Guwahati molestation case: 13 accused get bail

Guwahati, Sept 12: Thirteen persons, accused of molesting a girl outside a bar in Guwahati, have been granted bail by a court.

The Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate on Tuesday, Sept 11 granted bail to Nabajyoti Baruah, Jitumoni Deka, Nabajit Deka, Dipak Deb, Puspendra Das, Dhanraj Basfor, Rubul Ali, Hafizuddin, Sikandar Basfor, Diganta Basumatary, Debo Das, Rupkanta Kalita and Ghanashyam Malik.

While prime accused Amarjyoti Kalita's bail application was pending before the Gauhati High Court and is scheduled to come up on Thursday, journalist of a local television channel Gaurab Jyoti Neog, an accused in the case, was granted bail by the high court on Aug 13.

The CJM ordered that the trial of the case would proceed on a day-to-day basis from Sept 18.

The Special Investigation Team of the Assam Police, after completing investigations, had filed a charge sheet on Sept 4 before the CJM's court against 15 persons, under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294 (obscene acts), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 354 (outraging of modesty of woman with criminal force) of IPC.

The court in pursuance of an order passed by the Gauhati High Court on Jul 30 had observed that since the present case fell in the special category involving social concern therefore, it should be put on the fast track and efforts would be made to dispose of it within one month.

The girl was allegedly assaulted and molested by a mob outside a bar on the busy GS Road on July 9 which was captured on camera leading to a national furore.

Source: http://news.oneindia.in/2012/09/12/guwahati-molestation-case-13-accused-get-bail-1069447.html

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A.V.M. Murugan passes away

A.V.M.Murugan the eldest son of A.V.Meyyappa Chettiar passed away today due to heart attack. His body will be brought to AVM studios by 1 pm for the public and industry bigwigs to come and pay their condolences.

He is 77 and is survived by his wife Ranjani, his son Karthik and daughters Angayarkanni and Latha. The final rites would be performed today evening or tomorrow morning.

Behindwoods prays for his soul to rest in peace and also offers its heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased.

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Laptop thief lands in police dragnet

Laptops are his passion. However, he is no software whizkid but an ace robber who has stolen over 300 laptops over the past year from residential areas on the IT corridor and in Adyar. A Semmenchery police team, on Tuesday evening, intercepted a youth who had robbed a man of his laptop on Rajiv Gandhi Salai in Sholinganallur at knifepoint and attempted to flee. The suspected was identified as Balaji (25), a resident of Burma Nagar, Ernavoor. 

“On interrogation, we came to know that he had entered many houses, mainly of bachelors, in the guise of an electrician and fled with laptops and valuables placed near the computer. The police was flooded with complaints of laptop thefts in the last 12 months and were on the lookout for the suspect who had stuck in all the places,” said N. Karnan, Inspector of Police, Semmenchery. 

Balaji had stolen more than 300 laptops and sold it to some dealers in Richie Street and Burma Bazaar. A search has been launched for Balaji’s accomplices who are spread around the State. “We suspect the existence of a larger network of gadget thieves,” Mr. Karnan added.

Five laptops, two sovereigns of gold, a motorcycle and a knife were recovered from Balaji, who was remanded in custody and sent to Puzhal prison on Wednesday.

This article has been corrected for typographical errors.

Source: thehindu.com

 

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Cops hunt for Woman who married Many

A marriage is said to be a bond of a lifetime. Not for Shahanaz, who has overnight become the woman most wanted by Chennai police for having married more than a dozen men and disappearing with their money in the past few months.

“We do not know the actual number of persons cheated by her. So far we have received five complaints.

It is possible that some victims do not want it known that they were cheated. We expect more people to lodge complaints,” the police said.

On Wenesday, Manikandan, who works at a car service firm, and Prasanna, a football player working in a sport goods firm, approached the city police with complaints against Shahanaz, believed to a be native of Thiruvanathapuram.Three other men had lodged complaints with the city police on Tuesday against the woman.

Manikandan said that he had married Shahanaz in 2011 but she had vanished after staying with him for few weeks.

Prasanna said he had married her in March and two months later she had said she wanted to stay in a hostel to prepare for civil service examinations. He arranged for her to do so, after which she vanished.

Shahanaz had told the men she was an orphan. She told some of them that she is a lawyer.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/cops-hunt-woman-who-married-many-540

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Autopsy rpt: Geetika was subjected to unnatural sex

New Delhi, Aug 20: With former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, main accused in the Geetika Sharma suicide case, surrendering after evading arrest for close to 11 days, the drama with regard to the case seems to be far from over. The autopsy report of the former airhostess Geetika has revealed that she died from hanging. The report also says that Geetika was subjected to unnatural sex which could also be one of the reasons the ambitious woman chose to end her life.

Geetika was found hanging in her flat on Aug 5 and the suicide note in the premises had named Gopal Kanda and another MDLR employee Aruna Chaddha of causing her mental distress and cited as the reason for her decision to commit suicide.

As part of the autopsy, samples of vaginal swabs taken from Geetika's body has been sent for DNA profiling. The result of the same will give more insights into some valuable clues regarding her death.
The autopsy report was released to the media. Kanda has been charged with abetment to suicide and is presently in police custody for the next seven days.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties are trying to take leverage of the case and have sought the resignation of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for trying to protect Kanda while he was termed 'absconder' by the police.

Geetika Sharma's brother Ankit has been quoted as saying, "Police has demanded remand of 14 days but they only got for seven days. This shows that he has once again misused his stature but police is doing its work and I have full faith in judiciary. This is a very good thing that he has been sent on police remand for seven days. Police is also cooperating and now the entire interrogation depends on police."

On Kanda's dubious past, Ajay Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal party, told reporters in Rohtak, Haryana, that Kanda was earlier involved in several such cases before also.

Source: oneindia.in 

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Devotees protest work at Parthasarathy temple

Devotees of one of Chennai’s oldest temples, the Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple, are up in arms against construction by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department inside the temple prakara. The department laid new granite stones and built a shed. Residents have planned a series of protests including group-chanting of the Vishnu Sahasranamam.

They say that the shed was preventing them from having darshan of the Anandha vimanam (tower over the sanctum of Sri Parthasarathy Swamy sannidhi), Vedavalli Thayar Vimanam and Varadhar Sannidhi Vimanam over the pradakshina course.

“Having darshan of vimanams is equivalent to having darshan of the presiding deity. Now if we want to have darshan of vimanams, we will have to go to one of the buildings on the mada veedhis and view them from a distance,” said a senior citizen.

He was speaking at a gathering of devotees, heritage enthusiasts and advocates, who met under the auspices of Srinivasa Young Men’s Association, Nanbargal Kuzhu, Triplicane Brahmins Welfare Association and Yadava Sabhai, among others, to think of an action plan to save the temple that has a recorded history of over 1200 years.

T.R. Ramesh, president, Temple Worshipers Society, and general secretary (legal affairs) of Janata Party, said the HR&CE had control only over the administration of temple properties and not the idols or jewellery.

“A few years ago, at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, there was a move by the department to construct rest rooms, after the demolishing of a kottaaram in the temple premises was thwarted,” he said.

Advocate M. Vivekanandan said the department was not allowed to make any new innovations under the HR&CE Act. They can only preserve what is there. He said while more recent constructions including the Ripon Building, Fort St. George and Victoria Public Hall were being protected as monuments and every care was being taken in their maintenance and repairs, nothing has been done to preserve this temple, which has been in existence since time immemorial.

A senior priest, who retired from a temple in Thiruvarur, said that temple bhattacharyas and priests could not be expected to join the protests because if they did, they would be treated badly by the officials.

RTI activist V.S. Rajkumar said over 15,000 residents had signed a petition stating that the works must not be taken up. But the department had gone ahead and completed the construction.

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Assam fallout: Govt blocks 80 internet pages, user accounts

New Delhi, Aug 19: Government is learnt to have ordered blocking of 80 more Internet pages and user-accounts on social networking sites including Facebook, Google and Twitter to avoid panic among people of northeastern region living across India.

All these sites were found hosting inflammatory and hateful content, spreading rumours and inciting violence targeting the people from north-east, government sources said.

Yesterday, the government had issued instructions to block 76 Internet sites, which included web-pages and some websites, and had said that bulk of the rumours that triggered panic among people of North-eastern states in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were sourced from Pakistan.

"We have found inflammatory and objectionable contents on some pages of Facebook and Google. Some user-accounts at Twitter were also found spreading similar contents. All together, around 80 such pages and accounts have been ordered to be blocked today," the sources said.

The rumours about a possible attacks have led to mass exodus of people from northeast from many places including Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today asked his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik to crackdown on elements based in that country that were using social media networking sites to whip up communal sentiments and spreading hate in India.

According to a report prepared by the Home Ministry, a Pakistan-based hardline group is suspected to have been involved in doctoring images and spreading them across social networking sites to create panic among people of northeastern region living across India.

Source: oneindia.in

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Madras Week begins with promise of unlimited fun

If there is a loving memory of Chennai and a story behind it, now would be the time to dust the old photographs or if there is a recipe that has been handed over for generations in your family, it’s time to whip up something good at the cooking competition, for Madras Week is here! The city is turning 373 this year and celebrations have already started with a bang. Various programmes for the week began on August 19 and will conclude on August 26.

Madras Week celebrations started with a Madras Musings lecture on Sunday. People from various fields like entrepreneurs, dancers and chefs, would participate in panel discussions over the week to discuss the grace with which the city has aged.

“This year, the hotels of the city will, once again, be enthusiastic participants. Some will be venues for talks while others will host art and photography exhibitions besides organising food festivals with Madras cuisine as their theme. Art galleries have also taken to this event in a big way,” the organisers said. They are planning to conduct a range of activities, including quiz for school students, elocution and debates and heritage walks will be held as part of the celebrations, which have been extended to suburban parts like Tambaram and Nanganallur.

“Most of the landmarks have vanished and only stories are left behind. For people like us, who were never part of the generation which saw and enjoyed the Madarasapattinam in all its glory, Madras Week is something to look forward to,” says college student Nikhil Jayakrishnan.

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Barack Obama wishes 'Eid Mubarak'

Washington, Aug 19: US President Barack Obama wished Muslims around the world "Eid Mubarak" for the festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

"Michelle and I extend our warmest wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

"For Muslims, Ramadan has been a time of fasting, prayer and spiritual renewal. These past four weeks have also been a time to serve the less fortunate -- a reminder of the obligations that people of all faiths have to each other."

Obama said "we congratulate Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world on this joyous day. Eid Mubarak."

He said the Eid celebrations in America speak to "the truth that communities of faith -- including Muslim Americans -- enrich our national life, strengthen our democracy and uphold our freedoms, including the freedom of religion."

"That is why we stand with people of all faiths, in the United States and around the world, in protecting and advancing this universal human right," he added.

Source: oneindia.in

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Jayalalithaa files case against Stalin

Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday filed a defamation complaint before a sessions court against DMK treasurer and MLA M.K. Stalin and party organ Murasoli for an article published in the Tamil daily dated August 9.

City public prosecutor M.L. Jagan, who filed the complaint on behalf of the chief minister, said that the statement that the chief minister was on vacation for months together was fallacious, defamatory and without any basis.

The chief minister was in Kodanad only for a certain period and all official and constitutional duties were being continuously discharged by her, he said. The chief minister was discharging duties even on Sundays, Jagan said.

The defamation complaint filed before the principal sessions court sought to punish the publisher, printer and editor of Murasoli for offences under section 500 and 501 of IPC and Stalin under section 500 of IPC.

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Boy dies in school swimming pool in Chennai

In the aftermath of the drowning of nine-year-old Ranjan, a class IV student of PSBB School, safety aspects at swimming pools have come into question. 

“It is hard to imagine how one coach can manage 26 children in a pool at a time. Ideally, there should be a coach for every five to seven students because his line of vision will be limited to five metres. Also, two lifeguards in uniform must monitor the entire pool,” said T. Elango, a coach and owner of V.V. Swimming Pool.

If the children are just beginners then each of them should be coached individually with care, he said.

There are other aspects of safety that requires attention, Mr. Elango pointed out. For instance, there should be lifebuoys and a rope, and the depth of the pool should be clearly indicated on the pool walls. Also, only if the water is clear, can the coach see if a child drowns. 

“For clear water, the right amount of chlorine must be added and water should be tested every two months,” he said. When the depth varies from three to seven feet, it is difficult to make out if a child drowns if clarity is poor, he said.It is not always the case that only a beginner drowns, said a swimming coach. “Even good swimmers get tired and when they do, they are also susceptible to drowning,” he said. 

 

In such cases, the coach or the lifeguard must press the victim’s stomach to pump out the water, give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or chest compressions, and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he said. For this, he must undergo first-aid training provided by some agencies especially for coaches. 

Some schools which are equipped with swimming pools and give regular coaching to their students say utmost care has to be taken while handling children in water. 

“We ensure there are only five to six students in the pool at a time. Two coaches and four lifeguards are always on duty,” said Sarah Selvakumari, vice principal of Maharishi International Residential School.

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Marina beach lighthouse may be turned into tourist destination

Chennai: The government is exploring the possibility of venturing into Light House tourism and a report was ready in this regard, Shipping Minister G K Vasan said today.

"Accordingly the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) is now exploring the possibility of turning select lighthouses into tourist destinations for which the project is ready," he said speaking at a function in Chennai.

He said he had announced a scheme in this regard last year.

In the first phase of the scheme, 13 lighthouses across India, including four in Tamil Nadu, would be covered.

"Our beautiful lighthouse at Marina in Chennai is going to house a museum," he said.

Mr Vasan also handed over the approval for setting up a lighthouse at Vembar in Tuticorin district in the state to the DGLL.

Source: ndtv.com

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Hygiene out of syllabus in colleges

If you pass by Presidency College and take a close look at its lawns, you would notice, on most days, plastic cups, papers, broken test tubes, rotting food packets and an assortment of rubbish. And the college is not unique in presenting this sight.

Dirty lawns, stinking toilets and unclean classrooms have become a prominent feature of city colleges and the reason for this lack of maintenance is the same everywhere. College officials are unanimous in blaming the situation on the lack of appointment of class-IV workers that include cleaners, sweepers, gardeners, helpers, conservancy workers, peons, library and laboratory assistants, in the last fifteen years.

The cleaning of lawns in most colleges takes place only when there are important visits, say staff members. The government has not appointed conservancy workers, and the colleges have a tough time hiring help, says a lecturer at Queen Mary’s College. “No one wants to clean toilets in colleges for Rs. 2,500. They can definitely earn much more as domestic workers,” she says.

In co-educational institutions, the shortage of female sanitary workers leads to poor maintenance of women’s toilets.

“Sometimes, the students do not know much about hygiene and we cannot impose stricter rules or penalise them,” says a lecturer at Bharti Women’s College.

Teaching in poorly-maintained classrooms amidst the pervasive stench from unclean toilets is difficult but they are getting used to it, says a lecturer at Presidency College. “We have written to the government several times but have been asked to outsource the work,” she says. Most government colleges outsource the cleaning work and route money from the PTA fund.

Data with the Tamil Nadu Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Aided Colleges reveals there are at least 1,738 vacancies for class-IV workers in nearly 164 colleges across the State.

The Pachaiyappa Trust, for instance, say sources, has not filled up 116 vacancies for cleaners, sweepers and helpers, in five of its colleges, in the past ten years.

“Though the management tries to employ contract workers by offering extra remuneration, it is very difficult to retain them unless the government standardises their work and salaries,” say a non-teaching staff member of Kandaswamy Naidu College.

There are also many vacancies for the post of museum keepers (helpers in zoology labs).

“In the absence of government recruiment, we are forced to hire people with minimum qualifications. This often leads to theft or damage of equipment, says,” says G. Mohan, a helper from Thiagarajar College.

Also, colleges often prefer to spend money on hiring sanitary workers rather than employing assistant librarians and laboratory technicians. “Those who work in schools can hope to educate themselves and get promoted as teachers after many years but there is no incentive like that in colleges,” says a lab assistant at Women’s Christian College.

Members of the Tamil Nadu Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Aided Colleges point out that due to these unfilled vacancies, every staff has to do the work of at least four others. “Last year, the government promised that it would fill up the vacancies, but only the clerical positions have been filled so far,” says P. Kanakarajan, secretary of the Association.

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Killer lorries run amok in Tambaram

A seven-year-old girl died on the spot when a speeding lorry knocked her down while she was crossing the road, right outside her home in Ettiyapuram near Tambaram on Saturday morning. Furious residents later traced the lorry, brought it back to the accident site and set it on fire. 

Latchaya is the oldest among three children of Ramya and Ganesan, living in Ettiyapuram, about six kilometres from Tambaram. A student of class II at a private school near her home, she returned from school on Friday evening, and asked her parents to get her posters of national leaders, rivers and maps for a school project she had to submit on Monday. 

Her father Ganesan, a former driver, who had recently bought a lorry, told her he would buy them the next day. Around 11 a.m on Saturday, Latchaya went to her friend’s house across the road to get some material for the project. Her mother helped her cross the road after making sure it was safe. About 10 minutes later, she was returning back home when the accident occurred. 

“Ramya was trying to put her other children – daughter Senniammal and son Kishore to sleep. There was a loud noise followed by a commotion. We rushed out of our homes and noticed Latchaya lying in a pool of blood and a lorry speeding away,” said Saraswathy, a neighbour. 

A profusely bleeding Latchaya, who was critically injured on her thighs and abdomen, was rushed to a private hospital in Tambaram, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her body was taken to Tambaram Taluk Government Hospital in Chromepet.  

Meanwhile, the driver of the lorry, Chinnadurai, sped away after the accident. He parked his vehicle inside a stone quarry, less than a kilometre away and fled. Angry residents of Ettiyapuram, Naduveerappattu, Dargast, Erumaiyur and localities in the vicinity gathered in a short while. A few hundred people stormed the quarry and brought the lorry (TN 22 AM 5155) back to the accident spot. 

Residents soon brought along small bottles as well as big cans of petrol and kerosene, poured it on the lorry and set it on fire. Women were in the forefront of the gathering and some of them threw dry coconut fronds inside the vehicle to fan the flames. Soon personnel from Manimangalam and Somangalam police stations reached the spot.  

However, the residents squatted around the burning lorry, preventing a Fire tender from Tambaram from getting anywhere near the vehicle. Police personnel were at the receiving end of public anger as many of the protestors charged that nothing was done to prevent the menace of overspeeding vehicles.  

The residents made way for the fire tender only after police officials assured them of stringent action against those responsible. A case under Section 304 (ii) of Indian Penal Code (culpable homicide not amount to murder) has been registered and Chinnadurai of Pazhanthandalam was arrested in the evening. 

At the government hospital in Chromepet, where a post-mortem examination of Latchaya’s body was performed, Ramya, the young girl’s mother refused to even drink water offered by her close relatives. Prathap, a resident of the locality, said Latchaya would often be seen enthusiastically reading her lessons or involved in craftwork.

Residents have been demanding speed breakers at regular intervals. Lorries, especially those transporting stones, hardly follow safety norms and their drivers, without exception, indulge in rash driving, they said.

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40 special squads to crack down on overloading autos

From Friday, the State Transport Department and the Chennai Traffic Police will jointly crack down on autorickshaws carrying school children and maxi-cabs that carry more people than permitted.

A team of 40 squads will inspect all autorickshaws between 7.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and again in the evening during school closing hours. A meeting between Transport Department officials and the traffic police was held in the city on Thursday.

“An autorickshaw can carry a maximum of five children. If they are found carrying more, we will serve notices to them,” said an official from the transport department. “Their permit and licence will also be cancelled,” a police officer said.

The squad will also target maxi-cabs that carry more school children or passengers than permitted. “The seating ratio in big vans is 1.5 persons per seat. So if the seating capacity is 10, they can carry a maximum of 15 persons. Beyond this, it is overloading,” said a senior police officer.

Also, such vehicles will not be allowed to park haphazardly and board passengers. “During the meeting, we also talked about disposal of seized vehicles,” the officer said. Meanwhile, transport secretary T. Prabakhara Rao submitted the new rules for school buses to prinicipal home secretary R. Rajagopal.

On July 25, class-II student Sruthi was run over by her school bus in Mudichur after slipping through a hole in the vehicle’s floor. Following this, the Madras High Court asked the State Government to come up with rules for fixing the criteria and conditions for operating school vehicles.

The High Court Bench said the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules had no provision with regard to maintenance, fitness and conditions for plying school buses. A draft rule should be produced before the court in two weeks, it said.

The Court also asked the government to form a special cell under the rule, empowering special officers to issue fitness certificates to school buses and impose other stringent conditions, including penal provisions for violations. “The new rules will be submitted in the High Court soon,” a transport department official said.

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Team Anna ends fast this evening, but political plans will be the focus

New Delhi: In a few hours from now, Anna Hazare and his team of activists will end their hunger strike at the protest camp they have inhabited for 10 days at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Anna has not eaten since Sunday; his aides like Arvind Kejriwal have been fasting for twice as long and their health has been a cause of concern. (Track live updates)

But political parties and the public will really be looking for any announcements that elaborate on the team's political plans. They have asked for feedback - via twitter and the India Against Corruption website - for whether they should set up their own political party. (See forum) The government, which refused to urge them to end their fast, says the activists have always hungered for power while claiming otherwise.

Critics say that a lukewarm reception to this hunger strike -when compared to the epic turnouts for the protests pivoted by Anna last year - have proved that Team Anna can no longer get by as the self-proclaimed safeguard of public interest. Anna has said he will not contest elections, will support a "political alternative." His aides admit that entering politics is a daunting task. Raising the sort of funds required to contest elections seems out of their league, they said. They also said that power corrupts MPs, and they are worried about how their candidates would remain immune to graft if they reach Parliament.

"We want to form a front of honest people," said Mayank Gandhi to NDTV yesterday, after Anna announced on stage that he does not "see anything wrong with forming a party." Mr Kejriwal, visibly weak, appealed to the public to advise the activists on what sort of role they should play. "They are hardcore politicians," said Kapil Sibal, who is among the ministers who have accused Team Anna of trying to dictate terms to a democratically-elected Parliament. (What politicians say)

Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid told the Tehelka magazine that Anna Hazare had asked him to keep their June 23 meeting near Pune a secret. Mr Khurshid also hit out
at Team Anna, saying Mr Hazare and his team "talk in different tunes".

Even supporters of Anna have warned that a formal entry into politics is more likely to end as a mis-step rather than a game-changer. "One has to think a 100 times before taking a plunge into electoral politics. If he joins politics, then the momentum gained should not be lost. When people with noble intentions join politics, either they don't last long or they don't achieve much," said activist Medha Patkar.

"I don't think Team Anna should get into politics because we are not ready for elections," said Justice Santosh Hegde, who has been a core member of Anna's group, but has often differed with the others on their tactics.

Team Anna says that the government has proved it has no interest in cleansing the country of graft. The activists believe the antidote lies in the Lokpal Bill, which Anna brought onto the big stage with him through a series of hunger strikes last year. The longest, in August, lasted 16 days, and made Anna the centrifugal force in a middle-class push against corruption. Anna ignored appeals from the Prime Minister and others to end his fast; he relented only after MPs promised to urgently debate the Lokpal Bill, which provides the blueprint for a national ombudsman agency with the powers to investigate and prosecute government servants.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last year, but has tripped in the Rajya Sabha. Anna's activists say without it, there is no chance of reintroducing probity in the governing class.

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PM questions Atomic Energy Department on Kudankulam nuclear plant

New Delhi: There is fresh trouble for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant as the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has questioned the Department of Atomic Energy not to exercise the right to recourse in the event of a mishap in the nuclear power plant.

NDTV has learnt that as the minister in charge, Dr Singh has now sought legal clarifications from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Law Ministry on whether international obligations can override India's nuclear liability bill.

Citing his concerns, Dr Singh has pointed there will be demands for the same treatment by the Americans and the French companies on the grounds of a level playing field.

The Tamil Nadu government has given its no objection from its pollution control board to the Kudankulam nuclear project but there is fresh hurdles for the phase 3 and 4 of the project. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is expected to clear the next phase of the project.

The Department of Atomic Energy, meanwhile, argues that Nuclear Power Corporation does not need to exercise the right to recourse as there is a provision in the international agreement and there is no such provision with the American and the French governments.

The Russians are keen that the right to recourse does not apply for its project and have brought this up during their bilateral meetings with prime minister Manmohan Singh. 

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Pune blasts a planned, coordinated act: Centre

The Centre on Thursday described the near simultaneous explosions in Pune as a planned and coordinated act. 

Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh said forensic experts were examining the two unexploded IEDs and nature of the four blasts. 

“Since the blasts have taken place within an area of 500 metres and within a span of 45 minutes, it appears to be a coordinated act. I am sure there was a plan behind it,” he told reporters in New Delhi. 

Mr. Singh said teams of National Investigation Agency, National Security Guards and Central Forensic Science Laboratory reached Pune early Thursday morning and were examining the explosives. 

“They have examined two IEDs which had not exploded. There are three detonators in each and other peculiarity. Investigation is on. We are making progress,” he said. 

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said there was no update on the blasts so far. 

Mr. Shinde, who assumed charge of the key department on Wednesday, held a high-level meeting with top Home Ministry oficials to review the security scenario in the country, particularly Pune, in view of Wednesday night’s blasts. 

Pune blasts taken very seriously: Shinde

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Thursday said the Centre has taken the near 

simultaneous explosions in Pune “very seriously” and investigators were looking for clues.

“We have taken it very seriously,” Mr. Shinde told reporters in New Delhi after a high-level meeting which reviewed the security situation in the country in the wake of Wednesday evening’s blasts in Pune. 

Mr. Shinde said a team of National Investigation and experts of National Security Guards were already in Pune and they have joined the investigation with Maharashtra Police.

“The report of the investigation has not yet come,” he said, adding, one injured person had been admitted to hospital.

Asked how he would like to describe Wednesday’s four explosions in his home state, the minister said “I cannot say what sort of attack it was“.

Mr. Shinde also said he has no immediate plan to visit Pune.

Wednesday’s blasts took place hours after Mr. Shinde assumed charge of the key Home Ministry.

‘Terror angle being probed’

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil on Thursday said investigating agencies were probing all angles to determine whether any terror outfit was behind the low intensity serial bomb blasts that rocked the city on Wednesday night.

 “Whether it was a terrorist act or not will be determined only after proper investigations are carried out by Maharashtra ATS, city crime branch and central agencies,” Mr. Patil told reporters after visiting the four blast sites on J.M. Road in Pune.

Four coordinated low-intensity explosions struck the busy arterial J.M. Road in the heart of Pune on Wednesday night. The explosions occurred at spots near the Balgandharva Theatre, a Dena Bank branch, a McDonald food outlet and the Garware Bridge on the road.

Asked whether there could be a “saffron terror” angle to the incident, he said, “All angles are being probed and it will not be proper to comment at this stage.”

He said the person injured in one of the blasts — near the Bal Gandharva theatre — was being treated for minor injuries.

The injured person — Dayanand Patil, who hails from a nearby village of Uruli Kanchan, had reportedly visited the spot opposite the Balgandharva Theatre, where a dharna by India Against Corruption (IAC) was in progress.

After he left the place, the explosive, which had apparently been put in his carry bag, exploded on the way, police sources said.

Unconfirmed reports said ammonium nitrate could have been the substance used in the blast triggered by small detonators and pencil cells.

Police have also issued an advisory to IAC activists to wind up the dharna pandal for security reasons.

Life in the city returned to normal late night as the blasts did not cause any large scale damage. 

Police have appealed to people to ignore rumours and carry on daily routine without fear.

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Pakistan arrests CIA informants in Bin Laden raid

Washington:  Pakistan's top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading up to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to American officials.

Pakistan's detention of five CIA informants, including a Pakistani Army major who officials said copied the license plates of cars visiting Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the weeks before the raid, is the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the United States and Pakistan. It comes at a time when the Obama administration is seeking Pakistan's support in brokering an endgame in the war in neighboring Afghanistan.

At a closed briefing last week, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked Michael J Morell, the deputy CIA director, to rate Pakistan's cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism operations, on a scale of 1 to 10.

"Three," Mr Morell replied, according to officials familiar with the exchange. 

The fate of the CIA informants arrested in Pakistan is unclear, but American officials said that the CIA director, Leon E Panetta, raised the issue when he travelled to Islamabad last week to meet with Pakistani military and intelligence officers.

Some in Washington see the arrests as illustrative of the disconnect between Pakistani and American priorities at a time when they are supposed to be allies in the fight against Al Qaeda -- instead of hunting down the support network that allowed Bin Laden to live comfortably for years, the Pakistani authorities are arresting those who assisted in the raid that killed the world's most wanted man.

The Bin Laden raid and more recent attacks by militants in Pakistan have been blows to the country's military, a revered institution in the country. Some officials and outside experts said the military is mired in its worst crisis of confidence in decades.

American officials cautioned that Mr Morell's comments about Pakistani support was a snapshot of the current relationship, and did not represent the administration's overall assessment.

"We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and work through issues when they arise," said Marie E Harf, a CIA spokeswoman. "Director Panetta had productive meetings last week in Islamabad. It's a crucial partnership, and we will continue to work together in the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups who threaten our country and theirs."

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, said in a brief telephone interview that the CIA and the Pakistani spy agency "are working out mutually agreeable terms for their cooperation in fighting the menace of terrorism. It is not appropriate for us to get into the details at this stage."

Over the past several weeks the Pakistani military has been distancing itself from American intelligence and counterterrorism operations against militant groups in Pakistan. This has angered many in Washington who believe that Bin Laden's death has shaken Al Qaeda and that there is now an opportunity to further weaken the terrorist organization with more raids and armed drone strikes.

But in recent months, dating approximately to when a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis on a street in the eastern city of Lahore in January, American officials said that Pakistani spies from the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, known as the ISI, have been generally unwilling to carry out surveillance operations for the CIA The Pakistanis have also resisted granting visas allowing American intelligence officers to operate in Pakistan, and have threatened to put greater restrictions on the drone flights.

It is the future of the drone program that is a particular worry for the CIA American officials said that during his meetings in Pakistan last week, Mr Panetta was particularly forceful about trying to get Pakistani officials to allow armed drones to fly over even wider areas in the northwest tribal regions. But the CIA is already preparing for the worst: relocating some of the drones from Pakistan to a base in Afghanistan, where they can take off and fly east across the mountains and into the tribal areas, where terrorist groups find safe haven.

Another casualty of the recent tension is an ambitious Pentagon program to train Pakistani paramilitary troops to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in those same tribal areas. That program has ended, both American and Pakistani officials acknowledge, and the last of about 120 American military advisers have left the country.

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Nithyananda falls from horse, fractures limbs

Bangalore:  Controversial godman Swami Nithyananda was admitted to Manipal hospital with both arms fractured after he fell off a horse he was riding at his Bidadi Ashram last morning.

According to the doctors who treated Nityananda, a bone had pierced through his skin and required corrective surgery.

Dr Raj Chakravarthy, HOD Orthopedic department Manipal, who performed the surgery on him said that he was brought to the hospital with compound fractured injuries in both forearms.

Chakravarthy informed that the surgery was successful and Nityananda was shifted to a ward for two days post operative care. Ashram spokesperson Sachid said that the incident occurred when Nityananda was riding his horse, which was a regular practice after his morning mediation session.

Devotees who had come for darshan gathered started cheering, following which his horse panicked and bolted, resulting in their swami falling to the ground. Sachid informed that he is currently fine and will probably be discharged shortly.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/nithyananda-falls-from-horse-fractures-limbs-112411?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-Cities+%28NDTV+News+-+Cities%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

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