Bihar unveils face of corruption on YouTube-The Pioneer-22.10.11

Video clips showing officials demanding bribes from Indira Awas Yojna beneficiaries uploaded to cause maximum embarrassment

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish B Kumar's war on corruption has a technological turn. The Bihar Government has now decided to upload clips of complaints against corrupt officials on YouTube.

Over a thousand such complainants' clips against officials involved in the Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) have been uploaded, which have become a major cause of embarrassment for the allegedly corrupt officials.

“On being informed of the rampant corruption in implementation of the IAY, we decided to use technology and uploaded clips of officials who allegedly demanded bribes from beneficiaries,“ said State Rural Development Minister Nitish Mishra. He had mooted the suggestion a couple of months ago.

“The main purpose was to embarrass and expose officials seeking bribes in implementing IAY among poor villagers,“ said Mishra, adding that there would be thorough verification of the complaints later as a precursor to lodging a case against the erring officials. The initial exposure, he felt, “will definitely prove a major roadblock in checking corruption“.

The State Government has recently lodged police complaints against 72 officials and issued them showcause notices.

In August, nearly 10 lakh people living below the poverty line were given the first installment of money under IAY to build houses. The Government directed all district officials to make arrangements to record videos of complaints by beneficiaries of IAY at the camps.

Recently, a family of four had committed suicide in Aurangabad district after being cheated by middlemen of IAY benefits. The incident had exposed the rampant corruption in implementation of the Central scheme and brought it to the Chief Minister’s notice.

“Either the corrupt will survive or I’ll be here now, ” Nitish Kumar has declared.

He will embark on a Sewa Yatra from November 9 from West Champaran.

Global terror spreading tentacles into Kerala prisons?-The Pioneer-22.10.11

Global terror has spread its G tentacles into the prisons of Kerala,which with its sobriquet of God's Own Country used to be a state known for peace and communal harmony till some years back, if the contents of a report submitted to the State Government by the Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) are any indication.

The report presented by ADGP Alexander Jacob to the Government contains enough information to believe that serious developments affecting national security have been taking place in the State's prisons recently. The ADGP has called for immediate remedial measures to ensure that terror does not get a foothold in Kerala's jails.

Analyses of call details of some of the 120 mobile phones confiscated from various pris ons in the State have shown that prisoners have been in contact with people outside India, even in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Even satellite phones had come into play in this development, says the ADGP's report.

The Prisons authorities had come across the shocking information from the analyses provided by the High-Tech Cell of the police on over 3,500 calls made from or into 29 of the 120 phones based in the prisons. Another alarming fact is that some of the callers had used costly satellite phones

that evaded the mobile switching towers.

According to the report, records of prisons-stationed phones showed that there had been history of using 18-character numbers constituted of digits and alphabets proving involvement of satellite phones.

Calls had also been made between mobiles in Kerala prisons and numbers stationed obviously in the US.

Experts say that the finding on the use of satellite phones is extremely crucial considering the fact that such communication means had been used for the Mumbai terror strike.

According to them, such phones could have been used most probably for terror operations as ordinary people could not afford such instruments that cost lakhs of rupees.

The ADGP's report says that calls from 5-digit numbers

were seen to have been diverted to phones stationed probably in Pakistan, Afghanistan or Somalia. Records of calls from 4-digit numbers --Internet telephony -also were found in the analyses. According to experts, such calls could be used even to detonate bombs connected through remoteoperation technology.

It has also been found that the prison-stationed mobiles had received calls from 6-digit and 8-digit numbers which obviously were not from cell phones in the country, the report says.

Damning the Himalayan rivers by dams—The Pioneer-19.10.11

The mindless construction of projects on various rivers risks the livelihood of nearly 20 lakh people, besides triggering natural disasters like landslides, writes Dinesh Pant

We have come a long way. Not respecting the majesty of the Himalayas is itself a travesty, wantonly disturbing its natural environment, the sanctity of its mind-boggling terrains that act as a bulwark for the subcontinent’s ecological balance is a brazen crime. We are now paying the price.

Glaciers are melting. Weather cycles are changing. Biodiversity is in danger.

Rivers are drying up. Agricultural lands are barren. Villages exist but people have migrated in search of livelihoods, of resources that will sustain them. The soil that once was firm on the mountainside, held down by trees and grasses, is now loose, increasing the threat of landslides.

But who is listening, who is picking up these alarming signs? Mega projects are continually being built, ripping the Himalayan land. Huge dams to bind rivers are coming up on seismically-sensitive zones. What will this imply, this stopping of the flow of Himalayan rivers, damming them? Doubtless, the answers to these questions require extensive study, research and field observations. Collating the data

and formulating a cohesive picture of the destruction in the Himalayan region can be a Himalayan task. In Uttarakhand, some facts are too obvious, making a stark statement on the flawed policy for development.

The State has a wide network of rivers; Ganges, Yamuna, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Saryu, Tauns, Kali and Gauri.

Across the state large-scale and small power projects are being built on these rivers. The region, which is now Uttarakhand, has a long history of dam construction, beginning at the start of the century in 1897.

According to sources, there are 558 dams on the Himalayan rivers in the state, including those complete, under-construction and still others that are proposed. Unbelievable? The facts speak for themselves: The famed river Bhagirathi and its tributaries has 85 projects dotting its flow. Of the other major rivers, Bhilangna has 19 dams, Alaknanda and its tributaries have an astounding 91, Dhauliganga and its tributaries 19, Pindar and its tributaries 23, Gauri and its tributaries have 27 dams.

The mighty two rivers that have

defined cultures and civilisations down the ages, the Ganga and the Yamuna, along with their tributaries, have 55 ongoing projects.

Experts apprehend that these will affect nearly 20 lakh people in the state.

The damages are colossal. Agricultural work is affected. Landslides recur.

Displacement is an inevitable fall-out of any such project, with villagers having to cope with the loss of settled lives for themselves, their children and the elderly.

Chances are that their houses and fields are flooded, their livelihoods jeopardised.

Danger created by the power transmission lines is another risk. Who is accountable for the human fall-out of such fast-paced and mindless development? This is a quintessential scenario. Locals are told that the project would result in the generation of electricity for the progress of the region. But there is no information on where this electricity will be distributed, who will benefit from it? In this day and age of transparency and the Right to Information Act, these people are in the dark about the projects that are damming their rivers, digging up their mountainsides.

But people have begun to wake up, to question the basis of these mega development projects on the Himalayan rivers.

What they seek is not information on cost, area of operation but what it holds for them, the changes that it will bring to the people who live there.

The effects are not only in the immediate sense. Construction of the Tehri Dam on the Bhagirathi river began over three decades ago amidst voices raised against it by locals and environmentalists. The construction displaced close to 10,700 families from 102 villages in the region.

Some 3800 families though not displaced entirely were affected by the dam. The displaced people are still struggling to be rehabilitated in a way that compensates them for the loss adequately.

It is a matter of shame and certainly a matter to ponder over seriously that over the last few decades, the same questions persist. Who is paying the price for development and who is benefitting? It seems that the process of defining development, of adopting polices is flawed, if it has not answered these fundamental questions.

The Tehri dam was an ambitious pro

ject, one of the largest in Asia at the time and the Government claimed that the interests of the state would be paramount.

Power would be supplied across Uttarakhand and there would be perennial water for irrigation. Time has shown this to be a baseless claim. Without a doubt the Tehri dam supplied power to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, but what has it given the local people except misery, the destruction of their habitat, life-patterns and an uncertain future? The old Tehri has shrunk, with people still facing the effects of displacement. As for the power situation, a state which produces so much still faces long hours of loadshedding and is dependent on supplies from Uttar Pradesh, a bizarre situation, considering Uttarakhand in a powerhouse of hydel! It is time to radically change the approach to planning and initiating projects, particularly an ecologically sensitive one like the Himalayan region. The locals have the first claim to the land, forests, to common grazing grounds. They are the custodians of a way of life, culture, an environment which they have inherent rights

to as well as the duty to protect.

It is vital that their views are taken into consideration before planning any project.

The voice of the people needs to not only be strengthened but to find ways to reach policy making forums in the state and at the national level. If we have not learnt this lesson through the years of mindless destruction, its fall-out on human and natural resources, it is high time we do.

The planners and implementation agencies, either from the Government or the private sector, need to take into confidence the local voice. They need to present their case, in a human perspective to local communities.

What would be the provision for rehabilitation, employment, facilities for health, education and infrastructure? What will the project rob them of, what will they gain from it? It is only fair and in keeping with the spirit of democratic processes at the grassroots that this be done.

Only then would there be hope for the magnificent Himalayas and the people living in its lap to flourish and continue to nurture its amazing wealth for generations ahead.

Organic farming crucial to soil health-The Pioneer-19.10.11

Experts have repeatedly warned that, with the rapid degradation of soil our food security is under threat. They have also pointed out that the crisis can be tackled through a series of ecological interventions, of which biomass generation and its use is the most critical. In this context, we need to understand the existing dynamics of biomass availability and its usage at the farm level.

At present, different sectors compete for whatever biomass is available. Green biomass is needed as fodder for cattle, cow dung cakes, pressed leaf litter etc. are used as cooking fuel in certain regions. Biomass is also used for decentralised energy production systems and for soil health improvement as well.

There are certain constraints related to labour and water availability. In addition, we need to also consider existing Government programmes, incentives and institutional support and come out with a new and effective strategy to make biomass-based soil health management a reality. This strategy is vital to prevent an imminent food crisis. It assumes even more relevance as the fossil-based soil nutrition practices are fast becoming unsustainable and unaffordable.

After decades of neglect, the Union Government is now recognising and

accepting the importance of having a focussed and comprehensive policy to promote ecological and organic manuring to rejuvenate degrading soils and maintain soil health. The 12th Plan Approach Paper, prepared by the Planning Commission, cleared by the Union Cabinet in September and awaiting final approval from the National Development Council, has highlighted the importance of ‘ecological/organic fertilisation’ practices in tackling the soil health crisis. The paper calls for the rejuvenation of soils and the restoration of soil health through addition of organic matter in bulk quantities in the soil, along with the promotion of other agro-ecological interventions.

While this acceptance is a welcome move from the Planning Commission, the challenge is to ensure that effective policies, institutions and sufficient investments are made in the 12th plan to make ecological/organic manuring a reality.

The recent national workshop on Biomass Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture organised by Greenpeace India and attended by a panel of scientists, agriculturalists and bureaucrats at the India International Centre, New Delhi, discussed in detail the existing dynamics of biomass availability and usage at the grassroots level and the need to have in

place a proactive strategy to synergise with various sectors.

The workshop discussed the need for an institutional mechanism driven by a State-level agency to manage biomass and ecological fertilisation. The institutional mechanism needs to bring together

Government departments concerned, flagship Government programmes, research institutions and civil society to deliver the strategy. At the grassroots, it should operate through a federation of civil groups, who will research as well as implement the programmes at the ground level. The workshop discussed in detail the importance of a farming system approach integrated with livestock, trees, crop rotations etc as a vital strategy for biomass generation on farm. It explored various options of recycling crop residues, weeds and bringing urban waste back to the fields.

The common pool resources including those classified as waste lands will also play a critical role in the biomass strategy.

Constraints related to labour costs need to be tackled by integrating the biomass strategy with other flagship schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and finding synergies with them.

Now, the Government support systems and incentive mechanism are highly skewed towards chemical fertilisation paradigm. The Government spends roughly `60,000 crore a year in subsidising chemical fertilisers. According to the Draft Approach Paper for the 12th FiveYear Plan, `61,264 crore was spent in 200910 while the budgeted subsidy for 20102011 is `58,000 crore. On the other hand, the support for organic fertilisation is scattered and miniscule.

One must also note that the chemical fertiliser-based soil nutrition practices are unsustainable. The production of chemical fertilisers is highly dependent on

fossil fuels, and so, any fluctuations in the fossil fuel prices can have serious implications on the agricultural sector.

Moreover, nitrogen fertiliser production and its usage in fields can lead to the emission of highly potent greenhouse gases and hence can contribute to climate change.

There is also a growing consensus on the reality of peak phosphorus, another nutrient used in agriculture, running out of stock. Phosphate rock is a non-renewable resource and is fast getting used up.

The situation also points to the need for a comprehensive biomass strategy which will help in developing alternative ways and means of plant nutrients.

The experts, practitioners and farmers in one voice endorsed the need for an institutional mechanism with sufficient investments to be initiated during the 12th Plan period to effectively implement ecological fertilisation. The gathering also endorsed the need for an incentive mechanism to make farmers use the ecosystem services and soil-health enhancement measures.

The ideas generated in the workshop have been shared with the Planning Commission, which is expected to factor them in the panel’s deliberations with the States as a run-up to the finalisation of the 12th Plan.

Communal Violence Bill divides society -- The Pioneer – 18.10.11

The UPA Government must without delay dump the dangerous legislation proposed by `social activists' without a sense of social history, writes Hilda Raja

As a member of the minority com munity, I am shocked, to say the least, on reading the so-called Prevention of Communal and Targetted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011.

I have touched only one aspect, namely, the `group' and `the others'. The proposed Bill seems to be drafted by people determined on communalising the nation and ultimately destroying it. It is just not senseless but drafted with malefic intention and purport. The very terminology is misleading, because this is not prevention of communalism but arousing and abetting communalism.

Again, why the term `targetted violence'? It should have been simply violence. It starts thus with assumptions and presumptions that violence is targetted, which means violence is directed against specific targets (read Muslims). This assumes that the perpetrators are nonMuslims. Those who drafted the Bill appear to have had preconceived notions and a hidden agenda that found its expression in it.

I would like to question the authority of the National Advisory Council to draft the Bill. Why was an extra-constitutional body engaged in this task? Do we not have the Union Cabinet and the Government advisors to have conducted the exercise? All these are paid by the tax payer’s money. Perhaps Team Anna and the likes of Baba Ramdev should join hands in opposing the Bill.

A blatant and arbitrary division of the Indian people into “group” and “others” is made by the authors of the Bill, which

reveals the mala fide intent. It goes beyond mere appeasement of the minority community and aims at the disintegration of the country. The Muslims and the other minorities are the “group” while the rest are “the others”, and ungrouped. The people, thus, are categorised into two — the victims, which is “the group” and the perpetrators, who are part of the “others”.

No civilised country would accept such a blatant miscarriage of law and justice.

The Congress has been for long sowing divisive politics in the country, on the basis of region, religion, caste and language. Now, even before any violence happens, the NAC has imagined violence that is directed against the Muslims and Minorities by the “others”. Indian history does not vouch for this assumption.

The drafters of the Bill presume that riots                                         

and violence are perpetrated by the “others” (read Hindus). This is certainly not always true. According to Ms Zenab Banu’s Politics of Communalism: a Politicohistorical Analysis of Communal Riots in post-Independence India with Special Reference to the Gujarat and Rajasthan Riots (1989), there have been 74 communal riots between 1953 and 1977, of which 75 per cent were instigated by wayward members of the minority community.

Even today, 98 per cent of cross border and/or Indian-born terrorism is planned, instigated and perpetrated by the minority community members. Yet, the Union Minister of Home Affairs, Mr P Chidambaram, repeatedly refers to ‘saffrom terror’ .

The Communal Violence Bill is based on a hate philosophy, but even in this it

is skewed. There have been riots and communal flare-ups in which Hindus have been the victims. The Kashmiri Pundits will vouch for this. The Hindus have been massacred, their homes burned and they have been driven out of the Kashmir Valley. Till date, no justice has been done to the victims. Is it because they belong to the “others”? Violence is violence and criminality is criminality — it cannot change because of the identity of the victim and the perpetrator. These must to be snuffed out and the same penal code must apply.

Let us hypothetically envisage that this Prevention of Communal and Targetted Violence Bill is passed and becomes law. Then, several members of the Congress Government, which was in power when the anti-Sikh riots took place

in 1984, should be tried and punished because they failed to prevent the butchering of the Sikhs.

The authors of the Bill and those who are so enthusiastically promoting it must have a sense of social history. Since they do not, it is important for the Union Government to give up on the dangerous idea. There is tremendous opposition to it from parties across the political spectrum. Even several members of the Congress and its allies are uncomfortable with the draft prepared by the NAC. This was on ample display during a recent allparty meeting the Prime Minister had conveyed to discuss the issue. The draft Bill should be consigned to the dustbin without further delay.

(Hilda Raja is a former Professor of Social Sciences at Stella Maris College, Chennai.)

BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY --Government treated the world's worst industrial disaster as a “railway accident“—The Pioneer – 18.10.11

Just months after the 1984 gas leak at Union Carbide's plant here, the Union Government agreed to the “terms“ set by the company on compensation to be paid to victims, a Right to Information (RTI) activist has claimed. Not only that, the Government treated the world's worst industrial disaster as a “railway accident“.“We have obtained top secret documents dated February 28 and March 5, 1985, that show that Union Carbide was proposing a settlement within three months of the disaster,“ Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) told IANS.

According to documents accessed through the RTI Act, the deal was struck Feb 28, 1985, between the then chemicals and fertilisers secretary and top Union Carbide func tionary Rolf H. Towe and its Indian subsidiary's managing director V.P. Gokhale.

“Union Carbide had pro posed a payment of Rs.1 lakh for each death in 1985 and six years later this is the amount the government actually years later this is the amo the government actually paid the Bhopal victims,“ said Sarangi.

Ironically, Union Carbide had calculated the compensation on the basis of the Railway Act, which the government did not object to, thus equating the gas leak with a train accident, he said.

“Because of its collusion with the American company, the Indian government introduced injury categories and later paid the minimum amount of Rs.25,000 as compensation to 93 percent of the victims with lifelong injuries by arbitrarily assigning them temporary injury category,“ he added.

On the intervening night of Dec 2-3, 1984, tonnes of methyl isocyanate gas had leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, leading to the death of 3,000 instantly and 25,000 over the years. Over 500,000 people

have been affected so far.

Activists say even 26 years after the accident, the union government’s curative petition in the Supreme Court did not present the true picture of the horrors of the incident.

“On the basis of the figures published by the government’s apex medical research organisation, the Indian Council of Medical Research, at least 20,000 people have died till 2009, ” said Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi

Sangharsh Morcha.

“ICMR's research shows that between 1984 and 1989, there were 3,500 spontaneous abortions as a result of gas exposure and these need to be included in counting disaster related loss of life,“ he said.

Namdeo said in Namdeo said in filed the curative petition in the apex court, the government has inst the findings of its gone against the findings of its own research agency and pre sented a ridiculously low figure of 5,295 deaths.

Organisations working for Bhopal victims have demand ed that in place of the current figure of Rs.3,000-6,000 crore, the government should ask Union Carbide's current owner Dow Chemical to pay over Rs.37,000 crore for deaths and personal injuries.

They said the government should seek at least Rs.6 lakh as compensation per victim. “In the curative petition, the government has not asked for any compensation for damage caused to the next generation of victims,“ Rashida Bee of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, who is involved with the rehabilitation of children of gas affected parents with congenital malformities, told IANS.

“Studies published in international scientific journals such as the Journal of American Medical Association and the American Journal of Industrial Medicine show that the poisons of Union Carbide leakage have affected the next generation too,“ she said.

Rashida Bee pointed out that in October 1991, the Supreme Court had directed the Indian government to provide medical insurance coverage to the next generation of victims, but this order remains to be implemented.

SC raps Centre for demoralising forces --The Pioneer—17.10.11

Acquits BSF constable for killing a smuggler in self-defence

Centre's attempt to convey C that no “trigger happy“ culture would be tolerated among security forces was rejected by the Supreme Court, which turned down its decision to dismiss a soldier of the Border Security Force (BSF) for killing a smuggler in self-defence.

Finding no reason to doubt that the soldier in question, former constable Rajesh Kumar, had fired in self-defence, the court upheld his acquittal by the Delhi High Court and ordered his reinstatement in the BSF.
The Bench of Justices RM Lodha and JS Khehar did not find any reason behind the Centre's decision to appeal against the BSF man's acquittal.

However, for the fact that he shot three bullets at the smuggler Japani Chaudhary made the Centre cry foul that the use of force was excessive.
Arguing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Indira Jaising argued that Kumar was a “trigger happy“ cop and punishing him would send the right signal to others in the force.

With the appeal against the January 25 order of the HC coming up for hearing for the first time on Friday, the Bench failed to see any reason behind this argument. Wondering what impact the Centre's stand would have on the morale of the force, the Bench observed, “How is a soldier to know if he is to fire once or thrice. And can he be at fault if he fired thrice.“ On this ground alone, the judges dismissed the appeal and directed implementation of the HC order.

The story of Kumar reveals a rather pathetic state of affairs prevailing among the country's top border force. His lawyer Rekha Palli had pointed out that though the incident was of July 2002, no action was initiated against him for seven years till a decision was taken to try him for murder offence by the General Security Force Court.

For nine years, Kumar underwent a lot of trauma and guilt for an act which he thought was in national interest. He was posted with BSF's 63rd Battalion at post Ashrafpur, known for its notoriety in smuggling illicit liquor into Bangladesh.

When he saw a group of women carrying cans, he doubted them to be a band of smugglers. His suspicion proved right as on being confronted they threw stones and sickles at him. Although the attackers were situated atop a slope, Kumar fired in selfdefence killing one woman of the gang.

The High Court which exonerated him of all charges took note of the height disadvantage coupled with the fact that only on being attacked he opened fire. Moreover, it was a self-loading rifle and only when the situation was life-threatening, he fired, a fact which the High Court said was not taken into account by the BSF while holding him guilty. ARGUING FOR THE CENTRE, ADDITIONAL SOLICITOR GENERAL INDIRA JAISING ARGUED THAT KUMAR WAS A `TRIGGER HAPPY' COP AND PUNISHING HIM WOULD SEND THE RIGHT SIGNAL TO OTHERS IN THE FORCE

ISI rekindling Punjab militancy—The Pioneer—17.10.11

Pakistan's sinister design comes in wake of its failure to infiltrate mercenaries

The recovery of explosives T from Punjab militants in Ambala recently is just the tip of the iceberg as a classified intelligence report suggests that the terror group, Babbar Khalsa International, is suspected to have transshipped consignment of arms and ammunition for terror acts, including attacks on VIPs and police brass, mass killings through bomb blasts and attacks during the forthcoming Assembly election in Punjab.

The report reveals that Pakistan-based Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is putting pressure on militant groups like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and their collaborators in European and North American countries to revive Punjab militancy which could have ramifications for the entire country.

Punjab militant groups, particularly BKI, plan targeted attacks on important political leaders, including the Punjab Chief Minister, State police officers, besides on organisations like Dera Sacha Sauda, Rashtriya Sikh Sangat and RSS.

“In Punjab, attempts by BKI, KZF and KTF cadres to revive militancy in the State and target VIPs and Dera heads, continued. On the militancy front, Punjab continued to remain peaceful but there was a continuous pressure from Pakistan's ISI on militant groups, including the BKI, KZF and newly formed KTF, to undertake spectacular action. The terrorist hardware continued to be pushed from across the border for the use of pro-Sikh militants,“ warns the report based on presentation made by Punjab DGP during the recent conference of State police chiefs in Delhi. The intelligence assessment points out that Punjab terrorists are moving from Uttar Pradesh (UP) to Nepal and their presence has also been noticed in Goa and Maharasthra.

The latest ISI strategy to foment terror in the country coincides with the success of the Indian security forces in Jammu & Kashmir where they have been able to significantly check infiltration bids through better interception capabilities along the Line of Control and the International Border and high attrition of terrorists through generation of ground level intelligence by the agencies.

Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the Indian hinterland from 1993 onwards has resulted in 120 terror attacks resulting in deaths of over 1,200 civilians and leaving over 4,000 innocent citizens injured .

The Punjab Police has flagged operational difficulties in dealing with the terror threats emanating from the militant outfits due to the spillover of Pakistani telecommunications network signal into Indian territory, increasing use of cyber space, use of different routes to Pakistan for availing training by terrorists and continued flow of funds to non-FCRA registered NGOs and lack of inputs on Islamic terrorism.

The State police has also highlighted its concern over the possibility of Indian youth being radicalised during pilgrimages abroad and the possibility of the Indian diaspora in Europe, Canada and UK being used by the ISI for terrorist activities.

The Punjab police has also underscored concerns over encrypted communication using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)/Skype by terrorists and the Intelligence Bureau is discussing the issue with the Department of Telecommunications with a view to finding a de-encryption solution. The IB is also deliberating with the telecommunications officials in order to arrive at a technical solution to deal with the spillover of telecom signals from Pakistani mobile services companies into the Indian territory.

The seizure of the explosive-laden car in Ambala on Thursday came following a trail of inputs provided by IB that a car was headed to Delhi via Ambala with explosives and detonators. Security agencies are probing whether the explosives seized in Ambala was sent to India from Pakistan by fugitive Jagtar Singh Tara of Khalistan Tiger Force. Tara, who wasconvicted in the Beant Singh assassination case and escaped from Burail jail a few years back, could be behind the fresh efforts at resurrecting Punjab militancy.

US evangelist arrested in Kochi-The pioneer—16.10.11

LEE'S COUNSEL SAID HE HAD NOT VIOLATED ANY INDIAN LAW AND THAT THE CHARGES IMPOSED ON HIM WERE NOT LEGALLY MAINTAINABLE The Kerala Police arrested US evangelist William Lee from Kochi late Friday night for indulging in religious preaching in violation of visa norms. Lee, who had come to India on a tourist visa, had gone underground on Wednesday night after the police tried to nab him from the venue of an evangelical programme in Kochi. Lee was arrested from a five-star hotel of Kochi over 48 hours after he went missing from the venue of Musical Splash 2011, a religious propagation programme organised as a musical event at Jawaharlal International Stadium in Kaloor, Kochi. He vanished from the spot, when the police reached the venue to ask him to leave the country immediately. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court at Kochi, where Lee was produced on Saturday, sent him to judicial custody till Tuesday. The police said in the chargesheet that the pastor had violated visa norms and that he had to be deported. Applying for bail, Lee’s counsel said that he had not violated any Indian law and that the charges imposed on him were not legally maintainable. Lee, who had gone missing along with evangelist-musician Ron Kenoly and a woman associate, was blacklisted after Wednesday’ s incident. The police had issued lookout notices for his detention to all airports in the country. The police also had been searching for the leaders of Faith Leaders Church of God, who had brought them to Kerala and had organised the event.

6 cops killed in Maoist attack – ToI - 22.10.11

Supriya Sharma TNN 

Raipur: A team of 16 policemen, riding motorcycles, was ambushed by Maoists on Friday afternoon, near Netanar village, 40km from Jagdalpur, the main town of Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Six policemen were killed and three injured, said Vivekananda Sinha, DIG, Chhattisgarh police. Two policemen, who had been missing, safely returned to the base in the evening, said Vivekananda Sinha, deputy inspector general, Chhattisgarh police. 
    The team was travelling on an interior road when it came under attack around 1pm. “There was a landmine explosion followed by firing,” said Ratan Lal Dangi, Bastar SP. 
    The policemen had been sent from Darbha police station to Netanar village on Friday morning.

Libya chief Gaddafi Dies In A Drain—ToI-21.10.11

Dictator For 42yrs Killed As He Fled Hometown

Sirte (Libya): Muammar Gaddafi called the rebels who rose against his 42-year rule “rats” and vowed to hunt them down “alley by alley”, but in the end it was he who was captured cowering in a drainpipe full of rubbish in his hometown. 
    Government fighters, video evidence and the scenes of sheer carnage nearby told the story of the dictator’s final hours, although different reports cite a gunbattle, a Nato raid, even murder by Gaddafi’s 
own guard. “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot” were the last words of the 69-year-old dictator, as he emerged from the drain to face a group of rebel fighters. 
    Shortly before dawn prayers on Thursday, the 69-year-old dictator, surrounded by a few dozen loyal bodyguards and accompanied by the head of his now non-existent army Abu Bakr Younis Jabr broke out of the two-month siege of Sirte and made a break for the west. But they did not get far.
    Nato said its aircraft struck military vehicles belonging to pro-Gaddafi forces near Sirte around 8.30am, but the alliance said it was unsure whether the strikes had killed Gaddafi. Fifteen pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns lay burnt out. Some 50 bodies in all. Gaddafi and a few of his men appeared to have escaped and hid in the two drainage pipes. 
    But a group of government fighters were on their tail. “One of Gaddafi’s men came out waving his rifle in the air and shouting surrender, but as soon as he saw me, he started shooting,” said one, Salem Bakeer. “Then I think Gaddafi must have told them to stop. ‘My master is here, my master is here’, he said, ‘Muammar Gaddafi is here and he is wounded’,” said Bakeer. AGENCIES 
END OF AN ERROR? 
On Thursday morning, 5 cars with Gaddafi and his loyalist fighters try to flee Sirte, which is under attack 
Nato planes attack convoy. Gaddafi injured, his armed forces chief Abu Bakr killed in capture 
Rebels find Gaddafi, 69, cowering in a drain. Shouts, “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot” as he surrenders. 
Reports say he was severely beaten and then shot several times all over the body, including legs stomach and head 
FALLEN ARAB TYRANTS 
Dec 13, 2003 | Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein captured by US troops. On Dec 30, ’06 hanged after summary trial 
Jan 14, 2011 | Zine el Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia flees after 23 yrs in power 
Feb 11 | Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak quits after 18 days of protests 
India Offers Help To Transitional Govt 
Govt reacts late Thurs evening to say it will help Libyan people in “their political transition and rebuilding of country” All evils have vanished: PM 
    We went in and brought Gaddafi out. He was saying ‘what’s wrong, what’s wrong’. Then we took him and put him in the car,” NTC fighter Salim Bakeer said. At the time of capture, Gaddafi was already wounded with gunshots to his leg and to his back, Bakeer said. 
    Other government fighters who said they took part in the capture, separately confirmed Bakeer’s version of events, though one said Gaddafi was shot and wounded at the last minute by one of his own men. “One of Muammar Gaddafi’s guards shot him in the chest,” said Omran Jouma Shawan. 
    Gaddafi’s army chief Abu Bakr Younis Jabr was also captured alive, Bakeer said. Libya’s National Transitional Council officials later announced he was dead. 
    Video footage showed Gaddafi, dazed and wounded, but still clearly alive and gesturing with his hands as he was dragged from a pick-up truck by a crowd of angry jostling group of government soldiers who hit him and pulled his hair. 
    He then appeared to fall to the ground and was enveloped by the crowd. 
    NTC officials later announced Gaddafi had died of his wounds after capture. AGENCIES

800g cocaine haul in Tirupati -- Drug Worth 40L Seized From Two Engineering Students—ToI-20.10.11

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Tirupati: The drug culture seems to have spread its tentacles to the holy town of Tirupati, as police seized 800 grams of cocaine from two engineering students on Wednesday. It is for the first time that such a large quantity of drug has been seized in the temple town. The students have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). 
    Acting on intelligence inputs, police trapped the students – Pradeep Kumar and Madhu Kumar – at Korlagunta area in the temple town in the afternoon as they were trying to sell the narcotic substance to other students. Police recovered 800 grams of cocaine worth Rs 40 lakh from their possession. 
    “We kept a watch on them and arrested them near Korlagunta. This is the biggest cocaine haul found by the police. Earlier, we had arrested gangs trading in ganja in the temple town,” a senior police official told TOI. 
    Both are third year B Tech students. While Pradeep hails from Tirupati, Madhu belongs to Rajampet in Kadapa district. While it is a surprise as to how the duo became friends, since Pradeep is pursuing his course from a private college in Anantapur and Madhu from Annamaiah Institute of Technology in Rajampet, police suspect the role of a bigger network in the drug racket. 
    A police official said the students were booked under sections 21(E) and 27 (D) of NDPS Act. “We are interrogating them to unravel the role of the bigger players in the racket,” he said. The students didn’t reveal much as to whom they were supplying the drugs to and from where they got the huge consignment. “We would first find out for whom the drug was meant,” the official said. 
    Earlier, there was confusion over the nature of the drug. “We sent the samples to the forensic lab which confirmed that it was cocaine,” a police official said. Sources said a dose of cocaine (one gram) costs Rs 4,000-5,000 in metros. 
    Following the big cocaine seizure, police have started making enquiries in Sri Venkateswara University and other educational institutions in and around Tirupati as to whether the drug culture is prevalent among the students. 
    Meanwhile, families of both the students were shocked. “I don`t think he is involved. If he is guilty, then he has to face the consequences,” an uncle of Pradeep said. Sources said the family of Madhu believes he has been made a pawn in the murky drug dealings. 
    Experts said cocaine is a stimulant that makes one euphoric. In Indian market, 100 grams of cocaine is traded for one kg of pure heroin, the cost of which is estimated to be Rs 1 crore in the international market.

Mudhol MLA booked for assaulting woman-ToI-19.10.11

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Adilabad: Former minister and Mudhol MLA S Venugopalachary was booked for assaulting a woman in Bhainsa town, during Telangana bandh, on Monday. A case under sections 294(B), 323 and 355 of Indian Penal Code has been slapped against the legislator for verbally abusing the woman, who filed a complaint against him. 
    Police said the woman refused to close her shop located at Kubeer adda in Bhainsa when, Venugopalachary along with his followers, was enforcing the bandh in protest against the police high-handedness on some MPs and MLAs during last week’s rail roko. 
    Sources said the MLA picked up a heated argument with her when she opened her small shop. He insisted that she close the shop in support of the bandh. When the woman asked him to go away, he allegedly slapped her and gave her a tongue-lashing. “Based on a complaint from her, we have registered a case against the MLA and are investigating the matter,” police said.