Indo-China to hold 2nd joint military exercise this year

Shemin Joy

Laungewala (Rajasthan), Feb 24, 2008 (PTI) Though India and China have differing perception on the boundary line in Arunachal Pradesh, the two armies will go ahead with their second joint military exercise on Indian soil this year.

"For the first time, we had an exercise with China in their territory. Next joint exercise will be held in India this year. You can wait for it," Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters in Laungwala at Rajasthan on Sunday.

Asked about the Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh, the defence minister said, "There exists an established channel to sort out such matters."

Antony said the India-China border was not demarcated yet. "It is not settled yet. There is always some scope for confusion," he said.

Antony was speaking to reporters after a visit to Laungwala, the historic site where about 100 Indian soldiers thwarted an attack by Pakistani troops during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

New Delhi and Beijing carried out their first-ever joint military exercise in China's southwestern province of Yunnan in December last year, which was helpful in building mutual trust and promoting cooperation between the armies of the two countries.

The purpose of the joint military exercise with China was aimed at taking the ties between the armed forces of two countries to a new high.

Antony also expressed hope that the pay commission will give armed forces the best.The defence minister strongly argued a case in the favour of the armed forces. "I hope pay commission will favour us," he said.

Is Jamia Millia a minority institution?

Shemin Joy

New Delhi, Dec 18, 2006 (PTI) In a setback to Jamia Millia Islamia University Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan, the National Commission of Minority Educational Institution has said his contention of varsity not being a minority establishment 'does not appear to be true'.

The Commission asked the renowned historian to reconcile the 'apparent inconsistency' in the position taken by Hasan and the stand of the 86-year-old institution in this regard.

"The contention of the respondent (Hasan) that the said University is not a minority educational institution does not appear to be true," the Commission headed by Justice M S A Siddique said.

The observation was made during a hearing on the petition filed by Jamia Old Boys Association seeking disciplinary action against the Vice Chancellor and varsity Registrar S M Afzal for allegedly diluting the minority status of their alma mater.

The former students have alleged that Hasan and Afzal were 'intentionally' depriving Muslim students in Jamia of their educational rights for 'petty gains' by allowing a 27 percent quota for OBCs in line with the recently enacted Education Bill.

Strongly criticising the Vice Chancellor for his 'diametrically opposite' positions on the issue, the Commission noted that a resolution unanimously passed by the majlis-i-muntazimah (executive council) of Jamia under the chairmanship of Hasan himself on May 9, 1997 said that the University should be declared a minority educational institution.

In another application filed by the Jamia Teachers Association seeking that authorities should be restrained from implementing the 27 per cent OBC quota in the university till the pendency of the case relating to the minority status, the Commission issued notice to the Vice Chancellor and listed the matter on January 10 next year.

Meanwhile, Jamia Teachers Association, Administrative Staff Association, School Teachers Association and Old Boys Association have sent a joint representation to President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi [Images] seeking their intervention in the issue.

"The present vice chancellor's move to implement the OBC quota in Jamia when the Education Bill is not applicable on a minority educational institution has created strong resentment and anger in Jamia in particular and Muslim masses in general," it said.

The memorandum also urged the President and prime minister to help clear the ambiguity 'created by the present vice chancellor with regard to the minority status of Jamia.'

Kerala's Kannur registers the largest number of rioting cases

Shemin Joy

New Delhi, Jan 13, 2008 (PTI) It may be one of the most literate states, but Kerala has the highest crime rate in the country and one of its districts, which is currently the flashpoint of the clashes between Communist Party of India Marxist and the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh, tops the list in riot cases.

According to the latest statistics on crime in India, Kerala has the highest crime rate of 20.19 per one lakh population regarding offences committed against public as against the national average of 5.82.

The state also registered a total of 6,365 riot cases in 2006, which is third in the ladder behind Bihar (8,259) and Maharashtra (7,453).

Regarding arson, Kerala with 435 cases is behind Maharashtra (1,188) Andhra Pradesh (1,012) Madhya Pradesh (815) and Bihar (785).

But Kannur in the state's north had 737 riot cases in 2006 and this is the highest number registered by any police district in the country.

The district, a bastion of the Marxists for long, had been witnessing frequent clashes between the activists of CPI-M and BJP-RSS, with both sides claiming to have lost at least 150 cadres each.

A number of political clashes were charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to rioting and this is the reason behind this kind of figures, a Kerala government official said.

The majority of the present state leadership of the CPI-M, including state party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, hails from Kannur. State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also hails from Kannur.

Prominent Marxist leaders like A K Gopalan, who was the first Opposition Leader in Lok Sabha, kickstarted their political career in this district.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, cases of rioting and arson are the major components under the category of crimes against public order and it constitutes 3.5 per cent of the total crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code.

Incidence of crimes under this head has increased by 0.7 per cent from 64,686 in 2005 to 65,121 in the next year.Bihar, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka account for about 47 per cent of cases of rioting and arson in the country. In the national capital, 87 cases of rioting and 33 cases of arson were registered in 2006.

Noida: Skeletal remains of 8 kids found; 2 held

Sarvottamjee M Jaipuriar and Shemin Joy

Noida, Dec 29, 2006 (PTI) In a gruesome discovery, police on Friday found skeletal remains of at least eight children who are believed to have been sexually abused before being murdered in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi.
The suspected serial killer Surender alias Satish, a domestic help, has been arrested along with his master Mohinder Singh Pandher, a factory owner from whose house the skeletons were found in gunny bags.
The victims appeared to be among some 38 missing children in the past one year from Nithari village in Sector 31 of Noida indicating that the number of those murdered could be much higher.
Senior Superintendent of Police R K S Rathore said the 30-year-old domestic help from Almora in Uttarakhand confessed to killing six children and a 20-year-old girl Payal by strangulating them after sexual abuse.
Surender had lured the children, under 12 years, by offering sweets and toffees.
Investigations were on to find out the role of his employer Pandher who owns a factory in Noida and in Chandigarh.
The saga of the missing children came to light when skeletal remains were recovered from a drain abutting the house of Pandher.
The remains were found in gunny bags. Not far away from this area, the kidnapping of Anant Gupta, a nursery student and child of a multinational executive, last month made news headlines.
The child was recovered after a ransom of Rs 50 lakh was paid.
Rathore said Surender was in possession of the girl Payal's mobile phone and further interrogation revealed that he had killed seven persons, including her.
A C Sharma, additional director-general of police, Uttar Pradesh, said investigations were on to find out whether Pandher had any role in these killings as the girl was suspected to have had an affair with him.
Jagmohan Yadav, inspector-general of police (Meerut Range), who inspected the house, said parents of two girls who had gone missing about a year ago reported to police three days back that they had found clothes and slippers belonging to the children in the drain.
Talking to reporters, he said police had since then kept the house under surveillance and last night a team of the Special Operation Group had picked up Surender.
Asked about the number of skeletons found in the house, Yadav said the exact number could not be given right now.
No perfect skeletons were found and the exact number of bodies could be given only after scientific tests, he added.

Aarushi case hogs prime time TV coverage: Study

Shemin Joy

NEW DELHI, JUNE 18, 2008 (PTI) The 'whodunnit' mystery over the sensational Noida twin murder seems to have caught the news channels in a big way, with a media watchdog claiming that six leading TV networks devoted half of their prime time to the case.

A study by Centre for Media Studies (CMS) said six channels beamed news and special programmes on the double murder for 39.30 hours out of a total 92 hours prime time -- from 19:00 hrs to 23:00 hrs -- between May 16 and June 7.

The CMS study analysed 23 days of prime time coverage of the May 16 murders of teenaged Noida girl Aarushi Talwar and her family help Hemraj, the investigation of which invited national attention after allegation of botch-up by UP Police.

The channels -- DD News, Zee News, Aaj Tak, Star News, NDTV 24X7 and CNN-IBN -- telecast 234 news reports and 62 special programmes during the period, the study said.

The news reports consumed about 17 hours of the prime time while specials ran into over 22 hours.

While Zee News topped the list with a coverage of close to 11 hours with 48 reports and 21 special programmes, DD News coverage of the crime was at the bottom with 24 reports running into just 41 minutes over 23 days under review.

"The Arushi murder case was overplayed. If you consider the time for advertisements, I wonder how much time was devoted to other stories," Prabhakar, Head of CMS Media Lab, told PTI.

"We feel the Gujjar agitation, having more national ramification, did not get adequate TV coverage so also the crucial developments in Nepal when it turned into a republic," he said.

'Honour J&K farmer with national award for Kargil information'

Shemin Joy
New Delhi, Jan 22, 2008 (PTI)
This illiterate Kashmiri farmer was the first to inform the army about the presence of Pakistani troops on the Kargil hilltops in April 1999, but he continues to remain a face in the crowd.
Tsering Samphel, a member of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, has asked the government to honour Tashi Namgyal of Garkhon village in Kargil with the "highest national level award" for his meritorious services.

The Ladakh resident twice spotted "dubious and suspicious" human movement on the high mountains when he went looking for his lost yak and informed the army about it.
The contribution of 40-year-old Namgyal is similar to Mohd Sherwani's in 1947. Sherwani had misled Pakistani tribesmen heading towards Baramulla.

Samphel told PTI that Namgyal was the "real informer who escorted the army from May 3 to May 12 in 1999 to the difficult hilltops where he had seen the Pakistanis."

In a letter to Defence Minister A K Antony, Samphel said, "Namgyal was the first to inform the army about the presence of Pakistani troops in the high mountains on our side of Line of Control."

Though the army authorities have acknowledged his contributions through various commendations, including a cash prize of Rs 50,000, Samphel said, "Namgyal's service has not been given national appreciation which he deserves."

"Therefore, I once again invite your (Antony's) kind attention for consideration of a national level award to him," Samphel said.

He had in a letter to then defence minister George Fernandes [Images] in 2003 asked for the highest national level award for Namgyal.

Reminding Antony about his previous recommendation to Fernandes, he complained that not giving due recognition to the Ladakhi peasant would send a wrong message to the locals, who are always vigilant on the borders.

Samphel said that had Namgyal not informed the army about the presence of the Northern Light Infantry, the intruders could have encroached further into vulnerable and strategically crucial road links and bridges.

The army gave Namgyal a merit card on 2001 and a certificate of commendation in 2002, which substantiate his contribution as a "vigilant and patriotic son of the soil despite being an illiterate farmer".

In a certificate given in July 2001, by Col Bijoy Mukherjee, commanding officer of first battalion of Bihar Regiment has said Namgyal has always been an "active source and an excellent informer".

"He is in possession of a pair of excellent private binoculars, which he used to search his cattle. He is honest and sincere," the certificate said.

Contact details of police stations a click away

Shemin Joy
September 04, 2007 (PTI) Are you searching for the telephone number of the Rangpo police station in Sikkim or the residence number of the officer-in-charge of Kiltan police station in Lakshadweep?
The contact details of the police stations and officials across the country are now just a click away, the first time in the history of policing in the country.
The Bureau of Police Research and Development, government's police think-tank, has already uploaded contact details of police stations of six states and four Union territories on its website www.bprd.gov.in.
The postal address of police station with phone and fax numbers and residential phone numbers of station in-charges can be accessed through the Internet now, a senior BPRD official said.
It also has the contact details of offices of assistant police commissioners and deputy superintendents of police of respective areas. Some police stations have provided their e-mail IDs also.
The contact details of Andaman and Nicobar (20 police stations), Daman and Diu (2), Dadra Nagar Haveli (2), Delhi (116), Lakshadweep (9), Goa [Images] (24), Meghalaya (30), Mizoram (37), Sikkim (26) and Tripura (58) are provided in the site.
"This is a beginning to get police stations connected through the Internet which will improve connectivity and access and making policing in the country transparent," Kiran Bedi, BPRD director general, told PTI.
Bedi said BPRD envisages a scenario when all police stations across the country could be connected through e-mails where people can sent information to investigators and lodge complaints.
"We should develop a software such that a mail, which is a complaint or information, received at the police station is acknowledged automatically," Bedi said.
Incidents like refusal by officials to file FIRs on missing children and women in Uttar Pradesh's Nithari could have been avoided if there was a "fool-proof" mechanism to ensure accountability, she said.
"We should utilise available technology to plug the loopholes in the system and open it up," she said.
BPRD feels that providing contact details of police stations across the country would bring people and police together.
"We are now providing postal and telephone contacts. We are looking at a time of e-connectivity and e-interaction, a time when common people can come on a group chat and interact with the local Station House Officer," she said.
The BPRD is expected to provide contact details of police stations in the remaining states and union territories soon.