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Veerappan threatens to kill hostage
New Delhi/Bangalore, Aug 27 (ANI): India's most wanted bandit has threatened to kill a kidnapped regional politician unless authorities free all his jailed friends, reports said. Karnataka officials said forest outlaw Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, believed to have ties with Tamil extremists and accused of 120 cases of murder, vowed in a 54-second tape recording to behead H. Nagappa, a former minister of the state. Nagappa and a police guard were snatched from a farmhouse at Kamagere, some 180 km south of Bangalore on Sunday night. It was the bandit's second big-name abduction after holding regional film star Rajkumar, hostage for 108 days about two years ago. Veerappan, once seen by locals as a modern day Robin Hood, is also accused of killing 2,000 elephants for their tusks and the smuggling of sandalwood and ivory worth millions of dollars. According to a state official close to Chief Minister S M Krishna, Veerappan had not named anyone in particular and merely asking to release "all the people who have been kind to me" meaning all those who are his sympathisers. Further moves by Veerappan to negotiate a release are awaited. Police in Karnataka were on high alert to prevent violence involving minority Tamils after Nagappa's supporters burnt a bus from neighbouring Tamil Nadu on Monday. To prevent violence between Tamils and locals who speak the Kannada language, the police is enforcing curbs that could run for a week or more, on the assembly of groups in Bangalore and two towns near Veerappan's hilly jungle hideout. Security troops from both states have been scouring the tropical jungles where Veerappan operates with local support. Domestic media say Veerappan wants the release of P. Nedumaran, leader of a fringe group, the Tamil National Movement. Police in Tamil Nadu recently detained him under a controversial anti-terrorist law over his alleged ties with Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger separatists. In New Delhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalitha and her Karnataka counterpart Krishna met on the margins of a meeting on sharing river waters and decided to seek federal assistance to nab the bandit. "We discussed various issues involving Veerappan menace," Krishna said after the meeting. "A joint Task Force is already in place. We have agreed to reinforce the task force and we would also request government of India to assist us with the latest equipments for surveillance and for intelligence gathering," he added. In Bangalore, deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, who is also the federal interior minister, said he was ready to send paramilitary men to hunt for Veerappan. "If Veerappan has become active again and there has been another case of kidnapping in Karnataka and an ex-minister has been kidnapped in this fashion as was a Karnataka actor sometime earlier. I can only say that if any request is made to the centre (federal government) for assistance in terms of men and material, the centre would have no hesitation in giving it because lawbreakers of this type should be active and should continue to indulge in such heinous crime with impunity is a matter of concern not merely for the state but for the whole country," Advani said. The brigand, in his mid-50s and famed for his long, twirling moustache and the military camouflage he wears, has eluded lawmen for more than a decade.(ANI) Govt keen on solving J and K problem, says Advani
Bangalore, Aug 27 (ANI): Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said on Tuesday that the government was determined to rssolve the Jammu and Kashmir problem in a "very effective manner" and bring an end to the proxy war. Talking to reporters after inaugurating the BJP's southern zonal conference here, Advani said, "We will see that Pakistan is defeated in the proxy war, which it has been waging for two decades". Advani further said that problem of Jammu and Kashmir is a story of missed opportunities and had the Congress not missed those opportunities in the past, the country would not have faced any such crisis. (ANI) Balaghat flood victims complain of inadequate compensation
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to top Balaghat (MP), Aug 27 (ANI): Victims of flood-affected areas of Balaghat area say they have not been given adequate compensation by the authorities to cope with their losses. The flooding was triggered by a breach in a 125-year old dam in the region washing away 25 people with another 75 missing. At least 13 villages were affected and hundreds of houses completely damaged and crops worth millions of rupees engulfed in the floods. Madhya Pradesh authorities had provided compensation to the affected residents after estimating their loss. But villagers said not everyone was counted. "We didn't receive any aid as when door-to-door survey was being carried out, there was nobody at our house and we were not informed of any such survey before hand," said Gopal Avtar, a villager whose house was severely damaged in the floods. "In this survey those who lost their houses completely have not received enough compensation. In fact even those who have not lost their houses have received compensation," he added. Authorities said rescue and relief operations have been smooth. "Relief work is on at war a footing. We were able to rescue 18,000 people due to timely evacuation of people from the 13 flood affected villages of the region," said Balaghat, district collector, Rajesh Rajoura. "The distribution work of the compensation for property and animal loss is almost over. The number of relief camps has also come down from 16 to six. Several people who were putting up in relief camps have returned to their houses," he added. The dam had collapsed last week after it developed cracks following several days of heavy rains.(ANI)
Sonia backs Kalam decision on ordinance Go to top New Delhi, Aug 27 (ANI): The Congress party has come out in support of President APJ Abdul Kalam's decision to return the ordinance on electoral reforms back to the Union Cabinet. In a statement on Tuesday, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said, "The Congress party is fully in concurrence with the orders of the Supreme Court that candidates must disclose all relevant information called for, regarding convictions, assets and bank balances. The party believes that such information must be disclosed by all candidates at the time of filing nomination and prior to elections." President Kalam had sent back the ordinance, while raising questions why it had not included the provision that would make it mandatory for candidates to disclose information on assets and other relevant facts. The Union Cabinet however chose to send back the ordinance for a second time on Saturday, after which the President gave his assent on Sunday.(ANI)
Lanka minister hopeful of fruitful talks with rebels
New Delhi, Aug 27 (ANI):Visiting Sri Lankan Minister for Economic Reforms Milinda Margoda held wide ranging discussions with Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission K.C. Pant on Tuesday in New Delhi. Margoda is also the Sri Lankan government's chief negotiator for peace talks with Tamil rebels who have been fighting for a separate state since 1983. The Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have observed a Norwegian-brokered truce since February. Margoda said that the truce had created an encouraging, conducive atmosphere for talks. "I think it is encouraging. I think it is the process of building trust, that is what is important because there is obviously a lack of trust. I think that trust is being built and I hope that from Bangkok next month we can continue that process forward," Margoda said. "But it's a long journey, one should not look for dramatic settlement, dramatic breakthroughs. I think we have to take it step by step, build confidence, build trust. I think overall mandate from the people both in the north and the south is for peace and that is encouraging," he added. No date has been set for face-to-face talks yet, which are expected to take place in Thailand and were initially set for May. More than 64,000 people have been killed in the bloody ethnic war and some 800,000 displaced within the island. The peace talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides in seven years. Margoda also laid emphasis on the issue of developement to aid the peace process. "As we enter into Bangkok, development also becomes a big issue for the LTTE as well as for us that has to be discussed in the context of confidence building. So more development there can be, more we will reinforce in the peace process," he said. Sri Lanka has been appealing to international donors for much of the 500 million dollars it needs over the next five years to rebuild its war-shattered north. Much of it would have to come from international donors because of the difficulties of the cash-strapped government, which saw its economy grow just 0.1 percent in the first quarter this year. Even though the ceasefire was in place, investors and donors had been hesitant to invest in the north, the Jaffna peninsula and the Tiger-controlled Wanni area, until the peace process was more firmly rooted. "And international community unfortunately, very often there are more vehicles for post-conflict or support or for this phase. So we have been encouraging the donor community across the world to look at this phase because as the talks go along it could help the peace process," Margoda said. Margoda said he was happy to note that India had shown interest in helping the island nation. "India has been looking at it very positively and that is encouraging," said Margoda. Norway, acting as a peace broker, announced last week that peace talks would begin in neutral Thailand on September 16 to build on a ceasefire reached in February.(ANI)
`Kajri Teej' celebrated in Rajasthan with gaiety Go to top Bikaner, Aug 27 (ANI): The monsoon festival of "Kajri Teej" was celebrated with great fanfare and gaiety by young girls and women in Rajasthan on Monday. Teej celebrates the onset of the monsoon in the Hindu month of Shravan after a long and arduous summer. It marks the beginning of a series of fairs and festivals, which continue throughout the autumn and winter months culminating in the spring festival of Gangaur. Three kinds of Teej, which literally means "the third day", are celebrated in Rajasthan. These are the Haryali Teej, observed earlier this month, the Kajari Teej and the Hartalika Teej. What distinguishes one Teej from another differs from area to area, but broadly, during Haryali Teej, the moon is prayed to, while on Kajri Teej there is a community prayer in honour of the medicinal Neem tree. In Bikaner, a traditional ceremonial procession of the "Teej Mata" or Goddess Parvati, clad in red and gold, was taken out on a palanquin. Though men also join in, "Kajari Teej" is mainly a women's festival for marital bliss. It is extremely popular among women in north India. Married women come to their parents' home and, dressed in their finest, sing, dance and make merry. "We celebrate the festival of "Teej" today. The whole of Rajasthan celebrates this day, but we mark it with special programmes in Bikaner. We prepare for it the whole year and gather at one place. All girls fast and they enjoy the whole day," said Shanta Devi, who took part in the festival. In the evening, women and adolescent girls attended special cultural programmes held to mark the occasion. During "Kajri Teej", folk songs are generally sung in praise of Goddess Parvati, whose devotion to her husband Lord Shiva is considered exemplary. Women fast to rededicate themselves to their husband and family. It is believed that praying to Parvati helps bestow marital bliss. Fairs and cultural programmes are organised to mark the festival. "Teej" is celebrated in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as well.(ANI) |