India News

Kolkata: Clarifying his stand on skipping Tuesday''s meeting convened by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to help the four Naxal-affected states of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand counter the Naxal problem; Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that he had prior commitments and was not informed about the meeting in advance.

Kumar said, "I had prior commitments to fulfill today and the Home Minister did not discuss these issues while fixing the dates."

"I don''t think, we can solve these issues by applying force," added Kumar.

Kumar has sent Bihar Home Secretary for the meeting in his absence.

Official sources have said the meeting will review at length the strategy adopted to deal with Naxals in the three States and co-ordination among them as Naxals often from one State to another after committing a crime.
 
The discussion today will stress on the offensive that will be launched at the interstate junctions of West Bengal-Jharkhand or Bihar-Jharkhand, as these areas are considered to be a breeding ground of the Naxalites.
 
Issues of development will also be discussed during the daylong meet.
 
Director General of Police (DGP)''s of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) will also attend the meeting along with the top police officials of the Naxal-affected four states.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who is on a six-day visit to India, was on Tuesday accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh were present on the occasion along with a host of other dignitaries.

Gul said, "My expectation from this visit is to have Turkey and India discover each other. In fact, the process has already started and we have to speed it up. Turkey and India have many similarities, both countries are secular and we have free market economy and our economies are booming."

During the visit of the Turkish President, the two countries are expected to hold talks on bilateral relations, economic and political ties.

The Civil nuclear cooperation will also be discussed between the two countries.

Source ANI

Canberra: Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Tuesday described the series of racially-motivated attacks against Indians, particularly students, in the country as inexcusable, and urged the government and all Australians to view the matter very seriously.

Addressing Parliament here, Smith said: "Recent contemptible attacks on Indian students and others of Indian origin in Australia have cast a long shadow, not only over our education links, but across our broader relationship and bilateral agenda.   These attacks are inexcusable. Australia needs to take this seriously and we are taking it very seriously." 

"We also need to accept and understand that it has considerably damaged Australia’s reputation in India and among the Indian people.  Indeed it has been widely noticed beyond India and South Asia. On behalf of the Australian Government and the Australian people, I again express publicly, as I have privately to my counterpart External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, my deep sympathy and condolences to those Indians who have had family members in Australia attacked and in some tragic cases, murdered," he added.

He said that police forces in Australia are investigating all incidents so that those responsible for the attacks are brought to justice.

"We will continue to do our utmost to ensure that the children Indian parents have entrusted into the care of the Australian community remain safe and come home with a first class education and a great Australian experience. We have zero tolerance for racism in this country. If any of these attacks have been racist in nature - and it seems clear some of them have - they will be punished with the full force of the law," Smith said.

"Let us be absolutely clear about this:  the Australian Government and Australian community condemn all such attacks, irrespective of nationality or ethnicity. The Australian Government and the Australian community unequivocally condemn any attack which is racially motivated.   Such attacks affront our values and are anathema to our view of the modern Australia. Australia and India are countries for which the rule of law is fundamental.  The rule of law means that we allow the processes of investigation, prosecution and sentencing to take their course.  That is what we are doing. Governments at all levels in Australia are working together to address this problem," Smith said. 

He informed that law enforcement agencies have brought perpetrators of attacks to justice in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. 

In Victoria alone some 45 people have been arrested for crimes against Indian students or nationals and perpetrators are being pursued with vigour, the foreign minister said. 

Smith said Indian citizens are welcome guests in Australia, and added that Indian-Australians make a most important contribution to the fabric of our multicultural society. 

"We want to ensure that international students, whether from India or elsewhere, obtain a quality education, can support themselves financially, and have a positive experience in Australia. The safety issue has revealed deficiencies in our education and visa arrangements for international students.   Australian Governments at all levels have moved to address those deficiencies," he said.

He said that he was in regular touch with Indian Foreign Minister Krishna and had informed of latest developments on issues arising from attacks on Indians in Australia.  Krishna, he said, would be informed this week by the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and through the Indian High Commission in Canberra of further developments, he added.

"We need goodwill and consistent leadership on both sides to deal with the challenges this matter has identified," he concluded.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Another army soldier was killed in a second avalanche on Tuesday, even as 13 out of the 14 already trapped, were rescued from an Army forward post in  Jammu and Kashmir Tangdhar District.

On Monday, at least 17 soldiers had lost their lives. Around 400 people mostly Armymen and porters were rescued.

The avalanche took place at 11 a.m. on Monday. The Army''''s High Altitude Warfare School at Gulmarg had established an advance camp at Gujjar Hut on Sunday, and 300 Army trainees, 100 trainers, 60 support staff and 50 civilians were present when the avalanche came down.

Army and police rescue teams reached the location and made all efforts possible to rescue all those trapped.

Snow Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) had issued an avalanche warning last evening and asked the people living in high altitude areas not to venture in the area, which has been receiving heavy snowfall for the past three days.

High danger prone areas include Sonamarg, Gagangir, Bhimbat, Drass, Batalic, Dhudi and S M Hills in Kargil district.
 
The areas where low danger avalanche warning has been issued include both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel and the adjoining areas on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

Source ANI

Kolkata: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren have decided to skip Tuesday''s meeting convened by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to help the four Naxal-affected states of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand to co-ordinate their campaign against Naxals.

Soren has sent his deputy Sudesh Mahato, while Nitish Kumar has sent the State Home Secretary for the meeting.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will attend today''s meeting and chalk out strategies to counter the Naxal threat.
 
Official sources have said the meeting will review at length the strategy adopted to deal with Naxals in the three States and co-ordination among them as Naxals often from one State to another after committing a crime.
 
The discussion today will stress on the offensive that will be launched at the interstate junctions of West Bengal-Jharkhand or Bihar-Jharkhand, as these areas are considered to be a breeding ground of the Naxalites.
 
Issues of development will also be discussed during the daylong meet.
 
Director General of Police (DGP)''s of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) will also attend the meeting along with the top police officials of the Naxal-affected four states.

Source ANI

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Police arrested eleven Maoists including two members of the central committee of the banned Communist Party of India outfit.

"Chintan and Balraj, both members of the apex central committee of the CPI (Maoist), were among 11 Naxalite leaders arrested in a night raid at Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Kanpur," Karamveer Singh, police chief of Uttar Pradesh, told a news conference here on Monday.

Chintan, 64, has PhD and MPhil degrees from JNU. Balraj, 51, also known as BR and Arvind, is a science graduate.

The nine others arrested are Navin Prasad Singh, Ambreesh, Deepak Ram, Shivraj Singh, Rajendra Kumar Fulara, Kripa Shankar, Seema Azad, Viswavijay and Asha Munda.

According to literature seized from the leaders, the Maoists were planning to expand their organisation in Uttar (North) Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers, but are fast losing credibility after attacking schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects.

Source ANI

Islamabad: Pakistan is looking to adopt a tough stance over India’s offer to resume foreign secretary level talks, as it is worried about engaging New Delhi in ‘open-ended’ talks, diplomatic sources said.

According to sources, Islamabad might push for a “result-oriented dialogue” in order to work out a programme for resolving all outstanding issues,

Pakistan does not want ‘open-ended talks without any substantial results.

“We are not interested in just talks ... we are looking for a fruitful engagement that will result in the solution of real problems and help bring peace,” sources here said.

“We are expecting a candid exchange of views on all aspects of relations with India, including the agenda of the talks ... there are several issues, such as India’s refusal to resume the composite dialogue immediately,” they added.

During the proposed talks, Pakistan may also seek India’s assurance that New Delhi would not suspend the peace process in case of another terrorist attack by “non-state actors”.

The composite peace talks were suspended after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

While Pakistan has consistently been demanding the resumption of the peace talks, India has refused to come to the negotiation table until Islamabad brings 26/11 perpetrators to justice.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Despite the verbal battle between Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and Shiv Sena activists coming to an end, Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar is taking no chances ahead of the release of his film ''My Name is Khan'' and has met Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandan.

Johar has sought police security ahead of the film''s release, and told media that he has received assurances of full protection and that the film will be released on schedule.

The representatives of the film''s distributor, FOX Searchlight, are also meeting the top Mumbai cop along with multiplex owners.

Earlier, there were reports that posters of Bollywood flick ''My Name is Khan'' were being destroyed in Mumbai.

The entire team of the flick ''My Name is Khan'' is worried that theaters in Mumbai are not selling tickets and there are no advance bookings.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena was upset with Shahrukh''s statements that Pakistani cricketers should be allowed to play in the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Shiv Sena activists had warned theater owners in Mumbai not to screen Shahrukh''s upcoming flick releasing on Friday (February 12).

Source ANI

New Delhi: The charges against former Military Secretary Lt General (retired) Avadesh Prakash in connection with the Sukhna land scam are expected to be framed in Kolkata on Wednesday.

It has been reported that over a dozen army officials will be flying to Kolkata to testify as witnesses when the charges are read out.

The court martial proceedings are likely to begin after a summary of evidences is presented to the court.

The Armed Forces Tribunal had on Friday issued notice to the army to produce the findings of the Court of Inquiry (COI) in the Sukna land scam and raised a number of questions over the role of Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash in the case.

During the hearing by the two-member tribunal, Prakash''s counsel Jyoti Singh accused Lt Gen P K Rath, who is also facing a court martial in this case, of being the main culprit.

Prakash and three other Generals have been indicted by an Eastern Army Command Court of Inquiry for giving a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to a private realtor to construct an educational institute on a plot of land adjacent to the Sukhna Army base in Darjeeling.

The Court of Inquiry into the Sukhna land scam case, in which three other Army generals have been indicted, holds Lt General Prakash responsible for allegedly hiding information and taking undue interest in promoting the vested agenda of real estate developer and family friend Dilip Agarwal.

Source ANI

Ranchi/ Patna: Ahead of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram''s meeting in Kolkata to discuss strategies to counter Maoists threat, in an audacious strike, the Naxals blew up a stretch of the railway tracks in Jharkhand''s Giridih district on the third day of the 72-hour shutdown call given by them on Sunday across the four states of Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal.

Police sources said the tracks were blown up under Nimiaghat police station in the district, adding that the trains on this section have been stopped on both up and down lines.

There are reports that the Naxals blasted the Howrah-Delhi line at the Narganjo railway station in Bihar. Earlier on Sunday, a railway official was killed and a railway track was blown up at the same place.

A government middle school in Khunti district of Jharkhand has also been blown up by the Naxalites.

Source ANI

Kolkata: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will on Tuesday chair a meeting here that has been called by the Centre to help four Naxal-affected states of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand to co-ordinate their campaign against the Naxals.
 
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren will attend today''s meeting and chalk out strategies to counter the Naxal threat.
 
Official sources have said the meeting will review at length the strategy adopted to deal with Naxals in the three States and co-ordination among them as Naxals often from one State to another after committing a crime.
 
The discussion today will stress on the offensive that will be launched at the interstate junctions of West Bengal-Jharkhand or Bihar-Jharkhand, as these areas are considered to be a breeding ground of the Naxalites.
 
Issues of development will also be discussed during the daylong meet.
 
Director General of Police (DGP)''s of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) will also attend the meeting along with the top police officials of the Naxal-affected four states.

Describing Naxalism as a grave threat, Chidambaram had on Sunday said that the Centre had announced that it would encourage the State governments to talk to Naxalites if they abjured violence, but they have spurned the offer.

Source ANI