New Delhi, December 5
India is finally inching towards having a single agency for maritime and coastal security. The union home secretary Madhukar Gupta today reviewed a broad range of issues related to coastal security with various agencies. The general opinion in the government is that a single agency should control the maritime security.

The government also plans technological boost for coastal security agencies.

Transponders and global positioning systems (GPS) would be provided on the registered boats and vessels, besides digital identity cards would be issued to fishermen. Also, two hundred speedboats will be added to the fleet for better interception and patrolling within the next three to four months.

At present, the Navy takes care of areas, which are 200 nautical miles off the coast. The inner circle is under the supervision of the coast guards, with the coastal police being responsible for the area along the coast.

Sources said interconnected communication between the three agencies is the need of the hour. A single person should head it to avoid confusion. The need to enhance the capacity of security agencies to undertake real-time exchange and use of data and information relating to fishermen and boats patrolling the coastal areas would be enforced.

At the meeting, senior officials of nine coastal states were present, besides the representatives of the security agencies.

The home secretary said all the 73 coastal security police stations, 97 check-posts and 58 outposts should become fully operational within the shortest possible time.

The states have been asked to be ready with adequate and trained manpower to operate the new speedboats.

The delivery of 204 interceptor boats commences from March-April 2009. The biggest crisis is finding trained people. A suggestion was made that retired naval and coast guard personnel should be recruited.

At present, there are no deployment norms and standard operating procedures to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness.

Some states have sought sanction of additional police stations. The home secretary asked the coast guard representatives and state governments to carry out a detailed vulnerability gap analysis to identify the requirements of additional police stations and their locations.

In this context, it was suggested that some of the police stations could be co-located with minor ports along the coast.

The state governments were asked to review their laws and regulations in this regard and also make available the details of the same so that uniform norms and policies could be determined.

Chennai, December 5
Rapid Action Force personnel and commandos of the state police have been deployed at sensitive places as security across Tamil Nadu was beefed up in view of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary tomorrow and terror threats following the Mumbai attack.

“We have deployed state police battalions, Special Task Force (STF) personnel and commandos to beef up security across the state," Director General of Police K P Jain said today.

The Chennai airport and star hotels in the metro have also been brought under heightened security cover, following an alert sounded by Bureau of Civil Aviation based on intelligence inputs that these could be targeted by terrorists.

Meanwhile, protest and demonstrations have also been banned across the state tomorrow "keeping in mind the law and order situation, he said.

Some Muslim organisations, including the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, have called for demonstrations demanding to rebuild the Babri Masjid.

The police was "fully aware of the vulnerable and sensitive areas" and three battalions of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), one in the city, and two in Coimbatore, rocked by serial blasts in 1998, have been deployed, Singh added.

The police has also intensified patrolling and vehicle checks across the city, he added. Several security measures have been put in place at Chennai airport to prevent any untoward incident. — PTI

Mumbai, December 5
Maharashtra revenue minister Narayan Rane, who lost out to Ashok Chavan in the race for the Chief Minister’s post, hit out at the Congress party leadership, including party president Sonia Gandhi, for elevating a low-profile MLA to the top position.

Addressing the mediapersons here, shortly before Pranab Mukherjee announced Chavan's name as Maharashtra's CM, Rane said he was opting out of the race. Party sources say Rane, who had known early today that he was not going to be the final choice, timed his press conference to embarrass the new CM. “Ashok Chavan is not my competitor for the top job. He cannot handle even his ministry,” he claimed. Rane then lashed out at a number of party leaders, including the outgoing CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, for denying him the plum job.

Deshmukh was lobbying with party leaders in the Capital to keep him out, Rane alleged, adding that Chavan was the choice of Deshmukh because both of them hailed from the same Marathwada region. “Another reason which went in the favour of Chavan was that his father SB Chavan, former CM, had groomed Deshmukh in politics,” Rane claimed.

“I can’t even trust Sonia Gandhi who had promised me the post of CM,” Rane said. He went on to say that the top job was the prize promised to him for splitting the Shiv Sena and helping the Congress up its numbers in the assembly. “The party leadership has ignored the choice of majority of the MLAs who are with me,” Rane said. The Congress, Rane said, now had no future in Maharashtra.

Targeting Deshmukh again, Rane said, the former was responsible for last week’s terror strikes in Mumbai. Rane, who had never managed to hide his hatred for Deshmukh, went on to allege that the outgoing CM was responsible for driving Maharashtra to bankruptcy.

“Apart from Deshmukh, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai regional Congress committee chief Kripashankar Singh and a union minister who are responsible for stopping me from becoming the CM," Rane said.

New Delhi, December 5
In a crucial development that will augment nation’s air prowess, India today signed an agreement with its oldest military ally for the supply of 80 new medium lift helicopters. Also, the two countries inched ahead on the issue of India acquiring a nuclear submarine and the transfer of technology for T-90 tanks, hence making it an all-round package that would aid the Air force, the Navy and the Army.

Cementing a relationship that dates back to the cold war era, the Russian delegation that is led by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev was in the National Capital, where the contract for the choppers was signed.

The Indian armed forces will get these 80 military helicopters from Russia. These will be MI-17 V5 choppers. This will be an upgraded version of MI 17 that the IAF is already using. The new version has the capability of carrying much more weight and has a more powerful engine. It is a twin engine, single chopper with an anti-torque rotor.

The chopper will be used for the transportation of troops and cargo, in dropping troops quickly like the one needed in case of the Mumbai attack. It will help in special operations and has a combat role that will allow armoured battlefield support of ground troops and enable the destruction of heavy protected enemy lines. The chopper can be switched from one role to another by rapid installation of relevant equipment. It can carry about 24 fully armed troops and around 36 passengers.

India and Russia have been traditional allies and around 70 per cent of India’s military hardware still comes from Russia. The Russian President today told reporters that the matter of leasing out an Akula class nuclear submarine was discussed with India. He assured on technology transfer for T-90 tanks in India. “We have identified ways to move ahead in this field”, he added.

It may be mentioned here that the tanks are being manufactured here but some critical components still are sourced from Russia. India had placed an order for an additional 347 tanks.

Russia will export more than $8 billion of arms this year to India. This will be a new post-Soviet Union record for arms exports. Despite India’s growing ties with EU countries and the USA, Russia is also keen to maintain its position as the main arms supplier.

Both sides discussed issues related to ongoing projects such as the fifth generation fighter aircraft that the India and Russia are co-developing, the multi-role transport aircraft, new T-90 tanks, AWACS, upgrade of combat aircraft Su-30MKI, the pricing of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.

Both countries also agreed that military-technical cooperation is a key area of cooperation. They express satisfaction at the effective role played by the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation and direct it to review constantly and take forward the progress on steps taken in the areas of joint research, development, production and marketing, regular service-to-service interaction and joint military exercises.

New Delhi, December 5
CBI investigations into the 1992 murder of a Catholic nun in Kottayam have led the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) to accuse the premiere investigating agency of gross violation of human rights of those under interrogation.

The council today moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), accusing the CBI of violating the dignity of Sister Sephy, the arrested Catholic nun, by allegedly forcing her to undergo a virginity test without her permission.

The CBI on November 18 rounded up three persons -- father Thomas Kottoor, 61, and father Jose Poothrukayil, 56, and sister Sephy, 45, -- suspected to be involved in the murder of sister Abhaya in 1992. The investigators said the three murdered sister Abhaya to conceal their sexual relations, something the Catholic Church has reacted to very sharply.

While producing the accused in the court on December 2, the CBI said the investigations had revealed that sister Abhaya had seen the three in objectionable position in the convent, something that led the accused to murder her and dump her body in a nearby well. The CBI also produced before the court the results of a virginity test conducted on the arrested nun, which it said was conducted with her written consent.

The nun, however, told the court that her consent for the test was not sought. The CBI report of the test said the arrested nun’s virginity could not be ascertained “as there was surgical interference observed on hymen”.

Ever since December 2, a storm has been brewing within the Catholic Church over the CBI’s alleged act of forcing sister Sephy to take the chastity test against her permission. In a stern letter to chairperson of the NHRC Justice Rajendra Babu (retd) today, the council has sought urgent action in the matter.

“We appeal to the commission to help the traumatised Catholic nun and seek the commission’s intervention to protect the dignity of the consecrated people allegedly involved in the murder of sister Abhaya,” Sajan George, president of the council, said in his petition to the NHRC.

He added, “Having failed in establishing the loss of virginity, the investigating agency accused sister Sephy undergoing manipulative surgery to mislead the investigation. The tone of accusation smacks the standards and credibility of the premier investigation agency of India,” the petition says. The accused as well as the murdered Catholic nun belong to SMC’s Kottayam archdiocese.

Sister Abhaya’s body was found in a well at her Pius X convent in Kottayam on March 27, 1992. She was 21 at that time. She and sister Sephy, now facing arrest, belong to the indigenous sisters of St. Joseph.

Soon after the arrests, the police claims that the accused have confessed to murdering sister Abhaya. However, the Catholic Church expressed its reservations in the matter. “We don’t believe this.

The CBI has a pre-planned script, father Paul Thelakat, spokesperson for the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala, reacted, adding that the CBI’s claims were damaging the reputation of the church.

He said several CBI teams had investigated the case but failed to furnish any evidence. “Now, the CBI says it has conclusive evidence for the involvement of the three accused. It’s hard to believe,” he said.

New Delhi, December 5
The CPM has accused the BJP of playing divisive and communal politics at this crucial juncture when the nation is facing terrorist threats.

In its latest editorial, the CPM party organ People’s Democracy has severely criticised the BJP leaders for “Not joining everybody else present at the all-party meeting in condemning this attack.”

Referring to the investigations into the Malegaon blasts being conducted by the ATS team which was targeted by the Mumbai terrorists, People’s Democracy has alleged: “These terror strikes in Mumbai have provided them (Hindutva forces) a fresh lease of life to deflect the country’s attention and sharpen communal polarisation.” It said: “L.K. Advani’s statement that terrorism has no religion is now exposed as mere public posturing. Rattled as they were by the investigations being conducted by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad into the involvement of Hindutva organisations and personalities in bomb blasts in various parts of the country.”

The CPM organ said: “It (the BJP) has once again displayed its true colours of seeking to utilise terrorist attacks to deepen the communal divide hoping for an electoral dividend,” and added that “Communalism and terrorism feed each other at the expense of the country and our people.”

People’s Democracy has also attacked the TV channels and the corporate media for their anti-politician campaign. It said: “The corporate media, particularly the television news channels, have begun a mindless anti-politician campaign which only covers up the systemic problems and promotes an anti-democratic, authoritarian atmosphere.”

It also questioned the way the media has hyped the war cry against Pakistan and pointed that such war cries “Would be exactly what the extremist outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba want (in Pakistan).

People’s Democracy said: “These half-baked and dangerous proposals for military action are being given a boost by the news channels and sections of the corporate media. Military strikes against targets in the PoK will be a sure way to provoke a war between the two countries. The result would be exactly what the extremist outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba want.”

Kolkata, December 5
The Calcutta High Court has directed the BSF authorities to settle the claims of a retired BSF jawan who got a bullet embedded in his abdomen during an ambush in Manipur 11 years back.

Justice S.P. Talukdar yesterday asked the BSF director-general to ensure that Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya was given his proper dues, as per the rule in case of disability in the line of duty, within two weeks of receiving a representation from the retired jawan.

Bhattacharya had filed a case in the HC alleging disparity and denial of proper pension admissible to the jawans suffering from permanent disability during service.

Bhattacharya had joined the BSF as a constable in its 55th battalion in 1987 and was posted in Manipur.

On May 21 1997, ultras ambushed a BSF convoy killing 11 jawans.

Bhattacharya was severely injured after he was hit by five bullets, his counsel Subrata Mukherjee submitted before the court.

He was treated at a military facility in Manipur, where four bullets were extracted except one which was placed at a critical spot in his abdomen.

Suffering from severe abdominal pain for long, in January 2003 he was operated upon at Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan here to get the bullet out, but the bullet instead got embedded in his lumbar region during the surgery.

As he became unable to work, he was asked to take premature retirement by a medical board of the BSF.

On retirement, however, the authorities started paying him Rs 1,913 as pension, but he claimed the pension of Rs 5,000 according to permanent disability pension.

Bhattacharya also alleged that he was not paid full gratuity. — PTI