Excelsior... Nation

Glowing tributes
paid to Jatti; both
Houses adjourn

NEW DELHI, Jul 15: Both House of Parliament were adjourned for the day today without transacting any legislative business in memory of former Vice ........more

Karnik hospitalised

MUMBAI, July 15: Former Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chairman Shashikant Karnik, who was recently arrested by the ....more

NDFB kills 9 tribals

GUWAHATI, July 15: At least nine tribals were killed by the NDFB militants last night as tension between the Bodos and the non-Bodos over the creation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) continued to mount in the Kokrajhar district of lower Assam. . ...more

Japan condemns
Jammu terrorist killings

NEW DELHI, July 15: Japan today strongly condemned the July 13 terrorist attack at Jammu in which 28 people were killed, and reiterated its opposition to terrorism in any form. ....more

‘Women being treated
as commodity by media’

NEW DELHI, July 15: Eminent social worker and president of Mahila Dakshta Samiti Suman Krishan Kant today decried the media for treating ....more

NDA co-ordination committee to discuss misuse of POTA: PMK

CHENNAI, July 15: The Coordination Committee of the National Democratic Alliance will discuss the ways to prevent the misuse of provisions of the ......more

Glowing tributes paid to Jatti; both Houses adjourn

NEW DELHI, Jul 15: Both House of Parliament were adjourned for the day today without transacting any legislative business in memory of former Vice President B D Jatti and two sitting members who passed away during the inter-session period.

In Lok Sabha, Speaker Manohar Joshi paid glowing tributes to Jatti describing him as an "outstanding statesman" and a "man of letters".

In Rajya Sabha, Chairman Krishan Kant said in his death, the country had lost an able administrator and an eminent social worker.

Jatti made rich contribution to high traditions established by his predecessors through his objectivity, impartiality, understanding and meticulous devotion to all matters concerning the upper House, he said.

The Speaker lauded the contribution made by Jagdambi Prasad Yadav, a sitting BJP member from Jharkhand, who died last month in Tamil Nadu after a brief illness at the age of 77.

The Speaker condoled the death of former members Chandra Mohan Sinha, Gulsher Ahmed, Moti Ram Baigra, R R Patel and Mahendra Kumari.

The House also condoled the passing away of former Lok Sabha Secretary General S L Shakdher.

In the Rajya Sabha, Kant made obituary references to sitting member Mukesh R Patel as also former members Chandra Mohan Sinha, Gulsher Ahmed, Jagdambi Prasad Yadav, Sundar Mohun Hemron and Mohd.Masud Khan.

Members in both Houses stood in silence for a shortwhile as a mark of respect to their memory.(PTI)

Karnik hospitalised

MUMBAI, July 15: Former Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chairman Shashikant Karnik, who was recently arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the Government recruitment scam that surfaced last month, has been admitted to the Government-run J J Hospital here.

ACB sources said Dr Karnik, who is a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) complained of chest pains last night and was admitted to Kem Hospital, from where he was shifted to J J Gospital at Byculla here.

Officials at J J Hospital, however, refused to comment on his health.

Dr Karnik, a former Vice-Chancellor of University of Mumbai, was arrested by ACB from his Mahim residence and later remanded to police custody till July 20.

Dr Karnik was questioned at least five times by the ACB team led by Anil Dhere.

ACB sources said Dr Karnik could not explain the source of funds which had enabled him to purchase a posh flat at dilawar co-op housing society at cooperage. The flat is jointly owned by him and his Dubai-based daughter, according to sources. Besides Dr Karnik, ACB yesterday arrested Avinash Sanas, Private Secretary to State Social Welfare Minister Jayant Awale, taking the total number of arrests in this case to eight.

Earlier, the ACB arrested Deputy Superintendent of Police Dr Baban Kadam, attached to the State CID (Intelligence), former MPSC Controller of Examinations S G Sarode, Sunil Patil and Eknath Vegare, Assistants at Mantralaya, Farook Kadge and Manisha Nichat, a social worker from Badlapur.

Dr Kadam has been placed under suspension pending investigations by Director General of Police S C Malhotra.

Dr Kadam and Ms Nichat have been remanded to police custody till July 16, while Sarode, Patil, Vegare and Kadge will be produced before a local court later in the day today for extending their remand.

ACB sources said that till date in this case they had searched 15 places in Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Ratnagiri. During these searches, cash, jewellery and foreign currency to the tune of Rs 35 lakh have been seized by them.

The alleged corruption pertains to the irregularity in recruitment of police sub inspectors, sales tax inspectors and assistants in Mantralaya. The written exams were conducted in May 1999 and the final results were declared in May this year.

Sources said some 300 original answer sheets were replaced with fake ones and in this process money to the tune of several lakh changed hands. An internal inquiry of the MPSC found wrongdoing in the process and the case was referred to ACB in June. (UNI)

NDFB kills 9 tribals

Ten heavily armed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants walked into the Bhumka Baligaon relief camp, about 22 km north of Kokrajhar, at around 2130 hours yesterday and started indiscriminate at the thatched houses.

Eight tribals were killed on the spot and six injured.

Police said the ultras used AK 47 rifles. The ninth victim succumbed on way to civil hospital of Korajhar.

Police said out of the six injured condition of three was stated to be very critical.

According to sources the Bodo militants were indiscriminately killing the tribals in an attempt to drive them out so that a contiguous Bodo area could be established in the BTC.

Significantly, the incident occurred at a time when the non-Bodos had started a rail and road agitation against the bodos while demanding inclusion of tribals in the ST list, a fact opposed tooth and nail by the Bodos. The sources said nearly two lakh tribals were staying in these relief camps as they had refused to return to their villages fearing attack from the radical Bodo militants. The radical Bodos were opposed to the non-bodos, more particularly the tribals, for "ethnic cleansing" in the Bodo dominated areas

The proposed btc had been strongly opposed by the non-Bodos who blocked the National Highway 37 and disrupted train movements, snapping direct communication between the northeast with the rest of the country.

Assam DGP hare Krishna Deka and other senior officers had rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. But the senior officials apprehend that the militants might have crossed over to Bhutan. Senior civil and police officials during investigations found empty cartridges of automatic weapons at the site of the massacre.

Director General of Police Harekrishna Deka and Inspector General of Police (Operations) Shiba Kakoti have rushed to the site.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour rail and road blockade was called by the Sanmiliti Janagoshtia Sangram Samiti (SJSS) to protest against the creation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) affecting movement of trains and vehicles in several lower Assam districts, including Kokrajhar.

Official sources said SJSS activists squatted on railway tracks in several places of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Nalbari districts since the start of the blockade at 5 am stalling movement of several trains.

The protestors also picketted on highways and prevented movement of vehicles but within the towns vehicular traffic operated normally, the sources said.

SJSS is a group of non-tribal organisations opposed to creation of the BTC. (PTI)

Japan condemns Jammu terrorist killings

NEW DELHI, July 15: Japan today strongly condemned the July 13 terrorist attack at Jammu in which 28 people were killed, and reiterated its opposition to terrorism in any form.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry statement, issued by that country’s embassy here, said "Japan resolutely condemns terrorism in any form as reconfirmed in India-Japan joint declaration," signed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo on December 10, 2001.

The statement expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims and the people of India. (UNI)

‘Women being treated as commodity by media’

NEW DELHI, July 15: Eminent social worker and president of Mahila Dakshta Samiti Suman Krishan Kant today decried the media for treating women as "commodity" and not giving adequate coverage to their issues.

"The continued projection of negative and degrading image of women in media must be changed. Media needs to provide a balanced picture of women’s diverse roles and contributions to the society," the wife of Vice-President Krishan Kant said addressing a meeting on obscenity in media, organised by All India Women’s Conference here.

"Instead of treating women as persons with inviolable dignity, media treats women as commodity and promotes the values of consumerist culture. Focusing women in a vulgar way to promote the products and business interest is not only demeaning in itself but also contributory to a moral decay and degeneration with far-reaching implication for social and cultural fabric of our country," she said.

According to Ms Kant, women had become a mere tool in advertisements selling products. They have been denied specific gifts of feminine insight, which so greatly contribute to a sensitive and compassionate society.

In the print media, critical women’s issues do not get adequate and appropriate coverage and focus and "sensationalism seems to be the crux of the media’s approach to women’s problems".

Little efforts were being made to highlight and appreciate specific feminine attributes and their contribution in engendering a gender-sensitive society. "Often outrageous acts of violence against women capture media attention," she said.

Ms Kant said a woman’s key concerns were not being adequately portrayed even by the electronic media which has a greater reach to the masses.

"Instead, violent and degrading media products are negatively affecting women and their participation in the society. Gender-biased programmes are indeed damaging the prospects of women."

Ms Kant said worldwide trend towards consumerism had created an unwholesome climate where unimaginative and insensitive advertise-ments and commercial messages often portray women primarily as consumers.

"As regarding sponsorship, the electronic media is still not able to resolve its inner contradiction as how to appeal to a consumer’s instincts and yet, not promote a coarse consumerism that is destroying the cultural matrix of our society. Women in such situation become a soft target of the media."

She said the media should go into the core problems of women and sensitise the people that women were not a commodity but human beings having their own individuality. Besides, it should educate women to inculcate progressive ideas and articulate their aspirations in a positive manner. The new image of women as a believer in herself and an achiever in her own right needed to be portrayed to counter the entrenched bias against them.

"Media has to fulfill its role to bring about social change in the mindset of people regarding women. Self-regulated mechanism for the media needs to be evolved and strengthened along with development of appropriate measures to eliminate gender-biased programming."

Moreover, if women wish to be heard, they need to become more alert and articulate as media consumers. They should empower themeselves by enhancing their skills, knowledge and access to Information Technology. This would strengthen their ability to combat their negative portrayal.

Women can and should equip themselves for positions of responsibility and creativity in the media not in conflict with or imitation of masculine roles but by virtue of their own genius and creativity.

Ms Kant said media, NGOs and private sector should promote and emphasise gender equality and non-stereotyped gender roles of women and disseminate information aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women. If media nurtures the distinct role of championing the cause of women and becomes active agents for their empowerment, it would be of lasting benefit for the society.(UNI)

NDA co-ordination committee to discuss misuse of POTA: PMK

CHENNAI, July 15: The Coordination Committee of the National Democratic Alliance will discuss the ways to prevent the misuse of provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), PMK founder leader Dr S Ramadoss said today.

Speaking to newspersons here, he said NDA convener and Defence Minister George Fernandes had stated this earlier.

The review of POTA has become necessary in the context of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha "misusing its provisions to detain MDMK general secretary Vaiko and 8 of his party functionaries," he said.

Dr Ramadoss said some of the constituents of the NDA had expressed apprehensions about the possibility of misuse of POTA against political opponents by state Governments even before the Act was made into statute.

He also condemned the alleged denial of basic amenities to Mr Vaiko in jail.

Asked if Mr Vaiko’s arrest was intended as a warning to his party which also supported the LTTE, Dr Ramadoss parried stating that he had already answered such questions at an earlier press meet.

Earlier, an emergency meeting of the PMK legislature party attended by 17 MLAs unanimously decided to cast their votes for the NDA presidential candidate A P J Abddul Kalam.

PMK general secretary and former Union Minister E Ponnsamy told the MLAs that it was Dr Ramadoss who first suggested Dr Kalam’s name to the Prime Minister and the NDA even before Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav mooted his candidature.

Two of the party dissident MLAs, Ms Sivakami Vincent and Mr Murugavel Rajan, did not attend the meeting.

Stating that the two MLAs had left the party on their own, Dr Ramadoss said the party would soon move the court seeking a directive to Speaker Dr K Kalimuthu to disqualify them.

Even without a party representation, the Speaker could have disqualified the two MLAs as mandated by the Anti-Defection Act, he said.

Dr Ramadoss asked the legislators to organise road rokos without disrupting traffic to press the district administration to take urgent steps to resolve the acute drinking water shortage in all the districts.(UNI)

SC threatens to stop all heavy vehicle entry into Delhi

NEW DELHI, Jul 15: Irked by non-implementation of its order banning commercial vehicles transiting through the capital, the Supreme Court today issued notices to Delhi Police Commissioner and city Government asking them to show cause why entry of all commercial vehicle not confirming to Bharat stage-II pollution norms be not banned into the city.

"Police Commissioner and the Government of National Capital Territory to show cause why plying of all heavy vehicles which do not confirm to Bharat Stage II Pollution norms be not stopped from entering the capital especially when the earlier orders were not complied with," a bench comprising Chief Justice B N Kirpal, Justice V N Khare and Justice Ashok Bhan said during the hearing of the famous CNG case.

The court was referring to non-implementation of its December 6 last year order asking the Police Commissioner to stop entry of nearly 40,000 goods trucks which use the Delhi roads every night only as transit route causing huge pollution.

When the Delhi Government replied that not a single truck had been stopped from entering the Delhi, the bench said "you will invite harsher orders." The court gave two weeks time to the Police Commissioner and the Delhi Government to show cause and posted the matter for further hearing on July 29.

On the proposed corridors joining the national highways, the bench made it clear that "there can be no corridor joining NHs in Delhi to allow the trucks to pass through. If any corridor has to be constructed, it has to be outside Delhi".(PTI)