 |
Monday,
December 24, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
|
Bihar connection of JeM chief revealed Ranil to meet Vajpayee today ‘Maharaja was harbinger of secular state’ |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
22 books chosen for Sahitya Akademi award Now, awards
for indecent portrayal
of women Kangri varsity VC suspended Killing of tuskers: need to revamp park admn Prisoner shoots at cops, escapes Widows harassed at workplace: study
|
|
Bihar connection of JeM chief revealed Patna, December 23 Meanwhile, an Army official posted in the Danapur cantonment area has confirmed that the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Maulana Masood Azhar, who was arrested in 1994, had sneaked into India via Bangladesh. The route might have been through Bihar. The Delhi Police sleuths had landed at Gilani, the village of Prof Abdul Rehman Geelani of Delhi University, following his arrest in connection with the attack. They suspect his connection with certain anti-national elements of the state. The Intelligence and police team arriving from New Delhi had also arrested four suspected Kashmiri militants from Bodhgaya near Gaya town. The sleuths raided Gilani village and interrogated around12persons. Gaya, Nalanda and Nawada have been marked by the Intelligence agencies as “haven” for anti-national elements. |
|
Parliament attack bigger than WTC strike: Shanta New Delhi, December 23 Speaking at a function here today, Mr Shanta Kumar said the attack on the Parliament House was bigger than the strikes in the USA on the World Trade Center and Pentagon buildings. “The attack on the Parliament House was an attack on the honour and respect of 100 crore people. It was not like attack on the WTC where a few thousand people worked,” he said. |
|
Ranil to meet Vajpayee today New Delhi, December 23 Mr Wickremesinghe, who arrived here last night on a three-day official visit, had a series of meetings today with several Indian leaders including former Prime Ministers Narasimha Rao and I.K. Gujral besides Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran. They exchanged views on the outcome of the recent WTO meet at Doha and free-trade zone between India and Sri Lanka.
PTI |
|
‘Maharaja was harbinger of secular state’ New Delhi, December 23 Speaking on “Maharaja Ranjit Singh: State, Society and Politics” at a seminar organised by the National Institute of Punjab Studies and the Punjabi Academy here, Mr Gujral said that the world attention was today focused on Afghanistan which was deftly dealt by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He said a study of Afghanistan during the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh would be relevant today. Mr Gujral, who is working on a book on Afghanistan, released four books brought out by the National Institute of Punjab Studies, one of which is on the Maharaja. Eminent historian V N Datta, in his keynote address, said though Maharaja Ranjit Singh did not proclaim himself a Maharaja and was against ostentation, he ruled for nearly four decades. Referring to the Treaty of Amritsar, Professor Datta said Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled at a time when Mughal power was on the decline and Marathas were down but he knew the limitation of his power. “He knew what had befallen on others,” Professor Datta said, adding that Maharaja Ranjit Singh was capable of dealing with the British on equal terms. Quoting from several books, Professor Datta, who is Professor Emeritus, Kurukshetra University, said Maharaja Ranjit Singh never prosecuted people on the basis of religion. “But for him, Punjab may have been prey to anarchy.” Stating that Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom had seeds of incipient nationalism, Professor Datta said along with Raja Ram Mohan Roy, he was the most remarkable man of his time. Describing Maharaja Ranjit Singh as harbinger of a secular state, senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh said the legendary ruler had to cope with many influences in his foreign, defence and domestic policies. He said Punjab was a loose confedracy before Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Maharaja extended the frontiers to Ladakh and right up to Khyber Pass. “He was first among the Indian rulers to realise that India’s proper defence lay beyond Khyber,’’ Dr Manmohan Singh said, adding that Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave a period of unmatched peace and prosperity. Dr Manmohan Singh urged scholars to dwell on reasons that led to the kingdom’s collapse within six years of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death and study relationship between religion and politics. “Though he ruled in the name of Sikh Gurus, he kept the institution of Sarbat Khalsa in abeyance,”Dr Manmohan Singh said. Speaking at the seminar, Dr Amrik Singh said the Maharaja understood the concept of power and tried to evolve a unified identity in his Muslim-majority state. Prof B. N. Goswamy said aesthetically Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a very sensitive person and his life needed to be explored more. Using slides of some of the paintings done of the Maharaja, Professor Goswamy said not enough had surfaced of the royal collection so far. Professor Satish Chandra drew attention of the scholars towards factors that made Afghan policy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh different from the Mughals and why Punjab could not enter the modern world of the 19th century. Dr Mohinder Singh, Director, National Institute of Punjab Studies, said the Maharaja evolved a sense of Punjabi identity. In his paper, Air Commodore Jasjit Singh drew a comparison between the policies of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and of Pakistan towards Afghanistan. “Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom was powerful, prosperous and a factor of stability in the whole region. On the contrary, three decades of Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy has ruined the Afghans and their country,” he said. |
|
22 books chosen for Sahitya Akademi award New Delhi, December 23 The books were selected on the basis of recommendations made by a jury of three members in individual languages in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down for the purpose, an Akademi release said here. The Executive Board declares the awards on the basis of unanimous selections made by the jurors or selections made on the basis of majority vote, the release added. The awards were given to books published first during the five years prior to the year preceding the year of award. Some of the authors and works listed for the award include, for English, Rajmohan Gandhi’s Rajaji: A Life — Biography —, for Hindi Alka Saraogi’s Kali-Katha:Via By Pass — Novel —, for Urdu Nayar Masood’s Taoos Chanman Ki Maina — short Stories — and Mahim Bora’s Panchasti Galpa for Bengali. The award including a casket containing an inscribed copper-plaque and a cheque for Rs 25,000 will be presented to the winner at a special function to be held in the capital on February 19 next year.
UNI |
|
Now, awards
for indecent portrayal
of women Mumbai, December 23 The first award ceremony will be held next year on March 8 which is celebrated as International Women’s Day. Films and ads that portray a negative image of women, advocate male children or dowry, justify ill treatment of women, encourage molestation and prolong rape scenes unnecessarily will be nominated for the Rakshas awards, state commission chairperson advocate Nirmala Samant Prahavalkar said in a statement issued here yesterday. The Duryodhana award will be presented to telefilms, serials and regional films which show women in an indecent or offensive manner, she added. Aimed at bringing about a change in the attitude of those involved in the commodification of women, the award will include a statue of Duryodhana or Rakshas and a citation, detailing the reasons why a particular film, serial or ad had won the award. “We will courier the award if the winner does not turn up to receive it,’’ Ms Prabhavalkar informed. Citizens and women’s organisations can send in their nominations for the two categories.
UNI |
|
Kangri varsity VC suspended Dehra Dun, December 23 Dr Sharma has been charged with violating university rules, high-handedness, insulting behaviour to teachers and committing several fiscal irregularities during his eight year tenure. The suspension letter has alleged that Dr Sharma had fraudulently and, under a conspiracy, sold 198 bighas of land in the university and had reaped illegal gratification out of this deal. Though Dr Sharma had tendered his resignation soon after his name was involved in the scandal, it was not accepted.
UNI |
|
Killing of tuskers: need to revamp park admn DEHRA DUN: The recent poaching of two tuskers in the core zone of the Rajaji National Park of Uttaranchal has come as a shock to animal lovers. Despite a massive combing operation, by the time PAC battalions were deployed, the poachers slipped out of the park to their hideouts in the neighbouring areas. Even as the Uttaranchal Government has ordered a probe into the killings, the whole episode has brought to the fore many vital issues that need immediate attention. Elephants used to roam freely from the Yamuna in Dehra Dun to Kalagarh in Nainital district three decades ago. But the pachyderms lost much of their habitat after the construction of roads, dams, canals and an IDPL unit near Rishikesh. Many areas of Corbett Reserve and Rajaji National Park have also been encroached by people who have built their settlements there. With the loss of habitat, elephants and tigers have been forced to venture out for food and water leading to a man-animal conflict. Last year a group of villagers had allegedly poisoned six tigers in the Corbett Reserve after they attacked human settlements. Similarly, farmers also electrocuted many pachyderms that destroyed their standing crops during the past few years. So, with the tusker killings, the needle of suspicion first pointed towards the forest dwellers and villagers. The foresters raided their houses searching for the missing tusks but to no avail. Interestingly, they were the same locals who helped the foresters later in the combing operation and in patrolling the borders to arrest the poachers. This means that the locals did not have any personal vendetta against the animals. The assistance by the village populace actually came in handy for the foresters because the state Forest Department is understaffed and underequipped. In fact, 50 per cent posts have been lying vacant for the past 10 years in Corbett Reserve and the Rajaji National Park. At present, only 430 members of the forest staff are employed for the prestigious Corbett Park that spreads over a 1,300 sq km area. As against this Rajaji National Park has only about 200 staff members. It is difficult to see how one can cover an area of 20 sq km without a vehicle or communication system or face the well-armed trained poachers. Actually, the new state of Uttaranchal is still coming to grips with the law and order situation in the state that gave an opportunity for the poachers to strike. Although the security arrangements in the parks have been beefed up, Uttaranchal needs to tighten its forest security and revamp the park administration. Just enhancing the fine for violation of Forest Acts to Rs 5,000 and the jail term up to two years won’t do. A binocular required for night vigil around Rs 1 lakh and one Corbett Park officer confessed that “we have only one for the entire park”. Corbett Park officials are also short of 150 wireless handsets. Apart from meeting such resource crunch, the Centre should ensure that tight security is provided to all reserve forests in new states. Tomorrow, it could be the ecologically rich Chattisgarh. Elephants can’t be saved if their old habitats are not restored. Twelve years ago, the Rajaji National Park authorities had submitted a plan for building elephant corridors and, bridges which needs to be implemented immediately. Besides filling the existing vacancies, a committee of local people ought to be formed that can monitor the movement of elephants. The forest guards should also ensure that the movement of every tourist is monitored. Even by the VVIPs should adhere to a code of conduct. |
|
Prisoner shoots at cops, escapes Nawada (Bihar), December 23 Jail Superintendent Pravin Kumar said the criminal Ashok Mahato made good his escape during meeting hours near the jail gate. He snatched a rifle from a police personnel, who was escorting him, and shot at him and another policeman on duty. Both injured policemen were admitted to a local hospital where the condition of one was stated to be critical, Mr Kumar said.
UNI |
|
Widows harassed at workplace: study Madurai, December 23 The study, conducted by the Sociology Department of the Madurai Kamaraj University found that more than 80 per cent of the widow workers faced harassment at the hands of their male counterparts. “Women who fear they will lose the jobs are putting up with the suffering in silence,” the study titled “Status of Widows in Contemporary Tamil society” said. It, however, said media and NGOs were active on highlighting other problems being faced by women such as female infanticide, dowry and sexual violence. Some widows have even worn the “mangalya sutra” to protect themselves. The study, conducted in railways, banks, universities and government offices, also revealed that the widows were not aware of their legal rights to assert their individuality. Many widows did not know about the Hindu Succession Act the Adoption Act and the Maintenance Act. In a few cases, especially in the rural areas, some women had been married off at a very young age and could not produce any proof of their age or marriage. Even the government departments are helpless in their cases. The study also revealed that a majority of the employed widows did not want to remarry. “Some want to remarry. However, they fear society,” it said. “Many of the upper-caste women do not want to remarry because their community would react more strongly. The Women belonging to the lower caste are concerned about their well-being. Some women, who have got economic independence, want to have a relationship but dont want to remarry.”
PTI |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In
video: Visiting Sri
Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called on former Prime
minister P. V. Narasimharao and Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli
Maran in the Capital today. (
