Month: January 2012

Hyderabad, January 30: The state-wide bandh called by Dalit groups to protest the desecration of BR Ambedkar statues in Andhra Pradesh on Monday evoked a mixed response.

Barring a few incidents of violence, the shutdown was by and large peaceful. Unidentified persons set on fire a private bus at Chilakalguda here this morning.

Police had stepped up security at all vulnerable places, especially in Telangana. The Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee supported the bandh.

New Delhi, January 30: Attacking Salman Rushdie, Press Council of India (PCI) Chairman Markandey Katju today said the “sensationalism” depicted by his book ‘Satanic Verses’ has deeply hurt Muslim sensitivities and that an individual’s freedom of speech has to harmonised with the public interest.

Justice Katju, who had last week termed Rushdie as a “sub-standard and poor writer”, also questioned the Booker Prize awarded to the author saying it was “mystery” why he got it.

Hyderabad, January 30: Telangana Congress Steering Committee Chairman K Keshav Rao on Monday claimed that the demand for Telangana statehood had not weakened.

The statehood issue had got delayed due to elections in five states, he told media persons after a meeting of Telangana MPs held at Parliamentarian Komatireddy Rajagopal’s residence here.

“Once the elections are completed, the MPs will present the issue before the Congress high command and mount pressure on the Centre to introduce a bill on Telangana in the Budget Session of Parliament,” he said.

New Delhi, January 30: A two-year-old relentless abused by unidentified adults is fighting for her life at Delhi’s AIIMS hospital. Her doctors and nurses have named her “Falak”, meaning “the sky.” She went through a gruelling brain surgery – her second in recent days – this morning.

1. In critical condition: Doctors who operated on Falak today say they needed to remove fluid from her brain. They say there is “a high likelihood” of post-operative complications. Her chances of survival have worsened.

Hyderabad, Janaury 30: A day-long shutdown began in Andhra Pradesh on Monday on a call given by Dalit groups to protest the recent desecration of statues of B.R. Ambedkar.

Schools, colleges, shops and business establishments remained closed in many districts while protestors blocked roads to stop buses of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).

Student organistations, especially Osmania University student Joint Action Committee has also called for a shutdown to protest the desecration of statues in Amlapuram and other parts of East Godavari district.

Bangalore, January 30: A police woman in Bangalore has alleged that an IAS officer’s wife beat her up on Sunday when she was trying to do her job. The police inspector, Anjumala T. Naik, claims that the bureaucrat’s wife has just one pass to watch a cricket match. But she insisted on being accompanied by her daughter for the match which featured local celebrities.

When Inspector Naik tried to stop her, the woman allegedly asked members of the Karnataka Cricket Association to intervene. They allowed her daughter and her to enter the stadium.

Hyderabad, January 30: The CBI special court on Monday adjourned hearing on petition of CBI seeking permission to conduct narco-analysis tests on Vijay Sai Reddy, arrested in connection with the disproportionate assets case against Kadapa MP, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, to February 2.

Appearing before the special court, the CBI counsel said that Vijay Sai Reddy was not cooperating with interrogators and making the investigation difficult.

Hyderabad, January 30: The Standing Committee of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Monday gave nod for corporation’s Rs 3600 crore budget for the year 2012-13.

Briefing the media persons after the Standing Committee’s met here, GHMC Mayor Mohammad Majid Hussain said that the Standing Committee has approved the budget and the same would be presented in the general council for final approval. Further, the Standing Committee has also decided not to share the works for the Hyderabad Metro Rail Projects. He said the HMRL would be asked to carry out all works on its own.

Bhopal, Jan 30 (IANS) An eight-year-old boy who was made to bathe in cold water for hours at a tableau put up for the Republic Day parade in Dewas district said Monday that he was promised snacks and Rs.5 in return for the act.

The child, named Sunny, said that a bald man, Babulal Mandloi, contacted him.

“I had gone to watch jhanki (tableaux) with my aunty. One bald man came and told me he would give me snacks and Rs.5 if I take bath in the jhanki,” said Sunny.

New Delhi, January 30: Bollywood actor Imran Khan lost his bag at the Dubai airport while in transit for the promotional tour of his forthcoming romantic comedy “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu”.

Imran and Kareena have been travelling abroad to spread the word about the Dharma Productions and UTV Motion Pictures co-production. But Imran ended up in a bit of a mess in Dubai last week.

Lucknow, January 30: Congress general secretary Rashid Alvi declared here Monday that Rahul Gandhi’s rise to the prime minister’s chair in 2014 was a forgone conclusion.

He was reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad’s sarcastic remark, daring Rahul to become prime minister as that would expose his capabilities.

“We are glad that realisation has finally dawned on the BJP that the Congress is all set to again return to power in 2014, and Rahul will become prime minister,” Alvi said at a press conference here.

Hyderabad, January 30 :Lanco hills wakf land scamster and AP home secretary BP Acharya was arrested today. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday arrested Andhra Pradesh Home Secretary B.P. Acharya for alleged corruption in the Emaar-APIIC township case.

The top bureaucrat was later presented in a court here, which sent him to CBI custody for two days.

Acharya was arrested by the CBI officials in the afternoon after they questioned him since morning at Dilkusha guest house, the camp office of the investigating agency.

New Delhi, January 30: Battling for life at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), two-year-old battered and abandoned baby Falak underwent brain surgery to remove fluids even as she developed respiratory problems, a doctor said. The baby has been put on ventilator.

“We have done a small brain surgery to remove fluids from her brain. We suspect that there could be infection in her brain. The fluids will be sent for lab test,” Deepak Agrawal, assistant professor (neurosurgery) at the J.P.N. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre, said.

New Delhi, January 30: The Supreme Court Monday asked the Gujarat government why it was recording statements of witnesses alleging that social activist Teesta Setalvad doctored affidavits of victims of the 2002 riots when the proceedings had already been stayed by the court.

—IANS—

New Delhi, January 30: An estimated 70 percent polling was recorded in Punjab and 65 percent in Uttarakhand in assembly elections in the two states, the Election Commission said here Monday, and added that the figure would rise as many people were waiting in queues to cast their ballot.

The poll panel also indicated that the polling percentage in the two states will cross the final polling percentage figures in 2007 polls.

Dharwad, January 30: Police have arrested 11 people on the charges of shooting to death Chairman of Karadikoppa Gram Panchayath in the taluk on January 19, IGP (Belgaum Range) K S R Charan Reddy said today. In a press note here, he said yesterday a police team led by DySP Rajiv Banahatti apprehended ten accused who had escaped from the village after the shoot-out. Today another main accused in the case was arrested. On January 19 Shivappa Mallappanavar (40) was shot dead by a group of people in his village.

Kolkata, January 30: Attacking the Congress and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for political opportunism, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that her party, Trinamool Congress, will continue to oppose the “anti-people” policies of the central government.

Banerjee’s comment comes as a reaction to the statement by union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh where he stated that the credit for bringing a “revolutionary change” in West Bengal goes to Congress as much as to its ally Trinamool Congress.

Tehran, January 30: Iran’s Navy successfully launched the long-range Qader ground-to-sea missile (shown) on the final day of major naval maneuvers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on January 2, 2012.

The commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces has downplayed threats against Iran, stressing that the United States will not venture to launch a military strike against the Islamic Republic.

London, January 30: A Muslim pilot, who worked for a prominent British-carrier, has told a tribunal that he was thrown out of his job over fears he might “fly planes into buildings” and replicate the 9/11 attacks.

The pilot was arrested over his links to an alleged terror plot by extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir but was never charged.

However, the airline felt he was “in a position to divert or sabotage an aircraft” and judged him as a security risk, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

Kabul, January 30: An Afghan man killed his wife for giving birth to a third daughter rather than the son he hoped for, police in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province said on Monday.

The victim, 28, known by the one name of Storai, was strangled by her husband — a local militia member — and his mother on Saturday in revenge for bearing the couple’s third daughter three months ago in Mohasili village, police said.

Land scam, January 30: CBI arrests AP home secretary New Delhi: CBI today arrested senior IAS officer and Andhra Pradesh Principal Home Secretary B P Acharya in a case relating to alleged irregularities in land transfer and sale of villas and apartments in a township in the state.

The township has been jointly developed by state-run Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) and Dubai-based infrastructure firm Emaar.

Gurgaon, January 30: The condition of Anna Hazare admitted to a hospital here with complaints of breathlessness and high blood pressure is “fairly stable”, doctors said on Monday.

“We conducted a good number of investigations on him and as per the reports there are no surprises yet. His condition is fairly stable,” Dr AK Dubey, Medical Superintendent at Medanta Medcity hospital, said.

New Delhi, January 30: Veteran Congress leader Karan Singh, Janardhan Dwivedi and Pervez Hashmi, who were re-elected to Rajya Sabha from Delhi, Monday took oath as members of the House.

The three MPs took the oath in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari.

The tenure of the three MPs had ended on January 27 and they were re-elected unopposed recently.

Interestingly, Singh, 81, took the oath in his mother tongue Dogri, which has now been included in the 8th Schedule of Constitution.

New Delhi, January 30: India is all set to ask the United States and Pakistan to extradite nine persons involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack that include Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley, LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and two ISI officers.

Government sources said the extradition requests to the US and Pakistan will be sent “very soon” as all the nine persons were directly involved in the conspiracy as well as executing the India’s worst terror strike.