News across India, Month of July,2010

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...f-corporal-punishment/articleshow/6169794.cms

Bengal govt to monitor violation of corporal punishment
TNN, Jul 15, 2010, 05.45am IST

KOLKATA: The state school education department has decided to set up an authority to monitor violations of the ban on corporal punishment. The authority's directives will be legally binding on schools.

The decision — taken in the wake of the controversy over the death of Rouvanjit Rawla, a Class VIII student at La Martiniere for Boys who committed suicide a few days after he was caned in school — is aimed at reining in private schools. A senior school education department official said: "It was impossible to control the city's private schools, particularly those affiliated to the CBSE and the ICSE. After Rouvanjit's death, the government came under tremendous criticism for not probing the case. But there was nothing we could have done. Now, it is time to form a body with legal authority, whose writ will run over all institutions."

School education minister Partha De said: "The body will deal with any complaint related to corporal
punishment, mental torture or stress inflicted on kids in schools. The members can form inquiry committees and receive complaints from children or their parents. A second-hand report can also be accepted by the body." He pointed out that the authority will have compelling powers and their decision would be binding on all schools.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ver-in-Habra-mob-runs/articleshow/6198451.cms

Schoolgirl run over in Habra, mob runs
TNN, Jul 22, 2010, 01.32am IST

KOLKATA: There was trouble at Habra's Jaigachi area in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday after a Class XI schoolgirl was run over by a truck. Angry locals went on the rampage, blocking the road and damaging a few buses, prompting police to call in RAF in the area.

On Wednesday morning, 16-year-old Panchari Saha was on her way to school when a truck knocked her down from behind. She died at spot.

Within minutes, a mob had gathered at the spot. They blocked the road and started pelting stones at approaching vehicles, a few of which were damaged.

Officers from Habra police station rushed to the spot, but they had to call in the RAF to control the situation. The killer driver however managed to escape.

In another fatal accident in the city, Babla Das (50), a resident of Khardah was killed at the crossing of NS Road and Fairlie Place when a private bus knocked him down. Das was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. The driver was arrested and the bus seized.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-before-CBI-took-over/articleshow/6208154.cms

Shah was under Gujarat CID lens before CBI took over
Manoj Mitta, TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 04.10am IST

NEW DELHI: Long before CBI took over the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, Gujarat police CID made repeated and damning references to home minister Amit Shah in one of its four interim reports to the Supreme Court. Thus, BJP leaders were economical with truth in claiming on Friday that Shah's name cropped up in the investigations only after CBI had replaced CID on the courts orders in January this year.

Consider the string of evidences against Shah recorded by Gujarat CID in its last interim report submitted in January 2007, three years before CBI was brought into the picture.

- It said that its probe "faced no hurdle" till it recorded witness statements about an Ahmedabad farm house in which Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausarbi had been kept before their liquidation. The only reason CID cited for the hurdles faced by it thereafter was that accused police officers D G Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandiyan had alerted Shah about the discovery related to the farm house.

- Shah "brought to bear pressure" on CID chief G C Raigar who "reportedly directed" the inquiry in-charge, IGP Geetha Johri, "to suspend the enquiry and took away the papers of inquiry under guise of scrutiny". During the period the inquiry was "stalled", Sohrabuddin's associate Tulsiram Prajapati mysteriously escaped from custody on December 26, 2006 and was killed in an encounter just two days later.

- "It is learnt that Shah directed Raigar to provide him the list of witnesses, both police and private, who are yet to be contacted by CID for recording their statements. Such direction of minister of state for home goes beyond the scope of his office, was patently illegal and apparently designed to provide the list to accused police officers so as to enable them to take measures in their defence."

- In a meeting he held with Joshi, Raigar and DGP P C Pande, Shah "attempted to influence the investigating agency into believing that Kauserbi was not a lawfully married wife of Sohrabuddin and that she might have run away somewhere. It is learnt that the minister in the course of the conversation he had with senior police officers had admitted in a cavalier manner that Kauserbi had been killed as well."

-When Pande and Raigar pleaded with Shah to let them register offences against delinquent police officers, "the minister was not agreeable and apparently directed them to ensure submission of periodic interim reports to the SC, thus buying time."

- When such interference was exposed by The Times of India in February 2007, Shah, disregarding the advice of Pande and his own home department, directed it to issue an order transferring the charge of CID from Raigar to O P Mathur, who had already been served a chargesheet for various acts of omission and commission. "Thus, the bringing of a tainted officer to head CID is clearly seen as an act to obstruct the interest of justice and save the accused police officers for the crime they have committed."
If the Supreme Court lost faith in Gujarat CID three years after it had filed such a candid report about Shah's alleged complicity, it is because of the subsequent tardiness in its investigations. While directing CBI on January 12, 2010 to take over the Sohrabuddin case, the court gave a detailed account of CID's lapses, including its failure to follow up on the wealth of telephone records. "So far as the call records are concerned, it would be evident from the same that they had not been analyzed properly, particularly the call data relating to three senior police officers either in relation to Sohrabbuddin's case or in Prajapati's case."

It is the analysis of these very records that has now prompted CBI to issue summons to Shah. Even the timing of the summons cannot be faulted as it was determined by the July 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court for the CBI to report the progress made by it. The BJP leaders are, therefore, bordering on contempt of court in alleging that the implication of Shah is politically motivated.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...h-PM-braces-for-clash/articleshow/6207710.cms

BJP pulls out of lunch with PM, braces for clash
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 02.21am IST

NEW DELHI: BJP and the government are on track for a head-on collision when Parliament meets on Monday over the CBI action against key Narendra Modi associate Amit Shah, a development that is also likely to crack Opposition convergence over issues like price rise and the failed India-Pakistan talks.

The CBI move to arrest Shah, Gujarat's junior home minister, saw BJP leaders L K Advani, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj calling off their lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday.

The meeting was part of the PM's outreach to the main Opposition to try and ensure smooth functioning of Parliament due to meet on Monday. But with BJP accusing CBI of acting to suit the political interests of the government, a confrontation is clearly on the cards.

Advani wrote to the PM and spoke to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee explaining the inability of the BJP to attend the lunch in view of the "vitiated atmosphere". BJP was completely unfazed by Congress claims that CBI was only following Supreme Court's order to get to the bottom of the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin and AICC's assertion that BJP's assault on the central agency amounted to contempt of court.

The BJP-government showdown over CBI action against Shah is certain to split Opposition down the middle as neither Left nor any other non-UPA party will be seen in the same corner as BJP. This will also see BJP isolated and raise the prospect of the party lurching to the hardline Hindutva posture symbolised by Narendra Modi. A good part of the monsoon session of Parliament may become a casualty if the confrontation does not abate.

A senior BJP leader said the party did not want to fall for a "charm offensive" on part of the government. At its press conference on Friday, BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj took an aggressive line, arguing that CBI had acted on the basis of flimsy and unsustainable evidence.

But when the heat is on in Parliament, even BJP allies like JD(U) will keep in the background. Being seen to defend Modi just after strenously objecting to him campaigning in the Bihar polls due later this year, JD(U) finds itself in a deeply embarassing situation. Its leader in Lok Sabha Sharad Yadav refused comment on the events in Gujarat but said he hoped to salvage Opposition unity by raising price rise as soon as possible.

BJP sources said the case against Shah would not stand close scrutiny as it was built on phone calls and testimonies that are like hearsay. But party sources agreed that if the Gujarat minister did not get bail, as was likely, he would be arrested and would have to quit his home portfolio. The party was hard pressed to answer the argument that CBI was acting on Supreme Court's directions and so could not be accused of toeing the government line.

Congress spokesperson Abhishekh Singhvi said BJP was trying to subvert the SC-ordered investigations into the Sohrabuddin encounter case. The CBI, he said, had sent "collective shivers" in the BJP and its leaders were trying to pressurise investigators.

MoS in PMO and in-charge of the department of personnel Prithviraj Chavan dismissed the BJP's charge that CBI was politically motivated. "In these politically sensitive cases, CBI has gone into investigation following court orders and it is being supervised by the Central Vigilance Commission," he said. He added that "everyone wants criminals to be arrested and let the CBI do its job".

Congress in-charge of Gujarat B K Hariprasad said it was unfortunate and unbecoming of BJP to call off the lunch with the PM. "The law is catching up with them, the CBI is working on directions of the Supreme Court," he said.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ny-kids-Investigators/articleshow/6208081.cms

Hyderabad principal abused many kids: Investigators
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 03.48am IST

HYDERABAD: Mohammed Salahuddin Ayub, director and principal of Parkwood International School, had sexually abused more than one girl student, according to Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths investigating one of the most heinous sexual crime cases in the city.

The 55-year-old-director, who has three sons in the same age group as his victims, was produced before the additional chief metropolitan court on Friday and was remanded in judicial custody till August 5. He was taken to Cherlapally jail.

Before producing him in the court, the sleuths took the accused to Osmania General Hospital to check his medical fitness and then APFSL to conduct a potency test. The seized a handycam with memory card in which the accused allegedly recorded all the sleazy videos of the victims and a .32 pistol, with which the accused had allegedly threatened the victim.

Police have also recorded statements from a doctor of Hyderabad Nursing Home near GHMC headquarters, to whom Ayub took the class XI student for abortion. In her statement, the doctor reportedly told the police that by the time Ayub brought the girl to hospital, her pregnancy had already got terminated by pills. As a result, they merely provided treatment to her.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...role-of-woman-staffer/articleshow/6207368.cms

Cops probe role of woman staffer
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.15am IST

HYDERABAD: Parkwood International School director Md S Ayub, who was arrested for the alleged rape of a student on campus, maintained on Friday that he was framed and would release a statement at an appropriate time.

However, CCS DCP J Satyanarayana said that the charges were prima facie clearly against him. Prior to being produced in the court, CCS sleuths had taken the accused to Osmania General Hospital to check his medical fitness and then the Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) to conduct a potency test. Ayub told the waiting media at the OGH that he was framed.

Cops have also zeroed in on the doctor and the hospital (Hyderabad Nursing Home, near GHMC) where the girl was taken to terminate her alleged pregnancy. In her statement, the doctor told the police that she didn't have to do anything as the pills, allegedly given by Ayub, had done their job and, hence, the victim was given basic treatment. The victim, in her complaint, has accused Ayub of regularly giving her I-pills to avoid pregnancy. A CCS cop said: "The accused even lied to the hospital staff about the girl's age. He passed her off as 21. Ayub has therefore been charged under IPC section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen an offender)."

Cops are also probing the role of Indira, the woman staffer at the hostel, whom the victims accuse of conniving with Ayub. The school director allegedly targeted soft-spoken girls and later threatened them into silence by blackmailing them with the videos he recorded. Cops have seized incriminating evidence, including a handycam with memory card in which the accused allegedly recorded all the videos of the victims, and a .32 pistol with which the accused threatened the victim.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ter-on-Bayyaram-mines/articleshow/6207367.cms

Minister 'clueless' on CM's letter on Bayyaram mines
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.15am IST

HYDERABAD: Mines & geology minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy, a relative of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, on Friday denied having any knowledge about the letter from the chief minister to the Centre seeking to keep in abeyance the reserved area in Khammam for mining activity.

He had informed the assembly during the recent monsoon session that there was no irregularity in the allotment to Bayyaram mines and maintained that the state government acted transparently.

The land is estimated to have reserves of 13 lakh crore tonnes of iron ore deposits.

Surprisingly, the timing of the letter from Rosaiah to the GoI has raised several doubts as APMDC chairperson and mining principal secretary Ranjeev R Acharya is on leave while vice-chairperson Praveen Prakash is out of the state undergoing training.

One of the many camps within the Congress party also has been demanding a judicial probe into the irregularities in awarding of mining lease to Rakshana steels. Former Congress minister and MLA R Damodar Reddy went on record alleging that the state government had erred in awarding the rights to extract ore from the mines located in Telangana region to an outsider (from Rayalaseema region).

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ff-of-Tollywood-deals/articleshow/6198457.cms

Cops bust Ugandan drug peddlers, get a whiff of Tollywood deals
TNN, Jul 22, 2010, 01.34am IST

HYDERABAD: Drugs and Tollywood make for a heady cocktail. On Wednesday, city cops claimed to have busted a drug racket linked to the tinsel world after they nabbed two men — Patrick Emario (28) and Ayebare Donald (27), both from Uganda — on Tuesday night near a star hotel in Banjara Hills and recovered a small quantity (eight grams) of cocaine and 750 grams of ganja.

Investigators from the Detective Department, Central Crime Station (CCS), claimed that Tollywood personalities have links with the gang. A few months ago, Madhapur police arrested a Tollywood producer,
K Venkateswara Rao, and his associate, on Road No. 45, Jubilee Hills, and seized 20 kgs of ephedrine.

Additional commissioner of police (ACP), Crime, K Narasimha Reddy said, "The duo confessed they had been supplying cocaine to Tollywood personalities. However, they have not revealed any names so far." He said they sold drugs to known customers, mostly rich youth from Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.

The Ugandans, who were residing at Singapore township in Ghatkesar, were also overstaying as their visas
had expired in April 2010. Patrick was even jailed in 2007 for possessing drugs under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in a case registered at the Bolarum police station. According to the ACP, the duo got cocaine from across the border and shipped it through Rajasthan before bringing it to the city. While the duo were sent to judicial remand, the ACP said that they would seek their custody to find the links to Tollywood personalities.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...e-Babli-row-seriously/articleshow/6207358.cms

'PM should take Babli row seriously'
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.15am IST

HYDERABAD: Political parties on Friday pointed out that the Supreme Court had favoured the intervention of the Prime Minister for an amicable resolution to the Babli issue. "Manmohan Singh should be asked to take the issue seriously and find an appropriate, quick and permanent solution to the problem lest it adversely affects the relationships between the people of the two states," they felt.

Talking to the media after the all-party meeting on Babli, CPM leader J Ranga Reddy, CPI leader K Narayana, BJP state president G Kishen Reddy, Loksatta leader Jayaprakash Narayan said the state government had proposed that the memorandum to be submitted to the Prime Minister should also contain the problems between Karanataka and Andhra Pradesh. The opposition leaders opposed it saying that the focus should be only on Babli and other projects in Maharashtra. But the chief minister finally had his way saying that they cannot get the appointment from the PM time and again and hence the wishlist should be given in one go.

The main opposition TDP did not participate in the meeting as the government refused to allow more than one representative into the meeting hall. TDP had sent a four-member delegation consisting of two former irrigation ministers, K Srihari and M Venkateswara Rao, leader of parliamentary party N Nageswara Rao and MLA E Dayakar Rao who has been spearheading the agitation on Babli project.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to meet an all-party delegation from the state led by the chief minister on the Babli issue in New Delhi on July 26.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...t-wards-from-Parkwood/articleshow/6207357.cms

Shocked parents pull out wards from Parkwood
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.15am IST

HYDERABAD: Several parents of Parkwood International School have started pulling out their children from its residential campus at Vikarabad following the arrest of its director Md S Ayub on charges of allegedly raping a minor girl. The department of school education has sent a report to the state government asking it to withdraw the No Objection Certificate (NOC) given to the school seven years ago.

State education officials are now in talks with other international schools to accommodate the 206 students of Parkwood International in their schools.

With more students coming out with abuse stories, parents are also worried that their children would be called for questioning by police or officials of school education department.

Officials of school education department have decided to take stringent action against Parkwood following the initial fact finding report submitted by the district education officer and regional joint director, school education department. "The report submitted by the senior officials of the department who conducted the inquiry on July 22, states that the school had shown least responsibility in protecting its students. Hence we are recommending the state government to withdraw its NOC," said T Satyanarayana, director of school education. He said the school education department would report the matter to CBSE officials, New Delhi to take action against the management. "The affiliation might be withdrawn," an official said. The final decision on the matter is expected to be taken by the minister for school education, Manikya Varaprasad Rao.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to woo the parents back, the school management called for a press conference here on Friday stating that the accused, Md S Ayub, was removed from the governing council of the school and would not be part of any of its functioning till the inquiry is completed. "Let the law take its own course but the students should not be penalised unnecessarily. The school is definitely a safe place," said Ayesha Tanveer, academic director and the current in-charge of the school. She added that the school will start functioning normally after July 25. "The students can come back and join us without any worry," Tanveer said. Some parents present at the press conference supported the management.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ams-in-polling-booths/articleshow/6207352.cms

EC to use webcams in polling booths
Chandrasekhar Kamble, TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.14am IST

HYDERABAD: For the first time in the electoral history of the state, the Election Commission will use webcams and laptops in select polling stations on July 27 when byelections for 12 assembly seats would be held.

According to chief electoral officer I V Subba Rao, this would help in checking malpractice like rigging, booth capturing, partiality by the election officials and problems created by unsocial elements. "These are the issues that generally bother political parties on the day of polling," he said.

Talking to TOI, Rao said that webcams will capture the election process live and will help the commission in taking immediate corrective measures. "We want to ensure that the polling process is transparent and free of doubts," he said. He also said that the polling stations, where webcams will be used, will be connected to the laptops and with the help of the internet connection, the video footage can be watched in the CEO's office.

The CEO added that arrangements for video recording in polling stations, which are considered to be troublesome, have also been made. Apart from the webcams, the Election Commission will use the 3 G technology phones for capturing the election process in the polling booths. Zonal officers will be given 3 G cellphones for taking pictures in the polling booths.

The two constituencies Nizamabad Urban and the Warangal West will be under the scanner of these zonal officers. There will be 320 zonal officers in these two constituencies possessing 3 G cellphones. The footage will also be placed on the CEO's website. "These two constituencies have been selected because the 3 G facility is available in the urban areas," Rao said.

The EC will place CCTV cameras in a few problematic polling stations and even in the strong rooms where the EVMs are kept. Apart from this about 2,000 videographers will be taking up the videos near the polling stations during the elections.

The CEO said that cellphones will also be given to the polling staff for sending the polling percentage once every two hours to the CEO's office. Subba Rao added that the polling percentages will be placed at the CEO's website for full public view.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-lifters-from-TN-held/articleshow/6207348.cms

3 vehicle lifters from TN held
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.14am IST

CHANDRAGIRI: Three vehicle lifters from Tamil Nadu were nabbed in Chandragiri in Chittoor district late on Thursday night. The trio took away a truck of a tomato trader and sold the tomato stock worth Rs 70,000 at Vellore market on July 19.

The three accused picked up an argument with the trader, Damodaram Naidu, at Somala village on July 18 night and beat him up. Based on a complaint, police entered the scene and nabbed the trio __ Shanmugam, 25, Anandan, 25, and Neelakantham, 26. They hail from Katpadi in Vellore.

Police recovered the truck and a Tata Indica from the accused. They were produced before the third additional court magistrate in Tirupati on Friday and remanded in judicial custody.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...to-road-rage-incident/articleshow/6207339.cms

ENC orders inquiry into road rage incident
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 12.13am IST

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Navy is investigating the road rage incident in which a person was allegedly battered to death by five Naval personnel on Thursday night.

The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) said it deeply regretted the loss of the life of Karri Raja Rao, who was allegedly pushed down by the five Navy men. The ENC said an internal inquiry has been ordered to figure out whether any of its personnel was involved in the incident.

"If the same is proven, the guilty would be handed over to the police," the ENC said in a press release. It assured cooperation to the probing teams.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Two-houses-burgled/articleshow/6198339.cms

Two houses burgled
TNN, Jul 22, 2010, 01.44am IST

HYDERABAD: Burglars struck at two different places in the city and stole over 53 tolas of gold ornaments on Tuesday night. Incidentally, both the robberies occurred at houses whose inmates had gone for darshan of Lord Balaji in Tirumala.

In the first case, burglars struck at a flat in Hymavathi Apartments in Habsiguda. Flat owner V Sreedhar along with his family had gone to Tirupati on July 19. The incident came to light on Wednesday when his neighbour, P Rahul, found the front door open and also the lock broken, Osmania University sub inspector K Vijay Srinivas said.

He lodged a complaint at the Osmania University PS on behalf of Sridhar stating that 50 tolas of gold ornaments were stolen. Police registered a case under sections 453 (house-breaking) and 380 (theft) of the IPC, the SI added.

In the second incident, M Narasimha Rao, residing at CBI quarters, Khairatabad, had gone to Tirupati along with family on July 16. The robbery came to light when he returned to the city on Wednesday at around 8 am. The front door was broke open and burglars had decamped with 3.5 tola gold ornaments (a necklace, a bracelet and a black-beed chain) kept in the almirah, Saifabad sub-inspector Obanna said.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...races-to-be-legalised/articleshow/6198341.cms

Bullock-cart races to be legalised?
TNN, Jul 22, 2010, 01.43am IST

MACHILIPATNAM: The government is mulling legalising the traditional bullock-cart races as they are immensely popular in several parts of the state, animal husbandry minister K Pardha Saradhi said in Machilipatnam on Wednesday.

He said the state government is sparing no efforts to protect the famed Ongole breed bullocks. He also informed that 900 vacant posts in the animal husbandry department would be filled up soon.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...bury-hatchet-over-tea/articleshow/6206884.cms

Nirupama Rao, Gopal Pillai bury hatchet over tea
Indrani Bagchi, TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 03.03am IST

NEW DELHI: Temperatures needed to be brought down, after a bruising media battle between the between the foreign and home ministries. So, on Thursday evening, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao walked across the street for a "chai and chat" with her colleague and counterpart, home secretary Gopal Pillai.

The meeting was important, because over the past few days, the failure of the foreign ministers' talks in Islamabad was attributed to remarks on LeT operative Headley made by Pillai in an interview. It resulted in some unnecessary exchange of barbs between the two ministries, all through the media. Everything hit rock bottom with the foreign minister openly criticizing Pillai for the timing of his remarks.

Rao and Pillai decided to set the record straight and bury the hatchet among themselves as professionals.

"We go back a long way, over 30 years," said Rao. In fact, on Friday, Rao walked over once again to accompany Pillai when he signed the Counter-Terrorism Initiative between India and US.

The talks in Pakistan, which had been orchestrated in advance, failed when Pakistan jumped the Indian side with proposals for a "time-bound" roadmap on Kashmir, Siachen and other issues which India is not willing to discuss at present.

Although Pillai's remarks on Headley appeared on the morning of the talks, the Indian delegation had made it clear even the day before that they would hold Pakistan's feet to the fire on Headley and the investigations that Pakistan should undertake in the wake of Headley's revelations.

Pakistan's ambush of the talks had a lot to do with a development announced on Thursday -- the three-year extension of Gen Ashfaq Kayani's tenure as army chief. Kayani is generally believed to be least well-disposed to India in the Pakistani leadership, and sources said Pakistan was not interested in holding talks with India at this point.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bangaru-back-Varun-gets-BJP-post/articleshow/6206877.cms

Bangaru back, Varun gets BJP post
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 03.02am IST

NEW DELHI: Disgraced former BJP chief Bangaru Laxman, who was caught on camera accepting a bribe, has made a comeback in the party's new team as election in-charge of Tamil Nadu while Varun Gandhi has been appointed in the same capacity for Assam. Vasundhara Raje will take charge of Haryana and former party chief M Venkaiah Naidu has been given charge of the important states of Delhi and Maharashtra.

The much-awaited list of BJP in-charges of states and party cells was declared on Friday, seven months after Nitin Gadkari took over as party chief.

While Ananth Kumar, who was appointed general secretary in-charge of Bihar earlier, has been given additional charge of Madhya Pradesh, Gadkari has not appointed any election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh which goes to polls in 2012. Being a big state, UP has got Narendra Singh Tomar as its in-charge and will have Karun Shukla and Radha Mohan Singh to assist him.

Laxman, who was in oblivion since he was caught on camera accepting cash in a sting operation, was given charge of Tamil Nadu to send across a message that BJP is wooing dalit voters as part of Gadkari's strategy to increase BJP's vote share by 10%, party sources said.

Former Uttarakhand chief minister B C Khanduri has been made overall in-charge of Tamil Nadu.

Varun Gandhi's appointment as election in-charge of Assam, which goes to polls next year and where the party's stakes are high, indicates an elevation in terms of importance within the party.

Another ex-Uttarakhand CM Bhagat Singh Koshiyari will be election in-charge of Jharkhand where the party feels polls may be held any time due to political instability.

However, many were surprised at the appointment of party vice-president Vinay Katiyar as poll in-charge for West Bengal. Interestingly, the overall charge of the state has been given to Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra. Polls are due in the state next year.

Yashwant Sinha (Punjab), Shanta Kumar (Karnataka), Balbir Punj (Gujarat), Narendra Singh Tomar (UP), Jagat Prakash Nadda (Chhattisgarh), Kalraj Mishra (Himachal Pradesh), Thawarchand Gehlot (Uttarakhand), Kaptan Singh Solanki (Rajasthan), Vijay Goel (Assam), Santosh Gangwar (Orissa) and Purushottam Rupala (Andhra Pradesh) are the other state in-charges.

Najma Heptullah has been given charge of Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli while Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will continue as in-charge of the party's All India Programmes and Tours.

Party treasurer Piyush Goel will be in-charge of `Friends of BJP'.

Actor-turned politician Hema Malini will head the cultural cell, Sukhada Pandey has given the education cell and Anil Dave will head the election research and analysis cell. Prakash Javadekar will be in-charge of the economic affairs cell and Satpal Jain of the legal cell.

BJP also named in-charges for its fronts. Karuna Shukla (women's wing), Dharmendra Pradhan (youth wing), Thawarchand Gehlot (SC cell), Narendra Singh Tomar (ST cell), Satpal Malik (Kisan cell) and J K Jain (Minority Morcha) were named in these positions.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rotest-Jethwas-murder/articleshow/6206830.cms

Activists close ranks to protest Jethwa's murder
Himanshi Dhawan, TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 02.58am IST

NEW DELHI: Refusing to let the brazen murder of Ahmedabad RTI activist Amit Jethwa to be a mere statistic, a steady movement has begun among civil society groups to protest against targeting of people using the transparency law to expose corruption or pin accountability.

A group of activists, led by Parivartan and National Council for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) has planned a protest march in the Capital on Monday, while others will file public interest litigations on illegal mining in Gujarat's Gir forests to pursue the issue that Jethwa had raised.

National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy told TOI, "We need a whistleblowers' Act. NAC will be taking a close look at the draft to ensure accountability and as a follow-up to the implementation of existing laws like NREGA and RTI."

She added, "When RTI is used against scam and other illegal means, you are indirectly touching alliances within a section of the government. Unless the government comes clear or takes a strong position against these perpetrators, vulnerable people will continue to be targeted."

Describing the recent trend of attacking activists as "disturbing", Nikhil Dey of MKSS said they would ensure that even if activists are attacked, the issue would not die down. "We will follow the public cause with a greater determination. If you try and silence someone, the movement will only grow louder," he said. Dey said activists in Gujarat would file PILs to pursue the illegal mining issue.

Parivartan's Arvind Kejriwal said it was futile to expect any protection from police. "It is also futile to expect the anti-corruption agencies to take any effective action because these agencies are directly controlled by political executive. On the contrary, police and anti-corruption agencies collude with the corrupt. They either turn a blind eye to complaints and threats or openly victimise the complainant. There is a strong need for an institution which is completely independent of political executive and has adequate powers and resources to deal with such issues," he added.

A rally has been organised to denounce Jethwa's murder and demand that all parties must make a public commitment to put appropriate systems in place to address corruption. The rally, which has been organised by a host of organisations including NCPRI, Parivartan, National Alliance for Peoples Movement (NAPM) and Aasha Parivar, will begin at the Gandhi Peace Foundation on Monday.

CHRI's Venkatesh Nayak said it was the primary responsibility of the state to protect people raising uncomfortable yet relevant questions.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rows-out-postmans-son/articleshow/6189059.cms


G D Goenka school throws out postman's son
Neha Pushkarna, TNN, Jul 20, 2010, 05.36am IST

NEW DELHI: Most government employees celebrated the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission. But for Satya Pal, a postman at R K Puram in south Delhi, the joy of a hike in his salary came with a bitter aftertaste. His 14-year-old son, who had been studying for four years at G D Goenka Public School, Vasant Kunj, was thrown out of the school on July 12.

The reason: School authorities said since Pal's annual salary had gone beyond Rs 1 lakh, his son was no longer eligible to study for free under the government's EWS scheme. The school demanded that he pay Rs 23,000 per quarter if he wanted his son to continue in the institution.

"I was really happy when my son got admission in class IV in such a big school. But now the school wanted me to pay such high fees if I wanted him to keep studying there. Even though my salary has gone up, I am still a postman and earn just around Rs 15,000 per month," says Pal.

The poor postman is now in a fix. "My son is in class VIII. Where do I take him in the middle of the session now?" he asks.

According to Pal, his son, Vinit Kumar, was called to the principal's office on July 12 during recess. Says Vinit, "I was made to wait for more than two hours. Then someone asked me to get my bag and sent me home with a school staffer."

The school officials insist they are only following Delhi government rules which allow only students whose parents' annual income is less than Rs 1 lakh to be covered in the EWS category. "We allowed the boy to continue studying for free in the school for two years after the Sixth Pay Commission was introduced. But he cannot in placed in the EWS category any longer as we have to be accountable to the government," says Naresh Kumar, director, public relations, G D Goenka Public School.

He adds, "The father could not furnish an appropriate income certificate nor could he pay the fees. The boy's EWS seat could have gone to someone else who is more needy."

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, who runs a civil rights group called Social Jurist and from whom Satya Pal is seeking legal guidance says the school's action is brutal and insensitive. "The child was admitted in the school as per rules for the EWS category. So he should have been allowed to continue. It's brutal to throw out a child from school just because his father is better off now. It's probably time the government thought about bringing some change in the rules, especially when the right to education has to be implemented," he says.

However, the government has clarified it has no plans to enable children like Pal's to continue their studies under EWS. Says state education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, "If the postman's income is much more than the prescribed limit for EWS category, he will have to pay the school fees. People work and grow financially. That is why we ask for income certificates of parents every year to keep track."

He adds, "The EWS policy is only for those parents who really cannot afford their child's education in any school. Besides, the RTE norms are still being worked out and haven't been implemented yet."

Pal's current annual income is Rs 1.89 lakh (around Rs 15,000 a month). In 2006, he had submitted a certificate declaring that he earned Rs 6,955 monthly.

 

[Pintu]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ing-on-green-concerns/articleshow/6207819.cms

Maya's Noida park: SC begins final hearing on green concerns
PTI, Jul 24, 2010, 03.23am IST

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) began final hearing on Friday to examine the alleged violation of forest and environment laws by the Uttar Pradesh government in the construction of statues and memorials for Dalit leaders at a park in Noida near here.

The ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) had sought some time to file a report but a special forest bench headed by chief justice S H Kapadia said it will not adjourn the matter and, if required, any report could be filed at a later stage.

"We are not inclined to adjourn the matter," the bench, also comprising justices Aftab Alam and K S Radhakrishnan, said allowing the petitioners, who have challenged the Rs 650-crore project, to advance their arguments.

Senior advocate Jayant Bhushan, appearing for some Noida residents, alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government utilised the forest land for non-forest use by constructing memorials of Dalit leaders on 33 hectares of land for which it had uprooted 6194 trees.

He submitted that the state government had not taken permission under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, for going ahead with the project which was near the eco-fragile zone of Okhla bird sanctuary which is less than 500 metre away from the Park.

The authorities in Noida have not adhered to the September 14, 2006, notification of the MoEF relating to the Environment Impact Assessment, the counsel said.

"The state government cannot take the law into its hand," the counsel said, adding that the Noida authorities should not be allowed to claim fait accompli in the matter on the grounds that a large portion of the work on the project site has been completed.

However, the bench interrupted the counsel and wanted to know from him how he claimed that the land in question was a forest land.