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Pune, Bangalore blast accused found dead inside jail
Nominations for Arjuna Awards |
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ITBP’s dog training centre gets more teeth
Recovery of skulls near Bangalore baffles police
Arms dealer Abhishek Verma, wife held
Indian Army docs treat Pak soldiers in Congo
PA Sangma outside LK Advani’s residence in New Delhi on Friday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui
2 Bengal profs served
notice for appearing on TV show
CBI summons BCCI
chief in Jagan case
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Pune, Bangalore blast accused found dead inside jail
Mumbai/Bangalore, June 8 Siddiqui was found strangled with a thin rope inside the high-security Yerwada Central Jail in Pune, said state Home Ministry officials. Initial investigations by the police indicate that the murder was the result of a rivalry between various groups in the prison. Apart from the German Bakery blast, Siddiqui was also named in the bomb blast at the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bangalore. According to the police, Siddiqui was personally involved in planting bombs near gate number 12 of the stadium during the 2010 IPL tournament. ”He is an accused in the blast case. He came to Bangalore and was involved in planting bombs along with his other associates”, Dayananda, joint commissioner of police (JCP), who is investigating the case, told The Tribune. Dayananda said that Siddiqi was brought to Bangalore from Delhi for interrogation. “Yes, we interrogated him. He was in police custody in Bangalore”, he said. Seventeen persons, including four policemen and a security guard of a private agency, were injured in the blast. Last month, the Bangalore police had picked up another accused in the blast case from Bihar’s Darbhanga district from where Qateel and other accused hailed from. Siddiqui was also under the scanner for allegedly plotting an attack on ‘Ganesh pandals’ in Pune. Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil who has ordered a probe by the CID into the incident. The government also suspended jail superintendent SV Khatavkar for alleged negligence which led to the killing of Siddiqui who was under judicial custody.
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Sport, players caught in BCCI-ministry crossfire
Aman Sood Tribune News Service
Patiala, June 8 BCCI officials say that Virat Kohli and Yuvraj were the two top contenders under consideration for the award, but Yuvraj’s performances in 2011, especially in the World Cup, gave him the edge. The BCCI claims that they did not receive nomination forms from the Sports Ministry, which maintains that they “had duly informed the BCCI”. Highly placed sources confirmed to The Tribune that the BCCI had made up its mind on Yuvraj. “Yes, Yuvraj featured on the top, but as we were not informed about any nomination from the sports ministry, we are helpless,” they added. A top BCCI official told The Tribune that if cricketers missed out on such prestigious awards, it would be a loss for cricket and not the BCCI. “Yuvraj Singh played some amazing cricket and later came out of cancer,” he stated. “Instead of honouring him for his services to sports, the Sports Ministry is tightening its noose around BCCI.” “It is a sad day for cricket and cricketers as a year after they won the World Cup, instead of expecting medals and awards, cricket is being dragged into an unnecessary controversy by the ministry,” said BCCI's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty. Earlier today the Sports Ministry denied that the BCCI was left out when awards nominations were sought from sports bodies, and that the BCCI was sent an official letter for nominations and “personally approached on phone”. The Sports Ministry clarified that “letters to all the Sports Federations were dispatched to all these organisations/entities including BCCI on 27th Jan, 2012, as recorded by Ministry 's dispatch register for Postal dak- S. No 166 and file no F-4-3/12 -SP IV . Further, it is reiterated that Shri SPS Tomar, Under Secretary (Sports) spoke to Shri Dalpat Vadolikar, Assistant Manager (Operations) in BCCI, Mumbai between 18th and 20th April, 2012, asking him to send nominations of BCCI for Arjuna Awards etc expeditiously since the last date for receiving such nominations was drawing to a close on 30th April, 2012.” “The ministry’s claim that they informed us is hollow,” Shetty reacted. Shetty appealed to the Sports Minister to intervene in the matter and ensure that sports awards remained above politics. “All aside, the cricketers should not suffer because of any reason”, he stated.
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ITBP’s dog training centre gets more teeth
Chandigarh, June 8 This is envisioned to increase the training capacity of the centre from about 100 dogs annually to about 250 dogs. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned a grant of Rs 15.51 crore for the purpose. The NTCD is co-located with the force’s basic training centre at Bhanu near here and trains dogs for the paramilitary forces as well as state police organisations. The MHA’s grant includes Rs 12.81 crore for infrastructure, with the remaining amount being earmarked for manpower provisioning, stores and equipment. The infrastructure to come up under this grant includes 50 new kennels, a grooming shed for dogs, barracks to accommodate 180 men, 25 residential quarters of various categories and three stores. Other expenditure includes an air-conditioned dog van, generators and various vehicles. As part of the upgradation plans, the ITBP has forwarded a proposal for creation of 61 new posts at the NTCD, which is being considered by the Ministry of Finance. While the creation of the new posts requires a one-time expenditure of about Rs 10 lakh, the recurring costs in terms of pay and allowances would be about Rs 2 crore. The police’s and paramilitary forces’ requirement of trained dogs has increased over the years as they gear up to meet the ever-increasing and diversifying security challenges. German Shepherds and Labradors are generally the breeds used for police work. A 24-week training curriculum as per international standards has been developed for the canine students at NTCD. Besides discipline and obedience, the canines are taught to sniff out narcotics and explosives, track suspects, undertake patrolling and guard duties and tackle hostile individuals. Dogs trained at NTCD have also been deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the red belt.
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Recovery of skulls near Bangalore baffles police
Bangalore, June 8 The fact the police top brass is busy with investors’ meet organised by state government at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre has delayed probe. The skulls have been kept at government hospital in Devanahalli and have not been sent for forensic tests so far. Investigation is expected to pick up momentum from tomorrow as the meet ends today. Villagers living near the Bangalore-Bellary Road (NH-7) near Devanahalli-where the international airport is situated— informed the police after they found a bag containing six human skulls and bones on the banks of Venkatagirikote lake on Wednesday morning. Villagers thought the skulls and bones might have been used for black magic since these were found wrapped in a red cloth and had burn marks on them. The other theory was that these could have been used for medical studies and dumped afterwards. The second theory is improbable since bones used for teaching medical students are not disposed of in this fashion. “There are letters “m”, “f”, “b” etc on the skulls. We thought “m” could mean male, “f” female, “b” boy and so on. We toyed with the idea the skulls and bones may have been used for medical studies. There is no medical institution close by which would carry out this kind of a study,” Kowri admitted.
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Arms dealer Abhishek Verma, wife held
New Delhi, June 8 Verma and his wife Ancia Neascu were placed under arrest this evening by the CBI after they failed to give convincing answers to the investigation agency which registered a fresh case against him yesterday. Verma, who had been earlier arrested by the CBI in connection with alleged fake passport and leaking of secret commercial information from Naval war room to foreign companies, was called to the agency headquarters in the morning along with his wife. The duo were extensively questioned by the sleuths regarding transactions of funds between Ganton India and Ganton USA, which are claimed to be his front companies, and about his business relationships with estranged associate C Edmon Allen who has levelled series of allegations against him with the US FBI. The CBI had booked Verma in a fresh case alleging that he took $530,000 from Rheinmetall Air Defence AG on the promise that he would use his influence to stall blacklisting proceedings initiated by the government against it after the Ordnance Factory Board scam had surfaced. The two would be produced before a designated court tomorrow when the CBI would seek his custody. The CBI also questioned former director of the Swiss defence company Mohinder Sahni and Arjun Arora whose houses were searched yesterday. Verma is an accused in the Naval War Room leak case in which commercial naval secrets were leaked to foreign companies. Ravi Shankaran, kin of former naval chief Arun Prakash, is also an accused in this case. (With agency inputs)
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Indian Army docs treat Pak soldiers in Congo
New Delhi, June 8 The Pakistani soldiers are also on a UN Mission, but are deployed elsewhere in Congo. Sources said the Indian Army unit at Goma treated injuries to eight soldiers, including one officer, of the neighbouring country. They were injured in a gunfight with Congolese rebels in the South Kivu province. Indian troops are deployed in North Kivu province. As many as 11 Pakistani soldiers sustained injuries, including a few serious ones, in the armed clash. Due to a lack of adequate UN medical facilities in South Kivu, the injured were immediately airlifted to the Indian hospital at Goma. Two of them needed life-saving surgeries which have been performed. The duo has been moved to a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. Four others have been discharged while remaining two are recuperating at the Indian hospital. Sector Commander of Pakistan visited the hospital. He met Indian Brigade Commander Harinder Singh, and thanked him. Lt Gen Chander Prakash, Force Commander of the Mission, also called on the injured.
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Prez poll: Sangma meets Advani
New Delhi, June 8 Sangma met Advani, who is also the NDA Working Chairperson, at the latter's residence this morning. The meeting lasted around 20 minutes. Sangma had announced earlier that he will be meeting Advani and other BJP leaders to garner their support for his plans of contesting the presidential elections. The NCP leader has maintained that no tribal has ever become the President of India. He is a Christian tribal from Meghalaya. The former Speaker has met leaders from different parties, except the Congress and some of its allies, to win their support. The BJP is not likely to support Sangma as it is keen on fielding an NDA candidate for the top post. The party wants to put up a candidate against the Congress-led UPA to convey a message that it is not with the ruling party.
— PTI
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2 Bengal profs served
notice for appearing on TV show
Kolkata, June 8 The two professors had participated in the TV discussion
on June 5. Today, they received notices from the Higher Education
Department to explain their conduct in the next two weeks. Minister
for Higher Education Bartya Bose, however, claimed the authorities only
wanted to know if the two professors had taken official permission
before participating on the show which was needed according to their
service conduct rules. But in the letters that the professors
received, specific allegations had been made about maligning the Mamata
Banerjee government and supporting the CPM. Both the teachers have
denied the allegations.
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Dimple Yadav set to
be elected unopposed
Lucknow, June 8 At 3 pm on Saturday -
when the deadline for withdrawing of candidature comes to an end -
Dimple Yadav, wife of CM Akhilesh Yadav, will officially be announced
elected unopposed from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat. All the other major
political parties are not contesting this bypoll. The BJP did make a
half-hearted attempt to contest, but its candidate Jagdev Yadav -
finalised at the last minute- could not reach Kannauj in time to file
his papers. Today, the two contestants who had filed their nominations
decided to withdraw. They were Sanyukt Samajwadi Dal candidate Dashrath
Shankhwar and Independent candidate Sanjay alias Sanju Katiyar.
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CBI summons BCCI
chief in Jagan case
Hyderabad, June 8 The
investigating agency sent the notice asking Srinivasan to appear before
it here next week. It is alleged that India Cements, which has
production units in Andhra Pradesh, had received favours by the Congress
government when late YS Rajasekhar Reddy was the Chief Minister. Its
cement units received enhanced water allocations to enable them to
double their production.
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In the tug-of-war between the Sports Ministry and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over nominations for the Arjuna Awards, the game and players are the losers. Top officials have confirmed that Yuvraj Singh would have been the BCCI’s nomination for the Arjuna Award this year but he loses out despite being a World Cup winner due to the row.
