Kolkata, February 9
The Home Minister P.Chidambaram has denied Mamata Banerjee’s links with the Maoists as alleged by the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the CPI(M) leadership.

After holding a two-hour meeting with the chief ministers, senior officials and policemen of four the Maoists-affected West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa at Writers Buildings today, Chidambaram denied either Ms Banerjee or Trinamool Congress had been colluding with the Maoists.

Chidambaram stated that the joint operations against the Maoists in these four states would continue till the Maoists indulged in violence and the civil administration remained non-functional. He reiterated he would be ready to meet Maoists leaders once they abjured violence.

He was confident that the Maoists problems would be solved to a large extent within the next six months or so in these states.

The home minister said he was quite satisfied with the outcome of the operations of the joint action force against the Maoists at Lalghar, Jangalmahal and other areas in these four states where the operation would continue.

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Jharkhand Chief Minister Sibu Soren skipped the meeting.

Chidambaram said he had discussions with Ms Banerjee when she expressed her deep concern at the growing Maoists unrest in several districts in the state. She was specially concerned at the safety and security of the innocent villagers who could be victim during the police operation against the Maoists.

Chidambaram said he didn’t think anybody or any political party believing in the democratic functioning of the government had been colluding with the Maoists.

Chidambaram did not attach any importance to the absence of Nitish Kumar and Sibu Soren at today’s meeting. Both had publicly discarded the policy of the police action against the Maoists.

Chandigarh, February 9
Almost 40 years after he left the Army on medical grounds, an 80-year-old Major who had fought in three major wars finally glimpsed a ray of hope in getting his disability pension.

Taking up a petition filed by Maj Onkar Singh Phulka, the Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal today directed the Army to constitute a special medical board to assess the cause and quantum of his disability.

The petition, filed way back in 1993, had been admitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and has now been transferred to the Tribunal.

He had been commissioned into the Territorial Army in January 1958 and was embodied with the 112 Infantry Battalion at Jalandhar. Consequent to the Chinese aggression in 1962, he opted for emergency commission and was posted to Nagaland with an infantry brigade.

In 1966, his unit was disbanded and he was deployed with another infantry brigade in NEFA in Arunachal Pradesh, where he developed some medical problems due to high altitude. Contrary to medical advice, he was not posted out.

He was released from the regular Army in 1968 and reverted to the Territorial Army. In the 1971 Indo-Pak war he was deployed in the Fazilka sector and though his problem aggravated, he was not released because the Army maintained he could not be spared because of the ongoing war.

Despite being hospitalised a couple of times in 1971-72, he continued to perform arduous duties. He sought voluntary discharge later that year.

He took up a case with the military authorities for his disability pension on the grounds that his medical problem had developed and aggravated while on active military service. The Army, however, maintained that he was not entitled to disability pension because he had sought discharge voluntarily.

In fact denial of disability of pension to armed forces personnel seeking premature retirement or discharge at their own request has been a sore point for a long time, with many people moving the courts over the issue. Their contention is that disability is not related with the length of service, but is compensation for the injury or loss they have suffered while in service. Even the Supreme Court has upheld the right of voluntary retirees to receive disability pension.

New Delhi, February 9
Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who was dramatically bundled out of West Bengal in November 2007, in the wake of protests by radical Muslim groups, has returned to India to seek extension of her visa.

The 47-year-old Bangladeshi writer, who has been a target of Islamic fundamentalists, is currently staying at an undisclosed destination, official sources said.

The future plans of the doctor-turned writer, who shot into fame with her controversial book ‘Lajja’, were not immediately known. Her visa is valid till February 16. She has been requesting for permanent residency in the country but the government has not taken any decision on the issue. The writer had earlier expressed her desire to visit Kolkata, which had been turned down saying radical elements might try to harm her, the sources said.

Taslima had earlier left India on March 18, 2008, for Sweden after she was kept at an undisclosed house here for more than four months. She had not been allowed to see any visitors during the period and described her confinement as living in “a chamber of death”.

Taslima has lived in exile in many countries, including France, Sweden, the US and India, since leaving her home in Dhaka in a cloak of secrecy in 1994. — PTI

New Delhi, February 9
Holding that the UP government had not gone ahead with constructing memorials for Dalit leaders in Lucknow in violation of its stay order, the Supreme Court today asked the Allahabad High Court to dispose of within four months petitions that have challenged the state’s wisdom in spending Rs 2,600 crore on the projects.

New Delhi, February 9
Days after keeping New Delhi out of the Istanbul conference on Afghanistan at the instance of Pakistan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul today sought to placate India by strongly endorsing its position on the issue of terrorism.

India and Turkey denounce those who sponsor, abet and instigate terrorism and provide safe havens to terrorists, a joint declaration on terrorism issued by the two sides said. India has time and again used this expression in the context of Pakistan, accusing it of sheltering anti-India forces on its soil.

The Turkish President, who is a on a state visit to India, held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on all issues of mutual interest, including the international situation. Apart from the declaration on terrorism, the two countries issued a document on cooperation in the field of science and technology.

According to sources, Turkey is the first Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member to support India’s call for early conclusion of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, which finds a mention in the joint declaration on terrorism. Turkey’s position is being seen as a major departure from that of OIC, which is not willing to exclude armed forces from the purview of the convention.

On Afghanistan, the Turkish President praised the role being played by India in the reconstruction plan in the embattled nation. Asked whether New Delhi lodged a protest with Turkey over its exclusion from the Istanbul conference held last month, sources said Ankara was well aware of India’s position. 

Gulmarg, February 9
It was a harrowing experience for soldiers, who were buried under tonnes of snow while undergoing training at High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Khilanmarg, near the LoC, 8 km from this famous hill resort, and were rescued. Seventeen soldiers were killed and 17 others were critically injured.

Soldiers who survived the tragedy recount that the avalanche struck Army personnel undergoing training at HAWS and they were buried under massive snow. “It happened all of a sudden. No one got time to react or think,” said a soldier who rescued trapped soldiers.

“We knew even little delay would result in more causalities. So we rushed to the spot without wasting time,” said a senior Army officer.

The injured soldiers, who are undergoing treatment at various Army units, said it was a harrowing experience as they were buried under tonnes of snow and were unable to breathe. However, timely action by their colleagues saved their lives.

“It looked as if an entire mountain of snow had fallen on the training camp,” said Maqbool Ahmed, an officer with the Tourism Department.

The rescue team had to carry the frozen bodies of soldiers on sledges. Even as no soldier was left buried under avalanche, the entire area was still under huge snow and heavy snowfall was still going on.

“Due to the continuous snowfall and slippery conditions, we could not carry the bodies on shoulders. The frozen bodies had to be ferried on sledges,” a tourism officer said.

HAWS is one of the country’s premier warfare school. Established in 1948 as the 19 Infantry Division Ski School, it has over the years become Army’s nodal centre for ‘specialised training and dissemination of doctrines’ in high altitude, mountain and snow warfare. “HAWS conducts snow craft and winter warfare training. The school also played an important role in the Kargil War,” said a senior Army officer.

He added that other countries also send their troops for specialised training here. Recently, US special forces teams had come here to learn from Indian Army’s experiences of the Kargil War before their deployment in Afghanistan. Russian troops were also trained at this school for operations in Chechnya.

Before their deployment in forward areas, soldiers selected from different units of the Army are given specialised training here.

Guwahati, February 9
A criminal case was filed against Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, his wife and senior government officials, for cutting a cake decorated like the Tricolor at a Republic Day function at the Raj Bhavan here.

The case was filed by senior advocate of Gauhati High Court HRA Choudhury at the court of Kamrup chief judicial magistrate.

The court heard about the admissibility of the case today and fixed February 15 as the next date of hearing.

Choudhury filed the case against Gogoi, his wife Dolly, Chief Secretary PC Sarma and Additional DGP Dilip Bora for violating provisions of the Prevention of Violation and Insult to the National Honour Act, 1971 and Article 51 A of the Constitution, which enshrines the duties of the citizen to honour the National Flag.

Violation of the Act attracts imprisonment for at least three years.

With Opposition AGP raising a hue and cry over the incident, Gogoi had expressed regret and said the act was “unintentional and not to show disrespect to the National Flag”. — PTI