3 MHADA officials held in forgery case

Mumbai: August 26, 2008, The Vikhroli police on Monday arrested three MHADA officials and one person involved in forging documents to help the person claim a MHADA flat। The three officials from MHADA are reportedly in the ranks of estate manager, clerk and rent collector.

According to sources at Vikhroli police station, Bharti Pawar, who was resident of Tagore Nagar at Vikhroli east, had rented out a room to one Raghuvinder Singh, 54। However, after Pawar expired, her son Ashok received eviction notices. When he approached MHADA officials, they told them that the flat was bought by Singh from his mother for Rs 7 lakh.

“Ashok then approached the vigilance officer of MHADA, who found that Singh had forged legal documents to get the flat in his name। He had taken the help of three MHADA officials for the same. That’s when the officer approached us with the case, and we found the bogus documents,” said Habib Ansari, senior inspector at Vikhroli police station.

The three officials and Singh were arrested on Monday, and have been remanded to police custody.

No medal, but Akhil Kumar is boxing icon

NEW DELHI: August 26, 2008, Akhil Kumar sounded like a brash young man when he spoke up for his fellow-boxers demanding clearance of South African physio Matthew Heath for the Beijing Olympics। His argument was that when people with no chance of winning a medal could go with their entourage, why not the boxers who have the potential to do well.

Still, Akhil remained an unsung hero। "Don't forget me If I fail to win a medal," was his parting shot before boarding the flight. Medal or no medal, he is highly popular among his peers.

He might have missed the medal he promised to his Bhiwani folk by a whisker, yet Akhil was given a hero's welcome on his return home from the Olympics early Tuesday।

Huge garlands drowning his neck, Akhil's homecoming reception at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport was as grand as that for India's first Olympic gold winner Abhinav Bindra। The boxer with his zeal had won the hearts of the masses and that was evident by the huge turnout of his admirers.

Akhil, along with bronze winners Vijender Singh and Jitender Kumar, put Bhiwani on the boxing map with their quarter-final appearance at the Olympics। Akhil failed to cross the next hurdle but his heroics in the ring fetched him the fame he longed for all his life.

More important, he came to be known as the "friend, philosopher and guide" of Vijender and Jitender, both of whom fought for Akhil after he lost his bout. They like his transparent sincerity and outspokenness.

30 injured in fresh Jammu protests

Jammu, Augst 26 2008 : Thirty persons, including a Senior Superintendent of Police, were injured in renewed protests in various parts of Jammu as the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti’s call for “chakka jam” caused a complete shutdown। The Samiti has already extended its strike till August 31.

There was no vehicular movement on Monday in response to a Samiti’s call but sporadic violence continued throughout the day in which SSP Manmohan Singh of 8th Battalion of the J&K Armoured Police was injured in stone pelting।

There were also incidents of stone pelting in Kathua। Crowds were dispersed by cane charge and tear gas shelling. Attempts were made in both places to block the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1 A, but police foiled them.

The Samiti’s decision to continue its protests is seen an attempt to hasten the decision which the government and the Samiti have almost arrived at।

There is a broad agreement that land will be given to the Shrine Board for three months during the “yatra” period।

The government is trying to get the “correct wording” of the agreement to make sure that there is no reaction in the Valley।

Samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma said, “The Centre and the State Government were delaying the decision to hand over the land to the Board due to pressure from separatists। In view of their dilly dallying tactics, the Samiti has decided to continue its agitation and so it has extended the bandh up to August 31.”

The Samiti would hold rallies on August 27 and 31 to press its demands, he added।

The bus service between Poonch and Rawalkote in Pakistan occupied Kashmir that was started in 2006 as part of the confidence building measures between India and Pakistan was suspended on Monday due to curfew in Poonch।

The Line of Control crossing was scheduled for Monday।

Officials are confident that the bus service would resume after 15 days.

Committed to working with India on NSG nod: US

New Delhi :, Augast 25 2008 : Affirming its commitment to work with India in securing a "clean" waiver from the NSG, the US on Monday said that the two countries will "continue our vigorous joint advocacy", including at the highest levels, for it ahead of the grouping's next meeting on September 4।

US Ambassador to India, David C Mulford, said that Washington is committed to working with New Delhi to rapidly complete the remaining steps necessary to conclude the Indo-US civil nuclear deal for which clearance from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a key step।

"The US and India stand shoulder-to-shoulder in their desire for a clean exception and we will continue to work with our Indian partners to persuade the NSG countries that such an exemption is in the international community's best interests," he said in a statement in New Delhi।

"Ahead of the scheduled NSG plenary on September 4, the US and India will continue our vigorous joint advocacy for the initiative at the highest levels of NSG Governments," Mulford said।

His statement came in the backdrop of questions by some sections as to whether the US did its bit adequately to secure the NSG waiver as promised by it in the Joint Statement of July 18, 2005।

The questions were raised after the two-day NSG meeting in Vienna last week failed to arrive at a consensus, with several member countries seeking changes in the draft introduced by the US।

As India is not a member of the NSG, the onus of garnering consensus support of the grouping was on the US. It had sent its officials to various NSG member countries to persuade them to vote for the waiver.

Jaipur, A'bad blasts: Key planner held frm Lucknow

Lucknow:, 25 2008 Augast : A man suspected to have been involved in the serial bombings in Jaipur and Ahmedabad was arrested from here Monday, police said।

A team of the Jaipur police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh police nabbed the man, whose identity was not immediately revealed, from Aminabad locality at about 2.30 p.m. And he was produced in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here, police said.

US committed to work with India in securing NSG nod: Mulford

New Delhi (PTI): Affirming its commitment to work with India in securing a "clean" waiver from the NSG, the US on Monday said the two countries will "continue our vigorous joint advocacy", including at the highest levels, for it ahead of the grouping's next meeting on September 4।

US Ambassador to India, David C Mulford, said Washington is committed to working with New Delhi to rapidly complete the remaining steps necessary to conclude the Indo-US nuclear deal for which clearance from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a key step।

"The US and India stand shoulder-to-shoulder in their desire for a clean exception and we will continue to work with our Indian partners to persuade the NSG countries that such an exemption is in the international community's best interests," he said in a statement here।

"Ahead of the scheduled NSG plenary on September 4, the US and India will continue our vigorous joint advocacy for the initiative at the highest levels of NSG governments," Mulford said।

His statement came in the backdrop of questions by some sections as to whether the US did its bit adequately to secure the NSG waiver as promised by it in the Joint Statement of July 18, 2005।

The questions were raised after the two-day NSG meeting in Vienna last week failed to arrive at a consensus, with several member countries seeking changes in the draft introduced by the US।

As India is not a member of the NSG, the onus of garnering consensus support of the grouping was on the US. It had sent its officials to various NSG member countries to persuade them to vote for the waiver.

Ban on SIMI to continue till Sept 24: SC

NEW DELHI, 25 2008 Augast :The Supreme Court on Monday extended stay on Tribunal order lifting the ban on Students Islamic Movement of india (SIMI) for six weeks, till the date of next hearing।

The decision has come after the UPA government told the apex court that SIMI, the fundamentalist outfit, is a threat to "peace, integrity and secular fabric of India"।

Pressing for an absolute ban on SIMI, which has been found to be increasingly involved in terrorist attacks, the Centre had told the Supreme Court that SIMI activists are not just busy spreading the message of "jihad", but have also "extended full support to extremists and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and have been involved in various militant and disruptive activities in Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu"।

In its hard-hitting affidavit designed to overcome the setback it suffered on August 6 when the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal had turned down its plea to continue the ban on SIMI, the Centre said that allowing free run to the organization would seriously compromise national security।

The tribunal had lifted the ban on the jihadi organization on the ground that the Centre had failed to provide it with fresh evidence to back up its case। The two Yadav chieftains and Paswan swiftly latched on to this, to hand out certificates of innocence to SIMI.

In its hard-hitting affidavit, the UPA government had told the SC that SIMI had also "extended full support to extremists and terrorists in J&K and Punjab and have been involved in various militant and disruptive activities in Maharashtra, Kerala, UP and TN"।

The Centre's 42-page affidavit in the top court marked a strong refutation of the "no fresh evidence" argument cited by the tribunal and the three leaders।

Displaying a new anxiety to give as much evidence as possible before the apex court, the Centre gave a list of 349 cases that were filed against SIMI prior to February 2006 as well another 60-odd which were slapped later and may qualify to be treated as "fresh evidence"।

While the August 6 relief for SIMI had been immediately challenged by the Centre before the apex court, which ordered a freeze on the tribunal's order, the intervening period has seen the Gujarat police, in coordination with police of various states as well as the Intelligence Bureau unearthing the involvement of the fundamentalist organization in the terror attack on Ahmedabad। That is not all. Investigation into the Ahmedabad blasts have provided strong evidence that SIMI and its hardline version, Indian Mujahideen, was also involved in blasts across the country - serial explosions in Mumbai suburban trains, as well as those in jaipur and in the courts in UP towns of Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad.

The involvement of SIMI is suspected also in the bomb attacks on Hyderabad and explosions in the country's tech capital, Bangalore.