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Chinese
ultras aren’t From B L Kak
HM: Govt to have legislation for benefit of senior citizens NEW DELHI, Mar 23: In keeping with the emerging changes in the society and family structure, Government would soon come with necessary....more
Conscience
can’t be CHENNAI, Mar 23: Dissident TMC leader P Chidambaram and founder of TMC Democratic Forum today asserted that his...more |
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Singhal threatens to NEW DELHI, Mar 23: VHP working president Ashok Singhal today threatened to go on an indefinite fast from March 30 at Tehri in....more
Jamir presents Rs 21.65 crore deficit budget KOHIMA, Mar 23: Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir presented a Rs 21.65 crore deficit budget for 2001-02.......more Left
questions timing of FIR NEW DELHI, Mar 23: The Left Parties today questioned the "motive and timing" of the Central Bureau....more Sahabuddin’s
plea NEW DELHI, Mar 23: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has rejected the petition of controversial......more
Journalists
will expose NEW DELHI, Mar 23: Journalist-turned-politician and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie finds nothing........more |
Chinese
ultras aren’t involved in North-East From B L Kak NEW DELHI, Mar 23: More than two dozen notorious foreign militants, detained in different jails in Jammu and Kashmir, have been shifted out of the State and lodged in some other jails in the country. This, according to the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr Vidyasagar Rao, has been done as part of the plan to prevent detained militant leaders from coming together at one place of their confinement. Transfer of some of the "prominent" foreign militants, as the Minister put it, to other jails has also been the outcome of the recent development in Jammu’s Kot Bhalwal jail. Mr Vidyasagar Rao recalled that during a routine search conducted jointly by a team of the CRPF and Kot Bhalwal jail staff on January 5 this year at block number 9 of the jail, some detenues resisted and resorted to stone pelting. This resulted in injuries to one CRPF head constable, deputy superintendent of jail and one warder. The Union Home Ministry held consultations with higher-ups in the J&K security establishment that led to the preparation of a plan to prevent occurrence of such incidents in future. According to Mr Vidyasagar Rao, disciplinary action under the jail manual has been taken against the militants who were found to be guilty inside Kot Bhalwal jail. He said that patrolling and watch and ward duties by the CRPF and jail staff had been increased. The Government, Mr Rao reiterated, had adopted a comprehensive approach to curb terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He confirmed that militants in J&K had launched attacks on security personnel and civilians as well during the three-month period of ‘peace initiative’. Baramulla, Kupwara and Srinagar sectors experienced more trouble than other areas in the State during the period. According to official statistics available with Mr Vidyasagar Rao, the terrorist violence resulted in the death of 248 civilians-that is, 97 in December, 2000, 74 in January and 77 in February this year. He put the number of security personnel killed at 92-that is, 31 in December last and 28 in January and 33 in February this year. In the first 7 days of this month, as many as 32 security personnel lost their lives in the terrorist violence. Mr Rao stated that between December last and the end of February this year, while the number of hurling of grenades in various areas of J&K was 129, the number of explosions as a result of the IEDs was 101. During the period, as many as 216 terrorists were killed in the State. Mr Rao divulged that the J&K Government had informed the Centre that as many as 8802 Muslims, 1156 Hindus, 95 Sikhs and 270 others were killed in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists from 1988 to February 2001. The Minister said that measures being taken to curb terrorism included strengthening the border management, appropriate security action in the hinterland, gearing up the intelligence machinery and adequate protection scattered population and minorities in remote areas of J&K. Highlighting the fact that the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders continue to be vulnerable to cross-border activities, Mr Vidyasagar Rao said that while fencing the borders in Punjab and Rajasthan sectors and parts of Indo-Bangladesh border had been completed, work on Gujarat and remaining parts of Indo-Bangladesh border was in progress. He confirmed that the total length of International Border in Jammu sanctioned for fencing is 180 km. The Union Home Ministry has no reports to indicate that Chinese militants are backing rebels in India’s North-East region. The Government has introduced a scheme of surrender-cum-rehabilitation of militants in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. This scheme is applicable to those militants who surrendered after April 1, 1998. The Government of India reimburses the expenditure incurred on the rehabilitation of surrenderees. |
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HM: Govt to have legislation for benefit of senior citizens NEW DELHI, Mar 23: In keeping with the emerging changes in the society and family structure, Government would soon come with necessary legislation to ensure adequate protection, care and respect for senior citizens, Home Minister L K Advani said here today. "We do realise that the changes coming in the society are also leaving an impact on the family structure and there are instances when elderly people are not looked after," Advani said before flagging off four mobile medical units for the quake-hit Kutch region in Gujarat. This phenomenon was more visible in urban areas, he said adding "whatever law or legislation will be necessary, Government will bring it". Advani said the country had inherited a "great legacy" where elderly and aged people are given respect. However, in the changed scenario joint families were breaking up, he added. "Although basic respect for elders is still upheld, a few aberrations really bother us," he said adding perhaps more than financial support and assistance in health care, what elderly people need is "emotional sustenance". It is in this context, he said, the role of agencies like ‘Help Age India’ was very significant. The function, organised at the lawns of India gate, was attended among others by Deputy High Commissioner of UK Tom McKann and chairperson of Help Age International Flora MacDonald. (PTI) |
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Conscience can’t be
demolised by CHENNAI, Mar 23: Dissident TMC leader P Chidambaram and founder of TMC Democratic Forum today asserted that his ‘conscience’ could not be demolished by his being suspended from Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). "In my view the life and soul of TMC is here (in forum) and the body is in Sathyamurthy Bhavan (TMC headquarters). Only body has suspended the life and soul. If a hen tramples her chicks, it will not die", Chidambaram said in response to TMC’s decision to suspend him and three of his supporters. Acknowledging the receipt of suspension orders received telegraphically, he said the suspension order sent by the Chairman of Disciplinary Action Committee of TMC, A R Marimuthu, who had a long innings in politics having traversed from one party to another before settling down in TMC, would not be able to ‘trample’ him or his supporters. Strongly emphasising that AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha would not be able to give a good governance in the state, he said his protest was a ‘matter of conscience’, which could not be weighed on a scale. ‘I am prepared to face any consequence while following my conscience’, he said. In view of the overwhelming response received by the forum from various parts of the state, it appeared that the forum, which was originally given a short period of life, might become a long term movement, he said. Referring to the response the forum had received, he said by the end of the day between 200 and 250 registration numbers would be issued to those who wanted to have forum’s branches in various parts of the state. Chidambaram said he and his supporters had protested after tmc agreed for single party rule by AIADMK in the state ignoring his suggesamme. Instead of working out conditions for support, TMC had aligned with AIADMK unconditionally without even insisting on the common minimum programme. Whereas, PMK, which broke away from NDA and aligned with AIADMK, managed to get ‘concessions’ from AIADMK, he claimed. However, Moopanar’s decision to align with AIADMK headed by Jayalalitha, had ‘hurt’ his conscience, he said. (PTI) |
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Sahabuddin’s plea of human rights violation rejected NEW DELHI, Mar 23: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has rejected the petition of controversial RJD MP from Bihar Mohd Shahabuddin seeking intervention of commission to protect his human rights which were being allegedly violated by the state police. Shahbuddin, in his petition, had asked NHRC Chairman for an "early effective intervention to douse the further flame of communal tension" in the Siwan district of the state. Rejecting the petition, NHRC in its recent order said "the facts of this case do not indicate the need for any intervention by the Commissioner at the instance of the petitioner Mohammed Sahahbudin." Sahabuddin, against whom a non-bailable warrant of arrest was issued when police instituted a case of serious rioting in connection with Friday’s operation, had alleged evasive police raid at his residence. In his petition, he also alleged that his house was ransacked, vehicles burnt, furniture broken besides looting of cash and kind in lakhs of rupees. "Indiscriminate firing made (by the police) resulted into injuries to seven while eight others were brought to police station and encountered all victims," the petition alleged. Shahabiddin had alleged "the injured were only from the Muslim community and that the terror was looming large with further police atrocities apprehended." The controversial MP had also filed petitions in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Siwan, charging the policemen with being "utterly brutal and murdering innocent people" during their operation. (PTI) |
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Journalists will expose any wrongdoing: Shourie NEW DELHI, Mar 23: Journalist-turned-politician and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie finds nothing wrong with the Tehelka expose and feels that "if there is any wrongdoing in dark rooms, in houses journalists will go there." Disfavouring search for motives behind revelations made by journalists, he told a symposium on ‘partisan politics in journalism’ here today that a journalist would resort to tactics of "unorthodox nature" such as use of hidden camera to reveal something which cannot be detected easily. "If there is any wrongdoing in dark rooms, in houses, journalists will go there," Shourie, known for his investigative journalism in 1980s, said adding whenever such disclosures were made, the Government should take notice. He told the the symposium, organised by RSS mouthpiece ‘Panchajanya’, that evidence against former BJP president Bangaru Laxman in the Tehelka tapes was "direct" while much of other evidence was based on hearsay and contained exaggerated versions of persons like R K Jain and R K Gupta. Maintaining that the case was "still unwinding", he said facts have to be separated as no evidence had been produced in allegations of purchases in some deals which never took place. He said the scrutiny of facts in the expose had got derailed due to the uproar caused by the opposition parties. He said the court of inquiry in the expose should ask for unedited tapes to unveil the truth. On the talk of violation of privacy through such means, Shourie said any person holding public office or having public life "cannot say this is unfair". He regretted that "allegation mongering" had seeped into journalism and suggested that journalists make efforts to uncover the truth in allegations. Earlier, firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharti said there was an impression that her party had become like Congress in terms of corruption. She, however, sought to draw a distinction between the two parties in terms of "Drishtikon" (opinion) people in respective parties hold on such allegations, saying "in Congress you remain innocent till proved guilty while in BJP you remain guilty till proved innocent." Stating that the Tehelka tapes showing people taking money "hurt", she said that Laxman resigned immediately after the expose although he could have pleaded innocence." "This is not the case in Congress. This is a clear difference," she said. Dilip Padgaonkar, managing editor of the Times of India, said journalists needed to be careful before rushing to judgements. Referring to the Tehelka expose, he said pressure was being built on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to get rid of his two aides although there was no concrete evidence. (PTI) |
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