New Delhi, August 2
New CBI director Ashwani Kumar today expressed confidence that the country's premier investigating agency would be able to extradite underworld don Dawood Ibrahim while, separately, he said he favoured conducting joint operations with foreign agencies against criminals who are setting up global syndicates.

On Dawood he elaborated: "I hope we will be successful in bringing him back to the country."

The CBI would continue to focus on solving cases relating to fake currency, fake passports and terrorism, said Ashwani Kumar, a 1973 batch IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, who joined office here this morning.

The new CBI boss, who is the investigating agency's 24th chief, skirted questions relating to individual cases involving Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati and the Arushi murder case.

Refuting reports of political interference, Ashwani Kumar, who has earlier worked in the CBI for more than six years, said: "There is no political interference. The CBI is a non-political organisation. It has responsibility towards to society."

Asked whether the CBI has been able to act impartially in handling different cases, he said this question should be asked to all organisations. The question is how much good work we can do. The public, government, media and judiciary expect a lot from the CBI. But the question is what is the capability of the CBI. There are many gaps. And when the gaps are filled, the expectations will also be fulfilled, he said

On delays, he said the agency only had a 5,000 staff and the population of the country today stood at 1.25 billion. To hasten the pace of cases more staff and power would be required and it is the government of the day, which would take a final decision in this regard.

He opined that the state police forces have a major role to perform and the CBI can assist them. When the Prime Minister Manmohan singh had visited Ahmedabad following the serial blasts, he had announced that there would be joint operation and joint investigation, the CBI chief added.

Debunking the talk about the loss of credibility for the agency, he said the CBI being an autonomous one, might be under some pressure from the media, society, courts or the government but it was competent enough to "bear this pressure on its shoulders".

Asked about his priorities, he said the CBI's priorities keep changing every year and he would try to function according to the need of the hour. The government sets priorities, the central vigilance commission sets priorities and if the Supreme Court or any high court passes an order, our priorities change accordingly. Bombs explosions also re-define priorities.

New Delhi, August 2
Hundreds of Kashmiris backed by political parties clashed with police in the Capital on Saturday while holding a rally to pledge support to activists in Jammu protesting the killings of two people and revocation of the land transfer to the Amarnath Shrine Board.

Around 3,000 people of all age groups gathered at the Jantar Mantar in the heart of the Capital and proceeded towards Parliament House, but were stopped by police officials near the Parliament Street police station there.

When the protesters tried to remove the barriers put up to stop them, the police fired water cannons and baton charged the crowd. According to the protesters, nearly 15 people were injured in the clash.

"We condemn the indefinite curfew and the shoot-at-sight orders on peaceful protesters in Jammu and its outskirts. Governor N.N. Vohra along with his people is trying to crush the entire movement initiated by the common citizens of Jammu against the communal and discriminatory policies of the state government," said Aditya Raj Kaul, one of the protesters.

"It is a direct attack on the freedom of press and a human rights violation by the state. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) needs to intervene immediately," Kaul added.

Rahul Sharma, another activist, said, "We immediately demand re-allocation of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board and removal of Governor Vohra."

The protest was organised by the Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti along with various other civil society organisations and Kashmiri frontline groups such as Roots In Kashmir, Panun Kashmir, JKNDF and Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch.

Kaul said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and many cultural, social and political outfits in the capital supported the protest.

The protesters warned of intensifying their movement in the coming days.

Unrest begin in Kashmir after the state government allotted 40 hectares of forest land in north Kashmir to the Amarnath Shrine Board on May 26 for creating "temporary and pre-fabricated" shelters for Hindu pilgrims to the Amarnath cave shrine.

The order was revoked on July 1 following violent protests in the Kashmir valley, in which six people were killed. The protesters alleged that the land would be used to settle outsiders and change the Muslim-majority character of the valley.

The revocation order silenced the protests in Kashmir but ignited demonstrations in the Jammu region, which has been reeling under curfews, shutdowns and violent protests for more than a month now. The violence has claimed five lives. — IANS

Mumbai, August 2
The Mumbai angle to last week's bomb blasts in Gujarat is worrying the authorities here as the city gears up to celebrate the Ganesh festival next month.

The 10-day event, Maharashtra's main festival, is celebrated with gusto in Mumbai, Pune and other cities of the state.The police has warned mandals that install huge Ganesh idols at street corners, open grounds and in the quadrangles of buildings to follow strict security measures.

"Every mandal has been asked to designate volunteers for security purposes and these people are being briefed by the police," says an officer at the Borivli police station in suburban Mumbai.The photo-identity cards provided by the mandals are countersigned by senior police officials.

The officials say the force is stretched during the 10-day festival and civilian volunteers are required to assist them.

This time, the police has asked even small mandals to restrict parking of vehicles in close proximity in view of the car bombs employed in Gujarat. "Our volunteers will check every vehicle that is sought to be parked around the pandals," says Pandurang Jadhav who is part of co-ordination committee of different Ganesh mandals in Mumbai.

The bigger pandals in Mumbai, Pune and other cities will have to install sandbags to minimise the impact of a blast. Police sources say they are trying to reimpose restrictions on devotees bringing in coconuts to the sanctum sanctorum of the Ganesh pandals. The measure mooted last year was withdrawn at the last minute after the Shiv Sena threatened to hold protests.

Guwahati, August 2
Launching a fresh tirade against unabated and silent invasion of the state by illegal Bangladeshi migrants, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has called for economic boycott of illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in the state.

The AASU has asked all Indian citizens in the state to refrain from providing employment to suspected Bangladeshi migrants as domestic help or in any business organisation even as the state government has instructed all district administrations to guard against harassment of genuine Indian citizens by any NGO in fighting suspected illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

The AASU observes that because of the cheaper wages demanded by them, the suspected Bangladeshi migrants find employment easily as domestic help, construction workers and lower grade jobs in different business enterprises in the state.

The students’ organisation today announced a fresh phase of month-long agitation against illegal migration from across the India-Bangladesh border and inaction on the part of the Indian government as well as the Assam government.

“Despite signing of Assam Accord in 1985 at the culmination of Assam agitation, the infiltration of Bangladeshis continued because of inaction on the part of the government to solve the problem through detection, deportation and by sealing of India-Bangladesh border through erection of fencing,” AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya said.

The students’ organisation fired a broadside at all political parties in Assam including the ruling Congress, the BJP, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Left parties for turning a blind eye to the burning problem of illegal migration in the lure of votes of lakhs of illegal migrants who have managed to get their names enrolled in the state’s voters’ list, a fact over which Guwahati High Court raised alarm in a recent judgement.

As part of the fresh phase of agitation, the AASU will hold protest demonstration before the Regional Passport Office here against granting passports to suspected illegal migrants which has been highlighted by the High Court in its recent judgement.

The AASU will organise protest rallies and stage hunger strikes all over the state sans disrupting classes in all sorts of educational institutions demanding immediate implementation of all clauses of the Assam Accord.

Bangalore, August 2
The counter for balcony tickets (price Rs 100) at Nataraj Theatre in Seshadripuram area of Bangalore is virtually empty, but the booking clerk claims that the morning show has drawn a full house.

Sukumar, owner of a printing press who was waiting near the counter for his friend to join him for watching Tamil superstar Rajnikant’s latest blockbuster “Kuselan”, buts in to explain why there is no demand for balcony tickets. “Today there is solar eclipse, you see”, he says, adding that people must be busy watching the phenomenon on their TV sets.

The scene is different at the counters for the tickets of cheaper categories where serpentine queues can be seen. Clearly, they have been waiting for a long time. Some chose to sit down on the steps of the theatre to rest their tired limbs.

Whistles and applause by the crowd watching the movie inside the theatre can be heard from outside too. Viewers are surely enjoying the fare put up by the matinee idol.

Nataraj is among the 15 theatres of Bangalore where “Kuselan” was released yesterday after Rajnikant issued an apology for his alleged remark against Karnataka while participating in a demonstration organised by the Tamil movie industry in Chennai on the Hogenakkal dam issue.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, an organisation that spearheaded agitations against Tamils in Karnataka and Kannada Chaluvali Vattal Paksha led by former Karnataka MLA Vatal Nagaraj had opposed the release of “Kuselan” in Karnataka. The protesters had said the movie would be allowed to be screened in the state only if Rajnikant offered an apology for his remarks. Posters of the movie were defaced in a few places in Bangalore by the agitators.

The apology finally came one day before the movie’s worldwide release as Rajni told Kannada TV channels in Hyderabad that he was sorry for his remarks on the Hogenakkal dam issue.

Bhilwara, August 2
Assam Governor Shiv Charan Mathur said the doors of the Guwahati Raj Bhawan were always open for holding dialogue with the ULFA and other insurgent groups for restoration of peace in the troubled north-eastern state.

Mathur said, “I believe that we cannot fight out terrorism by bullet but this can be done by taking deviated youths in confidence and inspiring them to shun violence for rejoining the national mainstream.” Mathur took charge of the gubernatorial post in Guwahati on July 4.

The Governor said a number of small insurgent groups with membership strength between 100 and 250, were active in the state. He further said, “We need to convince them that separate state formation is neither possible nor required in an independent country like ours.” “Besides this, we also need to ensure speedy development in the bordering state,” he added. — UNI

BRIEFLY

Govt official thrown into river by irate villagers
Bhagalpur: A government official was thrown into a river by residents of Bihar’s Kamlakund village following an altercation over “poor” flood relief measures, police said on Saturday. Circle officer of Gopalpur block Jai Prakash Narain went to the village in Bhagalpur district on Friday to take stock of flood situation and erosion caused by the Ganga. The villagers indulged in a heated verbal exchange over distribution of relief materials. Narain was then pushed into the swollen river by villagers but was saved by timely intervention of his colleagues. — PTI

Law against child molestation
MUMBAI: In a bid to check rising cases of child sexual abuse, the state government will soon bring in legislation to curb the menace. “Deputy Chief Minister R. R. Patil has asked the women and child welfare department to prepare a draft on the lines of the Goa Children’s Act 2003, which deals with child sexual abuse, pedophilia and sex tourism,” a senior official said. The activists have demanded a specific act Section 377 of the IPC, which has no provision for child sexual abuse. — PTI

Model found murdered
LUCKNOW: Jyoti Pal (28), a model who had been seen in several ramp shows in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country, was strangulated to death at her residence Vikram Khand in Gomti Nagar on Friday, the police said. She was lying dead in her bathroom with a thin rope tied to her neck. She was staying with her brother in a rented accommodation. A case has been registered in this regard. — UNI

Indian film at Brisbane fest
PANAJI: An Indian film, ‘Of Haves and Have-Nots’ (‘Hum Panchhi Ek Dal Ke’), directed by Manoj Srivastava, CEO, Entertainment Society of Goa, will be screened on August 3 at the Brisbane International film festival 2008. The movie was shot in a day, between sunrise and moonrise, capturing the extremely contrasting lifestyles of poor and middle class children in urban India. — UNI