Press Trust of India
MUMBAI, 11 JULY: Seven years after the Mumbai serial train blasts in which nearly 200 people were killed and over 700 injured, the trial in the case is still going on with the special MCOCA court recording statements of the accused.
“The court is now recording the statement of the accused who wanted to depose as defence witness in the case,” said advocate Sherif Sheikh, appearing for some of the accused in the case.
Sheikh said they propose to examine some more defence witnesses in the case.
Special MCOCA judge YD Shinde has till now recorded the statement of about 180 prosecution witnesses. The statements of witnesses has been recorded in over 2,400 pages.
The prosecution and defence have also submitted over 700 exhibits to the court to substantiate their claim. While about 40 defence witnesses have deposed in the court including four accused, the court is now recording the statement of fifth accused.
During the trial, the court also recorded the statements of three accused – alleged co-founder of terror group Indian Mujahideen Sadiq Sheikh, Arif Badruddin and Ansar Ahmed – arrested in 2008 for their alleged role in various blasts across the country during that year.
The defence lawyers had called as witnesses as they had in their confession statement stated that it was IM which was responsible for carrying out blasts since 2005.
Seven RDX bombs kept in the first class coaches of Mumbai’s suburban trains had exploded on July 11, 2006, killing about 188 people and injuring 817 others.
The blasts had occurred in suburban trains between Khar road-Santacruz, Bandra-Khar road, Jogeshwari-Mahim junction, Mira Road-Bhayander, Matunga-Mahim Junction and at Borivali.
Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (37), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36), Ehtesham Siddiqui (30), Mohammad Majid Shafi (32), Shaikh Alam Shaikh (41), Mohd Sajid Ansari (34), Abdul Wahid Shaikh (34), Muzzammil Shaikh (27), Soheil Mehmood Shaikh (43), Zamir Ahmad Shaikh (36), Naveed Hussain Khan (30), Asif Khan (38) had been arrested by the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Key accused Azam Chima along with 14 others are absconding in the case.
The examination of witnesses resumed after a span of two years as the Supreme Court had stayed the trial in 2008.
Before the stay, the prosecution had already examined a police officer.
The apex court vacated the stay on 23 April, 2010.
 
 
 

sharbani banerjee
banerjee.sharbani@gmail.com
New Delhi, 10 July
The Tuesday’s heavy showers which led to massive water-logging at many parts of the Capital have exposed the lackadaisical attitude of the civic agencies about how ill-prepared they were for upcoming monsoons despite several reminders by the traffic police.
Even after the Delhi Traffic Police’s several reminders to the civic agencies to tackle water-logging problem in the areas which were likely to be worst affected due to upcoming monsoon, it seems all requests have fallen on deaf ears. 
The problem of water-logging was reported from 65 areas in the Capital thus washing away all the tall claims made by the civic agencies. Though, out of these, 31 are new areas from where water-logging was reported.
However, according to Mr Anil Shukla, Additional Commissioner of Police, traffic, this time the number of areas are less from where the problem was reported. "The department had written a letter in February well before the onset of the monsoons, providing the civic agencies a list of 157 roads and points in the capital which are vulnerable to water-logging but the situation was almost the same," stated Mr Shukla.
Further, the same reminder was sent in May but the problem of water-logging continued and the same was reported from all those major roads identified by traffic police. "The civic bodies are well aware of the roads that need to be repaired and resurfaced. It’s not that they need Traffic Police  report and letters to know about the vulnerable points. All the agencies have their own control rooms and they are very much aware of these points," he added.
Meanwhile, of 157 vulnerable points identified by the traffic police, 142 were under the PWD (Public Works Department) and remaining were under the municipal corporations and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
During last spell of rain in the capital on June 15, when flash flood had hit Uttarakhand, the traffic police also identified new areas from where water-logging was reported. "During that time also, 50 new areas had witnessed the water-logging on June 15 rain and the list has been sent to all the civic agencies to resolve the problem," added Mr Shukla.
In the first week of June, PWD, in reply to a letter by traffic police had informed that the capital would not witness any water-logging during the monsoon, added Mr Shukla.

New Delhi, 10 July
The Delhi High Court today sought a response from BJP MP Smriti Irani on a plea filed by Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam challenging a trial court’s order which had summoned him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by her for allegedly using derogatory language against her during a TV debate last December.
 Also, Justice Sunil Gaur granted Nirupam exemption from personal appearance before the trial court where he had to appear on 18 July.
 The court issued a notice to Irani and also the state goverment seeking their replies by 22 August on a plea filed by Nirupam against the 11 March trial court order.
 "If the whole text is read in proper perspective, it would only show that there was no defamation as alleged and the summoning order and the complaint is liable to be quashed," said Nirupam’s counsel to the court.                                   sns

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi, 10 July
 The Delhi High Court today asked the government to apprise it of the number of rescue operations carried out in the brothels of the Capital in the last one-and-half years, seeking whether, after the rescue operations, FIRs have been registered against the accused.
 A division bench of Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the Delhi government to inform it whether the FIRs registered after the rescue operations resulted in investigations, and whether cases were filed in court. Police has to file a status report within four weeks.
 The said direction came as the court took suo moto cognisance of a media report on the failure of police to register an FIR on the charge of gang-rape after a teenaged girl was rescued from a brothel. The media report said not even an FIR was registered in the case.
 Advocate Zubeda Begam, who was appointed to assist the court in the case, informed the court that the girl has safely returned to West Bengal, and is staying with her parents.
 "Police even did not file the FIR (first information report) on the charge of gang-rape… We want guidelines in this regard," said the bench.  According to the news report, the police had even allowed the alleged culprits, the girl’s abductors and brothel owners, to intimidate the victim during her appearance in court.
 Reportedly, a 19-year-old girl was rescued 9 May by police from a brothel at GB Road in central Delhi. Police did not deem it fit to register a case of gang-rape.
 "Rather, it allowed her rapists, abductors and brothel owners to intimidate her during her court presence. And while her father had come from South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal to take his youngest daughter back, she was sent to Nari Niketan instead," the report said.  Also, the court inquired about another girl who was rescued from the brothel. Advocate Zubeda Begam told the court that the girl belonged to Nepal and her parents could not be traced, so she was sent to Nari Niketan.
 However, to this, the bench asked the counsel to continue the search for her parents. If her parents could not be traced, then the girl could be released to her guardians.
 The court asked police to file a status report on this issue too, while posting the matter for 14 August. 

New Delhi, 10 July
A city court today directed the Delhi Police to file a status report on a complaint by BJP leader Vijender Gupta against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit seeking registration of an FIR against her for allegedly misusing government funds in a 2008 advertisement campaign case.
 Special Judge Narottam Kaushal asked the police to file a status report and fixed the matter for 8 August.
 In his complaint filed through advocate Ajay Digpaul, Gupta had sought registration of FIR against Dikshit and others for criminal breach of trust (section 409 IPC), criminal misappropriation of public funds and criminal misconduct under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
 In the complaint, he had said that the police did not take any action against his complaint.
 A similar complaint filed by RTI activist Vivek Garg will also be heard with it. In his complaint, Gupta had said in 2007-08, Dikshit was also minister in-charge of information and publicity.
 “It was an election year. A number of government advertisements were published in the form of publications of advertisement in newspaper, large number of hoarding showing pictures of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Sheila Dikshit all over Delhi Metro, bus shelters and also in form of radio jingles, TV spots etc by misusing the government machinery and public funds and burdened the state exchequer in carrying out campaign of Congress party for her own political gains,” the complaint had said.
 The BJP leader has also referred to his complaint before Delhi Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin who had on 22 May indicted Dikshit for allegedly misusing government funds for carrying out an advertisement campaign with a ‘political purpose’ ahead of the last assembly polls.                          sns

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Gangtok, 10 July
The Sikkim National People&’s Party (SNPP) has condemned the arrest of Dr A D Subba, the president of the Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad and other members of the party.
Notably, Dr Subba along with 32 SHRP activists were arrested yesterday when they were protesting against the content of the writ petition filed by the Association of the Old Settlers of Sikkim in the Supreme Court of India regarding Income Tax exemption. The party has demanded immediate release of all the detainees without any condition and suggested the administration be more vigilant while tackling democratic forms of protest in the future. “This is another example of the high handedness of the state government after the barbaric police attacks on the office of another Opposition party in the state,” a press statement by the SNPP said.
“The dictatorial government being run by Sikkim Democratic Front is bent on muzzling any form of the democratic protests” said SNPP.
The SNPP has also accused the administration of lacking sensitivity regarding the sense of anger among the majority community in Sikkim due to the petition of the old settlers. “If the situation goes out of hand the administration will be fully responsible for the same,” asserted the party.

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Malda, 10 July
As the parents protested against the humiliation of their daughter as she was termed ‘characterless’ by her husband, they were attacked by the son-in-law who killed the father-in-law Shrida Hansda (45) while the mother-in-law Mrs Saini Soren (38) is still battling for life at Malda Medical College Hospital. The incident took place at Helandanga village of Aktail gram panchayat in the Habibpur police station area today. The son-in-law Pradip Hembram and his sister Durga Hansda could not be arrested after a complaint was lodged by Pradip&’s wife Mrs Sumi Hansda.
It has been learnt from police sources that Pradip Hembram of Sodpur village married Sumi, the only daughter of Shrida Hansda of Helandanga village three years ago. As Pradip used to remain outside for work most of the time, Sumi used to live with her parents.
Returning to the village four days ago, Pradip came to know that his wife was living with her parents. Pradip&’s relatives claimed that Sumi had an illicit relation with another guy of her village.
Pradip rushed to Helandanga and had a tiff with Sumi and her parents on Tuesday. 
A kangaroo court was convened and Pradip raised the same allegations against Sumi when Shrida Hansda protested.
However, though the matter was resolved at night, Pradip and his sister Durga allegedly attacked Sumi&’s parents Shrida and Saini early this morning with sharp weapons.
Shrida was hacked to death while Saini was critically injured. On hearing Sumi&’s cries for help, neighbours rushed to the spot. However, Pradip and Durga managed to flee. Sumi said that she had seen Pradip and Durga killing her father. She lodged a complaint later. 
The Superintendent of Police, Mr Kalyan Mukherjee, said: “Police have been searching for Pradip and Durga. They have fled from the locality.”

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Geyzing, 10 July
Health care, human service and family welfare departments together conducted an orientation training on national tobacco control and monthly review meeting with the district programme officers at conference hall of the district hospital at Gaylzing in West Sikkim on 9 July.
The District collector, West, Mr L P Chettri was present, as the chief guest on the occasion. 
He assured full cooperation from his end to control the use of the tobacco product in the district.
He also suggested integration of the department with various civil society organisations to go for collaborative action for making Sikkim a tobacco-free state in practice. “Implementation of health care initiative like CATCH and NRHM is impressive and beneficial for public at the grass root level in the state,” he added.
The Mission director, NRHM, Dr P M Pradhan, expressed his view on ‘Ten Key’ issues for making Sikkim one of the healthiest states in India. He requested all the responsible bodies to be more efficient in fulfilling the Mission Healthy Sikkim. “I expect contribution at all levels in achieving the target of Mission Healthy Sikkim,” he added. An important monthly review meeting involving the district programme officers, medical officers of PHC programme management unit, supervisors and PHSC staff of west district was also held at the conference hall later in the afternoon. Issues like child and mothers’ health, importance of exclusive breast feeding, home-based new born care, performance and proper functioning of the health centres were discussed in the meeting.

The  politicians  miss  the  woods  for the  trees.  The  decline  in  India  is  far beyond a remedy through change of governments. A change of system is required. And no political party or leader is focusing on that ~ RAJINDER PURI

Once again this writer is taking a line of argument that will displease all the anti-Congress elements in the opposition. As one who has been for the past many decades the most consistent and unflinching critic of the Congress in media as well as in politics it will be doubly unpleasant to invite brickbats from readers generally tolerant. But it must be done because this writer does not seek cosmetic improvement in governance but a radical change to create a new India. Nothing less will be satisfying. And in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, the reaction of the opposition to the event reveals a pathetic state of mind that must be criticized. What is that case?
Following a court direction the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing a Gujarat police encounter in which four individuals, including a 19-year-old student Ishrat Jahan, were killed, concluded that it was a fake encounter and the four were killed in cold blood. Earlier in 2009 an inquiry into the same case by a Gujarat Metropolitan Magistrate had reached a similar conclusion. The only difference in the findings of the Metropolitan Magistrate&’s report from the CBI was that it stated that the four were killed elsewhere and their bodies dumped at the spot later. The CBI stated that the four were killed on the same spot where the bodies were found. The Magistrate attributed the motive for the fake encounter to the desire of the guilty police officers to gain promotion. It implied that seniors were aware of the proposed fake encounter and were pleased by it.
The CBI report recalls the statement of a Gujarat police officer, Mr DS Goswamy, deposing before a Mumbai Magistrate much before the CBI undertook its investigation that he had witnessed the accused Gujarat police officers claiming that the fake encounter had been cleared by their political bosses. The Ishrat Jahan encounter was the fourth fake encounter listed in Gujarat in recent years. Of these, in three of the alleged fake encounters the Gujarat police had claimed that Pakistani terrorists were aiming to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Mr Narendra Modi. The main accused in an earlier case, the Sohrabuddin fake encounter, is the same police officer presently convicted and in jail, who is also accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. There is enormous confusion caused by motivated leaks by different sections of the government and the enormous media hype that has obfuscated the truth. But if the various media reports are correct, and that admittedly is a big if, the sequence of events can be conjectured. One makes no claim that this version is correct, only that it is reached after connecting the dots of what has appeared in different sections of the media.
On information provided by the IB, the Gujarat police apprehended the four victims travelling together in a car. The police detained the two who were from Pakistan and had later confessed that they belonged to a Kashmiri separatist outfit. The police allowed the other two to go. The other two were one Javed and Ishrat Jahan who was employed by him. Javed was a Hindu converted to Islam. He was a petty criminal in Pune and was recruited by the IB to act as an informer and keep watch on the two Pakistanis. Later the police decided to eliminate the Pakistani terrorists.
 But possibly they thought that by then the IB informer had done his job and was expendable. His knowledge of a fake encounter by the cops could be exploited by him later. Therefore, they decided to eliminate him too. There was a dispute among the cops about the fate of Ishrat. But since she had witnessed the others being taken into custody by the police she would know that they would have been killed in cold blood. Therefore, the cops decided to eliminate her too. That the four were killed in a fake encounter was determined first by a Metropolitan Magistrate&’s probe, later by a Special Investigative Team (SIT) appointed by the Gujarat government, and eventually by the CBI. The veracity of the encounter was all that the CBI had the brief to probe under the court&’s orders at this stage.
Now consider how the opposition and large sections of the mainstream media reacted. They kept harping on the allegation that Ishrat was a terrorist and a suicide bomber and refused to address the fake nature of the encounter. They were aided by a leak by the IB quoting David Coleman Headley as having described Ishrat as a suicide bomber. On June 19, this writer commented in these columns: “The IB… to the media… released an FBI report from the US which quoted David Coleman Headley quoting a Lashkar terrorist leader quoting another Lashkar operative claiming that another Lashkar operator had recruited one Ishrat Jahan as a suicide bomber. This thrice removed hearsay was seized upon by IB as clinching proof that Ishrat Jahan was a terrorist.” The TV channels went to town with the IB leak. But what did the NIA actually convey to the IB regarding the information imparted by the FBI?
Paragraph 168 of the NIA report to the IB quoted David Coleman Headley stating: “I state that in late 2005, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi introduced Muzammil to me. Having introduced Muzammil, Zaki talked about the accomplishments of Muzammil as a Lashkar commander. Zaki also sarcastically mentioned that Muzammil was a top commander whose every big ‘project’ had ended in a failure. Zaki added that Ishrat Jahan module was also one of Muzammil&’s ‘botched up’ operations.” In Para 169 of that report it was stated that “apart from this, he (Headley) had no other information/knowledge about Ishrat Jahan”. Forget evidentiary value of this text, does it by even the understanding of ordinary English suggest that Ishrat was necessarily a terrorist or a suicide bomber? Headley&’s vague allusion, like Goswamy&’s evidence, was pure hearsay. Not surprisingly the NIA in a subsequent appearance in the court echoed the views of this writer by informing the court that it had not described Ishrat as a terrorist because Headley&’s statement was “only hearsay”.
Forget the media, how did the opposition react to this fake encounter? BJP leaders kept harping on the unsubstantiated and irrelevant charge that Ishrat was a terrorist. As if that would justify murder in cold blood. BJP president Mr Rajnath Singh accused the Congress of misusing the CBI and creating hype for political advantage and said that there had been over 3000 police encounters across the nation. Of course the UPA government misuses the CBI! Of course it blackmails several regional leaders having disproportionate assets. But why should those who seek to replace this corrupt and motivated government expect conduct any different? The bottom line is, are the victims of CBI blackmail guilty or not? The bottom line in the present dispute is whether or not the Gujarat police encounter was faked.
Mr Rajnath Singh&’s reference to 3000 police encounters across India is mystifying. Even if many of these were fake encounters would it justify a similar encounter in Gujarat? Or does it call additionally for overall systemic reform? One recalls Indira Gandhi&’s justification of corruption by her notorious remark: “Corruption is a worldwide phenomenon!” The BJP president and other political leaders of the opposition should appreciate that the people of India do not want to replace the UPA government by a successor operating under the same corrupt and undemocratic culture. People want genuine change. Bihar politicians would like to remove Mr Narendra Modi&’s government, Gujarat politicians would like to remove Mr Nitish Kumar&’s government, and politicians of both states would like to remove Mr Manmohan Singh&’s government. All these politicians miss the woods for the trees. The decline in India is far beyond a remedy through change of governments. A change of system is required. And no political party or leader is focusing on that.
The writer is a veteran journalist and cartoonist. He blogs at www.rajinderpuri.wordpress.com

Mayhem in Bodhgaya
It has been a lethal cocktail of suspected terrorism, religious persecution and geo-politics. Rakhine in Myanmar has had a devastating echo in Bodhgaya in Bihar. There is an element of pregnant symbolism in what, prima facie, appears to have been a terrorist strike in the world&’s citadel of Buddhism, seemingly a reprisal for the relentless persecution of Rohingya Muslims ~ a stateless community on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Neither country can evade the charge of flagrant violation of international law.
 That persecution has been the handiwork of Myanmar&’s Buddhist-dominated military junta. The reprisal has been as tragic as it is shameful; the credibility of the Centre and Bihar, indeed their ability to protect the shrines, must be at stake in the perception of the Buddhist bloc of nations. More than 72 hours after the serial explosions in Bodhgaya&’s Mahabodhi temple ~ the world&’s bastion of Buddhism ~ the plot and scenario are still fogbound. The suspected involvement of the India Mujahideen is at best a tentative conclusion; from Nitish Kumar to Sushil Kumar Shinde, the authorities are remarkably clueless. As the CCTV&’s grained images are splashed across the media, it is fervently to be hoped that truth will be unravelled in course of the probe being conducted by the National Investigation Agency. Well and truly has the State, as an entity of governance, been caught with all defences down.
It would be redundant to harp on the very obvious ~ the failure of Intelligence, the common strand that binds terrorist outrages. No less crucially, Bodhgaya showcases the pathetic response of the Bihar government, whose head has of late been more obsessed with politics in the Delhi  darbar than with his home turf&’s underbelly. The security lapse in Bodhgaya has been disastrous even at the mildest estimation as governance lies rather thin on the ground across the state. A deceptive sense of smugness alone explains why the Union home ministry&’s successive alerts about a possible Indian Mujahideen strike were ignored.
The timeline of the alerts is critical ~ October 2012, followed by two warnings in January and June. As it turns out, Sunday&’s mayhem follows the latest alert a few weeks ago. Altogether, the incident signifies an appalling failure of Bihar&’s security network, such as it is.
The putrid inter-party shadow-boxing is the worst development that could have happened. It is almost as if the Congress general secretary, Digvijay Singh, and the BJP are engaged in a competitive exercise to politicise the outrage. And  Mamata  Banerjee  makes  the  waters murkier by pulling up a chair to insinuate that “the blasts are a gameplan of the Centre to finish the regional parties”. This isn’t the moment for sniper attacks. A responsible political class would have acted in concert to assist the security agencies.

Still ‘chicken’?
Disconcerting but not surprising was the “gun salute” from a Chinese military leader that welcomed AK Antony to Beijing. It was in keeping with the People&’s Liberation Army&’s assertiveness that counters any seemingly conciliatory moves by the political leadership. Equally unsurprising was the attempt by the Indian defence minister, and others, to underplay the belligerence and divert attention towards the essentially cosmetic “positives” (at best a re-rail job) that emerged from Antony&’s interaction with the Chinese leadership.
 It was convenient for India to buy the line that Maj-Gen Luo Yan of the PLA Academy of Military Science was not articulating the official line, but it would be naive to accept that the Chinese system allows loudmouths and loose cannon to flourish ~ as ex-generals do on Indian TV.
Gen Luo&’s contention that India was claiming 90,000 sq.kms of Chinese territory, was the only country that raised a China-bogey to justify military upgrades, and his cautioning New Delhi against provocation cannot be wished away. Analysed in the context of the incursion in the Depsang Valley, repeated objections to India developing roads near the “disputed boundary, tricky incidents at sea, the bottom line remains clear ~ Beijing will have its own way during any negotiations on the boundary, even maintaining peace and tranquility along it.
All the planned boost of military-level exchanges and diplomatic syrup will not alter the equation. Despite several rounds of talks and a few moves on the ground the Chinese have not moved an inch back from the position taken 50 years ago: “let those who committed aggression vacate it first.” Consistent.
Consistent too has been New Delhi&’s acquiescence. It is apparent that despite the military&’s claims that there can be no repeat of 1962, the mindset on Raisina Hill remains fixated on that drubbing. Evidence was available at Depsang, as well as from the regurgitation of the alibi that repeated incursions are the result of “varying perceptions” of the Line of Actual Control. To stretch a point: so haunted by the ghost of 1962 is the establishment that the Henderson-Brooks report remains “secret”. All the reopening of airfields, raising new Mountain Divisions, deploying SU-30s at Tezpur is merely a bid at boosting domestic morale. Among the first terms used during Antony&’s trip was the need for “strategic communication”: Gen Luo&’s presentation was precisely that.

 Kolkata, 10 July: A book containing rare hand-written letters and prose by Swami Vivekananda was released on Wednesday by  Swami Atmasthananda, the president of  Ramakrishna Mission and Math at  Belurmath.
The book ~ A Boutique of Swami Vivekanandas Writings~ contains the writings of  Swamiji and the letters which he wrote to various important personalities of his  time, said Swami Prabhananda, the vice-president who has penned its preface. 
The book also contains the song of Sanyasi***, which Swamiji wrote during  his stay in New York in 1895. The scanned version of his original writings have been placed on the left side of the book, while the typescript of the same has been placed on the right hand side for reader’s convenience.
 Swami Prabhananda said that  the compilation process was arduous as several people who possess Swamiji’s writings refused to hand them over to the Math as they consider those to be sacred.
The first 1,000 copies of the 310 page book will be up for sale at a subsidised price of Rs 500 and will be available at all branches of the Mission.
Later,  Swami Suvirananda, the assistant secretary of the Math briefed  media persons about the rescue works undertaken by them in Uttarakhand.
"Our monks are transporting food items on their backs and distributing them directly to the affected households,"  he added. 

statesman news service
Kolkata, 10 July
The state municipal affairs department will appoint SDOs as administrators for running the 13 civic bodies that are expected to end their terms in July.   Mr Firad Hakim, state municipal affairs and urban development minister said a notification for appointment of the administrators will be issued tomorrow as per Section 14 of the West Bengal Municipal Act.
Following the notification, the SDOs will function as administrators till formation of the new bodies, he said.
The terms of 13 municipalities ~ Dubrajpur, Habra, Haldibari, Mekhligunj, Alipurduar, Chakda, Balurghat, Dalkhola, Panihati, Diamond Harbour, Burdwan, Guskora and West Midnapore are scheduled to expire this month.
Earlier, the state government and the State Election Commission had enetered into a controversy over holding of municipal polls. Despite several reminders form the commission in April and May urging the state government to discuss and finalise the dates for holding the elections, the latter did
not respond.
It was only recently that the government informed the commission that it was ready to hold the polls on 7 September.
Nine out of 13 municipalities had been completed long time back.

Polling duties to break down barriers
Biswabrata Goswami
biswabrata.goswami@gmail.com
Midnapore 10 July
 A peep into the offices of most of the organizations in  around the world and you will notice a familiar scene – the boss sitting in his well cushioned wheel chair like a super-human in an expansive manner and the subordinate sitting in front of him  submissively addressing him as sir. “Sir, yes sir, very good sir, you are right sir, yes sir and yes sir and ……….”
But, for a day, a bank manager will have to call his subordinate fourth grade staff as ‘Sir’,  thanks to a curious exercise by the  West Midnapore district administration.
As the first phase panchayat elections for three Junglemahal districts –West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia are scheduled tomorrow, thousands of polling persons have already reached their respective booths by this evening.
Among these polling persons, Mr Nitya Ranjan Ghoroi, a group D staff of Mallabhum Gramin Bank at Neradeul in West Midnapore has been posted as second polling officer while the bank&’s manager Mr Ashok Tewari has been posted as fourth polling officer.
The duo has been asked to go to booth number 39/2 at Mohonpur to perform their duties.
Mr Ghoroi said: “I was first asked to perform my duties as first polling officer, but I personally requested the returning officer to change my duty category since my ‘boss’ has been asked to do polling duties as fourth polling officer.” “Later, the returning officer changed my duties and asked me to act as second polling officer,” he said. Mr Ghoroi also said, “In West Midnapore, many senior officers of different organizations have been asked to perform duties as lower-rung polling officers while their sub-ordinate staff will perform duties as high-rung polling officers or presiding officers”. A senior CPI-M leader alleged that there were rampant irregularities in selecting polling persons at different levels across the district with people of lower runks getting selection.

eligibility criteria to be looked at
statesman news service
Behrampore, 10 July
The state school education department has decided to prepare a fresh list of teachers eligible for admission into B. Ed training through open and distance learning (ODL) mode.
Teachers recruited by West Bengal School Service Commission and engaged in teaching of upper primary students in non-government aided secondary schools were earlier directed to complete the B. Ed training through ODL.
A list of school teachers eligible for the training programme through ODL mode was reportedly prepared by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Mission for the current academic session.
The list made by SSAM and published by Netaji Subhash Open University (NSOU) in its website was allegedly full of anomalies because it excluded many eligible teachers and cited no reason.
Moreover, the list included ineligible candidates like clerks, teachers already trained, retired or dead etc, admitted education department officials.
 To set things right, the District Inspector (DI) of Schools, Murshidabad issued a circular yesterday directing the Head Masters of  secondary schools to meet the education officials like the local AI in their respective jurisdiction.
According to the circular, the Head Masters will have to make necessary changes correcting errors in information database on the basis of which the previous list was prepared. The Head Masters need to resubmit the names of eligible teachers excluded in earlier list, said Mr. Bimal Pandey, DI of Schools (Secondary), Murshidabad.
The Head Masters have also been directed to update the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) to the concerned AI office. The initial list of eligible teachers was made on the basis of UDISE, officials here informed.
Apprehending that incremental benefits accrual to B. Ed training might be stopped in case of failure to complete the training, a number of teachers voiced their grievance before the DI, Murshidabad yesterday. Incremental benefit of several non-trained teachers has already been stopped as per government order, alleged Mr. Prasun Biswas, an in-service teacher who found his name missing from the list of teachers eligible for admission in B. Ed training.  
“We must ensure that no teacher gets affected due to lack of opportunity in completing the B.Ed training in time. All the eligible
teachers will be given a fair chance to take the
training by 31 March, 2015”, said Mr  Dilip Singha Roy of Murshidabad District Trinamul Congress
Shiksha Cell.

statesman news service
Purulia, 10 July
A father killed his daughter this morning for  attempting  to elope with her boyfriend against the will of the family.            
Police said that Suneeta Gorai (15), a resident of Jabarrah village under Hura police station was murdered this morning by her father~ Dharani Gorai. Family sources said that the deceased Suneeta, one of the three daughters of her parents was a student of class VIII at Jabarrah Junior High School. The girl, according to her mother  was romantically involved with Krishna Gorai~ a youth residing neighbouring Nawadihi village under Hura police station.              
In defiance to her mother’s wishes, the girl kept  getting closer to the young man. Last evening local people saw the young lovers trying to  slip out of the village. They caught them and informed the family members of the girl. To save the girl from her father’s wrath, Baldev Gorai, the elder brother of Dharani Gorai kept her that night at his residence. This morning Suneeta was reportedly summoned by her father at home. Sources said that  the moment she arrived at her home, the infuriated father struck her with an iron rod on her head. With the impact of this fatal hit, the girl  slumped to the floor in a bloody heap.
Police being informed rushed to the spot and  arrested the father.  The teenager’s body  was sent for post-mortem.
Police said that they are interrogating the father. Investigations are on. 

press trust of india
Thiruvananthapuram, 10 July
With the LDF in Kerala baying for his resignation on the solar panel scam, a defiant Chief Minister Oommen Chandy rejected their demand, saying it was part of a political conspiracy by the CPI-M-led Opposition and if he stepped down now, he would be doing an “injustice to truth.”
“I am not a person who wants to cling to power at any cost. But, if I resign now, I will be doing injustice to truth,” Mr Chandy, in the eye of a storm triggered by the scam, told reporters after a Cabinet meeting here today.
Expressing confidence of overcoming the present crisis, he said it was now a political issue and “we will fight it out.”
“Party high command, state Congress party, the ministry and the ruling UDF are united on this issue,” he asserted.
Mr Chandy said the charges against him were part of a political conspiracy by the CPI-M led LDF Opposition, because all their agitations against the UDF government after it came to power failed to click.
The conspiracy began after the arrest of a personal staff member in the Chief Minister’s office, he said.
“After that the LDF thought, it was a chance to target me and the UDF government, he said adding “we will not yield to their political designs.”
On the 12-hour hartal called by the Opposition today, demanding his resignation, Mr Chandy said it was a challenge to the people and the government would not tolerate violence in the pretext of agitation.
Mr Chandy also rejected the statement of the complainant in the solar case, Sreedharan Nair, that he had met the chief minister and discussed the solar project. Investigation into the case was progressing in the right direction and “all accused in the case would be brought before the law,” he said.
The scam pertains to alleged cheating of several people to the tune of crores by one Saritha Nair and her accomplice Biju Radhakrishnan by offering solar panel solutions. An actress, Shalu Menon has also been arrested in connection with the case.
It took a serious political turn with the arrest of one of Mr Chandy’s close personal aides, who has alleged links with the accused. Two other employees from his personal staff have also been removed.

EVEREADY INDUSTRIES INDIA LTD.
Registered Office:
1, Middleton Street
Kolkata-700071
Notice is hereby given that at a Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company to be held on Friday, July 26, 2013 the Unaudited Financial Results of the Company for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 will be considered.
By Order of the Board
Eveready Industries India Ltd.
T. Punwani
Sr. General Manager – Legal
& Company Secretary
Kolkata
July 10, 2013                    (B0007)         C20221