Hyderabad, April 29
Security has been stepped up in Hyderabad following intelligence inputs warning about possible terror strikes in the city.

The police has stepped up vigil and search operations are being conducted at all public places, including railway stations, bus depots, malls, theatres and places of worship. The security has also been beefed up at historical monuments and vital installations.

The managements of software companies, which are feared to be easy targets of terror strikes, have been asked to take additional security measures. “We have sounded alert keeping in view the recent bomb blasts in Bangalore and also to apprehend some suspected terror operatives believed to be hiding in the city,” city Police Commissioner AK Khan said.

The police went into a tizzy following reports that a group of 25 terrorists have sneaked into the city in preparation for a major strike. Massive searches of vehicles entering the city and frisking of persons have been ordered, particularly focusing old city areas. Dog squads have also fanned out across the communally-sensitive areas.

Intelligence inputs suggested that a terror suspect, Viqar Ahmed alias Ali Khan, absconding for the past two years after opening fire on police personnel at Saidabad and Falaknuma here, might have returned to the city to plan a major strike. The alert comes ahead of the third anniversary of the bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid on May 18.

Meanwhile, the police commissioner met Chief Minister K Rosaiah here and briefed him about the security measures. He also held a meeting with the owners of leading shopping malls and theatres and asked them to maintain a close monitor of the visitors by installing metal detectors and CCTV cameras.

The commissioner appealed to people to keep a watch on suspicious persons and alert the police about their movement or about any unclaimed object. “There is no need for panic but people must be alert and vigilant and cooperate with the police,” Khan said.

New Delhi, April 29
Emotions ran high in both the Houses of Parliament, which saw acrimonious scenes today between the treasury and Shiromani Akali Dal-led opposition, with the latter accusing the government of misusing the CBI for shielding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.

The Akali MPs, supported by the BJP, Left, AIADMK and the BSP, slammed the government for the exoneration of Jagdish Tytler by a Delhi Court following a closure report by the CBI.

While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned at 12 noon after the opposition MPs (led by SAD’s Sukhdev Dhindsa and BJP’s SS Ahluwalia) trooped into the well of the House, protesting cosmetic action in the case, the Lok Sabha saw unprecedented and heated exchanges between SAD member from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal and UPA ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Pawan Kumar Bansal.

The latter termed the 1984 Sikh carnage as “the most shameful event in the Indian history post-Partition” and said the Prime Minister had already apologised for the same in the House, even promised to reopen cases against the accused, if needed.

An unusually ballistic Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bansal accused the opposition of “baking political cakes on the funeral pyres of dead Sikhs”, a comment that infuriated the Akali Dal, with Harsimrat saying the time for government assurances was over and concrete action was now demanded. Her speech carried enough ammunition to evoke angry reactions from Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee who said, “The PM has apologised. How many times should he do that?”

Earlier, after Speaker Meira Kumar disallowed her notice for the suspension of Question Hour, Harsimrat raised the issue in zero hour, recounting the horrors of 1984 riots.

In an emotionally charged reference to the dark days, she recounted the statements of top Indian leaders including former Prime Minister IK Gujral, who recorded “how the President of the time and Home Minister PV Narsimha Rao sat casually as Sikhs were singled out, killed and burnt alive in Delhi.”

“Will anyone in this House put his hand on the heart and say that a single person responsible for the Sikh massacre has been brought to justice in 25 years?” she asked, unable to make her point as the speech attracted sharp reactions from Congressmen. Even MPs from Punjab Pratap Singh Bajwa and Ravneet Bittu joined the UPA ranks in countering Harsimrat, who had to abandon much of her speech.

Jaipur, April 29
After 35 long years of legal battle, the erstwhile Jaipur royal family has won back Rs 80 lakh it was forced to pay as fine for keeping 800 kg gold without “declaring” the same to the Government of India.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to refund Rs 80 lakh, along with simple interest of 6 per cent per annum, and Rs 50,000 as cost of litigation to the royal family. The gold, listed as the private property of Rajmata Gayatri Devi’s husband, late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, was seized by the Income Tax Department in 1975 as the family had not declared it to the authorities as stipulated under the Gold Control Act (GCA), 1968.

According to sources, the refund would be made to Bhawani Singh, as he is the legal heir of the former Maharaja.

Deciding the matter, Justice S Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court held that the action taken by the government was not in accordance with the law as Maharaja Sawai Man Singh had died prior to tax officials’ raid at the premises of the royal family in 1975.

“Proceedings under the GCA, which have not been initiated against a person during his lifetime, cannot be initiated and continued against his estate after his lifetime,” the court observed.

“The order of the Central government, to the extent that it sustains the order of the administrator, ordering confiscation and imposing a fine of Rs 80 lakh in lieu of confiscation of the seized gold, is hereby set aside,” the court ruled.

The order was passed on a petition filed by Man Singh’s successor and eldest son Bhawani Singh in which he challenged the government’s decision to impose the fine. In his petition, he said, “There was no reason for us to believe that the entire gold had not been declared under the Gold Control Act.”

Rajmata Gayatri Devi, who died on July 29 last year, also mentioned the gold dispute in the chapter on the Emergency in her memoirs, “A Princess Remembers”. According to Gayatri Devi, the seized gold had been mentioned in the last budget of the Jaipur state and every single piece of it was accounted for. The I-T move was also seen as an outcome of unpleasant relations between Gayatri Devi and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Gayatri Devi was accused of breaking tax laws for which she served five months in Tihar Jail in Delhi during the Emergency.

Chandigarh, April 29
The court of inquiry that had reassembled to cross-examine certain witnesses in the Sukna land controversy near Darjeeling is finally over. The Tribunal yesterday also allowed former Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash to leave Kolkata.

Gen Prakash is one of the senior-most generals held blameworthy of professional impropriety in a case pertaining to issuing of no-objection certificates to private realtors to build educational institutions over a 70-acre plot adjacent to the Sukna military station near Darjeeling. The three others indicted by an inquiry court for their involvement are Lt Gen Rath, Lt Gen Halgali and Maj Gen Sen.

Gen Prakash had moved the Armed Forces Tribunal against the COI based upon which court martial proceedings were initiated against him and some others. The case had come up for hearing before the tribunal’s principal bench yesterday.

Stating that since all witnesses had been cross-examined by the delinquent and written statements had already been submitted, Gen Prakash’s counsel sought that he now be allowed to leave Kolkata. The bench observed that since the COI was complete, no useful purpose would be served in detaining Gen Prakash at Kolkata, but directed he may be summoned back at any time for further proceedings as and when required.

Earlier, Gen Prakash had moved the tribunal alleging that there were procedural irregularities in the court’s conduct and he was not given the opportunity to cross-examine some key witnesses.

New Delhi, April 29
In the eye of storm over allocation of 2G spectrum, Telecom Minister A Raja today claimed that there had been complete transparency in the distribution of the spectrum by his ministry.

Alleging that the government had lost Rs 60,000 crore because of the manner in which the spectrum was allocated in 2008, the Opposition has demanded Raja’s resignation.

There was an uproar in both Houses yesterday with members demanding the Telecom Minister’s resignation after reports that telephone of PR lobbyist Nira Radia was tapped over allegations about her role in trying to influence 2G auction and also for being in contact with Raja.

The CBI is investigating the 2G scam.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK is hoping to take full advantage of the controversy in Tamil Nadu. Party chief Jayalalithaa has accused the Centre of double standards for forcing Shashi Tharoor to quit over IPL scandal but keeping Raja despite serious allegations of corruption against him.

“When charges were raised by Lalit Modi about Tharoor's dubious involvement in IPL deals, the minister was sacrificed. But when it comes to allies, the UPA is forced to submit to blackmail,” Jayalalithaa has been quoted as saying.

In October 2009, Raja had said he would not step down despite charges. The Telecom Minister also alleged that the BJP-led NDA government was involved in the “biggest-ever scam” as it distributed free spectrum to operators depriving exchequer of revenue worth crores.

During Question Hour Raja said, “The question of the need of 700 MHz (4G) spectrum is being studied. It is not necessary as of now.”

New Delhi, April 29
Delhi University stands to gain little from Vice-Chancellor Deepak Paintal’s acceptance of moral responsibility today for the worst-ever radioactive leak in the history of India that left one dead and seven critically ill.

Even if the victims of Cobalt 60 radiation source — traced from Mayapuri to DU’s Chemistry lab yesterday — survive, they risk malignancy all their lives. More radiation victims are expected though they may not have yet reported sick.

Finding the varsity prima facie guilty today of gross violation of the Atomic Energy Radiation Protection Rules, 2004, that govern procurement, handling and disposal of radioactive substances by institutions in India, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, (AERB) issued a show-cause notice to the university. The notice has been served to V-C Paintal, the responsible authority in respect of this institution.

If proved guilty of violating radiation protection rules framed under the Atomic Energy Act of 1962, Paintal could face an imprisonment of not less than five years and a fine up to Rs 500 or both. “We have served a show cause notice to DU V-C asking him why radiation regulatory processes were ignored. We are enquiring if the university is using other radioactive sources for research. If they are, we will suspend their licence,” Atomic Energy Regulatory Board secretary Om Pal Singh today told The Tribune. He also pointed out laxity on the part of Delhi University, which kept storing radioactive material long after it was believed to be unusable. “The rules are clear. When the radioactive source becomes unusable for the purpose for which it was initially procured, it has to be disposed of under our guidance. DU got Cobalt 60 in 1968 and stored it for years. This itself is a violation of rules,” Om Pal Singh said.

Deepak Paintal today admitted that varsity officials believed the radioactive strength of Cobalt 60 in the gamma irradiator machine in question had expired, as it was about 40 years old.

Atomic watchdog Atomic Energy Regulatory Board could, however, hold this very argument against DU, which stacked away the machine in a room called Gamma Cell. “The fact is that though the source was very old, it retained its radioactive strength and was potent enough to harm anyone who came near it,” Om Pal Singh said.

Lucknow, April 29
The Congress has denied any “secret pact” with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh. However, it has welcomed the BSP support to the Congress on the cut motions.

In an unprecedented gesture, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is also in charge of UP affairs, today appreciated the BSP chief’s decision to support secular forces.

However, he maintained his party would continue to oppose the anti-people policies of the BSP government. The 10 Congress yatras would also continue as per schedule, he pointed out.

Sounding conciliatory in his tone, he welcomed the Chief Minister’s efforts to identify criminal elements in her party. He, however, reminded Mayawati of her description of mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari as a messiah of the poor.

Advising her to check corruption in her government and concentrate on improving the law and order situation, he said the Congress would not be able to support the BSP when it came to the deteriorating law and order situation, corruption, rampant irregularities in the implementation of Central schemes and exploitation of farmers.

According to him, the Centre had no role in ensuring reprieve to the BSP national president in the disproportionate assets case. “The CBI has sought time in view of some new facts placed by Mayawati in the court and there is nothing more to it,” he maintained.

Responding to a question on his controversial statement against Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on the Naxal problem, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister claimed his statement had been reported out of context and distorted by a section of the media. He however, did admit that there was a difference of opinion cutting across party lines on the issue.

New Delhi, April 29
Home Minister P Chidambaram said today that the government was examining a proposal to bring the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) under a ministry. He said this after a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the issue of alleged phone tapping of certain politicians.

Under attack from the Opposition on the issue, the Home Minister also said the government would consider amending rules to strengthen and protect citizens' privacy.

Chidambaram assured that the government would tackle the issue of illegal interception, if any, adding that PM Manmohan Singh had directed the government to “get to the bottom” of the tapping controversy.

Referring to media reports about telephone tapping and role of lobbyists in policy making, the Home Minister said the PM had directed that “we must get to the bottom of the issue. The government would certainly find out whether any unauthorised interception took place”. “The matter will be thoroughly investigated and action taken against those responsible,” he added.

Chidambaram also said it “has become necessary to review” whether the NTRO should be shifted from the National Security Adviser to a minister, who will be accountable to Parliament. The proposal, he said, had been conveyed to the Prime Minister.

Chidambaram said if rules were found inadequate, “we will amend rules, we will add to it. We will bring more stringent safeguards.... This government is committed to the right of privacy.”

Both Houses saw protests on Monday and Tuesday with angry Opposition demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into a report that phones of prominent politicians were being tapped. The NTRO, which is equipped with telephone interception technology, is in the eye of a storm for allegedly monitoring phone conversations between a high-profile lobbyist and Telecom Minister A Raja on the allocation of 2G spectrum. The Opposition alleged that these conversations conveyed an impression that “structured lobbyists” were working even on allocations of Cabinet portfolios.

Initiating the debate, the BJP accused the government of giving “limited denials” on the telephone tapping allegations, warning that allowing lobbyists to influence policies like telecom spectrum would be “hugely frightening” for democracy.

In a scathing attack, BJP leader Arun Jaitley asked whether “public emergency” or “public safety” was under threat to bug the telephones of senior political leaders.

Referring to denial by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) that it did not tap phones of influential businessmen and politicians, he said it did not rule out tapping of the individual corporate lobbyist and PR person named in the media. He also argued that mere suspicion of tax evasion could not be equated with “public safety” and “public emergency” - two situations which allow the government to intercept messages.

Chidambaram, however, said the enforcement agencies had powers to intercept messages if nation's financial security was threatened.

New Delhi, April 29
Considering the importance of the southwest monsoon for the country, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has proposed National Mission on Monsoon to develop most representative and advanced dynamic model framework for India for forecasting monsoon rainfall and its variability in various space and time scales.

A national-level consultation meeting was recently organised with experts working in the atmospheric and oceanic modelling. Experts from the ministry’s various units - Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) - also participated in the meeting to finalise the scope, identification and shortlisting of suite of models, activity schedule, roles of various participating groups, time frame for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) along with implementation mechanism.

Minister of State for Earth Sciences Prithviraj Chavan told the Rajya Sabha today that accomplishment of accurate medium and long-range prediction of the monsoon rainfall along with associated variability (inter-annual and intra-seasonal) was a highly challenging task scientifically.

Jammu, April 29
Till last night, they were well known in Rajouri - Poonch and hailed for providing medical facilities that the state government could not. But, today Dr Khem Raj Sharma and his wife Dr Champa Sharma have become infamous for all the wrong reasons.

Much before the investigation agencies could furnish any proof against them or question them, they were all over TV channels as suspects helping Indian diplomat-turned-spy Madhuri Gupta. They were grilled daylong by the media, even as no security or intelligence official turned up at their hospital to question them.

They own a 30-bedded hospital in Sunderbani on Jammu-Poonch national highway. Khem Raj (60) is a retired government physician, while his wife is a gynaecologist.

Their only “crime” is Madhuri’s alleged visit to their hospital on March 29 to meet her friend Dr Prem Lata. Security and intelligence sources suspect the hospital could have been a convenient place for Madhuri to meet anyone.

At the same time, the security and intelligence agencies here said they had no information about the identity and whereabouts of an Army officer, whom Madhuri Gupta reportedly met here and who was constantly in touch with her.

“We have neither got any information about the Army officer nor directions from the high command to question the doctors,” said a senior police official.

“Madhuri was under the scanner of the Military Intelligence since March 29, the moment her car bearing Pakistan registration number was seen outside the hospital,” said an intelligence source while adding that Madhuri had not informed the J-K government about her visit.

Khem Raj has been pleading innocence since morning, “We went on our own to the police and denied the allegations to a senior officer,” he said.

He said he did not know Madhuri directly, but she was well known to their friend Prem Lata, who was his wife’s classmate. “Prem Lata told us that Madhuri had reached India via Wagah border and was visiting Rajouri to spend a day with her. Both left for New Delhi the next day,” he said. “The media has declared us guilty, much before we were given a chance to clarify. We haven’t sent any e-mail to Madhuri and she might be known to many people like us. Would they label all those as spies or their helpers?” the doctor said.

“As of now, it is hearsay. If there is something fishy, Defence Ministry would first take cognizance and then we will be given instructions to take necessary action,” Army sources said.