 |
|
|
Narayanpur
Attack
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bodies handed over to families
1984 Riots
Soon, a legal varsity for corporates
Sonia panel discusses Food Security Bill
Suspected serial killer held
CRPF facing ‘undeserved’ flak in Kashmir
Custody Battle
Maharashtra Police sets up private security wing
SDM in UP booked for driver’s murder, arrested
CPM slams UPA govt over fuel price hike
Smriti Irani held
Aid for victims
2 new posts to tackle Naxals
|
|
Naxals’ savage face stands exposed
Throats of three CRPF jawans were slit and heads of two others smashed
Raipur, July 1 According to preliminary post-mortem reports, the jawans were killed by the Maoists in a brutal manner and around three to four bullet wounds were found on the bodies of each of the 27 slain CRPF personnel. “The Naxalites shot dead CRPF personnel from a distance and later, they slit open the throats of three and smashed heads of two other jawans,” a top police official said. The bodies of the CRPF personnel killed in a deadly ambush on Tuesday were airlifted from the remote thick forests of Dhodawyee, about 300 km from here, to Dr BR Ambedkar hospital here for conducting post-mortem examinations yesterday. The official said though 27 jawans were killed, the CRPF personnel were able to foil the Maoists’ attempt to loot the police armoury. “The police believes that around 15 Naxalites were killed in the cross-firing,” he said. A large number of heavily armed Maoists, perched on a hilltop, had opened fire with automatic weapons on a 63-member security contingent that was returning on foot from road opening duty. The dead included CRPF Assistant Commandant Jatin Gulati. “We had no inkling about the presence of Maoists,” said an injured CRPF jawan recuperating at a hospital. The Maoists fired upon the jawans with automatic weapons as they were on way back to their camp. The jawan said the contingent made a valiant effort in fighting back the Naxals for over two hours, resulting in casualties among the Maoists. He, however, could not say how many Maoists were killed. “We are always ready as we know that encounters can happen anytime and I think that is why we could give them a tough fight and inflict more damage on them than they did to us,” the jawan said. He said some of the Naxals perched on a tree started firing, diverting their attention. Another jawan Parmanand had earlier said that the Naxals numbering around 200 were armed to the teeth. He said he tried to evacuate some of his wounded colleagues and secure weapons of the martyred personnel, but he himself got injured after being hit by four bullets. — PTI
|
|
Bodies handed over to families
Guwahati, July 1 The six CRPF men from Assam who laid down their lives participating in operation against the Maoists were constable Dhrubajyoti Das of Dadra in Kamrup district, constable Arjun Goyari of Kahibari in Barpeta district, head constable Rajendra Nath Das of Betbari in Sivasagar district, head constable Anjan Phukon of Kakojan in Jorhat district, constable K Singha of Dholai in Cachar district and Sohel Rana of Chapra in Barpeta district. Senior CRPF officials paid tributes to the mortal remains of jawans at the Guwahati airport. Meanwhile, the Assam Government today announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the slain CRPF
jawans.
|
|
|
First witness deposes against Sajjan
Rashi Agarwal Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 1 She is the first witness to depose in the case. Also a complainant in the case, she lost her husband, an Army man, her son and three brothers in the riots. “I myself saw Balwant Khokkar, Sajjan’s nephew killing Sikhs in the carnage,” Kaur submitted. On being questioned by Special Public Prosecutor RS Cheema when she reported the incident to police, Kaur replied, “When on November 1, I went to the police station to lodge a complaint, the officer in charge said many more Sikhs were yet to be killed. Let all the killings get over first, then we will file the complaints altogether. Nobody will file your single complaint.” The court after recording the evidence posted the matter for tomorrow. On May 28, charges were framed against Sajjan Kumar besides Balwan Khokhar, Krishan Khokhar, Mahender Yadav, Captain Bhagmal and Girdhari Lal under various sections of the IPC relating to murder, criminal conspiracy and spreading enmity between two communities. The CBI had accused Sajjan Kumar of provoking people against the Sikhs during the carnage that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, leading to the killing of five persons in the Delhi Cantonment area. In his defence, Sajjan Kumar had claimed in the lower court that the accounts of CBI witnesses were not reliable as they had changed their versions a number of times. Meanwhile, in another riots case involving Sajjan Kumar and other accused, the court had ordered the framing of charges. The matter has been fixed for July 7.
|
|
Soon, a legal varsity for corporates
New Delhi, July 1 The idea emerged today at the legal education roundtable convened by the ministry, which has also been actively looking at the possibility of evolving a one-year LLM instead of the current two-year programme, a three-year Bachelors (Hons) course in law and a vocational course for para-legal training to fill the gaps in the expanding legal sector, where the lawyers, governments, and other organisations are desperate to find trained hands that can draft simple legal documents. While the UGC has been asked to set up three separate committees to look at the possibilities of evolving the said three courses, the roundtable said the law graduates from renowned schools could be paid to develop possible curriculum models. Also, national law schools and law experts could be consulted for the purpose. What emerged more firmly today was the establishment of a full-fledged law innovation university in the PPP model. The said varsity will depend heavily on private players, who can be offered chairs if they paid for the establishment of the institution. The roundtable discussed a corpus of Rs 100 crore for the said university (with equal participation from the private sector). Of Rs 50 crore of the private cost, the players can reserve a chair on paying Rs five crore each. The funding pattern can, however, change, depending on the total budget outlay for innovation universities, which were announced by the President in her joint address to the Parliament last year. On the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) recommendation of setting up an Institute for Comparative Legal Studies and Research, the roundtable decided to work out a synergy with the Law Ministry, which is working on establishing four legal research institutes in four parts of the country.
|
|
Sonia panel discusses Food Security Bill
New Delhi, July 1 Favouring making availability of food grain a universal entitlement for everyone in the country, several members of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi headed-council felt that even though this would have huge cost implications, it was the only way the poorest of the poor could be covered in a country like India. Leading agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan and bureaucrat-turned-social activist Harsh Mander made presentations before the council highlighting the need for moving for universal entitlement under the Act. The Food Security Bill seeks to provide legal right to poor to get rice or wheat at Rs 3 per kg. Earlier, a group of ministers favoured that every household would be entitled to 25 kg of food grains every month, drawing widespread criticism from activists. There have been demands for universal entitlement to ensure that every adult in the country is covered under the Public Distribution System (PDS). The point is that the current targeted PDS is defective and the only way to reach poor is by making food the right of everyone in the country. The need for systemic reforms to improve the functioning of the PDS was also emphasised in today’s meeting. Another point of view offered by some members was that like NREGA, NFSA could be launched in phases, covering the most needy areas, like Bihar and Orissa in the first phase. Meanwhile, the Council asked the working group on the NFSA to hold consultations with all stakeholders and submit recommendations in the next meeting on July 14 when proposals are likely to take a more concrete shape.So far, the group has held consultations with senior officials of the Department of Food and Public Distribution, School Education and Planning Commission to discuss in depth, scope of the proposed Bill, entitlements to be provided in the Bill, the target group and the implementation issues.
|
|
Suspected serial killer held
Mumbai, July 1 Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who was personally monitoring the investigations, said investigations in the case are not complete as samples collected from Shaikh matched with only that of Nusrat Shaikh (8), who was found raped and murdered on June 19. DNA samples collected from the other two victims did not match with that of Shaikh or the 120 or so people, who underwent testing as part of an elaborate investigation. Javed Shaikh was allegedly arrested after the local residents identified him from sketches made by the police based on description by three children, who escaped from his clutches. Residents said Shaikh was drinking tea at a stall when someone identified him from the sketches and called the police. The killings began in March last when the body of a 9-year-old girl was found on the terrace of a building housing the police personnel at Nehru Nagar. All three victims were found similarly murdered with their necks broken and their bodies dumped in abandoned rooms in the slum. The government pressed in 27 police teams to catch the killer. Last week, an anonymous phone call warning that the killer would strike again on July 6 further added panic among the residents here.
|
|
Menon to visit China as PM’s special envoy
New Delhi, July 1 A former Indian Ambassador to China, Menon leaves here on Saturday on his four-day visit which comes at a time when a few irritants have appeared in Sino-Indian relations, primarily the China-Pakistan nuclear nexus and Beijing’s attempt to increase its political and economic influence in India’s immediate neighbourhood, especially in Sri Lanka and Nepal. However, the two countries have shown a greater understanding of each other’s concerns in recent years and enhanced cooperation on environment and trade and economic issues, as was reflected by them at the Copenhagen summit on climate change and successive G-20 summits of rich nations and emerging economies. During his visit to the Chinese capital, Menon is also expected to hold the 14th round of boundary talks with his Chinese counterpart Dai Bingguo. This will be the first time Menon will represent India at these talks as the country’s special representative (SR). The last round of talks was held in New Delhi in August last year when the then NSA, M K Narayanan, who is now the West Bengal Governor, was the SR on the Indian side. Despite 13 rounds of talks, which were inaugurated in 2004, the two countries are not close to finding a solution to the vexed boundary dispute through both claim to have made significant progress in understanding each other’s position. In his talks, Menon is expected to seek more details about China's plan to build two additional nuclear reactors for Pakistan, a contentious agreement that has evoked much concern in New Delhi and Washington. He will also meet Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and discuss bilateral issues. Officials acknowledged that here were differences between India and China on a plethora of issue but hastened to add that this was quite natural given the history of their ties and the role they expect to play in global affairs in the years to come. In this connection, they drew attention to the fact that during April 2008-February 2009 period, China emerged as India's largest trading partner replacing the US. Ties between the two Asian giants witnessed a downturn last year after China started issuing visas to Indian nationals from Jammu and Kashmir on separate sheets thereby questioning the state’s accession to India, opposed the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, stonewalled a development aid package for the north-eastern state at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
|
|
CRPF facing ‘undeserved’ flak in Kashmir
New Delhi, July 1 An internal document prepared by the CRPF bosses says this much and the Home Ministry sources told The Tribune that their independent verification pointed to a welter of causes, including the polarised and prejudiced accounts in the local media, for the paramilitary force receiving the underserved flak. The CRPF document says how things had been flaring up in
Sopore, where death of two rioters on June 25 had sparked off the current round of protests on June 21 when militants launched several attacks on the security forces installations, including that of 22 RR of the Army, two installations of 179 battalion of the CRPF and the Sopore police station. A special police official
(SPO) was killed in these attacks while a few others were injured, it says. Things boiled over on June 25 when the police and the CRPF had to face mob fury as they zeroed in on two militants and CRPF inspector Rohtas Singh was shot in the leg by the militants hiding in the crowd. “A bullet-proof Gypsy of the 179 battalion was isolated, attacked, immobilised by puncturing two of its tyres and damaged very badly in the arson,” it says. In the subsequent firing, two persons died. The bizarre press conference of state cabinet minister Ali Mohammad Sagar on June 27 in which he accused the CRPF of going “out of control” and indulging in “unwarranted firing”, only gave credence to allegations of brutality against the force despite the next day turnaround by CM Omar Abdullah. The death of three persons in Anantnag on June 29 was due to police firings and the CRPF was not involved in those incidents, Home Ministry sources said. Officials said CRPF personnel, coming from different parts of the country, were seen as a symbol of New Delhi by the hostile crowd and separatists and mainstream politicians find it easier to vent their ire at them than the local police.
|
|
Delhi High Court seeks Fernandes’ presence
New Delhi, July 1 Justice VK Shali directed Leila Kabir to present the socialist leader, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, before him on July 5. “The court wants to ascertain what he wants. The person who, due to some incapability, was not able to be heard, the court wants to know what is in his mind to settle the issue,” Justice Shali said. The court was hearing the petition filed by Fernandes’ brothers Richard and Michael seeking custody of their brother alleging that the former minister and convener of the NDA, is not being properly treated by his wife. An application was also filed by the brothers of the leader asking for the constitution of a medical board to assess his health condition. Expressing concern for the minister, Justice Shali said: “I am not on the legal dimension of the case. My concern is only about his health”. The court also asked the two sides to identify a lawyer, who knows Konkani language so that he can help translate Fernandes’ statement. The court passed this order after it was informed that Fernandes speaks English as well as Konkani with his brothers. The brothers of the leader also sought the court’s permission to shift him to his official residence at 3, Krishna Menon Marg from the residence of his wife in south Delhi’s Panchsheel Park neighbourhood. However, Kabir’s lawyer Aman Lekhi objected to it saying that Fernandes was being treated at a private hospital in south Delhi and there was no need to shift him to his official residence. A former aide of the leader, Jaya Jaitley, yesterday alleged that she and her friends were denied entry to his official residence where they had gone to pick up some office material. Jaitley said she had a letter from Kabir to collect her office material from the house. Jaitley along with the two brothers of the leader also staged a protest when denied entry. The leader’s brothers in their plea alleged that Kabir was not allowing them access to him. They also alleged that she was staying separately from Fernandes for the past 25 years and had now come back to him as she coveted his property. — IANS
|
Maharashtra Police sets up private security wing
Mumbai, July 1 The new force has been set up so that the existing police personnel are not diverted to provide security for the private parties. The personnel recruited by the new agency will be drawn from the private security agencies and ex-servicemen. They will be trained in law enforcement, commando tactics and use of firearms according to the state government, the sources here said. After the new body begins functioning, 2,500 police personnel deployed for security duties with private citizens will be withdrawn. The Maharashtra government has earmarked Rs 25 crore for the purpose and some 10,000 personnel are likely to be hired in the coming months. The number may go up to 1.5 lakh depending on the demand from corporate houses and private citizens. DIG will head the Maharashtra Suraksha Mandal. Men and women recruited will be paid on par with the police personnel, according to the sources. They will also be provided with distinctive uniforms.
|
|
SDM in UP booked for driver’s murder, arrested
Lucknow, July 1 According to the police, Ratibhan, who stays in Harihar Nagar area of Chinhat. He had animosity with a couple, Vinod Awasthi and Kusum, who lived in the same locality. The SDM believed that the couple was misleading his daughter. The matter became so serious that the SDM, through his driver, engaged three local contact killers to get rid of the couple. The killers, Ramswaroop, Vipin and Ram Dulare, were staying in the SDM’s outhouse for the past one month as they were looking for an opportune time to carry out their job. When SDM’s wife, Kailasha Devi, learnt of the plan through the servant, Motilal, she asked the killers to murder the driver instead. As per the revised plan, the killers got rid of Sarvjeet on June 26. While investigating the murder of the driver, the police got to know about involvement of SDM and his wife in the murder. On the complaint of Vinod Awasthi, the police today also registered a case of murder against the SDM.
|
|
CPM slams UPA govt over fuel price hike
New Delhi, July 1 Indications to this effect came today, with the Left parties saying there was nothing wrong with the NDA coming together with other parties to protest an issue as big as the new fuel price hike. “Price rise is a huge issue that impacts one and all. There’s nothing wrong with the opposition protesting over it,” AB Bardhan, general secretary of the CPI, today said. — TNS
|
|
Altogether 172 BJP workers, including Irani and Sinha, were arrested for blocking the road, police said. — PTI 
|
|
Aid for victims
Kolkata, July 1 The state would also sanction adequate compensations and accordingly, the Finance Department was also preparing a note. He said the government would also provide job to at least one eligible person from each victims’ families in the due course. He admitted, of late, that there had been an increase of political clashes in the state and the former CPM MLA Anand Das had been a victim in the hands of the Trinamool Congress workers. He was killed in broad daylight by a group of people stated to be TMC workers inside his house at Nanur in Birbhum district on Tuesday. He said so far 16 persons were arrested in this regard, of which seven belonged to the
TMC. |
||
|
2 new posts to tackle Naxals
New Delhi, July 1 Official sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed A Ponnuswamy as Inspector General (Operations) for Chhattisgarh and MP Nathanael in Jharkhand in the same capacity. Both officers, who belong to the CRPF cadre, would exclusively deal with the
anti-Naxal operations in the state. — PTI
|
||
|
SC rejects Pacheco’s bail plea
New Delhi, July 1 A Bench, comprising Justices RM Lodha and AK Patnaik, dismissed the petition, observing that the accused was an influential politician and might derail the investigation.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Kolkata,
July 1