New Delhi, June 20
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, famous for his pro-minority stance, has come under heavy criticism from the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), which has charged his government with hiding information concerning police firing that killed four Muslims in Araria on June 3.

Those killed included an infant; nine people were injured when the police opened fire on them following their protest to land acquisition in the area.

Anguished over the killings, NCM chairperson Wajahat Habibullah today reached Araria. He’ll meet the affected families. Habibullah planned the Bihar visit after top bureaucracy in the state failed to furnish the required information to the commission, which received several representations on Araria killing, with some squarely blaming a Bihar legislator’s kin for the controversial land acquisition.

In a caustic letter to the CM, minorities panel chief earlier wrote, “The commission is entirely dissatisfied with the report received from Araria SP Garima Malik which fails to explain why it should have become necessary for the police to open fire so indiscriminately as to target women and babies. We are also disappointed with the communication received from Amir Subhani, Bihar Chief Secretary.” Not stopping at that, Habibullah questioned the CM if his government was justified in withholding vital information from the commission in this age of information technology simply because a judicial enquiry into the incident had been ordered.

“Simply because judicial enquiry is contemplated, are organisations like the National Commission for Minorities, statutorily mandated to look after the interests of minorities, to be denied information?” Habibullah asked the CM.

Meanwhile, the commission has received overwhelming evidence suggesting that Araria villagers stepped up their agitation when the road to their village was being acquired for the construction of a factory without providing alternative passage to the inhabitants. Negotiations between the villagers and the industrialists had indeed taken place, and were underway when an attempt was made to block the existing road to set up a factory unilaterally. This attempt led to the protest.

The NCM chief has already informed the Bihar CM of the alleged involvement of a legislator’s kin who led the land acquisition with the tacit support of government authorities. 

New Delhi, June 20
DMK MP Kanimozhi will have to cool her heels in Tihar jail for some more time as the Supreme Court today dismissed her bail plea in the 2G scam and questioned the CBI for its failure to interrogate the accused for recovering certain documents.

However, the court offered her some hope when it said she could approach the trial court for bail once charges were framed in the case.

The CBI is likely to soon file a third chargesheet in the case after which the special CBI court is expected to frame charges.

A special Bench of Justices GS Singhvi and BS Chauhan ticked off counsel for Kanimozhi and co-accused Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar when they claimed that they were innocent and were not hungry for money.

“Hungry people neither take bribe nor do they come to the courts. None of them (accused) is a hungry person,” the Bench remarked when senior counsel Altaf Ahmed argued that the accused were “not hungry for money”, and the Rs 200 crore transferred to Kalaignar TV was part of a loan amount.

The apex court order came as a surprise for the lawyers and the family members of the accused as they were hopeful of getting relief from the Bench, which appeared receptive to their pleas for bail during the 90-minute hearing.

The defence argument that Kanimozhi and Kumar were no longer required for investigation as the CBI had so far not interrogated them prompted the Bench to ask the agency as to why it failed to interrogate her.

It also asked senior counsel AS Chandiok appearing for the CBI as to what prevented the agency from recovering certain documents.

“What is preventing you from recovering the documents. Why did you not interrogate them?” the Bench asked the CBI. The senior counsel merely claimed the probe was on.

The Bench was not impressed with the defence plea that the accused were willing to abide by any condition for bail and even the IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was granted bail in the sexual molestation case.

“Let us keep the media discussions outside. It tends to blur our thinking,” the Bench remarked. It did not agree with the plea of senior counsel Sushil Kumar that Kanimozhi should be granted bail as she has a 10-year-old child to look after and that she was being denied his company.

“That happens to all other women,” the Bench remarked. — PTI 

New Delhi, June 20
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today demanded a special audit of expenditure in the state for the current fiscal and said the system there had totally collapsed due to “35 years of misrule of the Left Front government”.

“We will request the CAG to do a special audit in the state,” she said after meeting Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee here. Banerjee along with state Finance Minister Amit Mitra discussed with Mukherjee the financial situation in West Bengal.

She claimed that during the vote of account this year they (Left Front) borrowed about Rs 17,000 crore and out of that just in two months they withdrew Rs 9,000 crore. “So how the state government will run for the next 10 months in Rs 8,000 crore,” she asked.

Describing the situation in the state as “horrible and terrible”, she said: “We met the Finance Minister and discussed it in detail.” “We will go for special audit for Bengal for this financial year. Though I am not vindictive but the system has totally collapsed there. For 35 years only the political system was working. The financial and administrative system was totally collapsed. We have to revive the economy,” she said.

About the demand for a white paper on the financial condition, she said: “The Finance Minister of the state will bring out a white paper on the financial situation in the state.”

Attacking the Left Front rule, she said: “For the last 35 years there has been no change in West Bengal because of one-party rule there. That is why the situation is so bad.... over Rs 2 lakh crore is the debt.” The Chief Minister said there was a freeze on many public welfare schemes. “Since November, the senior citizens pension scheme, widow pension scheme and the scheme for the handicapped persons all are being stopped. There is an embargo on these schemes. The Rs 2 a kg rice in the BPL card scheme is also stopped,” she said.

New Delhi, June 20
The BJP kept grappling till late tonight with the crisis arising out of declared disenchantment of its deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde with party president Nitin Gadkari holding a peace meeting at senior leader LK Advani’s residence. The meeting, second in two days at Advani’s home, where Munde came face-to-face with Gadkari and continued to raise his grievances, was also attended by Maharashtra in charge M Venkaiah Naidu and party general secretary Ananth Kumar. The same set of people met last night as well and while Venkaiah was confident that matters had been resolved to everybody’s satisfaction, Munde disagreed and continued to nurse a grudge.

Therefore former president Rajnath Singh was also invited to chip in today. Party sources said Venkaiah had already summoned all Maharashtra MLAs, MLCs, MPs and office-bearers to meet at the Mumbai office tomorrow forenoon to take a view of the state unit.

The evening meeting came after day-long speculation about Munde’s political intentions since he was missing from his room with the BJP source saying that Munde was visiting undisclosed destinations in a private car. Some claimed that he was meeting Congress leaders. However, Congress sources vehemently denied this. The Sunday meeting at Advani’s home had remained inconclusive with both Munde and Gadkari sticking to their stand over appointment of their men in key posts in Maharashtra and hold over party politics in the state. Munde wants a greater say in the party affairs. However, Gadkari will not allow his home turf to be controlled by any other leader.

Therefore, Gadkari was planning to replace BJP’s Maharashtra Legislative Council leader Pandurang Phundkar, a close associate of Munde, with his appointee Vinod Thawade.

Munde, already nursing a grudge against Gadkari over the appointment of Vikas Mathkari as Pune BJP chief instead of Munde’s man Yogesh Gogawle, is reportedly unrelenting and Gadakri too is insistent. Soon after coming to Delhi on Saturday, Munde summoned his supporters and met the national leaders armed with their support. Realising the gravity of the situation , Venkaiah has summoned a larger meeting in Mumbai tomorrow. However, sources said this crisis might take a little longer to resolve. 

Lucknow, June 20
Describing the spurt of seven rapes/attempt to rape, including two rape-cum-murders as “random incidents”, the Uttar Pradesh Government today went overboard to defend itself against mounting criticism of worsening law and order situation in the state.

Addressing a joint press conference Special DG (Law and order) Brij Lal and Secretary (Information) Prashant Trivedi, while confirming most of the rape cases, claimed that the state administration had been prompt in taking action.

Clearly perturbed at the adverse publicity, Trivedi requested the media not to “juxtapose the cases to present a larger picture, which gives a value judgement”.

“There is an active perception regarding the capacity of the state administration to deal with these cases. The district-level official briefings responding to these cases is not being properly covered,” complained an Information Department official.

Responding to charges of the district chiefs not sharing information with the media, Trivedi said the Chief Secretary would give directions to the all district magistrates and superintendents of police to share correct information with the media. “Action would be taken against those who fail on this count,” he said.

Despite Tridevi’s assurance, Etah SSP Laxmi Narain continued to claim on news channels that the Etah incident was not of rape but loot in which a woman was burnt as she had recognised the assailants.

Contradicting the state government’s claim, Leader of Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav today said Chief Minister Mayawati had lost her grip over the administration.

Blaming the BSP of failing on the law and order front, Yadav said half a dozen BSP leaders were behind bars for rape and murder.

UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, “Mayawati should be ashamed. People expected at least words of sympathy from a woman Chief Minister.”

AICC General Secretary in charge of UP Digvijay Singh said criminals were getting protection under the Mayawati rule, which has led to the demoralisation of the police force.

BJP state president SP Shahi slammed the Mayawati government saying it had lost its moral right to continue. He also declared that the BJP would be sending fact finding committees of senior leaders to investigate each rape case reported during the last few days.

Kannauj: Two teenagers blind 14-year-old girl for resisting rape. The accused are behind bars.

Gonda: Body of a 13-year-old Dalit girl recovered from field on Sunday. Girl had been missing since Friday. FIR had been lodged against three of which two have been arrested.

Basti: 18-year-old Dalit girl was raped at gun point in Ranipur village. No arrests so far.

Etah: Thirty five-year-old mother of two succumbs to burn injuries on Monday. On the night of June 19-20, five persons known to the victim break into the house. She was either gangraped, as claimed by her brother, or by one of the intruders - Sunil Yadav - as maintained by the police. She was set on fire when she raised alarm. No arrests have been made.

Firozabad: During the night of June 19-20, a 14-year-old girl was raped by two youths. She was reportedly in a relationship with one of the accused. Case was registered and one arrested.

Farukhabad: Two men shot a women for resisting rape. Her husband is absconding after he killed one of the accused