| NHRC
recommends 3 lakh compensation in fake UP encounter New
Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has recommended an amount of three
lakh rupees to be paid as monetary relief to the next of kin of Manisha, 40, who
was killed in a fake police encounter in Tajgang police station area of Agra in
Uttar Pradesh on September 8, 2000. The Commission has also asked the Uttar Pradesh's
Chief Secretary to submit the compliance report along with proof of payment within
eight weeks from the receipt of Commission's recommendations. The Commission took
the cognizance on the complaint lodged by Shir Gafoor son of Manisha. The police
claimed that it was a case of an encounter. According to local police, Manisha
had illicit relations with one Shiv Narayan and on the night of the incident she
had gone with Shiv Narayan to a tube well. The owner of the tube well, Champa
Ram felt that some criminals were hiding at his tube well. He raised alarm. Two
Constables namely Netrapal and Vijendra happened to pass by and they noticed some
movements at the tube well and asked the persons at the tube well to surrender.
There was firing from the side of tube well. The Constables fired one round each
in self defence and in the process Manisha was hit by one bullet. Shiv Narayan
was apprehended from the tube well and an FIR was registered against him. Narayan,
however, was acquitted by the Court. Dissatisfied with the police report, the
Commission directed the State Government to order a CB-CID enquiry of the incident.
The CB-CID investigation revealed that neither Manisha nor Shiv Narayan had any
firearms with them and that the police had concocted a false story of an encounter.
The CB-CID had also recommended prosecution of two constables under Section 304
of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Metro
pillar's design deficiency led to mishap: Shreedharan Top New
Delhi: Tabling the action taken report (ATR) of the July 12 metro mishap,
DMRC director E Sreedharan on Tuesday said that the tragedy on pillar 67 occurred
due to the design and material deficiencies. "Based on report, the concrete was
not strong enough," Sreedharan said, addressing a press conference here. Earlier
this day, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said in Lok Sabha that the
DMRC has decided to blacklist its design consultants and crack down on some senior
officials. "The DMRC has taken 10 steps in the wake of the Metro mishap and to
ensure that such incidents don't re-occur," Reddy had said. The design consultant,
Arch Consultancy Services, has been blacklisted for five years while the structural
consultant, Tandon Consultants, which did not give "correct advice" to DMRC is
being debarred for two years. The contractor Gammon India will be issued a show
cause notice for blacklisting for two years, Reddy said. He added that Vijay Anand,
director of DMRC in whose jurisdiction the accident took place, as well as the
previous accident involving a launching girder collapse, has been sent back to
the railways. Two deputy chief engineers directly responsible for the design and
site supervision, VP Shrivastava and Mukesh Thakur, have been placed under suspension.
Rajan Kataria, the chief engineer design, DMRC, will be issued with a major penalty
chargesheet, Reddy said. The July 12 accident at a Metro construction site in
Zamrudpur in south Delhi caused the death of six workers, including an engineer.
JK
CM Omar resigns, told to continue Top Srinagar:
Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra on Tuesday refused to accept Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah's resignation, saying that the latter should continue in office
till a final decision is taken on the matter. Earlier on Tuesday, Abdullah had
formally submitted his resignation to Vohra, hours after a senior PDP leader had
alleged in the State Assembly that Abdullah was involved in last year's sex scandal.
"I know it is a false allegation. But I want to resign till I am cleared of this
false allegation. I cannot work till I am proved innocent. It is a blot on my
character. Any amount of investigation by the home department will not help. Till
I am able to prove my innocence, I am going to give my resignation to the Governor,"
Abdullah had told the State Assembly earlier in the day. National Conference MLAs
and Ministers had also attempted to restrain him from going out of the Assembly
and sought to prevent him from meeting Governor N.N. Vohra. PDP leader and former
Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Beig levelled the allegation that Abdullah was
involved in the infamous Srinagar sex scandal. Beig said that he had list of names
who were involved in the scandal and Abdullah's name is listed as number 102.
The Kashmir sex scandal surfaced in October last year, leaving the public in the
State shell-shocked. Three senior politicians including a Cabinet Minister, favoured
women in exchange for sex favours. Rahul
Gandhi meets Manmohan Singh Top New
Delhi: AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh here on Tuesday. Gandhi urged Dr. Singh to get formed a separate Bundelkhand
authority for overall development of the region in Uttar Pradesh. "Under the leadership
of Rahul Gandhi, we have met the Prime Minister. We have pointed out to him because
it concerns two states. They are interlinked and can't be divided. Therefore,
the overall strategy for the development of Bundelkhand should be drawn up together.
For that, a separate Bundelkhand authority should be created," AICC General Secretary
in-charge of UP Digvijay Singh said after the meeting at the residence of the
PM. "All the funds should be channelised through that (authority) so that the
poverty can be eradicated at the earliest," Singh added. Singh said this was necessary
to put a stop to the fast worsening situation of the region reeling under poverty,
illiteracy and underdevelopment. "Last summer, Rahul had travelled throughout
the length and breadth of Bundelkhand. He had seen the misery of the people where
they are suffering from acute poverty, lack of drinking water, lack of employment
and lack of literacy. He had approached the Prime Minister to send a team and
make out an overall strategy for the development of Bundelkhand. The report has
now come which is pending with the Government. We have requested Rahul Gandhi
to lead us," he said. Gandhi had visited the region last year and said it was
on the verge of collapse. He accused the local administration of failing to deliver
to the people and forcing them to migrate. He blamed the Uttar Pradesh Government
for not doing enough to protect the farmers who in extreme cases resorted to suicides.
During his visit, he blamed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for not distributing
the funds to the needy. Gandhi was accompanied by a delegation of Congress leaders.
The delegation led by Gandhi comprised MPs, MLAs and leaders from both Uttar Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh. UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Union Minister of State for
Rural Development Pradeep Jain and PCC office-bearers from both the states were
part of the delegation. The State Congress Party has again demanded a separate
state of Bundelkhand to be carved out of Uttar Pradesh. Govt
yet to decide on issuing ID cards to all residents Top New
Delhi: The UPA Government on Tuesday said that it is yet to take a decision
on issuing national Identity cards to usual residents in the country. Addressing
the Parliament, Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken told the Lok Sabha
in a written reply that based on the experience of the pilot project on multi-purpose
National Identity Card, the Government has proposed to create a National Population
Register (NPR) in the country along with 2011 census. Maken on Tuesday said that
for the National Population Register, details about specific characteristics of
each individual shall be collected along with photographs and finger biometrics
of persons of 18 years and above. "The scheme for coastal areas envisages identity
cards to be given to all the usual residents who are 18 years of age and above,"
Maken said. He said no such decision has been made for issuance of identity (smart)
cards to the usual residents in the rest of the country. The NPR for the coastal
villages in nine maritime states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal and four Union Territories
of Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar islands and Pudducherry will
be created during 2009-10. Reserve
Bank of India leaves key rates steady Top New
Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday kept the key rates unchanged
and said that there are progressive signs of recovery with positive industrial
production and optimistic business confidence. The RBI left its lending rate steady
at 4.75 per cent, its lowest in nine years, and its reverse repo rate, at which
it absorbs surplus cash from the banking system, unchanged at 3.25 per cent. In
its quarterly review of the monetary policy, however, it warned that the overall
scenario continued to be uncertain with fiscal consolidation posing a challenge.
There are some negative signs like delayed and deficient monsoon, food price inflation,
rebound in global commodity prices, continuing weak external demand and high fiscal
deficit, it added. As far as inflation is concerned, RBI expects inflation to
scale up to around five per cent by March 2010. |
