 |
|
Man accused of plot to kill Advani, Modi shot dead
Ahmedabad, Oct 22 (ANI): A man accused of plotting to kill top politicians, including deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, was shot dead on Tuesday. Samir Khan, an Indian national linked to Pakistan-based Islamic militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, was shot dead in Gujarat as he tried to flee from police custody early on Tuesday. A senior police official said that Samir Khan along with six others had allegedly plotted to kill Advani, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia, leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. "While describing the place, he got an opportunity and snatched a revolver from one of the officers and started firing. Fortunately, that officer lay down on the ground but the other officer who was standing nearby could not be saved. Then the officers also fired from that end at this person and he sustained three bullet injuries. He was immediately taken to the civil hospital where after elementary checking he was declared dead around 02.40 in the morning," said Ahmedabad's Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) P.P. Pande. A local court had remanded Khan and six others to judicial custody after he was arrested by Gujarat police in late September in connection with the murder of a police constable in 1996. However, Khan's father, Sarfaraz said that his son was innocent of any wrongdoing and that the policy had staged the encounter drama to kill him. "In order to save themselves from humiliation they killed him in an encounter because in five-six years he would have proved his innocence," said Sarfarz Khan. The scene at Khan's household was one of complete dismay. His relatives crowded around his weeping mother to offer their condolences. Riot-scarred Gujarat has been in the news for a greater part of the year. It was ripped by the country's worst religious bloodshed in a decade in February and March this year in which about 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. The communal riots erupted after a suspected Muslim mob torched a train, burning alive 59 Hindu activists. Police here have been on intensive guard against violent attacks after two suspected Muslim militants raided a temple in Gandhinagar, killing 28 people last month.(ANI) New Delhi, Oct 22 (ANI): The Congress party is likely to stake claim to form government in Jammu and Kashmir and offer to prove majority on the floor of the House. Senior party leaders have, sources said on Tuesday, decided to go ahead without PDP of Mufti Mohammad Saeed. State Congress Legislature Party Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said it would shortly be decided whether or not to continue talks with the Mufti. Party sources said the Congress had more or less made up its mind not to hold further talks with the PDP leader, who is adamant on heading a coalition. "Everyone wants a government in place soon. By staking claim, we will at least have taken a positive step and then it is up to the governor to call us," a senior party leader said. The Congress, which has 20 MLAs, claims it has the firm support of 20 others. "Many of them have extended support on the condition that the Congress leads the government. Mufti as chief minister would not be acceptable to either them or the Congress MLAs", the leader clarified. The party's national leadership is already under pressure from the state to take a decision soon. The Congress, with larger national interests, is also acutely aware of the strident note that the Mufti is already striking in his public addresses and his image as being pro-militant. Party President Sonia Gandhi called Tuesday's meeting after almost two weeks of hectic negotiations with the PDP failed to make any headway. The Mufti is refusing to discuss any other aspect of coalition like the common minimum programme, insisting that he head the government. Even senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh, who met the PDP chief twice during his two day stay in Srinagar, returned empty- handed despite putting forth some concrete proposals. The Congress had suggested that Mufti's daughter Mehbooba could be made deputy chief minister, Mufti himself could head a coordination committee or that the chief ministership could be held on a three-year rotation basis. The PDP leader, however, turned down all suggestions. Even taking the first three years in the rotation was not acceptable to the Mufti, a Congress leader said, adding that all doors for negotiation now seemed closed with little scope for further dialogue. Although the Congress is four short of the 44 needed for simple majority in the 87-member Assembly, it is still loath to be seen as opportunistic by splitting the PDP outright. But the party expects at least half the PDP's 16 MLAs to support it in a show of strength in the House. The PDP has said that it is ready to sit in the opposition if its demand for heading the coalition was not accepted. "We are ready to sacrifice power and sit in the opposition if our demands are not accepted by the Congress," said PDP Vice- President Mehbooba Mufti. While reiterating the party's desire to form a coalition government along with smaller parties and independents, Mehbooba said PDP would not compromise on its stand on regional aspirations. "We are ready for negotiations and will continue till the last moment. But there will be no compromise on the demand that the alliance be led by us" she said. Meanwhile, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh says if the Congress and PDP fail to form government, his party should be invited by the governor. He also said the deadlock over the chief minister's post between Congress and the PDP is taking too long and that a consensus be evolved soon to set up a democratic government.(ANI) Over 68 kg hashish seized in Delhi
Go
to top
New Delhi, Oct 22 (ANI): Officials of the Narcotics Control Board seized 68.025 kilograms of hashish from a truck entering the capital on Tuesday. The contraband was valued at 10 million rupees in the international market. S.D.Sahay, Additional Director, Narcotics Control Bureau, said the hashish was hidden in a small cabin above the driver's seat of the truck bringing apples from Jammu and Kashmir. "We searched the whole truck and the apple baskets in it also but could not find anything. Then we searched the driver's seat and found 23 bags full of hashish in a gunny bag. In all we recovered 68.025 kg of fine Kashmiri hashish," said Sahay. Two persons were arrested in this connection. The hashish was being transported to national and international traffickers through a middleman based in New Delhi. Officials suspect smugglers often use apple trucks to transport narcotics from Jammu and Kashmir. The money received is usually routed to fuel terrorist activities in the restive state.(ANI) Three gangsters apprehended by CBI for cheating
Go
to top New Delhi, Oct 22 (ANI): Three absconding gangstars fell into the CBI net in a sensational case of cheating and sexual molestation relating to two Australian nationals. The three persons namely Lalit Agarwal alias Lalit Kishore Jindal alias Mike alias Mikesh, Afzal Baig and Sayeed Sadakat alias Chico had been absconding since long and were hiding in Paris, Kathmandu and London. Two Australian tourists, who were on a visit to Jaipur, were subjected to cheating, extortion, illegal detention and sexual molestation by these people who had met and befriended them on their trip. It is also alleged that the victims were lured to a jewellery shop with the promise of getting them gem stones at cheap rates. Once inside the shop the two women were detained and forced to participate in a jewellery scam entailing posting of a parcel containing gem stones to the main post office at London. Subsequently, they were threatened, blackmailed and illegally detained on the pretext that the parcel had been intercepted by the Indian Customs officials and for escape from punitive action, the victims must spend money for procuring vouchers showing purchase of jewellery and gems. In the process the accused managed to rob the two women of about Rs 12 to 14 lakhs and one of the victims was sexually molested. During investigation, a team of officers from New Scotland Yard had camped at Delhi along with one of the complainants to aid in the investigation.(ANI)
10 children die in Bardhaman hospital Go to top Bardhaman (West Bengal), Oct. 22 (ANI): Ten children have died in the past two days at Bardhaman Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal. The incident is a grim reminder of death of 15 infants in a Kolkata government hospital not so long ago. While three died on Saturday, seven met the same fate the following day, according to the hospital superintendent. He of course ruled out negligence in treatment but added that all the babies were shifted to the hospital in "critical condition at the last minute." They were referred to the paediatric ward by the primary health centres from Kalna-Katwa subdivision and Arambagh in Hooghly district. The chidren were afflicted with from meningitis, para-meningitis and encephalitis. (ANI) Swraj Paul leads a business team to hometown Jalandhar Go to top Jalandhar, Oct 22 (ANI): UK-based India-born industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has visited India several times in the past 44 years. But he never got to visit Jalandhar, his native town in Punjab. But on Monday Paul paid a nostalgic visit to his Tanda road residence which now houses Apeejay School, founded by his elder brother, Satya Paul. Paul, who is in the city for two days leading an Indo-British Partnership delegation, said despite being one of the most prosperous states in the country Punjab still has huge potential for attracting foreign investment. "I am leading this delegation specifically for this reason because we believe that Punjab can progress more and there is a need to do more. Our team is fully committed towards catering to this need. The ball is now in your court," Swraj told a gathering of entrepreneurs and businessmen from the region. "I wish to request you all that there is an opportunity to progress as both the British Prime Minister and the Indian government have expressed their desire to improve relations between the two countries. And that can happen only when there is an increase in exchange programme whether it is trade or any other investment," he added. Paul was recently appointed the ambassador of Britain for business identified education, environment, biotechnology, pharmaceutical among others as potential areas for investment. Earlier Paul was accorded a traditional welcome by students of the Apeejay School. A cultural programme was also organised in his honour. Paul hails from Punjab's most progressive Doaba belt which is home to a huge Punjabi non- resident community. At least one person from every household in the Doaba region of the state is settled abroad. Doaba includes cities such as Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala. The region's NRI population has over the years invested heavily in the state and helped fill the yawning gap that exists between urban and rural areas there. Paul had in January announced the opening of a visa application centre in the city.(ANI)
VP Singh, Gowda call NDA anti-farmer
Go to
top New Delhi, Oct 22 (ANI): Attacking the NDA government's policies and programmes as against the interests of farmers, a demonstration was held in New Delhi under the leadership of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda. Former Prime Minister V.P.Singh, CPI General Secretary A.B.Baradhan and a new member of Janata Dal (Secular) Romesh Bhandari attended the function. V P Singh termed the policies adopted by the ruling NDA as a disaster for the future of the farmers, who are already under tremendous economic pressure. He attacked the price rise of fertilizer and electricity which he said increases the cost of production for the poor farmer. Singh also attacked the economic policies of the ruling combine and criticised the outright sale of the profit making PSU's. He accused the govt of playing with the poor people's money and questioned the logic behind the sale of PSU's. Deve Gowda, who is the President of Janta Dal (Secular), appreciated the interest shown by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to consider the demands of farmers. Gowda is to lead a delegation tomorrow to meet Prime Minister Vajpayee and present a memorandum. Gowda warned the government not to ignore the plight of the farming community and sought immediate attention of Vajpayee.(ANI)
|