Laloo Yadav arrested during protest rally
Within hours of imposition of central rule, Governor S S Bhandari replaced Chief Secretary S N Biswas with
V S Dubey and Director General of Police K A Jacob with T P Sinha. Addressing a meeting of secretaries, the governor directed them to accord maximum priority to law and order.
Developments rattle TN government
Said a state minister: "True, there is no cause for concern now, but once the BJP leadership has started yielding to Jayalalitha's demands, there is no stopping."
Faith and loathing in Amritsar
Observers fear the Badal-Tohra war could split the Akali Dal. The bitter feud has also cast an ominous shadow on the year-long tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth.
Medical report says nun was not raped
Professor N K Mahanty, who examined the nun, said the one injury noted by the primary medical officer "could have been self-inflicted".
Sonia has ousted pro-Rao Patnaik -- Thakre
The BJP president said the Orissa chief minister's resignation owing moral responsibility for the recent attacks on Christians in the state was hogwash.
BJP sees a conspiracy to malign Jayalalitha
Party general secretary Venkaiah Naidu alleged that political vendetta is going on in Tamil Nadu against the All-India Anna DMK chief and said the Centre could not be party to that.
OTHER REPORTS
Gangster indicts MP in policeman's murder
Inspector Preetam Singh was known for his strong action against gangsters in Meerut and Ghaziabad districts of Uttar Pradesh. But D P Yadav suspected the officer of having assisted in the escape of a criminal who had murdered his elder brother Ram Singh Yadav in 1997.
Manipur extremists kill 9 army men in ambush
The attack came just a day before the fifth National Games in Imphal, the state capital, is to be inaugurated by President K R Narayanan.
MPs call for bold steps to end Indo-Pak hostility
Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto questioned the maturity of the leaders of the two countries to deal with the new nuclear reality. "I am convinced that none of us knows the true horrors of these weapons, nor the devastation nuclear weapons can inflict upon our people," she said.
Opinion poll shows Naidu retaining AP
The key findings of the MRDA survey: the TDP bags 163 seats in the 294-seat house; Sonia's campaign nets 98 seats for Congress; Harikrishna's Anna TDP is a non-starter.
Uncertainty over Goa polls
A summary revision of the electoral rolls is unlikely before July, when the monsoon will come in and keep the electorate away. Now political parties as well as the electorate hope the Election Commission will use a loophole to waive the revision and hold the election early.
Assam governor asks Centre to seal Bangladesh border
But the BJP-led central government is unlikely to accept S K Sinha's recommendation to also treat Bangladeshi Hindus who entered India after March 24, 1971, as illegal migrants.
Bickering among BJP allies has ruined economy: Gehlot
Addressing election meetings in Sardarpura assembly constituency, which he is contesting in a by-election, the Rajasthan CM said the Vajpayee government is caught in an internal power struggle.
Army conducts huge exercise in Siliguri
The exercise, being conducted near an area affected by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence, is being monitored by a central neutral umpire organisation. The umpires will clinch the winner on logistics management and number of casualties.
Fire cleared without cuts
This is the second time Deepa Mehta's controversial film has been cleared unconditionally.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'I hope India is not going to turn its back on Hinduism'
"There are a lot of ills in Hinduism. Hindus tend to be the most undisciplined (look how they drive), collectively selfish, and nationally uncaring community in India," says Francois Gautier.
THE REDIFF COLUMNIST
Scandal a-brewing...
Sacked bureaucrat Mohan Guruswamy is all set to tell the media that it was movers and fixers who did him in. Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi Durbar.
President's rule imposed in Bihar
"The fact that [the ruling] party does not care to apprehend the killers is proved by the fact that the commission probing the January massacre has still not been given an office to work in," Samata Party spokesman Digvijay Singh said.
Laloo calls for mass agitation
"This is a conspiracy," the RJD president said. "The Ranvir Sena's intention was not to kill the poor dalits but to kill our government. Those poor people were killed for no fault of theirs."
Bihar's dalits face a new enemy
The Yadavs, Kurmis and Koeris have emerged over the last 15 years as the "new kulaks" and displayed greater ruthlessness than the so-called upper castes in preserving their new-found access to political and economic power, a social scientist said.
Humanity hung its head in shame at Narayanpur
Even as tension mounted in the trouble-torn hamlet, Ranvir Sena spokesman Shamsher Bahadur Singh warned that the massacres would continue till the Naxalites' economic blockade on farmers was lifted.
Governor transfers chief secretary, police chief
The new team ordered the state administration to take stringent measures to maintain law and order in view of Laloo Prasad Yadav's agitation from tomorrow to protest against President's rule.
Badal-Tohra battle could spark militant revival
Many point an accusing finger at Tohra who, they say, has "only brought disgrace to Sikhism" as SGPC president for the last 25 years. It was he who appointed Ranjit Singh to the Akal Takht even though he was accused of murdering Nirankari Baba Gurbachan Singh in the early Eighties and spent 13 years in jail as an undertrial.
Badal says Tohra is in cahoots with Congress
Meanwhile, citing directions from suspended Akal Takht jathedar Ranjit Singh, Tohra decided not to quit as SGPC president and vowed to fight the Badal government on a religious platform.
Exit Patnaik
Giridhar Gomango or Hemananda Biswal. Or it may be a third -- but it will certainly be a tribal Congressman. The CLP will decide on Sunday...
Madras lawyers burn Centre's notification
The advocates owing allegiance to the AIADMK shouted slogans against the state government when the copies were burnt in the Madras high court premises.
DVAC contests Jaya's case for immunity
The DVAC said the former CM's claim of immunity from prosecution in the Pleasant Stay case on the grounds that the illegal construction had been regularised by the state assembly was untenable.
CPI-M to 'protect' Kerala spiritual convention
A thousand members of its youth wing have decided to ensure that nothing goes wrong after the VHP warned foreign evangelists against conducting religious discourses in violation of Indian laws.
OTHER REPORTS
4 Al-Umma men held for BJP activist's murder
Four activists of the banned organisation were arrested at Tiruchirapalli in connection with the murder on February 2 of Dr V Sridhar, the BJP's town president.
Four more arrested for TN hooch tragedy
Among them is key suspect Gundu Jayaraman, charged with distributing the killer brew that claimed 15 lives in Putlar and neighbouring villages in Tiruvellore district.
G-15 will censure cross-border terrorism: PM
Vajpayee said the G-15 leaders, who went on a retreat on Thursday, have decided to hold regular meetings to thrash out a consensus and a common agenda, helping them to voice their stand collectively with the G-8.
CBI witness in JMM case alleges torture
Retracting most parts of his purported statement to the agency, K Narayanan, resident manager of Mohan Breweries, told Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke that "this matter was written by me on the suggested lines of the CBI while I was kept in custody and tortured".
SC asks Bombay police for details on Fire
The court directed the police commissioner to file an additional affidavit disclosing the result of investigation, number of arrests made and charge-sheets filed in connection with the violent incidents of December against the screening of the controversial film.
Hindu wins damages from US restaurant
Fast-food chain Taco Bell made an out-of-court settlement with Mukesh K Rai of Los Angeles, who was served with beef rather than the beans he ordered.
Canadian tourist missing in Kerala found dead
After handing over his passport and other belongings to his fiancee, Witold Nicholas, of Ontario, went for a swim at Papanasham beach near Trivandrum yesterday, never to return.
CIA bares Chinese aid to Pak WMD programme
China has provided extensive support in the past to Pakistan's programmes to build weapons of mass destruction, and some assistance continues, a new report has said.
THE REDIFF SPECIAL
Indo-US relations: Cause for optimism
The US has agreed to gradually resume defence co-operation with India, which was suspended after the Pokhran tests. Discussions will also be held on the technical aspects of export control of nuclear and missile technology.
Kumble claimed 11 wickets that day!
'It isn't the politics or the crowds that we shall remember this series for. It was the cricket, what happened on the field, that was memorable. Anil Kumble humbled the Pakistanis of course, but in the process he also beat Bal Thackeray,' says T V R Shenoy.
Snaked!
Who would guess that a few boxes abandoned on the Salem-Bangalore highway could contain live snakes -- that too 500 of 'em?
THE WEATHER
Kashmir, Himachal are warmer than usual
Temperatures were well above normal in Jammu and Kashmir, parts of north-central Maharashtra and Marathwada, Manipur, east Uttar Pradesh, the hills of west Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh and parts of West Bengal, Sikkim, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.
Ranvir Sena butchers 12 dalits in Bihar
Chief Minister Rabri Devi says the state government will give arms licences to dalits in the extremist-dominated districts. She also promised to weed out extremist groups from central Bihar within a month.
Rabri has lost the right to rule, says Sonia
The unusually strong statement indicates that the break between the Congress and the RLM is complete. And in a move certain to rile RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Congress announced that she will visit Narayanpur, site of the carnage, on Saturday.
Ranvir Sena warns of more massacres
Police also suspect the hand of another right-wing extremist group called the Swarn Liberation Front. Wednesday's carnage occurred at Chamartolibigha hamlet comprising 40 houses of cobblers.
Akali Dal PAC postponed indefinitely
New Akal Takht jathedar Giani Puran Singh claims he accepted the post without any pressure from any quarter. But SGPC employees think otherwise.
Orissa politics in ferment
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is yet to choose a successor for J B Patnaik. So supporters and detractors of the chief minister are doing their best to get her to see things through their perspective.
Kumaramangalam dares Karunanidhi to quit
The Union power minister challenged the Tamil Nadu CM to quit office and tender a public apology if the
Supreme Court upholds the Centre's notification re-transferring the corruption cases against AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha from the special to the regular courts.
Special judge rejects ex-minister plea for stay
Sambandam said that since the Centre's notification transferring the corruption cases is not valid, the issue of whether he has the jurisdiction to try the case against Sengottaiyan is not maintainable.
Anti-Christian acts spread to Bombay
Archbishop Ivan Dias has complained to Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane that sisters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity were threatened by some ruffians and not allowed to distribute medicines to the poor.
OTHER REPORTS
Aviation ministry may deploy IAF personnel to combat ATC strike
Air travel for thousands of passengers in the country has become a nightmare as the work-to-rule agitation by 850 air traffic controllers entered its ninth day on Thursday. The ATCs want their salaries to be doubled.
INLD will decide on support after Vajpayee returns
The general body of the Indian National Lok Dal has deferred its decision to withdraw support to the government till February 21, following an appeal by the prime minister to wait till he returns.
Delhi HC pulls up ex-defence secretary
Expressing displeasure over the attitude of Ajit Kumar and two other senior Central government officials, the court refused to drop the contempt proceedings against them and directed them to appear before it.
India's demand for credible minimum deterrence puzzles US
"I don't see any inconsistency in asking the Indians to define one of their own terms, and our determination to see India and Pakistan join the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Non-Proliferation Treaty," state department spokesman James Rubin said.
Vajpayee has no right to sign CTBT: Gowda
The Janata Dal politician cautioned the PM not to succumb to pressure from the United States, but to take 'a courageous stand' by rejecting all treaties that would 'bend' India.
Congress prefers mid-term poll, says Pawar
"We don't want to face similar embarrassment by repeat of such a hotch-potch government which will have to every time look to Calcutta or Madras for its survival," he quipped.
President's rule brings respite from political tamasha
All eyes are set on elections now, which are expected by May-end. The Congress has already decided to set the ball rolling by urging the Election Commission to hold it by May while the BJP expects it to be held by the first week of June.
Autonomy appears a pipe dream for Doordarshan
Information Minister Pramod Mahajan has already made his intentions clear after transferring a station director and announcing that his ministry will exercise more control considering the government's huge stake in the network.
Indo-US relations: Delhi dialogue and after
'The composition of the Talbott delegation indicated that the US focus was not centred only on non-proliferation issues. The objective was clearly to have an exchange of views on political, economic, technological and defence relations,' feels former foreign secretary J N Dixit.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Dear Readers III
'The over 82% Hindu population doesn't avail of subsidies, upkeep costs or damages WRT festivities. Re. inconvenience, halt pavement namaaz, taziyas, amplified azaan and nocturnal iftaari set-ups.' Varsha Bhosle responds to her critics.
Deals within deals
One outstanding feature in recent developments is the increasing convergence of views between the BJP and the Congress on the entire gamut of economic policies, both domestic and foreign, says Ashok Mitra.
Symbol of secularism
Thirty-five-year-old Peter devotes Fridays to Goddess Amman and Sundays to Virgin Mary.
THE WEATHER
Cool nights in the Konkan
Night temperatures were below normal in some parts of the north Gujarat region, south Konkan, Goa and Rayalaseema.
FEBRUARY 11
Vajpayee open to no-war pact with Pak...
"Official talks are already on, and to elevate them to a political level is not a problem. We are ready to talk on Kashmir and other issues at any level," he said. "People want improved relations with Pakistan."
First meeting of Indian, Pak MPs raises hopes
The conference, to be inaugurated by Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharief on Friday in Islamabad, will discuss measures to stabilise the nuclear regime in South Asia and explore areas of co-operation between the two neighbours.
PM confirms bus ride to Lahore
Asked if Gujarat's chief minister would follow Orissa CM Patnaik's example and resign, he said the situation in the two states is different. "There has been no rape, murder or attack on any member of the Christian community in Gujarat."
Sonia may decide successor by the weekend
Congress sources said the decision to change Orissa's chief minister was taken some time back following an assessment that it would be difficult for the party to win the next assembly election under Patnaik. The attacks on minorities only reinforced this assessment.
PIL against Centre's action dismissed
The Madras high court pointed out that the Supreme Court is to hear the appeals made by the former Tamil Nadu CM and others against its order upholding the appointment of special judges by the state government.
Move on Jaya's cases valid: Thambidurai
Stating that 360 corruption cases against several persons were pending before special courts for years, the law minister accused the DMK government in Tamil Nadu of foisting cases on Jayalalitha and others to wreak political vengeance.
OTHER REPORTS
President's rule imposed in Goa
Acting on the advice of the Union Cabinet, President K R Narayanan dissolved the forty-member state assembly and ordered fresh elections.
SGPC executive suspends Akal Takht chief
The executive, dominated by supporters of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, also served a one-month notice on Ranjit Singh, asking him to explain his conduct as jathedar of the supreme religio-temporal seat of the Sikhs.
Tohra's petition against SGPC meet fails
The Punjab and Haryana high court dismissed his challenge to the order of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission to convene a meeting of the SGPC executive.
The general's last journey
Those that came to pay their respects included academics, journalists, politicians, and civil servants, all of whom had interacted with him.
Ram temple by 2001, says VHP
"The temple will be constructed at the same spot -- not an inch to the right, left, back or front," VHP leader Dharmendra asserted.
Vajpayee makes conciliatory call to Chautala
BJP spokesman Venkaiah Naidu said Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan also spoke to
Chautala about his threat to withdraw support to the government.
Centre rapped for law-and-order in Delhi
The Delhi high court pulled up the government for presenting a 'wrong picture' of the law-and-order scenario in the capital. The situation, it noted, is "worse than what is being projected".
Train robbers stab veteran Naxal Kanu Sanyal
The West Bengal government has been trying to persuade Sanyal to get admitted to hospital for better treatment, but he refuses to accept government care.
Powermen call off strike in UP
Chief Minister Kalyan Singh promised that no action would be taken against the strikers, who were protesting against a plan to split up the state electricity board.
Bail plea in BMW hit-and-run case put off to March 17
Senior counsel R K Anand, appearing for the grandson of former naval chief Admiral S M Nanda, flatly denied that his client had committed an offence and said police had used all kinds of tactics to make out a case against him.
Gowda says he isn't angling for PM's chair
"If credibility is to be restored to the government, the Congress should take the initiative. That is my sincere opinion," said the man of the party that did him in two years ago.
Lok Shakti ready to go it alone in Karnataka
The party's newly elected state unit president, Jeevaraj Alva, said Union minister Ramakrishna Hegde would be projected as the chief ministerial candidate.
Pakistan Punjab's ex-CM arrested
Mian Manzoor Watoo, his son, and a close relative were held on charges of misusing government funds soon after Watoo sponsored an ad asking Prime Minister Sharief to reveal his family's assets.
THE REDIFF SPECIALS
Lead poisoning threatens metro kids
Bombay tops the list of those affected in the under-12 age group with 61.86 per cent, followed by Madras (60.54 per cent), Calcutta (55.78 per cent), Delhi (54.10 per cent) and Bangalore (39.94 per cent).
Business, bucks and guns
The speedy industrialisation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli may be a boon for the investment-starved region -- but for its entrepreneurs, it spells extortion.
In Phaltan, it was the pits
'We have nuclear bombs and the world's second largest software industry. Yet, we cannot supply water above ground level, through real taps, to a few thousand Indians in Phaltan,' writes Dilip D'Souza.
Himachal, Kashmir may have more snowfall
Night temperatures were appreciably below normal in some parts of Orissa, in the plains of west Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra, and Gujarat. They were below normal in some parts of Kutch and central Maharashtra.
Pressure breaks Patnaik
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has forced the Orissa chief minister to resign for his failure to halt the violence against Christians. Pradesh Congress Committee chief Hemananda Biswal is tipped to take over.
BJP to demand Digvijay's resignation too
Party spokesperson M Venkaiah Naidu said the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, like his Orissa counterpart, should own moral responsibility for anti-minority actions in his state.
THE GOAN CRISIS
Cabinet recommends President's rule
Home Minister L K Advani said after a 90-minute meeting that the Centre also wanted the dissolution of the state assembly.
Vaiko calls notification an 'interference'
The MDMK general secretary, who supports the Vajpayee government, said the Centre's gazette notification amounted to "interference in the judiciary's independence".
PIL against transfer of cases
The petition wants the Madras high court to declare the order illegal, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the Prevention of Corruption Act.
OTHER REPORTS
Gill prefers simultaneous poll to 9 assemblies
The chief election commissioner has hinted at the possibility of holding simultaneously election in the nine states where terms end either by the end of this year or early 2000.
DMK inches towards Congress
Every political party in the state concedes that the future of Tamil Nadu's electoral politics is in the hands of the Congress, whose candidates lost their deposit in all the seats they contested in last year's Lok Sabha poll.
German hounded for saying no to E M S fund
Grosskopf made the mistake of stating that he would not contribute to political parties when approached for a donation to the E M S Namboodiripad Fund. And the CPI-M saw red.
Meghalaya residents flee trans-border firing
Hundreds fled their home in Meghalaya's Amjalong village in Jaintia hills after the Bangladesh Rifles resorted to indiscriminate firing on Saturday.
'I won't believe Keith is dead without proof'
Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Home Mushtaq Ahmad Lone's announcement that the search for the four foreign tourists abducted by Al-Faran militants will continue extends hope to the victims' relatives.
Hindus, Christians fight in Trinidad and Tobago
'They think you are not civilised until you embrace Christianity. They think Hindus are like the African tribals who need to be exposed to civilisation.' No, not a voice from the Dangs but from Port of Spain.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Mind the potholes...
'Peace with Pakistan is not to be had through tokenisms like bus-rides and cricket matches, however frenzied the public acclaim these may generate. It is a sobering thought, that even as the Pakistani 11 were being given standing ovation by the nation, Islamabad should choose just that moment to resume shelling on Kargil,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
A lean, mean fighting force
'Our armed forces are probably the most bloated in the world. The Indian Army is over 1.2 million strong. The Navy has grown to a strength of 60,000. What this means is that a job which was done by one man in the past is now being done by two or more people. And not too well at that,' says Admiral J G Nadkarni (retd).
An unwilling media
'If India is not to be split even more than it is, then it is imperative that large sections of the media stop passing off as truth what is heavily tinted and highly jaundiced. It would appear to the lay reader that no other major crime is being committed in our country or that the Christians are more important to us than most other things,' says Arvind Lavakare.
Cool nights in Bihar, Gujarat
Parts of central Maharashtra, Marathwada, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala also recorded low night temperatures.
FEBRUARY 9
Vajpayee buys peace in the coalition
Vajpayee decided to move swiftly to fulfil some of the crucial demands of his allies because the party leadership was feeling uneasy about "the informal meetings between the Congress leadership and parties like the AIADMK and Trinamul Congress".
Stage set for President's rule in Goa
"The question of staking my claim [to form an alternative government] does not arise as the BJP is not supporting my government," former chief minister Wilfred de Souza admitted in a letter to the governor.
Defence allocation likely to come down
Consequently, the fifteen-year Indo-Russian defence co-operation agreement has also been hit. Other than the Russian T-90 tanks, no major purchase of military hardware is likely in the near future.
Special judges pooh-pooh notification, continue hearings
Special Judge-2 V Radhakrishnan said the notification did not have any legal sanctity and it might amount to contempt of court. "[It] is not even worth the paper on which it is printed," he said.
TN will oppose Centre's move on special judges
Chief Minister Karunanidhi said he could not recall any previous instance of a Union government trying to interfere with judicial proceedings launched by the investigative agencies of a state government.
The war for Jaya
How a mighty woman, who knew all the pressure points of a sick government, vitalised it to take on an enemy.
OTHER REPORTS
Former army chief Gen Sundarji dies at 71
The general was in hospital for several months in a serious condition. His condition deteriorated rapidly over the last few days and he slipped into a coma from which he did not recover.
India will not obstruct CTBT, says Jaswant
India will not stand in the way of the treaty coming into force in September, provided every other country follows suit, the external affairs minister said.
'Jaswant's visit clarified Indian security concerns'
But Patrick Hall, MP from Bedford and Kempston, said possession of nuclear weapons poses a threat to all mankind and it is fallacious to argue that they serve as a deterrent.
South African withdraws from Bombay appointment
The debarred lawyer turned down the diplomatic job because of "public concerns and after suffering terrible trauma and heavy financial losses''.
Deve Gowda for backing Congress government
"I want the present massacre of Christian missionaries and rape of nuns in the name of conversions to be stopped at once," the former prime minister said.
BJD to block acting governor's address
"Dr Rangarajan is not our governor. Why should we listen to him," asked BJD Political Affairs Committee chairman Vijay Mohapatra.
Disown those who incite communal violence, say leaders
Gandhians, politicians and religious leaders have expressed pain at the outbreak of violence against the numerically, politically and socially weaker sections of society.
Indian junkies shift to over-the-counter products
The United Nations International Drug Programme has found an alarming shift in patterns of drug use in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Bhutto files corruption charges against Sharief
The former prime minister has also filed references against the prime minister's father and his brothers Abbass and Shabaz, the chief minister of Punjab.
A Kill Before Dying
'Who can fail to be shocked and angered by the actions of a mob that burns two children for no crime other than being their father's sons? That such an incident should take place is bad enough. That it should happen to a foreigner in India is even worse -- it belittles us as a nation. But that it should be done in the name of Hinduism is unforgivable,' says Vir Sanghvi.
Arunachal Pradesh: Bio-diversity institute to come up in Itanagar Bengal: Bandhhalts administration Karnataka: Eight hurt in group clash in Chikmagalur Maharashtra: Court questions grant of plot to Joshi's son-in-law Maharashtra: Marathi literature brings concern to political hearts Tripura: Bandh cripples life
THE WEATHER
Delhi experiences coldest Feb day in 29 years
Night temperatures were appreciably below normal in some parts of the Bihar plains while they were below normal in some parts of the Bihar plateau, Saurashtra, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.
