Month: February 2013

Weeks after calling off a scheduled visit to India amidst mounting tensions over ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim will travel to New Delhi later this month for bilateral talks. Fahim, one of the top leaders of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, will begin a four-day visit to India from February 21, Commerce Ministry officials were quoted as saying by state-run Radio Pakistan today. Besides holding talks on bilateral trade with Indian officials, Fahim will attend a SAARC business conference, the officials said.

Facing flak from BJP and Sangh Parivar over his controversial Hindu terror remarks, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said he fully endorses Congress party’s stand that there was no colour to terrorism. “There is no colour to any terrorism,” he told reporters when asked to comment on his remarks during Congress party’s ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Jaipur last month. “I have already said after Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi’s January 22 comment that “my thought is the same as party line,” he said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Wednesday questioned Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi for not making any reference to 2002 riots in the state and alleged his speech here was aimed at generally trying to “mislead” the people.

“Well, the Chief minister of Gujarat made a reference to a cliche called P2 and G2 when he was referring to Gujarat model of development. P2 essentially stands for platitudes personified – patting oneself on the back when one has no achievements to account for,” Tewari told reporters here.

Giving relief to a gay merchant navy sailor, the Bombay High Court today stayed the framing of charges under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly indulging in ‘unnatural’ sex with another man. The sailor Raja (name changed) approached the high court seeking to quash the case lodged against him in February 2009 by a lady accusing him of allegedly having ‘unnatural’ sex with her husband.

A man arrested for attempting to rape a girl and shoving an iron rod into her mouth has been remanded to 14-day of judicial custody by a Delhi court. Anil Kumar, arrested for attempting to rape and murder a class XI girl after trespassing into her house in South Delhi, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Amitabh Rawat who sent him to judicial custody till February 19. “…on the request of the police, the accused (Anil) is remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. He be produced on February 19,” the court said.

A Madhya Pradesh Congress leader today filed a complaint in a local court demanding ban on the ongoing shoot of K C Bokadia’s ‘Dirty Politics’ alleging that the film is a “conspiracy” to malign his party’s image ahead of upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan. In his private complaint, state unit Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja alleged that the portrayal of Bhanwari Devi case in ‘Dirty Politics’ tantamount to spreading bias against Congress facing Assembly elections in Rajasthan.

Police today used water canons and canes to disperse hundreds of students who turned violent while protesting near a prestigious Delhi University college against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in 2002 riots in the state. Students associated with AISA, AISF, DSU and SFI gathered outside the Sriram College of Commerce, where Modi gave a speech, at around 3 PM and tried scaling the barricades set up to prevent them from entering the college premises.

“India has rule of law and not that of any religion”, Congress said today sharply reacting to online threats to the first all-girl rock band of Kashmir following a decree issued by Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad. “This is a secular country and the Constitution has given every citizen freedom of expression. Religion is one thing and the Constitution is another. No one can put any type of ban on anything because it is not as per a particular religion”, party spokesman Rashid Alvi told reporters.

Police today arrested a man on charges of kidnapping his eight-year-old son, who was with his estranged wife, and attempting to kill him. The man, Satish Bhalekar, kidnapped his son on Sunday and threw him into Narmada canal near here with an intention to kill him, police said. The boy was with his mother Hansaben, who had been staying at her brother’s residence. Bhalekar was arrested following a complaint lodged by his wife, they said. Talking to reporters today, Hansaben said she had shifted to her brother’s house due to frequent quarrels with her husband.

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan have assured the Tibetan community of raising its problems in Parliament, a leader of Tibetan government in exile today said. Dawa Tsering, chairman of the representative committee, said the two leaders have assured of raising the issue in the coming Budget session, after being approached by the community in its efforts to garner support for the Tibetan cause.

The elevation of Rahul Gandhi as Vice-President of Congress has been hailed by one and all in the party which will work tirelessly to “fulfill” his dream of a strong and resilient Congress, the party mouthpiece said today. In its editorial, Congress Sandesh, also said that the Jaipur declaration, adopted at its Chintan Shivir held last month, has given the party a new direction towards “a bright and successful future”. “The directions set out in the Jaipur declaration will surely take us towards a bright and successful future for the Congress party,” it said.

Congress today sought to drive a wedge in the Opposition NDA on the Ayodhya issue as BJP chief Rajnath Singh raked it up saying his party is committed to the construction of the Ram temple. “Has the BJP ever consulted its allies on the matter?

Police today detained a man for allegedly sending a letter threatening to carry out serial bomb blasts in the city. The letter dispatched by ordinary post was received by police in which the sender threatened to carry out serial blasts today. On the basis of primary investigation, the man was detained for interrogation, police said. Serial blasts in the pink city in May 2008 had left 70 persons dead and 150 injured. PTI

Arunachal Pradesh’s secular character is evident from the fact that no communal riot was reported from this state, a senior Muslim cleric said today. New Delhi-based chief Imam of the All India Imam Organisation Umer Ahmed Ilyasi said that education is the indicator of development and sports and it has contributed to the picturesque state earning global recognition. Calling the state as ‘mini India’, he said that people from all parts of the country have been living here in absolute harmony.

Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) chief B S Yeddyurappa today said he would not topple the BJP government and allow Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to present the budget. “We will not topple the government. Let the Chief Minister present the budget,” he told reporters here. Yeddyurappa said respecting the views of his partymen that the government should be allowed to present the budget otherwise the newly formed party would earn a bad name, he decided not to topple the government. He claimed that around 50-60 MLAs including ministers will join his party after completion of term of BJP Government.

Four persons have been arrested for allegedly raping a Dalit woman after drugging her in Ballabhgarh here, police said today. The victim had gone to a clinic with her husband on January 29 when one of the accused Ansar took her to Rajiv Colony on some pretext and raped her along with his friends, they said. The victim’s husband had gone for some work when Ansar approached her. When he didn’t find his wife after coming back he registered a missing person report following which police launched a search and recovered her, they said.

A debt-ridden man ended his life near here in Andhra Pradesh today, police said. B Naresh Kumar, a resident at Gundala Street in Anakapalle area, hanged himself from a ceiling fan, they said. He was running a private clinic for which he had taken a loan. Kumar did not get expected profit from his business venture and slipped into heavy debt. Depressed over the mounting financial burden, he committed suicide at his clinic, police added. PTI

Nathavaram police today arrested B Trimurthulu (45), the priest of a local temple, and Y Suri Babu (46), a cycle mechanic, for allegedly molesting four girls. According to the police, the girls were below seven years of age. Their parents were daily wage workers who left the girls alone at home during the day. According to police, Trimurthulu and Suri Babu, who lived in the same area, lured them with chocolates and molested them. The accused also forced the girls to watch porn clips on mobile phone, police said.

A youth was arrested for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl in a slum here, police said today. The accused, Sunil Dhable (18), and the victim were neighbours in a slum locality in Sewree area of Central Mumbai. At around 3 pm on Tuesday, Dhable sneaked into the girl’s house when she was alone, and raped her, they said. Dhable was arrested on a complaint lodged by the girl’s family, police added. PTI

TRS today demanded that Andhra Pradesh government withdraw the proposal to hike power tariff. The TRS state executive, which met today, also sought that steps be taken to ensure that heritage monuments are not affected in the Hyderabad Metro rail works. It sought that the consumers be given 12 LPG cylinders at subsidised rate, senior leader N Narasimha Reddy told reporters. PTI

Chattisgarh would set up fast-track courts for speedy trials in rape cases, officials at the High Court in Bilaspur said today. The decision was taken by a full bench after a proposal was given by a committee of judges of the high court to set up fast-track courts for speedy trials in rape cases, they said. The decision comes in the wake of calls for the same by Chief Minister Raman Singh following reports last month of rape of tribal schoolgirls at a hostel in Kanker district.

Two youth were arrested tonight in connection with the online abuses and threats to the all-girl rock band of Kashmir, which forced them to quit singing. Tariq Khan was apprehended from Bijbehara, a town in South Kashmir, and Rameez Shah was arrested from Ganderbal in central Kashmir, police sources said. Police continued to raid different places to apprehend a third accused who hails from Batmaloo area of Srinagar city.

Subra Suresh, President Barack Obama’s top Indian-American science official, has resigned as director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to become the president of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
Obama appointed Suresh in 2010 as head of NSF, a $7 billion independent federal science agency charged with advancing all fields of fundamental science and engineering research and related education.

Pakistan’s decision to hand over strategic Gwadar port to China is a matter of “serious concern” for India, Defence Minister AK Antony said today.

“Chinese are now constructing that port on Pakistan’s request. In one sentence, I can say that it is a matter of concern to us. My answer is simple and straightforward,” he said at the Aero India press conference here.

The Minister was responding to a media query if the handing over of Gwadar port in Pakistan to China would make India’s western frontiers more vulnerable.

Ignoring protests outside, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today used a college platform to project himself nationally saying his focus was on development politics and not that of vote-bank, which he said has “ruined” the nation.

As protesters opposed to his visit clashed with police outside the Shri Ram College of Commerce here, he sought to commend the Gujarat model of governance to the rest of the country.