New Delhi, May 10, 2009
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A dozen injured as Gujjars clash with police
in Kashmir
Phallan
Mandal (J-K): A dozen people were injured when a mob of Gujjars clashed with
the police at Phallan Mandal village in Jammu on Saturday. The clash, in which
more than dozen, including police personnel were injured, was over the evacuation
of land illegally encroached by the Gujjars. According to the police, the land
measuring around 10 hectares belonged to the village and it was leased to the
Forest Department in 1991 for social forestry. But the Gujjars had usurped it
illegally. Later, the Forest Department fenced the land and carried on with afforestation
activities. When the Gujjars did not pay heed to the request of the Forest Department
authorities to vacate the land, the police had to be summoned. Consequently, the
Gujjars started pelting stones at the police and the personnel of the Forest Department.
"We requested them to vacate the land encroached by them. But they did not listen
to us. We deployed police force. But since the number of policemen was less, the
Gujjars had an upper hand. They started pelting stones on the policemen and our
personnel," said Roop Avatar Kaur, Divisional Forest Officer (Social Forestry).
The police had to resort to firing of tear gas shells to curb the attack by the
Gujjars. A couple of huts and other structures erected by the Gujjars also caught
fire during the clash. The Forest Department shares the benefits of social forestry
from the leased land with the villagers. These include grass and allied livestock
fodder apart from giving away 75 per cent of the harvest to the villagers who
actually own the land.
NDA
displays strength at Ludhiana rally Top
Ludhiana:
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance displayed its full
strength on Sunday, as its alliance partners came together to share common platform
here. Among the prominent NDA leaders present at the election rally held in Ludhiana
included BJP leaders LK Advani, Narendra Modi, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish
Kumar, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal President Parkash
Singh Badal. Addressing the rally Advani said the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
has admitted the need to bring back black money from foreign banks. “Prime Minister
himself has said that the black money stashed in foreign banks will be brought
back in the first 100 days. I believe this is your victory before polls,” Advani
said. But all eyes were on the sharing of common dais by BJP firebrand leader
Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the Janata Dal (U) leader and Bihar chief minister,
who had reportedly refused to share same stage with the former in Bihar . Both
the leaders shook hands on stage as friends. BJP’s firebrand leader and Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modi slammed Congress-led UPA for dilly-dallying over
executing Afzal Guru, the convict of Parliament attack case. “Afzal Guru helps
you in your vote bank politics, therefore you are not executing the capital punishment.
Brothers and sisters, this is an act of fooling people,” said Modi attacking the
Congress party. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar, who is being wooed by the Congress-led
alliance and the 'Third Front', charged the UPA government with promising aid
to Bihar state during last year's floods in Kosi river and later withdrawing it.
"There cannot be more shameful act in this country than this. Everyone offers
help during the time of a catastrophe but which kind of government is this which
asks to return the financial help,” Nitish Kumar said. Besides, the presence of
Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao also served as a
morale booster for the NDA ahead of the next round of the month-long staggered
poll on Wednesday (May 13). The main contest is between the Congress-led United
Progressive Alliance and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Govt did everything possible for Tamils
in Lanka: Sonia Top
Chennai
(Tamil Nadu) / Rudrapur (Uttarakhand): Congress President and United Progress
Alliance chairperson on Sunday said that the UPA Government did whatever was possible
to end hostilities against the Tamil Sri Lankans. “Our government has done everything
possible to bring the hostilities to an end and ensure that the affected people
are moved to safer places and it is due to our government’s resolute effort that
Sri Lanka, government there, has announced the conclusion of combat operation,”
said Sonia Gandhi, said in an election rally in Chennai. However, Tamil Nadu chief
minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, M. Karunanidhi, questioned AIADMK leader
Jayalalithaa getting drawn to the establishment of Eelam during the joint rally.
“There was a time when the present state opposition leader and former chief minister
of the state, even did not allow to talk about the issue (Eelam). But today the
same leader is demanding Eelam, how pity is this? There are people, who are supporting
the same leader, what do we do of such people? This is their habit,” In Uttarakhand,
Congress General Secretary, addressing an election rally in Rudrapur made a comparison
between the prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate
L.K.Advani’s performance in crisis. “At one side there is Prime Minister, who
in a second was ready to sacrifice his government (over the India-US civil nuclear
deal) for the future of India, on the other side there is opposition leader (Lal
Krishna Advani,), who even today has not given an answer to the nation on Kandhar
issue, Masood Azhar (leader of the Jaish-e-Muhammad) and Jaswant Singh (BJP leader
during the Kandhar hijack episode in 1999),” said Rahul Gandhi.
Outbreak of Anthrax in Andhra Pradesh Top
Visakhapatnam: Outbreak of anthrax has been
reported from remote areas of Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. According
to the Labburu Primary Health Centre, nearly 51 cases of anthrax were reported
so far. Out of this, 11 people died and five persons are showing the symptoms
of anthrax. To allay the panic among the people, a medical official has announced
that all possible measures were taken to counter the disease. "The special team
will visit the houses. We are recommending to all these families that they must
resort to tablets. All the steps required are being taken up. I would like to
appeal that there is no reason to panic," said Janardhan Rao, a doctor. Fast-spreading
spore-borne disease, anthrax mainly affects wild and domestic lower vertebrates
like cattle, goats and other herbivores, but can also infect humans. When anthrax
affects humans, it is usually due to an occupational exposure to infected animals
or their products. Those infected will have nausea, vomiting blood and abdominal
pain, bloody diarrhoea and weakness. Anthrax, mainly a disease of farm animals,
is spread by spores. Fatality rate without quick antibiotic treatment after inhaling
the spores is as high as 80 per cent.
Rising
mercury makes life difficult in Bihar Top
Patna:
Temperature touching close to 45 degrees made life miserable for people of
Bihar. In Patna, hot winds and high temperature have made the residents take desperate
measures like covering themselves with cloth to escape from scorching sun. The
sale of coolants like panna, juices and squashes has increased, as people throng
the stalls selling these cold drinks to beat the heat. "The heat is so intense
that it is burning my skin. I''m having the mango panna to beat the heat," said
Ashish Kumar, a resident. The heat has become unbearable for the people who are
reluctant to leave their houses and go out. "The heat here is unbearable. We don't
even feel like coming out of our houses. Hot wind is blowing and we feel parched,"
said Mahesh, another resident. Summers are a difficult time when soaring temperatures
lead to numerous casualties across the country.
Anti-Taliban
protests in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Top
New Delhi/Agra: Irate protesters took to the
streets here on Sunday against the attacks on Sikh community by Taliban in Pakistan’s
Swat Valley. Brandishing swords and chanting slogans against Taliban and Pakistan,
the protesters also burnt Pakistan flags. They demanded an end to harassment of
the Sikh community by Taliban. "The harassment of the Hindus and Sikhs living
inside Pakistan by Taliban should be stopped. If Pakistan does take any steps
in curbing these atrocities then all the countries should come together and take
action against the Pakistan Government," said Pummy, a protester. Meanwhile, a
group of protesters burnt effigy and staged a demonstration in Agra demanding
protection of Sikhs from Taliban fighters. Thousands of people, including many
from the Sikh community, have fled Pakistan''s Swat Valley while the government
troops are engaged in a battle with the Taliban fighters after a February peace
pact to end violence in the valley collapsed. Indian Sikhs say the government
in Pakistan was doing little to protect the lives of Sikhs. Reportedly, Taliban
outfits demolished at least 11 houses belonging to the Sikh community in the Orakzai
Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan after they
refused to pay Jazia. Jazia, a religious tax was imposed on Sikhs for their protection
that prevailed during the era of Mughal reign.
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