, apart from a credit of Rs 1.5 crore. In lieu of this, the firm bought apples, peaches, potatoes and rajmah directly from farmers at a good price. It was decided that 25 per cent of the payment would be made at the time of purchase, 25 per cent the next month and the rest in three months, the farmers said. However, the farmers from far-flung districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Almora and Pitthoragarh who sold their produce worth lakhs of rupees to the firm, were shocked to learn that the cheques issued by the firm had bounced. “If the government cannot pay up the dues of the farmers, it owes us an explanation as to why the firm was given all these favours”, said Harish Chandola, a farmer from Joshimath. The farmers sold their produce to the firm because it was given active support by the government, he said. Alarmed by the rising complaints from farmers, the government has deployed a police team at the residence of the proprietor of the firm, Mr Divakumari Venkateshwar Rao, to ensure that the firm does not pack off with the farmers’ money. According to Horticulture Department officials, the government is looking into the matter. Even as the firm has defaulted in paying the farmers’ dues in time, it has assured the government that it would clear all dues by month-end, the officials said. |
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Justice Roy recommended for Gauhati
HC
New Delhi, November 28 Law Minister H.R. Bharadwaj in a recent letter to CJI had pointed out that Mr Justice Roy could not not be transferred to Patna High Court as he had started his career from there. In view of the objection, the Collegium has recommended transfer of Mr Justice Roy to Gauhati High Court and appointment of Mr Justice D.K. Jain, senior-most Judge of the Delhi High Court, as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, highly placed sources told PTI. The Collegium felt Mr Justice Roy could not be continued as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court in view of the controversies during his tenure as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, they said. Refuting reports regarding transfers of Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court — Mr Justice J.S. Singhvi, Mr Justice V.K. Bali, Mr Justice V.M. Jain and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh, the sources said these transfers have been made “in public interest and for securing better administration of Justice in the High Courts”. “These transfers are not punitive and have anything to do with any incident which may have happended in the Punjab and Haryana High Court as is being reported in some newspapers,” they said. It may be recalled that all the Judges had proceeded on a day’s leave in the High Court protesting against their differences with Chief Justice Roy. Due to the change in the posting of Mr Justice Roy, the Collegium recommended appointment of Mr Justice Rajeev Gupta, senior-most Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court, as the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court instead of Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court as suggested earlier. The Law Minister in his letter had cited a very high-level policy decision arrived in 1983 between the Government of India and the Chief Justice of India that a Chief Justice could not be appointed in the same High Court to which he belonged. Along with the changes in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Collegium has recommended appointment of Mr Justice Altamas Kabir of Calcutta High Court as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. —
PTI |
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CBI seizes Rs 2.3 crore from suspended IAS
officer
New Delhi, November 28 During the investigations, the CBI found that Garg, who was arrested on April 17, had invested crores of rupees in various industries in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The CBI also seized Rs 2.31 crore in cash from his residence and bank lockers and the investments could cross Rs 3 crore, the sources said. Garg, a Haryana cadre IAS officer, was working as Regional Director (North) Anti-Adulteration Cell of Ministry of Petroleum in New Delhi. Many incriminating documents were seized during the raids on his official and residential premises in April this year. The CBI had raided various petrol pumps, offices and godowns of suppliers in many parts of the country and allegedly found clinching evidence of the involvement of many government officials in the large-scale adulteration of petrol and petroleum products. Stamp paper scam accused Abdul Karim Telgi and his front companies were also involved in adulteration of petroleum products. After a tip-off, the CBI sleuths had raided Garg’s government residential premises at Moti Bagh in South Delhi and confiscated Rs 12 lakh in notes of Rs 1000 denomination. The money was handed over to him by a Panipat-based businessman Atul Jindal, who had been acting as a conduit in the alleged corrupt practices. The CBI had also arrested Jindal for his alleged involvement in the corrupt practices and acting as middleman between the official and businessmen. According to preliminary investigations, the money was earlier given to Jindal by Garg for exchanging it to higher denomination notes. —UNI |
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Sukhoi 30MKI handed over
to IAF
Ozar Airbase (Nasik), November 28 Addressing the ceremony at the sprawling air force base, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India’s defence policy is based on a very basic foundation and the country does not have any territorial ambition. “We don’t have any territorial ambition. We don’t want to play the role of aggressor. But that does not mean we should not be careful about our defence requirements. “We are equally determined not to allow anyone to annex even a small portion of our land,” Mr Mukherjee said. On troop reduction in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Mukherjee said: “It was not merely meant to convey some message because of the visit from a neighbouring country (Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz) but to recognise the fact that due to the efforts of armed forces we were able to reduce the rate of infiltration.” On cross-border terrorism, he said India had been a victim. “We lost more lives, including civilians, than we lost in four wars that we fought with Pakistan. We cannot keep our eyes shut to these developments.” He said the international community would have to recognise in “clear and unmistakable” terms that terrorism has no geographical boundary. Any attempt to recognise and support terror will come in the way of peace and amity in the post-Cold War era, Mr Mukherjee added. —PTI |
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New department to look after welfare of
ex-servicemen
New Delhi, November 28 Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee gave this information to the newly constituted Consultative Committee attached to his ministry at its meeting earlier in the week. He said that a new Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare had been created to focus on the various requirements of ex-servicemen. He said the new department would coordinate the implementation of several ex-servicemen welfare schemes including Ex- Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme with various state governments. This department would look into various post-service requirements of ex-servicemen. The Defence Minister also informed the committee that an expert group was being appointed to look into the issue of air crashed which have dogged the Indian Air Force (IAF) recently. This information from the Defence Minister came in response to the concerns expressed by members of the Consultative Committee regarding recent crashes. He said the expert group would go into various issues related to maintenance, training and machinery of these aircraft. Incidentally, the response of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to the issue of the country getting its first Chief of Defence (CDS) remained the same as that was of the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Although Mr Pranab Mukherjee agreed with the recommendations of the group of ministers that a CDS should be in place but pointed out that the issue required a larger political consensus. However, he agreed that the present arrangement of Chairman Chief of Staff Committee was not the substitute for the CDS. Responding to a question regarding the need for more coordination between several intelligence agencies, the Defence Minister said that the setting up of the Defence Intelligence Agency was a right step in this direction. Complimenting the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for its contribution to various indigenous defence development programmes, he said that Light Combat Aircraft, ‘Tejas’ developed by DRDO had successfully completed 300 flights without any major problem. Underlying the need for more participation by the private sector in defence production, he said a small group had been set up under the chairmanship of Mr Vijay Kelkar to suggest concrete steps to be taken in this direction. He hoped that this group would submit its report by next He informed the members that by October this year more than 47 per cent of the budgeted funds had already been spent in comparison to 23 per cent utilisation in the same period in the financial year 2003-04. Members who attended the meeting were Milind Murli Deora, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Jayaben B. Thakkar, Anant Kumar Hegde, Samik Lahiri and A. Shivajirao Patil (members Lok Sabha) and Dr Karan Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Robert Kharshiing and Dara Singh Chauhan (members Rajya Sabha). The Minister of State for Defence Production B.K. Handique, Defence Secretary Ajai Vikram Singh, Secretary Defence Production Shekhar Dutta, Secretary Defence Finance Somi Tandon and various senior civil and military officials also attended the meeting. |
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Konark fest begins
tomorrow
Bhubaneswar, November 28 The open air amphitheatre at the Sun Temple premises will reverberate to the tapping of nimble feet on the dance floor and the applause of audience when the festival, now a prominent fixture of Orissa’s tourism calendar, kicks off. “It’s an exhilarating feeling when you attend this festival....it appears as if the damsels carved on the walls of the 13th century monument descend on the stage when dancers captivate you with their classical finesse,” a critic who has been visiting the festival for the past several years, said. The government’s aim is to make it one of the finest festivals to attract tourists and locals alike, Tourism Director Madhusudan Padhi said. Cultural festivals on the beaches of Orissa have become a major tourist attraction in recent years. Curtains came down for the the Puri Beach Festival recently. Artistes from across the country will perform Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Manipuri dance forms at the festival while the beauty of Odissi, the local flavour, would be brought alive by disciples of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir and exponents from Kala Vikas Kendra (KVK), Cuttack. —
PTI |
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Gujarat cop charged with rape, murder
Ahmedabad, November 28 Initially, it was believed that Shirin had in a huff grabbed the revolver and killed herself, but Shirin's mother Madina has alleged that the PSI had a sexual relationship with her daughter and had killed her during the showdown. Both Pathak and Shirin were posted at the Kadi police station in Mehsana district. The police said initially a case was lodged against Pathak under Sections 66 B, 65 AE for prohibition. Now charges under Sections 302, 374 and 376 of murder with rape have also been slapped against him. — UNI |
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2 new gas fields found in Assam
Guwahati, November 28 An Australian group would be engaged for oil exploration from the Brahmaputra river bed, he said adding that efforts are on to bring in gas from Myanmar through Bangladesh besides from Iran through Pakistan. The Assam Gas Company Limited now restricting its operations in the south bank areas should begin operations in the north bank and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, he said. In view of very high pollution in the capital city of Assam, the Petroleum Ministry was according very high priority to the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for public transport vehicles, he said. —
PTI |
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