Indian girls crossing rivers for going to school

SAD-BJP win in Punjab civic polls comes with a rider

Chandigarh, June 11
There is euphoria in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) - Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance about the results of the municipal corporation elections that were declared yesterday. The alliance has swept the poll in the four largest cities of the state - Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala.
But a close look at the number of seats that the alliance has won should be a sign of worry rather than jubilation. Barring Amritsar, the number of seats retained by the alliance has actually dipped.
Losing seats in three municipal corporations, barely four months after the alliance won the Assembly seats here, can at best be seen as early warning signs for the alliance.
Compared to the 2007 results, the share of the SAD-BJP seats has gone down. Coming at a time when the main Opposition Congress is fragmented and in disarray, the result shows that the people are beginning to get disillusioned with the delay in implementation of promises made before the Assembly elections.
The slight gain for the alliance in the Amritsar MC is perhaps because the Congress is the weakest in the Majha region. In Amritsar, the SAD seats have gone up marginally from 15 in 2007 to 24 now.
Similarly, the BJP has won 24 seats in this elections. It had 17 in the 2007 edition.
The alliance went in for the civic poll soon after the Assembly elections to take advantage of its preparedness. Though it has managed to retain its hold in all four cities, it needs to be cautious.
The reason for the decrease in the number of seats for the alliance could be its diversion from the citizen-centric announcements in the form of reforms it has announced prior to the Assembly poll.
In the four months since the alliance formed the government in Punjab for the historic second successive term, the work on reforms has slowed down. The police reforms remain on paper, the ‘suvidha kendras’ are non-functional at many places and the ‘fard kendras’ have also not delivered according to expectations. This perhaps has got reflected in the results.
The dip in the number of seats for the alliance could also be due to the shaking of the people’s confidence in the government due to events like honouring of Balwant Singh Rajoana, the assassin of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, with the title of living martyr. This coupled with the Blue Star Memorial in the Golden Temple complex also does not appear to have gone down well with the urban voters as these might be reminding them of the days of terrorism in the state.
Even a tussle for supremacy has begun between the SAD and BJP. In Amritsar, the BJP and the SAD have won 24 seats each, but now the state Election Commission has ordered a re-poll in ward 3.
Here Raj Kumar Jolly of the SAD is pitted against Surinder Chaudhary of the Congress. If after the re-poll the SAD candidate wins, the party will have one more seat than the BJP. It then could stake a claim for the Mayor’s position which was earlier with the BJP.
Party sources in the BJP said that the EC has ordered the re-poll on a very flimsy ground that someone, sitting outside the polling booth, was trying to hack the EVMs with a laptop — something which is not only improbable, but highly questionable as the ground for a re-poll. The BJP claimed that it has performed better than the SAD as it has managed to hold its ground in Jalandhar and Patiala, improved in Amritsar and suffered a marginal setback in Ludhiana.
Meanwhile, other smaller parties like the PPP, BSP and CPI have managed to mark a token presence by winning one seat each. In Ludhiana, SAD had won 33 seats in 2007 which is down to 29 this time. The SAD’s candidate for the Mayor’s position has lost. Even the seats for the BJP have come down from 17 to 13. In Patiala, the SAD has lost three seats. Now, it has 32 victories as compared to 35 last time. The BJP has just managed to retain its seven seats.

In Jalandhar too, both the SAD and BJP have seen a drop in seats. SAD is down from 12 to 11 and the BJP from 21 to 19. The Congress too has lost in terms of the number of seats, but the Congress was not expected to dominate these polls.

Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) chief suspended over Tatra

CBI to question him in truck ‘deal’; Natarajan says he will come out clean

New Delhi/Bangalore, June 11
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) suspended Chairman-cum-Managing-Director of the government-run defence equipment manufacturer Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) VRS Natarajan this morning. The move came following a request from the CBI seeking permission to probe him besides removing him from the post.

Natarajan faces a probe in the purchase of Tatra trucks which the BEML supplies to the Army. The CBI is of the view that Natarajan, who has been the CMD of the BEML for more than 10 years, is in position to influence the probe.

Sources in the MoD said the CBI would now have easier access to Natarajan and other BEML officials suspected to be involved in the Tatra truck deal.

Natarajan is the second senior official of a defence manufacturing unit to be under the CBI scanner. In 2009, the CBI had booked Sudipto Ghosh, Director-General of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), for illegal gratification.

Natarajan today said he respected the government’s decision and maintained he would come out clean. He arrived at his office in Bangalore and left soon after the MoD announced his suspension. Senior-most functional BEML Director P Dwarkanath has been handed over the charge.

The CBI registered a case after Defence Minister AK Antony asked it to look into the Tatra case. NRI Ravi Rishi has been booked. He is the person supplying the trucks to the BEML for further supply to the Army.

The CBI is probing if the BEML based in Bangalore violated guidelines in buying and supplying Tatra trucks to the Army. The alleged violations include allowing a middleman to broker the deal - defence equipment has to be bought directly from the manufacturer. The trucks were also allegedly overpriced and cost the Army around 60 per cent more than what the Tatra, the manufacturer, sells it to the middleman.

Before he retired in May, then Army Chief General VK Singh said he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore to clear the purchase of 600 substandard Tatra trucks for the Army.

Natarajan said the General’s assessment of the trucks was incorrect and he sought an apology from the General otherwise he would sue him for defamation.

Cow slaughter: SSP suspended for dereliction of duty in Punjab

JOGA/MANSA: After Punjab village situated on Barnala-Mansa road went on rampage over the killing of large number of cows at a factory, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal suspended Mansa senior superintendent of police(SSP) Sukhdev Singh Chahal under suspension for dereliction of duty. THe chief minister has ordered inquiry into the incident. 

"SSP has been placed under suspension for failing to control the situation and dereliction in duty", confirmed Bathinda Inspector general of police(IG) Nirmal Singh Dhillon. 

IG talking to Times of India over phone said chief minister, who was personally monitoring the developments in the aftermath of killing of cows at a factory, has ordered the suspension of SSP Chahal for dereliction of duty. 

Police had failed to contain the unruly mob even after clamping of curfew and angry residents keep on damaging factory and putting articles of one of the factory owner' house on fire. 

Curfew has been clamped to contain the enraging crowd but people kept on defying the prohibitory orders. The police had to resort to cane-charge to control the unruly mob. Four persons got injured in the cane charging and stone pelting. 

Joga resident Sukhwinder Dass, who was working in the fields around Saturday midnight, saw a canter getting large number of cows to the factory and then heard shrieking of cows. "I apprised the villagers about the cows being transported to the factory with suspected intention of killing. When we reached the factory in the wee hours, we found many cows having been killed already and few waiting to be killed", said Sukhwinder. 

Seeing the heads of cows, the villagers got agitated. As the news spread, the activists of Hindu organizations started converging at the village and in no time, the activists started damaging the factory, said a villager. 

The irate activists of Hindu organizations along with Gowshala sangh members pulled down a part of factory owned by Joga residents Ajaib Singh, Narinder Singh and Bhushan Singh. VHP leader Lalit Kumar demanding stern action against guilty said, "We are shocked to see the killing of cows and the guilty need to be given exemplary punishment." 

Going by the agitated activists, district administration clamped curfew but when people kept on rampaging and indulged in stone pelting, police resorted to cane-charge wherein four persons got injured. 

Bathinda Inspector general of police(IG) Nirmal Singh, DC Mansa Amit Dhaka, Mansa MLA Prem Mittal visited the place and assured stern action. DC Amit Dhaka said district administration is keeping strict vigil over the situation and trying to put situation under control. 

Police have booked three partners of the factory under hurting the religious sentiments, cruelty to animals under cow protection act. 

The owners, however, succeeded in fleeing with family members to escape arrests. 

Cow slaughter: Situation continues to be tense in Punjab towns

MANSA/BARNALA: Situation continued to be tense and volatile on second consecutive day of the slaughtering of cows at village Joga bone crushing factory. District headquarter towns, Mansa and Barnala apart from sub divisional town Budhlada observed complete bandh in the aftermath of cow slaughtering and irate crowds burned four motorcycles at Mansa presuming these belonging to persons involved in ferrying of cows for slaughtering. However curfew was relaxed for 3 hours at Joga. 

On the other hand Joga SHO Rajinderpal Singh too was placed under suspension. Earlier Mansa SSP Sukhdev Singh Chahal was suspended on Sunday for dereliction of duty in the aftermath of killing of cows leading to vandalism by irate crowds. 

People were on a rampage on Sunday in Joga, a village situated on Mansa-Barnala road when after reports came in of slaughtering more than 30 cows at animal bone crushing factory. People had badly damaged the factory and houses of three factory partners. District administration had clamped curfew after police had miserably failed in reining in the angry villagers. Police had booked the partners under the charge of hurting religious sentiments and cow slaughter(prevention) act. 

Giving a clarion call for complete bandh at Mansa and Barnala, hundreds of residents including activists of Vishav Hindu Parishad(VHP) landed on streets and forced the closure of business establishments. Some heated exchanges were also reported in Barnala with VHP district office bearer Neelmani leading the crowds. 

The angry residents of Mansa, sitting on dharna headed towards court road when they got to know that few cows were being transported in a truck. Seeing the crowd, the truck driver fled, leaving behind the truck and four motorcyclists too ran away leaving behind the bikes. The crowds torched the bikes and freed half a dozen cows from the truck. 

Mansa DC Amit Dhaka said "as situation is turning towards normalcy, curfew has been relaxed for 3 hours at Joga. He confirmed though some angry people have burned few motorcycles at Mansa but administration is keeping strict vigil and situation is under control". 

Harpreet Singh, who was appointed at Mansa as SSP after the incumbent Sukhdev Singh Chahal was placed under suspension on Sunday. 

Cow slaughter: SSP suspended for dereliction of duty in Punjab

JOGA/MANSA: After Punjab village situated on Barnala-Mansa road went on rampage over the killing of large number of cows at a factory, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal suspended Mansa senior superintendent of police(SSP) Sukhdev Singh Chahal under suspension for dereliction of duty. THe chief minister has ordered inquiry into the incident. 

"SSP has been placed under suspension for failing to control the situation and dereliction in duty", confirmed Bathinda Inspector general of police(IG) Nirmal Singh Dhillon. 

IG talking to Times of India over phone said chief minister, who was personally monitoring the developments in the aftermath of killing of cows at a factory, has ordered the suspension of SSP Chahal for dereliction of duty. 

Police had failed to contain the unruly mob even after clamping of curfew and angry residents keep on damaging factory and putting articles of one of the factory owner' house on fire. 

Curfew has been clamped to contain the enraging crowd but people kept on defying the prohibitory orders. The police had to resort to cane-charge to control the unruly mob. Four persons got injured in the cane charging and stone pelting. 

Joga resident Sukhwinder Dass, who was working in the fields around Saturday midnight, saw a canter getting large number of cows to the factory and then heard shrieking of cows. "I apprised the villagers about the cows being transported to the factory with suspected intention of killing. When we reached the factory in the wee hours, we found many cows having been killed already and few waiting to be killed", said Sukhwinder. 

Seeing the heads of cows, the villagers got agitated. As the news spread, the activists of Hindu organizations started converging at the village and in no time, the activists started damaging the factory, said a villager. 

The irate activists of Hindu organizations along with Gowshala sangh members pulled down a part of factory owned by Joga residents Ajaib Singh, Narinder Singh and Bhushan Singh. VHP leader Lalit Kumar demanding stern action against guilty said, "We are shocked to see the killing of cows and the guilty need to be given exemplary punishment." 

Going by the agitated activists, district administration clamped curfew but when people kept on rampaging and indulged in stone pelting, police resorted to cane-charge wherein four persons got injured. 

Bathinda Inspector general of police(IG) Nirmal Singh, DC Mansa Amit Dhaka, Mansa MLA Prem Mittal visited the place and assured stern action. DC Amit Dhaka said district administration is keeping strict vigil over the situation and trying to put situation under control. 

Police have booked three partners of the factory under hurting the religious sentiments, cruelty to animals under cow protection act. 

The owners, however, succeeded in fleeing with family members to escape arrests. 

Cow slaughter: Tension in Mansa, Barnala; Joga SHO suspended

MANSA/BARNALA: Joga village remained tense and volatile on Monday, a day after residents targeted a factory for slaughtering cows. There was complete bandh in Mansa, Barnala and Budhlada towns on Monday. An angry crowd torched four motorcycles at Mansa, presuming that they belonged to persons involved in ferrying the cows for slaughter. Curfew, though, was relaxed in Joga for six hours.

Meanwhile, police booked five persons after recovering 88 bulls from nearby Bhainibhaga village even as Joga SHO Rajinderpal Singh was placed under suspension. Mansa SSP Sukhdev Singh Chahal was suspended on Sunday, for dereliction of duty in the aftermath violence triggered over the killing of cows.

People had gone on rampage on Sunday, after word spread of slaughtering of more than 30 cows at animal bone crushing factory. Angry residents had damaged the factory and the houses of its three partners. When police failed to restore order, the district administration clamped a curfew. Besides, police had booked the factory partners for hurting religious sentiments and under Cow Slaughter (Prevention) Act.

Following a call by Vishva Hindu Parishad for complete bandh in Mansa and Barnala, hundreds of residents and activists landed on the streets and forced the closure of business establishments. Some heated exchanges were also reported at Barnala. Angry Mansa residents staged a dharna and headed towards court road when they heard that some cows were being transported in a truck. Seeing them, the truck driver left in a huff, while four motorcyclists fled in fear after leaving behind their bikes. The crowds torched the bikes and set the cows free.

Mansa DC Amit Dhaka said the administration was keeping a strict vigil and that the situation was under control.

Curfew in Mansa village after mob targets factory over 'cow slaughter'

MANSA: Tension prevailed in Joga village of Mansa district on Sunday after hundreds of infuriated villagers stormed into a factory, burnt down goods, set a vehicle on fire and damaged property after they came to know that cows were being slaughtered there.

Curfew was clamped to restrain the enraged crowd but people kept defying the prohibitory orders and police had to resort to a lathicharge to control the unruly mob. Four people were injured in the lathicharge and police arrested factory owners Ajaib Singh, Narinder Singh, and Mewa Singh on charges of hurting the religious sentiments of people and cruelty to animals under the Cow Protection Act.

Punjab government suspended Mansa district SSP Sukhdev Singh Chahal for dereliction of duty and imposed a curfew in the village. Villagers alleged that for sometime now cows were being slaughtered in the factory. The agitated crowd damaged the factory and vandalized the houses of the factory owners.

The factory supplies bone powder for use in the production of pharmaceutical and edible grade gelatin.

Joga resident Sukhwinder Dass, who was working in the fields around Saturday midnight, said that he saw a large number of cows being taken to the factory in a canter and then heard them mooing in pain. "I told the villagers about cows being transported to the factory with the suspected intention of killing them and when we reached the factory in the wee hours of Sunday we found that many cows had been killed," he said.

IG Nirmal Singh said, "A case for hurting religious sentiments, cruelty to animals has been registered against the factory owners, who have been arrested." The curfew had not been lifted till the filing of this report. Mansa DC Amit Dhaka and MLA Prem Mittal, who visited the tension spot, have assured stern action.

CALIFORNIA MURDERS

Ex-Indian Army officer kills family, self in US 

Los Angeles, June 10
A former Indian Army officer, Major Avtar Singh, who was wanted in India for the murder of a prominent Kashmiri lawyer, has killed himself along with his wife and two children in his California home.

Singh (47) had fled to the United States after he was accused of killing Jaleel Andrabi, a Kashmiri lawyer and activist associated with the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), whose body was found floating in the Jhelum River in March 1996.

Andrabi, 42, was allegedly detained by a unit of Rashtriya Rifles led by Major Singh and his body was found a day later.

Authorities in Selma, California, believe Singh shot his family and then took his own life. Singh was found dead in the living room with an apparent gunshot wound to his head, officials said.

Singh called Selma police around 6:15 am yesterday and told them that he had killed members of his family and was going to kill himself, frenscobee.com quoted the Fresno County Sheriff's Office as saying.

A woman, believed to be Singh's wife, and a three-year-old boy were found in the home's master bedroom dead of gunshot wounds to the head, officials said.

The body of a 15-year-old boy was discovered in another bedroom, also with a gunshot wound to the head.

Selma police called the Fresno County Sheriff's Office to assist because they were aware that Singh had military experience in India, the report said.

Outside Singh's home, officers and deputies tried to contact him verbally and by telephone, but he did not respond.

‘Three lives could have been saved had ex-Army officer been extradited to India’ 

File photo of Jaleel Andrabi 

Srinagar, June 10
As the news about the suicide by former Major Avtar Singh, the main accused in the 1996 killing of Kashmiri lawyer Jaleel Andrabi, broke this morning, the Andrabi family in uptown Srinagar rued that had New Delhi got the former Army officer extradited to India, three lives could have been saved.
“Avtar Singh’s family would have been alive if the government had conducted the trial and got him extradited from the US,” Jaleel’s elder brother Arshad Andrabi said.
Arshad said the J&K police, New Delhi, the US Government and the Interpol failed to bring justice to them. “It is also the failure of justice at all levels,” Arshad said.
Avtar Singh reportedly killed his wife and two of their children in their California home before committing suicide today. Avtar Singh, as per reports, had called the Selma police in California about the death of three family members before ending his life.
“Had Avtar Singh, against whom there was an Interpol red-corner notice, faced trial, other details about the murder of my brother would have also come to the fore.
He could not have killed my brother all alone. There must have been other persons who must have been instrumental in the killing of the noted lawyer,” Arshad said, adding that five FIRs were registered against Avtar Singh.
The 36-year-old lawyer and human rights activist, Jaleel Andrabi, was arrested by an Army team, led by a Major, on March 8, 1996, when he was driving home along with his wife. Some 20 days later, Andrabi’s decomposed, trussed-up body was recovered from the Jhelum.
The report of a special investigation team set up by the J&K High Court in June 1996 identified “an Army Major of 103 Territorial Army posted at Rawalpora as prima facie responsible for the death”.
On the orders of the High Court, a murder case was registered against Major Avtar Singh and others. Singh later fled to the US after he was accused of murder.
Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, Mohammed Ibrahim Wani on February 6, 2010, issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Major Avtar Singh.
The court had also directed the J&K Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to vigorously pursue the extradition of Major Avtar Singh. The case is now pending for trial before the court of the CJM, Srinagar, for over a decade.
Singh was arrested by the California police in February this year following a complaint by his wife in connection with a domestic dispute.
A noted human rights activist, Khuram Parvaiz, said the “impunity granted by the Indian state facilitated the murder of three more persons by Avtar Singh”.
“His suicide and the murder of his family members is no justice for Kashmiris. Justice is still awaited...,” he said.

A peep into the case

l Jaleel Andrabi was arrested by an Army Major on March 8, 1996
l Jaleel’s decomposed body was recovered from the Jhelum on May 27
l SIT was set up by the J&K High Court in June 1996, which identified Major Avtar Singh for Andrabi’s death
l Singh later fled to the US after he was accused of murder
l The CJM, Srinagar, on Febuaray 6, 2010, issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Major Avtar Singh. The court also directed the government to extradite him from the USl The case is lying pending for trial before the court of the CJM, Srinagar, for over a decade.

Akali Dal-BJP sweep Punjab civic polls

Alliance retains hold on 4 MCs n 75% turnout n Reports of widespread rigging n One dead, 2 MLAs among 13 hurt 

CHANDIGARH: The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) alliance made a clean sweep in the municipal election in Punjab Sunday winning four municipal corporations, three municipal councils and 26 nagar panchayats, an official said. 

Stray incidents of violence, including a firing incident in Ludhiana city, and clashes between Akali Dal and Congress workers were reported at some places. Tension prevailed in Patiala city, 80 km from here, as Congress and Akali Dal workers clashed. 

One person was critically injured in a firing incident on the outskirts of Ludhiana city. 

Results of the election, polling for which was held Sunday 8 am-4 pm, were declared late in the evening. 

Akali Dal secretary Daljit Singh Cheema said that the Akali DAl-BJP combine had swept the municipal elections in the state. 

He said that the alliance was the winner in the four municipal corporations, three municipal councils and 26 nagar panchayats' elections. He said that the alliance had a comfortable majority in all civic bodies. 

The results again showed the domination of the alliance, which had won the January assembly polls, and the decimation of the Congress in Punjab's electoral politics. 

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh said that the elections were "a murder of democracy". 

He said that the Akalis wanted to win at any cost and resorted to foul means like booth capturing, intimidation and brutal abuse of state power during the elections. 

Amarinder Singh and some other Congress leaders were manhandled Sunday in Patiala. 

The Congress faced embarrassment in Amarinder's home town Patiala as the ruling alliance won 39 out of the 49 seats for which results were declared. The Congress won only eight seats. 

In Jalandhar, the alliance bagged the majority winning 30 seats out of the 59 results declared, Cheema said. 

In Amritsar, the combine won 48 out of the 65 seats. 

In Ludhiana, they won 42 seats out of the 70 results declared in the 75-member house. 

Cheema said that the results had shown that the voters had accepted the development agenda of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and rejected the negative agenda of the Congress. 

Amarinder Singh criticised the role of police and the local administration in the municipal elections. 

"It is the saddest day in the history of Punjab when the Akali-BJP alliance let loose a reign of terror in a city like Patiala and did not allow people to cast their votes," Amarinder Singh said.

Dr. Cheema said that in elections to three municipal councils SAD-BJP alliance had already won Dharmkot elections unopposed and in Nagar Panchat elections Makhu and Mallanwala had also been won unopposed. (Detailed Chart of elections has been enclosed) 

The SAD Spokesman further said that the results in today's civic elections has once again proved that people have voted for the pro-development agenda of the SAD-BJP alliance. The second consecutive victory in the elections in the state has confirmed the faith of the people in programmes and policies of the SAD-BJP alliance. He said that the SAD-BJP goverment has done unprecedented development in the urban areas of the state and people of the state want development to continue and this mandate is for all round development of urban areas.

"The people of the state have totally rejected the negative agenda of the Congress party" added Dr. Cheema.

The SAD has emerged the No.1 party in Punjab’s urban areas. The civic elections have dispelled the myth that we have a rural base alone. Social engineering that provides equal representation to all communities in urban and rural areas helped us win all seats in several nagar panchayats

— Sukhbir Badal, SAD president & Deputy Chief Minister Punjab