IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – September 28th, 2009

by on September 27, 2009

IN THIS ISSUE

COMMUNAL HARMONY

NEWS HEADLINES

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

COMMUNAL HARMONY

OLD CITY AREAS WITNESS COMMUNAL HARMONY (SEP 23, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

Monday witnessed communal harmony in the Old City areas of the city with Eid and Durga Puja celebrations falling on the same day. The streets of the Old City areas including Johnstangunj, Leader Road, Kotwali area, Attarsuiya, Meerapur and Kalyani Devi were buzzing with activity as people gathered around the streets to have a glimpse of the pre-Ram dal processions slated to pass from that route.

On the other hand their Muslim counterparts also gathered at different crossings with music being played in the backdrop to exchange pleasantries with the members of their communities and Hindu brethren. Talking to TOI the convener, Allahabad Moharrum Jhoola committee, Ghulam Rasool said that it is a memorable occasion when festivals of Hindus and Muslims are falling on the same day. He recalled that it was in 2005 when the last Friday of Ramzan coincided with the Hindu festival of Diwali adding glitter to the festivities.

He, however, added that the area bears testimony to the undying spirit of communal harmony given the fact that members of Allahabad Moharrum Jhoola committee have always made it a point to ensure that basic civic amenities are provided to their Hindu counterparts during Dussehra celebrations. The issue is also raised vociferously during their meetings with the district officials and civic authorities.

Holding similar views another resident of Subzi Mandi, Mohd Sadiq said that their Hindu counterparts also reciprocate in the same way by welcoming the tazia processions and offering water and refreshments to the processionists. A local shopkeeper, Mohanji Tandon said that it is the Allahabadi spirit which binds the members of two communities closely together and the ten dulling Dussehra festival and historic Ram Dal processions are enjoyed by people from different parts of the city and outside also.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5043751.cms

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NEWS HEADLINES

ADVANIS POLITICAL CAREER MORE OR LESS OVER: BJP LEADER (SEP 22, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manohar Parrikar has likened party veteran LK Advani to ageing pickle that had turned rancid and said his political innings were "more or less over". Advani had only a couple of more years left in active politics, the former Goa chief minister told a local news channel on Monday. "Pickle tastes good when it is left to mature for a year. But when if you keep it for more than two years, it turns rancid. Advani-ji’s period is more or less over. Another couple of years, maybe. But he should be around as a guide or a mentor for the party members," Parrikar said.

Parrikar, currently leader of opposition in the Goa assembly, said Advani had been the best leader in the BJP in terms of integrity and character. "I have great respect for Advani-ji on these counts," he said. Calling for a change in guard at the party’s helm, Parrikar, 54, said it would have to project a new youthful face with credibility.

"I am not against elders, but the BJP should give prominence to leaders who are between 40 and 60 years," he said. Parrikar has reportedly been touted as a successor to BJP president Rajnath Singh, whose term ends in December.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5041405.cms

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ONE KILLED IN COMMUNAL FLAREUP IN JAISALMER (SEP 24, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

Communal tension erupted in Fatehgarh town of Jaisalmer district following a dispute over an encroached land near the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) office on Wednesday morning. A teenager was killed and 10 others were seriously injured when people of two communities clashed using iron rods, knives and sticks. Over a dozen shops and four vehicles, including a diesel tanker, were burnt and the offices of the SDM and tehsildar were ransacked. As the tension escalated, plying of vehicles on National Highway 15 came to a halt.

District collector R N Meena said meetings of people from both the communites were being conducted to resolve the matter. "The SDM has been asked to stop the allotment process and acquire the land immediately," said Meena. SP, Jaisalmer, Vishnu Kant said that two battalions of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) have been deployed.

According to reports, people from two communities had encroached upon a piece of government land measuring four bighas. "The district administration was to initiate the allotment process, but some people had already encroached upon the land. A dispute over the encroachment was going on between the two sides," said a police officer.

On Wednesday morning, people from one community tried to raze constructions built by those belonging to the other community on the encroached land. It snowballed into a clash following which the district collector rushed to the spot. For a while, on the assurance of the collector, the people calmed down, but as soon as he left, a violent clash followed between the two groups.

Reports said people used lathis, iron pipes and sharp-edged weapons in the clash. "An 18-year old boy, identified as Haneef, was run over by a jeep in the clash. The people set fire to over a dozen shops in the locality. A tanker carrying diesel was also torched, but the fire brigade managed to douse the flames before it could cause a major damage," said a senior police officer.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5048187.cms

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UPA CABINET MINISTERS ARE PATRONISING MAOISTS: CPM (SEP 22, 2009, INDIAN EXPRESS)

Bearing the brunt of Maoist attacks in Bengal, the CPI(M) said on Tuesday that the Centre was facing a "contradictory situation" in the matter with the Prime Minister describing Left extremist violence as the greatest threat and his cabinet colleagues "patronising and protecting" these elements. Responding to questions on the Maoist attack on CPI(M) offices in West Midnapore district yesterday, senior Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury said there was "a pattern (of violence) being unleashed now by targeting our offices, our comrades and supporters".

"Unfortunately, this violence is being patronised in Bengal by parties who are in the ruling UPA coalition and the (Central) government today," he said without directly referring to the Trinamool Congress. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Maoist violence as the greatest threat to internal security, "you have Cabinet Ministers who are patronising Maoists and providing them protection and sustenance," he said, adding this was a "contradictory situation" being faced by the UPA at the Centre.

Regarding Monday’s attack on the CPI(M) office at Enaitpur, Yechury said the Maoists had "encircled our office and attempted to burn and kill our comrades there. That was resisted. The Maoists fled only after the central and state security forces arrived at the spot." He said over 60 CPI(M) activists have been killed since the anti-naxal operations began in the state.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/520162/

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KIDNAPPED, TORTURED, FORCED TO BEG (SEP 21, 2009, INDIAN EXPRESS)

The last two months will remain etched forever in the memory of 12-year-old Prakash Singh. Separated from his loved ones, Prakash lived on the Mathura station and was forced to beg on the station and in trains. He was kidnapped from outside his school and taken to Mathura. He was finally rescued from Jalandhar after relentless efforts by his father, Ramnath Singh, an auto-driver. According to Prakash, he was kidnapped by four men from outside Sri Ram Model High School in Faridabad on July 21. They drugged him and took him to Mathura, where he was joined by four other children. "We were kept under the supervision of one Shanker, a cobbler who lived on the platform," said Prakash. "He would ask us to beg on the platform. Shanker set my school uniform and my books on fire and forced me to wear torn clothes. Since I had no clue of what needed to be done, he would often beat me when I failed to give results."

To hide his identity, the kidnappers shaved off his head and tattooed the letter ‘R’ on his right forearm. Prakash is scarred all over and complains of loss of vision in the right eye due to torture. "Shanker would burn me and hit me on the head with an iron rod," said the traumatised child. "To ensure we did not slip away at night, they would drug us. I was not given food on most nights since we were all were supposed to earn for him and get a share."

According to Ramnath, he had even bribed traffickers to get his son back. "I have spent weeks on several stations and had to pay people to get any clue. If the police play their role, it will save other children from the trauma my son has suffered," he added. When the traffickers realised that the child’s parents had discovered his whereabouts, they abandoned him on the Jalandhar railway station in a semi-conscious state. He was picked by the Jalandhar police, who on questioning him, discovered his identity. The Commissioner of Police, Faridabad, P K Aggarwal, said: "The case is still premature. It is a serious issue and we need to find the kingpin and help rescue more such victims."

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/519639/

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BJPS TRIPLE ACHE (SEP 25, 2009, THE TELEGRAPH)

An ailing Bal Thackeray, "spoiler" Raj Thackeray and the late Pramod Mahajan’s absence have compounded the BJP’s woes and reduced its prospects of grabbing power from the Congress-NCP combine in Maharashtra. The BJP and ally Shiv Sena claim they have contained the rebellion over the nomination of Mahajan’s daughter, Poonam Rao, from Mumbai’s Ghatkopar (West). But there are other worries. The big concern is the rivalry between top BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari and Gopinath Munde, who gave away tickets to relatives and friends, including niece Poonam. But Munde, sources said, lacks the finesse of brother-in-law Mahajan, who was known to silence dissenters by dispensing favours.

Another bugbear is Raj Thackeray’s MNS. "Part of our strategy was based on the calculation that our voters might not waste their votes on the MNS. But our feedback is that people are unconvinced about our potential to emerge as a stable alternative and also because they think if the Congress and the NCP fall short, the MNS might bail them out," a state leader said. The MNS lost in all the 11 Lok Sabha seats it contested this year but cut into the Sena’s votes. The Congress, rumoured to have pumped up the MNS as a "spoiler", is hoping for a repeat performance.

Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s poor health, forcing him to limit campaigning, is another problem. BJP sources said his heir-apparent Uddhav hadn’t "enthused" the cadres. "Uddhav is soft-spoken and low-key. The cadres are used to rabble-rousing (Thackeray’s style)," a source said. But the biggest factor, both BJP and Sena leaders say, is the allies’ failure to be an effective Opposition. "Price rise or farmer suicides, we haven’t campaigned on a single issue effectively," a BJP MP said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090925/jsp/nation/story_11540131.jsp

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ACADEMIC SAY IN MADARSA BOARD (SEP 22, 2009, THE TELEGRAPH)

The human resource development ministry has nudged the balance of power within the proposed Central Madarsa Board away from religious scholars towards educationists in a quiet shift under pressure from liberal Muslims. The ministry has tweaked the composition of the board to bolster the strength of eminent educationists on the proposed body that for the first time aims to regulate madarsa education, government officials told The Telegraph. The move comes less than a fortnight before HRD minister Kapil Sibal is scheduled to meet 59 Muslim MPs to discuss the legislation to create the board, viewed with suspicion by some sections of the community. The change in the structure of the board is the result of pressure from liberal Muslims of eminence who asked why the government was stacking an education body with clerics.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar had criticised the earlier structure of the board at a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (Cabe) earlier this month. Akhtar is a nominated member to Cabe. The earlier draft of the Central Madarsa Board Bill, 2009, prepared by the HRD ministry envisioned a 10-member body consisting of seven clerics, a Muslim philanthropist and two educationists. The HRD ministry’s revised bill, which will be discussed with the MPs on October 3, proposes creating a larger, 15-member board. The new structure allows the philanthropist and seven religious scholars to continue but adds five more educationists – taking their number also to seven.

What may tilt the power balance in favour of the educationists is the condition that the chairman of the body must be an educationist of eminence with contributions to madarsa education – not a cleric. "The structure of a landmark body like the madarsa board is critical to the shape it goes on to give to education at these seminaries. We believe the concerns over too many clerics on the panel may be justified," a ministry source said. One religious scholar each from the Deoband, Barelvi and Ahl-i-Hadith schools of thought – the three most important Islamic schools in the country – will be members of the board.

The four other religious scholars on the board will be from the Imam Shafai sect (a Sunni group), the Shia sect, the Dawoodi Bohra sect and a cleric who has worked on traditional madarsa education. The educationists on the panel should have made "outstanding contribution" in the social sciences, sciences, vocational training and education. The board will steer clear of all theological concerns but will enjoy responsibilities in madarsa education similar to the combined mandates of the Central Board of Secondary Education and the National Council for Educational Research and Training. Madarsas can voluntarily seek affiliation to the board but,once affiliated, will have to subscribe to its norms, including expert visits to scrutinise standards and audits.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090922/jsp/frontpage/story_11526446.jsp

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JAIL INMATES WANTING TO OFFER ID NAMAZ THRASHED IN JAIPUR, PROBE ORDERED (SEP 25, 2009, THE HINDU)

Over a dozen persons accused of carrying out and conspiring in the May 13, 2008 bomb blasts in Jaipur were allegedly brutally thrashed in the Central Jail here, where they have been kept in judicial custody for more than a year, when they sought permission to offer prayers along with other prisoners in the jail compound on Id-ul-Fitr this past Monday. Two of the accused booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – Munawwar Hussain and Nazakat – have alleged in their complaint to the higher prison authorities that the jail officials, incensed over a tiff with them on their request to join Id prayers earlier in the day, dragged them out of their cells on Monday evening with the help of other "hardcore prisoners" and beat them with batons and other objects.

The jail officials and policemen on duty stormed into the cells on the pretext of searching incriminating material and desecrated religious scriptures of the accused, according to the written complaint. "We found holy books strewn across the floor with the muddy footprints on them when we returned to the cells," it said. Two young men from Azamgarh and one from Lucknow are lodged in the Central Jail here with the charges of masterminding and carrying out the blasts that claimed 70 lives, while there are 13 accused from three towns in Rajasthan facing the charges of being involved in the conspiracy and taking part in the activities of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

All the accused are lodged in cramped and dingy cells without ventilation, away from other prisoners in the Central Jail, and are not allowed to mingle with other prison inmates. The only time they can see the sunlight is three hours in the afternoon when they are taken out to an open verandah daily. Director General of Prisons Omendra Bharadwaj, when contacted by The Hindu on Friday, confirmed that he had received the complaint and agreed that it had made "certain serious allegations". "I have shifted out the Jailer and Deputy Jailer and ordered an inquiry into the incident," he said. Mr. Bharadwaj said he had himself asked for a written complaint when a "group of citizens" met him on Thursday and brought the incident to his notice. A six-member delegation of Rajasthan Muslim Forum, accompanied by former Congress MLA M. Mahir Azad, had raised the issue with him and demanded immediate action in the matter.

The delegation was allowed to meet some of the accused in the prison compound and get their version. The accused reportedly told the delegation members that they were kept in isolation and constantly taunted for their religious beliefs and their alleged role in the blasts. Jamat-e-Islami Hind State president Mohammed Salim, one of the activists who met the accused, said the complaint also made a mention of the "daily torture" of all of them for 15 continuous days in October last year, when they were blindfolded and mercilessly beaten up. The Muslim Forum, an apex body of the community’s groups, pointed out that the chargesheet against 13 of the accused arrested from Kota, Baran and Jodhpur had not made any claim of their direct role in the blasts. The cases of SIMI membership were registered against them on the basis of confessions made by those held in neighbouring Gujarat.

The torture of the accused, who are in judicial custody and waiting for the trial that is yet to start, led to tension in Kota when their relatives returned after meeting them on Id-ul-Fitr earlier this week. Agitated people gathered outside the Ghantaghar police post in the town and demanded action against the jail officials. Mr. Salim said this was the second round of persecution of the accused in custody, after their initial torture by the police who tortured them to extract "fake confessions". With none of them getting bail so far, the accused are mired in a prolonged legal battle to prove their innocence.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article25106.ece

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PRESSURE MOUNTS ON JUSTICE DINAKARAN (SEP 19, 2009, THE TRIBUNE)

A delegation of advocates, led by Shanti Bhushan, today called on Law Minister M Veerappa Moily and demanded an inquiry into the "integrity" of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran, proposed to be elevated to the Supreme Court. Simultaneously, the five-member SC collegium headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan held an informal meeting and is believed to have discussed the explanation given by Justice Dinakaran, who has denied the allegations.

The delegation, comprising senior advocates Shanti Bhushan, Anil Divan and Kamini Jaiswal, all members of the Committee on Judicial Accountability, also urged Moily to hold back the appointment of Justice Dinakaran till the outcome of the inquiry. "The probe could be conducted by retired SC Judge N Santosh Hegde, at present Lok Ayukt of Karnataka, as he was a "man of high repute." He could find out whether the charges against the Karnataka CJ were right or wrong," Divan told reporters after the half-an-hour meeting with Moily. He, however, clarified the inquiry was not to find out whether the Judge in question was "corrupt as this is never proved. Constitutional authorities have to satisfy themselves whether the candidate has integrity."

Alternatively, the SC collegium, which had recommended Justice Dinakaran for elevation, could seek the views of SC Judges Markandey Katju and AK Ganguly, who were CJs of Madras HC when the Judge in question was a Judge there, he said. The Committee on Judicial Accountability had earlier written separate letters to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the CJI on the issue. The CJI had summoned Justice Dinakaran to Delhi last week and taken his response to the allegations.

Divan said reverting to the pre-collegium system, which had a role for the executive also in the appointment of Judges, would be "equally bad". "We have to devise a new mechanism, which involves Constitutional amendment. It could be on the lines of the Judicial Appointments Commission of Britain which had more than 15 members," he said. Asked whether it was proper for the collegium to review its recommendation, the delegation said this was necessary as the doubt about his integrity had cropped up after the proposal was forwarded to the government. The committee had raised the issue as any dip in the image of the SC and HCs also adversely affected advocates’ reputation which was "even worse", he said. Besides the CJI, the SC collegium consists of Justices BN Agarwal, SH Kapadia, Tarun Chatterjee and Altamas Kabir.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090919/nation.htm#1

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J-K IPS OFFICER ACCUSED OF DOWRY HARASSMENT (SEP 15, 2009, IBN)

T Sharmila, a 25-year old woman, has accused her husband who is and Indian Police Service officer of cheating and ill-treating her. The woman has also lodged a complaint with Chennai Police against her husband SR Samuel. "The first night after the wedding, my husband asked me to kneel down and he asked me-to remove all the jewels and give it on a plate and said-is this all? It’s mere pittance-it doesn’t befit my status and he threw it on my face," says Sharmila. According to Sharmila it was the first of many nights of humiliation and abuse in a marriage broken within a day.

Sharmila, a civil servant aspirant and a bank employee, got married to Samuel posted in Jammu and Kashmir. She alleges fraud, ill-treatment, dowry harassment and criminal intimidation against her husband and mother-in-law. "One day in a drunken state my husband called me and said ‘you idiot, you stupid lady, you’re not my legal wife’. I was astonished .The marriage took place in front of a minister who presided over the marriage and thousands of other people," she says.

According to Sharmila, Samuel, a divorcee, had pretended to be a Hindu and had cheated her into a marriage that’s legal only between Hindus. Samuel even filed a nullity petition, alleging that his wife was immoral and that she had an abortion from a pregnancy before marriage. Sharmila claims she has medical reports to prove this wrong. Mysteriously, the police is yet to register an FIR in the case.

"Today is the eighth day and still it’s not seen the light of the day. It has not come up at all. The FIR has not been registered," adds Sudha Ramalingam, counsel for Sharmila. Ironically Samuel, earlier the SSP of Leh, is also one of the 60 IPS officers who were transferred following the Shopian rape case.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/jk-ips-officer-accused-of-dowry-harassment/101402-3.html

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PRIEST HELD ON RAPE CHARGES (SEP 22, 2009, THE TRIBUNE)

The district police has registered a case under various sections of the law against priest of the Sidhi Peeth Mata Vaishno Devi temple located near the toll plaza on the NH1, along with a Sadhvi, on charge of attempting to rape his own niece. According to information, Swami Vishnu Prakash attempted to rape his 16-year-old niece on the temple premises. The police stated that he was assisted by Sadhvi Gobind Bharti in alluring the girl to a room where he tried to molest her.

However, as the girl raised an alarm, her parents who were in the vicinity reached there and rescued their daughter from the clutches of the priest. The girl’s father later reported the matter to the Sadar police station after which both priest and the sadhvi were called to the police station where the swami confessed to have committed the crime.

After registering a case the police arrested the accused. Later, he was produced before a local court which granted him bail. The girl’s parents were the natives of Lodhipur village of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh, but as of now they were residing in Nizampur village of the district.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090922/haryana.htm#7

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OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS

MURDER BY ENCOUNTER – BY PRAFUL BIDWAI (SEP 26, 2009, FRONTLINE)

Ahmedabad Judicial Magistrate S.P. Tamang’s report on the killing in an "encounter" of 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan has confirmed what many had suspected on the basis of less-than-convincing official accounts – that she and three others were killed in cold blood by the Gujarat Police. The fact that the police team was led by former Anti-Terrorism Squad chief D.G. Vanzara, indicted for the encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh in 2005, only adds a sin ister dimension to the episode, itself a part of a long string of such cases under Narendra Modi since the anti-Muslim pogrom of 2002. By all accounts, Tamang based himself on strong ballistics evidence and official post-mortem reports to show that "Ishrat was murdered in a systematic manner, cold-bloodedly, mercilessly and cruelly by the police

Related posts:

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  4. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – September 21st, 2009
  5. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – June 28th, 2010

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