India National News

A tiny tribe in India stands in the way of a $1.7 billion project and a mountain of aluminum ore

2013-07-26T20:54:00.002-07:00

In a remote corner of eastern India’s Odisha province, some of the country’s most marginalized people are deciding whether a $1.7 billion bauxite mining project should be allowed on their land.

It is an unusual exercise in the world’s largest democracy where big corporations regularly domineer disapproving locals. And the early signs aren’t encouraging for the London Stock Exchange-listed Vedanta Resources, which is hoping that the tribes of this region, particularly the population known as the Dongaria Kondh, agrees to its proposition.

Vedanta wants to mine the rich bauxite (aluminum ore) reserves atop the Niyamgiri hills, spread across Odisha’s under-developed Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, but these picturesque, forested mountains are held sacred by tribes like the Dongaria Kondh that depend on it for their religion and the place they call home.

That is why in the first three village hearings that will decide the fate of the mining project, as directed by India’s Supreme Court in April, there has been near-complete rejection of Vedanta’s plans for Niyamgiri.

On July 19, the Dongaria Kondhs of Serkapadi village denied Vedanta permission, followed by those from Kesarpadi on July 22 and the villagers of Tadijhola on July 23. There are nine more meetings due to be held in the villages surrounding the Niyamgiri hills.

“The Niyamgiri is our revered God; we have been worshiping it for thousands of years,” said Gobind Sikaka, a Kondh from Serkapadi on July 19, “If anybody takes away Niyamgiri hills from us, it will undermine our religion and faith and the Dongaria Kondh tribe will perish.”

For the Dongaria Kondh, this isn’t the first taste of Vedanta Resources’ plans and promises. Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), a subsidiary company of the FTSE 100 Vedanta Resources, already operates a 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) aluminum refinery in Lanjigarh, at the foot of the Niyamgiri hills. It wants to expand this into a five MTPA facility. Therefore, the demand for more raw material, much of it available in close proximity and easy to extract.

But in 2010, VAL drew severe flak from India’s federal environment ministry, which said the company (pdf) was not only in “illegal occupation of 26.123 ha (hectares) of village forest lands” in Lanjigarh, but had also begun its expansion project “without obtaining environmental clearance.” Moreover, the ministry denied VAL environment and forest clearance for the mining project, despite previous approvals.

Meanwhile, protests against the mine, which had begun early that year, grew so strong that the Church of England sold its stake in Vedanta Resources. The Church, which reportedly has an investment portfolio of about £5.5 billion ($8.4 billion), said that it was “not satisfied that Vedanta has shown, or is likely in the future to show, the level of respect for human rights and local communities” that it expected.

Not long after, state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation, which partners with VAL in the Niyamgiri project, challenged the environment ministry’s decision in India’s Supreme Court.

In an 81-page order on April 18 this year, the court said that, among other issues, the religious rights of the Niyamgiri tribes “has to be preserved and protected” and called for gram sabhas (village meetings) to take a call, before informing the environment ministry of their stand.

Whether they can win will depend not only on a few of India’s much-ignored tribes, but also the authorities’ ability to hold free and fair hearings. That is often easier said than done, especially with so much at stake.

Delhi University, India: Law student charged with cyber stalking

2011-06-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

A Delhi University law student has been accused of stalking and threatening a woman online. He also created her fake profiles on social networking sites to defame her.

The woman, from Vasco-da-Gama, Goa, has lodged a complaint with Delhi Police alleging the accused has been harassing her for over a year now. She said the law student has been making obscene phone calls and sending threatening emails.

The victim, while working in Delhi last year, became acquainted with the accused. "He asked her to marry him. She alleged that when she refused, he assaulted her at Sarita Vihar. He also threatened to kill her," said a senior police officer. "She also lodged a complaint with the Sarita Vihar police in July last year. After this, he apologized and promised not to bother her in future," the officer said. The accused had reportedly given a written statement to police that he will not stalk her. After this, she withdrew her complaint.

The victim then moved to Goa to live with her parents. But soon after she left Delhi, the accused created her fake profiles on social networking websites. He then uploaded photographs on these sites and declared her to be his wife. "The accused also impersonated the victim online and made contact with her friends through these profiles," the officer said. The girl's marriage was called off due to this.

A case under Section 66-A of Information Technology Act was lodged at the Economic Offences Wing on Wednesday. In her complaint, the victim has stated that "she is a victim of cyber stalking and identity theft which has created grave problems for her and her family".

Senior officers said the accused will be questioned and soon arrested.

Spanish woman raped in Pushkar, India

2011-06-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

It very shameful thing to happen to any woman in the world. We should protest just as we protest for any girl raped in India. We don't see much comments on this story as if it is normal for a spanish. No matter how modern she must be. it hurts really bad when anyone forcibly puts a woman in that situation.

UP: Minor raped, found dead in police station

2011-06-19T20:10:00.001-07:00

Shocking Video: Horror in Uttar Pradesh, India: Girl stabbed in the eye resisting rape

2011-06-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Venkateswara Swamy shape on Tirupati hills

2011-06-18T14:46:00.001-07:00

A 21-year old air hostess allegedly set herself ablaze on Thursday night in a house she shared with a colleague

2011-06-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

A 21-year old air hostess allegedly set herself ablaze on Thursday night in a house she shared with a colleague, in Hunasamaranahalli in Yelahanka police limits.

Asha Mohammed Ali poured kerosene and lit herself when she was alone. Preliminary investigations led police to believe that she took the step after breaking up with her lover.

Hailing from Thrissur, Kerala, she worked with Air India-SATS for the past year.

Her colleague, Sowmya, with whom she shared the house, tried to contact Asha several times that evening, but there was no response. When Sowmya returned home around 10pm, she found the door locked. She summoned her landlord, who opened the apartment with a spare key. They found Asha lying dead.

Yelahanka police, who got a call from her colleague Sowmya, rushed to the spot and registered a case based on her complaint. Police suspect that she was dejected after her lover spurned her. "This could be the reason why she took the extreme step. She did not leave a suicide note, so we cannot confirm it," police said.

Investigations revealed that Asha had fallen in love with a person identified only as Manu, about who she spoke often to Sowmya. Their parents opposed their relationship as they belonged to different communities. Police said Asha fell into a depression, and may have decided to end her life. "We did not find any suicide note in the house. But we questioned her relatives and friends, who admitted that she was in love with a certain man. Both sets of parents opposed the marriage, so we suspect this could be the main reason," an officer said.

Police found the bomb kept inside an air bag - Kolkata-Guwahati Kanchenjunga Express at the Guwahati Railway Station

2011-06-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Assam Police averted a tragedy on Friday morning when its personnel detected and defused an explosive device planted inside a train during routine search after its arrival at the railway station here.

Police found the bomb kept inside an air bag from seat No. 22 of S5 coach during routine search of the Kolkata-Guwahati Kanchenjunga Express at the Guwahati Railway Station, sources said.

They said after the bomb was found, all 1100 passengers inside the train were deboarded. "The train was checked thoroughly," the sources said.

Police said they recovered 4 kg explosive, 4 detonators and a time device from the bag at around 5.20am after the train arrived.

"The programmable time device was found during routine check by police personnel. Every train which arrives at the Guwahati station is checked," the sources said.

22-year-old confesses to raping minor on train

2011-06-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

The Kurla government railway police(GRP) claims to have gathered strong evidence against the 22-year-old man who is accused of raping a nine-year-old girl on a long-distance train early on Sunday.

Ejaz Ahmed Ansari, the accused, admitted to the offence and told GRP officials that he regretted his actions. "We have collected strong evidence against Ansari. Both he and the victim underwent a medical examination at a public hospital in Ghatkopar. The reports indicate rape. Their clothes have also been examined for semen stains," said senior inspector S S Dhumal.

On Saturday, the nine-year-old victim and her family were returning to Mumbai from their native place in Uttar Pradesh. The family was travelling by the Gorakhpur Holiday Special and the girl was occupying the top berth.

Ansari, who boarded the train at Basti, did not have a confirmed ticket. As he belongs to the same district as the victim's father, the family offered him a place to sit. "There was some empty space on the top berth. Ansari managed to squeeze into the space. At 12.30 am on Sunday, the train reached Manmad station. All the lights in the compartment had been switched off. When the girl suddenly started sobbing, her parents woke up and asked her what was wrong. She complained of pain and her clothes were soaked with blood," said a police official.

Her father and co-passengers nabbed Ansari and handed him to the Kurla GRP.

Ansari, who works as a mason and lives in Badlapur, does not have a criminal record, said a police official.

Woman beaten up by doctor, suffers miscarriage

2011-06-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

Anjum suffered a miscarriage after being beaten up and kicked in stomach by her landlady's brother.

A 22-year-old woman allegedly suffered a miscarriage after she was allegedly beaten up by a doctor and her landlady along with some other people in Mandawli area in east Delhi. The incident was reported on Monday evening when the victim, identified as Anjuman, was allegedly pushed and beaten by a doctor - a pharmacist in the area. She was over three months pregnant and suffered a miscarriage due to the beating, she alleged.

A case of causing death of an (quick) unborn child by an act amounting to culpable homicide and house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint has been registered in Mandawli police station. "We are looking into the allegations and have registered a case on merit. We will investigate the matter from all angles," said deputy commissioner of police (east) Prabhakar.

Anjuman was rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital where she was later reported stable. "She came into the labour room around 11pm on Monday and alleged that she had started bleeding after being pushed by someone. We checked her vitals which were okay and on medical examination it was found that she was 3.5 months pregnant and had partially expelled the product. The rest of the foetus was evacuated from her uterus. There were no external injury marks and there was no requirement for blood transfusion. When she came in it was an incomplete abortion," explained the hospital's deputy medical superintendent, Dr Amita Saxena.

The victim's family alleged that she had been alone with her sister-in-law in their third-storey residence in Mandawli when they were attacked. "We were inside our house when there was knocking on the door. I opened the gate and the doctor, the landlady and two other men barged in and started dragging me by the hair and slapping me. They pushed me and the doctor kicked me on my stomach after which I started bleeding profusely," claimed Anjuman.

Meanwhile, her sister-in-law Meena said, "On seeing them attack us violently, I rushed to the bathroom to hide. One of the men was carrying a bottle of acid and I was scared he would throw it at me. I had a narrow escape."

According to Anjuman, an argument had taken place on Sunday when the landlady had allegedly tried to break the stairs in front of their house. "I asked them to leave the staircase alone as it would make it impossible for us to move up and down the house. There was an argument and they left. But not in my wildest imagination did I think they would come back and attack in such a violent manner," she alleged.

Artist and legend MF Husain dies in London

2011-06-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India's best-known artists, died after a heart attack at Royal Brompton Hospital in London at 2:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, PTI has reported quoting family sources. He was 95.

Mr Husain moved from India in 2006 after a series of legal cases and death threats over paintings that showed nude Hindu goddesses. Since then, right-wing groups have vandalized exhibitions that include his work.

In 2010, he accepted citizenship of Qatar. Mr Husain was among the earliest Indian painters to command huge prices at international auctions. He has received several major national awards like including the Padma Vibhushan.

He also directed a few films. One featured Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit, ho he often described as his muse.

Anna Hazare sets Aug 15 deadline for Lokpal Bill

2011-06-08T01:44:00.000-07:00

Beginning his day-long hunger strike at Rajghat to protest against corruption and the recent police brutality, the 73-year-old-Gandhi devotee Anna Hazare said that if the Lokpal Billwas not passed, he would fast unto death at Jantar Mantar from August 16.

Anna described his movement as the second battle of independence but underlined Gandhi's non-violent path. He said his Wednesday fast was to condemn the police action on Ramdev's supporters at Ramlila ground. Anna likened the police brutality to the British repression of Indians in Jalianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. He advised his supporters to refrain from violence. "The government is very powerful, If we indulge in violence, it will give the government an excuse to quash the movement," he warned.

The Gandhian reiterated, "The government has forgotten that people are the masters and not the government. They need to understand that we are one, not different."

Anna is holding his symbolic one-day fast at Rajghat, the site where Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, was cremated. Thousands of Anna supporters came out to join his fast despite severe heat and made their way through heavy police presence at the venue. Nationalistic songs in catchy beats were sung and cheered at passionately by Anna supporters. Baba Ramdev's Bharat Swabhiman Trust activists were also seen among the massive crowd. Lots of people have been stopped ahead of barricades because of the heavy turnout.

Earlier, the veteran lawyer and civil society member of the drafting committee on Lokpal bill, Shanti Bhushan described Anna Hazare the modern day Gandhi. At this the crowed cheered loudly.

Taking a dig at the Congress led UPA govenment Bhushan said, "The (UPA) ministers don't know constitution. They think of themselves as viceroys of the British era. The right of the police to invoke section 144 was misused for Jantar Mantar to justify the unjust action at Ramlila." Bhushan reiterated that the movement against corruption was not about the lokpal bill but about fundamental rights.

The social activist and leader of the 'Indian Against Corruption' movement Arvind Kejriwal said that if his
agitation became communal, he would be the first person to leave it. Kejriwal was referring to the government accusation that the anti-corruption movement was a communal Hindu right wing sponsored movement.

In an offensive against the government, he said, "The ministers have been elected but why are they acting so arrogantly and threatening us?" He challenged the UPA ministers to declare their assets and the political parties to declare their sources of funding. "The government asked us to declare our assets and we did it in 24 hours. We showed where we got and spent money, how much was spent on Ramlila fast. Now we demand the ministers and the political parties to do it too. Let the Congress, the BJP and all other parties give details of the expenses on their rallies for the last five years."

When Kejriwal mentioned the union minister Kapil Sibal's name, the audience booed and yelled 'shame, shame, Kapil Sibal hai, hai, Kapil Sibal murdabad.' The booing went on for at least five minutes. Incidentally, Rajghat falls under the Lok Sabha constituency from where Kapil Sibal has been elected.

Cries of 'shame, shame' became louder when Kejriwal mentioned that the government had refused to bring the prime minister, ministers and horsetrading within the ambit of lokpal.

Kejriwal announced that the next agitation would be on electoral reforms and right to justice. He received huge applause.

Three HIV+ sisters commit suicide

2011-06-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Three young HIV positive sisters from the coastal village of Khadsaliya, about 25km from Bhavnagar, ended their lives by drinking pesticide on Friday night.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the family members felt stigmatized due to their disease. The police said that the mother and brother of the deceased had died of AIDS four years ago. And sources said that whenever the sisters ventured out occasionally, they were treated as untouchables.

"We will investigate whether the stigma forced them to take this extreme step," investigating officer J R Zala of Vartej police station said.

Krushnaben (16), Rekhaba (12) and Dakshaba (10) were daughters of a marginal farmer Vinubha Gohil, who is also HIV positive.

The family lived in an isolated house in a small orchard on the outskirts of the village, where they had two bighas (12 acres) of land. The sisters consumed pesticide around 11pm on Friday when they were alone at home. By the time their father arrived the situation had become critical. He informed other family members and an ambulance was called though Rekhaba and Dakshaba had died. Krushnaben died at a hospital in Bhavnagar.

A senior officer at the Gujarat State AIDS Control Society, Gandhinagar, said that the youngest of the three sisters, Dakshaba, was HIV negative. "It is a tragic incident as we had the family registered but the father had developed a false perception that the medicines were harmful as his wife had died during treatment. Her infection was detected at the last stage," said the official.

"Vinubha Gohil even threatened to attack our workers who went to persuade him to take treatment. He is one of the 59,000 HIV postive patients registered with us," he said.

Official sources said that there are 1,200 HIV positive patients registered in Bhavnagar district. "We are investigating the matter as the patients were registered with us," Dr B N Vyas, district programme officer of an HIV/Aids government initiative said.

Shocking Video - Khammam: Srinivas cuts srilatha throat, later attempted suicide by cutting his throat

2011-06-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Apparently angered over refusing to marry him, a youth allegedly killed a 22-year-old woman by slashing her throat and later attempted to commit suicide in Khammam, police said.

The girl identified as C Srilatha was attacked in broad-daylight by one Srinivas with a knife who had called her at a park, they said.

According to police, the accused and the victim worked together at a cloth store and were in love. However, Srilatha had filed a complaint against Srinivas in 2009 accusing him of cheating her by not marrying her, after which he was sent to jail though after coming out on bail he had promised to marry her.

Meanwhile, Srinivas reportedly grew suspicion that Srilatha had developed intimacy with another person and called her to meet him in the park today, but attacked her with a knife and slit her throat and later injured himself.

Sri Latha

The duo was rushed in serious condition to a hospital where Srilatha died undergoing treatment, police said.

"As per the information available, Srinivas slit the throat of Srilatha and later attempted suicide by cutting his throat. The woman died in the incident and the condition of the youth is critical. He is undergoing treatment at Khammam government hospital and is under police custody," Khammam district Superintendent of Police Kanti Rana Tata, told reporters.

The victims relatives alleged that Srinivas was harassing Srilatha to marry him even as Srinivas while being shifted to a hospital said that he resorted to this act as Srilatha was avoiding him and that she was getting married to someone else.

"I cannot live without her and cannot bear that she is going to marry someone else," Srinivas said.

Strongly condemning the incident, representatives of women and local organisation staged a demonstration near the SP office demanding financial assistance to the woman's family.

Maoists brutally beat two police informers in Bihar

2011-06-03T00:56:00.000-07:00

Man gets death for 'honour' killing of daughter

2011-06-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Honour killing was punished with a death sentence when a Rampur court ordered a man to hang for hacking his 19-year-old daughter two years ago.

Last month the Supreme Court had ruled that honour killing, for whatever reason, came within the category of the rarest of rare cases and deserved the death penalty.

Shaukat Saifi, a 63-year-old farmer from Kirincha village in Rampur, killed his daughter Nasreen Jehan on June 20, 2009, when she turned up with a boy with whom she had spent the night before. She came home and sought permission to marry Yassen, also from the same village, but Saifi flew into a rage as the boy was from a different sub-caste.

"Saifi was livid and would hear none of it for both belonged to different sub-castes. Saifis are carpenters and the boy was a fakeer, considered much lower in the social hierarchy. The old man tried to put sense into his daughter's head but she refused to budge from her stance. Even the boy pleaded with him to see reason and permit them to tie the knot. When the girl said she was leaving with Yaseen, Saifi lost his head. He hacked the girl to death right in front of everyone in the house," said Mohammad Ismail, a neighbour of Saifi who first reported the killing.

Pronouncing the verdict, additional district judge Kamini Pathak held that the case qualified as "rarest of the rare". The judge maintained that such an act by a father was most gruesome for a father's home is considered to be the safest place for a daughter.

This could well be the end of the road for Saifi. "We are in no position to go in for an appeal," his son Qayum said. The young man, who had to quit school and do menial job to maintain a family of five, maintained that his father did nothing wrong. "I have said it earlier, and will say the same thing till my dying day before anyone, that my father is no common criminal and he has not committed any crime."

European cult that mixes yoga with sex sets up base in Tamil Nadu, India

2011-06-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

A European cult that mixes yoga with sex and pornography has been found to be operating out of Chennai.

Training nearly 100 youngsters in yoga and 'tantric love' at a rented house in Chokalingam Nagar, Teynampet, for more than two years now, the Movement for Spiritual Integration in Absolute(Misa) is trying to spread across the country.

A team of seven Misa teachers, nationals of Denmark and Romania, is now in the city for a special camp, titled 'Tantra — The Path of Love'. A majority of them, including the lead couple Mihai Stoian and Adina Stoian, have starred in porn movies produced by Copenhagen-based production house Sublime Erotica, which the Misa group has close ties with. Misa operates under different names in different countries. It is Natha in Denmark, Tara in the US and Satya in India.

TOI is in possession of videos that show the yoga teachers, now in India, in explicit sexual acts. Misa's supreme guru, a Romanian called Gregorian Bivolaru, has been jailed on several charges, including pornography, and is now said to have taken political asylum in Sweden.

When asked about the videos, Mihai, the 42-year-old Romanian national who heads Misa activities in the absence of Bivolaru, said it was an experiment in spreading the group's philosophy and practice. "For many, sexuality stems from desire. We want to spread the message that it is a divine integration of masculinity and femininity to attain spirituality,".

Other Misa teachers who figure in porn videos and now in Chennai are Ulrik Lishoj (Denmark), Simona Colesniuc (Romania) and Nicole Markus (Romania).

The foreigners' regional registration office said that as these people were on visit visas, they are not allowed to teach yoga or do any such job, but the 'teachers' have an argument. "We are only volunteers. The yoga centre is registered under a trust represented by Indians," said Angela Oestergaard, a 35-year-old Danish woman who manages Chennai Satya Esoteric Integral Yoga at Teynampet.

'Tantra', as an ancient philosophy and practice, has different definitions. The blurb of MISA's controversial guru Bivolaru's unpublished book The Secret Tantric Path of Love has this to say: Have you ever dreamed of or aspired to make love intensely, profoundly and frantically with your beloved woman for even ten hours in a row? This book reveals a host of such secret methods in a clear and accessible language, if you allow yourself to be guided by the personal experience of the author.

Mihai, with a salt-pepper beard and dressed in a yellow cotton shirt and trousers, doesn't quite look a yogi. But, for his disciples — he claims there are 40,000 of them in 30 countries — he is much more than that. He is a scientist (a nuclear scientist-turned-researcher in artificial intelligence, he says), philosopher and guru who teaches sexual continence as the panacea for all relationship problems. Don't mistake this continence for abstention-Misa believes sexual continence is the ability to have orgasms at will, minus the ejaculation. "It's perfect for India." Stoian says, "You can bring down the population growth without any contraceptive!"

But that's not what he teaches at the Satya Yoga centre. It's about the coming together of the masculine and the feminine, Siva and Sakthi to attain supreme spirituality.

Do their Indian students know about their other life? Yes and no. "I don't know if they have done such videos, but what they do in their country doesn't bother me," says Rajesh Shah (45), a manager with an engineering firm in Chennai. "Two years of learning here has made me more energetic, creative and innovative in all spheres of life." Another student, Sanjai Jain (42), a jeweller, says he has heard of the videos, but not viewed them. "Every famous person faces such allegations," he says.

With such confidence in their students, Satya Yoga has ambitious plans in India. "We are blending ancient knowledge with modern science. The Indian potential is big. There is a big need for such a comprehensive approach on spirituality. In five years, there will be hundreds of thousands of our students in India," says Mihai, who will be flying out of the country next week. His team of seven teachers will accompany him abroad, while a few other foreigners would stay back to train Indian students.

See What happens if you disrespect Women in India: Man Burnt Alive by Villagers for Attempting Rape & Murder on a Local Village

2011-06-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

Mounika In Hospital

Babu Burnt Alive

Mounika In Hospital

Jilla Babu, 30, was burnt alive by villagers (Warangal, Raghunadh palli) as he tried to rape and attempt murder on a local village girl, Mounika. Babu entered Mounika's House when her parents were away and tried to commit rape. Mounika Turned against Babu and started to Shout & Scream which made Babu nervous and furious. Mounika has been beaten with a hammer. A heavy hammer blow on her face made her to lose all her teeth. Mounika condition is Critical and she is fighting with death.

Babu

ISI might have been involved in 26/11 strikes: Khan

2011-05-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's former foreign secretary Shaharyar Khan has acknowledged that ISI might have been involved in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai — in the first-ever confession of its kind by a member of Pakistani establishment.

In an interview to an Indian TV channel on Saturday, Khan said that "low-level" ISI personnel may have been involved in the terrorist attack on Mumbai. Speaking against the backdrop of the disclosures made by David Coleman Headley about serving ISI officers — Major Iqbal and Major Sameer — Khan told the Indian channel, "I think there is no doubt that whosoever is this Major Iqbal is, was in touch with this man (David Headley)," he said. "I think I would certainly accept that," he added.

This is the first-ever admission of ISI's involvement in terrorism by a senior functionary, if retired, of Pakistan. Though Khan suggested that Major Iqbal could be acting on his own, his statement can only reinforce the growing global conviction about the state-run spy agency's involvement in terrorist activities.

So far, Pakistan has been in denial about the existence of the two serving ISI officers, who were crucial to the terror plot against India.

The statement comes at a time when Chicago trial of 26/11 co-accused Tahawwur Hussain Ranaand Headley's testimony in the same court has trained the spotlight on the use of terror by ISI to promote Pakistan's strategic objectives. This is sure to add to the embarrassment that Pakistan has been reeling under since Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding in plain sight in the garrison town of Abbotabad.

In his interview to CNN-IBN, Khan tried to backtrack soon after admitting ISI's involvement in the Mumbai attack. "But the crucial question is that did Major Iqbal act under instruction from ISI hierarchy or is he one of these people who are operating on their own at lower levels,'' he said.

Seeking to retreat, he further said he had doubts over ISI and army institutions taking part in something like Mumbai attacks as that would be "counter-productive".

According to Headley, it was Major Iqbal who took the decision on the list of targets and also facilitated training of terrorists by Pakistan navy. Headley admitted himself being trained by Iqbal in a safehouse near the Lahore airport.

Khan was Pakistan's foreign secretary for fours years from 1990-94. After his retirement, he was involved in Track II diplomacy to improve India-Pakistan ties. He is also a former chief of Pakistan Cricket Board.

On the possibility of Pakistan's nuclear assets falling into hands of jihadis, Khan said he was confident something like that was not going to happen. When asked to elaborate further on the threat and that if he could completely rule out possibility of jihadi sympathizers infiltrating into Pakistani forces to acquire weapons or fissile material, Khan said, ``I will not be 100% sure but 99% sure that this will not be allowed to happen."

On the notion that Pakistan Army is not taking a hard enough position against anti-India groups, he said there is a feeling in Pakistan that this attitude has to change. "Now after bin Laden, Karachi, they must think that terrorism, not India is the major concern...This feeling is surely going to be accepted by the army," he said.

OBC quota may be split among different castes

2011-05-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

The Centre is considering splitting the 27% OBC quota among different backward caste groups in a move that will challenge the overpowering influence of dominant communities like Yadavs and Kurmis and may trigger a resistance.

In what will change the face of backward caste reservation as brought in by Mandal Commission two decades ago, the government plans to divide backward castes into sub-groups based on their socio-economic status. Each bloc would be assigned a part of the 27% reservation quota in central jobs and education, thus saving the weaker backwards from competing with stronger communities which have cornered the quota benefits.

National Commission for Backward Classes chairman M N Rao strongly argued for breaking down of 27% reservation into 'quota within quota' catering to sub-groups of 'real backwards' and prosperous ones, saying OBCs were not a homogenous class but had wide disparity amongst themselves. "A stonecutter and a goldsmith cannot be lumped together and asked to compete for a job," he told TOI, adding that there was a "feeling among real backwards" that benefits were not trickling down.

The government has responded to the commission's proposal by advising it to take up sub-classification after December when the BPL census – an exercise that will help identify the poor and enumerate OBCs – ends.

The proposed move will impact the prospects of different OBCs for central jobs and educational opportunities amid the widespread grievance that stronger groups among backwards like Yadavs and Kurmis in the north and similar ones in other regions have cornered the benefits. Complaints of dominant OBCs getting a disproportionate share of quota benefits have already led states to introduce subdivision.

OBC satraps like Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Yadav may resist the move, dubbing it a machination to split backward unity. There is, however, an element of irony in it for them. For, it is they who insisted on caste-wise enumeration of the poor -- an exercise which will yield data of disparities among backwards, laying the foundation for splintering the OBC quota.

It could trigger a churn in the already volatile backward politics because while the OBC satraps would insist on maintaining status quo, the weaker among backwards may support the classification move. Having played second fiddle to the "forwards among the backwards", these categories, referred to as "most backward castes (MBCs) or extremely backward castes( EBCs)", have now begun to flex their political muscles.

An assortment of castes, they make up the overwhelming majority of the backward population and helped Nitish Kumar end Lalu Prasad's hegemony in Bihar. In neighbouring UP, they have been a powerful complement to Mayawati's dalit base.

On the all-India level, Congress can hope to be a beneficiary. The party's effort to cut into the OBC constituency has not succeeded despite the decision under UPA-1 to extend the OBC quota to central educational institutions. The failure is attributed to the signature of OBC satraps on Mandal quota. Congress can hope to attempt an outreach to the MBCs/EBCs with a move which will have the party's political imprimatur on it.

Importantly, a similar proposal for dividing SCs has polarized dalits into opposing groups, forcing the social justice ministry into a re-think.

Cops detain IIT boy, extort money for 'porn' on phone

2011-05-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

Piyush had not expected his vacation to end in such a nightmare. After a long journey from his home in Chhattisgarh, he got off at Dadar station only to be picked up by a group of railway policemen who snatched his phone and threatened to arrest him for allegedly having pornographic clips on it. They then extorted money out of him after intimidating him with handcuffs and belts inside a locked-up police chowky.

The IIT-Bombay third year student (20), who returned from a summer break on Wednesday afternoon, said, "I was stopped by two policemen. One of them asked me to open my bag and rummaged through my belongings while the other took my phone and started playing with the keypad."

When they found nothing suspicious in the bag, they asked Piyush (name changed) to shut it. When he asked for his phone back, they took him to the chowky on the station platform. "I wondered what was wrong but they started talking roughly. They took me to a small room where another policeman was seated. He said they had found porn clips on my phone and I could go to jail for five years and be fined Rs 1 lakh," recalled Piyush.

They pulled out laminated paper clips of people who they claimed had been nabbed for storing porn on their phone. Piyush demanded they show him what they had found on his phone. "They showed me the phone for a fleeting second. I didn't notice anything. Then, they pulled out a belt and a pair of handcuffs. I was terrified. I didn't know what was going on, or what I should do."

The policemen started demanding Rs 10,000 to settle the matter, claimed Piyush. "I told them that I just had a little more than Rs 2,000 on me. They took the money. Then they noticed an ATM card in my wallet. One of the policemen changed into civilian clothes and took me to a nearby ATM. I withdrew another Rs 5,000 and handed it to him. He demanded to see my bank balance and when he noticed I had about 8,000 rupees there, he demanded more money," said Piyush.

The engineering student pleaded and said his parents had filled his account because he needed to pay the fees. "Then the policeman agreed to let me go." They told Piyush they would delete the porn clips from his phone to spare him further trouble.

Piyush said he didn't know whether to feel relieved at being let go, or cheated, or angry. He went to Powai where he related his experience at the station to the dean of students' affairs, Prakash Gopalan. The dean called in IIT-Bombay's security personnel. "We contacted the senior inspector at the Powai police station to help lodge a complaint and recover the student's money. He in turn contacted the Dadar GRP office," said Gopalan.

Accompanied by the security staff, Piyush went back to Dadar station. Fearing that the matter might make its way to the top, the policemen returned his money. "They requested that I don't file a complaint and offered to give me another Rs 6,000. I refused. Finally they paid me Rs 1,000 more for the 'inconvenience' caused and apologized too," said Piyush.

He realized that this wasn't the first time the policemen had pulled a trick like this. "The entire episode was so perfectly set up." Shivaji Shinde, senior inspector of GRP at Dadar station, said that although there was no formal complaint against the policemen who had taken money from Piyush, they had been moved to another post.

Railway police commissioner Tukaram Chavan said he had often warned his men not to check passengers' mobile phones or laptops. He promised to conduct a departmental inquiry.

This paper will follow the story to see if action is taken against these as-yet-unnamed policemen.

Times View
Such cases of intimidation and extortion are all-too commonplace— it's just that this time the policemen made the mistake of picking on a student from one of the world's most elite education institutes, instead of poor, helpless people from the margins of society. Merely taking disciplinary action against the errant policemen won't be justice enough. They have not only violated the privacy of a citizen without provocation, they are also guilty of wrongful harassment and extortion. This calls for prosecution of the individual policemen for these criminal offences. Moreover, the victim should be entitled to file for damages in a civil case against the railway police, just as Krittika Biswas is doing for wrongful arrest and detention in New York. Only if both the individual wrongdoers and the institution they represent face serious consequences, will there be a deterrent effect.

LG and Dell relying on Android to capture Indian mobile market

2011-05-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Summary

Dell is expanding their manufacturing plant in Chennai, India to increase their mobile export quantities. LG is hoping to make a dent in Samsung’s dominance by coming up with 45 handsets in 2011. Dell and LG are betting on Android for their handset portfolios.

The Indian divisions of LG and Dell have committed to Android as their platform choice for mobile products. Google’s Android has helped eliminate a huge barrier for handset manufacturers by allowing them to come up with handsets and concentrate less on the software. According to Android (in India)-focused website AndroidOS.in, LG and Dell have six and four handsets respectively. Motorola, HTC and Samsung are other major manufacturers, each with at least 10 devices in the market.

The Korean brand war between LG and Samsung so far has seen Samsung as the clear leader in mobile. Going forward, LG India is targeting 40% revenues from their mobile and IT businesses and plans to launch up to 45 new handsets this year.

A late entry in the handset manufacturer race, Dell, has tried their hand at Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 and Android. At Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Mango event, Dell was conspicuously missing from their hardware partners list. Earlier this year, Dell acknowledged their late entry in mobile but claimed that they will try to cover up lost time with new handsets. Dell is right now expanding their manufacturing plant in Chennai (South India) to increase exports to the Western market. The current break-up of the plant output is 80% to 85% for India and the rest for Western countries. Post expansion, the export quantity will be increased to 30% of plant production.

Apple releases their iPhone handsets in India a year after the US launch, which to users is annoying since these year-old handsets are still sold at a premium while people in the US get the latest iteration. Apple’s reluctance to include India in their initial launch list is difficult to comprehend since people find ways to import the latest handsets. An unlocked iPhone (latest version) is sold at around $600 on launch, which is the price one pays in India for the year-old handset with a two-year contract. Android and iOS are competing for the first spot and if LG and Dell can bring in competitive handsets with the newer versions of Android to India, they can make a mark in the market.

In India, Samsung has been trying to promote their indigenous mobile platform, Bada, for feature phones, while Android is being used for smartphones. The strategy for LG and Dell to use Android might give them the much required initial traction courtesy of Android’s brand name and Google’s dedication to the platform. Dell has been a hardware manufacturer and focusing on hardware makes sense. Despite the unfortunate failure of Venue Pro, the handset was nicely designed and complemented Windows Phone 7 quite well. If Dell is able to have design quality that leverages Android’s capabilities, they can develop an experience for the user around tablets and phones. LG on the other hand needs to hire some smart handset designers.

All Indians, Please Visit this Website before executing your Vote

2011-05-25T00:47:00.000-07:00

Learn About your Leader

Go to this website and Search for Leaders/Politicians name you wish to know about.

MLA held for pouring petrol into youths' rectum

2011-05-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

In a development being seen by many as an embarrassment to ruling JD (U), party MLA Ramsevak Singh (Look at his Crime Meter) was on Tuesday arrested along with his brother, three bodyguards and a driver for allegedly assaulting four youths and pouring petrol into their rectum at Asmat Gola in Gopalganj district's Balesara village on Monday and Tuesday.

Police said the bodyguards of the MLA, who represents Gopalganj's Hathua constituency in the state assembly, assaulted Afroz and Tabrez who are relatives of a winner of the just-concluded panchayat election in the area. On Tuesday, the MLA's bodyguards allegedly took Vishal Singh and Rakesh Dubey to the MLA's house and mercilessly assaulted them, police said and added that the culprits later poured petrol into the rectum of the victims.

As tension prevailed in the village, Gopalganj DM Pankaj Kumar Pal and SP K S Anupam visited the victims. Pal told TOI Vishal and Rakesh were rescued by a police team led by Hathua SDPO Jitendra Kumar Mishra from the MLA's house. "The SP and I also met the Hathua MLA and heard his version," he said and added the medical report confirmed pouring of petrol into the rectum of victims following which an FIR was lodged against the MLA, his brother Ramashray Singh, three bodyguards and a driver.

Villagers said the wife of the MLA's brother contested the election for the post of Balesara mukhia, but lost. The DM admitted that though police were yet to probe the reason behind the crime, it prima facie appeared to be related with the panchayat election.

While the MLA could not be reached for his version as he was in custody, the JD (U) leadership in Patna did not defend its MLA. "Wrong-doers will not be protected even if they belong to our party," party's state president Vashishth Narayan Singh told TOI. He said his party-led NDA government has been working overnight to establish the rule of law and those taking law into their hands must be punished as per the law.

Dawood Ibrahim now a top global terrorist

2011-05-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

Dawood Ibrahim

Dawood Ibrahim has evolved from a Mumbai bomber to a full-blown global terrorist. Intelligence agencies in New Delhi believe in the complete radicalization of the D-company boss, as he finds ways to further his terror network, aided by the ISI, and emerge truly as a global threat.

Dawood's relations with ISI date back to 1993 when he executed the blasts in Mumbai but until a few years ago he was viewed as a logistics man for ISI by Indian agencies. LeT, the other arm of ISI, played the role of the main aggressor. The first Mumbai attack appeared to be one-off terrorist crime by a man focused on his smuggling and extortion operations.

"In the past he was looked upon mainly as a mercenary. LeT was more ideology driven but Dawood and his gang now seem to have merged into LeT," said an official, adding that Dawood now presents as much a danger to India as to the US or any other target country of the jihadis.

The transformation has happened because of his dependence on ISI for his own security as well as his desire for respectability as a jehadi as a protection mechanism. Initially ISI is said to have used him for pumping fake currency into India but as his links with LeT grew, he helped LeT find new recruits in India, mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

His well-documented links with LeT have taken on a menacing proportion because of the growing collaboration between LeT and al-Qaida. LeT, so far focused on J&K and India, has grown in ambition and reach, with evidence piling of its attempts to attack targets in the West.

It was his growing link with al-Qaida which led finally, in 2003, to the US Treasury Department declaring him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGP). As late as January 2010, a US Congressional report warned that Dawood and his gang posed a direct threat to US interests in South Asia.

Post-Osama bin Laden's killing, al-Qaida's dependence on LeT may increase, leading Dawood to use his vast network stretching from South Asia to Middle East to Africa for terror activities. "That is something the Americans need to factor in," said an intel officer.

While calling him a global terrorist, the US said in a press release that Dawood's smuggling routes from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa are shared with bin Laden and his terrorist network.

"Successful routes established over recent years by (Dawood) Ibrahim's syndicate have been subsequently utilised by bin Laden. A financial arrangement was brokered to facilitate the latter's usage of these routes. In the late 1990s, Ibrahim travelled in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban," it said.

Dawood's international infamy grew further in 2010 when it was reported by Germany's 'Der Spiegel' magazine that he had helped efforts to smuggle a group of terrorists linked to al-Qaida into Europe for Mumbai-sytle attacks in Germany. The report said al-Qaida and associated groups were planning to attack Germany's Parliament, Reichstag.

An intelligence source recalls a report from a UN official a few years ago sent to Indian agencies saying that it was Dawood who helped al-Qaida make a huge amount of money through diamond trade. Dawood as a key player in narcotitcs smuggling can also be an asset for the terrorist groups like Taliban who have used the proceeds of opium cultivation to finance their operations.

It is well known that after the US froze al-Qaida related bank accounts in 1999, the terror group bought up diamonds in Africa and used them to launder terror funds. The UN official informed Indian agencies that many of these diamonds were sent to Dawood who got them polished before sending them back to al-Qaida operatives. Experts don't deny that some of the money generated through this trade could have been used to finance 9/11.

Dawood's gang was caught taking arms to Mombasa at the behest of ISI. In India, apart from LeT, Dawood is also said to have financed terror group SIMI. In 2008, it was revealed by government agencies that Dawood had been routing funds to SIMI through an aeronautical engineer, CAM Basheer, from Kerala.

While Dawood is not a named accused in 26/11, the fact that the explosives used during the Mumbai attacks were similar to that of 1993 blasts did not go unnoticed among investigating agencies. Some of the SIM cards seized from the perpetrators were also said to have been traced to the posh Karachi locality where he is said to have lived for many years.

Dawood has shown unflinching loyalty for Pakistan since he escaped to that country in 1993. So much so that many believe he helped finance Pakistan's nuclear programme by working closely with scientist A Q Khan. It is believed by Indian agencies that he helped Pakistan in the procurement of military nuclear material abroad and its passage to Pakistan. He is also said to have set up a factory in Malaysia for manufacturing centrifuges needed for uranium enrichment.