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| Serial killers’ celebrity
career Dangerous criminals attract women? From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Given serial killers’ celebrity status as culture heroes, and their mythic importance, is it any wonder that some women fall in love with them?.....more Dadamoni was fond of MUMBAI, Dec 11: Veteran actor Ashok Kumar, affectionately called ‘Dadamoni’, like any other Bengali, ...more States flayed for ‘woeful’ NEW DELHI, Dec 11: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has severely criticised the ...more Fresh differences between NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Fresh differences have cropped between the Hurriyat Conference and Pakistan with.......more |
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Jyotiraditya to formally join Cong on Dec 17 GUNA, Dec 11 : Congress leader late Madhavrao Scindia’s son Jyotiraditya would join the party at New Delhi on AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Guna district party chief Yogendra Kumar....more CAG finds murky NEW DELHI, Dec 11: In a highly-damning report on procurements made by the Government during the...more Panthic Morcha meet to LUDHIANA, Dec 11: Enthused by the success of its first state level election rally here on Sunday last, the.......more Cong-sponsored KOLKATA, Dec 11: A Congress-sponsored adjournment motion on deterioration of health services and......more |
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Serial
killers’ celebrity career From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Given serial killers’ celebrity status as culture heroes, and their mythic importance, is it any wonder that some women fall in love with them? A document, received by the New Delhi Bureau of Daily Excelsior from a mediaperson in London, contains interesting details with regard to dangerous criminals and their love affairs with a series of obsessed women. The document is prefaced with the story of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. He killed 13 women, attacked seven more and has been imprisoned for two decades. Yet, he continues to exercise a "strange fascination" over the opposite sex. According to the document, over the past 20 years, he has had love affairs with a series of obsessed women. In the US, Ted Bundy murdered at least 31 women and girls in the late ’70s, while Hillside Stranglers Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono did for 10 or more female victims. Incredibly, all of these men have been the centre of attention for dozens of women, Bundy, Bianchi and Buono even married after their convictions. In Britain, Saira Rehman, a 30-year-old interpreter and classical Bengali dancer wrote to Charles Bronson for 18 months. She, as revealed by the document, said that the correspondence was "like a drug" but only met him for the first time in March. Bronson’s website showcases the many female admirers who correspond with him. So who are the women who write to hardened inmates, who love and marry them? How do they deny the hideous crimes committed by the men they love? Sandra Lester, a therapist-turned-artist, got in touch with Sutcliffe when she was coming to terms with sexual abuse she suffered as a child—a thread common to many women who write to killers. She developed an intense correspondence with Sutcliffe, which culminated in his suggestion of a future marriage. But when she asked to join his visiting list, he refused, saying that he did not want an exclusive relationship. The document contains yet another interesting tale: Olive Curry’s link with Sutcliffe began when she became convinced that he had once visited her workplace. He denied this but her interest became an obsession and she exchanged more than 500 letters with the killer. Diana Simpson, from Cheshire, is a slightly different case. She is a handwriting analyst who was involved in the original Ripper hunt and says that Sutcliffe encouraged her to write by hinting that he would confess to other crimes. She has exchanged more than 500 letters with Sutcliffe and spent more than 400 hours visiting him over 10 years. Sutcliffe, the document points outs, has described his relationship with women as "just a game". Knowing this, why would any woman want to get involved with a man guilty of such terrible crimes? In a research done in the United States, it was discovered that most women who were compelled to become involved had abusive pasts—either sexual, physical or psychological abuse at the hands of their parents (fathers, usually) or abusive first marriages or boyfriends. Being involved with a murderer behind bars gives these women a measure of control. Secondly, many women who contact men such as Peter Sutcliffe are delusional. They experience the relationship with him as "love" but it really isn’t. They believe that they are sharing a life, normally and intimately and manage to ignore all the evidence that points to the opposite. The document says: "A relationship between a woman and a murderer is a roller-coaster ride, all highs and lows, plunging from the excitement of being ‘his women’ to the depths of despair.... Women who are addicted to soap operas and bodice-rippers often have a delusional image of love. To them, love is not companionable, steady and secure—it is unstable, chancy and often unattainable. Loving a convicted killer or, better yet, a serial murderer, certainly fits this uncertainty and instability". |
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Dadamoni was fond of sweets: Biographer MUMBAI, Dec 11: Veteran actor Ashok Kumar, affectionately called ‘Dadamoni’, like any other Bengali, was fond of sweets, says his official biographer Dr Kishore Valicha. He was very fond of sweets, Dr Valicha told UNI here in a choked voice. It seems as if I have lost an elderly member of my family. Dadamoni Amader Chade Chole Galen’’ (Dadamoni has left us), he added. Ashok Kumar also loved film songs especially those sung by his younger brother Kishore Kumar, Dr Valicha who penned ‘Dadamoni: The authorised biography of Ashok Kumar’, said. One of his favourite songs was ‘Yeh Jeevan Hai..... In the film ‘Piya Ka Ghar’. Kismet was one of Dadamoni’s favourite movies in which he himself acted. The grand old man of Indian cinema was by nature a simple man who often dressed in a Lungi and Kurta at home, he said. He disliked wasteful expenditure and reprimanded anyone wasting resources like water and electricity, Dr Valicha said. Ashok Kumar did everything as per a routine. On Monday, Dadamoni had vegetarian food and for the rest of the days of the week he had set a schedule for non-vegitarian food. One day, he ate fish, another day meat and so on, he said. A chain smoker earlier, Mr Kumar had quit the habit five years ago. However, he enjoyed a peg of whisky before dinner, he said. Dr Valicha had first met Ashok Kumar in 1989 for an interview for ‘Cinema India International’. After a few meetings, we became close to each other, he reminisces. We shared a very good relationship, he said, adding that Dadamoni was an affectionate and genuine man with simple middle class values. Ashok Kumar’s friends included Shakti Samanta, B R Chopra and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. He introduced our family to the film industry, Amit Kumar, son of Kishore Kumar, said. Music Director Bappi Lahiri said the film industry has lost a great actor and a good person. The Film Writers’ Association also condoled the death of Ashok Kumar. Shekar Hattangadi, its president said Ashok Kumar used to receive payments as per shifts while his contemporaries got lumpsum payments for the films. Khurshid, the actor’s man friday, who was also his driver, felt that a great man had departed. So did his nurse dolly. Veteran actor Amrish Puri consoled her yesterday saying that she had served Dadamoni well. The entire Union Park area at Chembur today is mourning the death of the doyen of Hindi cinema. We are proud that we lived in the same locality as the great actor, one of the neighbours said. (UNI) |
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States flayed for ‘woeful’ implementation of PFA NEW DELHI, Dec 11: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has severely criticised the implementation of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) by State Governments stating that the "very objective and the purpose to eliminate the danger to human life had not been achieved." Monitoring of the implementation of the act was "woefully inadequate" at both Central and State levels," the CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament today. Procedures for monitoring and evaluation were not set up in some states and the state level advisory committees in some states remained non-functional. Despite 46 years of enactment of the act, no management information system has been developed to monitoration of the act, it said. Though prosecution of traders found selling adulterated food articles is a big deterrent to check food adulteration, "prosecution was not initiated in about one-third of the cases and even in those cases where prosecution was initiated, about 50 per cent ended in acquittal," CAG said. This was mainly due to inability of the State Governments to defend the case properly, non-maintenance of basic records and non-appointment of food analysts, it said adding that the objectives of creating consumer awareness and imparting training to various functionaries remained unachieved. Stating that it was essential to lift samples from food establishments, the report pointed out that in 13 out of 15 states significant shortfalls in lifting of samples were noticed with more serious position being reported from Goa, Gujarat, Manipur and Pondicherry. Adequate attention was not paid to lifting of items of mass consumption/seasonal food items, which were more prone to adulteration, it said. Similarly, the analysis of food samples suffered for want of adequate infrastructural facilities in the state food laboratories like inadequate testing facilities and vacancies in posts of public analysts. Complex chemical tests for detecting crop contaminants, pesticide residues, heavy metals, food additives, could not be conducted due to lack of trained manpower, equipment and chemicals in the laboratories, the report said adding that in eight states, cases of under-utilisation of capacity of laboratories were noticed. While failure in carrying out proper survey and surveillance led to non-issue of licences to a large number of food establishments, late introduction of licensing system in some states, non-maintenance of basic records of licensing and absence of any proper system of issue/renewal of licences was noticed in many states, the report said. "All these factors led to a large number of unlicensed food establishments operating across all the states," it pointed out. (PTI) |
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Panthic Morcha meet to decide seat-sharing LUDHIANA, Dec 11: Enthused by the success of its first state level election rally here on Sunday last, the four-month-old anti-Badal Akalis’ conglomerate of Panthic Morcha sets down to discuss seat-sharing among its three constituents in its meeting at Sant Samaj’s headquarter at Mansuran Jodhan near here this afternoon. The meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held at Jalandhar, was shifted by Morcha convenor Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi this morning. The Morcha sources told UNI it was expected to be attended by Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Mr Simranjit Singh Maan and Mr Jasvir Singh Rode, presidents of their respective Akali factions, and ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) dissident leader Ravi Inder Singh. Baba Bedi will preside over the meeting. A last ditch attempt to persuade Akali Dal (Democratic) president Kuldip Singh Wadala to join the Morcha was being made before other constituents divided seats among themselves. The sources said Bahujan Samaj Party president Kanshi Ram, who was earlier scheduled to meet the Morcha’s senior leaders today, has deferred his meeting, saying "let the Morcha first decide the total number of seats it wants to contest and settle their internal arrangement on seat-sharing". Although the Morcha convenor and BSP supremo had announced their electoral alliance at Rode on November 20, yet the poll pact has not become functional. Mr Kanshi Ram, who attended the Morcha rally here on Sunday, had stated "if" he forged alliance he would do so with Morcha, adding he would take the decision after making an indepth analysis of the Morcha’s strength. While Mr Kasnhi Ram has been reiterating that BSP would contest atleast 100 seats, Mr Tohra said Morcha’s alliance for the coming Assembly poll in February next would be on "equal footing". Mr Maan had, however, tried to play spoilsport, saying they (the Morcha leaders) neither accepted any master nor would be subservient to any party. The Morcha leaders said seat-sharing could turn out to be a contentious exercise both internally and during bargaining with BSP to make the two parties’ pact functional in the coming days. At the same time they expressed the hope that different areas of influence of the Morcha and BSP would help resolve seat-sharing. (UNI) |
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Cong-sponsored adjournment
motion KOLKATA, Dec 11: A Congress-sponsored adjournment motion on deterioration of health services and hike in hospital fees in West Bengal was today defeated in the Assembly with Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra refuting the opposition charges. The adjournment motion moved by Abdul Mannan (Congress) was supported by the main opposition, Trinamool Congress. Moving the motion, Mannan accused the left front Government of hiking various fees in state-run hospitals despite sharp deterioration in health services. The poor and common people, he said, could not afford to pay the hefty hospital charges and demanded its withdrawal by the Government. The Congress member also charged that the number of drugs distributed free was brought down to a mere 47 during LF rule from 256 such drugs distributed during Congress rule. Refuting the opposition charges, the Health Minister said poor patients would not have to pay for the hike. Fees were increased to some extent only for the 30 per cent paying beds in the Government hospitals, he said. He said that the fees charges by Government hospitals for pathological and other investigations were still less than half charged by private clinics. Stating that the Left Front Government was committed to serve the poor, Mishra said that thrust was given to eliminate diseases like malaria, diarrhoea and tuberculosis from the state. Seeking the opposition’s cooperation, the Health Minister said that there was no dichotomy in the front Government on this as alleged by them. Mishra said that it was the BJP-led Government at the centre which spent only one per cent of the GDP for health services and "those opposing our move, are supporting it." The State Government, the minister said, had effected some hike to strengthen the health infrastructure. The Front Government, he said, also constituted district-level health committees with representatives from all political parties to monitor investments made to improve the infrastructure. The minister denied the allegation by Congress leader Atish Sinha that the State Government had failed to utilise even half of the Rs 701 crore sanctioned by the World Bank to improve the health infrastructure. The World Bank, he said, rather gave a certificate to the LF Government for the work done to improve health services. Earlier, Sinha said that the Government effected abnormal hike in charges despite its failure to provide health services to the poor. Most hospitals in rural areas, had no doctors and patients were frequently referred to hospitals in the metropolis where they faced harrassment. Protesting against the Government decision, socialist unity centre of India member Debaprasad Sarkar staged a walkout. Trinamool Congress chief whip Sobhandev Chattopadhyay said patients had to share beds with others in Government hospitals. Even the Chief Minister had admitted on many occasions that the health services were not upto the mark. (PTI) |
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