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Naxalism, terrorism major challenges: PM
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’84 riots cases handled shoddily: Punjab
Acting Chief Justice courts controversy
Delhi blast: Police, NIA grope for leads
Need for police revamp: Hooda
Janardhan in jail, focus shifts to Jagan
53.9% of WB girls marry before 18, says UNICEF
Switch used to trigger Delhi blast found
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Naxalism, terrorism major challenges: PM
New Delhi, September 10 Speaking at inauguration of the National Integration Council (NIC) meeting here, the PM, in his opening remarks, listed out a wish-list, as he, along with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, asked the 147-member council to deliberate and set the agenda. The PM said, “Terrorism and left-wing extremism constitute two major challenges that our society and polity face. The terrorist attack in Delhi on Wednesday is a stark reminder to us that there can be no let-up in our vigilance. Terrorists seek to justify such violence based on a misplaced sense of ideology.” Suggesting continuous upgrade of investigating agencies and intelligence-gathering apparatus, he said this was needed to deal with new methods and technologies terrorists and Naxals adopt. The PM also made it clear that the National Intelligence Grid, called the NATGRID, is being implemented. Asking the NIC for suggestions, he said there was a need to identify and address causes of radicalisation of some youth. “Very clearly, lack of productive employment opportunities is one factor which aids radicalisation. This council must send out a message that pursuit of violence cannot be justified under any circumstances,” the PM suggested. The PM tonight assured states in view of apprehensions arising at the National Integration Council meeting that the central government is equally committed to preserving and strengthening the federal framework of the country. The PM was responding to day-long discussions in the National Integration Council on the contents of the Communal Violence Bill. “Concerns have been expressed about encroachment into states’ jurisdiction against the spirit of federalism”, said the PM, while assuring that the federal framework will be preserved. The PM also said it was heartening that the council members had displayed unanimity of purpose, reaffirming their resolve to combat the ills of communalism and terrorism. “There is clarity that resorting to violence and unconstitutional means cannot be justified,” The PM added. Several speakers laid emphasis on a focused approach towards ending a feeling of alienation and discrimination among minorities and marginalised sections of society - Scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and women. The PM responded, saying, “The Centre, states and citizens have important roles to play.” The government also announced that it will ensure the council meets once a year hereafter.
NIC ineffective: CPM
The Left added insult to injury, saying the council had remained ineffective in promoting its professed goals of communal harmony and national integration. The Left, led by the CPM, had a point, considering issues of communal violence have repeatedly figured in the agenda of NIC and hardly any progress has been recorded. On the controversial Communal Violence Bill, the party adopted a cautious approach.
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’84 riots cases handled shoddily: Punjab
New Delhi, September 10 The state also said the proposed ‘Communal Violence Bill’ was not acceptable. Though the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal skipped the meeting, the Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal was present and the CM’s speech was distributed. Badal conveyed that one of major factors that work to the advantage of the enemies of peace and communal harmony is the failure of our system to provide automatic, in-built redressal systems for genuine grievances of people. “The shoddy and even criminal manner in which cases relating to the 1984 massacre of innocent Sikhs have been dealt with is a case in point,” Badal’s speech said. “The failure of the system to deliver justice causes deep resentment among the aggrieved sections of the people and that leads to dangerous alienation in the minds of the victims. These issues must be addressed with utmost seriousness by the NIC,” the SAD patriarch said, adding, “Unfortunately, our obsession with a purely law-and-order approach leaves the causes of our maladies largely untouched.” The SAD leader also pointed out that the growing economic disparities and an alarming rate of unemployment among the youth “contain the seeds of discontent”. The Punjab Chief Minister’s speech asked for a ‘reality check’ on the proposed Bill on communal violence.
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Acting Chief Justice courts controversy
Chandigarh, September 10 Just about a day before his departure from the high court, he has changed the roster of Division and Single Benches for urgent, motion, admission and regular cases. It is believed some major changes have been carried out in the roster. Justice Goel has been transferred to the Gauhati High Court; and is eventually expected to take over as the Chief Justice. The roster comes into effect from September 12, just about the time Justice Goel is administered oath as the first pusine in Gauhati. Available information suggest the Acting Chief Justice is well within his rights to change the roster of duties. But the changing of the roster by an Acting Chief Justice, who is under transfer, is exceptional. It is also believed the action is not only against the well established canons of convention, but is also out of place. It can even be placed in the category of illegal, if changed after the issuance of notification on transfer. A section of lawyers insist propriety demands that the job of coming out with a fresh roster of duties should have been left to the new Acting Chief Justice. Already, the high court has received a communication, notifying Justice MM Kumar as the new Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Kumar will continue to hold the charge till Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi resumes duty. Justice Gogoi is expected back by September 15. As of now, Chief Justice Gogoi is on long leave, following illness. Another aspect of the entire controversy, in fact, hovers around this issue only. The general opinion is that the decision to change the roster should have been taken by
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Delhi blast: Police, NIA grope for leads
New Delhi, September 10 With four emails claiming responsibility for the blast in the three days, investigators are not too clear about Meanwhile, after a two-hour meeting of Delhi Police and National Investigation Agency officials at the police headquarters today afternoon, the Delhi Police commissioner told mediapersons that a “switch-like thing” has been recovered from the blast site, implying that it could have been used to trigger the timer of the bomb. However, by late evening, a forensic expert working with the investigators confirmed that that this “switch” could not have been used to trigger the bomb.
2 held in Rajasthan
The credentials of two men from Jammu and Kashmir, detained in Rajasthan on the basis of their resemblance to the sketches of suspects in the Delhi High Court blast, have been checked and found to be correct, an official said. The addresses and other details provided by the two, detained in Alwar town, have been found true, the officer said. However, the police refused to divulge if the duo, residents of Sagun village in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, have been given a clean chit. — IANS
The Kishtwar youth, who allegedly sent an email claiming responsibility by banned terrorist organisation HuJI for the Delhi court blasts, has reportedly said persons based in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had asked them to send the email. The youth’s father said his son is innocent. “If he has links with any terrorist, I’ll push him into the Chenab,” he said. (With inputs from Jupinderjit Singh)
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Need for police revamp: Hooda
New Delhi, September 10 Referring to the safety and security scenario in the National Capital Region (NCR), Hooda said security of Delhi is linked to the security in the NCR. He said he sought a plan to revamp the police force in Faridabad and Gurgaon districts. He asserted that the Government of India should support the state governments in effective handling of terrorism and other violent acts by substantially increasing funds for the modernisation of police force. Similarly, for the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), the states need greater financial support,
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Janardhan in jail, focus shifts to Jagan
Hyderabad, Sept 10 There is an element of irony in the alleged business nexus between them. They belong to two different states and different political parties. However, Janardhan Reddy, who is credited with bringing BJP to power in Karnataka, used to enjoy the patronage of Jagan’s father and former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, arguably the tallest Congress leader of Andhra Pradesh. The business links between the two families are well known in political circles. It was during the YSR’s regime that the Bellary Brothers were allotted the lease for mining of iron ore at Obulapuram in Anantapur district bordering Karnataka. It was during 2004-09, when YSR was Chief Minister, that the mining czars of Bellary had consolidated their hold on mining operations on the AP-Karnataka border. The YSR government had also allotted about 10,600 acres of land to the Bellary Brothers in his home district of Kadapa in 2007 for setting up of an integrated steel plant. The Obulapuram iron ore mines were shown as the captive mines for Brahmani steel plant. However, the steel plant is yet to take off even as the Reddys mined the iron ore and exported it. The CBI is also examining the records of two companies - Red Gold and RR Global Enterprises - which are said to be the investment links between Jagan and Bellary Brothers. RR Global has sub contracts from Obulapuram Mining Company and was believed to have invested huge amounts into Jagati Publications floated by the Kadapa MP. However, Jagan has denied the allegations of business links with Bellary Brothers.
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53.9% of WB girls marry before 18, says UNICEF
Kolkata, September 10 Murshidabad (61.04 per cent), Birbhum (58.03 per cent), Malda (56.07 per cent) and Purulia (54.03 per cent) are the districts having such dubious distinction, the report said, quoting the latest figures. Though only these four districts have reported over 50 per cent child marriage cases, they are enough to pull the state figure of child marriage to a staggering 53.9 per cent. Jalpaiguri (17.5 per cent) is at the bottom of the 19-district list. — PTI
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Switch used to trigger Delhi blast found New Delhi, September 10 As investigators struggled to find conclusive leads, Union Home Secretary RK Singh said security agencies were attending to all the four emails purportedly sent by terror outfits HuJI and IM claiming responsibility for the Wednesday blast in which 13 persons were killed and 88 injured. "We are not dismissing any email. We are investigating each and every email we have got," he told reporters. Singh, however, indicated there was a possibility that this could be a prank being played by someone. Sources said a switch used in the bomb was found by investigators. But, they said the timer device, if at all used, is yet to be recovered. Asked about reports that timer used to trigger the blast had been found, Singh said it was not correct. Sources said probe agencies were now looking into the possibility of whether Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives carried out the attack with the help of some other terror outfit. They said the anti-terror squads of various states were working on the case but none of them have got any substantive leads. The Jammu and Kashmir police detained two more persons, both of them surrendered militants, tonight for questioning in connection with purported e-mail claim of Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI) claiming responsibility for the blast. Irshad Ahmed and Farooq Ahmed were picked up from Kishtwar town and were taken for questioning, officials said. The number of people detained in Kishtwar so far has gone up to nine persons. The police also seized the computers of the duo from their houses for scanning in connection with e-mail. — PTI
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