Tuesday, March 23, 1999
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Sajjan Kumar incited mob:
witness
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 Marshal I.D. Sergeyev, Defence Minister of Russia, with Defence Minister George Fernandes in New Delhi on Monday. — Photo by Vijender Tyagi
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DGCA yet to clear US-registered
plane AHMEDABAD, March 22 — The Director-General of Civil Aviation has not yet given clearance to the US-registered two-seater aircraft, detained by the authorities here since March 17 along with its two-member crew for having violated Indian airspace laws. NATO expansion: Gujral
wants India to react
Plea
to Centre on Kashmir migrants India
offers gene bank facilities to SAARC BJP,
Cong trade charges on CVC Cartoonists’
protest against murder Bill
on Delhi power sector soon: Kapoor |
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Sajjan Kumar incited mob: witness NEW DELHI, March 22 (PTI) — A key witness in a 1984 riot case today submitted before a city court that a mob instigated by Congress leader Sajjan Kumar had killed her husband here a day after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Deposing before Additional Sessions Judge Sharda Aggarwal prosecution witness Anwar Kaur said that her husband Nevin Singh was killed by the mob on November 1, 1984 in front of her residence in Sultanpuri in West Delhi. "The mob set my house on fire and dragged my husband from the house. Accused Nathu Pradhan hit him with a "ballam" and others started giving lathi blows. As a consequence, he (Nevin) died. The mob brought beddings etc from my house, put these on my husband and set him ablaze by pouring kerosene oil", Kaur told the court. She identified Sajjan Kumar, Udhal, Jai Bhagwan, Nathu Pradhan and a kerosene dealer Gupta among the accused persons and alleged that they set the gurdwara on fire and entered in the lanes shouting slogans to kill the "Sardars". "All persons were in mob and beating (Nevin) while Sajjan was instigating the mob", she said adding "the mob was armed with lathis 'sariyas', and accused Udhal was holding a gun". "We had gone to lodge
a report at the police post but our reports were not
recorded by the police. Thereafter, I along with others
went to the court where our grievances were
recorded", she said. |
India, Russia sign defence
agreement NEW DELHI, March 22 — India and Russia today further cemented their defence ties with the signing of defence agreement on training of Indian service officer in military educational institutions of the Russian federation. The agreement was signed on the occasion of Russian Defence Minister Marshal Igor Dmitrievich Sergeyev’s five-day official visit to India. Marshal Sergeyev is in India since March 19. The agreement signed today lays down broad terms and conditions of the training programme, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) release here said. The agreement assumes importance since the USA has discontinued training of Indian Service Officers after the Pokhran blasts. Earlier Marshal Sergeyev called on Defence Minister George Fernandes at the South Block here and the two leaders held discussions on the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders also explored possibilities of further strengthening and speeding up the process of defence cooperation between the two countries. Mr Fernandes recalled the
long-standing defence ties between New Delhi and Moscow
and expressed hope that these would be further
consolidated in the years to come. |
DGCA yet to clear US-registered plane AHMEDABAD, March 22 (PTI) — The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not yet given clearance to the US-registered two-seater aircraft, detained by the authorities here since March 17 along with its two-member crew for having violated Indian airspace laws. Official sources told PTI here today that though the Customs authorities had given clearance to the two-member crew, one of whom is a British national, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was awaiting final clearance from DGCA before allowing the crew to be air-borne. Both the pilot and his navigator, detained for over-flying Indian airspace without permission and not possessing proper immigration papers, were being grilled by officials of various central government organisations in the backdrop of rumours that the small aircraft was fitted with cameras to take pictures of sensitive installations in the country. The duo was detained immediately after they made a "technical landing" here on the morning of March 17 with their turbo-prop aircraft. The Alpha Charlie six tango multi-engine aircraft, reportedly belonging to the Cooper Aerial Survey, an English company, has American registration number (N-71-VE). The plane, coming from
some southeast Asian destination via Calcutta and Nagpur
was heading for Karachi when it made a "technical
landing" at the Sardar Patel International airport
here. |
Concern over minorities’ rights NEW DELHI, March 22 (PTI) — The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today expressed deep concern and frustration over the “political manoeuvres” of the BJP governments in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to “tamper with statutory mechanisms” relating to constitutional rights of minorities. Reacting to the Gujarat government’s rejection of the NCM’s recommendation to replace the Gujarat Minorities Board with a statutory state minorities commission, the NCM said the board was no better than a subordinate government department. Recalling that the board was elevated from the status of a registered society to a corporation by the Shankersinh Vaghela government and subsequently reverted to its earlier status by the present regime, NCM chairman Tahir Mahmood said: “In the absence of any autonomy worth the name, the board is rendering no useful service to minorities in the state”. Following attacks on Christians in the state last year, the NCM had recommended replacing the board with a commission. He also expressed concern over the passage of the State Minorities Commission (Amendment) Bill moved by the UP government in the state Assembly saying it sought to reduce the present three-year statutory tenure of the commission to one year. “These political
manoeuvres to tamper with statutory mechanisms relating
to constitutional rights of minorities blatantly
contradict the oft-repeated assurances of governments
concerned that they are committed to protection and
development of minorities. The speech-action contrast in
both cases is indeed flabbergasting,” he said. |
TN minister punched on nose in House CHENNAI, March 22 (UNI) — All hell broke loose in the Tamil Nadu Assembly this noon after AIADMK Legislature Party Leader R. Thamaraikani punched Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam on the nose after a heated exchange of words. Speaker P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan ordered the arrest of Mr Thamaraikani. The minister, who suffered a deep cut on the bridge of his nose, was given first aid in the Speaker's chamber. The trouble started when Mr Thamaraikani dragged the name of Mr M.K. Azhagiri, son of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, while alleging that the hands of the police were tied in the state. Mr Arumugam took objection to this and there was a wordy duel following which the AIADMK member punched the minister on the nose. The Speaker first suspended Mr Thamaraikani, along with his party colleague Mr Karuppasamy who raised the issue of police inaction for the rest of the session but later ordered the arrest of Mr Thamaraikani. He also ordered that the two should not stay in the MLAs' hostel here till the end of the assembly session. There was tension in the House when members of the treasury benches rushed menacingly towards the two AIADMK members from all directions after the assault, even as Opposition leaders including Leader of the Opposition S. Balakrishnan, Mr D. Mony (CPM), K. Subbarayan (CPI), M. Abdul Latheef (INL), S. Thirunavukarasu (MGR-ADMK), and I. Ganesan (PMK) formed a human wall between the AIADMK member and the minister. Despite this, some ruling party members managed to land a couple of blows on Mr Thamaraikani and Mr Karuppasamy. Others were prevented by the opposition leaders who ducked the two members under their seats and provided a virtual shield by standing around them. With a stunned Speaker remaining speechless for sometime, it was a virtual free for all for the next five minutes in the House. The watch and ward staff, sensing that the situation was getting out of hand, rushed into the House and joined the opposition leaders in providing protection to the two MLAs. They had a tough time in holding back the furious ruling party members, one of whom was seen brandishing a footwear. In the melee, some of the staff were roughed up by members. Mr Karunanidhi, who was unwell, and Leader of the House and Education Minister K. Anbazgagan were not present in the House when the incident took place. When the House was back in order, and the Speaker said he was anguished over the AIADMK MLAs' behaviour. Before the House resume its discussion on the Budget, members, cutting across party lines, condemned Mr Thamaraikani's action with Mr Thirunavukkarasu and Mr A. Dheeran (Tamil Pattali Makkal Kazhgam) demanding "criminal action" against him. However, Law Minister Aladi Aruna said the House had "ample powers" to sentence him, as the offence had taken place before the eyes of the presiding officer, ministers, senior members, the press and the public watching the proceedings from the viewers' gallery. Mr Latheef argued that the sovereignty of the House would be compromised if a police investigation was ordered. Instead, the Speaker should use his sovereign power to take such action on his own against Mr Thamaraikani as was warranted. Speaker P.T. Palanivel Rajan said he would consider all precedents and rulings before deciding on his course of action, but appeared to rule out a police complaint, when he said he would examine the legal position on whether the House itself could try the offending member like a court. Public Works Minister
Durai Murugan wanted an immediate ruling, but the Speaker
cautioned the House that it should not be seen as having
acted in haste. He would give his ruling tomorrow. |
NATO expansion NEW DELHI, March 22— Former Prime Minister and senior Janata Dal leader Inder Kumar Gujral today urged India to activate itself to express concern in the world fora over the recent expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). In a statement issued here today, the former Prime Minister regretted that the Indian Government had neither commented not taken a position on some of the NATO activities and ramifications they could have beyond the frontiers of Europe. He pointed out that these recent developments in Europe were important enough to merit comments from India. Mr Gujral said that with the cold war over, the demise of the Soviet Union and containment of the European Communism, the world would have rightly thought that the military organisation having served its perceived purpose had been rendered superfluous. But this was apparently not the case as the members of NATO would be meeting in Washington next month to mark not only its 50th anniversary but also its expansion into Eastern Europe with the admission of Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in the organisation. Without in any way commenting on the sovereign rights of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland of joining the Organisation to meet their own perceived security concerns, “ I would like to express my concern at this development since it opens the doors for NATO to continue its new process of enlargements,” he said. The former Prime Minister was of the view that such enlargements were perpetuating the existence of military alliance systems when nations should be considering options that would help in building a peaceful and democratic world order. He added that with this in mind, India must take note of the Russian federation’s security anxieties concerned with the process of this enlargement that was likely to affect the orientations of the forthcoming elections of Duma and the Presidency. He pointed out that only
through consensual politics within the framework of the
United Nations world community could effectively protect
international peace and guarantee the security of the
nations in the coming millennium. |
Plea to Centre on Kashmir migrants NEW DELHI, March 22 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum (JKDF), a socio-political organisation today asked the Centre to take notice of the problems being faced by Kashmiri Pandit migrants, particularly those living in tented camps in Jammu and Udhampur. “The condition of the migrants in Jammu and Udhampur is pitiable. The tented camps are no better than slums and it is unfortunate that the community members have to survive in such conditions”, JKDF President Bhushan Bazaz said here after a visit to some of these tenements. Accusing the state Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, of turning a blind eye to the migrants’ plight, he said the “inhuman conditions in the camps in which the displaced people of Kashmir are living amply demonstrates the human rights abuse they are undergoing”. Mr Bazaz also alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre was “ignoring” the ground realities of Kashmir where “the situation is worsening day by day”. “The Vajpayee
government does not seem to care about the deterioration
of situation in Kashmir and appears to be only interested
in seeing that the National Conference government keeps
running there,” he said. |
Conservation of crop resources NEW DELHI, March 22 (PTI) — India has invited fellow nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to use its gene banks for conserving their crop genetic resources. India has one of the largest gene banks of the world and the SAARC countries “may think of utilising these facilities to conserve their valuable germplasm” of crop species, Agriculture Minister Som Pal said here today. The SAARC countries should evolve a common action plan to combat the factors leading to loss and extinction of plant wealth, the minister said, inaugurating a four-day SAARC workshop on germplasm exchange and intellectual property rights (IPR) issues. The SAARC nations should also jointly resolve issues related to plant genetic resources as patents sought outside the SAARC region on rice, turmeric, neem and chick-pea are “undermining the authority of gene-rich countries over their resources,” he warned. He asked the member countries to develop a joint approach towards international developments related to ownership and access to plant genetic resources. With plant genetic
resources emerging as the most potent tool for economic
growth, SAARC nations should evolve a consensus on
collection, conservation and utilisation of these
resources, the minister said. |
BJP, Cong trade charges on CVC NEW DELHI, March 22 — While the BJP and the Congress are trading charges on the responsibility over imminent lapse of the ordinance on the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the Central Bureau of India and the CVC yet are in the process of evolving a structured interaction. For the time being, the structuring of the interaction which was being worked out will be stalled after April 4, the day the Ordinance lapses and the CVC reverts to its earlier administrative status. Eversince the new arrangement came into being, the CVC was not supervising day-to-day investigations but monitoring the progress of cases, the quantum of pendency concerning investigation and trial etc, sources in the Bureau said today. There were some two or three meetings till date and both were in the process of evolving a mechanism for regular interaction, the sources said. The Bill on the CVC which was to replace the ordinance promulgated by the BJP-led coalition during August last was passed by the Lok Sabha during the first-half of the budget session but the Rajya Sabha could not take it up for consideration before going into recess on March 19. The sources said, as per the current arrangement the CVC supervises the functioning of the Bureau under which a list of cases in which probe is underway was submitted to the CVC. The CVC, which is headed by the Central Vigilance Commissioner, was inquiring into the status of cases, their progress and holding coordination meetings at intervals. Under earlier arrangement the CBI used to refer cases where it suggested departmental action against government servants on charges of corruption to the CVC and in some cases, the CVC did take up cases concerning government/public sector undertaking employees on recommendation by vigilance set-ups in various units. The CVC at best had an advisory role and certain cases in which the CBI had carried out probe were referred to it before prosecution could be launched, the sources said. With the lapsing of ordinance, the CVC will revert to its early administrative status and not enjoy the Statutory powers conferred upon the body through the ordinance. The Supreme Court had given directions during December, 1997 that statutory status should be conferred upon the CVC. Several consequences of the conferment of such status were also directed by the apex court. The Centre promulgated the ordinance during August, 1998 but certain provisions of it were objected to the amicus curiae in the apex court. In order to rectify the position and after obtaining the views of the Attorney-General of India, an amendment was promulgated during October, last year. The amendments among other things, laid down the constitution of the CVC to consist of a Chairperson and not more than four Vigilance Commissioners, their qualification, the procedure through which the Chairperson is to be selected, tenure etc. The Union Parliamentary
Affairs Minister, Mr P.R. Kumaramangalam, had mentioned
last week that the Ordinance would lapse on April 4. |
Cartoonists’ protest against murder NEW DELHI, March 22 — Members of the Cartoonists Club of India today drew cartoons on the lawns of Constitution Club in protest against the murder of Senior Cartoonist of Outlook Irfan Hussain. Irfan Hussain was reportedly abducted and murdered on March 6 by unidentified persons. His decomposed body was found from Ghazipur in East Delhi on March 13. The police is still clueless about the culprits. The cartoonist expressed anger about the deteriorating law and order situation by drawing cartoons. Through cartoons they tried to express the links between criminals, leaders and the police. The cartoonists included
Ranga, Sudhir Dar, Rajender Puri, Sushil Kalra, Irfan
Khan and Jagjit Rana. |
Bill on Delhi power sector
soon: Kapoor NEW DELHI, March 22 (PTI) —A comprehensive Bill to reform and restructure the cash-strapped power sector in the Capital will soon be introduced in the Delhi Assembly, Lt-Governor Vijai Kapoor said today. The government has already initiated the process of the formation of the Delhi electricity regulatory commission, he said while blaming the previous administration for allowing the power crisis to assume alarming proportions. Addressing the assembly on the opening day of its first Budget session, Lt-Governor Kapoor said a low cost housing corporation would be set up soon to provide dwelling units to the poor and the underprivileged in the capital. A sum of Rs 5 crore had been allocated to provide houses for safai karamcharis of the municipal corporation. The assembly mourned the murder of three journalists, who were killed recently in different areas of the capital. The MLAs stood in silence for a while as mark of respect to the departed journalist — Shivani Bhatnagar of The Indian Express, Irfan Hussain of Outlook magazine and Anil Rattan, a freelancer. An obituary reference was
also made about the fire victims of March 14 at Yamuna
Pushta in North Delhi. |
Srinagar-Leh OFC route okayed NEW DELHI, March 22 — The Telecom Commission has approved a proposal for the commissioning of an optical fibre cable (OFC) route from Srinagar to Leh to be executed jointly by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Army. The 439-km-long cable
route would be underground between Srinagar and Kargil,
and overhead between Kargil and Leh.Estimated to cost
approximately Rs 11 crore the project is expected to be
completed in two years, an official release said here
today. |
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| Father rapes daughter NEW DELHI: A four-year old girl was allegedly raped by her father on Sunday in the Nangloi area of West Delhi. The suspect, Ved Prakash, has been arrested. A rickshaw puller, he was allegedly drunk at 11.45 a.m. when he came to his house in Qamruddin Nagar and dragged her daughter to the first floor, the police said. When, Shakuntla, the mother of the child, found her husband allegedly sexually assaulting the girl, she raised the alarm following which neighbours gathered, and handed him over to the police. — (FOC) 2 die in jeep-truck
collision ZP Cong men to
face action Lt-Governor
hospitalised 2 die in train
mishap Advocate boycott
courts Explosion kills 2 Former Dy CM
escapes unhurt Scholarship loan
for Dalits Train services
disrupted |
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