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Tension in Manipur as student leader dies State mourning in Assam
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Try Taslimuddin outside Bihar, says BJP
Punjab demands 194 cr from FCI for foodgrain loss Evolve permanent mechanism to avert floods, say MPs
All-party meeting on poll reform soon Arjun rejects RSS demand for apology Four take oath as RS members Trial stayed in Becker nude photo case SC notice to Patna SSP on Pappu Yadav SC replaces prosecutor in Best Bakery case
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Tension in Manipur as student leader dies Imphal, August 16 The sources said 28-year-old Pebam Chitaranjan, who received 90 per cent burns while attempting to set himself ablaze yesterday, died at 2 pm today at the Regional Institute of Medical Science Hospital here. Reports said security and police posts were put on maximum alert as the news of the death of Chitaranjan, advisor to the Manipur Students Federation, spread like wildfire, creating tension in the valley. With his death, the number of persons who died during the current agitation has gone up to two. Earlier, 23-year-old Nimita, injured on August 7 by tear gas shells fired by the police, died yesterday. Meanwhile, eight prominent women leaders in the vanguard of the agitation were arrested as arterial roads were blocked and the first phase of the boycott of ‘India-made’ goods was launched by the 32 organisations spearheading the stir, the sources said. Those arrested included General Secretary of the All- Manipur Women Social Reformation and Development Samaj (AMWSRDS) Ima Ramani, Publicity Secretary of the All-Manipur Kanba Ima Lup (Mothers Group To Protect Manipur) Ima Ibetombi, former president of Thangmeiband Nupi Lup (a women’s group) Ima Gyaneswari and AMWSRDS member Tombi. A month-long action programme would begin tomorrow during which protest rallies would be launched, the organisations said. Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh said the government had withdrawn the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from seven Assembly segments in the Imphal municipal area on a trial basis.
— PTI |
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President’s rule in Manipur not ruled out New Delhi, August 16 "Whatever possible has to be done for restoring law and order in Manipur, will be done. We will exercise all options if nothing happens," he told mediapersons here. Asked specifically whether the Centre would consider all options, including imposition of President's rule, he said, "All options means all options. We will apply all measures possible." Asked again if that would mean the imposition of President's rule, Mr Jaiswal said, "I am neither confirming nor denying. But before anything else, law and order would have to be restored in the state, he added. Mr Jaiswal's statement assumes great significance as Manipuris continued to agitate demanding the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state. |
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Guwahati, August 16 An official spokesman said the national flag would fly at half-mast today while government employees throughout the state would wear black badges to denounce the heinous act of violence by militant outfits in which 13 persons, mostly schoolchildren, were killed in a bomb explosion at the parade ground in Dhemaji. Condolence meetings were being held in all district and sub-divisional headquarters to protest against the killing of innocent people. Students of various educational institutions will take out peace processions tomorrow to condemn the terror and violence unleashed by the militant outfit. On August 18, leading citizens, artists, intellectuals, freedom fighters and people from all walks of life will take out rallies and hold protest meetings against the killing. Outgoing Dhemaji Deputy Commissioner M. C. Sahu said 13 persons, including 10 children, had lost their lives and 25 were injured in the blast. Regarding the death toll, which was reported to be 16 yesterday, Mr Sahu said initially there was confusion regarding the number of dead, but later on after a ‘proper count’ it was found to be 13. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today announced ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of the 13 persons killed in the bomb blast. Announcing this at a condolence meeting organised at the state secretariat here, Mr Gogoi also said Rs 50,000 would be given to the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 to those with minor injuries. Meanwhile, normal life was paralysed in Assam’s Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts today due to the 12-hour bandh called by the All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in protest against the Dhemaji killing. A senior police official said over telephone from Dhemaji that there was no untoward incident so far and tight security cordon has been thrown throughout the district. The cremation of those killed was scheduled to be held by this evening amidst tight security. In another incident, an ULFA militant suspected to be behind the cinema blast on Saturday was killed in an encounter with the police in the Kalahat area under Dhubri police station today. A revolver, 45 rounds of ammunitions, a hand grenade and a bag were recovered from the militant.
— PTI |
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Parliament condemns Assam blast New Delhi, August 16 Members in the Rajya Sabha observed a minute’s silence in the memory of those killed after Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat read out an obituary statement. The Lok Sabha also condemned the killings in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir during the Independence Day celebrations.
German minister dismayed German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer today sent a message to the External Affairs condemning yesterday’s terrorist attack in Assam. According to a statement issued by the German Embassy here, Mr Fischer said, “It was with dismay that I heard the news of the devastating bomb attack on the celebration marking Indian Independence Day in
Dhemaji.” |
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Try Taslimuddin outside Bihar, says BJP New Delhi, August 16 BJP Vice-President and former Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi said the court had already rejected the contention of the prosecution that there was lack of sufficient evidence against the minister and the plea that the complainant was not interested in pursuing the case and had issued arrest warrants against the minister. He said the complainant, in whose house the murder had taken place, was “helpless” against the “powerful accused”. “It is a fact that there are several provisions of the CrPC that cannot be compounded even if the complainant cannot pursue the case. A murder charge is one such provision,” Mr Modi noted, adding that cases under the Arms Act and those of murder could not be withdrawn through compromises between the complainant and the accused. He said since no witness was likely to depose against the accused in Bihar, it would be “better to transfer the case to another state for a fair trial”. Cases faced by Bihar strongman Mohammad
Shahabuddin, MP, had been transferred to Jharkhand. Similarly, Mr Taslimuddin’s case should also be transferred to another state, he said. Mr Modi said that though Mr Shahabuddin had mentioned to the Returning Officer about the cases pending, he had “concealed” information about the court arrest warrant pending against him for the past four years. Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said National Democratic Alliance leaders had considered the issue at their morning meeting and decided to raise it in both Houses of Parliament. The matter was raised in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour but the combined Opposition staged a walkout as it did not get permission from the Chair to raise the issue. She said it would be appropriate for the Prime Minister, who had talked about “morality and transparency” in administration on Independence Day, should get rid of the “tainted” ministers in one go to save himself from the embarrassment of seeking their resignations one by one. Last time, the Opposition had raised the issue of former Coal and Mines Minister Shibu Soren and he had to go ultimately, she recalled, claiming that the case would not be different with Mr Taslimuddin now. |
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Jamshedpur, August 16 Chief Judicial Magistrate A.K. Chaturvedi granted bail to the former Coal and Mines Minister, who was brought here from Jamtara in the morning. Soren, who is already in judicial custody in Jamtara in connection with the 1975 Chirrudih massacre case, was represented in the Jamshedpur court by his lawyer. He asked how a non-bailable arrest warrant could be issued against Soren in connection with the law violation case when there was no chargesheet against him. An FIR had been lodged against Soren and hundreds of JMM workers allegedly for violating prohibitory orders when they assembled in front of Chamaria guest house in Bistupur to pay floral tributes to their slain president Nirmal Mahto on August 8, 1999. The JMM workers had not only defied Section 144 CrPC promulgated in the city in view of the assembly elections in then undivided Bihar but the activists had also opened fire in the air on the occasion, the FIR said. Two magistrates and one doctor accompanied the JMM strongman when he was brought from Jamtara by the police. Soren will appear before the District and Sessions Court on August 17 in connection with the Chirrudih massacre case. While the Jamshedpur court granted bail to
Soren, his bail petitions were rejected by Jamtara and Giridih courts in connection with separate cases.
— PTI |
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Punjab demands 194 cr from FCI for foodgrain loss New Delhi, August 16 “The Government of Punjab has submitted a claim of Rs 194.39 crore towards reimbursement on account of losses,” the Minister of State of Consumer Affairs, Food
and Public Distribution, Dr Akhilesh Prasad Singh, told the Lok Sabha in a
written reply. In a reply to a question by Amritsar MP Navjor Singh Sidhu, the minister said, “the government has asked the Punjab Government to submit the relevant details of the damaged wheat to the FCI, with documentary evidence”. In reply to another question by Mr Sidhu, the minister
said the government had received a representation from the Punjab Government for financial assistance for sugar mills in Punjab. Dr Singh said the Punjab Government had requested for a one-time financial assistance to sugar mills from the Centre, enabling them to clear their arrears of about Rs 100 crore of sugarcane. The Punjab Government has requested that the Centre should provide interest-free loan out of the Sugar Development Fund to cooperative sugar mills without any condition of government guarantee to enable them to expand their capacity and modernise their equipment. For cane price arrears of the 2002-03 sugar season, the Punjab Government has
been offered assistance under the scheme of open market borrowings after complying with conditions mentioned therein. Under the conditions, the state government would be extended financial support to meet the interest liability to the extent of difference between the coupon rate on the bonds raised through
additional market borrowings and 4 per cent (the rate at which loan is being extended to the sugar mills). The state governments would, in turn, extend a 10-year loan to the sugar mills with a ceiling interest rate of 4 per cent per annum. This loan will have moratorium on repayment of principal and interest for a period of five years and would, thereafter, be repaid in five equal
installments. |
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Evolve permanent mechanism to avert floods, New Delhi, August 16 Members cutting across party line, particularly from Bihar, Assam and Orissa, urged the government to initiate a dialogue with neighbouring Himalayan countries to build dams in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Participating in a special discussion on the situation caused by floods and drought in the country, Members in the Lok Sabha said it was ironical that India was facing natural calamities frequently even after over 50 years of planning. Initiating the discussion, Mr Prabodh Panda of the CPI said the flood situation was worse in Assam and Bihar and should be treated as a national disaster. Mr Madhusudan Mistry of the Congress underlined the need for urgent Central assistance to Gujarat which had been hard hit by floods. In Rajya Sabha, a strong demand was made by the Members for providing more funds for interlinking of rivers and undertaking a time-bound programme to strengthen river embankments in vulnerable states. Terming that the government should initiate these measures as part of its long-term flood control measures to overcome havoc caused by floods year after year, the Elders warned that if these steps were not taken crores of people would continue to suffer the vagaries of weather. |
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All-party meeting on poll reform soon New Delhi, August 16 “We will discuss with political parties at the earliest to evolve a consensus,” Law Minister H. R. Bhardwaj said during Question Hour. He said the government had received a fresh set of proposals on electoral reforms and those were under consideration. Observing that the process of electoral reforms was continuous and ongoing based on the consenus arrived at among political parties, he said it was time consuming and, therefore, it was not possible to indicate any definite time frame. Mr Bhardwaj said the proposals had been received from the EC on August 2 and some might even require constitutional amendment. In reply to another question, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath informed the House that any export of foodgrain would be considered only after ensuring sufficient domestic availability. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, he said a new foodgrain export policy was at an advanced stage of consideration and an Inter-Ministerial Committee was looking into it. |
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Arjun rejects RSS demand for apology
New Delhi, August 16 “As a Congress worker it has been an article of faith for me to fight against all communal forces, which I have been doing for the past 45 years. The question of my submitting a written apology to the RSS, therefore, simply does not arise. I am prepared for any sacrifice that I may be called upon to make and will treat it as a great honour for myself,” Mr Arjun Singh said in a statement at a press conference. Asked about RSS query whether he made the statement in his capacity as HRD Minister or as AICC member, he said, “I have no separate identity except as an ordinary Congress worker.” The minister said he stood by every word of his written statement issued last week. On reports that he was targeting the Prime Minister’s post by raising the RSS issue, Mr Arjun Singh said, “I am not in any way posturing for the Prime Minister’s post”. Commenting on the legal notice served on him by the RSS Delhi unit, he said the matter would be dealt with by his legal adviser. Asked whether he had consulted Congress President Sonia Gandhi before issuing the latest statement, the HRD Minister said: “It is not necessary that before every statement I should consult the party President.” However, he said it would be unfair to project that he wished to violate the directives of either the Prime Minister or the party President.
On the RSS allegation that his brother, Mr Ranabahadur Singh, was the district Sanghchalak of the RSS in Madhya Pradesh, he said there were many people in a family. “In this modern age, one should only talk about oneself, not others,” he said. |
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Four take oath as RS members New Delhi, August 16 The other three members, Mr Ajay Singh Chautala of the INLD, Mr Janardhan Diwedi of the Congress and Mr Tarlochan Singh (Independent), took the oath in the presence of Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Soon after, the Chairman in his obituary reference condoled the death of former members S. Chenna Reddy and M. R. Krishna and the House observed a two-minute silence. During Question Hour, an off-the-cuff remark by RJD member Prem Chand resulted in stalling of the proceedings for 10 minutes as angry Opposition members trooped into the well of the House, objecting to his statement and demanding an apology. |
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Trial stayed in Becker nude photo case New Delhi, August 16 Becker, who had later married the girl, had posed nude with her after a match in Germany to protest against his countrymen opposing their marriage because the girl was black skinned. Admitting Sarkar’s appeal against the Calcutta High Court’s order, refusing to intervene in the trial court proceedings in the case, a Bench of Mr Justice Shivaraj V. Patil and Mr Justice B.N. Srikrishna agreed with the contention of Sarkar’s counsel Falai S. Nariman that the publication of such photos could not be described as violative of law. Nariman submitted that the photograph published by Sports World was not the original, but was reproduced after it had appeared in a German magazine, “Stern”. “The photograph could not be described as purient as Becker had posed nude with his fiancee who was a dark-skinned woman, sought to protest against the racial prejudices and the vices of apartheid as prevalent all over the world,” Sarkar in his petition, said. The photograph was taken by the father of Becker’s fiancee as was stated in the article, written in the German magazine, which was adapted by Sports World, it said. The case against Sarkar and his newspaper group was registered on a complaint filed by a Kolkata advocate, alleging that by publishing the nude photograph, Sports World had violated Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code, which prohibits publication of “obscene” material and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. A Kolkata magistrate had taken cognisance of the complaint and initiated legal proceedings against Sarkar and the Anand Bazar Patrika newspaper group. Sarkar had further stated that the magistrate had even refused to take into account the letter of the Deputy Collector of Customs, endorsing the fact that the German magazine import was not prohibited in India. If its sale was allowed, how could action be taken against Sports World reproducing the photograph, Sarkar in his plea, said. |
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SC notice to Patna SSP on Pappu Yadav New Delhi, August 16 A Bench of Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice S. B. Sinha, which had earlier sought replies from various authorities of the Bihar Government about violation of jail norms by Yadav, also sought reply from the Madhepura fast-track court Sessions Judge as to how a production warrant was issued to him on a holiday on May 3 last when he was seen moving in the area during election campaign. A senior doctor of Patna Medical College was also issued notice to give details about the circumstances under which Yadav was admitted in the ICU instead of the general ward on March 16, when arrested on the cancellation of his bail. Yadav’s bail was cancelled by the apex court on March 3 in the trade union leader Ajit Sarkar murder case. Instead of being sent to jail, he was admitted to Patna Medical College and had allegedly occupied two ICU rooms there. However, he has since been shifted to jail after the matter came to the apex court’s notice last month. |
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SC replaces prosecutor in Best Bakery case New Delhi, August 16 A Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice H. K. Sema appointed senior Mumbai-based lawyer P. R. Vakil as Special Public Prosecutor and Ms Manjula Rao as Associate Public Prosecutor to assist him and directed the Maharashtra Government to notify their appointments before the next hearing of the case before a special court. With this order, the apex court virtually removed Gujarat Government appointed P.P. Atul Mehta. His appointment was challenged by NGO Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP), which had taken up the Best Bakery case for retrial and transfer outside Gujarat in the Supreme Court on behalf of key witness and surviving Best Bakery carnage victim Zahira Sheikh. The appointment of the new prosecutors was supported by victim’s counsel. The court also issued notices to seven of the 21 accused, who could not be arrested by the Gujarat Government so far, on a contempt petition for their not abiding by the court’s order directing them to surrender before the trial court. |
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