Netaji died in Taihoku air crash in 1945: Alessandro Quaroni

Netaji died in Taihoku, no need for more research: Italy envoy

"I personally do not see the point of research because unfortunately, the person Netaji died, but his message lived on and still remains," Quaroni told newsmen.

As doubts prevail over Subhas Chandra Bose's mysterious disappearance, Italy's Ambassador in India Alessandro Quaroni, whose parents were close to Netaji, today said he saw no point in further research claiming that the leader had died in 1945 in an air crash at Taihoku.

"I personally do not see the point of research because unfortunately, the person Netaji died, but his message lived on and still remains," Quaroni told newsmen after delivering the 'Netaji Oration' at the leader's ancestral house here.

Stating that an Australian historian had conducted 'the most extensive research' in establishing the exact circumstances of Netaji's death, Quaroni said, "I think inspite of the legend that (Subhas) Chandra Bose has not died, probably his death really happened in August '45."


Following a public outcry against the government's view that Netaji died in the Taihoku air crash, it set up three enquiry commissions -- the Shah Nawaz Commission, the Khosla Commission and the Justice Manoj Kumar Mukherjee Commission -- to look into the matter.

While Shah Nawaz and Khosla agreed that Netaji was, indeed, killed in the Taihoku air crash, the Mukherjee Commission, however, concluded that Netaji was actually alive when the crash is said to have taken place.

Quaroni replied in the negative when asked whether his parents were in possession of any document indicating Netaji's death in the Taihoku crash.
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Anna Hazare on Marathi-nonMarathi issue

Hazare backs Raj Thackeray's tirade against Non-Marathis

Sun, Jan 18 04:22 PM
Varanasi, Jan 18 (IANS) Veteran social activist Anna Hazare backs Maharashtra Navnirmaan Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's campaign against non-Marathi 'Dadagiri' (dominance) in Maharashtra, but opposes the violent means being used to achieve the purpose.

The 71-year-old social activist expressed support for MNS's programme, while talking to journalists Saturday night after addressing students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on 'Gram Swaraj and Experience in Ralegan', his native village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra which he transformed into a model village through persistent efforts.

'Some ideas of Raj Thackeray were correct, but damaging public and national property was not right,' Hazare said.

When asked which ideas of the MNS chief were correct, Hazare noted people from many states live in Maharashtra, but 'outsiders trying to prove their dominance in the state was not at all acceptable'.

In a reference to North India-based political parties like Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal trying to show their strength in Maharashtra by holding rallies and other programmes in the state, he said such activities were not acceptable. more

Democracy and violence by Ramachandra Guha

War and Terror: Democracy and violence by Ramachandra Guha: "Vigilantism of Salwa Judum has divided and very nearly destroyed tribal society.
All sensible humans—not just Indians—agree that there is no place for violence in the settlement of political disputes. If a particular group feels victimised or discriminated against, it has all kinds of democratic means of redress open to it—the circulation of its grievances by the means of speech or print; the canvassing of politicians, political parties, and public officials; and petitions in court. If (and only if) all these means fail, the group may yet take recourse to non-violent protest or satyagraha. But they have no business to use weapons, whether they are AK-47s or trishuls." more from the Hindu

Cambridge announces Manmohan scholarships

The Hindu Staff Reporter Jan 13, 2009



NEW DELHI: The University of Cambridge on Monday announced a new scholarship programme for Indian students in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Manmohan Singh Under-Graduate Scholarship Programme starting from 2010 will provide full funding, covering fees and means-tested maintenance for under-graduate study in any subject at any of the colleges that are part of the university.

A £1.5 million fund has been set up to support Indian students. It will be launched with gifts from Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild through the Eranda Foundation and from the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led company Bharti Airtel. This was announced by Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Alison Richard at a press conference here.

“The university is honoured that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is such a distinguished Cambridge alumnus, has agreed to lend his name to this important initiative. This is another great example of the breadth and depth of the Cambridge-India partnership. As the programme develops, there are expected to be up to 10 Manmohan Singh under-graduate scholars studying at the university,” said Prof. Richard.

“This scholarship will be a need-based programme. Interested students can apply to the university or any of the 28 colleges under it. Of the selected students, scholarships will be awarded on the basis of their financial aid need, which will be assessed by the Cambridge Overseas Trust,” she pointed out.

In a message released by the university, Dr. Manmohan Singh said he was humbled by the honour and expressed confidence that the programme would not only help strengthen relations between the peoples of India and the U.K. but also serve “our shared objective of creating a better world based on equity and justice”. more

Vinita Kamte- Mumbai hero's wife uncovers the story behind his death

My husband died a hero’s death: Vinita Kamte

Meena Menon
It was made out that the 3 officials went into the attack without thinking
“The police should have come out with the true facts much earlier”

“Only the brave were leading from the front”




PUNE: “We are proud of you, you are our hero,” says a small board in the Kamte living room in Pune’s Rakshak Society. A garlanded picture of Ashok Kamte, Additional Commissioner of Police, Mumbai East, who was gunned down by terrorists in the November 26 attack near Cama Hospital is next to it. His ceremonial swords and caps are in front along with a collage of pictures.

In this quiet yet poignant manner, Vinita Kamte, 43, and her two sons mourn the death of a man they believe died a hero’s death that night.

Yet Ms. Kamte, a labour lawyer by training, feels that neither her husband nor the two senior police officers who were killed along with him — Hemant Karkare and Vijay Salaskar — have got their due. “The police should have come out with the true facts much earlier, on the next day, instead of waiting for me to uncover the facts,” she told The Hindu in an interview.

In fact, after the incident, she and her sister who is a practising lawyer, spent several days meeting eye-witnesses and people involved in the Cama Hospital incident and they have come up with some shocking facts. In the police force you need all kinds of people and that day, she says, only the brave were leading from the front. “My husband always carried his AK 47, handling weapons was second nature to him. Once someone asked him why he always carried a weapon and he said in Mumbai you never know what will happen,” recalls Ms. Kamte. He would even carry a weapon to a restaurant, keep one in his bedroom, and he would keep saying he would hate to go down unarmed in the event of an attack.

On that night he was called to the Oberoi Hotel by Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor, she said. At the last minute he went to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and from there to Cama Hospital where he met up with Mr. Karkare and the others at the gate of the hospital. Ms. Kamte believes he was summoned from his residence at Chembur because somewhere the police knew he would deliver the goods. “When I heard the news of his death, the first thing I asked was did he hit back. I was told he shot Kasab and he had injured him in both the hands,” she says.

However, it was made out that the three senior policemen went into the attack quite by coincidence and without any thinking. “I felt these three men along with others had given their lives, don’t make them look like amateurs,” she points out. “My husband fired towards the Cama terrace where the terrorists were firing and that deterred them.”

“That’s why they rushed down. No one else there knew how to handle a weapon like the AK 47. They then spent nearly 40 minutes planning a strategy. It was all dark there and they tried to figure out how to enter Cama and knocked on many doors there. However, there was no help and no reinforcements were sent,” she says, after her own investigations.

Worse still, there were many calls made to the control room by people near the Cama Hospital who saw the two terrorists. Yet no one told these police officers that they were there. Once the jeep carrying Mr. Karkare and the others was in the lane near Cama, they were sitting ducks. Ms Kamte says she is a very private person and was not keen on any publicity. Yet she feels those who did their duty must be projected as such. more

Congress demands Patnaik's resignation over Orissa violence

Congress demands Patnaik's resignation over Orissa violence

Bhubaneswar, Jan 6 (IANS) The Congress party Tuesday demanded that Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik resign over the communal violence in Kandhamal district as the Supreme Court had held the central and state governments responsible for the security of minorities.

A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Markandey Katju and Justice P. Sathasivam had Monday said that the central and state governments should 'ensure the minority's safety'.

'The apex court's observation is quite clear. Chief Minister Naveen Pantaik has no right to stay in power for even a minute,' state Congress president Jayadev Jena told IANS.

He added that the state government woke up to the matter only after thousands of Christians in Kandhamal, about 200 km from here, had fled to nearby forests following the communal riots.

'He (Patnaik) should resign immediately. If he doesn't resign, the Congress will take the issue to the public,' Jena said.

The Supreme court bench was hearing a petition by Cuttack Archbishop Raphel Cheenath, seeking Christians' safety in Kandhamal, the district that was ravaged by anti-Christian violence following the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his associates Aug 23.

While police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community. Christian organisations have repeatedly denied their involvement in the murder.

At least 38 people were killed and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. Over 6,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps.

source

Politics of hatred has left India bleeding

Politics of hatred has left India bleeding (Comment)

December 30th, 2008 - 4:49 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend:

The year 2008 can easily be marked as an unforgettable year in the annals of Indian christianity for the simple reason that the Christian community here faced its most trying and testing time in its 2,000 years of history. It is not the case that Christianity had not faced hostility and opposition earlier in India; it did right from the very start when St Thomas, an Apostle of Jesus, came to our shores in the first century to preach the good news: he was martyred by those who opposed to his presence and teachings. However, as in several other parts of the world, Christianity in India did not face an orchestrated and protracted persecution for the most part of the last two millennia. That is partly because Christianity for the first 15 centuries or so was mostly confined to the south western shores of India, the Malabar coast to be precise. It was only after the arrival of the Portuguese missionaries in the latter part of 15th century AD that Christianity began to make its presence felt in other parts of India. more

Delhi's graduate beggars earn Rs 500 a day

Press Trust of India
Monday, December 22, 2008, (New Delhi)

At least four of Delhi's several thousand beggars are post-graduates while six of them hold graduate degrees, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

A survey on about 3,500 beggars, conducted by Department of Social Work, University of Delhi on the directions of Delhi government, has revealed that four beggars are degree holders, six have completed college courses and many of them earn around Rs 500 a day which is higher that what several "blue and white collar" workers make.

"Out of surveyed beggars, six were found to be graduates and 4 were post-graduates. As per report, twenty two beggars earn between Rs 200 to Rs 500 per day," Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan said in a written reply.

"As per figures collected from different areas at different times, the average number of beggars in Delhi is 58,570," the Minister said. more

House that! Eight bills in 17 minutes

Anil Anand
Thursday, December 25, 2008 01:42 IST


NEW DELHI: The two houses of parliament were adjourned sine die on Tuesday after an eventful fortnight-long session that led to repeated clashes between the treasury and opposition benches on a variety of issues. Despite pandemonium, the two houses were able to discharge legislative business of significance.
Certain significant bills were passed during the session that included important legislations to set up a national investigative agency to probe terror-related cases and unlawful activities (amendment) bill to give legal backing to the agency.

A record of sorts was created on the final day of the session with the introduction of eight bills in just 17 minutes in Lok Sabha. Most of these bills were passed in the din created by the NDA and the Left grouping MPs. While the BJP-led NDA was agitating over the statement issued by minority affairs minister AR Antulay, the Left MPs were agitated on the manner in which the government tried to push through the bills.

Sensing further trouble on the Antulay issue, the government saw to it that important legislative business was completed before the House was adjourned sine die. It has also become imperative for the government to complete the legislative business, as the next session, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, will be brief with the sole agenda of passing a vote-on-account. more

Lok Sabha unanimously passes anti-terror bills

The Lok Sabha passed unanimously the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Bill and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA) Bill during the night session on Wednesday, December 17, 2008.

The bill to amend the UAPA has stringent provisions, including a detention period of 180 days, instead of the present 90 days, and denial of bail altogether to a foreigner accused of acts of terrorism in India.

The amendments also provide for freezing, seizing and attaching funds and other financial assets or economic resources held by individuals or entities engaged in or suspected to be engaged in terrorism.

The NIA is proposed to be set up to probe terrorist attacks, trade in counterfeit currency and other crimes with ramifications across the country.

.............

Upping the ante further, Sibal asked Advani to apologise to the nation for the 1999 Kandahar hijacking, when the NDA government released three terrorists, and for the 2001 parliament attack by terrorists.

"I want to remind the house about the plane that was taken from Amritsar (Punjab) to Kandahar (Afghanistan)," he said.

Militants had hijacked an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar and taken all passengers hostage. Acceding to the militants' demand, then external affairs minister Jaswant Singh escorted three terrorists, released from Indian jails, to the Afghanistan town in exchange for passengers aoard the hijacked plane.

Sibal added: "Maulana Masood Azhar after his release formed Jaish-e-Mohammed, which attacked parliament. So parliament was attacked because you (Advani) released him," he said referring to the terrorist attack on the parliament complex Dec 13, 2001.

"You (Advani) should apologise to the house as you were the home minister," Sibal added in a reference to the attack on parliament that India blamed on Pakistan.  more

Puri Seer lashes out at PM-Sonia, supports Orissa Bandh

By Anurjay Dhal
Last updated: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:04:50 GMT




Bhubaneswar ( Orissa): Shankaracharya of Puri Gobardhan Pitha, Jagadaguru Swami Nischalananda Saraswati was on Wednesday apprehended that some International forces have been working overtime to eliminate Hindus and destroy their age-old culture to register their dominancy in the country.

Gobardhan Peetha is one of the four important mutts of Hindu faith in the country founded by Adi Sankaracharya.

Speaking at a press conference here, that the Hindu Seer, who got a threat letter from the outlawed CPI (Maoists), however indirectly attacking on Church said, "I am not perturbed by the threat call issued by an outfit. I see some others behind the nexus than the CPI (Maoists)."

The outfit in a threat letter, that sent to the Gobardhan Pitha in Puri, has alleged that the Hindu Seer has been spreading communal feelings and dividing society on religious lines.

The Seer charged that Congress led UPA Government at Centre is being patronizing anti-Hindu elements in the country. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have been making all out effort to appease the minorities, he lambasted.
read ita all here:http://www.odishatoday.com/orissa/Puri_Seer_receives_threat_call_131208-8754120213569854.html

Arundhati Roy rubbishes POTA-like law

Interview by Rupashree Nanda / CNN-IBN
Published on Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 12:34 in Nation section

New Delhi: Booker Prize winning author and activist Arundhati Roy has expressed a strong disapproval for the call for POTA and says following the American model on homeland security isn't a real option.

In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN, she says the country needs to introspect and not look at the terror attacks in isolation.

Making sense of the attacks?

It’s easy to go along the path and say that there is no reason, it’s complete insanity but I just want to say that if that’s the path we are going to take, we will have to ask ourselves if it is at all possible with any amount of intelligence, and any, any amount of security. If we want to follow the American model, their Homeland Security is twice our GDP. I don't think we have that option.

We have to think about the Pakistan-America relationship. Pakistan is stuck in a war with Afghanistan, it is a war that we are stuck in, it is a part of that war and we are getting a blow back. We have half a million troops just for Kashmir. How many do you need for the whole of India?

On the call for need for stronger laws

The call for POTA seems odd to me. You are up against men who are prepared to die, they are not worried about bailable and non-bailable warrents. What did TADA achieve? Has it been efficient? It was used against trade union leaders. POTA and TADA are being used to criminalise the democratic space. more

Parivar to go ahead with Orissa bandh on Dec 25

Debabrata Mohanty
Posted: Dec 17, 2008 at 0022 hrs IST

Bhubaneswar: Unperturbed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s reiteration that he would not allow Orissa bandh by the Sangh Parivar on December 25, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti on Tuesday said it would go ahead with its earlier announcement as the state Government had failed to nab the killers and conspirators behind the killing of Saraswati.

On Monday, Naveen told the Orissa Assembly that the state Government would not permit the statewide shutdown on Christmas called by the Sangh Parivar. “No shutdown will be permitted on December 25. The Government will come down heavily on those who try to create any trouble,” the Chief Minister said. The police have already arrested seven persons, including four on Sunday, in connection with the killing of Saraswati.


The Samiti came down heavily on Naveen for his “pro-Church attitude” and warned him with dire consequences as the anger of tribal Kandhs was rising. “We had set a deadline of December 15. The state Government has failed to nab the killers and conspirators. So, we have decided to go ahead with the bandh call,” Samiti president Ratnakar Chaini told reporters.
“The bandh would be observed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. From 5.30 to 5.40 in the morning, people across Orissa would ring bells to wake up the state Government, which is in deep slumber.”

Chaini alleged that the state Government had so far arrested more than 800 Hindus in connection with the communal violence while it could nab only seven persons in connection with the murder case.

Meanwhile, a BJP legislator has alleged that one of the 10 accused arrested for the alleged rape of a nun in Kandhamal was blind. read it all

Cash-for-votes scam: three MPs give dissenting notes

NEW DELHI: The Kishore Chandra Deo parliamentary committee, probing the “cash for votes” scam, carries three dissenting notes from V.K. Malhotra (BJP), Mohammad Salim (CPI-M) and Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party).

Mr. Malhotra disagreed with and distanced himself from the observations and conclusions of the report. He noted that Hashmat Ali, the driver who took the three BJP MPs – Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahavir Bhagora and Ashok Argal – to Mr. Amar Singh’s residence had failed to appear before the committee; a mysterious man in a yellow shirt frequenting Mr. Amar Singh’s residence who carried the bags containing cash into Mr. Argal’s residence had not been identified; and Mr. Amar Singh was exonerated even before further investigations, which could establish that the money had indeed come from him.

Mr. Salim’s main objection was that the committee had restricted the scope of further investigation by excluding “some important names.” It should have recommended that the entire matter be further probed. Further, he felt that the Speaker could ask the Rajya Sabha Chairman to look into the alleged roles of Mr. Amar Singh and Ahmad Patel, a point also made by Mr. Malhotra.

As for Mr. Yadav, he pointed out that Mr. Kulaste had clearly stated “only Arunji could disclose the source of the money,” and this shows there is no confusion at all, not an iota of doubt, about the source of funds. He also pointed out that the BJP MPs had first said a particular car with a certain number-plate was involved in the operation and four days later had changed their version to signal a different car with a different number-plate. This, he said, was done with malafide intention.

The name of CPI leader A.B. Bardhan, who wrote to the committee saying “his MPs are being bought and sold at Rs.25 crore a piece,” came in for comment.

Twelve Nobel Laureates to participate in a science conclave at Allahabad

A nobel confluence at Allahabad
15 Dec 2008, 1117 hrs IST, TNN

Twelve Nobel Laureates from across the world will participate in a week-long science conclave organised by the ministry of human resource

development (MHRD) and the department of science and technology (DST) at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIIT-A).

According to M D Tiwari, founding director, IIIT-A, "For the first time in Indian and Asian history, 12 Nobel Laureates, leaders, policymakers, research scholars and students including the first batch of DST's 'Inspire' programme, will participate in the conclave to discuss emerging trends in scientific research and technological innovations in the world of science. This is a great opportunity for the Indian scientific community, particularly young minds, to interact with global veterans and stalwarts in the respective scientific disciplines."

Anthony James Liggett, Robert Coleman Richardson, Hersko Ferenc, Martin Lewis Perl, Jerome Isaac Friedman, Harod 'Harry' Walter Kroto, Douglas D Osheroff, Claude Cohen Tannoudji, Rajendra K Pachauri are some of the Nobel Laureates that will participate in the event. more

Four more held for killing Orissa VHP leader

15 Dec 2008, 0053 hrs IST, Sandeep Mishra, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
BHUBANESWAR: Four more people were arrested on Sunday in connection with the August 23 murder of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati,

taking the total arrests in the sensational case that had triggered widespread communal violence in Orissa's Kandhmal district to seven.

Interestingly, the police success came just a day before saffron brigades' ultimatum to the state government to arrest the killers of the VHP leader, failing which they would organize an Orissa bandh on December 25.

"We have arrested four of the accused and are on the look out for others,'' IG (crime branch) Arun Ray told TOI. Police sources said the four were arrested during raids by Special Operations Group personnel in Kotgarh area of Kandhmal district.

"We're looking for seven accused. We arrested four Christians, believed to be Maoist supporters, for killing Saraswati and four of his followers at an ashram in Jalespeta on August 23, from a place bordering Rayagada district. Search operations are on to nab the other three,'' the sources said. more

Brazil selling 100 missiles to Pakistan

Brazil’s defense minister says his nation is selling 100 aircraft-borne missiles to Pakistan.

Brazilian officials approved the euro85 million ($107 million) sale of the missiles, which can be installed on jets and used to take out radar installations.

Brazilian news media say Brazil’s air force negotiated the sale with Pakistan’s government. The deal needed the approval of Brazil’s trade ministry, which signed off on the deal on Tuesday.   

World

V.P. Singh remembered by Kanchan Ialaiah

Death of a stateman: Indian Lincoln ignored

 

- Kanchan Ialaiah -

 

If someone, who stood by the oppressed, is ignored, even in death, the oppressed will treat that as their own humiliation.

On November 27, I was back home at around 3 pm. Prof Bhagya Naik, who once was a student leader in the Mandal movement, called me and said, "There is  bad news amidst worse news of terrorism. VP Singh has died and an occasional scroll (news ticker) on NDTV is informing us of that."

All TVs were hooked on to the Taj, Oberoi and Nariman House. I tried to catch up with the news of the death of India's former Prime Minister. I went on looking for at least flash news, on any one of the English channels, which are considered to be "national channels". No ticker could be seen. After quite a long time one channel put out the news, "VP Singh dead". No details. No channel was showing his dead body, no discussion was being organised around his role as Prime Minister.

The next day I looked up several news papers. In almost all the publications, a small news item in a corner  of the front page with a regular photo (not of his dead body) was published.

The electronic media has treated his death as inconsequential, at a time when they were protecting the nation, while broadcasting about what was happening minute to minute around the Taj and Oberoi. In fact, the police and military officials were saying that the round the clock TV cameras around those hotels had obstructed the operation of flushing out the terrorists. On those three days TV channels were competing to get top spot to make more advertising revenue. No one would pay to view that 'Mandal ghost's' dead body. The upper caste media had taken its revenge against a man who initiated a mini civil war in order to establish an  egalitarian India.
VP Singh was the one who deployed a serious discourse of social justice and and worked out a method to make India caste free from the position of Prime Minister. In one sense he was comparable to Abraham Lincoln who initiated a major civil war to abolish slavery in America, in late nineteenth century. He was a white man who stood for the rights of the black people. VP Singh initiated a similar battle of social justice in a country of castes and brazen inequality in 20th century India while holding the position of Prime Minister.

He was a Kshatriya who stood by the lower castes who had been suffering inequality for centuries. Abraham Lincoln was killed by the whites. The upper caste anti-reservationists saw to it that VP Singh lost his power within just eleven months. His political life with any meaningful visibility had been murdered since then. Abraham Lincoln became a hero of the blacks and became a villain among racist whites.

Similarly VP Singh became a hero among Dalit-Bahujans (particularly OBCs) and a villain among the upper castes who claimed themselves to be anti-quota. These anti-reservation upper caste  forces claimed that they wanted to save the nation from terrorists. But the forces that are working in the media  must remember that a nation that promotes equality alone can checkmate terrorism that was working in full force on the day when VP Singh died.

The media and the UPA leaders, by treating him like dirt, even in his death, forgot a basic fact of human life. If someone, who stood by the oppressed, is ignored and humiliated, even in death, the oppressed will treat that as their own humiliation. If this is the attitude of the elite towards a man who sacrificed his Chief Ministership (Uttar Pradesh) on moral grounds, his Defence Ministerial position on the grounds of opposing corruption (Bofors case) and became Prime Minister of the nation on his own political movement's strength (transforming Jan Morcha into Janatha Dal) people know how to read the signs. Therefore such media cannot protect the nation from even the terrorists, as the oppressed majority do not believe in it at all.

VP Singh was a philosopher in his own right, a poet and painter. The media behaved as if he was nobody to this nation. He implemented the Mandal Commission Report, to which suicide attempts by upper caste youth were made. This was subsequently followed with a Kamadal Yatra of Advani, who then became a hero of the upper castes.
If Advani had died amidst the trauma of the Bombay terror attacks, would they have ignored his death as they did in the case of VP Singh? Certainly not, because there is big business in talking about him. Most of the people in the press claim  to be secular but when it comes to business and caste communalism, they give it major coverage as it means big money. The media plays a major role in every thing, including arresting terrorism. But it must remember that if people come to disbelieve what they churn out, then even the terrorists would have be placed in safe havens in our civil society.

More than any other prime minister, VP Singh made Indian democracy transformative. But for his intervention from the position of Prime Minister even the survival of politicians like Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad, Kanshiram, Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati would have been difficult. Ironically, these leaders from backward communities also did not bother about him. But he was an icon who had a dream for social equality. Ever since he implemented 27 per cent reservation forCentral government jobs he never compromised on the philosophy of social justice and equality.

The media must have ignored him today but a man of his calibre, will be resurrected soon.  courtesy

Mumbai terrorist came from Pakistan, local villagers confirm

• News
• World news
• Mumbai terror attacks

• Saeed Shah in Faridkot, near Depalpur
• The Observer, Sunday December 7 2008
• Article history

An Observer investigation has established that the lone surviving gunman caught by Indian police during last week's terrorist attacks on Mumbai came from a village in the Okara district of the Pakistani Punjab.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, interrogated in custody after last month's attacks, which killed 163 people, reportedly told Indian security officials that he came from a place called Faridkot in the Punjab province. His father was named as Mohammed Amir, married to a woman named Noor. During the past week, Pakistani sources have cast doubt on the authenticity of the leaked information, which has had a predictably explosive impact on relations between the two countries.

The Observer has obtained electoral lists for Faridkot showing 478 registered voters, including a Mohammed Amir, married to Noor Elahi. Amir's and Noor's national identity card numbers have also been obtained. At the address identified in the list, a man identifying himself as Sultan said he was the father-in-law of Mohammed Amir.

A villager, who cannot be named for his own protection, said the village was an active recruiting ground for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. 'We know that boy [caught in Mumbai] is from Faridkot,' he said. 'We knew from the first night [of the attack]. They brainwash our youth about jihad, there are people who do it in this village. It is so wrong,' he added.

According to the villager and other locals, Ajmal has not lived in Faridkot for about four years but would return to see his family once a year and frequently talked of freeing Kashmir from Indian rule.  more

Bandh hits normal life in south Orissa

December 6, 2008 PTI

Normal life was paralysed in southern Orissa on the first day of the two-day shutdown called by Maoists to protest the killing of a man by security forces in Gajapati district in November.

Security was tightened and patrolling intensified in Gajapati, Kandhamal and Rayagada districts of the state, where the bandh disrupted vehicular movement and forced the shops to down shutter. Markets also remained closed while offices and educational institutions recorded thin attendance.

Additional police personnel were deployed in sensitive areas and at the entry points where vehicles were checked, official sources said.

Life virtually came to a grinding halt at Mohana and Adaba areas of Gajapati district as well as Bisamakataka and Salada areas of Rayagada where roads wore a deserted look, the sources said.

In Kandhamal, areas like Daringibadi, Raikia, Kotagada, Tumudibandh and Brahmanigaon were hit by the bandh.  more