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Police guard cinemas showing lesbian film as protests continue

          New Delhi: Police are continuing to maintain a vigil at several cinemas across the country to deter people from damaging those showing the Mahesh Bhatt directed controversial lesbian-oriented film "Girlfriend". Police have been posted outside cinemas in Mumbai, New Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Bhopal. "We are watching the movements and everything. If anything happens then these people will inform the control room and we will take the necessary action," said A. Mathews, a Station House Officer, here. Cinema buffs are satisfied with the security arrangements. "We are not at all scared, there is enough security here. So, we are not facing any problem," said Rajesh. A female activist said a film on a bold heterosexual theme is good enough if it does no harm to the dignity of women. "My basic position is whether you are in a heterosexual relationship or in a lesbian relationship, whatever your reasons are for going into that relationship, is your own right, it is your own personal choice. I don't know how they have shown it in this movie, but I think they must have done it and done it with the dignity of a woman intact," said Brinda Karat, the chairperson, of All India Democratic Women's Association. Meanwhile, in Bhubaneswar, Hindu activists took to slogan shouting and demonstration outside a cinema hall screening the film. "The film makers have shown the woman in bad taste. In our society we worship woman. That is why we are protesting the screening of the film," said Bijoy Mohapatra, one of the activists.

Security forces gun down three Hizb militants in Poonch (Go To Top)

          Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir): Security forces today gunned down three extremists allegedly affiliated to the Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in an encounter in Poonch district. An army commander told reporters here that the extremists belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen's Pir Panjal Regiment, and that they were trying to enter the Indian side of Kashmir through the Sawjan sector in Poonch district. Soldiers of a Poonch army brigade, who were on a routine patrolling, spotted them on Monday night and opened fire on the militants and killed them. Four AK rifles, 450 rounds ammunition and grenades were recovered, besides cash of around Rs.46, 000. "We saw them while they were trying to cross the fence and when we were convinced that they were militants, we opened fire at them and three militants were killed in the following encounter. We did not search them in the night. But in the morning when we searched them, we recovered four rifles, three radio sets and 46,000 rupees, which had been torn by them before they died. That's how we have been able to foil an infiltration bid," A.K. Bakshi, the commander of Poonch Garrison, said.

Property worth crores goes up in smoke in Sadar Bazaar fire (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: A major fire broke out in the Capital's Sadar Bazaar on Tuesday morning. Though no casualties were reported, property worth crores is said to have been destroyed. The fire broke out at around 8 a.m. and most of the damaged shops housed plastic articles. The fire department was notified immediately. However, the traders claim that the firemen reached the site only by 12 noon. Giving details, Paramjit Singh Pamma, Chairman of Sadar Bazaar Trader's Association, said: "The fire broke out at around 8 and nobody came till 12 noon. They (firemen) have no water and no proper arrangements have been made to bring the situation under control." "We have been complaining to the MTNL, the electricity board about the entangled telephone and electricity wires, but again, nobody has come forward. Fires have been wrecking havoc in Sadar since long. The Government will have to pay attention to this problem."

CPI(M) worried about Congress-SP spat  (Go To Top)
By Gautam Ghosh

          Kolkata: The CPI(M) is concerned over the on-going dispute between the Congress and the Samajwadi party over the law and order situation and pace of development in Uttar Pradesh and is trying to play the role of an "honest broker" between the two. The Marxists, who claim to have remote control over the Congress- led United Progressive Alliance(UPA) government, feel the dispute will not only politically help the BJP-led NDA but also strengthen "the communal forces represented by the Sangh Parivar."

          Former West Bengal chief minister and CPI(M) politburo member Jyoti Basu concedes that the statements and counter- statements made by the rival party leaders have already created a lot of confusion among the UPA partners and their allies and has called for "restoration of mutual understanding between the two parties as early as possible. Basu feels the BJP will try to fish in the troubled water by exploiting differences between the Congress and the Samajwadi party. BJP president Venkaiya Naidu's subsequent demand for central intervention into the law and order situation in Bengal and Bihar seems to have vindicated Basu's apprehension. He is believed to have discussed the issue with CPI(M) general secretary H.S. Surjeet and advised him to take it up with Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, if necessary.

          The current standoff between the Congress and the Samajwadi party started last week with Rahul Gandhi firing the first salvo against the SP leadership over the law and order scenario and poor pace of development work in U.P. which has become the bone of contention between the two parties after the Lok Sabha polls and installation of the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre. Even after the SP dismissed Gandhi's remarks as "childish" the Congress' central leadership sided with him and sharpened their attack on Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mrs Sonia Gandhi too followed it up with renewed criticism of the U.P. government during a visit to Rae Bareli, her Lok Sabha constituency. The West Bengal CPI(M) has described the dispute as "totally irrelevant" and issued a veiled warning to the Congress for trying to "blow things out of proportions." "People of India gave their verdict in favour of a secular government in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. The victory of against communal forces is a victory of all the secular parties taken together and not of any particular party. It is extremely unfortunate that the Congress and the SP, which happen to be secular parties, have started to quarrel over political control over U.P.," state CPM mouthpiece "Ganashakti" observed in its editorial yesterday.

          The CPI(M) organ felt the concerned parties "will be making a serious mistake if they try to ignore the people's verdict and fail to read the writing on the wall." Reminding them of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpauee's recent statement that the BJP MPs were not prepared to sit in the opposition benches in the Lok Sabha for long, the editorial called for efforts "to ensure better coordination in the interest of the coalition government." The Marxists claimed that the Congress did not face "much hurdles in government formation" due to the support it received from the left parties. "The Congress leaders must keep their cool in the post-election scenario. Union home minister Shivraj Patil should not have threatened to dismiss the U.P. government. Even the erstwhile Vajpayee government was aware of the fact that it was no longer possible to dismiss a state government at its sweet will," the CPI(M) organ observed. It felt the Congress was yet to "give up the autocratic attitude it used to betray during Indira Gandhi's tenure as the Prime Minister." Coming down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for making uncomplimentary remarks about the U.P. government, the CPI(M) mouthpiece said "the young man, who has just joined politics, should show greater restraint in his manners and utterances. It seems he will take considerable time to become politically mature." The CPI(M), however, has appreciated the SP's reiteration support to the UPA in the face of considerable provocation, but criticized its leaders for "occasionally rushing to Vajpayee and other BJP stalwarts." "The SP leaders should also stop making unsavoury remarks about the CPI(M) and try to save their political credibility," the party organ maintained.

Pak agrees to de-link Kashmir from nuke CBMs (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: The recent hush-hush visit by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's key adviser Tariq Aziz to Amritsar and his `secret' meeting with India's National Security Advisor JN Dixit was aimed at de-linking the Kashmir dispute from the proposed bilateral nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs). Quoting officials sources here on Monday, the Daily Times claimed that the two sides had reached such an agreement and now there was increased likelihood of progress being made in nuclear CBM talks scheduled to take place in New Delhi on June 19 and 20. Earlier, Islamabad had always focussed on Kashmir as being at the core for solution of all bilateral issues. Quoting official sources, the paper also said that nuclear experts in New Delhi are making serious efforts to finalize a series of proposals for the June 19-20 meeting, including the setting up of nuclear risk reduction centres (NRRCs), the withdrawal of nuclear capable missiles from the borders and establishing a mechanism to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons.

No political future for Sharif, Benazir in Pakistan: Musharraf (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: Pakistan's former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif do not have future in the country's politics, President Pervez Musharraf was quoted as telling National Assembly members affiliated to the PML-PPP- Patriots combine likely to contest the 2007 general elections from a single platform. Expressing satisfaction with Musharraf's frank assessment of the performance of the ruling political combine, the NA members were quoted by The News as saying that they were pleased with the `sound assurances' given by the president to several of their grievances. According to the paper, however, Musharraf did express his displeasure with the performance of the PML (Q) both within and outside Parliament on major issues since November 2002, and is said to have issued certain guidelines to his political lieutenants in the National Assembly. Neither Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali nor PML President and Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain were present at the meeting.