VIP car went up in flames while running

CHENNAI, Mar 22: An Ambassador car, belonging to the Madras High Court, today went up in flames apparently due to some mechanical malfunction.

The car, assigned to a VIP with the siren lights, was being brought for filling fuel, when it suddenly caught fire while running near the Kannagi Statue off Marina.

An alert driver, who heard some strange sound, immediately stopped the vehicle.

The other person along with the driver, however, escaped unhurt.

The car was completely burnt. (UNI)

Jawan hit officer for denying leave on Holi

MALDA, WB, Mar 22: A BSF commanding officer was critically injured when a Jawan allegedly attacked him with a sharp weapon for denying him leave on Holi at Narayanpur in Bengal’s Malda district early this morning.

Jawan Ramprasad Sahani allegedly attacked the commanding officer of 172 battalion Suresh Yadav at 3 am after he was denied permission to go home last evening, police said.

Yadav was rushed to Malda District Hospital where he received ten stitches on head and arms, doctors said adding, he will undergo a brain scan later today.

Sahani was later arrested, they said. (PTI)

Siddu cautions BJP on projecting
Yeddyurappa as CM candidate

BANGALORE, Mar 22: KPCC Poll Campaign Committee Chairman Siddaramaiah today said it would be disadvantageous for the BJP to project former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa as the Chief Ministerial candidate ahead of the Assembly polls in Karnataka.

Speaking at a meet the press programme organised by Bangalore Press Club and Reporters Guild here, he charged that Mr Yeddyurappa had failed "miserably" as a finance minister when the JD(S)-BJP coalition Government was in power in the state for 20 months.

He alleged that as the Chief Minister, te BJP leader tried to achieve in just six days what was not possible during his 20-month tenure as finance minister, to issue BPL cards to about 15 lakh people, adding Mr Yeddyurappa was now blaming the Governor for not implementing it.

He said if BJP continued with such political gimmicks and think of using them as the trumph card in the elections, it was mistaken.

Mr Siddaramaiah said it was not the practise of the Congress party to announce the Chief Ministerial candidate in advance of the assembly polls as it believed in collective leadership.

Stating that Congress was fully prepared to face the Assembly polls even if held in May, he said the party had already set up various committees related to campaigning for the elections.

"We are eagarly waiting for the Election Commission to announce the dates of the elections," he claimed.

Favouring a single party rule in the state, he claimed that the Congress would come to power on its own and it was clear from the support of the people for the recent ‘Janandalon’ programme the party had conducted in 27 districts.

"People are fed up with the functioning of coalition set ups as they could not solve their problems. They know that only the Congress can give them a stable Government," he added. (UNI)

It is holi time at Lalu Prasad’s residence

PATNA, Mar 22: It was revelry time at the residence of Lalu Prasad where the Railway Minister welcomed the visitors amidst wild dancing to the beat of drums, on the occasion of holi.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, however, kept away from the holi festivities owing to the recent death of his wife.

Despite the setback with Patna High Court having admitted for hearing the Bihar government’s appeal challenging acquittal in a disproportionate assets case, Prasad was in his usual self making banter as visiting mediamen had their clothes torn by boisterous revellers at his 10, Circular Road bungalow.

Extending greetings to everybody, including political opponents like Kumar on the occasion, Prasad said "I am pure at heart. We do politics but not on (such) occasions. I extend my warm greetings to my brother - Chief Minister Nitish Kumar".

His wife, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, also extended warm greeting on the occasion.

While there was no sign of celebrations at the official One Anne Marg residence of Kumar, his ministerial colleagues, legislators and bureaucrats trooped in.

Patna High Court had on March 19 admitted for hearing the state government’s appeal challenging acquittal of Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi by the trial court in 2006 in the case thus dealing a setback for the CBI, which had decided not to move a superior court against the verdict.

Holi was being celebrated across Bihar with traditional enthusiasm and gaiety with people exchanging greetings with ‘gulals’.

"No untoward incident has been reported from anywhere," Director General of Police Ashish Ranjan Sinha said. (PTI)

Terror suspect reveals links with Al-Umma, HUJI

HYDERABAD, Mar 22: Suspected ISI agent Mohtisam Billa, who was recently arrested in the city, has revealed that he was a member of Al-Umma, the terror outfit responsible for the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts.

According to police sources here, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Task Force officials, who interrogated Billa in connection with the August 25 twin blasts in city and May 18 Mecca Mosque blasts, got clues that Billa and his brother Mujahid Salim, who was shot dead by Gujarat police at the DGP office, were members of Al-Umma, the banned terrorist organisation in Tamil Nadu, which had allegedly conspired to kill senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition L K Advani.

Billa had introduced Mohammed Raziuddin Nasir, another terror suspect who was arrested in Bangalore and later brought here for interrogation in connection with the twin blasts, to SIMI activist Adnan from Karnataka, who is at large, the sources said.

The information from Billa had also proved the link between the HUJI and Al-Umma as Raziuddin Nasir was a HUJI activist, who had close links with HUJI Commander Shahed alias Bilal, the suspected mastermind behind the twin blasts, the sources added. (UNI)

Scarlett case: Boyfriend Lobo taken
for medical examination

PANAJI, Mar 22: After the arrest of two locals, barman Samson D’Souza and Placid Carvalho, who allegedly drugged and raped Scarlett before leaving her to die, Goa Police have taken her boyfriend Julio Lobo into the scanner in the teenager death case.

Lobo, who has been already booked for ‘grave sexual assault’ was today taken for medical examination, police said.

"It is a part of investigation. He is being examined to ascertain whether he is sexually active," Superintendent of Police Bosco George said.

Police during their initial investigation had questioned the 21-year-old, who had told that he had left Scarlett with another Spanish female friend on the eve of February 18, but did not round him as a suspect in the case.

Lobo got friendly with the slain British girl Scarlett Eden Keeling, little after she arrived in Goa with her mother in November last year.

Police investigations have revealed that the 15-year-old, who was found dead on Anjuna beach on February 18, had left her mother and shifted to live with Lobo, three weeks before her death.

Police have already arrested D’Souza and Carvalho in the case.

After claiming to have cracked the case, the police are now prosecuting Lobo under Goa Children’s Act, 2003.

Lobo is in the dock as Scarlett was a minor.

The investigating authorities said that, if convicted in the court, Lobo will face severe punishment for having sex with the minor as it amounts to grave sexual abuse as per Indian laws.

Earlier, anticipating arrest, Lobo had moved the Goa Children’s Court and secured a bail.

Three weeks before her death, Scarlett had shifted to Lobo’s place at Siolim, few kilometers away from Anjuna beach.

Scarlett’s diary, which is possessed by police, speaks of her sexual encounter with Lobo. (PTI)

Man accused of raping own daughter

MUMBAI, Mar 22: A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her own father in South-central Mumbai, police said today.

A complaint in this regard has been lodged by the girl’s step-mother, they said.

The woman, who works as a house-maid, has accused her husband, Jakir Husain Laskar (37), of raping the girl yesterday.

She, in her complaint, said she had left for work yesterday morning and the girl and the father were alone at home.

When she returned in the afternoon, she found the girl crying and on inquiring, the girl narrated the incident to her, the woman has told the police in her complaint. The man has been taken into custody, the police said. (UNI)

Vajpayee celebrates holi with BJP leaders

NEW DELHI, Mar 22: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today made his first public appearance in recent months on the occasion of Holi, but chose not to make any comments before the media.

The 83-year-old leader, looking hale and cheerful, accepted greetings and was also seen making brief responses to the guests during his hour-long appearance at his residence.

Advani, the saffron party’s prime ministerial face, and party chief Rajnath Singh were among the first to greet Vajpayee today.

Advani, after arriving, sought Vajpayee’s blessings and applied colour on him. Singh, who was standing nearby, then sought Advani’s blessings, which prompted some guests to term it as a "succession saga".

"He (Vajpayee) is recognising everyone and also enquiring about each one as he accepted wishes," a family member said.

The festivities at Advani’s residence were at a high with top Central and State leaders gathering to extend their wishes to the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate.

Advani and his family members danced to songs as journalists joined them.

Rajnath Singh had hosted a cultural programme of Bhojpuri dance and songs at his official residence. (PTI)

SC Judge rejects sale of state-owned
assets to private sector

HYDERABAAD, Mar 22: Supreme Court Judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy today disapproved sale of State-owned assets to the private sector.

''The Government is only a trustee to protect the State-owned assets for the benefit of the community at large,'' he asserted, while inaugurating the fourth state-level conference of the Akila Bharatiya Adhivaka Parishad here.

Referring to the observations made by noted economicist Joseph Stiglitiz, he said ''whenever the Government gets less than the full value of the asset, the country is being cheated. There is a simple transfer of wealth from citizens as a whole to whoever gets the assets at a discount.

Sometimes, the wealth of the State went to individuals within the country rather than to a multinational corporation, he added.

Describing the Fundamental Rights and directive principles as ''conscience'' of the Constitution, having deep roots in the independence struggle to usher in a non-violent social revolution in the country, he said many polices and executive decisions that the State had taken and continued to take ''could not stand the scrutiny of the Constitution, whatever the effort''.

''When we admit, even indirectly, that economic disparties are increasing or that equality of opportunity could not be secured in respect of several things such as education, health, employment, this is a clear admission that the State has not fulfilled its duty as delineated in the Constituon,'' he said.

When we clearly saw that there had been concentration of wealth and means of production in a few hands or control of material resources of the community serves only the interests of some, these phenomena were not merely failure to fulfil promises, but in reality amounts to violation of the Constituion. Whatever be the reasons, violations of the Constitution could be looked upon as a mere breach of election promises, he added. (UNI)