Kanchi
Sankaracharya's custody extended by 15 days
Kancheepuram:
A local court today extended the judicial remand of
Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi by 15 days till
December 10 in the Sankararaman murder case. The Sankaracharya
was produced before the Kanchipuram court at 11.10 am today
amidst tight security, where the First Class Judicial Magistrate,
G Uthamaraja, said that his remand was being extended till
December 10. The police sought the extension of the seer's
remand as their investigations into the murder of a former
employee of the Kanchi mutt, Shankaraman, are at a crucial
stage. The Kanchi seer will also be produced in a local
court in Chennai later in the day in connection with the
second case that was filed against him on Wednesday - an
attempt to murder a former mutt associate S Radhakrishnan
two years ago in Chennai.
Seer
is being treated with care, Jaya tells PM (Go
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Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday informed
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the police had arrested
Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati after a "careful
and thorough investigation" of the Sankararaman murder case
and that her government was taking "utmost care" to ensure
the physical well-being of the seer. In response to the
Prime Minister's letter in this regard yesterday, she said
in a semi-official letter that the Acharya had been treated
with the "utmost dignity and consideration, befitting his
religious status and position in society." While in custody,
it had been ensured that he was treated with care and caution
considering his age and health condition. A team of doctors
had been monitoring his health parameters and had reported
that his health condition was quite satisfactory. "The seer
has himself stated before the Magistrate that he is being
treated well," she pointed out.
DMK
chief Karunanidhi hospitalised (Go
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Chennai:
DMK president M Karunanidhi was today admitted to a
private hospital here after he complained of pain in the
abdomen. He was suffering from the problem for the past
two days and doctors had advised him complete rest. Karunanidhi's
son and party deputy gGeneral secretary M K Stalin said
that his father was progressing well. Karunanidhi's all
programmes for the next four days have been cancelled, party
general secretary K Anbzhagan said here. "No visitors would
be allowed to meet him," he added.
Sikhs
celebrate Guru Nanak's birth anniversary (Go
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Amritsar/New
Delhi: Thousands of Sikhs on Friday visited holy shrines
across India to observe and celebrate the 535th birth anniversary
of Guru Nanak, the founder of their religion. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur visited the Gurudwara
Bangla Sahib in New Delhi to pay his obeisance on the occasion.
He exhorted his countrymen to usher in a new future for
India. "Let us all unite to take India onto the path of
development. We should all strive for peace, prosperity
and universal fraternity." He spent 45 minutes at the Gurudwara
and was presented with a Siropa, a shawl, a sword, a plaque
and a book on Sikhism by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management
Committee (DSGMC) members. Singh called upon the community
to concentrate on education. "Today is the day of science
and technology. Whichever community concentrates on education,
that community will progress and the nation will in turn
develop. Every Sikh child should get education," he told
devotees gathered in the shrine.
Devotees in northern Amritsar city paid obeisance at the
Golden temple, the Sikhs holiest shrine. The day is also
celebrated as "Prakash Divas" (Day of Lights), an equivalent
of Diwali or festival of lights celebrated by the Hindus.
Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in the then Punjab region of
undivided Indian subcontinent. Troubled by frequent conflicts
between Hindu and Muslim communities, he tried to work out
a synthesis of the two religions. His mission gained popularity
among the masses and eventually evolved into the Sikh religion.
After his death in 1539, he was succeeded by his disciples,
who became Gurus or teachers in their turn. The tenth and
last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, converted the Sikhs into a
militant community to combat the then Muslim rulers of the
country. Members of the then Sikh community were baptised
in water stirred by a dagger. Those baptised were known
as "Khalsa" (pure) with the designation of Singh (Lion).
Majority of India's Sikh population, which forms two per
cent of the country's more than one billion population,
resides in northern India, particularly in the state of
Punjab and in Delhi. Sikh community is distinctive by appearance
with long un-cut hair, beard and moustache, turban, iron
bracelet, dagger, comb and underwear as part of their tenets.
Hindutva
and Bhartiyata are same: Vajpayee (Go
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Ranchi:
Hindutva and 'Bhartiyata' are one and the same, said
former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here today. "There
is no contradiction between Hindutva and Bartiyata (Indianness),
the issue is to preserve the ethos and take it forward,"
Vajpayee said while addressing the concluding session of
the BJP'S National Executive meet here. It was the media
which was differentiating between Bhartiyata and Hindutva,
he said adding that the disappointment that had enveloped
the party after the Lok Sabha polls was now over.
Advani
hints at Uma's return (Go
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Ranchi:
BJP President LK Advani today hinted at the return of
former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti, who was
suspended from the primary membership of the party earlier
this month. "Uma is currently on leave. When she returns,
there will definitely be talks with her," he told reporters
at the concluding session of three-day BJP'S National Executive
meet here. Advani said that said Uma had expressed desire
to have discussions with him. "Bharti had written letters
to me which I have read. Her letters indicate her desire
to discuss matters with me. She also met me before leaving
for the Himalayas," he said.
