Patil assures Parliament of Jessica Lal retrial

      New Delhi: With an equivocal demand from all the members of the Parliament for a retrial in the sensational Jessica Lal murder case after the session court had earlier acquitted all the accused, Home Minister Shivraj Patil today assured the Parliament that the government will ensure a fair re-trial and reinvestigation of the case.

    Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Patil said, "Instead of blaming the person who should not be blamed, we should go to the root of the matter". Patil then added, "We have been asked assurance from the floor of the House about the retrial of the case, but unfortunately law says that no person shall be tried twice, punished twice. However, since the Supreme Court has already ordered retrials in some cases that stand as a law in itself." The Minister also pointed out to the recent Delhi High Court's suo-motto action taking cognizance in the murder case and said: "The process has already started and thus nothing needs to be done directly from his front". However, he added that whatever needs to be done would be done. The recent verdict in the model murder case saw a large number of the witnesses turning hostile and the ruling was done on the basis of these oral evidences thereby raising concern in the investigation process. Responding to these concerns the minister favoured, an amendment in the Criminal Procedure code (CrPC)and said, "Some changes have been suggested in the CrPC, some good suggestions have come up and they should be considered, " and added that the method of investigation be improved so that there should be reduction in the dependence on the oral evidence". "Circumstantial evidence must be relied upon more than oral evidence and for that the investigation procedure and tools will have to be improved," he suggested. Emphatically, the minister said "Governance cannot be done by danda (stick) alone and added that it is very important that "prestige and faith in the system has to stay".

    The session court's verdict acquitting all the accused in the in the 1999 murder case raised hue and cry equally outside and inside the Parliament with MPs and general people at large demanded opening of the case. A large section of the media carried reports that indicated how the investigation was not done in the correct manner, questioning some police personnel malafide intention. The minister today making observation to these revelations said that action be taken against the police personnel found guilty for not conducting the investigation properly.

12 pilgrims killed, 15 injured in road mishap (Go To Top)

      Sasaram (Bihar): Twelve persons were killed and 15 injured, three seriously in a head-on collision between the tractor-trailor and a speeding truck in Rohtas district here early today. The police sources said that the mishap occurred on the Grand Trunk road near Karwandia, about ten km from here. The pilgrims on board the tractor were from Rampur and Gamhariya villages of Aurangabad district and were on their way back after offering prayers at Guptadham temple on the occasion of 'Maha Shivratri' yesterday, sources added. Nine pilgrims were killed on the spot and three died on way to hospital. The injured pilgrims were being treated at the Sadar Hospital here and the condition of three of them was reported to be serious. A search is on to nab the driver of the truck who fled from the spot, police sources said.

10 Orissa fishermen commit suicide (Go To Top)

      Kendrapada (Orissa): At least ten fishermen have committed suicide during the last six months due to a ban on fishing imposed by the state government to protect turtles. The ban has resulted in extreme poverty and misery among the fishing community in Orissa's Kendrapada District. The plight of fishermen of more than 20,000 villages of Kendrapada District has worsened since the ban was imposed to protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtles in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.

    The ban which is effective from November 1 to April 31, 2006 prohibits fishing within five kilometre radius of the Bay of Bengal in coastal Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur Districts. Since then, many fishermen have committed suicide. Atleast 10 have committed suicide during the last six months. Most of the families now do not have a bread earner. Women find it difficult to earn money. Bidyadhar, a fisherman who had committed suicide has left behind his mother, three children alongwith his wife. "My son was depressed after fishing was banned. He had to repay some loan. Two months ago when his wife went to her father's house, he committed suicide. We have now lost the sole bread earner. There is no source of livelihood," said Pratibha Ram, mother of late fisherman Bidyadhar. Fishermen say the government has been indifferent to their plea for an alternate livelihood. "Jairam committed suicide a few days back. Earlier our head who also had a boat committed suicide since he had no option and his financial condition was not good. Many fishermen have also gone mad. We want to tell the government about our problems but they do not listen to us. After that if a person takes a different course to earn bread then the government will declare him as a member of LTTE and Maoists," said Tusar Sarkar, a fisherman.

    Though officials are aware that ban on fishing has affected the lives of these villages which are dependent on fishing for livelihood say they have to protect the endangered turtles. In addition, efforts are being made to provide for an alternate livelihood. "We are enforcing the law where the same habitat is shared by the fish and the turtles. We have to provide protection to the turtles or the fish catch that comes out of that habitat cannot be marketed in the global market. You have to provide an alternative livelihood. Those things actually have not been done to a great extent. Efforts have been made to provide alternate livelihood," said Suresh Mohanty, Chief Wildlife warden, Forest Department. Moreover, fishermen will suffer yet another setback after a ban is imposed on fishing in July during the breeding season. At least, 34 fishermen have been so far arrested by the forest and police officials and their boats have been seized for fishing within the prohibited area. Several dry- fish units have closed down due to the ban and fishermen had to sell their boats for sustenance.

Two LeT militants arrested in Delhi (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Delhi Police on Monday confirmed the arrest of two suspected Lakshar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants from the New Delhi Railway Station here on Sunday night. Three kilograms of RDX was also recovered from them, a senior police officer said here today, just two days before the arrival of U.S. President George Bush Besides RDX, two pistols were also recovered from the two militants identified as Shaheen and Shamil arrested from the railway station last evening, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Ajay Kumar said. Following intelligence reports, sleuths of the Special Cell from the station nabbed the two militants, Kumar said. Fake currency notes of Rs 40,000 were also found from their possession, who are nationals of Bangladesh, Kumar added. Further interrogation of the two could lead to more arrests, he said. The LeT is one of the deadliest terrorist groups active in Jammu and Kashmir and has been responsible for terror attacks in New Delhi and elsewhere in the past. According to Indian security officials the militant group has its bases in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Clinton needs 25 interns (Go To Top)

      New York: Though 'Monicagate' almost got him impeached, it seems that former US President Bill Clinton has had enough of being without an intern for the past seven years, for he is now on the lookout for 25 new interns for the Clinton Foundation Intern Program. The William F. Clinton Foundation has posted an Internet job listing for unpaid interns which promises to offer them a unique opportunity for growth and 'meaningful service'. "If you are an undergraduate, graduate or professional student or a recent graduate with your own strong interest in crucial issues of our day, the Clinton Foundation Intern Program offers a unique opportunity for growth, learning and meaningful service", the New York Post quoted the website, as stating. Bill Clinton's spokesman said that the recruitment was not surprising as the former President ran a multi-million dollar foundation. "I'm not sure why it's surprising that President Clinton's multimillion dollar foundation - that among many other accomplishments provides AIDS treatment drugs to over 250,000 people around the world - would have interns," he said.

Pakistan's 'new' map of Kashmir  (Go To Top)

     Washington: Pakistan it seems does not consider the Northern Areas as an integral part of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Some of Pakistan's embassies abroad are distributing a booklet, which contains a map of the Jammu and Kashmir at variance with the country's long-held position on the dispute. The map apparently shows the Northern Areas of the state, which have been officially considered an integral part of the former princely state, as a separate entity, identified simply as the "Northern Areas". The Line of Control is also non-existent on the map, reports the Daily Times. Jammu and Kashmir as well as PoK, has been shown as one, single, undivided entity, identified as 'Jammu and Kashmir state' with the words "disputed territory" appearing in very small letters underneath the name. Stranger is the fact that the map is being handed out in Pakistan's diplomatic missions in a few European countries as part of a booklet containing basic information about the country.

UK's Hindu Forum has hotline  (Go To Top)
by Mike Lockey

      London: The Hindu Forum of Britain has recently set up a telephone hot line so that the Forum can quickly be informed of any racially motivated attacks on British Hindus. The hot line has been activated in the wake of the July 2005 bombings in London, bombings that have led to many more attacks on people who do not look quite as English as they should in the eyes of the Neanderthals who carry out such attacks. In fact, the 700,000 or so Hindus in the UK have become as much a target for hate crimes as Muslims and, as Ramesh Kallidai, the secretary general of the Forum, pointed out, there is evidence that Hindu temples, as well as people, have been hit by these racially motivated attacks. According to Kallidai, crimes against Hindus have ranged from verbal and physical attacks on worshippers, as well as graffiti on, and vandalism of, the temples themselves. To try and stop such behaviour, the Hindu Forum has begun a system of security training for volunteers who will arrange patrols around the temples that seem most at risk. As Ramesh Kallidai said: "Although hate crimes against Hindus were in existence before 7/7, after the bombings there were attacks on Hindus because of mistaken identity. For almost 90 percent of the South Asian community, you cannot tell which religion a particular person belongs to and many people outside the Asian community cannot tell the difference between a Hindu temple, a mosque, or a gurudwara. Often the attackers don't care which Asian faith they are attacking. Perhaps 7/7 released dormant racist feelings against the Asian community".

     Hindu groups in Britain are now appealing to the government and the police to keep records of racially motivated attacks on Hindus. At present, figures are only collated with regard to particular, wide racial groupings, such as Asian or Afro- Caribbean for instance. This means, of course, that it is virtually impossible to establish beyond any doubt that racial crimes against any particular group, Hindu or otherwise, have risen. As Ramesh Kallidai went on to say: "The police find it difficult to identify the invisible differences between Asians based on religion. Often they do not ask victims what their religion is, which they ought to do. Of course, responding to such a question should be voluntary". In the end, there are no easy solutions to the perennial problem of racial hatred, and, while people such as those who run organisations like the British National Party, the BNP, continue to garner support, that racial hatred, sadly, will continue to fester in the UK.

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