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Kushwaha to keep BJP membership on hold
Jassi honour killing: Mother, uncle held in Canada after 11 years
EC transfers UP DGP, Home Secy
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Anuj Bidve’s last rites performed in
Pune
After visa row, Delhi to send smaller delegation to China
2G: Swamy pleads for PC’s prosecution
Leopard captured in heart of Guwahati
Delhi to send smaller delegation to China
Politics of crime continues to thrive
Sukh Ram surrenders, sent to three-year judicial custody
Soon, law to regulate drug trials on humans
Aquifer mapping for better water management
Separating kids from parents unjustified, India tells Norway
Bhanwari’s watch, necklace beads found from canal
Students to help assess ad hoc teachers
Father-son arrested for keeping crocodile at home
Naga regional party to contest Manipur polls
Intel warns of Chinese terror threat to Dalai Lama
Charges framed against spy Madhuri Gupta
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Kushwaha to keep BJP membership on hold
Lucknow, January 7 In a letter to BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, Kushwaha regretted the “unnecessary controversy” surrounding his decision to join the BJP. “I do not want the BJP to suffer due to the false propaganda being spread against me. As a result, I want to keep my membership of the BJP suspended till I clear my name of the various charges being levelled against me. I am confident that I would be able to clear my name”, Kushwaha declared. “As part of a political conspiracy I am being targeted by the BSP with the help of the CBI through the Congress party at the Centre”, Kushwaha alleged in his letter today. Kushwaha declared the decision had been taken in order to uphold self-respect of the backward castes. Playing an OBC card, Kushwaha asserted that he was being targeted as he was critical of the Central government’s decision to allocate four per cent quota for minorities within the OBC quota. Once a close associate and confidante of BSP supremo Mayawati, Kushwaha and his associates are key accused in the multi-crore rupee NRHM scam. The scam being probed by the CBI is closely linked to the murder of three Chief Medical Officers in UP last year. Once the scam unfolded, he was made to resign as health minister. He was later expelled from the party. A day after his induction into the BJP last week, the CBI raided 60 places, including Kushwaha’s residences and the office and residences of the people close to him, including a BSP MLC. Initially coming in his defence, the BJP later declared that Kushwaha would not be given a party ticket. Faraz Ahmad adds from New Delhi: BJP president Nitin Gadkari seems to have succeeded in persuading Kushwaha to keep his party membership on hold. Kushwaha’s induction into the party on Tuesday led to an outcry from top leaders like LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi in the party’s Core Group. Today, the RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya, in its latest issue, called upon the people of Uttar Pradesh not to vote for the candidates facing criminal charges.
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Jassi honour killing: Mother, uncle held in Canada after 11 years
Kaunke Kalan (Jagraon), January 7 Jassi’s mother Malkiat Kaur and uncle Surjit Singh were allegedly evading arrest and extradition to India all these years. The RCMP has, in a press release, announced that Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh were being questioned and would soon be extradited to India. Of about 10 alleged contract killers, only three, including former sub-inspector Joginder Singh, Anil Kumar and Ashwani Kumar, are behind bars at present. “Justice has finally been done to some extent. I am waiting for the day when Jassi’s mother and uncle will be brought to India and punished. I don’t know whether I would meet them or not. But I may not like to see such faces. I have always wished for exemplary punishment for Jassi’s mother, who ordered her killing,” said Mithu’s mother. “It was due to immense media pressure that the case remained alive and forced the Canadian police to act. Justice was delayed, but not denied,” said Mithu, who did not remarry. The murder was a rude end to a love story that transcended continents but could not overcome the barriers of caste and society. It was the first international instance of the menace of honour killing prevalent in North India. DSP Swaran Singh, the investigating officer in the case, said he was elated at the arrest of Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh. “It was my duty as well as my life’s purpose to see justice done to Mithu and Jassi. We are eagerly awaiting the extradition of the duo.” Murder Most Foul Dec 1994: Jassi meets Mithu in Jagraon. Mar 15,
1999: They marry in secret at Baba Bakala gurdwara in Amritsar district. May
1999: Jassi returns to Canada. Prepares documents for Mithu’s migration to Canada, but is exposed in early 2000. Kept in house custody illegally by her parents. February
2000: Mithu booked for kidnapping and forcible marriage of Jassi. May 19,
2000: Mithu acquitted after Jassi reaches India and gives a statement in his favour. June 8,
2000: Contract killers attack them late evening near Narike village in Malerkotla. Jassi dies, Mithu injured. June-July
2000: Most of the accused arrested. Police books Jassi’s mother Malkiat Kaur and uncle Surjit Singh for conspiracy to murder. Extradition proceedings begin. Mid-2004: Mithu booked for rape of a village girl, arrested, sent to jail. April
2008: Ludhiana court acquits Mithu of rape charge. January 2012: RCMP arrests Malkiat Kaur and Surjit Singh Badesha.
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EC transfers UP DGP, Home Secy
Lucknow, January 7 BSP slammed the EC decision alleging the removal of Lal and Bahadur would “shatter the sense of security among Dalits and the downtrodden that they would be able to exercise their franchise in a free and fair manner in the coming Assembly elections. “Principal Secretary (Home) Kunwar Fateh Bahadur and DGP Brij Lal have been transferred from their respective posts,” official sources said here. Accusing the officials of working as the agents of ruling BSP, almost all the major Opposition parties, including Congress, BJP and SP, had urged the Commission to transfer the two officials. —
PTI
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Anuj Bidve’s last rites performed in Pune
Pune, January 7 The Bidves, who lost their only son in an unprovoked attack by a 20-year-old British youth in Manchester on December 26, were inconsolable as the body was taken out of the house for the last journey. Anuj's father Subhash Bidve had said while in Britain that he had confidence in the judicial system there and hoped that such crimes would not recur as a large number of students go to Britain from India for higher studies. “Our world is finished,” Subhash had said while in Britain to collect his son's body. A Manchester police team visited the family here early this week to apprise of the sequence of events that led to the tragic death of Anuj, who was doing his MS at Lancaster University. Pune mayor Mohansingh Rajpal, who attended the funeral, said there was a need to counsel the students going abroad about the racist undercurrents in the foreign countries. —
PTI
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After visa row, Delhi to send smaller delegation to China
New Delhi, January 7
The Indian military delegation has been downsized by half from its original size of 30 members. The delegation is drawn from all three armed forces. The delegation’s visit had been called off yesterday after Beijing refused a visa to Arunachal Pradesh-origin Indian Air Force pilot, Group Captain M Panging. However, during the night, it was decided to take a more pragmatic view. The delegation size has been halved probably to send a message that India was unhappy with the developments but has opted against putting defence related ties in a freeze. The delegation will leave as scheduled on January 10 and visit Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai during the four-day trip. Had the delegation been called off it would have been a serious reversal in the ties between the two countries, said sources. The two nations, after a hiatus of two years, had resumed the Annual Defence Dialogue in December last and even announced additional CBMs. The two sides are at an advanced stage of taking a decision on a joint civil-military mechanism to maintain peace along the disputed line of actual control (LAC). The Indian Navy is looking to have a protocol at sea so that warships of the two fast-expanding nations are not involved in any accident. The Indian Army and the Peoples’ Liberation Army of China have such a protocol along the LAC where it has been successful. Defence ties had been snapped in June 2010 when China refused a proper stamped visa to Lt Gen BS Jaswal on the grounds that he was serving in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi had then told Beijing that it was interfering on an issue that existed between India and Pakistan. Last April Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Chinese Premier Hu Jintao had met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Sanya where the two decided to resume suspended military ties.
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2G: Swamy pleads for PC’s prosecution
New Delhi, January 7 Concluding his submissions as the complainant-witness in the court of special CBI Judge OP Saini, Swamy said he had brought on record evidence to show that Chidambaram was guilty of breach of trust in the matter of national security. After recording Swamy’s deposition, the Judge posted his application seeking prosecution of the minister for arguments on January 21.
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Leopard captured in heart of Guwahati
Guwahati, January 7 The leopard was first spotted inside a house on Navagraha Road in the busy Silpukhuri locality at around 11.30 am. As people tried to scare it away by throwing stones at it, the leopard moved from one house to another. At least three persons were injured and the leopard also sustained minor injuries, as the panic-stricken leopard counter-attacked in self-defence during the three-hour-long efforts to capture it. A team of veterinarians and wildlife rescue personnel from the state zoo finally managed to tranquilise it after the animal had taken shelter inside a room in a household to save itself from the crowd. “Guwahati is home to a large number of leopards and we need to protect them by declaring some of the forests within the city as wildlife sanctuaries,” said Moloy Barua of Early Birds, a city-based NGO. At least 20 leopards including several cubs have been killed in the city in the past two decades. The 216-sq km city, as on paper, has about 26.42 sq km area marked as reserved forests which has been vastly encroached upon.
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Delhi to send smaller delegation to China
New Delhi, January 7 The Indian military delegation has been downsized by half from its original size of 30 members. The delegation is drawn from all three armed forces. The delegation’s visit had been called off yesterday after Beijing refused a visa to Arunachal Pradesh-origin Indian Air Force pilot, Group Captain M Panging. However, during the night, it was decided to take a more pragmatic view. The delegation size has been halved probably to send a message that India was unhappy with the developments but has opted against putting defence related ties in a freeze. The delegation will leave as scheduled on January 10 and visit Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai during the four-day trip. Had the delegation been called off it would have been a serious reversal in the ties between the two countries, said sources. The two nations, after a hiatus of two years, had resumed the Annual Defence Dialogue in December last and even announced additional CBMs. The two sides are at an advanced stage of taking a decision on a joint civil-military mechanism to maintain peace along the disputed line of actual control (LAC). The Indian Navy is looking to have a protocol at sea so that warships of the two fast-expanding nations are not involved in any accident. The Indian Army and the Peoples’ Liberation Army of China have such a protocol along the LAC where it has been successful. Defence ties had been snapped in June 2010 when China refused a proper stamped visa to Lt Gen BS Jaswal on the grounds that he was serving in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi had then told Beijing that it was interfering on an issue that existed between India and Pakistan. Last April Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Chinese Premier Hu Jintao had met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Sanya where the two decided to resume suspended military ties. The IAF officer, who has been refused visa is the Chief Operating Officer He will not be part of the smaller delegation. India in the past has avoided sending officials domiciled in Arunachal Pradesh for defence exchanges with China. Security analysts have pointed out that India was possibly trying to judge China’s response by selecting the officer.
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Politics of crime continues to thrive
Same old story
New Delhi, January 7 And even as a debate rages on about dubious antecedents of Babu Singh Kushwaha, the ousted BSP leader recently inducted into BJP, a number of candidates contesting the UP polls, cutting across all parties, have had criminal pasts. According to NEW national coordinator Anil Bairwal, a cursory analysis of financial and criminal backgrounds of re-contesting candidates in UP reveals that BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have all fielded candidates with criminal records. The lists released so far have such 26 BJP, 26 Congress, 24 SP and 1 RLD candidates. Of 617 candidates announced by BJP, Congress, SP and RLD for UP, NEW, on the basis of affidavits submitted by 248 candidates during 2007 Assembly and 2009 LS polls, has found 38 candidates with serious criminal cases like murder, attempt to murder, robbery, theft and kidnapping registered against them. Meanwhile, among the five incumbent CMs under the purview of the study, UP CM Mayawati, who happens to be the only woman among the five CMs, is the richest, with assets of Rs 87.27 crore, while Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is the only one among them facing criminal cases. The Punjab CM faces charges of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the IPC, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property under Section 420, forgery of valuable security and will under sections 467 and 468. UP has the maximum percentage of MLAs (35%) with pending criminal cases, with 143 out of 403 facing criminal cases. Among 143 MLAs, 76 (19%) have serious criminal cases, with BSP’s Dhirendra Pratap Singh leading the pack, with 29 cases, followed by Sushil Kumar, also of the BSP, with 14 cases— all related to murder and attempt to murder.
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Sukh Ram surrenders, sent to three-year judicial custody
The 86-year-old politician from Himachal Pradesh was brought to the court in an ambulance to enable his surrender. Special CBI Judge Sanjiv Jain ordered the police to take him to the jail in the ambulance. The prison authorities would facilitate necessary medical assistance as per jail norms, the judge clarified.
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99th indian science congress
Bhubaneswar, January 7 “We’re working on a Bill on biomedical research on human subjects. The draft will be sent to the Law Ministry for vetting before being sent to the Cabinet for approval. We are hopeful that the law will be in place by the end of this year,” ICMR Director General Dr VM Katoch said. He was speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing 99th Indian Science Congress here. The new legislation will oversee all forms of drug trials and contain stringent provisions for violators including imprisonment for a period of five to 10 years and a penalty of Rs 7 lakh. Dr Katoch said the Health Ministry had been receiving several complaints regarding illegal drug trials on humans. At present, the guidelines governing the clinical trials are weak and ineffective. Low costs, weak laws and inadequate enforcement and penalties are blamed for the present state of affairs. Under the new legislation, all clinical research activity on human beings will be covered. At present, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1945 provides the regulatory framework for conducting human clinical trials of drugs and vaccines. A clinical trial for a new drug can be started only after permission from the Drugs Controller General of India after approval from the ethics panel.
Aquifer mapping for better water management
Bhubaneswar, January 7 The initiative would form a key component of the National Water Mission to be implemented in the coming 12th Five-Year Plan, the head of research coordination and management unit of the Roorkee-based National Institute of Hydrology Dr VC Goyal told the ongoing 99th Indian Science Congress here. Making a presentation on “Science and Technology for water security in Indian context”, he said exploration of deep aquifers had assumed significance in the wake of the need to adopt a holistic approach to water resources management. — TNS
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Separating kids from parents unjustified, India tells Norway
New Delhi, January 7 Norway’s Child Protection Services (CPS) took away Avigyan (3) and Aishwarya (1) on the grounds that their mother, Sagarika, was inept in taking care of them. It has sparked an outrage in India. Intervening in the matter, President Pratibha Patil has directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take up the issue with the Norwegian government. The MEA on Thursday issued strong demarches to the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi and to the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion in Oslo to reiterate India’s concern over the decision of the Norwegian Childcare Services to separate the kids from parents and to place them under foster care. New Delhi today expressed concern that the circumstances in this case may not justify an extreme step like long-term separation from the parents. It has underlined the benefits of bringing up children in their own ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic milieu. Return of the children to India was sought so that they could be brought up in familiar surroundings under loving care of their extended family. Norwegian authorities have expressed an understanding of the government’s concerns. — TNS
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Bhanwari’s watch, necklace beads found from canal
Jodhpur, January 7 Besides the watch, beads of a necklace belonging to the 36-year-old woman were also recovered by the agency team, CBI sources said. The agency is expecting to get more evidence, including her body remains, from the canal to aid in its probe, they said. Two country-made pistols and a wooden bat were recovered yesterday from the Rajiv Gandhi Canal in Jaloda village, about 150 km from Jodhpur. The agency sleuths are also examining soil samples from the spot near the canal. —
PTI
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Students to help assess ad hoc teachers
Patna, January 7 Teachers already working in the college on ad hoc basis are among applicants for regular jobs. Newly appointed Patna University Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh personally met students of this college and apprised them of the university’s decision to involve them in the selection process and urged them to make an ‘honest assessment’ free from any bias. The students have been given a printed form to rate their teachers on an eight-point scale. The students are supposed to rate the teaching skill, ability to motivate students and other qualities. On being contacted by The Tribune, the VC said since many teachers already working on ad hoc basis for quite a few years were among the applicants, it had been decided to seek the opinion of students already being taught by them. Singh clarified that the students’ assessment would be kept confidential and it would be taken into consideration during the final interview by the selection board. Notably, Patna University has received applications not only from the state of Bihar but also from Vishwa Bharati University (Shantiniketan), Sir JJ College of Arts, Mumbai, Maharaja Shivaji Rao University, Baroda and other places. In reply to a question pertaining to the rich legacy of the Arts and Crafts College, the VC said he was well aware of it, having had an interactive session with the students and teachers of the college and having perused the college curriculum. Bihar has given birth to a variety of art forms like the Madhubani art, Manjusha art and Patna Kalam and the VC appeared convinced that all these should be incorporated in the college curriculum. The college authorities have been asked to prepare an exhaustive record of illustrious artists from this state and the work done by them that has earned national and international fame, the VC said.
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Father-son arrested for keeping crocodile at home
Vadodara, January 7 "Their arrests were made under article 31 (3) of the Indian Wildlife Act and were released on bail after producing them in the court at Anand yesterday," District Forest officer R M Zala said. According to the official, the Waghelas had captured the amphibian from a pond at a village near Anand two days ago, when they found the local people causing harm to it. Further investigations are on. — PTI
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Naga regional party to contest Manipur polls
Guwahati, January 7 The NPF Manipur state unit president Gaingam informed the media that besides these 12 constituencies, the NPF would support some other candidates in different constituencies. Negotiations are on to extend support to and forge an alliance with the BJP, JD (U) and Trinamool Congress candidates who are contesting the polls from certain constituencies in Manipur valley areas. Out of the total of 60 Assembly constituencies in Manipur, 40 are from Valley areas dominated by Meitei community while the hill areas inhabited by various tribes like Naga, Kuki and Hmar have only 20 constituencies. The NPF would fight the Manipur Assembly elections on the planks of protecting tribal land and identity, expediting Naga peace process involving the Naga rebel group NSCN-IM and Government of India and establishment of an alternative administrative arrangement for Nagas living in Manipur hill areas. Meanwhile, both the top leadership of the NPF based in Nagaland and Naga rebel group NSCN-IM have denied media reports about having met at a resort in Nagaland to decide strategy for the NPF vis-à-vis Manipur polls.
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Intel warns of Chinese terror threat to Dalai Lama
According to city police sources, the inputs reveal the name of one Chinese national of Tibetan origin - Tashi Phuntsok - who was waiting to sneak into India with the intention of gathering intelligence on the Tibetan administration in exile and to cause harm to the Dalai Lama. Besides, Mumbai and Delhi could come under fresh attacks by home-grown terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, sources said, adding that Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), under intense pressure from Pakistan’s ISI, is planning to target important political leaders in poll-bound Punjab, including a minister. “Dalai Lama keeps visiting Mumbai and other places in the state. The threat to Dalai Lama need not be underestimated. Loss of Chinese passports and recovery of Chinese passports need to be reported promptly, so that the concerned agencies could question them thoroughly. In this regard, the activities of the followers of ‘Shugden’ cult (an anti-Dalai Lama group) need to be kept under strict vigil,” the intelligence report said. The six suspects, in all likelihood, were from China’s secret service, the sources said. “Some Tibetans may be inspired by Chinese to harm Dalai Lama. A good number of Chinese youth enter India on business visa, ostensibly for some clandestine activities. It is likely that they may try to visit certain areas prohibited for Chinese like Tibetan camps,” they said. —
PTI
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Charges framed against spy Madhuri Gupta
New Delhi, January 7 The court fixed March 22 for starting the trial. Gupta, 53, posted as Second Secretary (Press and Information) at Indian High Commission in Islamabad, was arrested on April 22, 2010 by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police for passing on sensitive information pertaining to defence to Pakistan's ISI. She has been charged with breach of trust, criminal conspiracy and various other provisions of the Official Secrets Act. It was alleged that Gupta revealed certain classified information to Pakistani officials and was in touch with two ISI officials, Mubshar Raza Rana and Jamshed. According to the charge sheet filed in July 2010, Gupta was involved in a relationship with Jamshed whom she planned to marry. She used to communicate with Jamshed who had a code name 'Jim'. The diplomat was using a computer installed at her residence in Islamabad and a Blackberry phone to be in touch with the two Pakistani spies, it said. She had also visited Jammu and Kashmir in March 2010 on the instructions of Rana to allegedly procure the Annual Plan Report of the state. Rana also wanted information on the proposed 310 MW hydro-electric power project to be set up in the state by 2020, it said. — PTI
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Eleven-and-a-half years after Jassi Sidhu, a Canadian girl of Indian origin, was killed and her husband Sukhwinder Mithu left for dead near Narike village in Malerkotla by a group of contract killers.
Pune, January 7
New Delhi, January 7
Mumbai, January 7