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Rouvanjit Suicide Case
Northeast insists on ‘repeal’ of AFSPA
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UP suspends seven as 4 undertrials escape
Andamans hot spot for illegal survey ships
Arjun did not consult Rajiv: Fotedar
Job Scam
Nitish Kumar keeps BJP on tenterhooks
Army Chief visits Western Command, reviews operational preparedness
BJP, Shiv Sena activists come to blows
Patna HC gets first female Chief Justice
26/11 witness denied admission in school
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Rouvanjit Suicide Case New Delhi, June 21 The committee, sources claimed, has recommended the suspension of the principal of La Martiniere School, Kolkata and three teachers, and maintained that it had no reason to rule out that extreme harassment by teachers drove the child to commit suicide. The panel supports amendments to Sections 88 and 89 of the IPC, which school teachers often resort to for protection in cases of corporal punishment. These sections are often misread to seek immunity for those who commit acts of negligence in “good faith”. The suggestion is however unlikely to be accepted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which constituted the probe panel and whose view would As reported earlier in these columns, NCPCR chairperson Shanta Sinha had last week sought legal opinion in the matter from HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, who said the IPC sections in question offered no defence to culprits and need not be amended. “The law of the land can’t be changed just because some people misinterpret it,” Sibal told The Tribune. Meanwhile, Shanta Sinha is seeking larger legal opinion on the matter. She today told TNS that the panel report had not been received. The last date for the report submission The Commission has meanwhile warned one of the panel members -- advocate Ashok Agarwal -- against making public statements in this case. Shanta Sinha even contemplated approaching the Bar Council against Agarwal if he did not stop making media disclosures. She admitted to TNS that she had considered the option and asked Agarwal not to make disclosures as the probe was underway. NCPCR sources said the terms of reference which committee members (three including Agarwal and NCPCR registrar) signed mandated them not to divulge case details -- something Agarwal is charged with doing. “Any disclosure in this case is a violation of terms of reference of the committee,” sources said. The Commission today maintained silence on panel findings even though Agarwal told TNS that he was “ready with the report”. Another panel member -- the NCPCR Registrar -- when contacted, explained the delay saying the report couldn’t be finalised unless the third commission member, residing in Kolkata, was also sent a copy and all members signed the file. Rouvanjit, whose suicide the panel is probing, has been dead for four months. He hanged himself on February 12, following corporal punishment at school.
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Northeast insists on ‘repeal’ of AFSPA
Guwahati, June 21
Human rights’ activist Babloo Loitongbam of Manipur said, “There are two aspects of the Act, functional and symbolic, for the people of the northeast. While the government is moving to amend the functional aspect of the Act, its symbolic aspect is still left out. The symbolic aspect is that the Act is viewed by people here as a symbol of discrimination and oppression. So the need of the hour is to repeal the AFSPA.” Supporters of iron lady of Manipur Irom Sharmila, who has been on fast demanding repeal of the AFSPA since November 5, 2000, said they would insist on repeal of the draconian Act. “Even after the proposed amendment if the Act remains in force only in northeast and J&K, it will remain discriminatory. Any ornamental amendment to the Act will make no difference to us, unless it is repealed,” said Singhajit Singh, brother of Sharmila. Director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights Suhas Chakma said, “It remains to be seen whether the proposed amendments of the AFSPA can assuage the sentiments of the people. The opposition of the army is untenable. The so-called immunity clause provided under Section 6 of the AFSPA was useful to the Army until 1997. However, in 1997 the government of India amended Section 197 of the CrPC to provide similar immunity to all law enforcement personnel.” “The CrPC was amended to provide immunity to the Punjab police personnel responsible for gross human rights violations, but the Army too is covered under the CrPC. The amendment of the Section 6 of the AFSPA actually does not change the actual situation as long as the government of India remains committed to protect the criminals in uniform,” added Chakma.
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UP suspends seven as 4 undertrials escape
Lucknow, June 21 They reportedly ran away by scaling the boundary wall with the help of a sari. When the routine headcount took place in the evening, it was found that four inmates -- Sachin, Yogesh, Avadhesh and Ajay -- were missing. While Sachin and Yogesh were lodged in jail since last year under the Gangster Act, Ajay and Avadhesh were named in cases of murder and attempt to murder, respectively. Taking a serious view of the matter, the state government has suspended jail superintendent, jailor and the deputy jailor. The state’s prison department has suspended four others. The state government has also announced a reward of Rs 50,000 to any one providing any clue regarding the whereabouts of the escaped inmates. Interestingly, an official of the Mathura jail confessed that prima facie it appears unlikely that the sari was used for the escape, as the twin walls were 9 feet and 18 feet high. “On inspection, it could not take even one kg weight. So it is difficult to accept that four people escaped using that cotton sari,” he said on the condition of anonymity. Refusing to hazard any guess regarding how the undertrials escaped in broad daylight, IG (Prison) Sulkhan Singh said that a clear picture would emerge only after the inquiry report is submitted.
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Andamans hot spot for illegal survey ships
New Delhi, June 21 Two ships, one Chinese and another owned by a US company, had ventured very close to India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near the islands in the past three months. They were “asked to leave the area” by the joint coastal security set-up comprising the Navy and the Coast Guard, sources said. The two ships were survey ships of private companies trawling to look for oil and natural gas. Sources said the sea between the Andamans and Myanmar is the one where the ships of foreign countries usually trawl about. Huge gas finds to the tune of 7.7 trillion cubic meters off the coast of Myanmar at Shwe, has “ignited” a keen interest. The Chinese control this gas field. With the coast-based radars having being upgraded, there is little chance of any big ship to go unnoticed, sources said, adding that the area in the region is “keenly observed” due to its strategic importance. The ships in international waters outside the EEZ - 370 km from the coast - cannot be asked to move. As per international law, the company that finds oil in international waters can bore oil-rig. However, the rule does not apply within the EEZ of a country. In the latter case, the ownerships rest with the country and drilling cannot be undertaken unilaterally. A senior Naval officer said modern survey ships need not drop anchor to scan the seabed. Technology now allows the ships to release a remote operated vehicle into the sea. The ship can move and return after a few hours to “pick up” the remote vehicle.
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Arjun did not consult Rajiv: Fotedar
Srinagar, June 21
Fotedar, a senior Congress leader from the valley, was the Political Adviser to Rajiv Gandhi at that time. Rajiv Gandhi had also visited the state in the wake of the tragedy, he said. “It was done by the state government and the Centre had nothing to do with it,” Fotedar said in reply to a question about facilitating the release of Anderson. The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (Arjun Singh) had taken the full responsibility of Anderson’s release and him leaving the country. “It was done to give relief to people,” he said. Arjun Singh did not consult the Prime Minister over the decision to facilitate the release of Anderson, he added. Asked about the prevailing security scenario in the state, particularly in the Kashmir valley, Fotedar refused to comment. He, however, lamented human rights violations, particularly in view of the killing of three youths in Srinagar during the past 10 days. Referring to the coalition arrangement in the state, he pointed out that the Congress had preferred to give power to the NC and his party (Congress) was doing well “as far as national issues” were concerned. On the role of Congress ministers from the valley, Fotedar pointed out that they had become “the ministers of their constituencies”. “I have told them that they are the MLAs of their constituencies and ministers of the whole state,” he added. There are only three Congress MLAs from the Kashmir valley out of the total 46, and two of them are ministers.
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Job Scam
New Delhi, June 21 The CBI said today that they have received the board’s nod and did not rule out his arrest. The law bars the CBI from taking any legal action against an officer of or above the rank of a joint secretary without the government sanction, and the board’s nod has removed the hurdle in questioning or arresting of Sharma. CBI sources said they had evidence about his complicity in the scam, which ran into several crores, and there was little likelihood that his son Vivek Bhardwaj Sharma could be involved without his complicity. The CBI had registered the case in Hyderabad on June 15 and raided several premises at Mumbai, Bangalore, Raipur, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
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Nitish Kumar keeps BJP on tenterhooks
New Delhi, June 21 Many BJP leaders, including president Nitin Gadkari, were not in town, making it much more difficult to discuss and formulate the BJP strategy. But realising the seriousness of the situation, Gadkari dashed back here to discuss the issue with Bihar BJP president CP Thakur and party spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Husain at his residence this evening. Earlier, Thakur and Husain met LK Advani at his Prithviraj Road residence and “discussed the current situation”. Later, the two met Sharad Yadav who reassured them continuance of the JD(U) -BJP bonhomie and camaraderie. After the meeting, both Husain and Sharad reiterated the same outside. Dispelling all apprehensions, Shahnawaz reminded: “After the Shiv Sena, the JD(U) is our oldest ally. We have fought together to rid Bihar of Lalu’s jungle raj and to get our government elected.” He said: “We have together worked for Bihar’s development. We want no obstacles in that work. We played the biggest role in ending the Lalu Prasad Yadav regime. We consider it our duty to ensure that development work continues and Lalu Prasad does not return to power again.” He also said this (break up of the BJP-JD(U) alliance) might amount to giving a clear walkover to Lalu, adding, “The BJP and the JD(U) are two wheels of development vehicle. If 50 per cent credit goes to the JD(U) for Bihar’s progress, 43 per cent goes to the BJP.” Asked if the party cared more for swabhiman (Self-respect) or its commitment to progress and development, Husain replied: “Swabhiman ke saath vikas (development with self-respect)”, clearly indicating that the BJP was still reluctant to precipitate the situation in Bihar. Instead, it is deriving solace from Nitish Kumar yesterday’s statement that his decision to return the Rs 5-crore Gujarat aid for Kosi floods way back in 2008 was taken at least one week ago on June 12 and no new development has taken place so far. But, the party is slightly handicapped now as its back channel emissaries like Arun Jaitely, who has a good rapport with Nitish Kumar, is holidaying abroad and another close confidant of Nitish in the BJP, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has also proceeded on a holiday. Nitish’ best friend in the BJP is Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi but the Bihar BJP cadres do not trust Sushil and suspect that he would succumb to Nitish far easily without coming to an honourable settlement.
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Army Chief visits Western Command, reviews operational preparedness
Chandigarh, June 21
During his two-day visit, he will be briefed by senior officers of the Western Command on various training and administrative matters. Gen Singh will address all officers of the command and put across his views to them at a one-to-one interaction session. He is accompanied by his wife Bharti Singh, who is the president of the Army Wives Welfare Association. Earlier on his arrival here, they were received by Lt-Gen SR Ghosh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, and his wife Bulbul Ghosh. The Army Chief will also make a courtesy call on the Governors and Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana, while Bharti would interact with the families of officers and jawans residing at Chandimandir. Gen Singh, who is the Colonel of the Rajput Regiment, will also hold a meeting with Army veterans, who reside in large numbers in Panchkula, Chandigarh and Mohali. Hailing from Boapara village, near Bhiwani in Haryana, he was commissioned in June 1970 and had taken over as the Chief on March 31, 2010. Prior to becoming the Eastern Army commander, he commanded 2 Corps at Ambala, besides having served in the Western sector earlier.
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BJP, Shiv Sena activists come to blows
Mumbai, June 21 Workers of the Shiv Sena ran riot in the municipal council building at Aurangabad after BJP leader Raju Shinde was elected to the post of Chairman with the support of the Congress earlier this month. The Shiv Sena, which was in the race for the post tasted defeat and consequently blamed the national ally for treachery. But what ignited the fire was a write-up in party mouthpiece Saamna by Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who accused the BJP of betraying Hindutva by aligning with the Congress in this communally sensitive town. However, Shinde refused to back down and quit. Since Saturday last the Sena has been running riot in the town targeting BJP leaders here, as per police. —TNS
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Patna HC gets first female Chief Justice
Patna, June 21 Born on December 13, 1952 at Rajkot, Doshit did her schooling from the Maharashtra Board and B.Sc. from Bombay University. Following this, she did her L.LB from Shah Law College, Ahmedabad, in 1976 and subsequently enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Gujarat in April 1977. She worked as an assistant to government solicitors from June 1985 and as assistant government pleader at Gujarat High Court from January 1989 to May 1994. She became additional public prosecutor in the same court in March 1991 and continued till May 1994. She was elevated to the bench of the Gujarat High Court as additional judge in September 1995, and confirmed as permanent judge in June 1997. The post of the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court fell vacant after Justice Dipak Misra took over as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court recently. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi, besides other ministers and top state officials attended the swearing-in ceremony.
— PTI
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26/11 witness denied admission in school Mumbai, June 21 “My daughter (Devika Rotwan) has been denied admission in New English High School at suburban Bandra. School authorities say they may face a terror threat as my daughter had deposed as a witness in the 26/11 case,” her father Natwarlal Rotwan told PTI. The girl was injured in firing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on the night of November 26, 2008. She had identified Ajmal Kasab, who went on a firing spree at the railway station. “Initially, the school said they will give her admission in Class V. But later they asked us to submit a letter, along with the admission form, from the government stating that my daughter was injured during the terror attack and should be given admission,” he said. “We were trying to get the letter and in the meantime requested the school management to give admission. The school authorities made me do endless rounds and today they bluntly refused to give admission citing security concerns,” he added. “I don’t think that I have done anything wrong. Today, the whole world is proud of me as I was a witness in this important case. But the school is denying me education as I deposed before the court,” Devika said. — PTI
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Srinagar, June 21
Since the Narendra Modi advertisements in Patna at the BJP national executive soured relations between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP on June 12, its leaders appeared a bit concerned and nervous for the first time though they kept declaring “no threat to the government.”
Noted expert on conflict studies Dr Nani Gopal Mahanta said, “The AFSPA is more known (notorious) for misuse than proper use. It should be repealed as the police and the Army have sufficient power under the law of the land to defend themselves, while fighting insurgents. Terrorism has to be fought with mind and logic. We have to fight fire with water, not with fire. But with the AFSPA in force it is like fighting fire with fire.”
He expressed hope that Anderson would be brought back to the country and described the decision to release him as “right”. Fotedar, currently on a visit to the Kashmir valley, was talking to a group of select newsmen here today. Describing the Bhopal gas tragedy as a terrible one, the Congress leader said the Centre had provided all possible help to the state at that time.