Month: October 2011

Ahmedabad, October 05: The Special Investigation Team probing the alleged police encounter killing of Mumbai teenager Ishrat Jahan and three others in 2004 on Wednesday submitted its progress report to the Gujarat High Court, officials said.

The report was submitted following directions from a division bench of justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari which during the last hearing on September 10 had asked the three-member panel, headed by IPS officer R R Verma, to submit its final report by today.

The next hearing in the matter is slated for Friday.

New Delhi, October 05: Abid Hussain, a suspect in the Sep 7 blast at the Delhi High Court that killed 15 people, was Wednesday sent to two days’ judicial custody by a court here.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) presented Hussain, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, before Additional Sessions Judge H.S. Sharma for the in-camera proceedings, after the end of his police custody.

‘Abid Hussain was sent to Tihar Jail till Oct 7,’ said his counsel.

Bhopal, October 05: They don’t regard Ravana as a negative figure. On the contrary, some people in four Madhya Pradesh districts worship Hindu god Rama’s arch rival on Dussehra when all across his effigies are burnt to mark the victory of good over evil.

In some places of Vidisha, Mandsuar, Ratlam and Indore districts, the effigy of Ravana is not burnt but the people welcome the 10-headed demon king.

Srinagar, October 05: The custodial death of a member of the ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir snowballed Wednesday with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) staging a loud protest march here.

Alleging Sayeed Muhammad Yousuf was killed in police custody Sep 30, some 300 activists of the opposition PDP covered nearly a kilometre before the police prevented them from reaching the NC headquarters.

Hyderabad, October 05: A case of police brutality in Old city came into light after the sleuths of Mirchowk Police allegedly beaten up a motor mechanic over a trivial issue at a cafe. According to Mohammed Ahmed Ali (50) a resident of Kamal Nagar Chaderghat, yesterday he had went to a café near Mahatma Gandhi Bus station in order to have breakfast,

after having the breakfast Ahmed Ali was washing his hands where an waiter of the café objected to this and there was an minor altercation between the both.

Kabul, October 05: “Afghan intelligence services have arrested a group of six people in connection with a plot to assassinate the president,” AFP quoted Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui as saying on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) told a news conference in the capital Kabul that the plotters had recruited one of Karzai’s bodyguards in order to kill him, Reuters reported.

It said those arrested were linked to the Pakistan-based Haqqani terrorist network.

Somalia, October 05: The US drone attack left six civilians dead and many more injured in the Dhoobley town located near Kismayo, the capital of the lower Juba region and a port city located some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday.

Hassan Ali, a Somali military official, told Press TV that the strike sought to target an al-Shabab base in the area. However, the casualties were all civilians.

The drone attack comes as 20 civilians, among them eight women, were wounded in a US aerial attack on the outskirts of Kismayo late on Tuesday.

Kabul. October 05: Hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months, with Afghans becoming more and more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults.

Civilian casualties caused by the US-led NATO attacks have been a major source of tension between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the military alliance.

Afghans have held several protests against NATO over the issue of civilian casualties.

——Agencies

Kolkata, October 05 : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday admitted it had failed to read the mood of the people, who voted it out to end its 34-year rule in West Bengal.

In a frank assessment of what had gone wrong with the country’s biggest Communist party, CPI-M leader Biman Bose confessed the Marxists had failed to produce ideal Communists.

‘We could not groom ideal Communist leaders and workers,’ the state secretary said after an in-depth analysis of the Left Front’s electoral defeat in May.

New Delhi, October 05: Two men, in their early 20s, accused of murdering 10 people, were arrested from north Delhi, police said Wednesday.

Anil Rohilla, 23, and Sunil, 24, hailing from Haryana, were arrested Tuesday from Narela area.

‘They were wanted since four years in eight cases of murder, including two double murders, and 12 cases of robbery in Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra,’ a police officer said.

Police recovered four 9 mm bore pistols, a .32 bore pistol, three spare magazines and 65 live cartridges from the car in which the duo was travelling.

Chandigarh, October 05: With just eight days left for Hissar to pick a new MP, the Haryana government Wednesday transferred the district police chief upon directions from the Election Commission.

Hisar Superintendent of Police Vivek Sharma is believed to have been shunted out following last week’s complaint by the main opposition, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

The complaint says that Sharma was a close relative of Haryana assembly speaker and Congress legislator Kuldeep Sharma.

Agartala, October 05: Several tribal political parties in northeast India have extended support for the carving out of a separate state of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

In separate statements issued Wednesday, the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) of Assam, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF) of Manipur have supported the demand for a separate state of Telangana.

New Delhi, October 05: Jammu and Kashmir native Abid Hussain, arrested for his alleged role in the September 7 bomb blast in the Delhi High Court premises, was today sent to Tihar Jail with a city court remanding him in judicial custody till October 7.

Special NIA Judge H S Sharma remanded Hussain in judicial custody as National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths, while producing him before the court after expiry of his police custody tenure, told the judge that he was no longer required for custodial interrogation.

Jeddah, October 05: Over 23,000 Indian Haj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.

According to a release of the Consulate General of India here, a total of 23,078 pilgrims have arrived from India, of them 2,018 are in Makkah and 21,059 pilgrims are in Madina.

So far, 85 flights have come from India.

Meanwhile, two pilgrims have died. One of them had come through the Haj Committee of India and the other through a private tour operator.

The Haj to Makkah, the holiest city for Muslims, is obligatory in Islam at least once in a lifetime.

New Delhi, October 05: In a shocking revelation on Wednesday, Army Chief General VK Singh told media persons that around 4,000 Chinese are currently present in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

“There are certain construction working teams, a large number is available. Around 3,000 to 4,000 of these people are present including certain people for security purposes. There are certain engineers troops. Now (like) our own engineers are combat engineers. So, in some way they are part of the PLA,” he told reporters here.

New Delhi, October 05: BJP veteran LK Advani’s much-publicised Jan Chetna yatra against corruption will be a national affair as it aims to cover 7600 kilometers across 23 states and Union Territories, the party announced on Wednesday.

Making an announcement in this regard, BJP general secretary H Ananth Kumar said, “The yatra, which begins on October 11, will promote good governance and clean politics.”

“It will be flagged off by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, ” he confirmed.

New Delhi, October 05: Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju was today appointed as the new chairman of media regulator Press Council of India (PCI), succeeding Justice G N Ray.

The appointment of Justice Katju, who retired from the apex court on September 19, was cleared by a committee headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari and included Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, it was officially announced.

When contacted, Justice Katju said he would give his comments to the media informally on Monday after getting the official notification on his appointment.

New Delhi, October 05: Unhappy with the ultimatum set by Anna Hazare on the Jan Lokpal issue, a senior minister today said Government is committed to bring a “strong and effective” Lokpal bill to deal with corruption but made it clear that this cannot be done by “putting a pistol on someone’s neck”.

“You cannot get something done by putting a pistol on someone’s neck,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal, maintaining that the Parliamentary Standing Committee was looking into it and collecting views of its members on it.

Hyderabad, October 05: Unlike last time when all services were stopped following the two-day Rail Roko call by the pro-Telangana parties, the South Central Railway would operate its services during the three-day Rail Roko call from October 9.

SCR Assistant General Manager Vijya Mohan on Wednesday stated that the railways were ready to operate trains on October 9-11 in the event of State Government provides proper security.

New Delhi, October 05: Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh is one of the most eligible bachelors in the country and has been linked with several women in the past. But the 29-year-old says he wants to wait for someone who is open-minded and understanding and does not marry him for his popularity.

Interestingly, he said this in a tete-a-tete with his once-rumoured girlfriend, actress Preity Zinta, on her celebrity chat show Up Close and Personal With PZ.

Hyderabad, October 05: The resignation of Infrastructure Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has been accepted by Governor ESL Narasimhan on Wednesday. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, earlier in the day, addressed a letter to the Governor recommending that the resignation of the minister be accepted.

Hyderabad, October 05: The State Government on Wednesday clarified that the situation of seasonal diseases including Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and JE are well under control and there was no alarming situation in the State.

However, the Health Department has been kept on alert to constantly monitor the situation.

The Department of Public Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday informed the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy that so far three Dengue deaths have been reported from the State since July this year.

New Delhi, October 05: The CPI today asked the government to take an immediate decision on Telangana statehood demand, saying any further consultations on the issue would be “an exercise in futility” as all parties have already given their views.

With the agitation in the region of Andhra Pradesh entering the 24th day and the administration being “totally paralysed”, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said “the people have spoken” on the issue.

Mumbai, October 05: Hrithik Roshan filmed his on-screen wedding with Priyanka Chopra yesterday at the famous Babulnath temple in Mumbai amidst tight security and excited on-lookers.

It was a morning shift and by the time they were done filming in the evening, there was pandemonium on the streets when word got out that he was shooting in the area.

New Delhi, October 05: Abid Hussain, a suspect in the Sep 7 blast at the Delhi High Court that killed 15 people, was Wednesday sent to two days’ judicial custody by a court here.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) presented Hussain, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, before Additional Sessions Judge H.S. Sharma for the in-camera proceedings, after the end of his police custody.

“Abid Hussain was sent to Tihar Jail till Oct 7,” said his counsel.