Day after arrest, actor sent to judicial custody

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Mumbai, June 6 — The Bandra family court on Saturday remanded actor Raghuvir Yadav into judicial custody till June 7. He was arrested on Friday in connection with an alimony case lodged against him by his estranged wife, Purnima.

Yadav is best known for his role in the television serial Mungeri Lal ke Haseen Sapne. Raghuvir and Purnima married in 1988 but were separated in 1996.

The court directed him to pay alimony of Rs 20,000, which was later brought down to Rs 10,000 by the high court. Purnima later approached the court in 2002 alleging that Raghuvir had failed to pay maintenance.

Purnima’s lawyer Sumangala Biradar said there are arrears amounting to Rs 4.5 lakh. The family court in September issued an arrest warrant against Raghuvir after he failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons.

Raghuvir, on Saturday, told the court that since he is facing a financial crunch he can pay only Rs 20,000 of the arrears. The court remanded him to judicial custody.

“Now Raghuvir will have to pay at least 50 per cent of the arrears to be released from jail,” said Biradar. On Friday, Raghuvir and his friend Roshini Achreja boarded the Rajdhani Express from Mumbai Central station.

Purnima, who was also on the same train, spotted Raghuvir and informed the Mumbai Central GRP who detained him and handed him to the Dindoshi police.

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Congress using new system to select candidates in Uttar Pradesh

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lucknow, June 6 (IANS) The ‘Mission 2012′, launched by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to bring the party back to power in Uttar Pradesh, also includes a well laid out system for selection of candidates for each of the state’s 403 assembly constituencies, a party leader said Sunday.

‘An exhaustive interview of the applicants will form the most important part of the selection process, which would remain strictly transparent,’ Congress observer and Rajya Sabha member Shadi Lal Batra told IANS.

He ruled out any question of ‘extraneous factors’ like ‘sifarish’ (recommendation) by senior party functionaries or anybody else.

‘The party leadership has decided to be absolutely objective in the selection of candidates and that is the reason why we have commenced the exercise two years ahead of the election,’ he said.

Batra, who was among the ten special observers handpicked by Rahul Gandhi to accomplish his Mission 2012, has been entrusted with the responsibility of 41 assembly constituencies in and around Lucknow.

The other nine observers would also get down to business in their respectively assigned areas within the next one week. They have been told to submit their detailed reports latest by the end of October.

The first round of interviews took place Sunday with some 20 aspirants for Lucknow, while more aspirants would be interviewed Monday onwards.

‘The idea is to judge not just the calibre of the applicant, but his sincerity and commitment to the party and also his aptitude for public life,’ Batra said.

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After World 20-20 exit, Dhoni says players must respect their bodies to deliver for India

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gros Islet (St. Lucia, West Indies), May 12 (ANI): Having been shown the door from the World Twenty20 Cup by Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, copping criticism from all and sundry, said players turning out for India, needed to respect their bodies and be smart about playing in late night games such as the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Admitting that his side was tired after playing in the IPL and the World Twenty20 Cup within a gap of a few days, he said that was the reality of being an Indian cricketer. He said his side didn”t play to its potential, losing all their Super Eight matches, yet he found nothing wrong in either the IPL or the scheduling.

Speaking after Sri Lanka had handed India a five-wicket defeat, Dhoni said: “Players need to be smart because IPL is not only about cricket. You have to respect your body, and if you don”t do that, the IPL is draining.”

He also candidly admitted that his team had failed in all departments of the game, but added that it had not come to the West Indies to lose.

Former cricketer Ravi Shastri, who is in the West Indies as a commentator and expert, said the Indian team had failed tactically and was Dhoni’s worst performance as skipper. Another veteran Madan Lal said Dhoni and his team were simply making excuses for what was a very bad performance.

Former Indian opener and national team coach Anshuman Gaekwad said the team came up short in all departments of the game, as also in strategy.

Former Indian middle-order batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said: “It is only natural for people to say that the IPL tired the Indian players and once again after an IPL season India hasn”t played well in an IPL tournament.”

“The two critical games that India lost against Australia and West Indies were purely because the top-order batsmen couldn”t cop with the short deliveries. That cannot be attributed to the IPL. It is a technical weakness they have,” he added.

“The IPL could have been a contributing factor, but I think this performance has to do with the basics of some of the top-order batsmen. I would not hold the IPL as responsible as some of the technical frailties of the top-order batsmen have remained unaddressed,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s defeat of India allows it to go through to the semi-finals.

For the record, India made 163, but the target for the Sri Lankans was 143. They got there with the help of contributions from skipper Kumar Sangakkara, opening bat Tillakaratne Dilshan, all-rounder Angelo Mathew and batsman Chamara Kapugedara.

Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews made 46 each, Dilshan scored 33, while Kapugedara got 37.

For India, Suresh Raina hammered 63 from 47 balls with seven fours and a six while opener Gautam Gambhir made 41 off 32 balls. Debutant pacer Vinay Kumar claimed two wickets for 30 runs.

For Sri Lanka, fast bowler Lasith Malinga and Thilan Thushara claimed two wickets each while Thissara Perera took a wicket. (ANI)

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Pak human rights organisation appeal for early repatriation of two Indian fisherboys

May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, May 11 (ANI): A Pakistan human rights organisation, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), has appealed the government and other higher authorities to make arrangements for sending home the two Indian fisherboys, who were arrested but released later last month.

The SPARC has written to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry and other leaders to ensure early repatriation of the two boys, who were arrested by Pakistan’s Martime Security Agency along with 14 other Indian fishermen for violating country’s sea limits in December last year.

The Karachi Judicial Magistrate has already directed the concerned authorities to release the two young Indian fishermen.

The local court has directed the Sindh Home Department to send back both the fishermen to their home country, as they have already completed their four months sentence in the juvenile prison.

It may be noted that the decision had come after the SPARC had moved a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for their release.

On April 13, SHC Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany had ordered to close the cases against the boys within two weeks and report to the court on April 22.

India and Pakistan frequently arrest each other’s fishermen over violation of the maritime boundary, and hundreds of them are swapped regularly.

According to statistics, over 100 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in Indian jails while over 600 Indian fishermen are in Pakistani prisons.

Some believe that it is the rare and expensive fish like ‘Lal Pari’, which lures Indian fishermen to sail near Pakistani waters.

The fish is found near Sir Creek, at the mouth of the Indus River.

The “Lal Pari” offers handsome profit to the fishermen and a large quantity of these species are exported to European countries. (ANI)

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One injured in grenade attack on CRPF camp

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Srinagar, May 4 (ANI): One person was reportedly injured in a grenade attack on 144 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalion bunker in Srinagar on Tuesday.

The attack took place in Hari Singh area of Lal Chowk here.

It is reported that the grenade lobbed by the militants missed the target and exploded on the road near the gate of the Hanuman temple here. (ANI)

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Tytler given clean chit in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 27 (ANI): A Karkardooma court on Tuesday let off former minister and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case after accepting the closure report submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that gave a clean chit to him.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit said: “There is no sufficient material to send Tytler to trial.”

Giving a clean cheat to Tytler, the court further said there was no ground to order further investigation in the case.

The CBI had submitted that there was nothing to proceed against 66-year-old Tytler as two witnesses, Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh, were not reliable and their statements were ”false and concocted”.

Earlier on April 2, the CBI had given a clean chit to Tytler

De-sealing its final investigation report in a court, the CBI has recommended quashing of FIR against Tytler.

On March 28, the CBI filed the report in a sealed envelope before Metropolitan Magistrate Ram Lal Meena.

Tytler was among the three prominent leaders named in the reports on anti-Sikh riots. Two other leaders named were Sajjan Kumar and the late HKL Bhagat.

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which claimed the lives of almost 3000 Sikhs, were triggered by the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards. (ANI)

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Pak court directs agencies to free two ‘juvenile’ Indian fishermen

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, Apr.22 (ANI): A Karachi Judicial Magistrate has directed the concerned authorities to release the two young Indian fishermen, who were arrested for violating Pakistan’s water limits in December last year.

The local court has directed the Sindh Home Department to send back both the fishermen to their home country, as they have already completed their four months sentence in the juvenile prison, The Daily Times reports.

It may be noted that a Pakistani non-government organisation (NGO) had moved a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for the release of the Indian fishermen.

On April 13, SHC Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany had ordered to close the cases against the boys within two weeks and report to the court on April 22.

India and Pakistan frequently arrest each other’s fishermen over violation of the maritime boundary, and hundreds of them are swapped regularly.

According to statistics, over 100 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in Indian jails while over 600 Indian fishermen are in Pakistani prisons.

Some believe that it is the rare and expensive fish like ‘Lal Pari’, which lures Indian fishermen to sail near Pakistani waters.

The fish is found near Sir Creek, at the mouth of the Indus River.

The “Lal Pari” offers handsome profit to the fishermen and a large quantity of these species are exported to European countries. (ANI)

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Pak court directs agencies to free two ‘juvenile’ Indian fishermen

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, Apr.22 (ANI): A Karachi Judicial Magistrate has directed the concerned authorities to release the two young Indian fishermen, who were arrested for violating Pakistan’s water limits in December last year.

The local court has directed the Sindh Home Department to send back both the fishermen to their home country, as they have already completed their four months sentence in the juvenile prison, The Daily Times reports.

It may be noted that a Pakistani non-government organisation (NGO) had moved a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for the release of the Indian fishermen.

On April 13, SHC Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany had ordered to close the cases against the boys within two weeks and report to the court on April 22.

India and Pakistan frequently arrest each other’s fishermen over violation of the maritime boundary, and hundreds of them are swapped regularly.

According to statistics, over 100 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in Indian jails while over 600 Indian fishermen are in Pakistani prisons.

Some believe that it is the rare and expensive fish like ‘Lal Pari’, which lures Indian fishermen to sail near Pakistani waters.

The fish is found near Sir Creek, at the mouth of the Indus River.

The “Lal Pari” offers handsome profit to the fishermen and a large quantity of these species are exported to European countries. (ANI)

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Rajasthan villagers appoint security guards to prevent water theft

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bikaner, Apr. 1 (ANI): Acute water shortage in Rajasthan is forcing residents of a village near Bikaner to maintain a tight vigil on village water bodies to prevent water theft.

Four security guards have been appointed to protect the pond round the clock from both outsiders and animals.

“There are 8000-9000 villagers in our village, and, they depend on the water for their needs. So, four security guards protect the pond by turns,” said Ram Lal, a villager.

Guards distribute water to villagers according to the number of members in each family.

“We guard the water from outsiders. The villagers have appointed us,” said Hari Singh, a security guard.

For five years, the area has not received any rainfall.

The state government has declared a drought in twenty-seven districts of Rajasthan. (ANI)

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Supreme Court provides relief to Lalu Prasad in disproportionate assets case

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 1 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Government of Bihar has no authority to file an appeal against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad”s 2006 acquittal in a disproportionate assets case.

“The Bihar Government is not a competent authority to file an appeal in the case,” a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R M Lodha and B S Chauhan said.

The apex court also set aside a Patna High Court decision admitting the appeal filed by Bihar Government against the acquittal of Lalu and his wife Rabri Devi in the case.

During a final hearing on March 10, the CBI stood by Lalu in the Supreme Court and opposed the Bihar Government””s decision to challenge his acquittal in a disproportionate assets case, an off-shoot of the 1995-96 fodder scam.

The CBI had booked Lalu and Rabri Devi on charges of amassing property worth Rs 46 lakh above their legal sources of income.

Lalu was sent to the Bihar military police guest house on judicial remand in July 1997 and again in October 1998. He spent a day in the Beur Jail in the disproportionate assets case in November 2000.

Lalu and Rabri Devi, however, were acquitted of all charges by Special CBI Judge Muni Lal Paswan in December 2006.

The Bihar Government challenged their acquittal in 2007. (ANI)

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Pak arrests six Indian fishermen for violating sea limits

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, Mar.25 (ANI): The Pakistani Maritime Security Agency arrested six Indian fishermen for violating the country’s water boundary in Krake near Karachi on Thursday.

Pakistani officials also seized two boats belonging to Indian fishermen.

All the fishermen have been sent to jail, The Nation reports.

This is second such arrest made by Pakistani agencies in less than a week.
Five Indian fishermen were arrested for allegedly violating Pakistan’s sea limits near the Sir Creek area in the Arabian Sea last week.

India and Pakistan frequently arrest each other’s fishermen over violation of the maritime boundary, and hundreds of them are swapped regularly.

According to statistics, over 100 Pakistani fishermen are languishing in Indian jails while over 600 Indian fishermen are in Pakistani prisons.

Some believe that it is the rare and expensive fish like ‘Lal Pari’, which lures Indian fishermen to sail near Pakistani waters.

The fish is found near Sir Creek, at the mouth of the Indus River.

The “Lal Pari” offers handsome profit to the fishermen and a large quantity of these species are exported to European countries. (ANI)

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Himachal villagers take up paragliding as an occupation

March 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Manali, Mar 19 (ANI): Villagers of a small village in Himachal Pradesh are taking up paragliding a profession as it is proving to be a lucrative source of income.
The village of Burua, which is seven kilometres away from Manali, has produced over 200 paragliding pilots.

Roshan Lal Thakur, the man who brought the adventure sport of paragliding to the valley, believes that the sport can help the village youth to a great extent.

“When I initially started paragliding, then I didn””t know that this will become a great source of income for the youth. I got into this because of my interest. But today I feel happy about the fact that the locals and the youth of the region are earning their bread and butter through it,” said Thakur, who has represented India in the Asian Paragliding Championships in 2004.

Thakur further said that it was purely the initiative and drive of local youth which has made the sport accessible to tourists.

In 1995, Thakur started the first tandem commercial flight at Solang Nala in the valley and is now running a training school in Manali.

Initially, paragliding was a huge investment for the villagers, who otherwise cultivated potatoes and apples.

A single paraglider costs about Rupees 200,000-500,000. Fully trained paraglider pilots earn up to 1,000 rupees per day.

“Earlier, for earning their living, the locals used to sell potatoes and apples. But then the valley wasn””t giving much profit with its cultivation. So, since 1989 when the tourists started coming here, so the locals started training as paragliding pilots. Now, the people are earning well through this profession,” said Hira Lal, a professional paraglider pilot. (ANI)

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Three killed, eight injured in Kashmir attacks

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Srinagar, March 16 (IANS) Militants struck twice in a day in the Kashmir Valley, killing two civilians and a policeman and injuring eight people, three of them securitymen, Tuesday. The rebels opened fire in the capital city’s crowded business centre of Lal Chowk and then attacked a police patrol in Sopore town.

A shop worker was killed and two civilians and two troopers were injured in the Lal Chowk militant attack – the second in the city in three days, police said.

City police chief Javaid Riyaz told IANS that three militants opened fire with automatic weapons from a close range at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) posse in the main business hub of the city when the area was bustling with shoppers in the morning.

He said five people — three civilians and two CRPF troopers — were injured in the firing before the guerrillas escaped in the labyrinthine lanes of Lal Chowk, the heart of Srinagar.

‘One injured civilian identified as Khurshid Ahmad Parray, a salesman in a shop, succumbed to injuries in a hospital,’ Riyaz said.

Panic gripped the area and people, mostly shoppers, were seen running for cover when they heard gunshots. Shopkeepers downed their shutters and unattended vehicles remained parked on the deserted roads for hours.

The area was cordoned off for searches but the militants had already fled in the high tension and confusion that gripped the busy business centre.

No militant group has owned up the responsibility for the Srinagar attack, which comes after a grenade explosion Sunday killed a paramilitary trooper and left five injured. The grenade attack was claimed by Save Kashmir Movement militant outfit, which is believed to be a joint brigade of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups.

Militants in the evening struck in Sopore town, over 50 km from here, killing a civilian and a policeman and injuring three civilians and a cop.

‘A special police officer (SPO), Ishaq Hussain, and a civilian were killed,’ a police officer in the town said. The injured were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the condition of the troopers and two civilians injured in the Lal Chowk firing was described by doctors as critical. They have been shifted to a sophisticated hospital because of ‘critical injuries’, the city police chief said.

The two CRPF troopers are constable Basant Kumar and head constable Omkar Ram of 132 Battalion.

Lal Chowk, which lies in the heart of the city, has been at the centre of 20-year-old armed separatist insurgency in the Kashmir Valley. The attack is the latest in the surge of violence in Jammu and Kashmir where officials had been claiming decline in militancy. Security agencies, however, fear that militants might have used the lull in the past year to re-group.

Security forces across the Kashmir Valley have been put on high alert in the wake of the renewed guerrilla activities in recent days.

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Two killed, four wounded in Sopore guerrilla attack

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Srinagar, March 16 (IANS) Two people were killed and four others injured when separatist guerrillas attacked a police patrol in north Kashmir’s Sopore town Tuesday evening, officials said.

A civilian and a policeman were killed, while three civilians and a policeman were wounded in the attack that took place in Sopore town, 54 km from here.

‘Militants fired at a routine police patrol in Sopore town today (Tuesday) evening near the local bus stand,’ a senior police officer said.

‘One special police officer (SPO) named Ishaq Hussain and a civilian were killed in the militant firing while three civilians and a police constable have been injured,’ he added.

The injured have been shifted to the hospital for treatment as re-inforcements of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been rushed to the area which has been cordoned off.

This is the second separatist guerrilla attack in Kashmir Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, guerrillas attacked CRPF guards in Lal Chowk, the bustling Srinagar city centre.

One civilian was killed and four people — two civilians and two CRPF troopers — were wounded in the Lal Chowk attack.

Security forces across Kashmir have been put on high alert in the wake of the renewed guerrilla activities in recent days.

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Civilian killed in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk firing

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Srinagar, March 16 (IANS) A shop worker was killed and four people, including two troopers, were injured Tuesday in a militant attack in the capital’s crowded business centre of Lal Chowk – the second in the city in three days, police said.

Three militants opened fire with automatic weapons from a close range at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) posse in the main business hub of the city when the area was bustling with shoppers in the morning, city police chief Javaid Riyaz told IANS.

He said five people — three civilians and two CRPF troopers — were injured in the firing before the guerrillas escaped in the labyrinthine lanes of Lal Chowk, the heart of Srinagar.

‘One injured civilian identified as Khurshid Ahmad Parray, a salesman in a local shop, succumbed to injuries in a hospital,’ Riyaz said.

Panic gripped the area and people, mostly shoppers, were seen running for the cover when they heard gunshots. Shopkeepers downed their shutters and unattended vehicles remained parked on the deserted roads for hours.

The area was cordoned off for searches but the militants had already fled in the high tension and confusion that gripped the busy business centre in the wake of the firing.

No militant group has owned up the responsibility of the attack, which comes after a grenade explosion Sunday killed a paramilitary trooper and left five injured. The grenade attack was claimed by Save Kashmir Movement militant outfit.

Save Kashmir Movement, which has claimed responsibility for similar attacks earlier and many political killings in the Kashmir Valley, is believed to be a joint brigade of militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Police said the condition of the troopers and two civilians injured in the Lal Chowk firing was critical. They have been shifted to a sophisticated hospital because of ‘critical injuries’, the police officer said.

The two CRPF troopers are constable Basant Kumar and head constable Omkar Ram of 132 Battalion.

Lal Chowk, which lies in the heart of the city, has been at the centre of 20-year-old armed separatist insurgency in the Kashmir Valley. The attack is the latest in the surge of violence in Jammu and Kashmir where officials had been claiming decline in militancy. Security agencies, however, fear that militants might have used the lull in the past year to re-group.

Security forces have been put on red alert in the city as authorities feared more violence in the city.

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Bareilly curfew enters 13th day

March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bareilly (UP), Mar 13 (ANI): A large part of Uttar Pradesh”s Bareilly district is under curfew for the 13th day running today.

On Friday, at least 15 people, including a senior police officer, were injured when members of a community clashed with police to protest the release of a Muslim cleric.

The community members indulged in vandalism and protested against the release of Maulana Tauquir Raza Khan, president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, who was arrested for his alleged role in communal violence in Bareilly.

After unruly people protested in areas of Subhashnagar Police Station, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas cannisters to control them.

Additional Director General (Law and Order) Brij Lal said: “The situation is still tense, but under control. For vandalism and violent protests, we have arrested 10 people”.

Meanwhile, political parties are now vying with one another in a game of upmanship.

Chief Minister Mayawati set the ball rolling by releasing the Maulana.

A move to ensure that the Maulana”s angry supporters did not resort to more violence, and Muslim vote was pacified. But the Maulana”s release angered the Bajrang Dal whose activists set fire to shops and vehicles.

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party leaders also tried to reach Bareilly but were prevented by the administration. (ANI)

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Missing Hindu nurse’s parents’ pleas in Pak falling on deaf ears

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, Sep.18 (ANI): Family members of the Hindu nurse, Bano, who disappeared from Karachi last month under mysterious circumstances, have urged the government to step into the issue and direct the concerned authorities to pursue the matter seriously to find out her whereabouts.

Bano’s uncle and the head of the Hindu Maheshwari community, Narain Das feared that her niece could have been killed or forced to convert her religion.

“The incidents of kidnapping our community girls’ have recently increased alarmingly and despite our repeated protests and approaches to the higher authorities, nothing has so far been done to protect the community members. Kidnappers have recently kidnapped several girls as young as thirteen and fourteen years old,” Das said.

The police has arrested Gulzar, who worked with Bano in the hospital, but failed to gather any substantial report regarding her whereabouts.

Gulzar has told officials that Bano has accepted Islam and married her boyfriend Jaffer, but Bano’s parents fear she has been murdered.

When enquired about the issue, Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Dr Mohan Lal said he would look into matter and issue guidelines to concerned authorities.

“I would personally talk to the police authorities and will ensure her release as soon as possible,” The Daily Times quoted Lal, as saying. (ANI)

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JKRTC hold demonstration over release pending salaries in Srinagar

September 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Srinagar, Sep 14(ANI): Hundreds of striking employees of Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) suffered injuries on Monday, when they held a rally outside the corporations’ headquarters and marched towards the State Civil Secretariat near Lal Chowk in Srinagar, as police had to use teargas shells and water cannons to disperse them.

Police was forced to use force, as demonstrators were adamant to meet the State Finance Minister over his alleged remarks about them.

“Today is our 20th day. We are on strike. It has not affected the Government at all. We have given the Government two options. Either the Government should run the transport corporation effectively and pay the employees their salary or wind up the whole corporation and pay the employees their compensation,” said Muhammad Ashraf, an employee of JKRTC.

Demonstrators wanted to meet the Finance Minister of the State to press for their demands, but police stopped them.

“On earlier occasions also the police baton charged us, our women and daughters. Today also they are trying to stop us from going to the secretariat. We want to meet the state finance minister. We want to know why he said that there was nothing for transport employees,” Ashraf added.

The demonstrators have been observing an indefinite strike for 20 days, and want release of last five months pending salaries. (ANI)

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Nithari victims’s relatives express outrage over Pander’s acquittal

September 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 11 (ANI): The acquittal of Nithari killings accused Mohinder Singh Pandher in the Rimpa Haldar murder case has left relatives outraged and anguished.

“I will destroy this bungalow (Pandher’s residence) in one minute. I am ready to spend money to get justice,” said Anil Haldar, Rimpa’s father.

His reaction came after the Allahabad High Court acquitted Pandher for the murder of Rimpa, who was among the 19 people killed at the businessman’s home.

Haldar, a married woman, was called by Kohli to work as housemaid at the Pandher, and thereafter went missing.

The father of another victim said he would approach the country’s apex court for justice.

“We will go to Delhi and appeal in the Supreme Court because the government out here is corrupt,” said Jhabbu Lal, the father of Jyoti, a Nithari massacre victim.

Earlier this year, both Pandher and Koli were awarded capital punishment by a special court in Ghaziabad.

The Nithari killings came to light three years ago, leaving people across the country shocked.

The skeletal remains of the children were first discovered in a sewer behind Pandher’s plush D-5 bungalow in Noida’s Sector 31.The human skulls were stuffed in 57 gunny bags along with 700 bone pieces.

Special Judge Rema Jain completed the proceedings after re-cross examination of former Noida police officer Dinesh Yadav on January 27 and the recording of statements of Pandher and Kohli.

A total of 19 cases of killings were registered at the Noida police station in December 2006. All of them were transferred to the CBI for further investigation. (ANI)

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Shekhawat says Jaswant’s expulsion wrong

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 10(ANI): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Thursday said the decision to expel Jaswant Singh was wrong.

“The way Jaswant Singh has been treated, I do not approve of it,” Shekhawat said.

Shekhawat was in the national capital. Jaswant Singh called on him, but said his visit did not have any political motive.

“I had come to enquire about his health and did not come here (Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s residence) with a political motive. As you know, I’m not a member of the BJP and Bhairon Singh was one of the founder members of the party. So, I have come to see him,” said Singh.

Jaswant Singh was expelled from the party last month for writing a controversial book that was sympathetic to Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, but critical of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Patel and first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru for their role in the partition of the Indian subcontinent. (ANI)

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