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New Delhi, May 4 (ANI): Hundreds of Congress activists staged a sit-in in New Delhi on Saturday condemning the recent religious riots in Gujarat. Over the past few weeks Congress activists across the country have been observing fasts, hunger strikes and protests seeking dismissal of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi blaming him for his inability to control the carnage. More than 900 people have lost their lives in the clashes which were sparked off after a Muslim mob firebombed a train killing 59 Hindus. Activists shouted slogans against Modi who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party which also heads the federal coalition. "The violence is continuing. Humanity has ceased to exist and there is danger to the secular fabric of the country. So, we want Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to be sacked," said Mukesh Sharma, a protestor. Opposition parties and allies have been demanding the dismissal of Modi. Earlier this week, the federal government survived a censure motion moved by the opposition in the Lok Sabha for its inept handling of the country's worst religious bloodshed in a decade.(ANI) Search operation on in BaramullaGo to top Baramulla, May 4 (ANI): Security forces on Saturday launched house-to-house search operations in Baramulla looking for three surviving militants of a 30-hour long gunbattle. The gunbattle broke out on Thursday evening after the militants lobbed a grenade and fired on a joint search party of army and police. Brigadier R.S. Dhillon, an army officer, said at least three militants were killed in the encounter. "The operation is now over and search of the debris has begun. I think our search will take another few days. We have already started recovering weapons. We have recovered a box full of cash in burnt out condition. We have recovered burst gas cylinders. We have recovered parts of radio sets and parts of bodies also," said Dhillon. Three soldiers and a civilian were also injured in the encounter. Ten houses have been completely gutted after a fire broke out during the exchange of fire", Dhillon said.(ANI)
Judges visit Ayodhya disputed site
Ayodhya, May 4 (ANI): A three-judge bench presiding over the inflammatory temple-mosque row visited the disputed site in Ayodhya on Saturday. Justices Sudhir Narain, Rafat Alam and Bhanwar Singh of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court are hearing four title suits of the land acquired by the federal government where stood the 16th century Babri mosque torn down by Hindu zealots on December 6, 1992. The razing of the mosque flared up the country's second worst religious riots in history when more than 3,000 people were killed. The bench has constituted a commission which has been holding daily sittings to record evidence and examine nearly 40 witnesses on each side following a plea by the federal government counsel to expedite the contentious suit. Hindus claim the Babri mosque was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ram. Muslims, who want to reconstruct the mosque built by Moghul emperor Babur, contend otherwise. The judges visited the disputed land in Ayodhya on Saturday where now stands a makeshift temple. They also heard versions of various parties. "On the southern side they saw whether there was a burial ground or not. The judges came and inspected that for themselves so that the court is better placed to appreciate all the oral evidence that is coming before it because they have difficulty in understanding the geography of the area," Zafaryab Jilani of the Sunni Central Waqf Board later told reporters. "They have marked the land and identified various landmarks. But none of Muslim structures were identified like where stood the mosque and there the well. Nothing has been shown. But it doesn't look like we can expect an early judgement," said Mohammed Hashim, the main complainant in the case. "It was necessary for them to pay a visit to the spot for settlement of the dispute. Very often, time and again, reference comes to symbols of God, that this landmark was here or there, here stood the door, the entry, the kitchen, the Ram courtyard. It was not possible to place them with oral recording of evidence. So the court (judges) saw it for themselves. We explained to them, told them what stood where. It became easier for the court to understand the witnesses' statements," said Harishanker Jain of the rival Hindu Maha Sabha. Earlier this year the apex court disallowed a federal government plea to let Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which is spearheading the temple movement, perform a religious ceremony pending settlement of the dispute.(ANI) Gill all set to help Modi revamp police force
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to top Ahmedabad, May 4 (ANI): K.P.S. Gill, who is credited with having crushed militancy in Punjab in the eighties, is all set to take over as security advisor to embattled Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. Modi, who has drawn flak from opposition, media and several independent human rights groups, said he wanted to revamp the state police force. "We have accepted the suggestion of the human rights commission asking for more professionalism and qualitative change in the police department. For that purpose, we need services of experts in the field. That is why I have sought his (KPS Gill) services as my advisor," Modi said on Saturday. More than 900 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in the state in reprisial attacks after 59 Hindus were torched in a train in Godhra on February 27. Opposition parties have accused Modi of having failed to control violence and often turning a blind eye to attacks on Muslims. Modi denies these charges. Earlier this week the federal government headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party came in for sharp criticism from the opposition during a censure motion in the Parliament. But Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee doggedly backed Modi, who heads a BJP government. Minister of State for Home I.D.Swami said the appointment of Gill as security advisor to Modi reflected the state government's desire to control violence in Gujarat. "I think that shows the sincerity of the chief minister to ensure that normalcy returns to Gujarat, and if he wants to take his (K.P.S Gill's) advice or his help and his assistance, well, this is a good thing," said Swami in New Delhi. The situation in the state is largely peaceful in the last two days. Authorities have also relaxed day curfew in several areas. But still 110,000 Muslims have been living in relief camps, too scared to go home.(ANI)
"Wargames" being conducted in Thar desert
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to top New Delhi, May 4 (ANI): The Strike Corps of the Indian Army and units of the Air Force have begun a 15-day wargames in Rajasthan's Thar desert and adjoining areas.The exercise, which will continue till May 15, is usually conducted at this time of the year to keep the soldiers in combat-readiness. Defence Ministry sources have however clarified that this "action play" has nothing to do with the troop deployment along the border "except that it helped in saving time of movement of soldiers and weaponry." As troops have already been massed, the exercises could be organised in minimum time.in minimum time. Last year, Operation Poorna Vijay was conducted in the same area in May but the movement of troops, tanks and other weaponry had begun much earlier. The sources added that the exercises in no way indicated that a war with Pakistan is imminent. (ANI)
Osama may be dead, declares Musharraf Go to top Islamabad, May 4 (ANI): President Pervez Musharraf has said that he believed Osama bin Laden was still in Afghanistan but might be dead already. According to him, "hardly a dozen" US military communications experts were working on Pakistani territory with local forces to hunt down bin Laden's fighters as they fled across the border. Al-Qaeda extremists, Musharraf stated at a press conference on Saturday, could never regroup in force in Pakistan, but small elements were capable of crossing the border and might try to destabilise the "security environment" in the country.
Kolkata shanty dwellers turn violent
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to top Kolkata, May 4 (ANI): Squatters in Kolkata on Saturday turned violent after police tried to evict them from their shanties alongside rail tracks. The 4,000 strong police force was forced to suspend the clearance drive after protestors set ablaze four vehicles and a few huts. Shanty dwellers armed with sticks marched along the railway tracks in the southern part of the city refusing to move out until a rehabilitation package was provided. "I have been living here for 35 years. I was born and brought up here. We don't have any place to go to. So, we will fight for our right to live here. Of the 30,000 people, even if 1,000 die at least 29,000 will be able to live in peace," said Babli, a squatter. Babli said their claim on the land was legitimate as they possessed voter identity cards and other documents certifying them as bonafide residents of that area. The protestors had the support of the Trinamool Congress party which is an ally of the ruling federal coalition. Mamata Banerjee, leader of the TMC, staged a sit-in accusing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of doing injustice to the people of her constituency by not initiating negotiations. "Even during the metro rail project, 15,000 people in my constituency were affected. Why is the Railway Minister (Nitish Kumar) vindictively doing all these things ? I am supporting NDA (National Democratic Alliance). It is an unfortunate path," said Banerjee, herself a former Railway Minister. TMC has petitioned the Supreme Court to stall the eviction and the hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. The Calcutta High Court had set April 30 as the deadline for eviction of illegal settlers on railway property. An estimated 30,000 people live in 1,500 shanties and about 700- 800 permanent structures along the railway tracks.(ANI) PPP fears massive rigging of October polls Go to top Islamabad, May 4 (ANI): Pakistan People's Party headed by Benazir Bhutto fears massive rigging of the general election in October citing as reason General Pervez Musharraf's announcement to have the polling arrangements similar to those made for the referendum. In a statement on Friday, acting PPP Secretary General Raza Rabbani said the polling arrangements as well as the campaign leading to the referendum were replete with massive corruption and malpractices unparalleled in history. "Even at the polling stations there was no sanctity of the ballot and neither were there any arrangements for secret casting of votes, voter's lists, polling agents, transparent counting of votes or any restriction on multiple voting by pro-Musharraf voters." He said the local and international media had highlighted the irregularities. "This farce should not be repeated, if we wish to have any semblance of an electoral process in any future elections," he said. Commenting on Musharraf's announcements about accountability, Rabbani said that by now the people of Pakistan had seen enough of the one-sided political accountability, the purpose of which was only to block the democratic forces from bringing in constitutional democracy. "The nation wants to know the source of billions of tax-payers money spent on promoting the hold of one man over the 140 million people of Pakistan." He said, "It is time Musharraf himself went through the accountability process and answered questions about the gross misuse of public funds spent on the referendum campaign."(ANI)
Death toll in the bus-fire accident at Ahmednagar reaches 31, injured passengers being treated in local hospitals Go to top
According to him, "hardly a dozen" US military communications experts were working on Pakistani territory with local forces to hunt down bin Laden's fighters as they fled across the border. Al-Qaeda extremists, Musharraf stated at a press conference on Saturday, could never regroup in force in Pakistan, but small elements were capable of crossing the border and might try to destabilise the "security environment" in the country.
After a gap of seventy years, young cadets in the Indian Military Academy(IMA) will now be trained under the new code. Go to top
Undergoing rigorous training with the motto "I am a warrior and fighting is my dharma", these cadets, will now be physically and mentally better prepared to meet challenges on the warfront. Apart from this, young officers will now be seen in new uniforms, which are equipped with "Ultra Modern kits".Moreover, information technology is also being given a trial at the Academy which will enable cadets to incorporate it in modern warfare. Setting up of a new aviation wing furnished with the latest equipment is also on the anvil. " I believe that we should become the masters of knowledge revolution and this is the reason that together with physical and military training, intellectual and knowledge based training in IMA should be given equal importance because their (the cadets) performance depends entirely on the kind of training, both, physical as well as academic we impart," said Lt Gen Tejender Singh Shergil, Commandent, IMA. Established on December 10 1932, by Field Marshal Sir Philip W Chetwode, the Academy boasts of distinguished alumni like Sam Manickshaw, Smith Dun and Mohammed Musa. Now after the change in the code, the academy shows promise of turning out more such illustrious officers.(ANI, MAY 3, 2002)
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Islamabad, May 4 (ANI): President Pervez Musharraf has said that
he believed Osama bin Laden was still in Afghanistan but
might be dead already.
(DEHRADUN-ANI, MAY 3, 2002) One of the best military academies in the world, the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, has after seventy long years adopted a new "code of the warrior" for its cadets. Under the new code, curricula for academics as well as practical training has been updated.