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Emigration clearance to Iraq suspended
Jammu man spoke to his kin 10 days ago
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Kin of 8 Yamunanagar youths worried Yamunanagar, June 19 The families of eight youths of Yamunanagar district in Haryana are eagerly waiting for the safe return of their loved ones from the violence-hit Iraq. Kaithal man stranded too KAITHAL, June 19 Deepak, 23, of Sherdha village in Kaithal district is among many Indians stranded in Najaf City of Iraq. However, his family members had a sigh of relief after he informed them today that he was among some Indians who were unable to move out of Iraq due to security risk and prevailing uncertainty Turkey: 44 foreign hostages released
Scared 450 Indians in Karbala want to be back, but they can’t
Iraq forces regain control of main refinery: officials
ISIL may be directing attacks in Europe, says EU official
Crafty agents didn’t tell HP boys about the risk
Ensure early release of abducted youth: Sonia
Lure of jobs took them there
UK bans ISIS, 4 Syria-linked jihadist groups
2 Faridkot youths are safe: SDM
Twitter account warns of ‘war in Muslim world’
Crisis will raise inflation: Ambani
Evacuation a big challenge: Omar
33 Ropar residents safe, but want to return
With eye on Iran, Saudi insists Iraq solution internal
Nearly 3,000 Telugus stuck
Conflict won’t affect oil supply
Pentagon plans to send Special Forces to Iraq: Report
AAP offers to send its MPs to Iraq
Heinous Crimes
Army Chief appointment
Modi govt against Gopal Subramanium as SC Judge
Cong renews leadership change talk in 3 states
Decision on rail fare hike soon: Gowda
IIT-JEE results out, only five girls in top 100
Army wants jawans to serve longer
Security at Wadia’s offices stepped up
Saradha scam
Oppn corners UP govt on law & order
Gogoi against visa-free entry of Bangladesh nationals
Two get life term for rape Two Ludhiana men stuck Six missing from Gurdaspur Fategarh Sahib youths safe Preneet wants swift action HP doesn’t have exact count
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Emigration clearance to Iraq suspended
Chandigarh, June 19 An official of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs told The Tribune that instructions have been issued to various offices of Protector of Emigration in the country not to give emigration clearance for Iraq to anyone till further orders. On being asked that how many people come to seek emigration clearance to Iraq from Punjab region, he said that exact data in this regard was available only with the Ministry. Of 10,000 persons coming to the regional office of the Protector of Emigration here for emigration clearance per year, only 5% seek clearance for Arab countries such as Iraq. Mostly come for clearance to Dubai. People who seek clearance are generally skilled workers such as carpenters, drivers of heavy vehicles, masons, welders, plumbers, fitters, cooks, nurses and also casual labourers. On being asked how many persons from the state have gone temporarily to various countries such as Australia, the UK, Canada, the US and the Middle East, President of the NRI Sabha, Jasvir Singh Gill said there was no such data available. “We have been requesting all those who go abroad on work visa, for studying or to settle permanently, to get themselves registered with the NRI Sabha. But no one has come forward”, said Gill. The Sabha doesn’t even have the data of Punjabis permanently settled abroad. Similarly, the Department of NRI Affairs, Punjab, doesn’t have the data on number of Punjabis working abroad. A Cabinet Minister is in charge of this department in Punjab. Earlier, the NRI Affairs Department was with Bikram Majithia and now it is with Tota Singh. No legal provision “There is no legal provision which makes such a registration mandatory”, said an official of the state government. Interestingly, Punjab has been holding NRI conferences for the past many years. In case of an emergency, such as the one being witnessed in Iraq, the Punjab Government has not even basic information with regard to emigrants or people who go on work visa abroad to do jobs to earn money. Mostly semi-literate skilled workers from poor families go to Iraq where emigrants had to work in very difficult conditions and sometime have to do high-risk jobs such as removal of live ammunition from vast tracts. Most workers go to Iraq through various private companies licenced to do such jobs by the Union Government. Gill said that often such companies defraud workers. “They assure them respectable jobs but ask them to do petty jobs once they reach the destination”, said Gill. List of Punjabi youth kidnapped in Iraq Dharminder Singh (Gurdaspur); Kulwant Singh (Gurdaspur); Gurcharan Singh (Jalandhar); Gobinder Singh (Jalandhar); Kawaljit Singh (Jalandhar); Jatinder Singh (Jalandhar); Harsimran (Jalandhar); Jatinder Singh (Jalandhar); Gagandeep (Jalandhar); Manjinder Singh (Jalandhar); Rajinder Kumar (Patiala); Rakesh Kumar (Hoshiarpur); Gobinder Singh (Kapurthala)
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Jammu man spoke to his kin 10 days ago
Jammu, June 19 The last time Rajesh, 34, talked to his family was on June 9. His mobile phone is switched off since then. “Rajesh appeared to be worried over phone when he talked to us on June 9. He had applied for passport and return ticket with the Human Resource (HR) department of his company, Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast, and we were expecting him to be back in a few days,” said Rajesh’s brother Raj Kumar. It was only after last evening when news of Indian workers having been kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militants in Mosul spread that Rajesh’s family got worried. “We have been continuously calling Rajesh, but his mobile is switched off. He was worried over the situation in Iraq and had even told us about it,” said Rajesh’s father Sarwan Dass. Rajesh had been working as a labourer with Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast Construction Company at Al-Abbasiya in Basra town of Iraq since September 2012. He was the lone employee of the company who hailed from Jammu and Kashmir. Rajesh’s wife Rena Chowdhary is in deep shock and is praying for his safe return. Unable to speak, she fainted twice today. The couple’s only son, two-and-half-year old Debam Chowdhary, roams around in his house in Krishna Nagar locality of Miran Sahib in the outskirts of Jammu with his father’s photo. Now, the family has decided to approach the local administration and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah. What they said The Government of India must take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of those stranded in
Iraq? The Modi government kept sleeping over the matter and failed to alert the Indian workers on time. No contact has been established with the workers or their abductors so far. This is a big cause of
worry. The Central Government is doing its best to secure their release with the help of international humanitartian organisations working in
Iraq The state government is keeping a close watch on the emerging situation in Iraq and is in constant touch with the Union Ministries of Home and External Affairs
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Kin of 8 Yamunanagar youths worried Yamunanagar, June 19 The youths, who have been working in various cities of the country, have resigned from their companies. Now, they want to return to their homes as early as possible. But, as they had worked without salaries for several months, so they do not have enough money to return to India. "The company for which my brother Sukhvinder Singh works in Basra has not paid him for the past five months. He wants to return to his country but without money, he is unable to come back," said Sukhvinder's sister Yashpal Kaur. Sukhvinder's mother Gurmail Kaur, 64, said hundreds of Indians, including her son, were leading a miserable life in the foreign country. She urged the government to bring the stranded Indians back. The families of Naresh Kumar and Rinku of Musimbal village share the grief. Ravinder Kumar said his elder brother Naresh and cousin Rinku had resigned from their companies. "We are upset since the violence has erupted in Iraq. My brothers have resigned from their companies and we pray for their safe return," said Maya Ram of Bal Chhappar village whose two brothers Rajesh and Ramesh were working in Iraq. He said the family was in constant touch with the two brothers and calling them up in every two to three hours every day. The parents of Jasbir of Chhajju Nagla village, Devraj and Anil Kumar of Bal Chhappar village are also worried. "My son calls us every day. He says that he is safe but we have asked him to return," said Jasbir's father Ram Singh.
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What's ISIS
Aim: Establish a caliphate — a unified Islamic government ruled by a caliph — stretching from western Syria across Iraq to the eastern border with Iran. 2003-04 US troops enter Iraq and topple the Saddam Hussein regime. US-led coalition shifts power to Iraqi govt 2005-06
2011 US announces troop pullout, govt issues arrest warrant for Sunni VP Taeq al-Hashemi 2012 Protests demand Maliki's resignation in Sunni-majority province of Anabar. Maliki 2013 Anti-govt protestors infiltrate security forces ranks, killing 240 people in a week. In August, 70 killed at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claims responsibility 2014 January: al-Qaeda elements seize control of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi. April: Maliki wins most seats in general election June: ISIS claims control over entire northern Iraq
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Kaithal man stranded too KAITHAL, June 19 His brother Pawan said he had informed the Haryana Government about Deepak's location and requested it to take steps to ensure his safe return. Deepak worked as a plumber and had gone to Iraq in December. Pawan said Deepak had not been paid for the past two months. DC NK Solanki said no family had contacted him for help.
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Turkey: 44 foreign hostages released Ankara, June 19 Deputy security chief of Kirkuk in northern Iraq provided help for the release of the foreign workers, the diplomat told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "They are travelling to a secure place today." On Tuesday, a group of armed militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) raided a construction site of a hospital near Kirkuk in northern Iraq and kidnapped about 60 foreign workers, including 15 Turkish, a released hostage was quoted as saying, adding that the kidnapped foreign workers also included Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepal and Turkmenistan nationals. On Thursday, Turkey's foreign ministry urged its citizens in Iraq to leave the country immediately after militants abducted some 80 Turkish citizens in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, capital of Nineveh province. Last Wednesday, a group of ISIL militants took control of Turkey's consulate general in Mosul, and abducted 49 staff and family members, including the consul general. Another 31 Turkish nationals were also taken hostage by the group at a power plant in the Gyarah region of Mosul. — IANS
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Scared 450 Indians in Karbala want to be back, but they can’t
Hoshiarpur, June 19 Among them are 450 workers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh who are stranded Karbala in central Iraq, about 110 km away from Baghdad. The workers allege that the company for which they work was not ready to let them go. “We are 450 Indians here. While 250 are from Punjabis, the others are from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. We told our company that we want to go back. But they said we can’t leave till the work was over,” Shamsher Singh of Malotpur village in Gurdaspur told The Tribune over phone. The group has been working for an Iraqi construction company building a hospital on the outskirts of Karbala for more than a year. Rohit Kumar of Fatehpur village in Yamunanagar district of Haryana said: “I have been working here as an electrician. The conditions here are disturbing. Everyday we witness heavy movement of militia. We are scared and want to come back.” “The company has restricted our movement and we are not allowed to go out. The Government of India has issued an advisory for Indians in Iraq to return but they (company officials) are not letting us go,”
he said. A Delhi-based travel agent, who had send these youth to Karbala, said: “There is nothing to fear as Karbala is far away from strife zone. I’ve spoken to the company officials and they have assured me that there was nothing to worry,” he claimed.
Firm won’t let us go
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Iraq forces regain control of main refinery: officials
Baghdad, June 19 Sunni Arab insurgents had stormed the complex in Baiji, south of Iraq's militant-held second city Mosul, yesterday, setting fire to several storage tanks for refined products in a move that sent jitters through world oil markets. "The security forces are in full control of the Baiji refinery," Lieutenant General Qassem Atta, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's security spokesman, said in televised remarks. A refinery employee told AFP that the militants had withdrawn, as did other witnesses, who said the assailants quit the sprawling complex in the face of a heavy fightback by security forces. Clashes erupted at the refinery early yesterday, setting storage tanks for petroleum products alight. The fighting went on until roughly midnight (2100 GMT yesterday) and continued sporadically into today. The refinery is the biggest in Iraq, accounting for some 50 per cent of the country's supplies of refined products. But, the refinery’s catchment area has been sharply curtailed by the militants' seizure of a swathe of northern Iraq, including second city Mosul, which has a population of some two million people. — AFP
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry says the US is contemplating communicating with Iran to share information about the insurgency spreading across Iraq, but is not seeking to work together with Iran to address the crisis.
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ISIL may be directing attacks in Europe, says EU official
BRUSSELS, June 19 Gilles de Kerchove also said it was likely that there would be more attacks in Europe like the shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels last month that killed four people. Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old Frenchman believed to have returned recently from fighting with Islamist militant rebels in Syria, was arrested in May for the Jewish Museum killings. At the time of his arrest, Nemmouche had a Kalashnikov wrapped in a flag with the inscriptions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an al Qaeda offshoot involved in Syria's civil war and which also spearheaded last week's offensive across north and western Iraq. Investigation would show whether the Brussels shooting was part of a planned strategy by ISIL, also known as ISIS, de Kerchove said in an interview to Reuters. There was a question about whether the suspect in the Brussels shooting acted alone or under direction, he said. But he said it was "very likely that the ISIS ... maybe is preparing, training, directing some of the foreign fighters to mount attacks in Europe, or outside Europe." ISIS shared with al Qaeda the idea of a global caliphate "so it makes sense that they send fighters back and mount attacks outside the region," he said. British PM David Cameron said on Wednesday that Sunni Islamist insurgents fighting in Iraq were planning to attack Britain and that "ungoverned spaces" where militants thrived had to be shut down. Asked if he expected more attacks in Europe similar to the attack at the Jewish Museum, de Kerchove, a Belgian, said: "I am worried and I think it is likely." He said he was more afraid of a repeat of an attack similar to the Brussels shooting than about the possibility of an attack like the 2001 attacks on US. "I think we are smarter than we were on 9/11 to prevent the attack," he said. — Reuters
A planned strategy?
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Crafty agents didn’t tell HP boys about the risk
Dharamsala, June 19 Inquiries by The Tribune revealed that two youths from Kangra — Aman from Passu village near Dharamsala and Inderjeet from Lunj village, located about 40 km from here — went to work in Mosul through a Chandigarh-based travel agent. Both youths were trained JCB and Poclain excavator operators and paid about Rs 1.30 lakh to the travel agent to go to Iraq. The amount was arranged by their families by taking loan. "I advised my son against going to Iraq. The travel agent, however, managed to convince him," says Pardesi Ram, father of Inderjeet. "Inderjeet was promised a salary of $750 per month by the travel agent. However, he is getting just Rs 350 dollar per month. He was promised the job of Poclain excavator. But he had to initially work as a steal binder," said Pardesi Ram. The agent never told him about the trouble in that country, he said. "The travel agent claimed Iraq was safe and our son would get a decent salary," said Pardesi Ram. "I have not lodged any complaint against the agent as he is known to the family. I just pray for safe return of my son," he said. The story of Aman, a resident of Passu village, is no different. "Aman went to Iraq in search of greener pastures. He was promised a post of JCB operator, but he is yet to get the job. We had paid a Chandigarh agent Rs 1.25 lakh," said Raman Kumar, Aman's brother. Raman said they have yet to lodge a complaint against the travel agent. Aman's family today met state minister for housing and urban development Sudhir Sharma and requested the government to intervene for safe return of Himachali youths stuck in Iraq. Punjab-based travel agents have spread their network in in Himachal. It is alleged that they are luring unemployed youth, especially from lower areas of Himachal, with a promise of good job in the Middle East countries. These agents hire workforce for Western companies that have operations in trouble zones, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Though the Ministry of Overseas has fixed the consultancy rates of even the recognised agents at Rs 3,000 per candidate, these agents allegedly charge lakhs from youths on the pretext of sending them abroad.
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Ensure early release of abducted youth: Sonia
New Delhi, June 19 In a letter to the Prime Minister, she also extended her party's support in government's efforts to bring back teh abducted youth. "I urge you to intensify all diplomatic efforts required
to ensure their safety and secure their release," she said in her letter to Modi. "It is imperative to act swiftly to evacuate all our nationals in the region and ensure their safe return," she said. Sonia Gandhi described the kidnapping as "despicable" and "cowardly" act that has caused deep distress to the affected families. "The Congress condemns this assault on innocent civilians," she said, adding it "deserves our unreserved condemnation." The Congress said the escalation of conflict in Iraq has severely undermined the peace and stability in the region and the deteriorating situation is a matter of grave international concern.
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Lure of jobs took them there Sialka (Amritsar), June 19 The boys went to Iraq in a group as they knew each other. Gurdeep Kaur, grandmother of Jatinder Singh, who is missing, said: “jatinder was jobless so we mortgaged a small piece of land for a loan of Rs 4 lakh. We paid Rs 2 lakh to a travel agent for sending him abroad. Jatinder’s father Balkar Singh is a diabetic and earns his livelihood by working as a driver in Mumbai.
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UK bans ISIS, 4 Syria-linked jihadist groups
London, June 19 Security minister James Brokenshire set out the motion, which was passed unopposed in the House of Commons today. It will now be an offence to be a member of any of the groups in the UK, the BBC reported. Brokenshire said terrorists from or connected to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq posed a threat to Britain's security. The proscribed organisations are: ISIS, Turkiye Halk Kurtulus Partisi-Cephesi (THKP-C); Kateeba al-Kawthar (KaK); Abdallah Azzam Brigades, including the Ziyad al-Jarrah Battalions (AAB/ZJB); and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC). — PTI
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2 Faridkot youths are safe: SDM
Faridkot, June 19 Harbans Singh and Jaswinder Singh are safe, said Harjit Singh Sidhu, SDM Kotkapura. “I spoke to Jaswinder Singh today. he told me that he was safe along with friend Harbans Singh, said the SDM. The family members, however, want the two to come back home as soon as possible. My son is safe but the situation in Iraq is very volatile. We want him to come back,” said Harbans’ father, Ranjeet Singh.
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Twitter account warns of ‘war in Muslim world’
DUBAI, June 19 Shi'ite Iran has been alarmed by rapid territorial gains made in Iraq by the militants of the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL), which seeks a caliphate ruled on mediaeval Sunni Muslim precepts in Iraq and Syria. ISIL's advances pose a threat to the survival of Shi'ite-majority Iraq as a united country. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government, an ally of Tehran, has called for military help from the United States, Iran's longtime foe. A message posted in English on the Twitter account @khamenei_ir said the Sunni militants wanted to foment distrust between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, a goal they shared with "arrogant" powers - normally an Iranian codeword for the United States and its Western and Israeli allies. The message referred to "takfiri" militants - Sunnis who proclaim followers of other sects of Islam to be infidels and therefore legitimate targets of holy war. "Muslims should be aware of Takfiris and arrogant's common goal to create a war in Muslim world - both Shias and Sunnis should be vigilant," it said. — Reuters
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Crisis will raise inflation: Ambani
Mumbai, June 19 "In an inter-connected world like the one we are living in today, what's happening around the world affects everywhere. "The geopolitical crisis in the Middle East, especially the ongoing one in Iraq will increase crude oil prices which in turn will spike inflation in our economy," Ambani said at the 106th annual general meeting of Indian Merchants Chamber here today. Crude oil prices have gone up by four per cent as the civil war has engulfed Iraq and some analysts believe that if the crisis worsens it could jack up India's oil import bill by over USD 20 billion this fiscal, at close to USD 200 billion. On the growth prospects of the domestic economy, which slipped below 5 per cent for two consecutive years, Ambani said: “Our progress is both irrefutable and unstoppable, but there are developmental hurdles like low education and poor infrastructure. We have a lot of challenges to overcome. But I am an eternal optimist. Our 400 million strong middle-class now has solid discretionary income, which drives investment from across the world.” — PTI
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Evacuation a big challenge: Omar
Srinagar, June 19 ”What’s happening in Iraq will have an effect on us. If the oil prices rise, it will increase the inflation here," the Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. Omar, a former Minister of State for External Affairs in the Vajpayee government, said the evacuation of Indians from Iraq is a “big challenge” for the Union Government. "Many people from our region are working there (in Iraq) and evacuating them safely is a big challenge for the Centre. We hope all necessary measures will be taken to get our people back from there,” he said. Forty Indian construction workers, most of them from Punjab, have been abducted in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which is in the hands of Sunni militants, the Ministry of External Affairs had said on Wednesday.
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33 Ropar residents safe, but want to return
Ropar, June 19 Inquiries revealed that people from area in Iraq include 17 from Chamkaur Sahib, 13 from Anandpur Sahib and three from Nangal. The family of Jasbir Singh of Thaloo village at Nangal said they had been receiving repeated calls from Jasbir, who was staying at a place in Kurdistan, 30 kilometre from the point of clash between insurgents and the Iraq army. Nearly 40 other people from India, including 10 from Punjab, were with him and his employer was asking them to deposit money to make their arrangements for return. As they had no money, the help from the Indian Government was the only option for them, he had said. Two others from Nangal — Sukhwinder Singh and Kamaljit — have also asked their families to make arrangements for their return. Surinder Singh of Samundri village near Nurpur Bedi is working at a hospital in Najib city of Iraq. Surinder said he was with 400 people from India and other countries. Though there were reports of unrest in other parts of the country at Najib there was no risk visible till now and he was yet to make up him mind over his future plans, he said.
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With eye on Iran, Saudi insists Iraq solution internal
DOHA/DUBAI, June 19 Washington is considering an Iraqi request to launch air strikes on the positions of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) rebels, and the Iranian president has said his countrymen will not hesitate to defend Shi'ite shrines there if need be. Either scenario would probably dismay Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab governments wary about what they see as meddling by Shi'ite Muslim power Iran in the region and opposed to any armed action that could harm Sunni communities in Iraq. In a statement, the Saudi embassy in Britain reiterated that Riyadh opposed "all foreign intervention and interference in the internal affairs of Iraq. Instead, we urge all people of Iraq, whatever their religious denominations, to unite to overcome the current threats and challenges facing the country." And a Saudi source in the Gulf told Reuters that Riyadh's opposition to foreign intervention was shared by the United States, France and Britain. "No outside interference will be of any benefit," the source told Reuters. The comments suggested Iraq risks becoming a pawn in a fierce regional power struggle between Iran and Sunni heavyweight Saudi Arabia, which was aghast when the U.S. occupation after Saddam's Hussein's fall in 2003 brought about elections that empowered Iraq's Shi'ite majority. In a sign of a new chill in already frosty ties between the Sunni Muslim kingdom and Iraq's Shi'ite-led government, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal dismissed as "ludicrous" Iraqi charges that the kingdom supported Sunni militants there. His comments reflected the critical tone of much commentary about Iraqi authorities in the Sunni majority Gulf Arab states, where commentators allege Baghdad has discriminated against Iraq's minority Sunnis and so has only itself to blame for the onslaught by Sunni militants. The Iraqi government has repeatedly accused its Gulf neighbours of backing insurgents such as ISIL in Iraq's turbulent West, charges they deny. In remarks apparently addressed to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Prince Saudi suggested in remarks to reporters Riyadh would not take lessons from Baghdad in countering militancy. He said Iraq should follow the kingdom's example in countering Islamist armed groups, a reference to Riyadh's successful 2003-06 campaign against al Qaeda.
‘Conspiracy’ against Sunnis
"(Our) advice to the Iraqi official to combat terrorism in his country is to follow the policy which the Kingdom is following and not to accuse it of being with terrorism...praise be to God we have cleaned our country of this epidemic." Maliki, an ally of Iran, has appealed for national unity with Sunni critics of his government after a rapid offensive through the north of the country by ISIL, which wants to carve out a medieval-style caliphate in the heart of the Middle East. — Reuters
Intervention opposed
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Nearly 3,000 Telugus stuck
Hyderabad, June 19 “Most of the construction workers travelled to Iraq illegally and are based in Basra, Erbil and Moia, following heavy demand for workers during the reconstruction period. Some of them are also working in NATO military camps, employed in support services such as catering, loading and even carrying armory and ammunition," said M Bheem Reddy, Vice-President of the Migrant Rights Council (MRC), a city-based NGO working for the welfare of overseas workers. Typically, these workers are paid between $ 400 and $ 700 per month as remuneration. The families back home were worried about the fate of their near and dear ones since situation in Iraq had turned extremely serious, he said, appealing the Central Government to take appropriate steps to ensure their safety. "There are still hundreds of people in Pahargunj area of New Delhi waiting for their travel procedures to be completed to fly to Iraq," Reddy said and urged the Centre to initiate steps to stop Indians from travelling to Iraq. He said both the governments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had established helplines. "A senior Telugu-speaking Indian Foreign Service (IFS) official, Suresh Reddy, who served as a diplomat in Iraq in the past, has been rushed to Baghdad to help the people in need," he said.
Kaithal youth among those stranded
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Conflict won’t affect oil supply
New Delhi, June 19 Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reviewed availability of petroleum products in the country in light of the week-long conflict that has threatened to push Iraq into civil war. "While India imported about 13 per cent of its crude oil requirements from Iraq last year, in the current fiscal, public sector oil companies had planned to import 19.4 million tonnes (about 20 per cent of their requirement) of crude oil from Iraq," an official statement said. Against 18.7 million tonnes of crude oil imports planned by Indian Oil Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp in 2014, 50 per cent of the contracted quantity has already been lifted. Crude supplies to India from Iraq come from the Basra oilfields which are situated well away from the conflict zone in the north-eastern part of Iraq and loading of ships continues normally, it said. Pradhan asked oil firms to prepare a contingency plan for the short and medium term by tying up supplies from other sources in case oil from Iraq is disrupted. In the meeting with senior ministry officials and oil firms, it was "confirmed that there is no possibility of supply disruption at present and adequate supply of petroleum products throughout the country would be maintained," the statement added. India bought 25.1 million tonnes of crude oil from Iraq in 2013-14. These imports included those by PSU and private refiners like Reliance Industries. An equal amount is planned to be imported in current year. — PTI
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Pentagon plans to send Special Forces to Iraq: Report
Washington, June 19 The security deterioration in Iraq started June 10 when clashes broke out between the Iraqi security forces and hundreds of Sunni militants who took control of Mosul and later seized swathes of northern territories after the Iraqi security forces withdrew. — IANS
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AAP offers to send its MPs to Iraq
Sangrur, June 19 The offer was made by party's Punjab affairs in charge Manish Sisodia and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann. Sisodia said they did not know what efforts the Government of India was making to ensure safe release of Indians stuxk in the strife-torn country. “But AAP's MPs were ready to go to Iraq,” said
Sisodia.
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Govt moots law lowering juvenile age from 18 to 16
Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 19 Piloting the new Bill to cover children in conflict with law and those in need of care and protection, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) today proposed an end to blanket legal protections which juveniles (irrespective of the crime committed) enjoyed under the old Juvenile Justice Act 2000. The old Act is proposed to be repealed with the Ministry working to introduce the new Bill in the Budget Session of Parliament. While the existing law sets the juvenile age at 18 years for all child offenders, the new Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2014 makes distinctions between juvenile offenders, proposing reduction in juvenile age to 16 years for two categories — juveniles committing heinous offences (rape, murder, acid attacks, gang rape) and juveniles committing repeat offences of attempted murders, disrobing a woman, kidnappings for murder, armed robbery and selling minors for prostitution. The new Bill says the Juvenile Justice Board (JJ Board) will, while dealing with juveniles involved in heinous offences, examine all aspects including premeditated nature of their crime and child’s culpability. The draft law states, “In case of a child alleged to be in conflict of the law, who has completed 16th year as on date of commission of the offence under Sections 302 (murder), 326A (acid attack), 376 (rape), 376 D (gang rape) IPC the Board shall conduct an inquiry within one month regarding the premeditated nature of the offence, mitigating circumstances in which the offence was committed, culpability of child in committing the offence, and child’s ability to understand the consequences of his actions.” The JJ Board, if convinced of the child’s culpability, can refer the case to court for adjudication under IPC provisions. Under the existing law juveniles can only be tried by JJ Board and face maximum sentence of three years in correction homes. The debate on juvenile age was triggered by the brutal gang rape of a 23 year old in Delhi in 2013. Although one accused in the case was a juvenile, he walked away with three years in a correction home despite his culpability. Secretary, WCD Ministry Shankar Agarwal told The Tribune today, “Reduction in juvenile age is a big ticket change. For juveniles aged 16 to 18 years found committing heinous offences we give JJ Board the option to try the case themselves or refer it to the court. This option did not exist earlier. ”
Ragging, corporal punishment new offences
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SC advances hearing of plea against Gen Suhag
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, June 19 A summer vacation Bench comprising Justices Vikramajit Sen and Shiva Kirti Singh accepted the plea for an early hearing to prevent the petition, filed by Lt General Ravi Dastane, from becoming irrelevant in the event of Lt General Suhag assuming office. Lieut General Dastane has challenged the appointment, alleging favouritism by ignoring material facts against Lt General Suhag, including the disciplinary and vigilance (DV) ban slapped on him in April 2012 by the then Army Chief General VK Singh. In response to the SC notice on the petition, the Centre has filed an affidavit defending its decision to elevate Lt General Suhag and terming the disciplinary proceedings against him as “premeditated, vague and illegal.” General VK Singh, who is now a minister in the NDA government at the Centre, had initiated the action against Lt General Suhag for his alleged “failure of command and control” while carrying out an intelligence operation when he was Dimapur-based 3 Corps Commander. Though Lt Gen Suhag’s appointment was announced by the outgoing UPA government, the new Defence Minister Arun Jaitley in the NDA government has clarified that the elevation was final and there was no question of any rethink. The Defence Ministry is, however, going into the circumstances under which such a strongly-worded affidavit was filed in the SC, embarrassing General VK Singh who had to face calls for his resignation from the ministry.
The petition
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Modi govt against Gopal Subramanium as SC Judge
New Delhi, June 19 The Centre has, however, accepted the Collegium’s proposal for the appointment of three others as SC judges and forwarded their files to President Pranab Mukherjee, the appointing authority. They are former SG Rohinton Nariman and Chief Justices Adarsh Goel of the Orissa High Court and Arun Mishra of the Calcutta HC. Official sources said the decision against Subramanium was taken by the PM in consultation with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and others. As amicus curiae in the fake encounter case involving the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh by the Gujarat police in November 2005, Subramanium had suggested that the SC order further probe.
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Cong renews leadership change talk in 3 states
New Delhi, June 19 "We are discussing the issue of leadership change in Assam, Maharashtra and Haryana. Chances of such change are 50: 50. There is no finality that all the three CMs will be changed. But, we are discussing the issue," a top Congress leader privy to developments said. The decision on whether to change the CMs will be taken in a week, it is learnt. The discussion for leadership change in Maharashtra happened today, with Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel and senior party leader AK Antony meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the issue. Pawar, Congress' ally in Maharashtra assembly, is learnt to have favoured replacement of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan with former Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. In case of Haryana, meanwhile, Congress general secretary incharge Shakeel Ahmed had last week categorically said no leadership change was under discussion. Clearly, dissident camp comprising Kumari Selja and Birender Singh is building pressure to change CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, though Congress strategists said such change was still only a matter of discussion. Meanwhile, major organisational changes including replacement of state Congress chiefs is expected in most poll-bound states.
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Decision on rail fare hike soon: Gowda
New Delhi, June 19 He also said discussion was underway on allowing FDI in the sector and a decision on it would also be taken shortly. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference of senior railway officials here, Gowda said: “We are discussing the matter and, within three-four days, will come to a conclusion”.
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IIT-JEE results out, only five girls in top 100
Kolkata, June 19 Rajasthan’s Chitraang Murdia topped JEE (Advanced) securing 334 out of a total of 360 marks. Aditi from IIT Roorkee zone is the topper amongst girl candidates securing seventh rank in the common merit list. A total of 27,151 candidates out of the registered 1,26,997 qualified in the examination from across the country, he said. When asked about the reason for poor performance of girls in the exam, Aditi told PTI over phone that girls are not encouraged by either their parents or the social system to get into engineering. “I got family support for engineering but most of my friends opted for medical or commerce subjects. That is the reason why you have less girl students in engineering. It does not mean girls cannot become good engineers,” she said. Officials of FIITJEE, which conducts coaching classes for IIT aspirants, said the number of girl students were lesser. “It is a trend that girls avoid engineering. We only had a handful of girl students,” Debdoot Banerjee, deputy general manager of the coaching institute said. Altogether, 19,416 students figured in the common merit list (CML). Besides these, 6,000 students appeared in OBC, 4,400 in SC and 1,250 in ST merit lists. A total of 243 candidates with disability cleared in the exam. — PTI
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Army wants jawans to serve longer
New Delhi, June 19 The Adjutant General’s branch has proposed that the retirement of the jawans be based on their age and not on length of service, which is the present case. A circular has been sent to all the Army Commanders asking them to give their suggestions on the issue by June 30. Jawans are very fit and well-trained when they leave and by making them stay on in the Army for 4-5 years more would not be a bad option, sources said. A sepoy retires after serving for 17 years and mostly between the ages of 35 and 40, depending upon the age they joined. Recruitments of youth are done when they are between 17 ½ years of age and 23 years of age. The AG branch proposes that a sepoy should retire at 42 years of age. Similar changes have been proposed for other ranks. The Naik and the Havildar who now serve for 22 years and 24 years, respectively, they be allowed till attaining 49 years of age, proposes the AG branch. In case of the Naib Subedar and the Subedar, who now serve for 26 years and 28 years, respectively, be allowed till completing 52 years of age. In the case of the Subedar Major, there is no change, he will be retired on attaining age of 54. Almost 80 percent of the jawans retire at the level of sepoy. The extensions will help the Army in retaining its trained men for a few years more.
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Security at Wadia’s offices stepped up
Mumbai, June 19 Police officials confirmed that Poojari or his associates may have called Wadia’s employees and sent a text message threatening to damage his business interests. The calls and the message were traced to telephone numbers in Iran, the police said. Wadia’s son Ness has been involved in a public spat with actress Preity Zinta who has accused him of harassing her. Acting on Zinta’s complaint, the Marine Drive Police today recorded the statement of Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Operating Officer (COO) Sundar Raman.
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Arrest orders against ED officer
Tribune News Service
Kolkata, June 19 The Central Bureau of Investigation and the ED are looking into the multi-crore rupee scam in which several TMC MPs and leaders have been named. In the FIR, Sen alleged that he had been threatened and forced to admit during interrogation that he had been running his organisation at the insistence of the TMC leadership. The police registered the FIR and issued an arrest warrant against Jha. ED’s Special Director Jogesh Gupta met state Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra at the secretariat today and alleged that booking of the probe officer was politically motivated. The ED sought the state government’s cooperation in its inquiry. The Chief Secretary did not comment on his meeting with the ED official.
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Oppn corners UP govt on law & order
Lucknow, June 19 The BJP MLAs wearing saffron robes, the BSP representatives sporting blue paper caps with anti-government slogans and Congress and RLD members displaying banners targeting the government raised slogans in unison forcing Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey to adjourn the question hour. Even before the House assembled, the BJP MLAs led by state president and Meerut MLA Laxmikant Bajpai sat on a dharna in the corridor blocking the door through which the Speaker enters the house. As soon as the House assembled, the Opposition rushed to the well of the house shouting raucous slogans and refused to relent to the Speaker’s request to return to their seats. “Akhilesh tere zamane mein, izzat lut gayi thane mein (Akhilesh in your regime one is dishonoured in police stations),” said one of the members in the din. “This is wrong. First you shut the gate preventing me from entering the house. There is certain decorum. You cannot hold the house to ransom. This house is slowly moving towards dictatorship” said the Speaker before adjourning the house. The state Budget for financial year 2014-15 is to be presented tomorrow.
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Gogoi against visa-free entry of Bangladesh nationals
Guwahati, June 19 Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has also called for constitution of an experts’ committee to conduct a study on possible downstream impact on western Assam due to construction of mega dams in neighbouring Bhutan. Gogoi today said the External Affairs Ministry earlier this month had sought opinion of the Assam Government regarding the request made by Bangladesh on visa-free entry for its nationals. “We (Assam government) can’t allow visa-free entry of Bangladeshi nationals as we are fraught with a sensitive problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh in Assam,” Gogoi said. Gogoi, however, said state government was not opposed to the introduction of bus service along the Shillong-Guwahati-Dhaka route and transit facility for Bangladeshi vessels to use the Brahmaputra route. He said his government had sought Rs 489.24 crore from the Union Government for the completion of procession of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam to March, 1971 so that it becomes easier to detect illegal migrants entering the state from Bangladesh after March, 1971 — the cut off period for detection of illegal Bangladeshi migrants as per Assam accord signed in 1985.
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Two get life term for rape Guwahati, June 19 The accused committed the crime in October, 2013 at the Chikonmati Tea Estate at Dalgaon in Darrang district. They assaulted the schoolteacher who was walking along through the tea estate road on her way back home from work. The accused were identified by the victim.
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