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Five cops get life term for murdering Bapi Sen

          Kolkata: Five policemen who murdered a traffic sergeant who tried to stop them from molesting a young girl, were on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment, after a two-year trial in Kolkata, Bapi Sen became a national hero in December 2002 as his valiant act and subsequent death caused a massive public outrage against the erring policemen. The men were apparently drunk had mercilessly beaten up Sen. The court, which refused to mellow the sentence because of their inebriated condition, held them guilty of murder, and also penalised them for outraging a woman's modesty. The woman, who had been attacked by the five convicts, never came forward to depose as a witness.

PM's package for AP farmers in distress (Go To Top)

          Kurnool: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday announced a package for the families of the debt-ridden farmers, who had committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh. In his first ever visit outside the national Capital Delhi, the Prime Minister assured government help to the distressed farmers of the state. "I will try that our banks work together and at least one member of those families where suicides have taken place will get employment," Singh said addressing a rally in Kurnool district. Hundreds of dirt poor farmers unable to repay crippling debts have committed suicide in the past few years in the large farming state, which has also been racked by a long drought. State's new Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, whose Congress party had swept the recently-held state assembly elections, had promised a wide-ranging financial package for farmers in the predominantly agrarian, drought-prone region. Under the financial package announced by the state government last month, the authorities have promised to provide Rs. 150,000 to each distressed farmer. Singh on Thursday distributed cheques for 150,000 rupees to the families of the deceased farmers. The families seemed to have been touched by the gesture. "The Prime Minister came to our village. He gave us money. He promised us that he would repay the loans and asked us not to go for fresh loans. He advised us to educate our children," Laxmi, a widow of a farmer, said. Over 40 farmers had committed suicide in the state, even after the new government came to power. The Congress and its allies won hands down bagging 226 of the state assembly's 294 seats, in recently concluded state assembly elections.

It's final: Amarnath yatra from July 15 (Go To Top)

          Srinagar: Ending days of controversy, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday announced the pilgrimage to a hill-top cave shrine at Amarnath will begin on July 15. "It has been decided that from July 15, the yatra will start officially. They will be able to pay homage starting July 17 or 18," said Khursheed Ahmed Ghanai, Divisionsl Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir government has increased the pilgrimage duration to 45 days from one month following protests from the Congress Party and several Hindu groups.

          This year's pilgrimage is being considered auspicious and authorities are expecting a heavy rush of pilgrims. Authorities said elaborate security arrangements would be in place for the safety of the pilgrims. Several times in the past, the annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine has been targeted by Islamic militants. "The pilgrims convoys will be given a safe passage by the border Security Force, the CRPF and the local police. We have planned elaborate security arrangements," said K. Rajendra, Inspector General of Kashmir.

Holy men begin Amarnath yatra despite ban (Go To Top)

          Jammu: Hundreds of holy men on Thursday started pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, defying the state government's decision to start the coveted trek on July 15. The first batch of holy men which included 85 devotees, embarked on the trek from Jammu. VHP activists have been agitating for extension of the Amarnath Yatra from one to two months. However, the state government agreed to increase the duration of the pilgrimage by 15 days, citing security reasons not to raise it further. "We cannot accept the government's decision of 45 days for the pilgrimage. This decision of the government and Amarnath shrine board is not at all acceptable and this is against the tradition which has been going on. It has to start today as it is full moon day and we are starting it today," said Ramakanth Dubey, chairman of the VHP action committee. The VHP activists are likely to be stopped just ahead of Jammu by security forces. Several times in the past, the pilgrims have been targeted by Islamic militants.

Tehelka makes another shocking expose (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: An investigative portal in the Capital on Thursday came up with a shocking expose of a fake certificate racket in a mental asylum in Agra. The Tehelka.com showed a video at a press conference where a government psychiatrist in the Agra mental asylum colluded with husbands seeking divorce from their wives. It said the psychiatrist charged 5,000 rupees to certify poor, disempowered women as mentally ill. "Here you are looking at extremely poor impoverished ordinary people and we are seeing a nexus of ordinary government officials, husbands, courts. Something which has completely negated their lives. These are women without hope in hell, most of them have gone back to their parents house they don't have any hope. The disimpowerment is so incredible that they don't even think that they have a right to stand up and fight back," portal chief executive officer Tarun Tejpal told reporters.

           Tejpal named Dr RK Gupta, a senior psychologist at Agra Mental Hospital, who had wrongly certified at least 10 perfectly healthy women as mentally ill and thereby helping their husbands to get divorce in the court of law. The Tehelka had about three years ago exposed a scam in the purchase of defence equipment forcing the then Defence Minister George Fernandes to quit from the cabinet of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Speaker in favour of telecast of entire proceedings of House (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The proceedings of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour may soon be available for Television viewers. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has expressed his willingness to allow TV coverage of the proceedings. "It is my feeling that the entire proceedings should be available to the people of our country throughout the session. I mean throughout the day's proceedings. Now there is no telecast of what is called the Zero Hour proceedings. I can not take a decision myself and will have to consult all leaders. I hope to persuade them to agree to this. I think that will be good. Why should we deprive the people of any part of the proceedings," said Chatterjee. Chatterjee said he is hopeful of arriving at a consensus with all the political parties on the issue. He was talking to the press persons after meeting the Ambassadors of China and Cuba and the High Commissioner of Bangladesh.