Firing at Gurgaon court, two killed

      Gurgaon: A gangster and a criminal have been killed when six unidentified attackers started firing in the premises of Session Court in Gurgaon, this morning. Hardudd, a gangster who was involved in several cases, was to be produced before Additional District Sessions Judge RC Geodora in Court no. 5. He is noted criminal with 16 cases, which also includes murder charges on him. He was killed on the site when attackers started firing, eyewitness and advocates said. Another criminal identified as Wazeer got bullet injuries in the leg during the firing. He was produced in Court no. 6, eyewitnesses said. Two others were seriously injured in the attack.

Situation normal in Vadodara (Go To Top)

      Vadodara: With no fresh incidents of violence in the troubled city of Vadodara, curfew has been relaxed for three hours today for women and children in all the six police station areas. Curfew has been relaxed in Navapura, Vadi and city police station areas from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. today. City Police Commissioner Deepak Swarup said that the situation has been brought under control with the Army, police and para- militarily forces keeping a constant watch in the disturbed areas of the city. Many people have been arrested, he said. Extra security measures have been taken as the day is Friday and Muslims offers prayers, officials said. The other three areas where curfew will be relaxed 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. are Karelibaug, Raopura and Panigate. An indefinite curfew was imposed across half of the city on May 1 after four persons were killed and 22 were injured in clashes between the police and the violent crowd. Trouble started when a Corporation team accompanied by a police contingent began demolishing the over 300-year-old Dargah of Sayed Sarsiddin Baba to widen the road near the Champaneri Gate. Objecting to the demolition of the mosque, agitated residents of the area threw stones on the municipal staff and the police, which in turn led to the baton charge, the firing of teargas shells and finally gunfire. The Vadodara clashes came even as Gujarat celebrated its 47th Foundation Day on Monday. It was on May 1, 1960, that the state of Gujarat was carved out of the then Bombay Presidency.

HC orders fresh probe into Upahaar fire (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today ordered for fresh investigation into allegations of tampering, mutilation and destruction of evidence against certain accused in the 1997 Upahaar Cinema tragedy case. The High Court asked a special branch of police to probe into the matter to know the truth. Directing the Delhi Police to file its investigation report before it within three weeks, Justice R C Jain fixed August 8 the next date of hearing in the case. Justice Jain, however, refused to cancel the bail granted to Sushil Ansal, who is one of the proprietors of the cinema hall. Ansal has been charged with the destruction of evidence relating to the case. On April 18, the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) appealed to the Delhi High Court to reject the bail of Uphaar Cinema owner Sushil Ansal for allegedly tampering of evidence produced before the trial court. The trial court had framed charges against 16 accused, including proprietors of Ansals Properties Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal, for their alleged involvement in the Uphaar fire tragedy on June 13, 1997 which left 59 dead and more than 100 injured.

4 die in firecracker blast in Kerala (Go To Top)

       Padukkad (Kerala): A powerful explosion ripped through a firecracker manufacturing unit in Kerala, killing four workers and severely burning nearly a dozen late on Thursday night. The tiny shed at Padukkad was blown to pieces and many homes surrounding the unit were damaged by the blast. The firecracker makers had been working overtime to meet deadline for a pyrotechnics festival at the local temple on May 7. Meanwhile, police said that it would probe if there was a security lapse. State Water Resources Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, who visited the site, said Paramekkavu Devaswom, the owner of the firecracker manufacturing unit, should now account for the damages. Firecrackers are hugely popular for temple festivals in Kerala. An estimated 200,000 people are employed in unregulated firecracker cottage industry spread across the country, which has an annual turnover of about 100 million dollars. However, safety standards are very low in most of firecracker units and every year several such incidents are reported.

Two black bucks recovered in Allahabad (Go To Top)

      Allahabad: Wildlife officials have recovered some animals, including two endangered black bucks from Sadafal Ashram, located on the outskirts of the city. The recovery, that included two spotted deer and three peacocks, could be seen roaming in the campus of the ashram before wildlife officials whisked them away. The manager of the Ashram, Swami Vigyan Dev, has been charged under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 that forbids any illegal confinement of endangered species. "It was learnt that the manager of the ashram had illegally kept black bucks, spotted deer and peacocks. A case has been registered against him under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and for the time being they have been transferred to a guest house," said Pankaj Mishra, Circle Officer of Jhusi. But ashram inmates claimed the deer were in fact brought to the ashram, situated on the banks of the Ganga River, by boatmen and they were only tending to the injured animals. "A few boatmen discovered these deer who were in an injured state near the banks of a river. We have been taking care of the animals and on our part had even informed the local forest department. But they did not come and today, we handed over them to the officials, "Vijay Bahadur, a member of the ashram said.

SIMI told to file objection against ban (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal today gave Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) two weeks time to file objection to the Central Government's notification banning the organisation for carrying terrorist and anti-national activities. After hearing the arguments from both the sides, the Tribunal, headed by Justice B N Chaturvedi of Delhi High Court, asked counsellor of SIMI, Mobin Akhtar, to submit their objection against the ban by May 18. Additional Solicitor General P.P. Malhotra, arguing the case for the Centre, told the tribunal that they have already submitted the affidavit services for the four states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh and were ready with their witnesses. However, Akhtar requested for a month's time to file the objection, which the Judge rejected and instead gave two weeks time to file it. Earlier on March 20, the tribunal had issued a notice to SIMI asking it to reply within 30 days from the date of service of the notice as to why SIMI not be declared as unlawful organisation. The Centre had banned the organisation first in 2001 under the NDA government and renewed it every two years. In September 2005, when the ban lapsed after its second renewal the UPA government at the Centre did not invoke the ban immediately and banned it five months after, through the February 8 and 13, 2006 notifications. The February 8 notification of the Home Ministry had said that SIMI had been indulging in activities that were prejudicial to the security of the country and had the potential of disturbing peace and communal harmony and disrupting the secular fabric of the country. SIMI were even now indulging themselves in communal and anti- national activities for reasons that the organisation was banned earlier, opined the Centre. However, according to Akhtar, "Centre's opinion is based on the intelligence input, with no concrete evidences to substantiate it. Moreover till date not a single SIMI activist has been convicted of any crime that provides ample proof that the activities of the organisation were not illegal". Though SIMI had been a national level organisation, it had 13 main centres in India, which according to Akhtar exists no more.

Govt should go if it does not work: Rahul (Go To Top)

      Rae Bareilly: Pointing towards the Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party Government in Uttar Pradesh, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi, said on Friday that if a government does not work for development, "it's time for change". Rahul said this while responding to query during his poll campaign for the Rae Bareli by-polls in which his mother and Congress party chief, Sonia Gandhi is contesting for re- election from this Lok Sabha constituency. On the expected turnout on the polling day, Rahul said that it would depend on three factors, namely distance of polling booths from villages, heat and marriage season. Sonia, who resigned from the Lok Sabha membership on March 23 after the controversy of the office of profit started enveloping her, is now seeking re-election from Rae Bareli, which will be going to polls on May 8.

Sonia lashes out at 'autocratic' Jaya (Go To Top)
by Subramanium

       Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): Congress president Sonia Gandhi today lashed out at AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha by calling her an 'autocrat'. Canvassing for the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) of which Congress is a part, Sonia Gandhi said: "The people of Tamil Nadu are being ruled by AIADMK which is led by an autocratic leader". She also said that the State government was not working in cooperation with the Centre and alleged that the State government which is taking credit of the centrally sponsored development programmes is 'untrue' as ninety percent of such funds are allocated by the UPA Government at the Centre. However, she said that if DPA returns to power then UPA led government at Centre could have better coordination with DPA in the State. Sonia also indirectly criticised Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko of "sheer opportunism". "There are some people who were with us earlier but recently left us", Sonia said and then questioned: "Why are these people speaking against us now? Why did they not question us then" and then she finally concludes: "It is a sheer opportunism that they represent". DMK led DPA is fighting a close battle against the incumbent AIADMK for the May 8 Assembly election in the State. The pre-poll surveys conducted in the State indicate that the fight would be too close to call. Earlier, security had been beefed up in and around the city ahead of the Sonia Gandhi's visit to the town. Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the State for a two-day visit to campaign for the elections. The Prime Minister hoped that 'as in the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Tamil Nadu would give a good verdict this time also'.

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