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Eleven get life term for Gujarat riots
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House panel divided on
Communal Violence Bill
Water supplied in oil
tankers to Army in Leh
SC seeks govt’s reply
on BPL programmes
Fixed GDP percentage for Defence refused
Protest against uranium project
Miss Agra to speak up about fake husband
Boeing deal cleared
Slain youths’ kin to get compensation, courtesy NCM
Raja Bhaiya granted bail
Relief for Salman
33 child bonded labourers freed
Dar-ul-Uloom asks widow to raise child of forced union
Another Salem aide held
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Eleven get life term for Gujarat riots
Gandhinagar, December 15 The fast-track court additional judge, Mr R.D. Thackar, who handed down the sentence, acquitted 18 others for want of evidence. This is the fourth 2002 riot case within two months in the district to result in a conviction. The case related to incidents that took place on March 3 and March 5, 2002, in Ajanwa village, some 20 km from the Taluka headquarters town of Santrampur. After hearing about the Godhra carnage of February 27, Muslims living in the village had fled to the nearby wilds, some of them used to return to their homes at night. There was no violence in the village till March 3 but then a mob ransacked and burnt Muslim homes and shops since their owners had fled after the Godhra carnage on February 27. It cornered one Gulab Kalu, who was never found. In the incident of March 5, a mob intercepted 16 Muslims, including old men, women and children. Hacked, brutalised and burnt, their bodies were dumped in two dry wells. The police, which reached the scene next day, found three women alive inside the well besides some others left for dead. They recovered the bodies of eight adults and three children. The FIR for this incident named 34 accused, including the 29 named in the March 3 incident. Two brothers from the village, Razak and Gafoor Sheikh, became the complainants in the FIRs for the two incidents. Gafoor’s wife Ruqaiah was one of those killed. The FIR for the March 3 incidents named 29 suspects, and that for the March 5 incident named 34, including those named in the first. Both FIRs were clubbed together and treated as one case. In the March 3 incident, the court handed down 10 years’ imprisonment to three besides a fine of Rs 250 each, with an additional 15 days in prison for defaulting on the
fine, while in the March 5 incident, it awarded life terms to 11
persons. |
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House panel divided on
Communal Violence Bill
New Delhi, December 15 The provision of the Communal violence Bill, introduced in Parliament during its current winter session, empowers the Centre to deploy armed forces in a communally-disturbed area only at the request of the state government. This provision evoked a “lively discussion” at the committee meeting. Some members were of the opinion that the request of the state government for such deployment should not be mandatory in view of the fact that the deployment will be done only after the state government has failed to follow the directions to take all immediate measures to contain communal violence. Others said while the guidance and assistance of the Union Government was necessary to enable the state government to deal with communal violence, due care should be taken to ensure that authority of the state government was not impaired in any manner. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who chaired the meeting, said the issue needed to be discussed further and the government would obtain the view of various sections of the society on the Bill. “Seminars would be held in various parts of the country and the Bill has also been put on the Home Ministry’s website for comments from the public,” the Home Minister said. Those who attended the meeting included Mr Lalhmingliana, Dr K. Malaisamy and Dr P.C. Alexander of the Rajya Sabha and Mr Avtar Bhadana, Mr Manoranjan Bhakta, Mr Mohanbhai Delkar, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal and Mr Mohan Singh of the Lok Sabha. Ministers of State for Home — Manikrao H.
Gavit, Sri Prakash Jaiswal and S. Regupathy, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and Secretary (Border Management)
D.K. Sankaran were also among those present at the meeting. |
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Water supplied in oil
tankers to Army in Leh
New Delhi, December 15 The case had come as a major embarrassment for the Petroleum Ministry in July this year, when seven tank trucks were found carrying water instead of diesel from the Ambala depot of the IOC to Leh. They were caught by the police. The scam was widely published in the media. Army Commanding Officer, Field Official Petroleum Depot, in Leh had reported the matter. Later, the Petroleum Ministry had asked the IOC to conduct an inquiry. The Chief Vigilance Officer
(CVO) of the IOC in his inquiry confirmed the allegations and recommended “major penalty proceedings against the IOC officials concerned and action against the transporters involved. “The government has suspended the Senior Manager, Ambala terminal of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), and transferred several other officers found involved in the alleged pilferage of diesel,” said Petroleum Minister in a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha today. Besides, 45 tank trucks belonging to transporters involved in the pilferage, he said, had also been “suspended”. Officials of the IOC admitted that the such cases in other regions could not be ruled out and the company was considering “upgrading the system and to check the tampering on the way” by transporters. The officers including Deputy Manager, Assistant Manager, foreman and senior operator of the Ambala Terminal have been issued transfer orders. Transfer orders has also been issued to the suspended Senior Terminal Manager, who was then the Depot Manager, Leh. Mr Aiyar said the IOC had issued a circular on the role and responsibilities of officers handling security locking system and inspection of depots and terminals as per schedule. The IOC has asked the consignees to check the quality and quantity of the product before taking deliveries. “The present system to secure the transportation of POL products should be replaced with a superior, advance system to make it fullproof against any tampering,” the CVO said in his inquiry report. Consequently, the IOC has also asked the transporters to install cost-effective devices in tank trucks to make it difficult for the carriers to pilfer or adulterate the product.
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SC seeks govt’s reply
on BPL programmes
New Delhi, December 15 A Bench of Mr Justice Ashok Bhan and Mr Justice
S.H. Kapadia sought the replies within four weeks after the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) alleged that the figures were manipulated by the government. While the PUCL counsel, Mr Colin
Gonsalves, said the income of the BPL families should be considered with a base year of 1993-94,
Additional Solicitor-General Mohan Parasaraan said it should be on the basis of 1999 report of the Planning Commission. Mr Gonsalves said due to the “manipulation” of figures by the government, nearly 100 million people, belonging to BPL families, had virtually been thrown out of the list of beneficiaries of the scheme for the poorest of the poor in the society. As Mr Gonsalves said even those included in the list were not getting the benefits of “food-for-employment programme” in the states for which the funds were being provided by the Centre, the Court asked “why old people are not getting the promised Rs 75 pension.” The Court reminded the Union Government that it was duty bound to monitor its schemes for the poor people when it was advancing money to the states. The Court had been issuing directions to the government on the BPL schemes, after the issue was brought before it by the PUCL in 2001 following starvation deaths in various states and suicide by farmers. The court said it would deal with all issues pertaining to the poverty elevation programmes of the government one by one. |
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Fixed GDP percentage for Defence refused
New Delhi, December 15 The government said it was more important to meet the requirements of the forces. It also outlined the contours of armed forces’ modernisation programme. “Instead of fixing Defence expenditure as a percentage of the GDP, it is more important to ensure that requirement of the Defence services are met,” Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement outlining the status of implementation of the recommendations of the standing committee. Mr Mukherjee said major modernisation programmes of the armed forces, including the induction of upgraded 155-mm, self-propelled and towed guns and procurement of central acquisition radars, medium- power radars, low-level, light-weight and low-level, transportable radars were under active consideration of the government. On the move to go in for advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Minister said the Russians had made a proposal which was being evaluated. On the indigenous ‘Kaveri’ engine for the light-combat aircraft, he said the Department of Defence Research and Organisation had received bids from three major companies — Pratt and Whitney of the US, SNECMA of France and NPO Saturn of Russia — for the international cooperation in building the engine. He also said the government was actively considering the Navy’s proposal for inducting eight Mine Counter Measure Vessels and a Request For Proposal (RFP) was being issued. Responding to members’ demand that 10 per cent mandatory Budgetary allocation should not be applied to the armed forces, Mr Mukherjee said the Finance Ministry had intimated that it was not being applied to the Defence Ministry. On the suggestions of members for an immediate induction of the country’s indegenious MBT ‘Arjun’, the Minister said though the government had placed an order for 124 tanks in 2000, the first five tanks had been handed over to the Army for evaluation. “Placement of further orders would be made as per assessment”, he added. To the standing committee’s demand on an immediate induction of upgraded 155MM guns, Mr Mukherjee said the Army would be inducting self-propelled and towed 155MM guns soon. |
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Protest against uranium project
Hyderabad, December 15 The massive project, to be taken up with an initial investment of Rs 5 billion at Lambapur-Peddagattu in Nalgonda district, abutting Hyderabad, had received green signal from the Central Government earlier this week. The NGOs opposing the project tooth and nail in view of the potential radiation and environmental damage to the human habitations and the surrounding flora and fauna are planning a protest march next month against the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL)’s ambitious plan. Several NGOs, who formed into Movement Against Uranium Project (MAUP), along with representatives of political parties, are expected to participate in the 57 km long protest march in the affected areas. “The project, if implemented, will create havoc with public health, contaminate the water sources and the food chain in the region. It will have disastrous consequences in future,” convenor of MAUP and well-known environmentalist Capt. J Rama Rao said. While the mandatory environmental public hearing (EPF) was held on August 2003 by UCIL, Union Minister of State for Environment Namo Narain Meena announced in the Lok Sabha on Monday last, the clearance for the project, the second such project in the country after Jaduguda in Jharkhand. The mining plant is proposed over an extent of 1,316 acres between Lambapur and Peddagattu villages in Nalgonda district, where uranium deposits have been found. The processing plant is to come up at Mallapuram village over an extent of 795 acres in the vicinity of Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir. Dr K Satya Lakshmi, an environmental activist, alleges that EPF was more of a drama, and the environmental impact and assessment study (EMP) did not address many issues such as possible danger of radioactive contamination of Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, and the danger to nearby National Tiger Reserve (Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Sanctuary). “Over 80 lakh tonnes of uranium waste material is going to be generated in the mining area over the next 20 years. Who will take the responsibility for its radioactive effect on the people?” Capt Rama Rao asked. In a minor victory to the greens, the state Pollution Control Board rejected the proposal to set up the processing plant at Lambapur/Peddagattu and Mallapuram villages, while conceding permission to the mining plant. The UCIL subsequently shifted the processing plant site from Mallapuram to Seripally in Devarkonda mandal. While the distance between the mining area, Peddagattu, and Mallapuram was 18 km, the proposed site is 55 km away from the former. “The present site, Seripally, is 28 km from Nagarjunasagar [reservoir]. Hence, there will not be any scope for water contamination,” the UCIL’s Chief Superintendent, Mechanical, Madhusudan Rao, observed. However, the Nalgonda MP and Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy is not convinced. “We don’t want to see the project anywhere near Nagarjunasagar,” he made it clear.
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Miss Agra to speak up about fake husband
Lucknow, December 15 On the intervention of the commission 20-year-old Kamna Chaudhury, Miss Agra 2004, has been provided with security. She is slated to appear before the Supreme Court on January 10 where she would “tell her story”. Summoned to Lucknow by SWC chairperson Ranjana Bajpayee, the traumatised young woman showed documents to support her story of being blackmailed by Hemant, her ‘self-proclaimed husband and his friends. Charging the SP (City), Agra, of being “hand in glove with the blackmailers”, Ms Bajpayee said, he had tried to stall Kamna’s visit to Lucknow to depose before the SWC. “Only when I warned him of the dire consequences of trying to stop her that he reluctantly allowed her to travel to Lucknow, she said. According to the SWC chairperson, the objective of bringing her to Lucknow was to provide her the confidence to speak up. “Now she has no danger to her life and has promised to bring all the facts before the court where the habeas corpus writ filed by her parents on December 9 would be taken up”, she informed. Asserting that the young woman wants to return to her parents, Ms Bajpayee said she was confident of proving in court that the man was not her legally wedded husband and was holding her against her free will. Declaring that the beauty queen’s body bore signs of physical torture, Ms Bajpayee said her travails started soon after she was crowned Miss Agra. A few months later, her parents had filed a case stating that their daughter had been kidnapped. In their complaint they had mentioned that she was being held illegally as the kidnapper was in possession of some objectionable photographs. However, later the case fell flat as Kamna appeared in court to say that she was staying with her husband on her own accord. This statement she now retracts and claims to having been made under pressure. |
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Boeing deal cleared
New Delhi, December 15 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which met here this evening under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave its go ahead to Air-India for the purchase of the aircraft, which has been long overdue. Having given its in-principle approval to the deal, the CCEA decided to refer the matter to an empowered Group of Ministers to be constituted by the Prime Minister. The eGoM would hold one last round of price negotiations with aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Civil Aviation Minister Praeful Patel told reporters here after the meeting, adding that “we hope to complete the process at the earliest.” Another proposal which was cleared tonight was that for the Rs 10,000 crore proposal of Air-India Express to purchase 18 Boeing 737-800s, costing another Rs 10,000 crore.
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Slain youths’ kin to get compensation, courtesy NCM
New Delhi, December 15 It was reported in the media that three Muslim youngsters were killed at the Kasna Police Station on the night of September 26, 2004, by the police. The NCM pursued the case and advised the state government to award a compensation of Rs five lakh to the families of the victims apart from taking action against the guilty. The NCM summoned senior officers of the Home Department and senior police officials of the UP Government for a hearing on December 14, 2005, to discuss the case, the details of which were not available. The hearing was chaired by Dr M.S. Usmani, Vice-Chairman, NCM, and Mr A.R. Shervani, Member, NCM. The representatives of the UP Government informed the NCM that the compensation would be awarded to the families within a month and that six police officials have been dismissed from service after their role in the murder was proved on completion of a CBCID investigation. |
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Raja Bhaiya granted bail
Jabalpur, December 15 A Division Bench of Justice Deepak Mishra and Justice Jitendra Maheshwari ordered that the POTA detainee be released on bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 10 lakh and two other sureties of Rs 10 lakh each in the lower court. The High Court granted the bail on an appeal challenging Special POTA court Judge R.C. Mishra’s November 29 order rejecting his bail application and ordering his detention in Jabalpur Jail. The court ordered Raja Bhaiya to deposit his passport in the Special POTA court, Jabalpur, and to report his presence at Civil Lines police station here on the last Sunday of every month with an intimation to this effect to the POTA court also.
— UNI |
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Relief for Salman
Mumbai, December 15 A lower court in Jodhpur had recently issued an arrest warrant against Salman after rejecting his plea for exemption from personal appearance. In his plea before the court, he had prayed that he was advised not to move out for two days due to medical reasons following hair transplant surgery. |
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33 child bonded labourers freed
Jaipur, December 15 A senior official of the Labour Department told The Tribune that the children freed from the clutches of Ajmer factory owners were in the age-group of six to 14 years. He stated that legal action would be initiated against the delinquents under the labour laws and the West Bengal Government would also be asked to curb this kind of sale and trafficking of children. The child labourers released from Mumbai were engaged in leather trade and were in pathetic conditions in suffocating slums. On their arrival in the state Capital, they would first be given shelter in the rescue home of the Welfare Department and be subsequently sent to their native places. |
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Dar-ul-Uloom asks widow to raise child of forced union
Hapur (UP), December 15 Police have arrested her brother-in-law Muntiyaz after she lodged an FIR alleging that she was raped in Godhi village by her dead husband’s brother and was now pregnant with his child. She told reporters here today that an Mufti Ehsan Qasim issued directives that “she will be the patron of the child that is born and Muntiyaz has no legal right on the child or mother”. She added that her fight for justice would continue and she “will get the name of the father of the child”.
— PTI |
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Another Salem aide held
Mumbai, December 15 The police said here that the driver, Mehdi Hasan, had been arrested for allegedly taking hitmen to the office of builder Pradeep Jain. Hasan was produced at the TADA court today which remanded him to the police custody till January 3. Two other associates of Salem, Naeem Khan and Riyaz Siddiqui, were arrested by the ATS last week and are in its custody till January 3. |
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