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Wednesday,
December 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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POTO fate hangs in balance Show video of attack: Cong MPs Advani not telling all: Congress
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Infiltrator’s confessions baffling
Border states to get 10 cr each Cold wave toll 74 in Bihar, UP Dying declaration must allure court’s confidence
A-I to operate Haj flights from Calicut NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT
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POTO fate hangs in balance New Delhi, December 18 This view of the government, which is strongly in favour of a stringent anti-terrorism law, is driven by the fact that it has the leverage of issuing a fresh anti-terrorism ordinance once the present Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) expires. According to sources, this way the Opposition and the government will save face as the former had taken a firm stand to oppose the anti-terrorism Bill tooth and nail. However, there was also a suggestion from a quarter that the winter session be adjourned sine die tomorrow itself after the debate on the attack on Parliament concludes as the only major business lying before the House is the introduction of the controversial anti-terrorism Bill. Their argument is when the stand of the government and the Opposition is very clear on the anti-terrorism Bill it would be meaningless to prolong the sitting till December 21, the scheduled last date of the winter session. However, a firm decision on whether Parliament session will continue till December 21 or will be
adjourned tomorrow itself will be taken only after the meeting of leaders of various political parties called by Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C Balayogi. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is likely to hold a meeting with the leaders of major political parties tomorrow to apprise them about the situation in the wake of the December 13 attack and also solicit their unflinching support to the government in its fight against terrorism. He is likely to take the Opposition into confidence on the various actions being contemplated by the NDA government to tackle terrorism. According to sources, Mr Vajpayee’s decision to hold a meeting with the Opposition comes in the wake of criticism from some opposition parties, especially the Left that the NDA government has kept them in the dark vis-a-vis the attack on Parliament. |
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Show video of attack: Cong MPs New Delhi, December 18 Congress MP Kapil Sibal said the film should be screened for the MPs in the Central Hall of Parliament tomorrow. The request had already been made by Congress MP Arjun Singh. “It concerns us and we have a right to know. We have been fed a lot of misinformation by newspapers. I would like the government to consider this request and make a statement in the evening,” he said. Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah hailed Mr Sibal’s suggestion as good and asked the ministry concerned to convey the request to the Home Minister. “If the film is shown, doubts will not remain in the minds of the members. They will know exactly what happened,” she said. Dr Heptullah said there was confusion from where the terrorists had entered. Mr Venkaiah Naidu reminded the House that the recorded version was the property of the Speaker and the Chairperson. Participating in the discussion on the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani’s statement earlier in the day on the strike on Parliament, all MPs placed on record their appreciation of the exemplary bravery of security personnel who laid down their lives to uphold the honour of the Parliament House. On being informed that Head Constable Vijender Singh of the Delhi Police, who was hurt in the attack had succumbed to his injuries, the House observed a one-minute silence. Mr Arjun Singh said the sequence of events recorded on the close circuit TV should be shown to all MPs. He said there was no insight on what exactly the government was doing. The government did not act despite definite warning about possible attack on Parliament. “What steps are the Prime Minister and the Home Minister and the Prime Minister taking now?” Mr Mool Chand Meena of the Congress said there was no evidence that all five terrorists were from Pakistan. “What is the government’s plan to end terrorism in future? The public should be taken into confidence”. Mr C.M. Ibrahim (Janata Dal) suggested that the security personnel who sacrificed their lives should be decorated with the Param Vir Chakra. Mr L.M. Singhvi (BJP) said the security personnel had made a supreme sacrifice in the battle against terrorism. “Those who died here fighting the terrorists deserve a very special deal and a very special consideration.” He said it was also important to answer Pakistan’s demand for proof “not so much to satisfy Pakistan because it will never be satisfied” but to make our position clear before the world community. We must tell the world that the attack on Parliament was the result of the complicity, conspiracy, connivance and support of our neighbour. Pakistan stands condemned today if we are able to drive home this point. |
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Advani not telling all: Congress New Delhi, December 18 The statement did not refer to the established fact that the white car used by the terrorists contained 30 kg of RDX which was defused by experts over several hours, Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy said. He said the statement did not even make a reference to the RDX. Pointing out that there were fresh facts, Mr Reddy said the terrorists had a long cable and tried to explode the RDX through pull mechanism. The RDX did not explode as the cable happened to snap, he said. The spokesman said the car did not have Parliament label and had a fake Home Ministry label. “How did the car with 30 kg of RDX reach Gate No 12. How could it pass through security rings,” the spokesman asked. Maintaining that the Congress had its own issues including reinduction of Mr George Fernandes and the way “armsgate was overtaken by coffingate after the CAG report,” Mr Reddy said the issues had been put out for the sake of unity in polity. “While we were closing our ranks to project image of national unity, the BJP ministers and leaders went on tours explaining virtues of POTO,’’ Mr Reddy said. The Congress leader said since the December 13 terrorist attack, the government had not established any contact with the Opposition leaders. |
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Infiltrator’s confessions baffling Bikaner, December 18 The arrest assumes significance since this district is the home to the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges which are used by the Army for year round exercises and testing of
weaponry and other equipment. Movement of large convoys in the range are a common sight in the area and at any given time one can come across convoys and small
encampments all along the border road from Sriganganagar up to the range and beyond. The Tribune had highlighted that even though Rajasthan shares more than 1, 000-km of international border with Pakistan lack of foolproof measures have been responsible for the rise in infiltrations in the past couple of months. Sources revealed that the arrested infiltrator could be Mohammad Ramzan, alias Mohammad Sharif, who had been on the run since December 6 when he, along with his accomplice Ikram, were shot at while trying to cross over to Pakistan from the Mansarovar border post in the district on the night of November 26. Subsequently, five personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) were also suspended for alleged negligence of duty. His identity is being verified but the information he has given is reported to be “explosive.” His arrest was the result of combined operations of the BSF and the police on certain leads provided by Ikram, who is undergoing treatment at the local Prince Bijay Memorial Hospital for gunshot wounds. He is unable to speak since a bullet shattered his jaw but is “ cooperating “ with his interrogators by writing his answers in Urdu. The sources said it was a matter of concern for the intelligence officers that an
infiltrator could remain at large for so many days despite a massive manhunt. Sharif said he had earlier entered India in 1990 and had stayed here for quite some time. He was later caught by intelligence sleuths at the local Phar Bazar and was subsequently booked for smuggling. He is said to have confessed that he had brought Ikram along with him and they had crossed over to India from the Mansarovar post with the help of Pakistani Rangers. The sources did not divulge as to what was his mission this time. He, however, said they were spotted by a patrol team of the BSF while they were trying to cross over on December 6. The sources said he tried to carry out his assignment but could not do so in face of the pressure built by the security forces and intelligence agencies. They were also reportedly let down by their local contacts this time and had to move to another place. He has revealed the names of several of his sympathisers who live in Gharsana, Anupgarh and Khajuwala. It is a matter of concern for the agencies that Pakistani sympathisers live in these towns, which are located adjacent to the
international border, the sources pointed out. The agencies are keeping a strict vigil on the movement of such persons and more arrests are likely, the sources added. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in vital installations in the district. A special squad has been formed which will be stationed at the local court complex and would be available round the clock in the face of any eventuality. The police posts and villagers along the border too have been asked to keep a look-out on the movement of aliens in their respective areas, the sources said. |
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Border states to get 10 cr each Kolkata, December 18 States like Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Punjab and West Bengal will get an ad hoc amount of Rs 10 crore each in the current financial year for the formation of the special armed brigade. The Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, in a message to the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhatacharyya, on Saturday conveyed the Centre’s decision to firmly tackle terrorism. |
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Cold wave toll 74 in Bihar, UP Patna, December 18 A report from Darbhanga, quoting the Block Development Officer of Bahadurpur, Mr Rajesh Kumar Singh, said two persons succumbed to severe cold at Taralahi village last night. Bodies of two persons, who died of severe cold, were found in a train that reached here from Howrah, the report added. Meanwhile, an official report from Hajipur said five persons died in the cold wave in Vaishali district last night. The district accounted for the highest number of deaths with the figure reaching 31, followed by four in Nalanda and two in Saran districts. Morning flight services were delayed due to dense fog. Long distance trains were also running behind schedule by several hours following the inclement weather.
LUCKNOW: The cold wave intensified in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday with temperature dipping to below normal in several parts, claiming 15 more lives and taking the toll this season to 30, official reports said. Rail, road and air services were crippled as a blanket of fog enveloped the region. Eight deaths were reported from Bhadohi, three from Ballia and one each from Kanpur, Jaunpur, Lakhimpur Kher and Faizabad districts since yesterday. NEW DELHI: Several trains were delayed due to heavy fog which enveloped the northern region, leading to rescheduling of services from here. However, flights were not affected as the visibility conditions in the Capital were near normal. The trains which have been rescheduled included Rajdhani Express trains to Sealdah, Howrah and Mumbai, New Delhi-Howrah Poorva Express, New Delhi-Patna Magadh Express and Delhi-Hatia Jharkhand Express, a Northern Railway press note said.
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Dying declaration must allure court’s confidence New Delhi, December 18 “There is no format as such of dying declarations. Neither the declaration need be longish in nature nor neatly structured. As a matter of fact, a perfectly worded and neatly structured dying declaration may bring about an adverse impression and create suspicion,” the court added. The ruling was given recently by a Bench of Mr Justice U.C. Banerjee and Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, while allowing an appeal by a murder accused. Appellant-accused Panchdeo Singh had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Dhanbad Sessions Court for murdering one Sriram Singh and injuring his companion, Ramsumer Singh, by hurling a bomb on them on December 20, 1980. There were two other accused, who died during the trial. The motive behind the offence was personal enmity. The Patna High Court affirmed the conviction and sentence awarded to the appellant. The conviction of the appellant was based on the dying declaration of Sriram Singh there was a positive statement against the appellant in regard to his presence at the site of occurrence. However, the dying declaration did not involve him in the crime. The Supreme Court in its judgment noted that there was not even a doctor’s certificate in regard to the state or condition of the deceased. Though the doctor was available, there was neither any certification nor even a signature of the doctor on the dying declaration. The court expressed its inability to record its confidence on such a declaration so as to lend support and concurrence to the judgement under appeal. The court was of the view that the high court fell into a manifest error and its verdict could not be sustained, the court added. The judge noted that admissibility of a dying declaration had judicial scrutiny for over five decades. The earlier view was that it was not safe to convict an accused person merely on the evidence furnished by a dying declaration, subsequently it was held that it could be accepted even without a cogent reason.
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A-I to operate Haj flights from Calicut New Delhi, December 18 The operation of B747 aircraft would also assist the pilgrims to carry more baggage and thereby eliminating the problem being faced by the pilgrims due to baggage being left behind because of payload constraints. An inspection of the Calicut Airport was jointly carried out by Mr H S Khola, DG, DGCA, Mr J.N. Gogoi, MD, Air India, and Mr Ramalingam, Member-Planning, AAI along with other senior officials from the DGCA, AI and AAI, with a view to ascertain the feasibility of operating the Boeing 747 aircraft for the forthcoming Haj 2002 operations. The authorities have given clearance for operating the Boeing 747 aircraft from Calicut subject to certain work to be carried out by AAI which will be completed by the end of this month. This clearance will also pave the way for Air India scheduled operations from Calicut with B747 aircraft in the near future. |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, December 18 In a written reply to a question from V. Saroja, the minister said the NPRPD was a state sector scheme under which funds had been provided during 2000-2001 to cover 82 districts of the country. The states had the flexibility to select the districts for coverage under the scheme, he said. In Haryana, the districts of Ambala and Sirsa had been selected under the scheme. Coverage of
additional districts would depend on the financial resources being provided for expanding the programme, he added. BPL households: An estimated 5.46 lakh households had been identified by the Haryana Government in the state as on September 2001, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashok Pradhan informed the Rajya Sabha. In a written reply to a question from Mr R.P. Goenka, the minister said while there were an estimated 5.02 lakh households identified in Punjab as on September 2001, 3.11 lakh households had been identified in Himachal Pradesh as on March 2001 and 4.96 lakh households in Jammu and Kashmir as on February 19, 1999. All state governments/UT administrations, except Lakshadweep, had identified BPL families with varying degrees of efficiency, the minister said, adding that correct identification of the BPL families by the states/union territories was the most critical element for the effective implementation of the TPDS. Use of Punjabi language: Minister of State for Railways O. Rajagopal today denied that Punjabi, which was the state language of Punjab, was not being used on any of the railway stations in the state. In a reply to a question from Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, the minister informed that as per the official language policy of the Central Government station name boards, sign boards and notice boards etc. were to be displayed in Hindi, English and the respective regional language. Accordingly, these were being displayed in Punjabi also on stations which fell in Punjab, the minister said and added that further announcements were also being made in Punjabi in addition to Hindi and English. |
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Tribune employee dead New Delhi, December 18 |
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