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Education Advisory Board meeting on RTE put off
1984
scars persist Veeran Wali, who shifted to Ludhiana after the riots, shows a photo of her son
who was killed in Delhi. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Verma |
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US keen to be a partner in Indian Ocean Rim dialogue
Maken takes charge,
says focus on housing reforms
Telecom panel to discuss spectrum refarming today
BJP, Cong hit out at Kejriwal
Pranab for use of modern means to promote languages
HC raps Gujarat MP for brandishing gun
Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid with former Bangladesh President and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo:Manas Ranjan Bhui J&K sex scandal: Two witnesses turn hostile
Rawat: Implementing water policy a priority
India, Japan, US discuss Beijing’s aggressive
posturing
Nilam cyclone to cross TN-Andhra coast today
Boats at a fishing harbour in Chennai on Tuesday. — PTI
Rs 5 lakh, job for kin of cop who died busting gang
UP riots: Akhilesh sees a design to defame his govt
Kataria’s portfolio likely to be changed
Mamata backs Anna
CA gets life term for hijack scare
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Education Advisory Board meeting on RTE put off
New Delhi, October 30 The meeting has been extended in the wake of the change of guard in the Ministry, with Andhra Pradesh MP MM Pallam Raju being inducted into the Union Cabinet as the new Minister of HRD in place of Kapil Sibal. Raju will assume formal charge only tomorrow and will take a full review of the CABE agenda before fixing a new date. CABE is scheduled to take a call on the RTE Act deadlines and whether they need to be extended in light of the fact that only about 5 pc states in the country have so far met the infrastructure norms laid down under the law. The law had fixed March 31, 2013, as the deadline for state governments to set up neighbourhood schools complete with all the nine facilities listed by the Act such as drinking water, separate girls’ and boys’ toilets, ramps for differently abled children, boundary walls, playgrounds, one classroom per teacher and proper school buildings. Legal deadline of March 31, 2013, implies that any student or parent or a stakeholder can take a local authority or a state government to court for not fulfilling the laid down infrastructure norms by the end of the said deadline. That has made the review of the law and possible extension of the deadline critical. But for extension to happen, the Ministry of HRD would have to pilot a fresh amendment to the RTE Act of 2009 which can be done in the winter session of Parliament if the new minister so decides. The CABE is also supposed to discuss a draft bill to prevent unfair practices in school by legally banning donations and charging of admission fee of any kind. There are 13 lakh government elementary schools across India with 195 million children enrolled on classes I to VIII. Also on the CABE agenda is a report of a CABE sub committee on the extension of RTE to ages beyond 6 to 14. The sub committee headed by Haryana Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal has recommended that the Act should be implemented at pre-school level to cover three to four year olds and also at the secondary level to cover Class IX and X students 15-16 age group. The new HRD Minister would have to study the background of the move before he can reschedule the meeting of CABE, which has state education ministers among members.
Decision on deadlines
Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) is scheduled to take a call on the RTE Act deadlines and whether they need to be extended in light of the fact that only about 5 pc states in the country have so far met the infrastructure norms laid down under the law
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1984
scars persist
New Delhi, October 30 The inaction on the reports of the commissions and the committees stems from futility of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. It does not give the commissions of inquiry any powers to prescribe punishment (though they can recommend it). The government can ignore their findings and that is what has happened in this case for 28 years. The commissions are like "a dose of homeopathic medicine when immediate surgery was needed", says a senior police man who has served in Delhi. Such has been the attitude that for the first two years, no account of the dead was carried out. The Ranganath Mishra commission - the first one set up to probe the riots -- was given names, addresses and complete details of 3,870 people killed in Delhi. But police said 1,419 were killed. Cases of only these people were registered. The Delhi government filed a list of 2,300 people killed. A separate committee later established that 2,773 people died in Delhi alone. In 2009, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram admitted in an interview to a news channel that Sikhs had a "legitimate grievance". Jarnail Singh, author of the book "I Accuse... the Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984" says: "We seek justice. Bring the guilty to book". In 2005, the GT Nanavati Commission indicted Jagdish Tytler, he resigned from his post as Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs. The government asked CBI to re-investigate the cases. The Nanavati Commission found that there was a colossal failure in maintenance of law and order in Delhi during the riots. It expressed dissatisfaction with the then Lt. Governor P.G. Gavai and the then Police Commissioner, SC Tandon. The latter said the commission, did not take strict action against the defaulting police officers nor did he give them directions to be strict with the marauding mobs. The Nanavati Commission also touched upon the delay in deploying the Army in the Capital on October 31 itself. So who delayed the deployment? The Lt Governor of Delhi has the powers to deploy the Army in such circumstances, without waiting for the political clearance. The then LG, PG Gavai claimed he gave the go-ahead to the Police Commissioner SC Tandon on the morning of November 1. The riots started the same day. The Delhi Police is directly under the Central government. How many died,
govt unclear
Paltry relief Govt says 95 per cent victims have been given compensation. "The rest are yet to prove their links with the victims," said special secretary revenue, Delhi govt, Kuldeep Singh Kang In the first two years, Govt hurriedly announced a compensation of
Rs 10,000. In 1996, victims' relatives were given a total amount of
Rs 3.5 lakh after recommendation of the Justice Anil Dev Commission When the community expressed dissatisfaction with this amount, the govt formed yet another panel, the Nanavati Commission, which recommended an additional amount of
Rs 3.5 lakh. This amount was given in 2006 under the PM's relief fund scheme Convictions in 12 FIRs HS Phoolka, the lawyer who has been fighting cases of riot victims, says convictions have been pronounced only in 12 FIRs. A total of 30 people named in these cases have been convicted for life imprisonment. Barring half-a-dozen of them, the rest are on bail as their appeals are pending before higher courts. None of the senior Congress leaders whose role is suspected in triggering the riots has been convicted so far 'There were so many formalities to complete…' New Delhi:
Rajinder Kaur, 60, who lives in B-block of Safdarjung Enclave, lost her husband, JD Singh, in the riots. Kaur was left alone with two small children and had nowhere to go. "We did not get anything in the name of compensation. There were so many formalities to complete. We were already in trauma and had lost everything, including documents and our lifelong savings. Nobody had the time to look for documents," said
Kaur. Mohan Singh, whose two sons were burnt alive, says though he got a compensation of Rs 3 lakh, the loss he suffered cannot be compensated. Singh's family fled from Palam Vihar to Punjab. "With the compensation amount, they bought our silence," Singh said.
— Himani Chandel/TNS
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‘Govts have failed us’
Joginder Singh (56) left Delhi in 1984 and returned in 1988 to start life afresh. He now runs Mother’s Pride Public School from a rented building in Vishwakarma Colony of Okhla Phase II here. “Twenty-eight years have passed by and we are still struggling to settle down. The governments have failed us,” said Joginder. He and his family were taken to the Golden Temple Sarai where hundreds of families had taken shelter. He realised it was very difficult for him to earn a living for his family in Amritsar and decided to return to Delhi. His visits to Raj Nagar in the Palam area remind him of one of the darkest phases in the country’s history. He was at his in-laws’ house in Raj Nagar when the violence broke. His father-in-law Harwant Singh, who first informed them about armed mobs scouting for Sikhs after he returned from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where he worked as a security guard, was set ablaze by rioters on November 3. “I took refuge at Baldev Ram Khanna’s house but we couldn’t save my father-in-law. I met my parents who hid themselves at Dharam Dev Solanki’s house until we were rescued by the Army. I then set out in search of my pregnant wife. I found her at Air Force gurdawara,” he said. With justice eluding most survivors, their life now revolves around just one wish: to see the killers of their families punished.
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‘It took me a long time to move on...’
New Delhi, October 30 “I got the job of a Class IV employee in the Delhi Municipal Corporation in 1986. It has been 26 years, but I haven’t been promoted. I wrote to the President in 1998 and despite his assurance, no promotion came my way. My daughter is now married and settled in Punjab, but my struggle continues,” says Kaur, now 46. Gurpreet Sethi, then 10 and now 38, was taken to Ludhiana by her mother after the riots. They returned to Delhi in 1986 on her mother's insistence and tried to rebuild their lives. “My mother took up sewing to fund my education. It took me a long time to move on, but I did. I graduated from Delhi University with a correspondence degree and kept trying to work my way back into the retail clothing industry, like my father. We now have two shops in Chandini Chowk and one in Lajpat Nagar,” he says. Jagminder Singh (24), an assistant manager in a real estate firm, wasn’t born back then, but grew up hearing about what his family went through. “My father was away when the riots broke out. My mother dressed my elder brother, who was four then, as a girl and hid in a neighbour’s house,” he says.
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Their battle for survival is far from over
Ludhiana, October 30 Veeran Vali lost her son during the riots and lives with her other two sons. “Our lives have never been the same since the day we were uprooted from Delhi. My sons failed to get proper education due to lack of money and are now doing meagre jobs to sustain themselves. I had Rs 2 lakh in savings but I repaid my loan with the money. Now I am struggling to manage a square meal,” she said. The men folk of the families earn their living by doing meagre jobs. Some are vegetable vendors, while others work as “pathis” at gurdwars. The women chip in by doing stitching and knitting jobs. Kailash Kaur, who came to Ludhiana during the riots, is still repaying her debt. “I am unable to marry off my daughters as I do not have enough money,” she rued. “While we were able to get an accommodation here, most of our relatives had to return to Delhi and start afresh. My brother’s family had to start a business in readymade garments in Delhi. Though it took him some time to settle down, he is doing fine now,” said Bhajan Kaur. It took the Arora family a lot of time to get back on their feet after moving to the city. Amar Singh, head of the family, opened a “dhaba” and his son now manages it. Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari said nearly 8,000 riot-hit families were living in the city with red cards. “Every riot victim is given a grant of Rs 2 lakh, a flat or a booth, besides reservation in educational institutions. Around 1,000 families have been given flats while we are in the process of giving flats to another 2,000 families,” he said.
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For many survivors, wait for help continues
Chandigarh, October 30 Somehow, the family survived the communal carnage. But the violence, loss and deaths of their relatives saw parents of Mohinder Pal slipping into depression. Twenty-eight years after the massacre, Mohinder, now 37, is not gainfully employed and waiting for the help announced by the Punjab Government. Leading life of a nomad, he in the last few years has been forced to take up jobs of part time ‘granthi’ at different gurdwaras in Chappar Chiri, Sohana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Chandigarh.
Different announcements made by the Punjab Government to provide housing, government jobs or financial aid have failed to help him. Another victim, Surjeet Kaur, who ekes her livelihood by stitching clothes, was just a 15-year-old married girl, when she along with her family members deserted their well-established business in Dhanbad. Lucky to survive the carnage, she saw her husband losing his mind after slipping into shock. “The incident altered our social and financial equations forever. My husband went missing soon after. We found him in a pathetic state in 2008 but he died soon after in a road accident near sector 20 gurdwara”, she said. Feeding her three children single-handedly over the past 28 years, without any financial help or gainful employment from the government, has been nothing less than on ordeal for her. Doling out statistics, Jaswinder Singh, Chairman of the 1984 Sikh Danga Peerat Welfare Society, Punjab, said a majority of the survivors who hold red card have yet to get the houses.
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US keen to be a partner in Indian Ocean Rim dialogue
New Delhi, October 30 On the margins of the day-long meet, he will also hold bilateral talks with some of the foreign ministers scheduled to attend the conference. His talks with the foreign ministers of Iran, Sri Lanka and
Australia will be keenly monitored. The big question to be debated at the meeting will be whether the US should be made a dialogue partner of the grouping, which has completed more than 15 years of its existence but made little headway in terms of economic links among member nations. Briefing reporters here today, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said America had shown interest in becoming a dialogue partner of the
IOR-ARC during the India-US strategic dialogue held earlier this year. India had
promised to put the matter before the meeting being held at Gurgaon. However, it is to be seen if Iran will approve of associating the US with the grouping, given its current stand-off with the West over the Islamic republic's nuclear
programme. Another major issue the meeting will be called upon to sort out will be the nomenclature of the grouping. Members such as Australia and Indonesia
have suggested that the organisation should have a name that will reflects its true character. The
IOR-ARC association comprises Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. At present, it has five dialogue partners -- China, Japan, UK, France and Egypt. According to Sudhir
Vyas, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA, the Indian Ocean is vital for the transportation of oil and conduct of other forms of global trade. As far as India is concerned, over 97 per cent of its international trade by volume and 75 per cent by value passes through the ocean. Though the
IOR-ARC is yet to find its bearings, it has great economic potential, he
said. The grouping
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Maken takes charge,
says focus on housing reforms
New Delhi, October 30 Maken said the Model Property Rights to Slum Dwellers Bill would be passed at the earliest and the states would be able to enact their laws based on it within a year. “Till then, we want the states to implement its provisions through an executive order and provide property rights to the slum dwellers," he said, adding that provisions for providing bank loans for construction of units would also be a part of the order. “We want these provisions to be made mandatory,” said
Maken. The Centre would also ask the states to provide up to 35 per cent Floor Area Ratio in projects for economically weaker sections. Getting states to implement urban sector reforms like assigning property rights to people living in slums and making private developers reserve land or houses for urban poor is not going to be an easy job for the new minister. So far, the response of private sector towards low-cost housing has not been encouraging but programmes run by the ministry have the potential to impact 93 million urban residents, estimated to be slum dwellers, and for the Congress getting them on board is important with the Lok Sabha elections not far. The minister said rehabilitation of slum dwellers would continue to be his priority as shifting the poor away from their source of livelihood would lead to problems for them. “We plan to rehabilitate them in the vicinity of a five km radius where in situ rehabilitation is not possible,” he said. The Real Estate Regulation Bill was also in an advanced stage and would be brought in the winter session of Parliament, he added. The focus of the ministry would also be on the National Urban Livelihood Mission
(NULM), the implementation of which is very important for the UPA to replicate in urban areas in 2014 what MNREGA had achieved for it in
2009. Maken has promised to fast-track the Rajiv Awas Yojana, the scheme aimed to provide houses for slum-dwellers under JNNURM on the lines of Indira Awas Yojana for rural poor. — Ajay
Maken, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister
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Telecom panel to discuss spectrum refarming today
New Delhi, October 30 The meeting will also discuss TRAI recommendations on prescribed limit for spectrum, retention of spectrum on renewal of
licences, telecom security policy, besides other issues. The government’s decision last week to take back all spectrum in the 900MHz band from incumbent operators has come in for criticism. In an internal note the DoT had on October 25 said, “Questions have arisen regarding various issues relating to refarming and the modalities thereof as well as the quantum of spectrum in various bands that could be retained by a licencee at the time of renewal of
licence”. The meeting also comes as the DoT had referred the refarming issues to TRAI following deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia’s letter to Finance Minister P.
Chidambaram, who also heads the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) asking him to consult TRAI before taking the final decision on spectrum refarming for a clear view on what needs to be done. In his letter, also sent on 25 October, Ahluwalia asked that the panel seek the guidance of the TRAI on the migration of services by the affected telecom companies from the 900MHz band to the 1,800MHz or other bands before the licences
expire. Ahluwalia has also asked that the government look into all the consequences of the refarming decision before taking a final call. Reports said that the EGoM had earlier deferred its decision on refarming and directed DoT to provide a full analysis of the impact of the decision. “The detailed analysis as directed by EGoM needs to be placed before it at the earliest to facilitate a decision preferably by November 5,” the internal DoT note said. Now the DoT committee, which was actually set up in March to examine the TRAI recommendations on auction of spectrum, would hold detailed deliberations to examine the clarifications on TRAI recommendations. It would submit a comprehensive report on the same after receiving the details from the regulator.
DoT, the Telecom Commission (TC) and the Empowered Group of Ministers
(EGoM) would take the decision based on the committee report. The EGoM need to take the final decision before the auction scheduled on November 12 as decided by the Supreme Court. The EGoM has already sought detailed analysis on the refarming issue at the earliest so that it could take the final decision by November 5.
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BJP, Cong hit out at Kejriwal
New Delhi, October 30 Hurt by Kejriwal’s allegations against party chief Nitin
Gadkari, the BJP said it was done at the behest of those who were funding him from abroad, a charge rejected by the social activist. The editorial of the latest edition of Congress mouthpiece Congress
Sandesh, as also BJP journal Kamal Sandesh, projected Kejriwal in poor
light. Kamal Sandesh said he had taken a “supari (contract)” from foreign sources and demanded that the Manmohan Singh government should investigate the matter. “After ruining the Anna andolan and in pursuit of its naked ambition, Team Kejriwal is involved in a conspiracy to create suspicion about ‘democracy’ and by doing so it is definitely playing into the hands of those who have no attachment either to India or Bharat Mata,” the article
said. Kejriwal had recently alleged that Gadkari’s Purti Group bought farmers’ land at cheap rates from the government and also got irrigation water from the dam in the Gosikhurd area of Vidarbha diverted to his sugar factory. “The main game of Kejriwal may be related to funding. The thing to be known is whether the funds belong to India or to the forces which want to weaken the country,” the publication said. “One who could not remain loyal to Anna, how can he be loyal to the nation? He is engaged in digging holes in democracy with the help of foreign funds,” it
said. Kejriwal has refuted these allegations and asked the BJP to come clean on its funding over the past 10 years. Without naming him, Congress Sandesh launched a scathing attack on Kejriwal and his team, accusing them of being “rabble rousers and front men for rabid anti-Congress forces”. It also taunted BJP for striking “overt and covert alliances” to defame the ruling
party. Kejriwal, who plans to form a political party next month, had targeted Robert
Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, over land deals with realty major
DLF. The editorial of “Congress Sandesh” attributed the recent attacks on party leaders on the issue of corruption to the elections in
BJP-ruled Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and criticised the “hit and run” attitude of the “self-appointed guardians of morality and probity”. Taking potshots at civil society activists led by activist-turned politician
Kejriwal, it said, “We have also seen the self-appointed guardians of morality and probity in public life. Their hit and run approach to so-called scams has proved beyond doubt that they crave just for media attention.
— PTI
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Pranab for use of modern means to promote languages
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 30 “It is necessary while safeguarding our cherished languages to promote them through all modern means at our disposal today,” Mukherjee said while inaugurating the Vishwa Malayala Mahotsav-2012 at the Senate Hall of Kerala University. “A language, however much it may be enriched with traditional values and heritage, would lose its relevance and popularity if it did not evolve,” he said, emphasising the need for using modern means to preserve
them. Mukherjee said Malayalam University, to be inaugurated on November 1 at
Tirur, the birth place of Thunchathu Ezhuthechan, would positively impact preservation and propagation of the language. Dwelling on the role played by Malayalam in cultural and literary development of Kerala over the centuries, Mukherjee said despite its unique identity, Kerala had simultaneously remained “open, tolerant and hospitable to new elements and influences”. This was in tune with Indian civilisation’s unique trait of unity in diversity. “The canvas of Indian culture is a vast and unique kaleidoscope. It is enriched by the heritage and cultural traditions of its constituent societies,” he said. Observing that India’s unity in diversity had always provided the space for sustenance and growth, he said: “Within this happy co-existence, Malayalam is the essence and embodiment of the rich history, culture, art and heritage of Malayali people.” Governor HR
Bhardwaj, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Union Ministers Shashi Tharoor and KC Venugopal and state Culture Minister KC Joseph were present. Many leading Malayalam literary figures, including Jnanpith laureates MT Vasudevan Nair and ONV
Kurup, were also present. Mukherjee also enjoyed the state’s classical dance forms - Kathakali and Mohiniyattam - presented by artistes and students from Kerala Kala Mandalam last evening.
— PTI
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HC raps Gujarat MP for brandishing gun
Ahmedabad, October 30 The High Court was hearing MP’s petition to quash the FIR filed against him by manager of the toll plaza Ajaysinh
Thakore, where the MP had brandished his double-barrel shotgun in the wee hours of October 12. “It is unfortunate that a person with a special stature of an MP, a lawmaker, behaves in such a way, publicly brandishing his gun,” Justice RH Shukla said. The court was reacting to the argument by Radadia’s lawyer that he was carrying a gun for
self-defence and that he possessed a licence for it. The court further said even licence to carry a gun did not mean he was free to threaten ordinary people. “Why not investigation be allowed that can give a message for such kind of
behaviour?” it said. Earlier, a lawyer representing Thakore made a statement before the court that he would not like to press the FIR against Radadia. However, the state government opposed Radadia’s petition and submitted that even if the complainant was not pursuing the FIR, the state would do it as the action of the accused was “unbecoming” of a responsible public servant. The court has kept further hearing on the case on November 5. Radadia was caught on camera flashing his gun at the employees of a toll booth on NH-8 near Karjan in Vadodara district after his driver was asked to show the MP’s I-card to waive of payment of toll. An FIR had been filed against Radadia for giving life threats, rioting and under the Arms Act at the Karjan police station. Radadia, who is facing charges under different provisions of the IPC and the Arms Act, has sought quashing of the FIR against him on the ground that the dispute in question had been amicably settled between the parties. "I submit that when the dispute has been settled between the parties, no useful purpose would be served by directing me to go through the agony of facing the trial,” said Radadia in his petition before the court.
— PTI
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Khaleda Zia calls for new start in
ties
New Delhi, October 30 Zia, who arrived on Sunday for a week-long visit at the invitation of the External Affairs Ministry, was the first foreign dignitary to meet newly-appointed Salman Khurshid as External Affairs Minister and hold talks on a range of key bilateral issues, including activities of insurgent groups, Teesta water sharing and border mangement. Giving details of her meetings with the Prime Minister and Khurshid, official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said her visit was part of India's ongoing engagement with a democratic and multi-party polity in Bangladesh. It also provided an opportunity to exchange views on the mattes of mutual interest and would also build positive momentum in relations between the two neighbouring countries. He said the former Bangladesh Prime Minister also reiterated her assurance that she and her party will not allow Bangladeshi soil to be used for anti-India acts. Zia's BNP has maintained an anti-India stance since its inception as a political entity and New Delhi is keen to mend fences with her in the run up to the general elections in Bangladesh in 2013-end. On its part, the Indian side told her that the government was in the process of evolving an internal consensus on Teesta water-sharing issue and also assured her that India will put in place every mechanism to check incidents of border killings.
— PTI
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J&K sex scandal: Two witnesses turn hostile Chandigarh, October 30 A witness, K
Taluqdar, who was in-charge of security when Padhi was the BSF DIG, deposed that he did not know if the DIG had exploited minor girls and that he never gave any statement to the CBI against the DIG. Another girl, who was the victim, turned hostile in court today and said she was never raped. The accused, Sabina, also recorded her statement under Section 313,
CrPC, today. The scandal broke in the summer of 2006 after a pornographic CD was handed over to the police. In September this year, the CBI court had acquitted three accused in three cases involving the scandal, while the cases against the rest are pending. Those who were acquitted included former Jammu and Kashmir Minister Raman
Mattoo, Congress legislator GA Mir and IAS officer Iqbal Khanday who were acquitted under Section 5 of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, as court gave them the benefit of the doubt and the victim also turned hostile while recording their statements in the court. Nine cases under various offences, including Section 376 (rape) of Ranbir Penal Code
(RPC), Immoral Trafficking Act and the Information Technology Act, were registered when the scandal broke. Nine accused were named in one case, while three each were named in the remaining eight cases. The prime accused had been named in all cases.
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Rawat: Implementing water policy a
priority
New Delhi, October 30 Rawat, however, avoided commenting on the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He said his first responsibility would be the implementation of the National Water Policy approved by a parliamentary committee. “A meeting of the inter-state council will be held soon to sort out complexities due to concerns of various states. Coordinating with states on the complexities will be a challenge,” he said. He would work towards developing a mechanism through which issues could be sorted out in a time-bound manner, he added. He said he would analyse proposals received from various states on the issue of inter-linking of rivers.
He emphasised the need for raising awareness about aquifer mapping, presence of arsenic in groundwater, over-exploitation of water resources, pollution of water and recurring floods
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After Modi’s barb, Tharoor says wife ‘priceless’
New Delhi, October 30 Tharoor also said his wife was worth a lot more than Modi's imaginary Rs 50 crore. “My wife is worth a lot more than your imaginary 50 crore. She is priceless. But you need2be able2love some1 2understand that,” Tharoor tweeted. Speaking in Shimla yesterday, Modi had taken potshots at Tharoor's personal life, saying his wife was once his "50-crore-rupee girlfriend", a day after the Congress leader made a comeback in the Union Cabinet reshuffle as Minister of State for Human Resources Development. “Wah kya girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend?” (What a girlfriend?. Have you ever seen a 50-crore girlfriend), Modi said at an election rally, in an apparent attack on Tharoor's wife. “There was a Congress leader who was a minister. He was accused of amassing wealth from cricket. He had said in Parliament that he is not connected to the Rs 50 crore in the lady's name,” the BJP stalwart said in an apparent reference to Tharoor in the context of the IPL cricket controversy involving Pushkar in 2010 which led to his resignation as Minister of State for External Affairs minister. “...And then girlfriend becomes wife, we learn some time later...the issues are still not settled and he (Tharoor) is now made a minister," the chief minister said. Explaining his tweet, Tharoor said that since Modi was ‘silly enough’ to attack his wife, he said she is worth more than his imaginary 50 crores and that one has to be able to love someone to understand that. “We will have to see whether he (Modi) is capable of understanding that,” he added.
— PTI
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India, Japan, US discuss Beijing’s aggressive
posturing
New Delhi, October 30 Briefing reporters here today, MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin, the three countries also decided to work in a combined manner for the development of war-torn Afghanistan, Myanmar and the African Continent. At the day-long meeting, the Japanese delegation was led by Deputy Vice- Minister of Foreign Affairs Kenji Hiramatsu, the US delegation by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake and the Indian delegation by Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA Gautam Bambawale. There was also a discussion on how international cooperation could be strengthened to tackle piracy. The three countries discussed various matters which could come up at the upcoming ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Cambodia. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will represent India at these summits. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is expected to accompany him to the two meets. India, Japan and the US decided that they would also cooperate with each other at these two meets. The US is learnt to have briefed India and Japan about its much-talked policy of 'pivot to Asia', an American move driven by the allure of emerging Asian economies, especially China and India. Japan briefed the meeting about its maritime dispute with China.
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Nilam cyclone to cross TN-Andhra coast today
Chennai, October 30 The system, named 'Nilam', as suggested by Pakistan under the cyclone naming procedure, would move northwestwards and cross the coast between Nagapattinam and Nellore by tomorrow afternoon/evening. Under the influence of the storm, rainfall at most places, with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, would occur over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during next 12 hours, an bulletin issued by Area Cyclone Warning Centre here said. It forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall and isolated extremely heavy rainfall (25 cm or more) in the region during the subsequent 36 hours. "Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would prevail along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next 12 hours. The wind speed would gradually increase thereafter as the system comes closer to coast," it said. Sea will be "very rough to high" and fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts have been advised to stay off the sea.
— PTI
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Rs 5 lakh, job for kin of cop who died busting gang
Lucknow, October 30 The criminals tried to escape after the arrival of the police team, but were nabbed by the police team. This led to a combat in which constable Ramesh and a criminal Sumit Tanda were injured. Tanda was declared brought dead at the Khiri district hospital. He had 17 serious cases against him in Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Bahraich, Khiri and Sitapur districts. He also had a NSA case pending against him in Sitapur district. The injured constable Ramesh Kumar was referred to the trauma centre at King George Medical University, Lucknow, where he succumbed to his injuries this evening. With a tally of 135 lives lost last year, Uttar Pradesh tops the list of police and paramilitary personnel who died during various operations in the country.
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UP riots: Akhilesh sees a design to defame his govt
Lucknow, October 30 Talking to the media on the sidelines of a civil-military liaison conference at the Army’s Central Command headquarters here, Akhilesh said no one involved in such incidents would be spared. “When such incidents occur, who will talk about our achievements? Nonetheless, we are vigilant and the situation was controlled in a short time,” he said. Commenting on Faizabad violence, he said the common people had to suffer due to the strife. Denying that there was any delay on the part of the administration, he said before the administration could react, a minor misunderstanding escalated into a clash.
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Kataria’s portfolio likely to be changed
New Delhi, October 30 Normally, when a minister is appointed, he contacts the Defence Secretary and tells his preferred date for joining duties. The protocol division of the ministry handles this. Kataria’s portfolio is likely to be changed as Jitendra Singh, who was also named Minister of State for Defence, and Kataria are both from Rajasthan.
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Mamata backs Anna
Kolkata, October 30 The Chief Minister was talking to mediapersons at the Writers Buildings today. She accused the UPA government of taking arbitrary decisions affecting interests of the nation. The government at the Centre has now turned into a “dead body which was already rotten” and any attempt to revitalise it, would be meaningless, she said.
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28 years after riots in Delhi and other parts of the country, The Tribune takes a look at how the affected people are coping with the trauma
Chennai, October 30
New Delhi, October 30
The Department of Telecommunications
(DoT) has suggested that a committee should be set to examine the clarifications that TRAI would submit on its recommendations on the refarming of spectrum of 900 MHz band.