Back to Main Page                                                                Archives

Ten security personnel injured in militant attack in Srinagar

         Srinagar: Ten paramilitary personnel were injured in a series of attacks on a police station in Srinagar, on Sunday, just a day before the region votes in the next phase of national polls. The militans lobbed two grenades at Lal Bazar police station, near a polling booth, where the voting is to take place on Monday. Officials said deputy superintendent of police, Lokinder Singh and Assistant Commandant of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Niraj were among the ten who suffered injuries when the assailants hurled grenades on the vehicles of security personnel. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital in the city.

          Kashmir has witnessed a series of attacks as two constituencies - Baramullah and Jammu- in the state voted on Tuesday. Militants set off mines and fired at polling stations when it voted. Srinagar, where the chief of the state's main opposition National Conference, Omar Abdullah seeks mandate, will vote on Monday. The violence in Kashmir followed calls by Muslim separatist groups to boycott the polls, which are being held in five rounds from April 20 to May 10.

Bihar 'Robinhood' gears up for battle of the ballot (Go To Top)

          Vaishali: Gangster-turned-politician Munna Shukla is campaigning in full swing in Bihar as the country's most lawless state, gears up to national elections. A member of the state assembly from Vaishali region, Munna Bhaiya as Shukla is popularly known, is now hoping to graduate to parliament. The 36-year old who has been in jail for over four years on charges involving over a dozen case of murder, rioting and abduction, was recently released on bail and is contesting as an independent candidate. Like many criminal-turned-politicians, Shukla promotes himself as a local robinhood and is hugely popular with the masses. When elected as a legislator in 2000, Shukla won with a massive margin while still in prison. Shukla, however, is unfazed about his image of a muscleman and instead claims that he is one amongst the people and best suited to be their representative. "My main issue is that outsiders have always represented this constituency. In the name of politics, these people have fully exploited the district...there has been no development ever here. Since independence, this district has lagged behind in everything. I will take this issue with people," Shukla said on Saturday in Vaishali, which will poll in the third phase on May 5. Indian law allows candidates not implicated by courts for terms exceeding two years to stand for elections and a number of candidates with criminal antecedents are in the fray.

Security beefed up for phase III (Go To Top)

          Srinagar: Security has been beefed up ahead of the third phase of polls in 137 constituencies across 11 states. The restive state of Kashmir was fortified ahead of Monday's polling in in view of escalated violence. Suspected militants attacked the office of Congress party in Srinagar last week, setting off explosions and firing at security forces. The militants have also targeted election rallies and campaign convoys of politicians in a bid to scare voters and candidates in the world's largest democratic exercise. The violence follows calls by Muslim separatist groups to boycott the polls, which are being held in five rounds from April 20 to May 10.

          "Normally LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba) plays a major role in the grenade attacks but we have seen HM (Hizbul Mujahideen) also carry out attacks in the main city. JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammad) is very low as they have lost Ghazi Baba and their leadership is equivalent to nil. So they are working in alliance. But LeT regularly carries out these attacks. HM is also interested in planting IEDs. But in the recent attacks LeT has more involved," said K.Srinivasan, Deputy Inspector General of Border Security Force. Militants had set off mines and fired at polling stations when one part of the state voted on April 20 in the first stage of polls.

          In Rae Bareli, the contesting zone for the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, hundreds of policemen have been deployed. Officials said at least eight thousand people were engaged on security duty. "At some of the places the Election Commission has asked us to deploy paramilitary forces. We have provision for videography at some booths also. Magistrates will also be there at a few booths, 8,000 people will be engaged on security duty at this constituency," P.P. Pathak, District Magistrate and chief electoral officer of Rae Bareli constituency, said.

          Meanwhile, the Electronic Voting Machines have been sent to the respective centres amid high security. "We are having about 5,000 polling staff on duty for the elections. And they will start going to the stations today. They will go and stay there," said B.S.Bhalla, Chief Election Officer of Goa. An estimated 17.2 million voters will seal the fate of 1278 candidates, including 60 women, across the country. The Election Commission has declared 75,618 polling booths as sensitive and are expected to have additional forces to prevent any untoward incident.

Pawar predicts hung Parliament (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar has predicted the 14th Lok Sabha elections would result in a hung Parliament. Pawar said on Sunday that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP will play a crucial role in the government formation at the Centre. However, the Congress appeared embarrassed by Pawar's statements. "I don't think that small regional parties like these can actually play a big role in deciding the final outcome," said Anand Sharma, Congress spokesperson. Pawar also reacted to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement made at a rally on Friday. Vajpayee had questioned the lack of clarity in NCP's stand on Congress President Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin. Pawar claimed that his alliance with the Congress is strictly meant for the elections and it doesn't mean he'll back Party President Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister.

Mehbooba escapes bid on life (Go To Top)

          Kulgam (J-K): PDP president Mehbooba Mufti escaped a bid on her life today when militants attacked her convoy in Kulgam near Anantnag in Kashmir. Mehbooba, who is contesting from Anantnag, was leaving Kulgam after addressing a rally when a grenade was thrown at her motorcade as it passed through Khool Noorabad village. A grenade, thrown from a nearby house, missed Mehbooba's car but fell just a metre in front of the NDTV car that was also part of the motorcade. Five civilians were injured, two of them seriously.

Bollywood stars make last-ditch efforts to woo voters (Go To Top)

          Gurdaspur: As campaigning for the third phase of elections ended on Friday, political parties across the country made last ditch efforts to woo voters. Leading political parties roped in Bollywood stars to bolster their campaigns. Sanjay Dutt, a leading Hindi film actor, trooped in for Vinod Khanna, a former Bollywood star and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate in Gurdaspur. The BJP supporters said Dutt's presence in his rally was a big boost as the film star's father was a Congress candidate in western Bombay. "He (Sanjay Dutt) is such a big star and despite his father, Sunil Dutt, being a Congress leader he is campaigning for the BJP which will really help Vinod Khanna," said Mohinder Gill, a local. Punjab votes for its 13 constituencies on May 10 in the final phase. BJP also roped in popular film actress-turned-television star Bhagyashree to campign for it in Kanpur. Bhagyashree praised Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's policies which she said have put India on the world map. Polling in UP is being held on April 26, May 5 and May 10. UP sends the maximum 80 lawmakers to the lower house of parliament. Voting began on Tuesday at the start of a three-week long general election that Vajpayee's BJP-led coalition is expected to win. The election is being held in five phases up to May 10. In all, 670 million people are eligible to vote in the world's largest exercise in democracy. Counting will be held on May 13 with results expected the same day.

Cong voters forced to flee village in Orissa (Go To Top)

          Banki (Orissa): The ongoing polls have cut into the social fabric of a small village in Orissa. Orissa's 10 parliamentary constituencies vote in the third phase of general elections on Monday. Earlier, 11 of the 21 constituencies voted on April 20. A majority of the voters in Banki village under the Chilika assembly constituency support the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). The rest of the villagers who support the Congress say they have been forced to flee the village after the assembly polls in 2000.

          The BJP supporters denied any wrongdoing, saying those who sided with the Congress left on their own, as they were responsible for the rift. "It all started during the time when Congress was in power. They harased us a lot. We did not ask their supporters to leave the village but they all left on their own," Narhari Bhol, a BJP supporter, said. In the last assembly elections the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD)- BJP combine turfed out the Congress, winning 106 seats out of a possible 147. The Chilika constituency was won by the BJP's Bhibuti Harichandan. Aggrieved Congress supporters, living on the village outskirts, complained that they were afraid of returning home. "When we go to the village, the BJP people beat us with staffs. We hope the Congress party comes to power. Otherwise it will be difficult for us. We also demand that the police should provide us some security and take us to the village," said Hari Singh, a Congress supporter. Harichandan admitted that the Congress workers had earlier left the village, but there was no acrimony among the villagers now. In a majority of villages in the countryside muscle power still decides political affiliations.

Muslims demand to frame Vajpayee in saree stampede case (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Muslim activists on Sunday demanded to include the name of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the infamous Saree stampede case in which 22 women were killed. Thousands of activists under the banner of All India Babri Masjid Rebuilding Committee (AIBMRC) gathered in Lucknow where the stampede took place, demanding that the election be countermanded as the function was organised to benefit Vajpayee. They also raised slogans against Syed Ahmed Shah Bukhari, chief cleric of India's largest mosque in New Delhi, for warming up to Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

           Kamran Siddiqui, general secretary of AIBMRC and an independent candidate from Lucknow constituency, said that the Election Commission should also summon Vajpayee in this case. "We have demanded from the Election Commission that notification should be issued again. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is equally responsible for the stampede. For a mere 40 rupees saree, 22 people lost their lives. This shows the reality of India shining slogan, which is false," he said.

          Hundreds of people had gathered in a park in Lucknow on April 12 for the birthday celebrations of prominent leader of BJP, Lalji Tandon, when officials announced the sarees would be given away. The stampede occurred when women rushed to collect the sarees. Vajpayee is seeking a fifth consecutive term from Lucknow parliamentary constitutency in the national polls which began on Tuesday. Tandon has been booked for bribing voters ahead of elections. The BJP has played down its hardline Hindu image and campaigned instead on a platform of peace and prosperity. The Congress has long accused the BJP of a deep-seated bias against the Muslims, who make up about 12 percent of India's more than a billion population, and says the party remains a threat to India's secular character.