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'Om' on sandals kicks up a storm

        London: A shipment of sandals, made in China and imported into Britain by one of England's leading footwear companies, has caused something of a furore within the Hindu community. The company at the heart of the storm, Laceys Footwear, has been taken aback by the row and has acted quickly to sort out the problem. That problem is that the sandals have an inverted "Om" symbol on the soles. The company has been quick to apologise for this unforeseen design feature on their product, with their spokesperson, Michael Ridgway saying: "We apologise for any offence or hurt the design on the sandals has caused to any member of the Hindu community." He added: "We are shocked at the reaction (to the sandals) because this design has been sold to a number of our Hindu retailers who did not recognise the symbol as "Om" either. We were completely unaware that the design could be read as a mirror image of the symbol and have withdrawn the sandals from the market."

           The protest against the sandals, and the company responsible for them, began when a member of the public spotted the offending items on sale in London and reported the sighting to the recently formed Hindu Forum of Britain. The general secretary of the Forum, Ramesh Kallidai, immediately complained formally to Lacey's and commented: "It doesn't really make any difference to us whether it 's a mirror image or not. 'Om' represents a manifestation of God and it is considered grossly offensive for people to step on it with their foot. There seems to be a sustained trend (that has been building up) for years in using Hindu symbols in the most inappropriate ways".

          That trend is illustrated by other so-called design features on other items of clothing. For example, only recently, Harrods, one of London's leading department stores, was forced to withdraw a range of swimwear for women that contained images of Lord Vishnu. Further, Bimal Krisna, general secretary of the National Council of Hindu Temples, has observed : "this just does not seem to stop. I have a pair of slippers with the image of Lord Krishna. We are working on tracking down the company responsible". In the end though it's probably down to individuals to stamp out this kind of thing - if we know that something may cause offence, just don't buy it. Simple.

Five militants killed in Poonch (Go To Top)

          Poonch: At least five terrorists were gunned down by the Indian Army here Sunday. Giving details, Army officials said the militants, belonging to the Harkat-ul-Ansar group, were tipped off to be hiding in maize fields in the district. "We pulverised the entire area with 84 mm rocket launchers, automated grenade launchers, multi-grenade launchers. The encounter lasted for over eight hours and today morning we have eliminated all these five foreign militants," said colonel R.P.Singh of the Indian army. He further said that the Army seized five AK-47 rifles, seven hand grenades, five radio sets, more than 1,000 rounds of bullets and Pakistani currency notes.

Manipur tense as curfew continues (Go To Top)

          Imphal: Manipur continued to remain tense with the protests against the alleged killing of a woman by the Assam rifles personnel. Police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the hundreds of demonstrators in Greater Imphal, even as a government office in Thoubal district was reportedly set on fire early this morning. Meanwhile, the indefinite curfew imposed by the authorities earlier was relaxed for two hours from 9:30 am today. Although Assam Rifles personnel claim that the woman shot dead by Manorama was an IED expert, locals are not buying the story and have come out in huge numbers to protest against the killing. "When dharnas and rallies failed to bring any result, we did not know what else to do. We had to tell authorities that they should not play with women's modesty and people's lives", Thockchom Ramani, Women's Group Leader was quoted as saying.

BJP condemns quota for Muslims in AP (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The main opposition party the BJP condemned the move by the Andhra Pradesh to provide quota policy for Muslims. Muslims account for about nine percent of the state's population. The Congress-led coalition government in the state had last week announced a five percent reservation for Muslims in jobs and education, thereby fulfilling its election promise. BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said the move could sow the seeds of communalism in sensitive Indian society. "The Muslims never demanded this. Some groups which do not have any hold would have wanted it. But the Muslim community as such has not demanded reservation. But political parties with their communal pseudo- secular apoproach have started this. This is unending and will have serious repurcussions on the social harmony of the country," Naidu told reporters here Sunday. Naidu said the party would start an agitation both within and outside the parliament from next week. Meanwhile, the state had defended its move by saying that it was prevalent in almost all the southern states.

BJP asks PM to clarify stand vis-a-vis Soren (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The main opposition party the BJP has asked Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh clarify his stand whether he would continue to keep Union Coal Minister Sibu Soren in his cabinet after arrest warrants were issued were against him (Soren) in connection with the 1975 Chirrdih massacre. BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu said: "What has been ordered by the court must be executed and the consequences must follow. He (Soren) has been wanted in the case and he has been avoiding appearance before court, which is necessary for framing of charges against him. The law must be allowed to take its own course. It is for the Government and the Prime Minister to take a stand."