|
|
 |
|
From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, Oct 9: Even as authorities today identified three militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba as the killers of Handwara-based dental surgeon Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, militants have been daredevil to set on fire their victim's car near Police Station in Sopore. Without an iota of fear from Police, Army and paramilitary forces, militants have also operated the slain doctor's ATM card and withdrawn cash worth Rs 60,000 for three consecutive days after the gruesome assassination in the appletown. Minutes after a top ranking J&K Police official concluded his 25-minute-long assurance to the EXCELSIOR that the fresh spurt of terrorism was "nothing new" in Sopore, militants reached close to Police Station Sopore last evening to register a more bizarre commentary on the presence of Police, paramilitary and military forces. They brought the brutally slain Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Shah's Maruti car, JK01G-8221, sprinkled petrol on it and set it on fire nearly a hundred yards from the Police Station. None from Police or security forces, who have sandbag bunkers at every corner, did either check or question the militants. Residents said that the streets were deserted and driving the slain doctor's car to the Police Station vicinity was incredibly daredevil. After burning down the vehicle, the militants or their overgound operatives vanished from the spot. Informed sources in the appletown revealed that even after slaughtering the 35-year-old dental surgeon, militants have operated his ATM card of J&K Bank Handwara (Account No: SB/21805) without any fear on all the three days after his assassination and withdrawn cash worth Rs 60,000. While Rs 20,000 have been withdrawn from the doctor's account at TP Road branch ATM in Sopore at 4.05 p.m on October 7th, an equal amount has been found withdrawn from New Colony Branch ATM at 11.15 a.m on October 8th. Operating with a high level of confidence, militants have today withdrawn another installment of Rs 20,000 at 11.03 a.m from the same ATM branch in Sopore. Limit of a day's cash withdrawal from a particular account in J&K Bank is Rs 20,000. In Handwara, branch manager of J&K Bank Mushtaq Ahmed seized the operation of the slain doctor's account this afternoon when his brother-in-law learned about the continued ATM transactions and submitted an application. He told the bank officials that Dr Shah had left his home with two cheque books before disappearing in Handwara-Sopore area on October 7th. He had apprehensions that the people behind his kidnapping and assassination could have taken Dr Shah's signatures on different cheques. It has become now clear that his Personal Index Number (PIN) has been obtained by the killers before the assassination. Sources said that before diverting to Sopore, Dr Shah had used his Airtel mobile, 9906433322, and requested his colleague Dr Abid to enter his day's leave at PHC Langet as he would not be in a position to attend his duty on Saturday "due to some personal engagement". Unconfirmed reports said that Police were looking for a forest guard, namely Abdur Rasheed Bhat of Handwara, who had been reportedly with Dr Shah on October 7th but has not been spotted thereafter. Additional SP Sopore, Zakir Hussain, today claimed that Police had learned about Dr Shah's killing only on October 8th morning and it was not a fact that it had not rushed to the spot after receiving an input on October 7th evening. He also wanted to clarify that the site of occurrence was 3 Kms from Sopore town and about 1 Km from Sopore-Kupwara Road. He claimed that the doctor's car had been torched by unidentified persons "800 Meters" away from Police Station. SSP Baramulla, Viplab Kumar, who returned from his leave in Jammu late last night, admitted that the vehicle had been torched close to the Police Station. He maintained that Police had no information regarding the surgeon's post-assassination ATM transactions in Sopore but asserted that extortion or money matters were not a motive behind the assassination as per the prima facie evidence and investigation so far. He claimed that Police was "very close to the breakthrough" and all the three militants responsible for the killing had been identified. He identified two of them as Showkat Ahmed Janwari alias Munna Janwari and Ghulam Nabi alias Haji alias Lamboo, residents of Batpora Sopore. He said that their third associate was a Pakistani militant. SSP claimed that all the three were members of Lashkar-e-Toiba and a manhunt was underway to get them all dead or alive. He said that they had an acquaintance with the doctor and he had been "called not kidnapped". He asserted that Dr Shah had been done to death in the wee hours on October 8th and nobody in Sopore had corroborated reports that he had been publicly tortured and slaughtered in the afternoon on October 7th. Meanwhile, informed sources in Bandipore said that Police today recovered the bullet-riddled dead body of a civilian, namely Bashir Ahmed Wani S/o Ghulam Ahmed Wani R/o Sumlar from a forest neighbourhood. He is believed to have been killed by militants with the suspicion that he had informed security forces regarding the presence of some militants at his home last fortnight. He had been kidnapped by suspected militants in days of a gunbattle at his home in which a Major of Rashtriya Rifles and two militants had got killed. |
|
Commission to recast education policy: CM Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 9: Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced that his Government would soon constitute a commission to recast the existing education policy in Jammu and Kashmir State. "The time bound commission will be asked to submit its preliminary report on some burning issues such as recognition of Private schools and additional class work within two months while as six month time will be given for submission for a complete report,"he said while addressing a day-long conference on ‘Reforms in Education and Role of Private Schools’, here today. The conference was organised by the private schools of Jammu province. Admitting that he could not give sufficient time to the Education as well as Health sector while holding the additional charge of these two portfolios before recent expansion in the State Ministry, Mr Azad regretted poor results of the Government schools. "Government schools have virtually become dumping institutions and defunct where teachers are concerned only to get salary without giving results while the situation is more serious in remote and far flung areas where teachers do not turn up for months together," he said and regretted that there was no sense of dedication among the Government employees, including teachers. However, on the other hand, the Chief Minister added, Private educational institutions have a work culture and they bring better results despite having inadequate facilities and less salaries of teachers. The Chief Minister also advised the private educational institutions to simultaneously impart values, social behaviour and communal harmony among its students. Expressing concern that the private educational institutions were facing difficulties in getting their institutions recognised or temporary affiliated due to bureaucratic red tape, Mr Azad assured that all this would be over after the implementation of commission’s recommendations. Earlier, Minister for Roads and Buildings, Gulchain Singh Charak also spoke on the occasion and extended his full cooperation to the private educational institutions in getting their problems addressed by the Government. He also lauded the services being rendered by private schools in providing quality education to the students despite no help from the Government. Prof J K Kotwal, chairman of the Private Schools Association, highlighted the demands and problems of the unaided educational institutions and urged the Chief Minister to personally look into the matter. Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, Babu Singh, former Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University Prof M R Puri, a number of academicians and owners of the private schools, attended the conference. |
|
93 cross LoC at Chakkan Da Bagh Excelsior Correspondent POONCH, Oct 9: Three more citizens of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) today failed to turn up at Chakkan Da Bagh to cross over to PoK in Poonch-Rawalakot bus when the point was opened for fortnightly movement of civilians from two parts of the State in this district. A total of 93 civilians from two parts of the State exchanged sides in fortnightly bus service, official sources said. Three citizens of PoK, who were scheduled to return to PoK today after their fortnightly stay in this part of the State as their permit hadn’t been extended, didn’t turn up when Chakkan Da Bagh point was closed at 5 pm today. Sources identified them as Tauseef Ahmed son of Ghulam Ahmed, a resident of Kotli, PoK, his daughter Nandia and Arshed Niwad son of Lal Din R/o Hajeera, PoK. All three had come to this side in Rawalakot-Poonch bus service last fortnight and gone to meet their divided family members and relatives in border district of Rajouri. As reported, an aged and ailing PoK citizen Nawab Din, who had come to meet his divided family in Budhal, Rajouri, had also refused to return home. As authorities were preparing to forcibly push him back, the State High Court came to his rescue and stayed his deportation. Nawab Din was not living with his divided family after remaining admitted for few days in District Hospital, Rajouri. Meanwhile, 51 civilians today crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from Poonch to PoK in Poonch-Rawalakot bus service. They include 20 fresh faces, who travelled to PoK for the first time in the bus service to meet their divided family members and relatives. Thirty one other travellers in the bus were PoK citizens who returned home after spending a fortnight or a month in this part of the State. From PoK to Poonch, 42 passengers travelled in the bus. They include six fresh faced and 36 from this part of the State, who returned after spending 15 to 30 days with divided family members in PoK, the sources said. One of the civilian of Rajouri, who returned from PoK, was seriously ill. Identified as Mohd Sadiq son of Lal Din, a resident of Rajouri district, he was taken in an ambulance from Chakkan Da Bagh to District Hospital in Poonch. Mohd Saleem, District Panchayat Officer (DPO) represented the Indian side at the crossing point while Naheem Jafri represented PoK, the sources added. |
|
Court rejects bail plea of 13 accused in sex scam CHANDIGARH, Oct 9: Rejecting the bail application of all the 13 accused in the Jammu and Kashmir sex racket case, a court here today said it will hear arguments on framing of charges in the case on October 12. District and Sessions Judge B S Mehndiratta pronounced the order rejecting the bail pleas of all the 13 accused in the case. Earlier on October three, after hearing day-long arguments on the bail pleas of the 13 accused the Judge had reserved his order for today. The CBI opposed the bail plea of the accused on the ground that it was a serious offence and there were chances that the accused might run away. All the 13 accused were produced before the Judge in the morning who directed police to bring them in the court room in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the counsel for the defence told reporters that they would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court tomorrow challenging the order of rejection of bail pleas of the accused. The defence counsel said that while pronouncing the order the Judge had clubbed all the accused in one category. "Those who can get life imprisonment and the one whose maximum punishment could be of one year are put in the same bracket by the Judge by rejecting their bail pleas," he told reporters. Of the total 14 accused in the case, one Iqbal Khandey, an IAS officer, is out on interim bail. The Supreme Court on September four had transferred the cases of 14 accused from Srinagar to Chandigarh for trial after they were chargesheeted by the CBI. The accused present in the court included former BSF DIG K C Padhi, Sabina, former ministers and sitting MLAs Raman Mattoo and Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Anil Sethi, Shabir Ahmed Laway, Riyaz Ahmed Kawa, M Mallik and Mohammad Yusuf Mir. Meanwhile, a counsel of two accused, including Mehrajudin Mallik, said since he had come from Kashmir he should be permitted to argue the case today itself. "On behalf of the lawyers of defence I plead that all 13 accused be allowed to go to Kashmir as it is the month of auspicious Ramzan," he said. "They (accused) be allowed to meet their near and dear ones in this holy occasion on humanitarian ground," he said. However, the prosecution contended that let the accused relatives come here and meet them in jail. The counsel for CBI told reporters that the bail plea was rejected as the accused could pressurise the victim who was a minor. The battery of lawyers representing the accused appeared to have toeing different lines as one of the counsel said that all the 13 accused would not challenge the court order in the Punjab and Haryana High Court tomorrow. (PTI) |
|
BSP founder Kanshiram cremated NEW DELHI, Oct 9: The body of BSP founder and prominent Dalit leader Kanshiram was today consigned to flames here in presence of top political leaders and a huge number of his supporters. Two of his sisters and a brother and some other relatives were also present with police protection ordered by Delhi High Court after the family sought his body for the last rites after a post-mortem, suspecting foul play in his death. The cremation of the 72-year-old BSP leader, who died late last night due to a stroke at his official residence here, was carried out according to Buddhist tradition. Describing herself as a successor appointed by the departed leader years ago, former UP Chief Minister Mayawati said Kanshiram had always worked for uplift of the weaker sections and wanted to do a lot for them but nature did not allow it. However, Kanshiram’s sister Swarn Kaur accused Mayawati of destroying their family. "She (Mayawati) never allowed us to even meet him during the last few years," she said. Monks chanted Buddhist hymns as Kanshiram’s supporters raised slogans like ‘Kanshiram Amar Rahe’ and his family was in tears as the pyre was lit. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition L K Advani were among the broad spectrum of political leaders who paid homage to BSP patriarch noting that in his death the dalits have lost a powerful voice. Just before leaving on a two-nation visit, the Prime Minister drove to the 11, Humayun Road residence of BSP chief Mayawati and placed a wreath on his body. He said in a message that Kanshi Ram was an important voice of dalits. Sonia, who came along with son Rahul Gandhi MP and Union Home Minister Patil, spent some time at Mayawati’s residence. Advani, whose party BJP ran a short-lived Government with BSP in Uttar Pradesh, also laid a wreath on the body. He recalled his first meeting with Kanshi Ram, and noted he was an "riginal thinker and a complete political organizer" It was Kanshi Ram who brought B R Ambedkar’s views to the mainstream in the post-independence era when there was an attempt to pull him back from the national conscience, Advani said. The opposition leader also credited Kanshi Ram with making the BSP a national party. Union Chemical and Fertilizers Minister Ramvilas Paswan, who did not share a cordial relationship with BSP leadership, called the departed leader a ‘dalit messiah’ who cared for the poor people. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said the country has lost a "real leader" who inspired dalits to lead a respectful life. "We have lost a big leader and all of us have to carry forward his views," he said. Former Prime Minister V P Singh, BJP leaders Arun Jaitely, Kalraj Mishra and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and JD(U) leader George Fernandes were other prominent leaders who paid their respects to Kanshi Ram. Kanshi Ram had been suffering from multiple ailments like stroke, diabetes and hypertension and was virtually bed-ridden for more than two years. (AGENCIES) |
|
Arms haul from 4 infiltrators Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 9: Army and police today apprehended a militant of Hizbul-Mujahideen outfit from village Barthi and recovered a 25 kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from Sarthal area, some distance short of a religious place in Doda district. Bodies of all four infiltrators, who were gunned down by Army in Sabjian sub sector of Poonch district yesterday while thwarting the infiltration attempt, were recovered this morning. SSP Doda Manohar Singh said Army and police joined a powerful 25 kg weight IED, packed by the militants in a ghee tin and concealed in a natural cave at Morwari in Sarthal area of Kishtwar in Doda district this morning. The IED was found some distance short of a religious place. It was defused by a Bomb Disposal Squad. Explosive used in the IED has been sent for laboratory test to find out whether it was RDX, Mr Singh said, adding a major catastrophe has been averted with timely detection of the IED. "Had exploded, the IED was capable of causing extensive damage", he said. A police party led by SHO Gandoh apprehended a Hizbul Mujahideen militant from village Barthi Kaku in Gandoh area of Doda. He has been identified as Mohd Imtiaz son of Javed Iqbal Wani, a resident of Barthi. One live grenade was recovered from him. Army today recovered body of the fourth infiltrator, who was gunned down right on the Line of Control (LoC) at Sabjian sub sector in Poonch district yesterday. Bodies of his three associates were recovered last evening. Official sources said identity of none of them has been established so far but all of them were believed to be the activists of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit. Recoveries made from the scene of encounter include four AK-56 rifles, 19 magazines, 505 AK rounds, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) with seven grenades, 15 Chinese grenades, two maps, one Alinco radio set, two H-1121 radio sets, one Chinese pistol with two magazines, one Kenwood radio set, one compass, two radio set antennas, one binocular, one wire cutter, used for cutting the fencing and two rucksacks. Security forces and SOG recovered four kg explosive material, packed in an aluminium tea pot, one RC IED box and five electric detonators from Solian Nullah. Five UBGL grenades were recovered by police and security forces during a search operation at Dara Bagla in Budhal area of Rajouri district last night. After recoveries, security forces carried out a search operation in the area but the militants remained untraced. |
|
400 pc hike in MVD revenue after SVO raid By Sanjeev Pargal JAMMU, Oct 9: How deep the roots of corruption have grown in the Transport Department can be well gauged from a just single surprise raid conducted by the State Vigilance Organisation at Lakhanpur on Saturday. A four time increase in revenue collection was witnessed by the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD), part of the Transport Department, a day after the raid as compared to a day before the raid. Rs 3.96 lakh revenue was realised by the MVD at Lakhanpur, gateway of Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday i.e. a day after the Vigilance Organisation’s raid. On Friday (October 6) i.e. a day before the raid, the MVD had collected only Rs 98,500 revenue, the figures collected by the Vigilance Organisation, which has been probing, what could turn out to be one of the biggest scam in the State, revealed. While the revenue collection figures kept on changing slightly every day, a maximum of Rs 2.18 lakh revenue was realised by the Motor Vehicles Department this month on October 5. "Even if we take the figure of maximum revenue collection prior to the raid and revenue realised yesterday, there was nearly a 40 per cent increase. But, if the figures of a day before the raid are compared with the figures of a day after the raid, the increase is nearly 400 per cent", the sources pointed out. This way, the State exchequer is being robbed of revenue worth crores of rupees every year, which might well be going into the pockets of officers and officials of the Department and some other concerned agencies. As soon as a report of the SVO raid at Lakhanpur on October 7 (Saturday) spread, the MVD revenue collection jumped to Rs 3.61 lakh. The next day i.e. on October 8, the revenue further went upto Rs 3.96 lakh. Prior to the raid, the MVD revenue stood at Rs 98,500 on October 6, Rs 2.18 lakh on October 5, Rs 1.10 lakh on October 4, Rs 92,500 on October 3 and Rs 1.32 lakh on October 2, the sources said, adding the figures were a clear indication that just one Government organisation—the MVD—was causing revenue loss worth crores of rupees to the State exchequer every year. And this process was going on for years together, the sources said. They added that Vigilance Commissioner Dr Ashok Bhan was going to write to the Government shortly apprising it about the scam and recommending stern action against the officers and officials as well as corrective measures required to stem the rot. According to sources, the Motor Vehicles Department have its own internal vigilance as well as an inspection wing. Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Lakhanpur Qazi Mushtaq, under whose command the MVD operates at Lakhanpur, when approached for comments, agreed that there was a huge difference in the figures before and after the Vigilance raids. "How it has happened is a matter of investigation", he confessed. However, the RTO Lakhanpur tried to dissociate himself from the irregularities saying "we challan the truckers and realise fine only from the vehicles, which are referred to us". Qazi Mushtaq also talked of shortage of staff with the Department for checking. As reported, the SVO sleuths had unearthed a unique ‘Palti System’ adopted by the truckers, with alleged connivance of the MVD staff. Under the modus operandi, a truck carrying nearly 130 tons of weight, was off-loaded about a couple of kms short of Lakhanpur. About 40 tons of material was loaded in a small truck. The main truck then crossed Lakhanpur with permissible limit of 90 tons of weight. At a point near Basohli Morh, 40 tons of goods, which were crossed in a small truck at Lakhanpur, are again loaded in the main truck, which then proceed to its destination to different States. |
|
|
NEW DELHI, Oct 9 : Mr Satyabrata Pal, presently High Commissioner to South Africa, has been appointed the next Ambassador to Pakistan replacing Mr Shiv Shankar Menon who took over as Foreign Secretary on October 1. Mr Menon who was High Commissioner to Pakistan, was appointed Foreign Secretary after Mr Shyam Saran retired on September 30. Mr Pal is expected to take up his assignment shortly, an External Affairs Ministry statement said today. In other appointments announced by the Ministry, Mr Y.K.Sinha was made the next Ambassador to Venezuela while Mr Rajeet Mitter, presently Joint Secretary at the MEA Headquarters, will be the next Ambassador to the Philippines. Mr Sinha is presently Consul General of India in Dubai. An External Affairs Ministry official said Mr N Ravi, a 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer, was also appointed Secretary at the MEA Headquarters. (UNI) |
|
|
NEW DELHI, Oct 9: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee will keep his second date with Siachen Glacier tomorrow when he would visit forward most posts in the world’s highest battlefield. The minister would land at base camp and address a Sainik Sammelan and later make flying visit to some of the forward most posts on the glacier. Significantly, Mukherjee would be accompanied by the Army Chief General J J Singh on the visit to the glacier, which comes in the backdrop of reports that New Delhi and Islamabad may be near an agreement to demilitarize the frozen icyland. Mukherjee’s visit follows just days after a visit to the glacier by the Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh. India and Pakistan have held eight round of Defence secretary level talks on the issue. While, India want Pakistan to recognize the actual ground position being held currently by Indian troops, Islamabad is opposing it. (PTI) |
|
Rajnath opposes talks with Pak AJMER, Oct 9: BJP president Rajnath Singh today said India should refrain from any kind of dialogue with Pakistan until the later puts on end to cross-border terrorism and training camps on its territory. He alleged that the country’s internal security has worsened but the UPA Government is not serious about it, primarily due to its vote-bank politics. He was speaking to mediapersons here today after attending the National Training Camp of Panchayatiraj in Kishangarh. Mr Singh said despite getting clues of Pakistan’s hand in Mumbai train blasts and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announcing that it will stall all talks with Pakistan, he himself went ahead and met Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf at Havana. Mr Singh said the Prime Minister has even promised to keep all channels open for further talks with the neighbouring country. The BJP president said all details about the talks held in Havana about terrorism and over Kashmir with Musharraf should be made public. He said India should try starting an international campaign and undertake diplomatic initiatives to keep Pakistan’s intelligence wing ISI under watch along with stopping any kind of dialogues with Pakistan unless it bans terrorist activities. Elaborating on the execution of Mohammad Afzal, the main accused in the Parliament attack case, Mr Singh said despite three courts awarding the death sentence to Afzal, the Congress’s attitude towards the case is deplorable and is mainly to maintain its vote banks. Criticising the two-year regime of the UPA Government, Mr Singh said the common man is being made a fool as the slogan to remove poverty is just an eye wash. He said 45 years of Congress rule has not been able to remove poverty as only real employment can do so. Maintaining that BJP is the most disciplined party, Mr Singh said the Congress has seen three divisions, while there has been none in BJP. He waived off the rumours of differences between Government and party in the BJP-ruled states. (UNI) |
|
|
NEW DELHI, Oct 9: Widows of security personnel who died during the 2001 Parliament attack will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam tomorrow to plead against clemency for Mohammad Afzal who faces execution in connection with the case. All India Anti-Terrorist Front chief M S Bitta told PTI that they would meet Kalam at 1445 hrs tomorrow at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Last week, they submitted a memorandum with the Rashtrapati Bhavan, opposing clemency for Afzal. "They have now been granted an appointment with the President for tomorrow and will present their viewpoint on the execution order against Afzal," Bitta said. The delegation of nine such families, which will call on Kalam, will also include children of the slain security personnel, he added. (PTI) |
|
|
Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 9: Crime Branch, Jammu today produced third challan in nearly Rs 16 crore scam by three finance companies in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. SSP Crime and Railways, Jammu Sunil Sharma said four more cases in the scam were ready for challan while some other cases were under investigation. The challan was produced by Crime Branch Inspector Jagdev Singh, Investigator of the case. The challan was produced against Verinder Kumar Kansal R/o Chandigarh, Jarnail Singh Hanjara R/o Mohali, Punjab, Bashir Ahmed Manhas R/o Surankote, Mohd Khursheed R/o Surankote, Mohd Gafoor Dar, a Union leader R/o Mandi, Nazir Ahmed Bhat R/o Khanyar, Srinagar, Ghulam Mohd Bhat R/o Dayalgam, Anantnag, Shujay Amin Manhas R/o Surankote, Faqir Hussain Shah R/o Potha, Surankote and Mujheed Hussain Shah R/o Surankote. Three finance companies, through which the accused had collected money from the people and didn’t return, include Endowment Plantation, Endowment Investment India Ltd and Ocean Agro Forms India Limited. Accused have also been charged with violation of rules and regulations and guidelines of SEBI/RBI. Four soldiers, one militant killed JAMMU, Oct 10: Four soldiers and a Lashker-e-Toiba militant were killed in a fierce gunbattle early this morning in Poonch district, officials said. The firefight between the militants and soldiers started during a search operation by the security forces at Chamraid-Andarwali Doke in Poonch. A militant and four soldiers were killed in the ongoing operation, officials said. Acting on a tip off, troops of 25 Rashtriya Rifles and 16 Rashtriya Rifles cordoned off Chamraid-Andarwali Doke to track down a group of LeT militants belonging at around 0200 hours, they told PTI. During the search operation, a fierce gunbattle ensued between the militants and the security forces in which the five were killed. The operation is on as militants are still holed up in the area, they said, adding that additional troops rushed in there. (PTI) |
|
Hotelier Lalit Suri dies of massive heart attack H S Rao London : Leading hotelier and Rajya Sabha member Lalit Suri died here early this morning following a massive heart attack. 60-year-old Suri, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Hotel group, is survived by his wife Jyotsna and three sons and a daughter. An automobile engineer, Suri, who was born in Rawalpindi in Pakistan on April 15, 1947, was hail and hearty last evening and had attended a reception hosted by Indian High Commissioner Kamalesh Sharma in honour of visiting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Family sources said he suffered a massive heart attack in the wee hours and was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. His wife Jyotsana and some other family members were with him when he breathed his last. His body would be flown to Delhi late tonight for the last rites. The family decided to have the cremation on Thursday instead of Wednesday as it happened to be his wedding anniversary. Suri, who became Rajya Sabha member as an independent from Uttar Pradesh in 2002, was here as part of the FICCI delegation for the India-UK Investment Summit to be addressed by the Prime Minister today. He was a diabetic and he had suffered a heart attack in the past, the family said. Suri and Sunil Mittal, Chairman of the India-Britain Partnership Network, were among the last few to meet the Prime Minister at the High Commission reception. As an MP, Suri was a member of several parliamentary committees including those on Defence and Science and Technology. He had recently introduced a private members' bill seeking a raise in members' salary. Suri had joined family-run Delhi Automobile in 1971. When the group diversified into hospitality business in 1982, he became its Joint Managing Director. Suri's wife Jyotsana is currently the group's Joint Managing Director. Voicing his deep condolence over Suri's sudden passing away, FICCI President Saroj Poddar said he "was one of our esteemed colleagues and member of our delegation to the UK. "He was at the forefront of both policy discourse and change and business development as well. As chairman of FICCI's tourism committee, his contribution in the National Executive Committee was significant and his support on issues of calibrated globalisation and internal changes both in business and policy were remarkable," Poddar said. He said over the last 2-3 years, Suri dared to take up challenges of turning around public sector hotels and bringing them to service of tourism industry with global bench mark. Amit Mitra, FICCI Secretary General, said it was a "great shock" to hear about Suri's death. He said Suri was a diabetic and had a heart attack before. An active member of FICCI, Mitra said Suri was a National Executive committee member and Chairman of the Tourism Committee. "He was very active in the FICCI-facilitated Forum of Parliament," he said. (PTI) |
|
|
