German woman rape case: Accused jailed

     Alwar (Rajasthan): The German woman rape case accused, B H Mohanty, was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a fast track court here. The court, reputed for disposing of cases quickly, also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Mohanty and said that credit should be given to police and authorities for a speedy trial. The 26-year-old German woman, a student of an institute in Gulmohar Park, New Delhi, was raped in an Alwar hotel on March 20 by Mohanty, a fellow researcher hailing from Orissa. Mohanty, the son of Orissa's Additional Director-General of Police, B.B. Mohanty, had brought the German woman to Alwar from Delhi. The two checked into a hotel, and Mohanty, after having dinner, raped the woman whom he had befriended in Delhi. The case came into light when the victim sent several text messages through mobile phone to her friend in Berlin, stating the incident. Victim's friend, in turn, reported the matter to the German embassy in New Delhi. The police, after being intimated about the matter, intercepted a New Delhi-bound train from Jaipur at Khairtal station and arrested Mohanti while he was returning with the victim. The subsequent medical test confirmed sexual assault, and Mohanti was then remanded in judicial custody.

4000 Hero Honda workers on stir (Go To Top)

      Gurgaon: About 4,000 contract workers at Hero Honda Gurgaon plant have gone on a strike affecting the production of the company as they are demanding regularisation of services. The workers, who resorted to strike on April 10, demanded higher wages and permanent employment at the factory. The workers said that there was jarring difference between the salaries of the permanent workers and the temporary ones. They also said that all the major production work was done by them and so they demanded for a safe future. Contract workers' union leader Devender Pradhan said, in addition to the 4,000 contract workers, there were 1,200 permanent workers at the plant. In addition to demanding regularisation for 1,000 workers immediately and 100 every month, unions are demanding that junior contract workers be treated as casual workers, which entitled them to some benefits. They have also demanded for compensatory off, medical facilities and salary accounts in banks. While talks were under way between the company's management, contractors, contract worker representatives and government officials, the latest "direct action" was being seen as yet another sign of organised labour's militancy. While Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese major, Hero Honda is a joint venture with the Hero Group of the Munjals. It is the country's biggest motorcycle maker. The Gurgaon factory makes about 6,500 vehicles a day. Last July, some 300 people were injured when workers of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India - a subsidiary of Honda Motor of Japan - clashed with police to protest against a lockout in a factory in the same industrial belt.

Salman Khan's bail hearing adjourned (Go To Top)

     Jodhpur: A Rajasthan court today adjourned the hearing into Bollywood actor Salman Khan's bail plea for Thursday in the chinkara poaching case in which he has been sentenced to five-year imprisonment. Salman's counsel has reportedly cited 38 reasons for an early hearing of the actor's bail application, including his mother's sickness, before the court of the District and Sessions judge. The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Jodhpur, Brijendra Kumar Jain, on Monday sentenced Salman to five years' rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him in the 1998 Chinkara poaching case. The court found him guilty under sections 51 and 52 of the Indian Wildlife Act. With the adjournment, the actor will have to spend at least another 24 hours in the Jodhpur central jail where he already has spent two nights. According to the jail authorities, in spite of being a big celebrity, Salman is not receiving any special treatment. He was following the regular prison routine just like any other prisoner and was doing "fine" after spending his first night in Jodhpur prison. Yesterday, Salman's brother Sohail Khan, a filmmaker, and his sister met him in the jail for about 45 minutes. The actor was also sentenced to a year in jail in February for killing two black bucks in another case, but was granted bail to appeal to a higher court. The star, known for his fiery temper, is also facing trial in a case in Mumbai for a hit-and-run case that killed a man and injured three others sleeping on a Mumbai sidewalk in 2002.

10 journalists arrested in Nepal (Go To Top)

    Kathmandu: The Nepalese police have arrested 10 journalists and fired on anti-royalist demonstrators, even as a daytime curfew continues to remain in place. Security personnel fired at least 200 rounds of ammunition and baton-charged protestors in the Gongabun area on the outskirts of Kathmandu, injuring at least 100 people. The country's Communication Minister, Shris Sumsher Rana, has described the current situation as "fluid, dangerous and precipitator", but claimed that it was still under the control. More than 10,000 people also gathered in the Ringroad area, shouting anti-King slogans and demanding democracy and freedom, he said. There were also reports of police opening fire on protestors in the western resort town of Pokhara in which two people were injured.

Nuke deal after mid-term polls: Speaker (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: US House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday, has said that the US Congress might pass the landmark nuclear energy deal with India only after the American midterm elections. The deal requires the approval by the U.S. Congress, where most of its members are wary about a compromise being effected on anti-proliferation norms. Hastert said that though Democrats favoured stronger relations between the two countries, they were reluctant to hand Bush a foreign policy coup ahead of the elections. He also said that Washington is suspicious about India's dealings with Iran, especially in the wake of Tehran's claim that it has the potential to make a nuclear bomb and its warning to do so with or without international sanction.

India fails to break Keenan Jinx (Go To Top)

     Jamshedpur: Halting India's victory run, England beat the hosts by five wickets in the sixth One-Day International at the Keenan stadium here on Wednesday to get some consolation after having already lost the series. Chasing a target of 224 set by India after its top order again failed to prove its reputation, England registered its first win in the series in the 43rd over with the winning runs coming in form of a six. Beginning the run chase, stand-in skipper Andrew Strauss cruised to his ninth one-day fifty to take England home. Strauss and his opening partner Ian Bell scored 107 together for the first wicket before off spinner Harbhajan Singh struck in the 20th over of Indian innings to get rid of Bell who hit 46 with six boundaries. Although another off spinner Ramesh Powar struck couple of overs later, England were in control of their run-chase, at 134 for 2, at the halfway stage as Strauss continued moving the scorecard by angling into the vacant gaps and thwarting the threat of spin. Along with Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, Strauss made sure that India does not pull off another comeback-from behind before retiring hurt at 74.

      Earlier in the morning, India's stand-in captain Virender Sehwag won the toss and chose to bat on a flat wicket of the Keenan. Coming out to open with a new partner in the form of Mohammad Kaif, both the players again failed to regain their form as the 'out-of-form duo' was back in the pavilion even before the total crossed fifty. Even Yuvraj and Suresh Raina failed to score much on this occasion and at one stage, it seemed as India would be bowled out at less than 150 with 5 down for 79. However, the local hero, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Powar steadied the innings by amassing 107 for the sixth wicket. True to his reputation, Dhoni produced a gritty knock of 106-ball 96 with three sixes while Power scored his first ODI fifty to help India post a total of 223 before being bowled out in the 48th over. This was India's seventh defeat at the Keenan stadium in nine matches played by the hosts since 1983. India also missed an opportunity to equal their winning-loosing record. This was India's 615th ODI. In the 614 previous games, India have won 293 and lost 294. In addition 3 games were tied and 24 were abandoned. The last and final ODI of the seven-match series will be played on April 15 in Indore.

Dravid, Karthik replace Agarkar, Dhoni (Go To Top)

     Jamshedpur: Rahul Dravid will be back in the side for the seventh ODI against England in Indore. He will replace all-rounder Ajit Agarkar in the squad. The national selectors have decided to give a rest to stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and brought in Tamil Nadu stumper Dinesh Karthik as his replacement for the last match of the series. BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah announced these two changes to the squad today.

Back to Headlines                  Go To Top