Wednesday, June 2, 1999
|
N A T I O N |
|
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
 |
|
|
1,000 preventive arrests in TN CHENNAI, June 1 — About 1,000 persons from various parts of Tamil Nadu have been taken into preventive custody as part of stepped up vigil in the wake of the seizure of time bombs which had targeted police establishments. Cong slams defence officers’ briefing NEW DELHI, June 1 — The Congress today criticised the briefing on Kargil given by two serving officers of the armed forces to the BJP National Executive meeting on Monday. |
 |
‘Hero
of Batalik’ title for Major Saravanan |
|
Anti-Pak rally held Cease hostilities, say
intellectuals NCP awaits response Manu's judicial remand extended SAD working panel announced Media predicts hung House |
|||||
 |
||||||
1,000 preventive arrests in TN CHENNAI, June 1 (UNI, PTI) — About 1,000 persons from various parts of Tamil Nadu have been taken into preventive custody as part of stepped up vigil in the wake of the seizure of time bombs which had targeted police establishments in the city, Tirchirapalli and Coimbatore. According to reports received here, most of the arrested were members of fundamentalist organisations. A report from Madurai said more than 50 persons, mostly belonging to a minority community, were arrested in the city and the suburban areas. The report also said security had been stepped at the famous Meenakshi temple in the city and the Subramania Swamy temple near Madurai. A report from Kanyakumari said 18 persons were detained at Thengaipattinam where the police had unearthed “coconut bombs” in large numbers last year. Metal detectors have been installed at the entrances of the temples and devotees are being frisked before allowing entry. Besides, posting police in all sensitive areas and railway stations, the police are also conducting vehicle checks. Struck by the similarity of the boxes used to assemble the time bombs, the police was also trying to ascertain whether these boxes were bought in bulk from any particular place in the state. The state crime branch of the police which has been entrusted with the investigation is also probing inter-state ramifications. As the Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi had suspected the involvement of the Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the planting of the bombs, the police were also pursuing the lead. Meanwhile, the CB-CID police is believed to have submitted a report confirming that the gaping hole in one of the rooms of the Victoria Hostel in the Triplicane area in Chennai, was caused by a bomb explosion. Earlier the state government had denied any blast at the hostel. NAGERCOIL: Twelve persons, including a Tamizhaga Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) activist, have been arrested in Kanyakumari district following the recovery of bombs in three cities of Tamil Nadu in the past two days. District Superintendent of Police K. Vanniyaperumal told newsmen here on Tuesday that the 12 had been arrested as a preventive measure. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala police has stepped up vigil and is maintaining close contact with the police in neighbouring states following recent seizures of explosives in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. According to police
sources, security has been tightened at entry points and
places like airports, major railway stations and bus
terminals. |
Cong slams defence
officers’ briefing NEW DELHI, June 1 — The Congress today criticised the briefing on Kargil given by two serving officers of the armed forces to the BJP National Executive meeting on Monday and said it was "totally unacceptable". The reaction came in reply to a question on the presence of the Director-General (Military Operations), Lt-Gen N.C. Vij, and the Additional Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations), Air Vice Marshal S.K. Malik, at the ruling party’s National Executive meeting where the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, who belongs to the alliance partner, the Samata Party, was a special invitee. The Defence Minister apparently had taken the two senior officers along with him to the meeting. "It is highly objectionable. It has never happened. It should not have happened’’, AICC General Secretary Pranab Mukherjee said, and added that if any party wanted to be briefed by any agency of the government, it should have approached the political executive (the Prime Minister) or the minister concerned (the Defence Minister). The initiative should have been with the ministers concerned who should have got the briefing and, in turn, divulged the details to the party. He said if serving
officers were to be called in for the briefing, then no
single party could be given this special privilege. An
all-party meeting could be convened and the briefing
should be for all leaders, he said. |
Another Siachen likely? NEW DELHI, June 1 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, has not ruled out the possibility of the remote regions of Kargil being manned throughout the year, which would be many more times costlier than guarding the Siachen glacier. The logistical exercise that could accompany such an operation is most likely to dwarf the costs currently being incurred in maintaining forces in Siachen. Mr Fernandes said as per the assessments made by the Indian Army, the costs of maintaining troops in this inhospitable area would cost three times the amount being currently spent in Siachen. " We spend approximately Rs 3.2 crore per day for maintaining troops in Siachen.The cost of such an exercise in the Kargil region would be in the range of Rs 10 crore per day", the Defence Minister said. Sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the 200 km long stretch is the most difficult region along the LoC between India and Pakistan , although Siachen is also a difficult terrain. "But Siachen is walk-through as compared to this region (Kargil)", sources pointed out, adding that both India and Pakistan had discounted Army operations in this area which had so far remained unoccupied by both countries. After the attempts made by Pakistan to occupy the area, the region has to be manned throughout the year, sources said. "It was a Siachen like situation and the situation will be assessed later along with the measures that were required to be taken", the sources added. The Kargil area becomes inhospitable during winters and Dras is the second coldest inhabited place in the world with temperatures falling to — 60°C . The temperature in Dras drops due to "tunnelling effect" with cold winds blowing at speed. The Indian troops would have to hold on to key positions at heights ranging between 15,000 to 18,000 feet which receive nearly 10 feet of snow during winters. The Indian posts would be on inhospitable terrain and close to Pakistan making it vulnerable to firing by the Pakistani artillery. Incidentally, the National Highway 1 A, which serves a crucial link between Srinagar and the Ladakh region is already exposed to Pakistani artillery fire near Kargil. Even before the intruders entered the region, only early in the morning was there a lull in the shelling which would pick up during the day. As the Ladakh region and
Siachen glacier becomes inaccessible during the winter
months, it is extremely crucial for stocking up of
ration, stores and other essential provisions during the
summer months when the roads are open. |
Anti-Pak rally held NEW DELHI, June 1 — A large number of activists of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front led by former Indian Youth Congress President, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, today held a demonstration near the Pakistan High Commission against “adventurism of Pakistan in Kargil by sending infiltrators”. Holding placards denouncing Pakistan for indulging in “proxy war”, the demonstrators gathered near the Pakistan High Commission and handed over a memorandum. Condemning the prolonged militancy and terrorism let loose by Pakistan through the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Afghan militants, the memorandum said “it was painful to recall that preparations for the large-scale Pakistani infiltration had been going on when the two Prime Ministers, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr Nawaz Sharif, were signing the Lahore Declaration.” “This double talk on the part of your (Pakistan) government is painful,” the memorandum said. “By no stretch of imagination can you justify the pushing thousands of Afghans into the Indian territory who neither speak nor understand your language or ours,” it added. Mr Bitta demanded the
resignation of the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes,
for giving a clean chit to the Pakistan Government and
the ISI. “The statements made by Mr Fernandes needs
to be strongly condemned,” he said. |
Cease hostilities, say intellectuals NEW DELHI, June 1 (PTI) — Intellectuals and eminent personalities from India and Pakistan today appealed to both countries to exercise restraint and stop hostilities on the Kashmir front to save valuable resources for the betterment of people, especially the poor and needy in the two countries. “Both the countries cannot afford such adventures,” members and friends of ‘Association of Peoples of Asia’ (India and Pakistan Chapter), said in a statement here. They also appealed to people of both countries to build a strong peace initiative to bring moral pressure on their respective governments, saying “human life on both sides is precious, any killing is a loss to both our countries.” The signatories from the India Chapter include Mr B.K. Nehru (former diplomat), Mr Kuldip Nayyar (journalist), Ms Shabana Azmi (cine actress), Mr Jayant Malhotra (industrialist), Mr Mrinal Sen (film director), Mr Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (educationist), Ms Sonal Mansingh (dancer), Mr Sumit Chakravarti (journalist) and Mr Asghar Ali Engineer (writer). The signatories from the
Pakistan Chapter include Mr Shakil Ahmed Baloch (National
Assembly member), Mr Mubarak Ali (historian), Mr Karamat
Ali (trade unionist), Mr M.B. Naqvi (journalist), Mr Zaki
Hasan (educationist), Mr Abdul Khaliq Junejo (political
leader), Mr Tahir Mehammad Khan (former Federal
Minister), Ms Anis Haroon (woman activist), Mr Mujhid
Barelvi (writer) and Ms Iqbal Sultana (woman activist). |
NCP awaits response NEW DELHI, June 1 — Nearly a week after three expelled Congress leaders, led by Mr Sharad Pawar, floated the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the enlistment of support to the party from Congressmen in northern states continues to be dismal. Although the party is reported to have got an encouraging response in Maharashtra, the stronghold of Mr Pawar, and positive signals from North-East, the northern states where Mr Tariq Anwar was expected to play a major role, are yet to respond. The only breakthrough reported by Mr Anwar today at the party’s briefing was that a Congress MLA from Bihar, Mr Satish Kumar, had joined them. Mr Kumar, a member of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, said he was confident that many more Congressmen from the state would join the NCP soon. “It is only the beginning and you will hear good news in the days to come” Mr Anwar said. Mr Anwar also reported that Mr Amar Abid Alwi, a spokesman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, Committee had also joined the NCP. Another Congressman from Meerut, Mr Zaffar Akhtar, had also thrown in his lot with the Pawar group. Mr Anwar said the momentum would pick up after the party held its first national convention in Mumbai on June 10. He said talks were going
on with various parties to form a third front, but a
final decision would be taken only after the national
convention. |
Manu's judicial remand extended NEW DELHI, June 1 — A Delhi court today extended the judicial remand of Manu Sharma, the main accused in the Jessica Lal murder case, by 14 days. The Metropolitan Magistrate, Mr V.K. Khanna, extended the remand of Manu Sharma till June 13 after prosecution counsel contended that the case was in its initial stages of investigation. Prosecution counsel S.K.
Saxena contended that if the accused was released he
might hamper the investigation or tamper with the
evidence. |
SAD working panel announced NEW DELHI, June 1 — A 75-member working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal SAD, Delhi, was announced here today. Addressing a press conference, the President of the Delhi unit of the SAD, Mr Avtar Singh Hit, said the working committee would have 101 members. “The 75 members announced included 25 Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee members,” Mr Hit added. He further said the Delhi unit would now be rejuvenated by the formation of the working committee. “The complete working committee would be announced by June 10,” he said. With the expulsion of Mr Tohra from the SAD, the party would be able to regain lost ground soon, he added. Mr Hit alleged that
“financial mismanagement” was taking place
under the ‘new’ executive committee of the
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. |
‘Hero of Batalik’ title for Major Saravanan NEW DELHI, June 1 (PTI) — The Army has honoured Major Mariappan Saravanan, who died in a hand-to-hand combat with intruders in the Kargil sector two days ago, with the title of “Hero of Batalik”. Born on August 10, 1972, at Rameshwaram he was commissioned in the Bihar Regiment on March 11, 1995, from OTA, Chennai. JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government on Monday announced Rs 1 lakh in cash and 25 bighas of land in Indira Gandhi canal project area to kin of jawan Raj Kumar Punia, who was killed in the Kargil sector flushing out infiltrators. LUCKNOW: The UP Chief Minister, Mr Kalyan Singh, on Monday announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those belonging to UP killed in the Kargil sector. CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu
Government on Tuesday announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh
each to the families of Major Saravanan and sepoy
Selvakumar, who lost their lives while fighting
infiltrators at Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir. |
Media predicts hung House NEW DELHI, June 1 - Stability of the next Lok Sabha and alliances between political parties have emerged as the most important issues among mediapersons in a survey conducted by the Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC). According to a report compiled by the institute, 54 per cent of the 112 journalists drawn from 70 organisations in both print and electronic medium predicted a hung Parliament while 42 per cent said a combination would get a simple majority. A majority (56 per cent) of the respondents disapproved of the “media usurping the role of agenda setting”, while 41.9 per cent found nothing wrong with it. However, 60 per cent were of the opinion that media had a moderate influence on setting the poll agenda. On the other hand, 53.5 per cent said the media does not have the power to create leaders out of ordinary people while 77 per cent felt that media savvyness on the party of a leader helps them get better coverage. While an overwhelming 64.2 per cent felt that publishing opinion polls was not a healthy practice, 32.1 per cent said such polls could lead to sympathy with the winner. On the issue of leaders and their rating, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr Jyoti Basu are the two key leaders on the national scenario, while 60 per cent rated Mr Vajpayee as number one, 11.6 per cent did so at number two and 3 per cent between position three to eight. Mrs Sonia Gandhi was placed as number one by just 3.5 per cent and at place two by 19.6 per cent. Mr L.K. Advani was
placed number one by 4.4 per cent, Mr Sharad Pawar by
just 1.7 per cent and Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav by a mere 0.8
per cent. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav did not reckon anywhere
in the first place category. |
| H |
|
||
| Cop on duty run over MADURAI: A police Head Constable was mowed to death by a lorry when he tried to stop the vehicle for a routine check at Vadiapatti, near here, early on Monday. The Madurai rural police said, the deceased, Head Constable, Dhanraj, was checking vehicles, along with a Sub-Inspector and another Constable when the mishap occurred. He was rushed to the Government Rajaji Hospital here, where he was declared “brought dead” — UNI Dam blow-up: 5 in CBI net Notorious
narcotics dealer held Nine killed in
road mishap Minister’s
ancestral house set on fire CBI arrests DD
employee |
 |
 |
| Punjab
| Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | Chandigarh | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
