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22 killed, 15 wounded in road accident

         Ferozepur: Twenty-two people, including four women, were killed and 15 others injured when a Dera Beas-bound minibus hit a tree and overturned near Behak Pachharian village, 44 km from here, early this morning. While 20 people were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital. Superintendent of Police Rajinder Singh said four seriously injured people were admitted to DMC in Ludhiana, eight to Zira Civil Hospital, and three were hospitalised at Makhu. Singh said that 18 of the dead have been identified and their bodies were handed over to relatives after post-mortem. He said the minibus was en route to Dera Beas in Amritsar district. The dead were identified as -- Chiman Lal, Ajay Kumar, Neelam, Sheelo, Swaran Singh, Balkar Singh, Jagir Singh, Banso, Jagroop Singh, Balbir Chanar, Om Prakash, Jindo, Vijay Kumar, Santa Singh, Paramjit Singh, Karnail Singh, Jagdeep Singh and Anil Khurana. Singh said the speeding bus, carrying 37 passengers, crashed into the tree with such force that a part of the vehicle was embedded in the trunk.

Rabri forwards 17 ministers' resignations to Governor (Go To Top)

          Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi today forwarded resignations of 17 ministers to Governor M Rama Jois to downsize her cabinet to 36 as per the constitutional requirement. Though the names of the 17 ministers who have been shown the door were not officially declared, reports said that 11 belong to RJD, three to Congress and as many independents. "The people who have been removed had to be removed because the cabinet had to be downsized. This does not mean that they are no longer in the party or that they did not work well. We will all work together in accordance with the Constitution," said RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. All the ministers had sent their resignations to the Chief Minister. As per the 91st Constitutional amendment, the CM had to reduce the size of her council of ministers from 53 to 36.

Fresh list of Dawood aides prepared  (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The Government has prepared a fresh list of over a dozen Mumbai blast case fugitives associated with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, including those reportedly staying in Pakistan. The Centre is likely to hold talks with Islamabad as well as the governments of the Gulf states and West Asia to seek assistance to nab them, according the official sources. The list was prepared after a series of meetings between the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and top officials of CBI, Intelligence Bureau and paramilitary intelligence agencies. They also reviewed the progress of investigations in the blast cases to bring the culprits to book. New Delhi has for long been pressing Pakistan to hand over 20 criminals and terrorists, including Dawood, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar and three others released from Indian prisons in return for the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane, Flight IC-814. Dawood, who has been declared an international terrorist by the US, has reportedly undergone plastic surgery in Pakistan to escape arrest. The fresh list is believed to include the names of two women members of Dawood's family -- Shabana Ibrahim Memon and Reshma Ayub Memon. The other "key aides" of Dawood whose names are included in the new list are Taher Mohammad Merchant, Sheikh Karimullah, Khatri Riyaz, Feroz Abdul Rashid, Salim Abdul Ghani Ghazi, Yaqub Wali Mohammad Khan, Anwer Ahmed Haji, Abdul Rashid Mohd Khan, Shabir Sayed Ismail Qadri, Sayeed Arif and Esmail Haji Ahmed Ebrahim, a report in South Asia Tribune said.

Muslim body keen on social reforms (Go To Top)

         Kanpur: Members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Sunday discussed social reforms at a meeting Kanpur. The meeting attended by several senior leaders of AIMPLB and educationists aimed to reach a consensus on issues ailing Muslim society. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Abdul Rahim Qureshi, secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said that they were moving ahead in the direction of social reforms but needed some more time to implement it. Social reforms have been a much talked about subject in the Muslim society but very less has been done in this regard, which many experts say is a cause of backwardness in this community. "Social reform is not an easy process. It needs time, and we are moving forward with particular subjects. We are moving gradually....Let us see what happens," Qureshi said. The AIMPLB is also supposed to take up the issue of divorce law at its next meeting, a case analysts say has been pressed by several women activists of the country. Several women activists have argued that divorce should be a more considered decision rather than the mere utterance of "talaq" or divorce thrice. AIMPLB is entrusted with safeguarding Muslim rights in India.

Bill to repeal POTA during budget session, says Patil (Go To Top)
By Bhadran Nair

         New Delhi: Home Minister Shivraj Patil said here today that the bill to repeal the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) might be introduced in Parliament during the budget session. "Mostly, it is likely to be introduced," said Patil in an exclusive interview with ANI. The Act came in for criticism from several political parties including the Tamil partners of the Congress like the DMK and the MDMK. MDMK's Vaiko, who had supported the bill during his honeymoon with the NDA himself was put behind bars under the Act by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha.

           The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) which had made it clear that the Act had been grossly misused and promised its repeal in the Common Minimum Programme of the alliance. On the dismissal of governors of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Goa, Patil said the government has not done anything unconstitutional. "When these people, who are complaining were in power, they did it. At their instance it was done," said the Home Minister referring to the removal of governors in 1990. The Home Minister said if the NDA decides to disrupt the proceedings of Parliament on this issue, it would be unfortunate. He said the opposition instead should play a constructive role in Parliament. "They should make use of the time available to them to consider the policies, the budget, the laws which we are proposing in the House and find out where we are going wrong, where we are doing things which are against their ideology or their approach," said Patil. On the third round of talks with the Hurriyat leaders, the Home Minister said it may not be possible for the Home Minister or the Prime Minister to get involved in the talks. He said the current interlocutors would continue to prepare the ground and if necessary he himself or the Prime Minister could intervene at a later state. "Ultimately if it has to be taken at any level, it can take at any level. But I am not giving an assurance," said Patil giving speculation that the UPA government is not in favour of holding the third round of talks involving the Home Minister or the Prime Minister.

          Patil said that the government is willing to talk to anybody, who is willing to take part in the peace process, "with a view to solve the problems and not with a view to score some points." The third round of talks with the Hurriyat leaders led by the moderate Abbas Ansari is most likely to be held towards the end of this month. The Centre's interlocutor had met the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference and briefed the Home Minister about the progress achieved so far. Patil said the government would now consider any firm proposal from the Hurriyat for resolution of the issue. The Home Minister also revealed that the talks with NSCN(I) group by former Home Secretary N. Padmanabhaiah in Stockholm have been positive. "The signals that have been received by us are not disappointing," said Patil, adding that the government's objective was to see that the lull, which has been in existence, is continued and try to arrive at an agreement with the Nagas.