CBI report on match-fixing deferred for next week

NEW DELHI, Oct 25: CBI’s much-awaited interim report on match-fixing scandal in cricket, which names five Indian players and a cricket official, will be submitted to Union Sports Ministry early next week.

The decision was taken after a high-level meeting of CBI officials at its headquarters this afternoon, agency sources told PTI.

The submission of the report scheduled for today was deferred as CBI Director R K Raghavan, who returned here only last night, was going through the report, the sources said.

The 150-page interim report has named five Indian players and one cricket official as the "beneficiaries" of fixing in cricket.

The report also names some of the foreign players from at least four countries whom bookies have named during the course of investigations.

They said the report, which will contain statements of several cricketers, administrators and bookies, would be submitted to Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa early next week.

The sleuths of special Crime Branch have collected "circumstantial evidence" against five Indian players and a cricket official in the scandal but the agency is unlikely to seek their prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act as they are not public servants covered by it.

It would be an interim report as the CBI will continue with its probe in certain cases, the sources said.

The report has given a clean chit to Kapil Dev against whom former cricketer Manoj Prabhakar had levelled allegations of offering a bribe of Rs 25 lakh for underperforming in a one-dayer against Pakistan during 1994’s Singer Cup.

The agency sources said the report would contain some suggestions for improving the functioning of Indian cricket board to guard against match-fixing in the future.

The sources said the report was likely to suggest making mandatory a code for all players to declare all gifts received from abroad.

The report will also highlight certain instances when matches were fixed, pitches at the playgrounds were doctored and last minute changes were made in the team at the instances of bookies.

The agency has questioned nearly 100 people including Mukesh Gupta, who was named by the disgraced former South African captain Hansie Cronje as the person who offered him bribe to underperform against India.

CBI has so far recorded statements of 16 cricket-related persons including Kapil Dev, BCCI president A C Muthiah, Secretary Jaywant Lele, Treasurer Kishore Rungta, Delhi Cricket Association Secretary Sunil Dev, former BCCI President I S Bindra, Ajit Wadekar, Cricketers Manoj Prabhakar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Navjot Sidhu, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Jadeja, Prashant Vaidya and Nikhil Chopra besides some alleged bookies including Mukesh Gupta.

The agency officials also met batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar at Mumbai and asked him certain questions about fixing of cricket matches. (PTI)

Buses, houses damaged; cattle perish
4 civilians injured as Pak shells Jhalas town

Excelsior Correspondent

POONCH, Oct 25: Four civilians including a minor girl were injured as Pakistan army rained mortar shells in Jhalas town in this border district today afternoon. A number of shells landed in Jhalas Bus Stand causing extensive damage.

According to official reports reaching the district headquarters, three civilians including a female Government teachers, who were about to board a bus at Jhalas Bus Stand, were injured in mortar explosions at 1510 hours today. Several buses, parked in the Bus Stand, were also damaged in the explosions.

Police and army jawans rushed to the Bus Stand and sealed the area. The injured were rushed to district hospital. They have been identified as Jasbir Kour wife of Bhajan Singh, a Government teacher, Ragunath son of Jagdish Lal, an employee of Rural Bank and Mohd Ayub.

Two mortar shells fell outside the house of Mohd Sharief in Jhalas and exploded with a bang blasting the house. Sharief’s six-year old daughter Farzana Kousar was seriously injured in the explosion. She has been hospitalised where her condition remained critical. A couple of cattle of Mohd Sharief were also reported to have perished in the shelling.

Indian army retaliated Pakistani firing and shelling effectively from their forward locations silencing the Pakistani guns, which barked for more than 20 minutes without any provocation.

Sources said the enemy troops resorted to shelling to inflict casualties on civilians, who were refusing to give shelter to Pakistan-sponsored militants after their infiltration to Indian territory.

Panic gripped the entire Jhalas and adjoining villages after the shelling. The entire town and Bus Stand wore a deserted look after the mortar attacks and people rushed to their houses. Shopkeepers also downed their shutters and fled.

Our Jammu correspondent adds: Pakistan army also continued firing using heavy weapons on the International Border at different places in Jammu sector. An army jawan Sepoy Sandeep Singh of 18 Dogra, who was manning a forward border outpost at Chinas in RS Pura tehsil, was seriously injured in the firing.

The injured jawan has been hospitalised in a serious condition.

The Border Security Force (BSF) retaliated Pakistani firing in Hiranagar, Samba, RS Pura, Akhnoor and Pallanwalla sectors overnight. At some places in Akhnoor tehsil, Pak army also fired mortar shells.

In Rajouri district, Indo-Pak troops exchanged firing and shelling in Lam, Bhawani, Kalaal and Nowsehra sectors on the Line of Control (LoC) on the intervening night of October 24 and 25. Pak shelling was aimed at pushing infiltrators into Indian territory but Indian side thwarted enemy’s designs by retaliating effectively.

IGP orders promotion of 140 Head Constables

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 25: The Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone has ordered promotion of 140 Head Constables on the basis of lien and seniority in Jammu zone.

IGP in his order number 494 dated 25 October 2000 promoted the 140 Head Constables to the rank of Assistant Sub Inspector of Executive Police in the pay scale of 4500-125-7000 with effect from January 1, 2000 against clear vacancy.

Those who were promoted included Krishan Chand No.. 178/U (SC), Chaman Lal No.. 1196/CID, Sultan Singh No..19/K, Abdul Aziz No... 112/D, Jagdev Singh No.. 118/K, Babu Ram No.. 1651/CID, Jahangir Khan No.. 1285/J, Roshan Lal No.. 95/D, Pritam Singh No.. 293/K, Hem Raj No.. 382/CID, Ishar Dass No.. 259/U, Banarsi Dass No.. 243/J, Som Nath No.. 80/U, Hoshiar Singh No.. 243/J, Hadyat Khan No.. 531/J (ST), Patras Mashi No.. 283/J SC, Bharat Bhushan Singh No.. 82/U, Mangat Parey No.. 216/U, John Mohammed No.. 13/D, Shadi Lal No.. 79/U, Qutub-Ul-Din No.. 328/CID, Onkar Nath No.. 872/J, Angrej Singh No.. 282/K, Mohinder Singh No.. 1641/ CID, Mohammed Ashiq No.. 184/R, Onkar Singh No.. 86/R, Ram Chand No.. 126/JT (SC), Nazir Hussain No.. 252/R, Harbans Lal No.. 50/R, Ved Parkash No.. 89/R, Mohammed Yosuf No.. 36/D, Mohan Lal No.. 584/J, Hukam Singh No.. 39/P, Shiv Ram No.. 78/PAU, Paras Ram No.. 16/PAU (SC), Suram Singh No.. 640/U, Pritam Singh No.. 94/D, Jagdev Singh No.. 528/K, Ishar Singh No.. 131/J, Mehmood Shah No.. 48/P, Dulla Khan No.. 103/J, Dhrub Singh No.. 601/J, Tasdiq Hussain No. 13/R, Inder Singh No. 31/R, Waryam Singh No. 712/J, Vipan Sharma No. 58/J, Kartar Chand No. 87/R (SC), Shoba Ram No. 1669/J, Parkash Chand No. 27/U, Jatto Ram No. 1028/J, Romesh Singh No. 429/J, Babu Ram No. 378/J, Dev Raj No. 172/U, Parkash Chand No. 544/U, Bano Ram No. 124/K, Daya Krishan No. 7/U, Mohammed Hanif No. 745/J, Om Parkash No. 541/CR (SC), Janki Nath No. 380/U, Abdul Hamid No. 867/CID, Nazir Hussain No. 3/R, Inder Parkash No. 1754/J, Mohammed Azam No. 16/R, Sat Paul No. 53/R, Om Parkash No. 114/R, Rashid Ahmed No. 385/CID, Ishar Dass No. 656/J, Bansi Lal No. 74/U, Hem Raj No. 533/CID, Kamal Dev No. 46/GRP, Shafqat Hussain No. 42/P, Nasib Ahmed No. 38/P, Mohan Lal No. 625/J, Sham Lal No. 547/CR, Mohammed Munshi No. 87/J, Durga Parshad No. 668/J, Balwant Singh No. 1783/CID, Puran Chand No. 5/J, Jagdish Raj No. 21/NHW, Shamus-Ul-Din No. 124/U, Satpal No. 90/R, Subash Chand No. 649/J, Om Parkash No. 595/J, Shabir Ahmed No. 1209/J, 26/J, Munir Hussain No. 11/R(ST), Amar Nath No. 330/J (SC), Mohd Hanief No. 1402/J, Abdul Rahim No. 162/J, Som Dutt No. 1281/J, Uttam Chand No. 161/J, Tarseem Ram No. 248/J, Kuldeep Singh 1266/J, Romesh Chander No. 777/J, Puran Singh No. 52/U, Vasdev Singh No. 297/U, Gurdyal Sharma No. 28/U, Gh Qadir No. 988/J, Mohd Iqbal No. 223/U, Laj Singh No. 5/U, Baldev Raj No. 63/J, Jaswant Singh No. 499/CID, Ishwar Chand No. 65/GRP, Lal Hussain No. 169/CID, Mohd Ismail No. 599/J, Mohd Bashir No. 39/R, Bhagwan Singh No. 49/R, Hans Raj No. 31/D, Mohd Azam No. 18/D, Dayal Chand No. 1947/J, Prem Chand No. 4999/CID, Bhagat Singh No. 739/K, Parshotam Singh No. 361/J, Thoru Khan No. 108/J, Romesh Chander No. 384/K, Gian Singh No. 172/CID, Kuldeep Raj No. 594/U, Surjeet Singh No. 3/CR, Bansi Lal No. 12/D, Sukhdev Singh No. 580/K, Mohd Rafiq No. 47/P, Kalyan Singh No. 199/JT, Des Raj No. 713/CID, Amrik Singh No. 24/J, Kuldeep Singh No. 129/CID, Sat Pal No. 227/CID, Bhagwan Singh No. 555/J, Banarsi Lal No. 62/JT, Nisar Hussain No. 195/R, Joginder Singh No. 61/R, Mohd Iqbal No. 317/J/Mohd Bashir No. 250/CID, Rehmat Ullah No. 197/R, Fazal Hussain No. 101/R, Mohd Amin No. 7/R, Mohd Misri No. 1228/J, Bashir Mashi No. 91/K, Krishan Lal No. 1/JT and Chuni Lal No. 1790/CID.

3 more HM militants surrender to army

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 25: Close on the heels of surrender by a big group of 12 militants, three more ultras of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit have laid down arms before army at Shahpura village near Sabjian in Mandi area of Poonch district.

The Pakistan-trained militants, who were under tremendous pressure of army and security forces in view of stepped-up anti-militancy operations, walked in to an army camp of JAK Li at Shahpur last evening and surrendered.

Troops accepted the surrender and seized their arms which include two assault rifles, one pistol with magazines, ammunition, one wireless set and explosives. The surrendered militants have been identified as Mohd Bashir son of Abdul Gani, Ghulam Qadir son of Abdullah and Mohd Sharief, all residents of village Chambar in Sabjian and activists of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.

Reliable sources said the arrested militants had returned to Poonch sometime back after getting arms training in Pakistan and were allotted the area of Sabjian for subversion by Hizbul Mujahideen ‘commanders’.

They were involved in some subversive activities including attacks on security forces in Sabjian and surrounding areas. However, they couldn’t carry out their activities for a long time in view of mounting pressure of armed forces.

Fearing an imminent death at the hands of security forces, the militants decided to surrender. Some local people of Sabjian were also reported to have played an important role in getting the militants surrendered for their rehabilitation in the national mainstream.

Prominent local people of the area later called on army officials and demanded rehabilitation of the militants as they have realised the futility of gun and joined the mainstream. Army assured sympathetic consideration of people’s appeal. Army officials also appealed the other militants to surrender instead of getting killed by securitymen.

Two Lashkar militants shot dead in Budhal

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, Oct 25: Two dreaded militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with army and police at Dopatta Dhok in Budhal tehsil tonight. A large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site.

DIG Rajouri-Poonch Range Ram Lubaya said troops of Budhal Brigade under Dah Division with the help of Budhal police launched a search operation in Dopatta Dhok after developing an information that a group of three-four militants was moving in the area.

The search operation, which started around 1600 hours today, was met with a success around 2000 hours tonight when army and police personnel succeeded in intercepting the militants in an isolated house. A fierce exchange of gun-fight ensued which lasted an hour.

Troops succeeded in eliminating two militants during the encounter while two others jumped out of the hideout and taking advantage of cross-firing and darkness fled away. There was no casualty on army or police side in the encounter.

Sources said bodies of two slain militants have been recovered from the scene of encounter but not identified immediately. Both slain ultras looked like foreign mercenaries and were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, which was evident from the letter heads of the outfit found in their possession.

Besides letter heads, troops also recovered two AK-47 rifles, with magazines and ammunition, four hand grenades, one wireless set, detonators and incriminating documents from the scene of encounter.

Army continued a search operation in the village to track down the two absconding militants. However, they remained untraced when the reports last came in.

Police asked to locate Bibi’s PSO

NEW DELHI, Oct 25: CBI has asked Punjab Police to hasten its efforts to produce Nishan Singh, one of the accused named by the agency in FIR filed for mysterious death of Harpreet Kaur, daughter of SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur.

Singh, who was posted as Personal Security Officer with Jagir Kaur, is said to be absconding eversince the agency filed the FIR naming seven persons including him and SGPC chief.

The CBI’s special investigating unit, which is probing Harpreet’s mysterious death, has sent two "request letters" to Punjab Police to trace Nishan Singh.

The agency sources said so far there was no word from State police about the whereabouts of Singh.

Nishan Singh, who has been named by the CBI as one of the conspirators in the case, had so far not made himself available to CBI for questioning, the sources said.

They said though no arrest warrant had been issued against Singh, the CBI wanted to question him in connection with the case in which an FIR was registered at the instance of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Besides Singh, the FIR has also named Bibi Jagir Kaur, her close associate Dalvinder Kaur, Paramjit Singh, Satya Devi, Harminder Singh and Sanjeev Kumar for allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy to get Harpreet Kaur, teenaged daughter of Bibi Jagir Kaur, undergo an abortion.

During Harpreet Kaur’s illegal confinement, Nishan Singh, Satya, Harminder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar were alleged to have kept a close watch on her.

Meanwhile, reports from Chandigarh said Punjab Police had started processing the CBI request for handing over Nishan Singh.

When contacted, Director General of Police Sarabjit Singh told PTI tonight that the CBI request had been forwarded to the Senior Superintendent of Police of Punjab Armed Police’s Jalandhar batallion with instruction that Nishan Singh should be made available to CBI.

Punjab Police sources said the supervisory officer of the PAP batallion had reported to the police headquarters in Chandigarh that there had been no contact with ASI Nishan Singh. (PTI)

Forced to marry, youth sets girl on fire

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, Oct 25: Forced by a village Panchayat to marry a girl whom he had raped, a youth set the girl on fire by pouring kerosene oil on her body in his house at village Palangar under the jurisdiction of Thanna Mandi police station.

The accused Raees Ahmed son of Nazir Ahmed, a resident of Palangar was absconding while the girl Naeema Akhter daughter of Mohd Akbar of the same village was struggling between life and death with 80 per cent burn injuries in the district hospital here.

Police said Raees Ahmed had raped Naeema Akhter about 15 days back after finding her all alone in the house. Naeema informed the incident to her family which, in turn, took the help of village Panchayat. A full house of Panchayat last week ordered that Raees Ahmed will marry Naeema Akhter within a month’s time and till then the girl will stay in boy’s house.

The decision was reportedly resented by Raees Ahmed but he had no choice but to accept the Panchayat decision. At about 1600 hours today, when both Raees Ahmed and Naeema were present in the house, the boy poured kerosene oil on a hapless Naeema and lit the match-stick.

Raees fled from the house leaving the young girl crying. However, the neighbours came to the rescue of the girl and controlled fire. She was immediately rushed to district hospital with 80 per cent burn injuries. Doctors attending on her described her condition as critical.

A police party was trying to record the statement of injured girl.

Meanwhile, Thanna Mandi police have registered a case in the killing and started investigations. A hunt has been launched to arrest the absconding Raees Ahmed. A case of attempt to murder has been registered against him at the police station.

LeT cancels convention

NEW DELHI, Oct 25: For the first time in its history, Markazul-Dawa-Ul Irshad, the parent body of Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, engaged in militant activities in Kashmir, has cancelled its annual convention scheduled for the first week of November at its headquarters in Muridke near Lahore.

The decision to cancel the convention has come amid reports that the United States is keeping a close watch on this organisation to decide if it could, like the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul Ansar, be declared a terrorist outfit.

Traditionally, the Muridke convention is marked by intemperate statements against the United States and India.

Urdu daily "Khabrain" which reported the cancellation of the annual convention, quoted its organisers that the cancellation was being done in view of the holy month of Ramzan. The convention, it said could be held in March or April next year.

Last year, the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had made arrangements to prevent the holding of the convention because participants’ speeches earlier had greatly embarrassed Pakistan internationally. But more than two weeks before the schedule of the convention Mr Sharif’s Government was overthrown by the military. Under the present dispensation of Gen Musharraf, the Markaz Ul Dawa Ul Jehad has been given full freedom to hold its convention.

However, last year outside the venue of the convention there were several bomb explosions. This year too, organisers fear some mischief.

Also, recently a meeting of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba in Karachi was bombed by some unidentified people in which two persons were killed and several others injured. (UNI)

Oil pool deficit increasing by Rs 200 cr per month

NEW DELHI, Oct 25: The recent surge in international crude oil prices and depreciation of the rupee is increasing the oil pool deficit by Rs 200 crore per month and if the trend continues it would add another Rs 1200 crore by the end of current fiscal, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik has said.

"Firm international crude prices had adversely affected India’s oil economy since the hike in prices of petroleum products last month. Oil pool deficit increased by Rs 200 crore in October and is likely to add another Rs 1200 crore by the fiscal end," Naik told reporters here.

Price rise calculations were based on crude prices of 30 dollars a barrel and rupee-dollar parity of Rs 45 per dollar, Naik said, adding crude prices have averaged 30.86 dollars a barrel and rupee has remained above Rs 46 a dollar during October which is likely to further push the oil pool deficit.

One-third of the pre-hike estimated Rs 23,600 crore oil pool deficit was taken care of by the hike in prices of petroleum products while the duty cut had reduced the deficit by another Rs 4,000 crore.

The remaining deficit was to be tackled by issuance of oil bonds and Finance Ministry returning over Rs 4,000 crore deposits it has of the Petroleum Ministry.

He said that oil import bill for 2000-01 was pegged at Rs 81,000 crore on the basis of average crude import price of 30 dollars a barrel and exchange rate of Rs 45 per dollar.

"However, average crude import price for October works out to 30.86 per barrel and Indian currency has touched Rs 46.5 to a dollar," he added. (PTI)

Hizb expels Commander

ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: Faced with continued dissessions within its ranks, militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) today expelled one of its commander’s Masood Sarfaraz, media reports said here today.

The Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi was quoted by the "Frontier Post" as saying that "Sarfaraz was ousted by the Command Council as he was not abiding by the group’s rules.

"He was posing as a rebel and was not co-operating with the leadership of the group," Hashmi stated while announcing his expulsion from the Hizb.

His ouster came after he resented the taking over of control and command of Hizbul Mujahideen by Pakistan-based Jamaat-e-Islamia (JeI).

The conflict began when Amir of the JeI in PoK Rashid Turabi tried to replace Masood Sarfaraz, the commander of HM, commonly known as Pir Panjal range, "The Friday Times" weekly had said in its earlier edition.

The weekly quoted sources in the PoK’s JeI as saying that number of complaints — ranging from arbitrary use of funds to mismanagement in the training camps — against Sarfaraz prompted Turabi to replace him.(PTI)

ED recovers huge foreign currency

NEW DELHI, Oct 25: Busting the second major currency racket in the Capital in a week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a person and recovered huge quantities of foreign and Indian currencies from his possession.

Acting on a tip-off, ED officials searched a person, hailing from Kashmir, and recovered 71,083 dollars (over Rs 32 lakh), Rs 90,000 worth Indian currency and some documents from his car, ED Special Director K R Bhargava said here today.

He said the car was also seized and the Delhi Police had been asked to check the person’s antecedents whether he had any links with militants in Kashmir.

ED sleuths had recovered nearly Rs one crore in Indian as well as foreign currency during raids last week at 11 premises belonging to ten global hawala operators and foreign exchange racketeers. (PTI)

Govt announces 3 senior level appointments

NEW DELHI, Oct 25: Government today announced three senior level appointments with L M Mehta, Director General of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) being made Additional Secretary in the Defence Ministry.

Suman Swarup, a 1969 batch IAS officer, presently in her cadre, will takeover from Mehta as DG ESIC in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, an official announcement said.

Neena Ranjan, a 1969 batch IAS officer at present in her UP cadre, has been appointed as Director General, Supplies and Disposal (DGS and D) and ex-officio Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce. (PTI)

Girl kidnapped from Church recovered

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 25: City police have recovered a young girl, who had allegedly been kidnapped from a computer centre inside a Church in Prem Nagar area of Gujjar Nagar few days back.

Identified as Sonika Bhati daughter of S Douglas of Prem Nagar, the girl was recovered from a house in Satwari. The alleged abductor Vishal Matto son of Hamid Matto of the same locality has been detained by police.

However, police said, the girl in her statement to police said that she hadn’t been kidnapped.

The girl was recovered by a police party led by Residency Police Post Incharge Bharat Sharma under the supervision of DySP City Ashok Sharma and SHO Bodh Raj Sharma. Alleged kidnapping had created tension in the locality.

| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports |
| international | weather | mailbag | suggestions | search | subscribe | send mail |