23 killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh

      Raipur: Maoist rebels set off a landmine under a truck on Tuesday in Chhattisgarh, killing 23 people and injuring at least 34 who belonged to a government-backed anti-Maoist group, Chief Minister Raman Singh said. The attack came on the eve of a visit to the country by U.S. President George W. Bush and was one of the worst single acts of violence by Maoists in the past three decades. Raman Singh said that Maoists set off a landmine in Darmagura area in Dantewada district, killing 23 tribal members who were returning from an anti-Maoist meeting organised by the State. "Around 10.15 a.m. (local time), the trucks were returning, there was blast. After that there was firing. As per the information we have received, 23 people have been killed, 34 have been injured and some of them have been kidnapped. Security forces have also reached. The Home Minister and the Director General of Police are preparing to leave for the site. They would assess the entire situation like moving more forces or using more helicopters," Singh told reporters here today. Officials said hundreds of police reinforcements had been sent to the area to search for those behind the attacks. Some of the injured have been taken to Andhra Pradesh by helicopter for treatment.

     Last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party government set up and started funding local anti-Maoist groups in impoverished and underdeveloped areas and provided arms to some members to fight the guerrillas. Darmagura, 500 km (300 miles) south of the State capital Raipur, is a stronghold of Maoists who claim to be fighting for the rights of peasants and landless labourers. Maoists, who operate in at least nine of the country's 29 states, have stepped up attacks in the past year, killing dozens of people, including police. Union Home Ministry has said that there are about 9,300 Maoist guerrillas operating in the country. The Ministry has said that Maoist violence has been rising, with 892 people killed in 2005, compared to 653 in 2004. The Maoists often target those they consider government informers as well as landlords and local officials deemed to be corrupt.

Indore court issues summons to Hussain (Go To Top)

      Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A lower court here has issued summons to well-known painter Maqbool Fida Hussain after a resident of Indore, Ajay Singh Narula, filed a petition against his portrayal of 'Mother India' as a naked woman. The eccentric artist's latest work, part of a series to be auctioned in aid of Indian victims of last year's South Asian earthquake. The painting shows a naked woman in front of a wheel resembling the one used in national flag. The names of some of states are written across her body. Narula also questioned Hussain's intentions. "We have always respected him, but what has he done? He has played with our religious sentiments and our national pride. How can he play with the image of Mother India? What does he want to convey through such portrayal?" Advocate of Narula, Chandrasekhar Raikwar said that they have urged the court to bring Husain to book. "We have urged the court to punish M.F. Hussain under the applicable laws and bring him to book." Police are investigating a complaint against Hussain after he portrayed 'Mother India' as a naked woman angering far-right Hindus. A similar composition of a sari-clad woman with a wheel -- a Buddhist symbol known in Hindi as the dharma chakra -- in the background is used to portray 'Mother India' in many patriotic publications. Politicians and activists routinely criticize Hussain's paintings, which often depict revered Hindu gods and goddesses in the nude. A decade ago, radicals even attacked his Mumbai home. Husain, ninety-year-old, who's flowing white locks and beard, and his habit of walking barefoot have become iconic in Indian art circles. In the past, Hussain, a Muslim, has received support from moderate, progressive Hindus, and on one occasion a former Prime Minister intervened to ensure no action was taken against him. In 2004, Hussain sealed a deal with a leading businessman to paint 100 canvases for one billion Indian rupees (23 million dollars), in one of the biggest sales in the India's growing art market.

Indefinite strike by Mumbai doctors  (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: The indefinite strike by resident doctors of seven government hospitals in Mumbai continued for the second day today, as they continued their demand for better security measures in hospitals, following two separate incidents of attacks on doctors by patients' relatives on February 26 night. However, doctors are supposed to give charge of the intensive care unit to the hospital authorities, today. According to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) spokesperson Ajay Oswal, today they will be meeting Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and presenting their demands to him. The demands include better security arrangements for resident doctors, and reduction in the unequal ratio of doctor and patients in government hospitals. "About 500 doctors from J. J. Hospital and another 500 from King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital have already joined us. Around 1,500 more are likely to join us," the MARD sources said. The resident doctors of King Edward Medical (KEM) hospital at Parel had yesterday gone on a flash strike. On February 26 night, a 65-year-old woman was admitted to KEM Hospital. But soon after she had died in the hospital, her relatives turned violent and attacked the doctors. In another incident, some doctors were allegedly assaulted at Baba Hospital in suburban Bandra here on February 26.

Maruti reduces car prices (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: India's leader in passenger cars, Maruti Udyog Limited, on Tuesday passed on the benefit of excise duty reduction to customers almost immediately after Finance Minister P.Chidamabaram had announced reduction in excise duty for small cars from 24 per cent to 16 per cent in his Budget proposals for 2006-07. The company has announced price reduction in all the five models that qualify for the benefit: Maruti 800, Omni, Zen, WagonR and India's number one selling car - Alto.

    The revised (ex-showroom, Delhi) prices are given below. Model New Price (Rs.) Old Price (Rs.) Reduction (Rs.) M800 Std 191146 203850 -12704 M800 Std Ac 212562 226754 -14192 Omni 5 218982 233532 -14550 Omni E 220768 235442 -14674 Alto Std 231085 246430 -15346 Alto Lx 264762 282408 -17646 Alto LXi 283378 302317 -18939 WagonR LX 323122 344582 -21460 WagonR LXi 348660 371892 -23232 WagonR VXi 372145 396215 -24070 Zen LX 327996 349796 -21800 Zen LXi 353077 376619 -23542 Zen VXi 376565 401617 -25052

    Maruti Udyog Limited is India's largest automobile company. Its main factory is situated in Gurgaon, Haryana. The company, a joint venture with of Government of India with Suzuki of Japan, has been a success story like no other in the annals of the Indian automobile industry. The first cars rolled out for sale on 14th December 1983, (the Company went into production in a record 13 months), marking the beginning of a revolution in the Indian automobile industry.

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