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Will give befitting reply to ceasefire violations: Jaitley
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Separatists: Govt’s move blow to dialogue process
Knee-jerk diplomacy, says Congress
Pak terms it a setback to good ties
Cong, PDP disappointed as talks cancelled
House can change rules regarding LoP, says Speaker
Work with integrity, Rajnath tells IAS probationers
Saradha
scam
Cong calls Bhagwat Hitler for ‘Hindu nation’ remark
Timing of RSS chief’s remarks makes Opposition see red
Maha polls: Cong, NCP to decide on seats today
Delhi man runs SUV over 13 sleeping on divider
System to forecast landslides on pilgrimage routes soon
Gang-raped, UP woman left tied naked to tree
Cases of attack on women by juveniles rise by 132%
Protesters attack Gogoi’s convoy
20 killed as train hits auto in Bihar
BSF gives list of terror camps to Bangladesh
Badaun rape case: CBI gets DNA report
20 injured in dahi handi celebrations
Congress to seek passage of Women’s Bill on Rajiv’s b’day
UP’s Faizabad tense after girl’s death
Chinese intrude into Ladakh, retreat after ‘peaceful’ face-off
NAFED scam: CBI arrests PO
Police probe ‘boycott’ of Dalits in MP village
Parliamentary standing panels by August-end
Telangana braces for massive household survey today
Censor Board CEO held on bribery charge
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Will give befitting reply to ceasefire violations: Jaitley
Amritsar, August 18 Talking to mediapersons in Amritsar, he said: “India will not tolerate ceasefire violations at any cost.” Expressing apprehensions over the intentions of Pakistan, he said there were some forces in the neighbouring country which did not want its relations with India to normalise. Referring to ceasefire violations and its invite to separatists for talks, he said it was for Pakistan to decide what kind of relations it wanted with India. Jaitley’s statement comes after heavy mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu. He also stressed on the need to make the country self reliant in weaponry. He said 70 per cent of the weapons needed by Defence were not made in the country. Jaitley was here to interact with Army and BSF troops posted alongside the international border. He visited the headquarters of Panther Division where he was briefed on the overall dynamics of Western sector, including operational preparedness. He also visited forward posts in Dera Baba Nanak and interacted with troops as part of motivation and welfare programme. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag accompanied him. Later, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia welcomed Jaitley at the Circuit House where he was given the guard of honour. He also paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana temple, besides paying tributes to martyrs at the Jallianwalla Bagh. Badal and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar felicitated Jaitley by presenting him a replica of the holy shrine.
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news
analysis Ashok Tuteja Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 18 The last substantive meeting between the two countries took place in September 2012 when the then External Affairs Minister SM Krishna visited Islamabad to meet his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. The then Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had held talks with his counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani, a day before the meeting between the Foreign Ministers. The dialogue process was suspended by India in January 2013 after Pakistani troops beheaded an Indian soldier and killed another. Thereafter, Pakistan witnessed the general election in which Nawaz Sharif was swept back to power on the plank of improving ties with India. However, New Delhi refused to immediately engage with Pakistan, doubting Islamabad's sincerity in pursuing the dialogue process. During the Lok Sabha elections in India, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi lambasted the UPA for not dealing effectively with Pakistan. As soon as he became the Prime Minister, Modi extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan, hoping Islamabad would mend ways. He invited Nawaz Sharif and other SAARC leaders to his swearing-in ceremony, raising hopes of a new era in the India-Pakistan relations. Over the past two months, the Modi government carefully weighed the pros and cons of engaging with Pakistan in the backdrop of the fact that the Pakistani Army continues to call the shots in Islamabad and New Delhi ought to strengthen the hands of the civilian regime. After Modi personally gave the go-ahead, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh spoke to her Pakistani counterpart AA Chowdhury and invited him to New Delhi for 'talks about talks'. However, the Pakistan diplomat told her that it would be nice if she could come to Islamabad. She promptly accepted the invitation for the August 25 meeting. New Delhi, however, made it clear that the Islamabad talks between the Foreign Secretaries could not be termed as the resumption of the dialogue process. It was clarified that the two top diplomats would discuss the way forward in the relationship. But New Delhi was clearly unhappy with the statements made by Pakistan over the past few days in the run-up to the August 25 talks. On Pakistan's Independence Day (August 14), Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit provoked India by stating that Islamabad would continue to provide moral and diplomatic support to the 'legitimate' cause of the Kashmiris. Premier Sharif also raised the Kashmir issue in his speech on the occasion. However, what angered India was the process of consultations the Pakistani envoy undertook with Kashmiri separatists on the Indian soil ahead of the talks, ignoring New Delhi's sensitivities. "You have to choose between India and the separatists," the Indian Foreign Secretary told Basit just before he met People's Democratic Front chairman Shabbir Shah on Monday. The envoy had just concluded the meeting with Shah when India announced the cancellation of the talks in Islamabad.
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Separatists: Govt’s move blow to dialogue process
Srinagar, August 18 While the moderate Hurriyat faction said the Tuesday’s meeting between Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Pakistani officials in New Delhi was “still on cards”, the hardline Hurriyat faction said it was yet to decide whether Syed Ali Geelani would go ahead with the meeting on Tuesday or not. In a “stern and strong” message to Pakistan, the NDA government today called off the secretary-level talks between the two nations. The decision came after Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met Hurriyat leader Shabbir Shah on Monday. The hardline Hurriyat Conference headed by Geelani said it smacked of political immaturity of the BJP government. “It is unfortunate that the talks have been called off. It speaks about the arrogance of power as well as the political immaturity of the BJP government,” Ayaz Akbar, spokesman for the hardline Hurriyat Conference, told The Tribune. “The forces or the sections, which were opposing the Indo-Pak engagement, will now feel that India is not in favour of solving the Kashmir dispute through talks. They will now focus on other options available to them,” Ayaz said. He said the Hurriyat would meet to decide whether to go ahead with the meeting of Syed Ali Geelani and Basit. The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the decision to call off the talks was a blow to the dialogue process.
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Knee-jerk diplomacy, says Congress
New Delhi, August 18 "This is nothing but kneejerk diplomacy. May we ask what prompted the government to hold foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan in the face of constant provocations from that side by way of ceasefire violations? The dialogue had been suspended a long time ago. We do not understand where was the need to restore it? Why did India agree to go to the negotiating table when Pakistan continued to provoke on the borders? The government has been following a knee-jerk policy in foreign affairs," said Sharma. Former Information Minister Manish Tewari also questioned the developments terming the foreign policy vis-ŕ-vis Pakistan as "opaque and incoherent" while Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called the move childish. He said the restoration of the dialogue would not be easy now. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said it was a highly negative development that cast a shadow on the atmosphere of reconciliation generated by the invitation to Nawaz Shareef for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She stated meeting between Pakistan High Commissioner and Hurriyat leaders was nothing new and it was a very flimsy ground for shelving bold initiative that was taken by the BJP government in resuming diplomatic talks with Pakistan.
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Pak terms it a setback to good ties
Islamabad, August 18 In a statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office said it had been informed of India's decision to call off the talks “taking exception to" the Pakistani high commissioner in New Delhi holding meetings with Kashmiri leaders but noted it is a “long standing practice” ahead of bilateral talks to hold meetings with Kashmiri leaders in order to "facilitate meaningful discussions on the issue of Kashmir". The statement also said that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had "clearly articulated the vision of peace for developmenta and that it was in this spirit that he accepted the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing-in. — IANS
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Cong, PDP disappointed as talks cancelled
Srinagar, August 18 J&K Pradesh Congress Committee
(JKPCC) president Saifuddin Soz today said the India-Pakistan foreign secretary-level talks should not have been called off as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier batted for better relations with the neighbouring country. “India is a big democracy… they (Government of India) could have expressed displeasure but talks should not have been postponed as the Modi government on record has stated that it wanted improvement in the relations with Pakistan….it is their declared policy,” Soz told The Tribune. On the future of Indo-Pak relations following the development, Soz said: “We have to wait and see. We also have to look at reactions from
Pakistan.” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said it was a highly negative development that cast a shadow on the atmosphere of reconciliation generated by the invitation to Nawaz Shareef for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. She stated meeting between Pakistan High Commissioner and Hurriyat leaders was nothing new and it was a very flimsy ground for shelving bold initiative that was taken by the BJP government in resuming diplomatic talks with Pakistan.
Mehbooba said in spite of the realisation that there was no alternative to dialogue between the two countries, it is beyond comprehension as to what is achieved by such a reaction to the routine events like the Pakistan High Commission invite to separatists which has been a tradition for many years.
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House can change rules regarding LoP, says Speaker
New Delhi, August 18 “The Speaker does not have any personal discretion. A Speaker is supposed to follow rules. I have to go by rules. There are ‘Directions of the Speaker’ which mandate 10% strength for a party in Lok Sabha to be recognised as Leader of the Opposition. If anybody wants a change in them, then a committee can be formed to look into them. But I need to follow the rules. I cannot do anything on this,” Mahajan said. She said her decision on granting the status of LoP to any party was on the basis of the directions, which guide the functioning of the Lok Sabha chief, and precedents followed by others. “The directions of the Speaker are very clear to decide on the LoP. I also took legal opinion before deciding on the matter,” the Lok Sabha Speaker said. The Congress with 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha has emerged as the second largest party after BJP’s 282 but fell short by 11 to be granted the LoP for which it requires strength of 55. However, Congress has been claiming that the pre-poll alliance of UPA had secured 56 seats and, therefore, it had the right to be the Leader of the Opposition. “There was no LoP in 1980 and also in 1984,” she said. Asked about the importance of the inclusion of LoP in the selection committees of statutory bodies like Lokpal, CVC and CIC, she said that was the look out of the government. The appointments of Central Information Commissioner (CIC) and Central Vigilance Commissioner are done by the President on the basis of recommendation of a three-member committee consisting Prime Minister, Home Minister and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. — PTI
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Work with integrity, Rajnath tells IAS probationers
Mussoorie, August 18 Addressing 200 IAS probationers at the Lal Badhadur Shastri Administrative Academy here, Singh said India could attain the status of super power only if every section of society, including the common man, politicians and bureaucrats, work together towards achieving the goal diligently. He said the politicians and bureaucrats by working together with utmost integrity could help India in attaining the “jagat guru” status in the near future. Rajnath Singh, stressed working towards the development of the country with integrity and correcting the system. Singh concluded his speech with a call for building a competent administrative system which adopts 'Zero Dust, Zero Reminder and Zero Corruption' policy.
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Saradha
scam Subhrangshu Gupta Tribune News Service
Kolkata, August 18 Sen, who was the editor of Parama, a magazine published by the Saradha group, arrived at the Salt Lake ED office at 11 am. After an hour-long interrogation, she told mediapersons that she had been asked to explain about the source of funding for the magazine and the payment of salaries to the employees. During questioning, the TMC Minister admitted that he was involved in the setting up of the Rs 10 crore cement factory of the company as directed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but denied his involvement in the operation of the factory. The CBI, which is also probing the scam, has served notices on four TMC minsters and two IPS officers.
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Cong calls Bhagwat Hitler for ‘Hindu nation’ remark
New Delhi, August 18 The attack on the behalf of the Congress was launched by party general secretary Digvijay Singh who compared Bhagwat to Hitler and said, “I thought we had one Hitler in making but it seems now we have two! God save India!” Digvijay used the Twitter platform to warn the RSS against “fooling the innocent people by using religion in politics. “We are proud of our Sanatan Dharm and its tolerance towards others,” he said. He asked the RSS chief whether the word Hindu or Hindutava figure in any of our Veda, Upanishad, Gita, Puran or any other of our religious scripture “Is a person who believes in Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism or any other religion also a Hindu? Would Mohan Bhagwatji please clarify,” asked Digvijay. He also wanted the BJP to answer if Hindutava was a religious identity. “Is Hindutava a religious identity? What is its relationship with Sanatan Dharm?” asked Digvijay. Hitting out at the RSS, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said: “They use such words and language to fan social tension.” Referring to various controversial statements of BJP and VHP leaders, Congress leader Manish Tewari alleged that there was a “concerted efforts” to polarise the country on religious lines. “...it is very evident that with the active connivance of the Central Government there is an attempt of religious polarisation...The cultural identity of India is not of a monolithic state. India is not Pakistan,” he said. Bhagwat, who was in Mumbai yesterday to attend golden jubilee celebrations of the VHP, had said, “Hindustan is a Hindu nation...Hindutva is the identity of our nation and it (Hinduism) can incorporate others (religions) in itself.” (With agency inputs)
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Timing of RSS chief’s remarks makes Opposition see red
New Delhi, August 18 Notably, experts pointed out brilliant spanning across different strata of Hindus in Uttar Pradesh by the party in the wake of the Muzaffarpur communal riots (bringing Dalits and other Scheduled Castes to vote along with upper castes) as among the big reasons for the saffron party’s spectacular performance in the Hindi heartland. Insisting that the RSS leaders have always spoken about the ideology of the organisation and that “media had only now started reporting their speeches and reading too much into them,” BJP leaders deny any such attempt. However, for many it was too much of a coincidence when speaking in Mumbai on Sunday, Bhagwat termed India a “Hindu nation” and called “Hindutva” “its identity”. “Hindustan is a Hindu nation... Hindutva is the identity of our nation and it (Hinduism) can incorporate others (religions) in itself,” the sangathan chief was quoted as saying at the inaugural function of golden jubilee celebrations of the VHP. His assertion that the goal of VHP in the coming five years should be to ensure equality among the Hindus of the nation was read as an attempt to woo Dalits and other Scheduled Castes in the religion. “For the next five years, we have to work with the aim of bringing equality among all Hindus in the country. All Hindus should be drinking water at one place, should be praying at one place and after their death, their bodies should be burnt at the same place,” he said. Notably, barely a few days he had said: “Cultural identity of all Indians is Hindutva and the present inhabitants of the country are descendants of this great culture.” “If inhabitants of England are English, Germany are Germans and USA are Americans then why all inhabitants of Hindustan are not known as Hindus,” Bhagwat said, sparking off a major controversy.
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Maha polls: Cong, NCP to decide on seats today
New Delhi, August 18 The troubled engagement between the two allies, whose relationship has so far stood the test of times, will enter final stages tomorrow when high-level seat-sharing talks will be held between the leaders of both sides here. The talks will be held between former Defence Minister and veteran Congress leader AK Antony and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan from the Congress side and Praful Patel from the NCP side. Sources in the Congress today indicated that the arrangement for a pre-poll alliance is almost final between the two parties and the NCP has more or less agreed to settle on contesting 124 of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly. That would leave the Congress with 164 seats. In the last Assembly elections in 2009, the Congress had contested 174 seats against the NCP’s 114. Riding on its impressive performance in the LS polls in Maharashtra in 2009, the Congress had prevailed on the NCP to surrender more seats for the Assembly battle. This time the situation is different with the Congress not in a strong bargaining position. Together, the NCP-Congress alliance won just six of the 48 seats this time, with the NCP bagging four. That explains why the NCP this time begun its negotiations with the Congress seeking 144 seats for the Assembly. It is, however, learnt that the NCO could climb down to 124 seats in the larger interest of the alliance in the state, leaving 164 for the Congress. The thaw between the Congress and the NCP on seat sharing came after NCP chief Sharad Pawar recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra where the BJP-Shiv Sena combine is emerging as a formidable combination. Pawar and Sonia had reached an understanding that both the parties would stand by each other in the upcoming elections. “Going alone is in no one’s interest. These elections are tough as they come close on the heels of the Lok Sabha elections where the NCP-Congress alliance suffered a huge blow ,” said a source in the Congress.
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Delhi man runs SUV over 13 sleeping on divider
New Delhi, August 18 The police have arrested the driver, Rishi Kumar (30), who works as a property dealer in Delhi. The medical examination of Kumar tested positive for alcohol consumption. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North District) Madhur Verma said Kumar and his sister-in-law were coming from Jahangirpuri in north-west Delhi and heading towards ITO. “Right before the Nigambodh Ghat, Kumar drove his SUV over a divider and ran over 13 people sleeping on it. His car then overturned,” said Verma. The police were informed about the accident at about 10.30 pm. Raj Kumar Patnaik, an eyewitness, said: “The SUV driver drove the vehicle over people sleeping on the divider. They all were seriously injured.” Kumar has been booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and Section 85 of the Motor Vehicles Act. After Ikraj’s death, the police added the IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) to the case.
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System to forecast landslides on pilgrimage routes soon
Chandigarh, August 18 Nearly 2,300 landslides had been detected through satellite imagery along the river valleys of Mandakini, Basuki Ganga, Mandani, Kali, Madhyamaheshwar, Bhillangana and parts of Alaknanda and its tributaries such as Kalpa Ganga and Kalapani Gad from Srinagar to Chamoli and parts of Bhagirathi around Gangotri. These areas remain prone to landslides. The early warning system is based on spatial and temporal controls of slope failure. Spatial controls include geological, morphological and terrain factors, while temporal controls are associated with the factors that trigger landslides. Rainfall is the most widespread triggering factor of landslides in the Himalaya and hence the system uses rainfall as a trigger for slope failure initiation. The NRSC is using its Landslide Susceptibility Zonation maps of the region along with a three-day rainfall forecast data obtained from the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, as well as the actual rainfall data of the previous 33 days obtained from the India Meteorological Department to work out its landslide forecasts. The system is currently under evaluation. Kedarnath, Sonprayag, Gaurikund, Okhimath, Guptkashi, Mansuna, Phata, Agastmuni, Rudraprayag, Srinagar, Gauchar, Karnaprayag, Nandprayag, Chamoli, Jakhpur, Kalpeshwar and Gangotri are among major towns in the area that was hit by floods and landslides. Many of these towns experience heavy tourist inflow. Given their geological and physical composition, many parts of the Himalayas are prone to landslides and avalanches. The Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment in Chandigarh has already developed a system to provide early warning of avalanches in Jammu and Kashmir, which is beneficial for troops deployed in the region as well as locals.
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Gang-raped, UP woman left tied naked to tree
Kannauj (UP), August 18 The incident took place in Umarda area here, on the intervening night of August 16-17 when three persons raped her and, then, left her tied naked to a tree before fleeing the spot, the FIR lodged by the victim said. Umarda police station officer Imran Khan said one person was detained in this connection, adding that, the accused schoolteacher is the son of village head. The woman’s condition was stated to be stable, he said. CM Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav represents the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency. — PTI
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Cases of attack on women by juveniles rise by 132%
New Delhi, August 18 The report of the National Crime Records Bureau said the highest increase in the incidents of crimes committed by juveniles in 2013 was reported under assault on woman to outrage her modesty — 132.3 per cent — followed by insult to the modesty of women — 70.5 per cent and rape — 60.3 per cent. Among the total juveniles apprehended under the IPC, 66.3 per cent belonged to the age group of 16-18 years. A total of 31,725 criminal cases involving juveniles were reported last year in comparison to 27,936 cases reported in 2012 — an increase of 13.6 per cent. Last year, the highest number of juveniles were apprehended for thefts (7,969) followed by hurt (6,043) and burglaries (3,784). These heads taken together accounted for 40.9 per cent of total juveniles apprehended under IPC crimes. Out of the total juveniles (43,506) involved in various crimes, 8,392 were illiterate and 13,984 had education up to primary level. These two categories together accounted for 51.9 per cent of the total juveniles arrested during the year 2013. A large number of juveniles (50.2 per cent) belonged to the poor families whose annual income was up to Rs 25,000. Children living with parents (35,244 persons) have accounted for 81.0 per cent of the total juveniles apprehended for committing various crimes during 2013. Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had favoured treating juveniles accused of heinous crimes like rape on par with adult offenders. She said 50 per cent of all sexual crimes were committed by “16-year-olds who know the Juvenile Justice Act so they can do it”. “But now for premeditated murder, rape, if we bring them into the purview of the adult world, then it will scare them,” she had said. Former WCD Minister Krishna Tirath during the previous UPA regime
had proposed that juveniles above 16 years guilty of heinous crimes be treated on par with adult offenders. — PTI
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Protesters attack Gogoi’s convoy
Sarupathar (Assam), August 18 Gogoi was unhurt in the attack but two vehicles at the rear of his convoy were damaged, additional director general of police (Law and Order) AP Rout said. The Chief Minister, who enjoys Z+ category security cover, had left Jorhat for Golaghat this morning by road. As Gogoi neared a relief camp at Uriamghat, angry protesters shouted slogans against him and some of them pelted stones at security vehicles in the rear end of the convoy slightly damaging two of them, Rout said. The protesters were urged to peacefully disperse but when they refused, police resorted to lathicharge, fired rubber pellets and used water canons. One person was injured in the lathicharge and was admitted to a local hospital, Rout said. Members of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti also burnt an effigy of Gogoi protesting against the killings at Uriamghat allegedly by miscreants from Nagaland. The CM was at the relief camp for about five minutes and later reviewed the situation with senior government officials. Altogether nine people were killed on August 12 allegedly by miscreants from neighbouring Nagaland and nearly 10,000 people fled their homes in seven villages of Golaghat district and taken shelter in relief camps set up by district administration. — PTI
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20 killed as train hits auto in Bihar
Motihari, August 18 The mishap took place at a manned railway crossing at Chinauta village when Dehradun-bound Rapti Ganga Express hit the autorickshaw at full speed, Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar said. Two other passengers suffered serious injuries in the mishap. Some bodies were mutilated beyond recognition while some others were dragged by the train to some distance as the vehicle was tossed several metres away under the impact of the collision. The dead and the injured all belonged to a single family from Chiknauta village, the SP said adding the injured persons had been admitted to a government hospital in Motihari where they were battling for life. Meanwhile, the ECR Samastipur Division’s Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Arun Kumar Malik has left for the spot by a special train to supervise rescue and relief work. The Superintendent of Railway Police Muzaffarpur Vinod Kumar has also rushed to Motihari to assist in the relief work. In Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has expressed heart-felt grief over the loss of lives in the accident and announced Rs 1.5 lakh compensation to the kin of each victim. A report from Motihari said the train service on Sugauli-Semra section has been disrupted after the mishap. — PTI
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BSF gives list of terror camps to Bangladesh
Shillong, August 18 “We have requested our counterparts in Bangladesh for cooperation in dismantling the camps of insurgents from the region. We have handed over a list of 66 camps that exist in Bangladesh,” Sudhir Kumar Srivastava, IG, BSF Assam Frontier, said. — ANI
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Badaun rape case: CBI gets DNA report
New Delhi, August 18 Without revealing the findings, CBI sources said the report is a crucial evidence for the investigating team and the case may be cracked anytime now. The sources said report of the three-member medical board headed by AIIMS forensic expert was still awaited and they had been asked to expedite the matter. The panel could not exhume bodies of the two teenaged victims for
autopsy because of an apparently delayed decision in this regard. — PTI
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20 injured in dahi handi celebrations
Mumbai, August 18 A police spokesperson said 12 govindas had been admitted to KEM Hospital while eight others had been admitted to Nair and Sion Hospitals in Mumbai. A Health Department official said most of the govindas suffered head injuries after falling from tall human pyramids. Taking stringent safety measures, the state government reserved 70 beds in major hospitals across Mumbai and hospitals of Thane and Nashik were also put on alert, said the official. The Mumbai Police cancelled the leaves of 30,000 police personnel who have been deployed at various mandals. “We will take action against organisers who allow children below 12 years to climb pyramids,” Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told reporters on Sunday. The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had warned organisers against allowing children below 12 years to participate in the formation of pyramids.
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Congress to seek passage of Women’s Bill on Rajiv’s b’day
New Delhi, August 18 Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address 8,000 party workers at the
function being organised by the Congress Party’s Women’s Wing in New Delhi. “Both Sonia and Rahul have agreed to participate in the event and we will have an opportunity to listen to them,” said All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza while announcing the scheduled programme here today. She said the day would be about paying tributes to Rajiv Gandhi’s legacy of women’s empowerment by way of women’s representation in the panchayati raj institutions and the local bodies. “While Rajiv Gandhi gave 33% reservation to women in the panchayati raj institutions, the
previous Congress government took it further to 50% in the local bodies. Now, it is the Bhartiya Janata Party’s turn to walk the talk on women’s empowerment in Parliament and state legislatures,” Oza said. She said the convention would end with a demand to pass the pending Women’s Reservation Bill (which seeks to reserve 33% seats in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state legislatures for women) in Parliament. Asked why the Congress did not pass the Bill in the 10 years of its rule, the Congress spokesperson said the Congress passed the Bill in the Rajya
Sabha where it had the numbers. “We could not pass the Bill in the Lok Sabha because we did not have the numbers there, but the BJP does not have that excuse. It has the majority in the Lok Sabha where the Bill is pending for passage,” Oza said. Mahila Congress workers have also decided to form a human chain on August 20 on the issues of women’s empowerment and their safety and price rise. The chain will be formed at India Gate or Jantar Mantar subject to permission of the authorities.
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UP’s Faizabad tense after girl’s death
Faizabad, August 18 The 17-year-old victim, a resident of
Amaniganj, here was kidnapped on Saturday evening by four persons in a car, while she had gone out. She was found lying on a roadside later in the night in adjoining Barabanki district. The girl was rushed to KGMU Trauma Centre in the state capital where she died on Sunday morning, police said, adding one person has been arrested. "Some politicians for the sake of politics have polluted the atmosphere making it sensitive and communal, we have to use force to protect public properties and to maintain law and order" Faizabad Additional SP, P R
Shrivastava, said. — PTI
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Chinese intrude into Ladakh, retreat after ‘peaceful’ face-off
JAMMU, August 18 “It’s true that troops of PLA had entered some 25 kms inside the Indian territory in Burtse area of North Ladakh. Our troops noticed them yesterday during a border patrol,” said an official source. “There was a peaceful face-off between the two sides and the PLA troops, who were nearly 15 in number, returned thereafter,” the source said. The Indian troops had noticed them near New Patrol Base in Burtse area yesterday. The area is at an altitude of 17,000 feet. “On August 15, we exchanged sweets and pleasantries with the PLA officers and their families at Chushul, and on Sunday they intruded into our territory,” the source said. Sources, however,
attributed the latest incursion to differing perception of the LAC between the two armies. “After Chinese troops had made incursion into Burtse, our troops had also reached there and following a peaceful face-off, Chinese troops returned to their territory,” the source said. Sources in the ITBP, who also confirmed the incident, said that during the face-off, Chinese troops also waved flags that read: “This is Chinese territory, please go back”. “It was not a serious incursion as the LAC has not been delineated between the two countries. Whatever happened yesterday was a normal face-off and the issue stands resolved through border mechanisms in place,” the source added. However, Udhampur-based Defence spokesperson Colonel SD Goswami denied the incident. He attributed the incursion to differing perception of the LAC. Meanwhile, the Northern Command reportedly gave a detailed report to the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.
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NAFED scam: CBI arrests PO
New Delhi, August 18 G Lakshamanan had allegedly submitted false and forged documents to NAFED for disbursement of nearly Rs 260 crore worth of loan purportedly for export of iron ore and had been on the run since 2006 when the agency registered the case. The CBI had registered a case on September 21, 2006 on the allegations of cheating and misappropriation of funds NAFED. — PTI
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Police probe ‘boycott’ of Dalits in MP village
Indore, August 18 “We have taken cognisance of a report published in a local daily about ostracism of Dalits in Sitapaat. We are probing the matter," Deputy Superintendent of Police, SC/ST Police Station, Ashutosh Mishra, told mediapersons here today. However, so far the police have not found proof that people from the SC community living in the village are being subjected to any kind of social boycott, which is a crime. “We have, therefore, not filed a case in this regard,” he said. “A few days ago, a dispute over a desire of Dalits to pour water over a “shivling” in a temple was reported from the village but there is no tension in Sitapaat on the issue,” Mishra added. — PTI
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Parliamentary standing panels by August-end
New Delhi, August 18 Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the announcement of names and the setting up of the committees would be completed by this week and that these panels would start functioning by this month end. “The spadework for the standing committees has been done. Political parties have already given their names. Of course, some of them were late. “I think, from tomorrow onwards, the work will start and be completed this week,” he said, adding: “They (the panels) should start working immediately in the inter session period between August and November. The standing committees will address issues referred to them.” Meanwhile, he welcomed talks between the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana CMs to sort out differences. — PTI
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Telangana braces for massive household survey today
Hyderabad, August 18 The “Intensive Household Survey”, being compared with the General Elections in size, would cover an estimated 84 lakh families living in Telangana, involving about four lakh government employees, including police personnel and teachers, a press release issued earlier said. Refuting allegations that the survey is aimed at identifying Seemandhra natives, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao yesterday said the exercise is intended to ensure that benefits of Government schemes reached the targeted sections. Public transport buses are expected to stay off the roads and the government has already declared a holiday tomorrow. According to information reaching here, trains, buses and other modes of public transport are full to the brim with people leaving for their native places to get enrolled in the survey covering a dozen districts. Significantly, Telangana natives living in cities like Mumbai, Surat have also been travelling to their home places to participate in the massive process. According to the “Check Slip” posted on the website of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), data is sought about the number of family members in a household, water tap connection, property tax assessment, LPG & electricity connections, bank account, Aadhaar card, caste certificate, birth certificate, disability, vehicles and land owned. The enumerators have already made pre-survey visits to the households in the run up to the survey. In a media release this evening, the CMappealed to the people to make the survey a success. Observing the survey is being conducted for providing welfare schemes to the people and find out what they want, Rao asked citizens to give correct information to the enumerators. — PTI
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Censor Board CEO held on bribery charge
New Delhi, August 18 According to CBI sources here, the arrest was made late in the evening in Mumbai as the Central Board of Film Certification CEO came under the agency scanner after two middlemen allegedly receiving bribe on his behalf were arrested on Thursday. The sources said although the present case deals only with the Chhattisgarh movie, the agency has information that some top producers of Bollywood had allegedly paid bribe to get their films cleared in time. They said Kumar is being grilled by the interrogation team where he might reveal some more names who had allegedly paid bribe to get censor certificates on time. — PTI
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Amritsar, August 18
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New Delhi, August 18
There are ‘Directions of the Speaker’ which mandate 10% strength for a party in Lok Sabha to be recognised as Leader of the Opposition. If anybody wants to change them, then a committee can be formed to look into them. But I need to follow
the rules. I cannot do anything on this.
I thought we had one Hitler in making but it seems now we have two! God save India! Is a person who believes in Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism or any other religion also a Hindu? Would Mohan Bhagwatji please clarify,”
Hindustan is a Hindu nation... Hindutva is the identity of our nation and it (Hinduism) can incorporate others (religions) in itself… if inhabitants of England are English, Germany are Germans and USA are Americans then why all inhabitants of Hindustan are not known as
Hindus