|
|
|
|
|
Prajapati fake encounter case
Slamming Modi and Amit Shah, Vanzara quits IPS
Sonia okays Congress manifesto implementation committees
|
|
|
Delhi court sends Tunda to 5-day police custody
Cong legislators protest against AP bifurcation
Congress ministers and legislators from Seemandhra protest against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, at the state Assembly in Hyderabad on Tuesday. — PTI
Another woman alleges rape at Shakti Mills
Munde humbled as ‘rebel’ nephew wins on NCP ticket
Plea to restrain Centre from ‘threatening’ judiciary
SC stays Rajasthan Assembly’s one-month jail to SHO
Cabinet go-ahead for 70 new cancer
institutes
Rajouri-Poonch axis: Highway of infiltration
BSF personnel man the LoC during night along the Rajouri-Poonch axis. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma
To see land Bill through, PM reaches out to BJP leaders
Girl's medical report rules out rape: Asaram's counsel
|
|
Cong seeks Modi’s resignation over sting showing he protected Shah
Aditi Tandon/TNS
New Delhi, September 3 The encounter in question involves Tulsiram Prajapati, the sole witness to Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter, who was allegedly killed in a shootout on December 28, 2006. Prajapati’s killing followed the December 2005 fake encounter of Sheikh which happened when Modi confidante Amit Shah was the Home Minister of Gujarat. At an urgent unscheduled briefing today, the Congress called for a CBI inquiry into the CD and said Modi must resign in the interest of an impartial probe. Strangely, chairperson of the National SC Commission PL Punia, also party’s MP from Barabanki, accompanied Congress Communication Department chief Ajay Maken to the briefing though rules would debar persons holding high constitutional offices to present themselves to specific political party events. Punia said he was there as the custodian of the interests of OBCs; Tulsi Prajapati being an OBC. “OBCs are the most backward of disadvantaged communities. I, in my power as head of the SC Commission, demand a CBI probe. I will send a copy of the CD to the CBI,” Punia said. The CD in question records conversations between BJP Rajya Sabha member Prakash Javadekar and another MP Bhupender Singh Yadav allegedly discussing plans to subvert the judicial process in the ongoing Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case which the court is hearing. “How can he stay as CM when the probe is on? The senior leader of the BJP Narendra Modi used his chair and intervened with the justice system,” Maken said seeking the CBI inquiry. The sting has been conducted by a journalist whose credentials the BJP today questioned while trashing all charges. Javadekar personally termed the CD as “ridiculous” and said it was fabricated. Meanwhile, the Congress circles were agog with the contents of the CD wherein Javadekar and Yadav have allegedly been taped admitting that they have received a go ahead from Modi to protect Shah. “The CD reveals serious issues. It has BJP leaders on tape discussing how ministers in Gujarat were involved in extortion rackets and also the fact that Sohrabuddin Sheikh could actually have been eliminated for things gone wrong as Sheikh was himself involved in one such racket. The issue for investigation is whether Sheikh was even eliminated for an his terror involvement or was he part of a bigger game,” Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said later. The Congress comes a day after a PIL was filed in the apex court demanding action against Javdekar and Bhupendra Singh Yadav for allegedly impeding the investigation process in Prajapati fake encounter case in which former Gujarat Home Minister Shah is the main accused.
|
|
Slamming Modi and Amit Shah, Vanzara quits IPS
Ahmedabad, September 3 "The police officers arrested in connection with the different fake encounter cases were simply implementing the conscious policy of this government which was inspiring, guiding and monitoring our actions from very close quarters," Vanzara wrote in his 10-page letter accompanying his resignation from the
IPS. Vanzara was first arrested in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case in April, 2007, and had since been in jail. He was subsequently also placed under arrest in connection with the Tulsiram
Prajapati, Ishrat Jahan and Sadiq Jamal fake encounter cases. Despite spending days of disgrace behind the bars for over six years,
Vanzara, who was Deputy Inspector General of Police at the time of arrest, had so far never made any statement implicating Modi or Amit Shah. But now he has directly accused Shah and indirectly held Modi responsible for the "encounters", though he did not say that these were "fake encounters".
|
||
|
Sonia okays Congress manifesto implementation committees
New Delhi, September 3 Mullana was named along with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, while the committee will be chaired by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and will have among other members Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana Shakeel Ahmed and Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh. The approval to the Haryana manifesto implementation committee comes in the midst of repeated speculation on the possible reconstitution of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee where the issue of party unit leadership remains vexed. Its formation and Mullana’s inclusion can well be read as an indication that the veteran leader would stay on as the state PCC chief for a while. His inclusion on the panel comes in the wake of state leaders asking Sonia to indicate her mind one way or the other so that clear signal on the leadership was sent to the cadre in the state. The manifesto committee will ensure proper implementation of the election promises made by the Congress-led UPA government in the wake of the 2009 general election. The exercise is in preparation for the general election next year. Union Minister Vayalar Ravi has been appointed the committee chairman for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, with AICC general secretary in-charge of the three states Ambika Soni and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari being members of the panel for the three states. The other committees and chairpersons are: Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka (AK Antony); Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram (Girija Vyas); Assam (Ghulam Nabi Azad); Delhi and Jharkhand (Jairam Ramesh); Kerala (Veerappa Moily); Rajasthan (Motilal Vora); and Maharashtra (Vayalar Ravi).
Panel members
|
||
|
Delhi court sends Tunda to 5-day police custody
New Delhi, September 3 Tunda, who was today discharged from AIIMS after undergoing treatment, was produced before Additional Sessions Judge
(ASJ) Dharmesh Sharma and the Special Cell of Delhi Police sought five days custodial interrogation saying they need to quiz Tunda regarding the source of oil which was to be used for making Improvised Explosive Device
(IED). What the police said
Tunda is to be interrogated regarding the source of oil procured by him which was recovered from the shop of Abdul Haq (Tunda's brother). The oil was to be used for making IEDs Tunda had said he had procured the explosives from a shop in Tilak Bazaar in old Delhi A mobile phone containing more than 200 contacts has been recovered and he is also to be interrogated vis-a-vis the contact details Tunda is required to be taken to Karnataka and West Bengal for further probe in the case
The police said that during the earlier custodial interrogation, Tunda had said he had procured the explosives from a shop in Tilak Bazaar in old Delhi. “Accused Abdul Karim is to be interrogated regarding the source of oil procured by him which was recovered from the shop of Abdul Haq (Tunda’s brother). The oil was to be used for making IEDs. “Moreover, a mobile phone containing more than 200 contacts has been recovered from his possession and he is also to be interrogated vis-a-vis the contact details,” police said in its remand application. The police also informed the court that Tunda is required to be taken to Karnataka and West Bengal for further probe in the case. “As such accused Abdul Karim, alias Tunda, is to be interrogated at length to unearth the anti-national activities being conspired by the accused and his associates. “It is, therefore, requested that five days police custody remand of accused Abdul Karim alias Tunda may kindly be given,” the police said. The court after hearing the arguments remanded Tunda, who was produced amid high security, in police custody till September 8.
— PTI
|
||
|
Cong legislators protest against AP bifurcation
Hyderabad, September 3 The sit-in, held amid tight security, was meant to express solidarity with the people of Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, referred to jointly as Seemandhra, who have been agitating for the past 33 days against the division of the state. “Nothing short of the integrated state will satisfy us. We are ready to make any sacrifices to keep the state united,” Finance Minister A Ramanarayan Reddy and Education Minister S Sailajanath told reporters. This was the first show of open defiance by a large number of party leaders after the CWC took the decision to split the state. They said they would undertake a 48-hour fast after September 9 for which the venue would be announced later. Both Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who hails from the Rayalaseema region, and PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana, a coastal Andhra leader, are opposed to the division of the state. According to sources in the Seemandhra camp, both of them were “supportive” of the agitation by the ministers and MLAs. Meanwhile, work at the State Secretariat came to a halt as employees from the Seemandhra region began an indefinite strike to protest against the bifurcation. About 1,800 of the 2,500 regular employees at the Secretariat hail from
Seemandhra.
|
||
|
Another woman alleges rape at Shakti Mills
Mumbai, September 3 The complainant said she was accompanied by a male friend when the duo were tricked into entering the isolated Shakti Mills compound. The woman alleged that her companion was also tied up and beaten up before she was raped on July 31. She alleged that the rapists then shot some footage on their mobile phones and threatened to make it public if she complained to anyone. According to the girl, she kept quiet for nearly a month as advised by her mother. However, after the news of the assault on the photographer, the woman said she wanted to file a police complaint. The complaint has now been transferred to the NM Joshi Marg police station under which the Shakti Mills area falls. All the five accused who have been arrested following the journalist's gang rape have told police that they have assaulted several women in the area in the past six months. On August 22, the photojournalist attached to a city magazine was raped while on assignment.
Same culprits
|
||
|
Munde humbled as ‘rebel’ nephew wins on NCP ticket
Mumbai, September 3 Dhananjay, who quit the BJP for the NCP last year at the behest of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, won with the backing of the Congress and several Independent MLAs attached to the ruling front in Maharashtra. Political observers say the victory of Dhananjay Munde would pave way for the NCP to make inroads in Maharashtra's Beed district which is the stronghold of Gopinath Munde. The NCP does not have a strong presence here and Ajit Pawar hopes to use Dhananjay Munde's clout to improve the party's hold in the co-operatives here. Buoyed by Dhananjay Munde's victory, the NCP is already planning to damage the BJP during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Party sources said the NCP may field Dhananjay against his uncle in the Beed Lok Sabha seat. In the 2009 Assembly elections which followed the parliamentary polls, the NCP managed to wrest six of the seven seats from the BJP. The victory of Dhananjay also highlights the isolation of Munde within the BJP. Sources said several senior leaders of the BJP who owe allegiance to Munde's rival Nitin Gadkari simply did not bother to canvas for the official candidate backed by the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Independent Prithiviraj Kakade backed by the BJP and the Shiv Sena bagged just 106 of the 289 votes.
|
||
|
Plea to restrain Centre from ‘threatening’ judiciary
New Delhi, September 3 Instead of waiting for the outcome of its review plea, the government had already ensured the passage of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Representation of the People Act (RPA) and was going ahead with securing the approval of the Lok Sabha as well, Haryana Swatantra Party president Ramesh Dalal contended in an interlocutory application relating to his petition seeking a review of the SC verdict. The Centre’s two-pronged approach “is a clear indication of an indirect threat to the judiciary to claim that executive and legislature are more powerful than the judiciary,” Dalal contended. On July 10, 2013, the SC had ruled that jailed candidates had no right to contest elections under the RPA as the Act did not allow such persons even to vote. There was no logic behind allowing jailed persons to contest elections when they were not even entitled to vote, the SC had reasoned.
|
||
|
SC stays
Rajasthan
Assembly’s one-month jail to SHO
New Delhi, September 3 A Bench headed by Justice KS Radhakrishnan passed the order on the plea of the SHO, Ratna Gupta, that she was on leave when the house panel on women and child welfare, comprising its chairman and members, visited the ‘mahila thana’ on July 19, 2010. The SC also issued notice to the office of the Assembly Speaker, its privilege committee and the state’s chief secretary seeking their response to the SHO’s petition challenging the resolution. The privilege committee had also found her guilty of ignoring the summons issued by it several times. Appearing for the SHO, senior advocate Amarendra Sharan contended that the resolution was illegal and unconstitutional as she was not on duty on July 19, 2010. According to resolution, she had ignored four notices and a warrant issued by the assembly, besides Rajasthan High Court’s directive to comply with the committee’s notice to appear before it.
|
||
|
Cabinet go-ahead for 70 new cancer
institutes
New Delhi, September 3 The objective of the Rs 4697 crore scheme is to strengthen tertiary care cancer facilities under the ongoing National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVDs and
Stroke (NPCDCS). The shared cost between Centre and state will be Rs 3,535 crore and
Rs 1,162 crore respectively. The proposal will enhance facilities for cancer care, address spatial imbalances, reduce waiting period for diagnosis and treatment, provide access to free and affordable facilities for the poor and increase availability of human resources trained for cancer. Annual cancer mortality in India is 5 lakh while 11 lakh new cases are detected every year. At any given time, India has 25 lakh cancer cases. The scheme will assist states and UTs to set up State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and strengthen Tertiary Care Cancer Centres. New equipment will be made available and teaching and research facilities for cancer will be strengthened. The implementation of the proposal will help in increasing radio therapy and medical oncology and other cancer related facilities in underserved areas. Bed capacities for in-patient treatment will
also increase. For the new state cancer institutes and tertiary centres assistance up to Rs 120 crore and Rs 45 crore respectively would be provided including central share of 75 per cent and state share of 25 per cent. This share for North-east and hill states will be 90:10. In addition to diagnosis and treatment, assisted institutions will impart training to doctors, nurses and technicians and mentor the activities pertaining to prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation being undertaken in various districts under the National Rural Health Mission. Cancer cases detected during screening at the district levels will be treated at SCIs and TCCCs.
|
||
|
Rajouri-Poonch axis: Highway of infiltration
Along the Line of Control: As ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) continue in several places across Jammu and Kashmir, the most volatile area remains the Rajouri-Poonch axis in the south-western part of the state. It is often referred to as the “highway of infiltration” for Pakistan-backed terrorists.
The BSF, which has 14 battalions deployed on the 740-km-long LoC, says there have been 52 violations along the LoC in Jammu Frontier till September 2 this year. It’s double the number of violations reported in 2012. In 2011, there were 15 violations. “Any activity on this part of the LoC has a definitive bearing on the stretch of the demarcated International Border, which Pakistan refuses to recognise and refers to it simply as a working boundary,” said SS Tomar, BSF’s Inspector General, Jammu Frontier. “The violations should be seen in the larger perspective of the geo-strategic situation that emerges after the withdrawal of the NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014,” he said. The Jammu Frontier is responsible for the management of the 210-km stretch of the International Border, running from Kathua in the south to Akhnoor in the north of Jammu. BSF battalions under the Jammu Frontier are also deployed on several locations on the LoC from Akhnoor to Poonch, where they are under the operational control of the Army. BSF deployment beyond Poonch is the jurisdiction of its Kashmir Frontier. While the Rajouri-Poonch sector remains the hotbed of cross-border fire and counter-fire, violations have been reported from Uri, Tangdhar, Dras and Kargil regions, north of the Pir Pangal range in the Kashmir sector. There are two main reasons for the cross-border fire, which also included mortar shells and rockets. The primary reason is to assist terrorists who are looking to infiltrate into Kashmir. Minister of State for Home RPN Singh stated in Parliament last month that there were 1,000 attempts of infiltration by terrorists along the LoC between 2010-12, in which 160 terrorists were killed while 570 others were forced to fall back. This year over 80 attempts have been reported. The second reason for firing is to instill a fear psychosis in the civilian population, disrupting their routine life and creating a general situation of chaos and disillusionment that is conducive for exploitation. Regular fire not only affects lives of locals in the vicinity, but puts the brakes on administrative and developmental works as the people concerned refuse to venture into the hot-spots due to safety concerns. The Rajouri - Poonch axis, officers said, is a favoured route for infiltration by terrorists on account of tactical advantages offered by a relatively low-altitude, mountainous terrain with dense forests, several negotiable passes and streams, large civilian settlements on either side and the absence of snow making the routes accessible all-year round - a contrast with the more difficult terrain in the northern parts of the state beyond Pir Panjal. After infiltrating from Rajouri-Poonch, it is just a clean four-hour run to Srinagar along the Old Mughal Road. The region across the LoC in this sector, referred to as Azad Kashmir in Pakistan, is also known to be home to a large number of terrorist training camps.
The hotbed
|
||
|
To see land Bill through, PM reaches out to BJP leaders
New Delhi, September 3 The BJP has been gunning for the PM over the missing documents on coal block allocations, but today it was particularly incensed over the "treatment" meted out to its senior leaders in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Sushma's mike remained switched off while she was attempting to air her views after the PM's speech, Advani's efforts to draw the Speaker's attention also drew a blank. Some of the missing records related to mining licences issued while the PM was in charge of the Coal Ministry and the BJP was demanding direct answers from him. While the Lok Sabha could not do any business, uproar in the Rajya Sabha, after the PM chose to walk out soon after making his statement, meant that Law Minister Kapil Sibal could not move the Constitution (120th) Amendment and the Judicial Appointments Commission Bills. Though Sibal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath later met Sushma, Jaitley and Advani, the BJP leaders voiced their "anguish" over the "PM's attitude". Though the meeting with the PM could not resolve the standoff, the BJP is expected to allow the Land Bill through the RS tomorrow, ‘because of its “benefits for farmers”.
|
||
|
Girl's medical report rules out rape: Asaram's counsel
Jodhpur, September 3 Asaram’s counsel KK Menon, arguing on his bail plea before District and Sessions Judge (Rural) Manoj Kumar Vyas, alleged the police had worked under the pressure of media and prepared the FIR in a hurry. After hearing the arguments by the defence for two hours, the magistrate said the hearing in the case would continue tomorrow and the prosecution would be heard. Menon later told mediapersons that the FIR against Asaram did not stand as there were several lacunae in it.
— PTI
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Despite the UPA leadership ruling out any rethink on its decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, the Congress ministers and legislators from the Seemandhra region vowed to continue their efforts to see that the state remained united.
Seventeen ministers, 44 legislators and 14 MLCs observed a day-long fast on the state Assembly premises today, demanding the central leadership not to go ahead with the bifurcation of the state.
The Cabinet today approved a multi crore scheme to provide for improved cancer care in India by setting up 20 new state cancer institutes and 50 new tertiary cancer care centres across the
country. The objective of the Rs 4697 crore scheme is to strengthen tertiary care cancer facilities under the ongoing National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVDs and
Stroke (NPCDCS). The shared cost between Centre and state will be Rs 3,535 crore and
Rs 1,162 crore respectively.
Along the Line of Control:
As ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) continue in several places across Jammu and Kashmir, the most volatile area remains the Rajouri-Poonch axis in the south-western part of the state. It is often referred to as the “highway of infiltration” for Pakistan-backed terrorists.
How can he stay as CM when the probe is on? The senior leader of the BJP Narendra Modi used his chair and intervened with the justice system.