'Maharashtra sisters were sexually assaulted’

MUMBAI/NAGPUR/LAKHNI: A fortnight after the suspicious deaths of three sisters in Bhandara, Maharashtra DGP Sanjeev Dayal on Saturday said that, going by preliminary reports, it appeared that the girls had been sexually assaulted and their bodies bore injury marks.

Meanwhile, a senior bureaucrat said it was "shocking" that the post-mortem report was still with health officials and had not been forwarded to the police.

The bureaucrat added that while sexual assault was certain, it was not known if rape occurred. He also said no conclusion has been drawn as yet on the cause of death and if it was murder.

Reportedly, the post-mortem report doesn't specifically say whether the girls were sexually assaulted or murdered. It says the youngest girl had a huge injury in her anus and scratch marks on her inner thighs; the hymens of all three were ruptured; the eldest girl had injuries below her elbows and the clothes of all three girls were intact. The report also says semen was not found on the girls' clothes or in chemical and swab analyses. There was also no bleeding in the vaginal areas of all three.

"We have accepted the preliminary findings of the five-member team of doctors set up by the Bhandara civil surgeon. From the reports, it appears that there had been a sexual assault on the sisters and there were signs of injuries. Our investigation is based on the findings of the medical team. However, no written report has been submitted to us," Dayal told TOI.

The bureaucrat said, "The preliminary findings show there is no disputing the fact that the sisters were sexually assaulted, but there is no confirmation on whether it amounted to rape. The hymens of all three were ruptured. Even the cause of death is not known. Efforts are on to ascertain whether they were murdered or drowned in the well."

He added, "It's shocking that 15 days after the incident, the civil surgeon has not submitted the post-mortem report." He said it was a goof-up of the highest order. "In fact, the public health department woke up only after there was a protest in the region," he said. In the wake of the deaths, the Bhandara civil surgeon had set up a fivemember team of doctors to conduct the post-mortem. "Despite the serious nature of the case, it has been left to the junior-most officers," the bureaucrat said.

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Sarabjit Singh's lawyer receives death threat from Pakistani Taliban

LAHORE: The lawyer of Sarabjit Singh, who is on death row in a Pakistani prison, on Friday said he had received a death threat from the Taliban for pursuing the case of the Indian national.

Awais Shiekh said a letter written by an anonymous activist of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had warned his wife to stop her husband from pursuing the case of Sarabjit.

He said the letter read: "I belong to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and I am a resident of Faisalabad district (150km from Lahore). I want to tell you that your husband is representing the case of Sarabjit Singh, who is responsible of killing my whole family in a bomb blast.

"Your husband is addressing a press conference about Sarabjit Singh. If this is held, it would be the last day of your husband and every single member of your family will be killed. You will find dead bodies of your children by tomorrow morning.

"I know your children. I will kidnap them and will send their dead bodies to you. If you want your children to live, refrain from doing this."

Shiekh claimed he was barred from holding a planned news conference at the Lahore Press Club to launch his book on Sarabjit. "My son also received a threatening call from an anonymous person. I will lodge a complaint with police and seek security," Sheikh told PTI.

He said that when he reached the Press Club, he was informed by its administration that the news conference could not be held as there was a "security threat".

Hamid Khan, former president of the Supreme Court bar association, IA Rehman, director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and other persons were present for the news conference. They condemned the press club's decision to block the news conference.

"The reality of Sarabjit's case will be known to the people through this book. A gross mischarge of justice has been done in Sarabjit's case," Sheikh said.

Sarabjit was convicted for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks that killed 14 people in 1990. His family has said that he was a victim of mistaken identity.

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Sariska villagers block tourists’ entry

ALWAR: About 2,500 villagers on Thursday blocked the main entrance of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, protesting their relocation from areas near the sanctuary.

Sariska field director RS Shekhawat said the villagers had locked the entrance and didn't allow tourists to enter the park. "We are trying to sort out the problem on a priority basis," Shekhawat said.

The villagers, who are on an indefinite sit-in, said they would not clear the blockade unless their demands were met. This is the third such protest in the past eight months against the relocation plan.

Tension began in Sariska when about 2,500 people from 50 villages gathered for a mahapanchayat against the alleged "cheating" by the district administration. "We had called off the agitation in May last year when the district administration agreed on some of our demands including lifting ban on the registry of land, construction of a concrete road and earmarking a grazing area. But now they have backtracked on the promise citing the Supreme Court orders," said Jaikishan Gujjar, a villager.

Since 2008, the farmers in the periphery of the reserve have been protesting the state government and wildlife authorities' decision to relocate them. On February 20, villagers thrashed a few senior sanctuary officials when 70 cattle were seized while grazing in the sanctuary area.

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Breast cancer on the rise in younger women

NEW DELHI: A study has found that the incidence of advanced breast cancer among American women between 25-39 has steadily increased since the mid-1970s. The findings, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, are devastating because breast cancer patients under 40 years are more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease and face lower survival rates. However, doctors here say developing countries like India have more to worry in comparison.

Additional professor in the department of surgical oncology, AIIMS, Dr S V S Deo says, "Breast cancer cases in India have increased by 10-15% in the last decade. These numbers are likely to rise further - 60-70% of the cases would be in developing countries like India in the future." The number of younger patients in the US has increased at just 2% a year in the last three decades, comprising 1.8% of the total breast cancer cases. In comparison, different studies peg the number of young patients in India between 10-16%.

In recent years, breast cancer has emerged as the most common form of cancer among urban Indian women. Dr Geeta K, senior consultant in surgical oncology at Max Cancer Centre, Delhi, adds, "Of the 25-30 new breast cancer cases that we get in a month, five-six are in the under-35 age group. Some are in their 20s."

Just 10% of these cases are said to be of genetic causes - lifestyle is said to be the major culprit in the rest. Dr Anil Dhar, director, medical oncology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, says, "There is no data but personally I feel that exposure to chemicals (in food and the environment) is an important factor in causing breast cancer."

However, doctors say there's no need to panic as survival rates are improving with timely treatment. "Breast cancer is 90% curable in stage 1, and 80% in stage 2. What's required is greater awareness and early treatment. The problem is a majority of the patients here come to us in stage 2 or 3. Even educated women tend to delay treatment for one-two years after detecting a lump," says Dr Deo.

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Rape victim attempts suicide in courtroom

AHMEDABAD: A rape victim attempted suicide in the courtroom of Gujarat high court on Tuesday by consuming pesticide. She was rushed to the Sola Civil Hospital, where her condition is said to be critical. This is the second such incident since January when a rape victim attempted suicide in a courtroom.

In this case, the 27-year old woman had moved Gujarat HC to appeal against a city sessions court's decision to grant anticipatory bail to the rape accused, Sandeep Panchal. On Tuesday, her lawyer could not attend court due to the demise of his grandmother and Justice Ashish Desai adjourned the hearing.

As soon as the woman heard about the adjournment, she rushed to the courtroom and consumed poison. She was accompanied by her three-year old son. Advocate B M Mangukiya, who was present in the courtroom, took her to the hospital.

He later said that the victim had audio clips in her mobile phone establishing that the accused was threatening that she would meet the same fate as the Delhi gang-rape victim, Nirbhaya. When Sola police later recorded the victim's statement, she handed over this evidence to them.

After the incident, Justice Desai scheduled hearing on the case on Wednesday.

HC's registrar general R P Dholeria said, "She has grievances against police and her family members, not against the court." In her petition at HC the victim has complained about "ill treatment" by city cops.

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94% women feel unsafe travelling alone in India, survey finds

NEW DELHI: The Delhi gang-rape incident has not just bruised the image of the national Capital, but the country as well. A travel survey has found that 94% women feel unsafe traveling alone, while 84% voted for Delhi as the most unsafe metro. The findings come at a time when an increasing number of women admitted that they preferred to travel alone both for work and leisure.

TripAdvisor, a leading travel site, surveyed 500 women to find that 84% women claimed to have travelled alone for leisure, business or both. The respondents were a mix of working women, including a number of self employed, as well as homemakers.

The survey also brings to light the disturbing fact that 94% women worry about their safety — always or at least sometimes — when they travel alone within India. Among women who said they travel alone on work, 37% agreed that they don't mind travelling alone but worry about their safety.

Even more dismal is the fact that more women travelers have a better sense of safety overseas than in India. Around 24% respondents said they worry when they travel within India but not when they travel to international destinations, while only 6% suggested otherwise.

Despite the fear and worry, only 33% women said they carry any item for self defense when travelling to a new or unfamiliar city.

Due to the recent spate of crime against women, Delhi has gained notoriety with 84% women claiming it to be the most unsafe metro in the country. Mumbai came out on top as the city considered safest by 34% women. Ahmedabad and Bangalore were tied at a distant second with 12% each.

Among the states, Delhi NCR again topped the hall of shame with 60% women voting it as the most unsafe. At a distant second is Bihar (18%), followed by Uttar Pradesh (8%). A majority of 27% respondents said they considered Maharashtra to be the safest state, followed by Gujarat (15%) and Karnataka (10%).

According to TripAdvisor country manager Nikhil Ganju, "The rise in women travelling alone on business is understandable fallout of the increase in the number of working women. The real surprise is the significant number of Indian women who are choosing to travel solo on vacation. Another interesting insight that highlights a latent opportunity for the hospitality sector is that 78% respondents said they would prefer to stay in an all women's hotel or on a women exclusive floor in a hotel, when travelling alone."

In a break from tradition, Indian women enjoy traveling alone for leisure. Among women who travel alone, 41% respondents said they actually enjoyed travelling alone for work. In addition, 76% said they enjoy going solo on holidays.

And lack of company is definitely not a complaint. In fact, majority (58%) said their biggest incentive for solo vacations was that they could do all the things they want without having to worry about what someone else wants. Around 34% women indicated they loved travelling alone as it was adventurous and exciting. Another 32% claimed the thrill of managing everything by themselves was a motivator as well.

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Copter deal fixer specializes in India

NEW DELHI: Security services in Algeria, commercial promotions in India, supply of specialized personnel in the Middle East and more.

Guido Haschke, the Swiss resident who was allegedly one of the key middlemen in the VVIP helicopter deal with India, almost sounds like a global consortium with several specializations across the globe in the internal documents of Finmeccanica group. Or was he a key conduit for funneling out money from the Italian group`s various companies?

According to internal documents of Finmeccanica group reviewed by TOI, Haschke and his companies were paid at least 2.65 million euros (approx Rs 18.55 crore) between 2005 and 2011 for several activities across several countries. These are besides the payments that were made to companies such as IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix, and other front companies.

The documents point towards an extremely cozy relationship between the Italian-US citizen and the consortium. It also shows the blessings enjoyed by Haschke from the Finmeccanica top brass, especially former chairman Giuseppe Orsi, which emerges in the several taped conversations between Hashcke and other suspects during the ongoing Italian probe.

Without such a considerate approach from Finmeccanica, he couldn`t have won so many diverse contracts. There is no clear indication yet that Haschke and his companies had all these capabilities shown in the contracts.

India definitely was his main playground. Haschke had several contracts with Finmeccanica group companies in India at least until March 2012 when details of the scandal began to emerge in Italian media. Investigations show that Haschke and his companies handled kickbacks of 21 million euros in the Rs 3,546 crore deal for buying 12 VVIP helicopters for the IAF in 2010. Christian Michel, a UK citizen based in Dubai, handled another 30 million euros in kickbacks, according to Italian investigators.

AgustaWestland entered into three consultancy agreements between December 2005 and September 2007 with Haschke in India. According to a report submitted to the Finmeccanica board after the scandal broke, these were "concerning scouting for the sale of civilian helicopters in India, for which fees totalling 400,000 euros were paid". The report told the board, "Those agreements have no connection with the subsequent supply of the 12 helicopters discussed" in the controversy.

Alenia Aermacchi, the aerospace arm of Finmeccanica, paid Haschke 300,000 euros in financial year 2011-12 under what is called a "service agreement". It is not clear what specific services Haschke provided to the company, which is pitching its C-27J transport aircraft to the Indian military.

Another Finmeccanica company OtoMelara, which is looking to supply its land and naval systems to Indian forces, had a "service agreement" with Haschke in the 2011-12 financial year for 58,000 euros. Ansaldo Energia, the power engineering company of Finmeccanica group, entered into two commercial support contracts and one contract for the supply of specialized personnel with Haschke in India. Under a contract signed on June 15, 2006, he was paid 202,000 euros for "acquisition of an order from a private Indian party". A second contract dated January 15, 2011 was for supply of spare parts for a plant in India, with a fee of 249,000 euros.

Ansaldo Breda, which is into road and rail systems, entered into a commercial promotion contract in India from November 1, 2008 to October 31, 2009, and paid Haschke 120,000 euros. Haschke`s contracts with Finmeccanica group companies were not just limited to India.

Ansaldo Energia, through its Abu Dhabi branch, had a contract for "specialized personnel" for assembly and work site activities in the Middle East and North Africa with Haschke. The agreement started from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2006 at an annual cost of 600,000 euros. Ansaldo Energia also had a contract with Haschke for security services for a work site in Algeria during 2007-2010, and he was paid a total fee of 1.14 million euros.

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Ramdev trust, govt keep options open over Feb 27 function

SHIMLA: Having taken possession of 28 acres land leased out to Patanjali Yogapeeth at Sadhupul area of Solan district, the Himachal Pradesh government does not want yoga guru Swami Ramdev to hold his function there on February 27. Fearing stiff resistance from supporters of Swami Ramdev, government had planned to impose section 144 in Sadhupul and surrounding areas and had made heavy deployment of police in the area.

Resultantly, Patanjali Yogapeeth officials are now looking for another venue either at Solan or Kandaghat to hold the function. Sources said that people in Sadhupul area were adamant about holding the function there itself, but Patanjali Yogapeeth officials, after getting inputs about imposition of section 144, decided to change the venue to avoid any confrontation with government.

On Saturday, Yogapeeth officials submitted an application to Solan Municipal Council for holding the function at Thodo ground on February 27, but the civic body has not given any assurance to them about granting them permission. As confusion about the venue continues, Yogapeeth officials have kept the option of holding the function at Kandaghat also open, sources said.

State incharge of Patanjali Yogapeeth and Bharat Swabhiman Trust, Lakshmi Dutt Sharma, said that they will finalise the venue by Sunday evening. "We decided not to hold the function at Sadhupul as officials informed us about government decision to impose section 144 in the area. We are now looking for some other venue as we do not want any law and order problem, but we have not got any assurance from the authorities concerned," he said.

Sources said that to stop Patanjali Yogapeeth from obtaining stay from court, the state government planned to file a caveat in the court, while the Yogapeeth is reportedly planning to approach the court on the issue.

The opposition BJP, on its part, has decided to support Swami Ramdev if he launched an agitation on the issue. State BJP president Satpal Singh Satti has said that his party would extend full support if Ramdev starts an agitation to oppose the government move. He said the previous BJP government had allotted the land to Ramdev as setting up a Patanjali Yogapeeth facility in the area would have benefitted residents of surrounding villages immensely. "We condemn the act of Congress government," he said.

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Hyderabad, hotbed of home-grown terror, under lens

NEW DELHI: For the veterans of security establishment the bomb blasts have revived concerns about the critical nature of Hyderabad and surroundings in the growth of home-grown terrorism in India.

Officials point out that Hyderabad has been intricately linked to the growth of the present phase of domestic terrorism. When the first definite information about Muslim youth going to Pakistan for terror camps emerged more than a decade ago, with Hyderabad resident Shahid Bilal as a key figure, the government was alarmed at the highest levels. Once India confirmed that over 60 youth have gone across to Pakistan from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in 2005-06 the issue was taken up with Bangladeshi and Nepalese governments because most of them were going via either of these countries.

"Even if the bombers are from outside, they have received local logistical support," says one official. "There is a history here," he says about Hyderabad's brush with blasts as well as with fringe sympathisers.

A day before the twin blasts, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had, in fact, filed its first charge sheet in the case of Bangalore-Hubli-Nanded terror module run from Saudi Arabia by LeT-HuJI handlers. One name among the 12 accused stood out: Obaidur Rehman. The 26-year-old Hyderabad resident is the nephew of Maulana Mohammed Naseeruddin, a radical preacher presently languishing in a Gujarat jail in connection with the murder of Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya.

The charge sheet also mentioned the man handling the group from Saudi Arabia as Farhatullah Ghori, maternal uncle of slain HuJI operative Shahid Bilal. Both belong to Hyderabad.

The blasts that followed the charge sheet have only come as a grim reminder of the Andhra Pradesh capital having become a favourite recruiting ground for terror groups. In fact, the city has been in terror crosshairs for close to a decade and a half providing strong base to both LeT and HuJI.

According to intelligence agencies, Hyderabad first came on terror radar in late '90s with several radical religious organizations becoming a springboard to youth taking to terror. While there was an entrenched sense of victimhood and injustice post Babri masjid demolition among Muslims in the state, their anger was first organized and harnessed by Mohammed Abdul Shahid alias Shahid Bilal under aegis of HuJI.

The first effects of this endeavor manifested itself in the terror attack on the office of Hyderabad Special Task Force in 2003. Bilal's maternal uncle Farhatullah Ghori's name prominently cropped up in the investigations. He was also a suspect in the Akshardham Temple attack in Gujarat in 2002.

Following this, Bilal was found to be instrumental in conducting several blasts across south India between 2004 and 2007. During this period he also helped 26/11 accused and LeT operative Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal escape to Pakistan via Bangladesh along with his associate Fayyaz Kagzi after the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul in Maharashtra. In October 2007, Bilal was himself killed in Karachi along with his brother Samad. However, sources say, he has five more brothers who are in Pakistan and elsewhere. And the network he has left behind across India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia keeps recruiting people for Jihadi activities.

In 2008, Maulana Naseeruddin's son, Riyazuddin Nasir, was arrested in Dharwad, Karnataka for planning to carry out terror strikes in the state. In 2012, with Obaidur Rehman's arrest in the Bangalore terror module, the city again struggled to shake off the terror tag.

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Thousands flock to annual MP 'bhoot mela' to get exorcised

BETUL: It's a mela with a spirited presence. In Malajpur, a village in Betul district some 300 km from Bhopal, an annual fair is devoted to the exorcising of ghosts. Thousands throng here from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and even Andhra Pradesh for the month-long 'bhoot pret ka mela' that will make their lives easier.

While exorcism is an old practice in some of India's villages, holding a fair for it is rare. The mela is held in a temple on the first day of Paush Poornima and continues till Basant Panchami. Bhikhari lal Yadav, a priest there explains, "Exorcism here is a centuries-old practice. We hold a samadhi of Guru Deoji sant and every evening, after the prayer, we treat those under the spell of ghosts and evil spirits." Guru Deoji, incidentally, was a Rajput with supernatural powers who was born around 1700 AD. His powers included turning sand to sugar, clay to jaggery and restoring eyesight to the blind. His reputation grew when, during droughts, he made the granaries overflow. After his death, a samadhi was made and for the last two-and-a-half centuries, exorcism has been going on here.

It is mainly women who come here to get rid of evil spirits. Psychiatrists say this is because their mental problems are often ignored by their families till it gets worse and they seem 'possessed'. The treatment is free here and devotees offer jaggery if their wishes are fulfilled. This year, more than 1,000 women were exorcised.

The exorcism starts late in the evening after 'aarti' has been performed. While normal people do a 'parikrama' of the temple anti-clockwise, the 'possessed' walk clockwise. Crowds chant, "Guru Maharaj ki jai" and families bring their ill members one-by-one. Amidst the chanting of mantras and sprinkling of holy water, the women become hysterical and flay about wildly before collapsing. Earlier, the priests would wield brooms during the rituals but that's a practice of the past.

Sunita, a Class IX student from Rampur village in Chhindwara district, is one of those believed to have benefited from this ritual. A relative of hers says, " One day, she suddenly fell unconscious and we were convinced she was possessed by an evil spirit. After a session of exorcism, she has started behaving normally."

Families of others too say their wards have got better. However, Rahul Sharma, a clinical psychologist from Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, says the psyche of those assembled at Malajpur can be termed as a "hysterical" and says that conventional treatments such as psychotherapy, sociotherapy and medicines can also cure this problem.

Such blind practices are being combated, says S R Azad, general secretary of MP Vigyan Sabha. "We often do awareness camps and communicate to the villagers through science. The government should discourage this kind of superstition where poor villagers are exploited."

That's easier said than done.

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Jallianwala Bagh massacre: David Cameron's apology that wasn't?

NEW DELHI: David Cameron's statement on the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, marking it as a "deeply shameful event" in British history but stopping short of a full apology, has not impressed historians.

Mushirul Hasan, directorgeneral of the National Archives, says, "The present generation is not necessarily responsible for mistakes of the past. By apologizing for what General Dyer did, Cameron has set a bad precedent. Now others will demand apologies for past acts of belligerence. There'll be no end to this. The past should be interpreted in that context, not outside it. Such an apology, which obviously has other motives, is not necessarily a good thing."

Writer William Dalrymple agrees for different reasons. "It's meaningless to apologize for what you have no control over. It makes sense if the Congress apologized for 1984, Modi for Gujarat, Blair for Iraq. It was actually a good move for Cameron not to apologize fully — that would've seemed very cynical when you've arrived with a trade delegation. But what Cameron can do is teach the British more about the empire. My children at school have learnt about Tudor England, the Nazis, wars in Europe, but nothing in comparison about the empire. The British are simply unaware of the empire's good — like the Indian civil service's integrity — or its bad, like the terrifying killings of 1858 in north India, compared to which Jallianwala Bagh was a sideshow. The British don't know enough about a period which was much longer and more radically important in its global effects than Nazi Germany."

Current efforts to revamp history-teaching aren't good enough, Dalrymple feels. "I believe Cameron's interested in getting Niall Ferguson on this. Niall's a thorough historian and a very clever and amusing gadfly — but he's also the most pro-empire voice in academia. We need more neutral efforts to educate the British, so they can squarely face the bad parts of this period."

Historian Dilip Simeon feels the British are not the only ones who should confront an unjust past. "The fact that it took nearly 100 years for a British PM to apologize is a commentary in itself," Simeon says. "But we're in no position to look down on the Brits. Countless Indians have been killed in communal riots but no one's ever passed a resolution of regret in Parliament. I take a dim view of British sentiments now but I also ask — how long will it take us?"

Jallianwala Bagh massacre: A timeline

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US supports India's constructive role in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: Asserting that the United States and India share a vision of a secure, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, the Obama administration has said it strongly supports the constructive role being played by New Delhi in the war-torn country's ongoing development.

During the just concluded trilateral dialogue involving India and Afghanistan in New Delhi on Tuesday, the US expressed particular appreciation for the former's leading role in developing regional trade and investment.

"The US side expressed particular appreciation for India's leading role in helping to advance opportunities for regional trade and investment - and noted our shared interest in advancing the New Silk Road vision of connectivity between South and Central Asia - with Afghanistan at its core," a State Department spokesperson said on the conclusion of the trilateral dialogue in New Delhi.

Officials from the three countries, the spokesperson said, held in-depth consultations on issues ranging from political and security spheres to trade, commerce and investment.

"The United States and India share a vision of a secure, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. We strongly support the constructive role that India plays in Afghanistan's ongoing development," he said.

The US delegation was led by the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake. The US delegation also included the deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Dan Feldman, for the trilateral dialogue.

This meeting follows the inaugural trilateral consultations held at the Afghan Mission in New York City on September 25, 2012.

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Hold panchayat polls as per existing quota: SC to Andhra Pradesh

NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the decks for elections to the panchayati raj (PR) institutions in the state and an upbeat chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy wants to hold the polls at the earliest. With state election commissioner P Ramakanth Reddy stating that his department is fully prepared, the PR polls, touted as an acid test for the chief minister as well as new entrant YS Jaganmohan Reddy, could be held as early as April this year.

In its judgment on Monday, the SC bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice J S Khehar directed the state to conduct the polls on the basis of the existing 60.5% reservation for BCs (34%), SCs (18.25%) and STs (8.25%). Following a petition challenging the quota as exceeding the limit fixed by the apex court, the AP High Court had directed the state to hold the PR polls by fixing 50% as upper limit of the quota for the BCs, SC-STs . Monday's decision of the Supreme Court was on the basis of an appeal filed by the state government against the HC order.

Kiran Kumar Reddy's optimism of the Congress putting up a good performance is based on the public assurance given by Union panchayat raj minister Kishore Chandra Deo in Delhi soon after the SC verdict on Monday that Rs 2,400 crore that was held up for the last two years for providing drinking water and sanitation in rural areas will be released as soon as the local bodies are in place. "Assured of the funds, the CM can sway the voters in Congress' favour by announcing several welfare schemes," averred political analysts.

The term of the panchayati raj institutions, namely 1,094 zilla parishad territorial constituency (ZPTC) members , 14,591 mandal parishad territorial constituency members (MPTC), and 21,843 sarpanches , ended in July 2011 and since then, they have been under the control of special officers in the absence of elected councils. The PR polls could not be held till now as the issue was pending in the court.

Confident that he will be flush with funds, the chief minister has directed the concerned departments to be ready for the polls at the earliest . "Jagan is in jail. Telangana is calm. The state government is politically stable. And summer is far away. All this should work in Congress favour ," said a senior Congress leader.

Deo promises to release blocked funds

Although the recently held primary agricultural cooperative societies polls were not party-based , the Congress has claimed that it won a majority. In fact, the Congress claims that candidates owing allegiance to it won the elections even in Telangana, much to the chagrin of TRS and other parties .

The PR polls will be party based and the opposition parties, including the YSR Congress, TDP, TRS, BJP, Left parties and Lok Satta welcomed the SC order and wanted the state to hold the local body elections immediately. Jagan is confident that the polls will prove that he has mass following, while the TDP believes that the elections will pave the way for its leader Chandrababu Naidu's return to power. Panchayat raj department officials said they would initiate the process of delimitation of the constituencies and fixing quota in a week. State election chief Ramakanth Reddy told the media in Delhi that the commission would launch its process once it receives the data from the government.

Welcoming the SC decision, Union panchayat raj minister Kishore Chandra Deo announced that he would release the amount withheld as per the Constitution. "We have withheld Rs 2400 crore in the past two years, meant for providing drinking water and sanitation for rural areas, as there were no local governing bodies. We will release the amount once the local bodies are in place," Deo told media in Delhi.

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British Prime Minister David Cameron on India trade trip amid graft scandal

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives in India on Monday to try to win new investment in the face of fierce global competition as a scandal engulfs an Anglo-Italian helicopter deal.

Making his second visit to India as prime minister, Cameron's trip comes days after a similar trade mission by French President Francois Hollande, underlining how Europe's debt-stricken states are competing to tap into one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

His delegation, which includes representatives of over 100 companies, cultural and educational bodies, is the biggest taken abroad by a British prime minister and includes four ministers and nine lawmakers.

However, the timing of Cameron's trip is not ideal. India said on Friday it wanted to cancel a $750 million deal for a dozen helicopters made by AgustaWestland, the Anglo-Italian subsidiary of Italy's Finmeccanica, over bribery claims.

That will not make Cameron's job of persuading India to buy more civil and military hardware easier, and Indian officials have told the local press they intend to press Cameron for "a fully fledged report" on what Britain knows about the scandal.

Britain has said it wants to wait until the end of the Italian investigation before commenting in full, but has given India an interim report on the subject.

At a time when Britain's government is struggling to get its economy growing, officials see India, projected to become the world's third largest economy by 2050, as a key strategic partner in what Cameron has called a "Global Race".

"I think Britain and India can be one of the great partnerships of the 21st Century," he told the Hindustan Times. "India is going to be one of the great success stories of this century - a rising power in the world. And I want Britain to be one of your partners as you grow and succeed."

He is expected to remind the Indian government that the Eurofighter jet - which is partly built in Britain - remains an attractive option if New Delhi decides to review a multi-billion dollar deal to buy 126 French-made Rafale fighters.

A British government source said on Friday that London had noted that Hollande had not finalised the Rafale fighter jet deal during his own trip and that London would be asking how the talks with the French were going.

Companies travelling with Cameron include BP, BAE Systems, De La Rue, Diageo, EADS UK, HSBC, JCB, Lloyd's, the London Stock Exchange, London Underground, Rolls-Royce and Standard Chartered. He is also taking 30 small and medium-sized firms.

Colonial past

Cameron's visit to India, a country that won independence from Britain in 1947 and whose colonial history remains a sensitive subject for many Indians, will take in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Cameron says the two countries enjoy a "special relationship", a term usually reserved for Britain's ties with the United States, but it is a relationship undergoing profound change. For now, Britain's economy is the sixth largest in the world and India's the 10th. But India is forecast to overtake its old colonial master in the decades ahead.

TATA group, an Indian company that owns car maker Jaguar Land Rover, is now Britain's biggest employer in the manufacturing sector and, in a nod to how the relationship is evolving, London will stop giving India foreign aid after 2015.

Cameron is expected to lobby India to open up its economy to foreign investment to allow retailers, such as Britain's Tesco , to open outlets there amid frustration that many of the sectors in which British business excels remain partly or fully closed to foreign investors.

India is forecast to spend $1 trillion in the next five years on infrastructure and Britain is hoping its firms may win some of those contracts.

Some British companies have run into problems in the past. Mobile phone operator Vodafone has repeatedly clashed with the Indian authorities over taxes and oil company Royal Dutch/Shell has asked the British government to raise a tax dispute it has with India during Cameron's visit.

Cameron's aim is to double trade between the two nations from 11.5 billion pounds in 2010, when he last visited, to 23 billion pounds in 2015. Officials say that goal remains on track.

He is expected to meet Manmohan Singh, his Indian counterpart, as well as President Pranab Mukherjee, and to announce a clutch of deals, including cooperation agreements to help India develop its city metro systems.

His office said those deals would create 500 British jobs and safeguard a further 2,000. British firms were also winning contracts in India, it said, saying the Intercontinental Hotel Group planned to build 13 new hotels in the next few years.

Another big trade mission in 2010 failed to yield the gains Cameron had hoped for.

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Malik aimed to boost his relevance at home, Pak?

NEW DELHI: The Indian security agencies suspect that JKLF chief Yasin Malik may have secretly met 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed during his stay in Pakistan, apart from sharing the dais with him at a protest in Islamabad. Even as his alleged one-on-one meeting with the LeT boss is kept carefully under wraps, Malik, intelligence officials say, ensured a photo opportunity alongside Saeed to "score" over moderate Hurriyat's "secret" meeting with him last December.

Till now sidelined in Kashmir's separatist politics and desperate to win over the support of Pakistani agencies, Malik possibly saw his appearance with Saeed as a last-ditch bid to boost his relevance at home and across the border.

The intelligence agencies have already rejected Malik's defence that his sharing the stage with Saeed was co-incidental. "I was on a hunger strike for 24 hours near Islamabad Press Club. Thousands of people came there including Hafiz Saeed, who came there for 15 minutes...where did the meeting take place?" the JKLF leader had argued after his public appearance with Saeed sparked an outrage here.

Agencies, however, feel Malik's photo-opportunity with the LeT boss was intentional. "It is virtually impossible for Malik to not have known the list of big leaders who he would be sharing the stage with, particularly those with a profile as daunting as Saeed's," an official pointed out.

"Considering the interest generated by moderate Hurriyat leaders' 'secret' meeting with Saeed in December, Malik possibly thought that a public appearance with the LeT founder in Islamabad would help him score over them. His real meeting with Saeed, however, may have happened away from the public eye to ensure deniability," the official added.

Saeed's active interest in Kashmir is public knowledge. In fact, at a recent rally in Lahore to mark the Kashmir solidarity day, the LeT founder and Jamaat ud Dawah boss urged India to "leave Kashmir", warning that Indian Army would be defeated and Kashmir would get independence. He pledged support to all Kashmiri leaders and hoped for their unity.

According to an intelligence assessment, Malik, who has lately been overshadowed by Kashmiri separatist leaders of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat like hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the moderate Hurriyat under Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, may have sensed an opportunity to bounce back to the centrestage just by being seen with Saeed. His fast in Islamabad against the hanging of Afzal Guru provided him the right setting to pull off the photo-opportunity.

Intelligence officials point out that just like leaders of the two Hurriyat factions, which are dependent on ideological and logistical support from Pakistan to further their campaign in the Valley, the JKLF leader too has shed his hardened pro-azaadi stand and is looking for support from across the border.

Though Malik may be questioned upon his return from Pakistan on his "encounter" with Saeed, the agencies believe there the Centre can do little beyond either revoking his passport or denying its extension beyond March 31, when it is due to expire anyway. "Arresting him will only help him play the victim," an official has warned.

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Vintage steam engine back on Shimla-Kalka heritage track

SHIMLA: The British era steam engine, KC-520, chugged on the Shimla-Kalka heritage track on Friday, after a gap of four years. The only narrow gauge steam engine, which dates back to 1903, KC-520 towed four chartered coaches, carrying around 25 passengers, mainly foreigners, successfully between Shimla and Kathlighat.

Railway officials at the Shimla railway station cordoned off the track when the engine set off on its journey around 11.40am. A member of the group from UK travelling in one of the coaches, Viam, told TOI, "It is wonderful to travel in the steam engine. It is certainly a momentous journey and weaving a magnificent image of steam spewing up while traversing through the verdant vales."

Sources said the steam engine was plying following a chartered booking by the UK group. The engine was sent to Amritsar in 2008 for repair works and brought back to Shimla on November 20. It ran a successful trial run on December 5, 2012. Information procured from the Baba Bhalku rail museum in Shimla reveals that the steam engine has been declared a heritage property by UNESCO and that it is the only one being run on the Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge. Technically, the engine's specialty is that it runs on a gradient of 1 in 33 around 3%, which is quite steep and a very difficult gradient compared to other hill tracks like that of Darjeeling.

This steam engine has been quite a hit with tourists, especially foreigners. This particular engine was run for the first time in 1905 and as compared to the diesel locos it requires repeated refilling of water. Before December 2012 it was last run on trial basis in November 2008 from Summer Hill to Shimla and thereafter taken to Amritsar. This engine was brought out of retirement from Saharanpur.

As per records, the KC-520 engine is said to be built by North British Locomotive Company for Rs 30,000 and was put out of service in 1971 after the advent of diesel locomotives. The KC-520 was again put into use in 2001 for small trips between Shimla and Kathlighat for foreign tourists, as well as high end tourists, besides persons of corporate sector and at a cost of around Rs 1.08 lakh for a short trip for 25 people, it became a popular attraction.

Aaron Kelly, a British tourist who travelled on the train, said: "The journey on this narrow-gauge rail line is always exhilarating, especially when a steam locomotive is used to draw the coaches."

Another tourist, Daniel Hall said travelling on a wheeled vehicle consisting of a coal-propelled engine "reminds me of the Raj heritage".

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They should answer if they can run a government, says Bengal governor

KOLKATA: Under pressure from an angry police force and a stung city, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reacted in haste and shunted police commissioner R K Pachnanda, making him the scapegoat for the political bungling over sub-inspector Tapas Chowdhury's death.

Surajit Kar Purakayastha was named the new police chief.

Pachnanda's removal triggered a stinging reaction from governor M K Narayanan, who said if the top cop's transfer had something to do with what happened in the last few days, "clearly, there is something that is wrong and we will have to look into it".

Asked if he would intervene, the governor said: "That you leave to me. We are a democracy, we have a government that was elected with a massive mandate. I presume they should answer whether they are capable of running a government or not. The governor cannot answer that, he can only act."

The abrupt transfer triggered severe resentment among police officers as well. Although it was Firhad Hakim - a powerful minister in Mamata's cabinet - who prevented the police from taking action in the case, Pachnanda was made the fall guy to save the image of the government, and Mamata herself.

In fact, it was Narayanan's tough talking earlier in the day that had forced Mamata to act. During a visit to the slain officer's residence in Thakurpukur, Narayanan said, "Law and order in the state needs to be restored immediately... No one has any business shielding the accused. Those named in the FIR should be arrested." It was a clear hint at Hakim's clean chit to aide Md Iqbal, whose bodyguard Suvan is suspected to be the shooter. Hakim had publicly said on Wednesday there was no need for further arrests. Narayanan minced no words. "Whoever has said so should not have made the remark," he said.

Hakim has got away clean - so far - in spite of accompanying Iqbal to the trouble spot just after the cop's murder. He had blatantly tried to pass the blame on Congress and even briefed the CM that way. Hakim was so brazen that leader of the opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra remarked that "the urban development minister is behaving like the home minister and the home minister (Mamata) acting like the tourism minister". Mamata was in Tekkhali the day of the murder and spent the next day in Digha.

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Terror groups in Pak vow to avenge Afzal

ISLAMABAD: In a show of strength in the Pakistani capital, several banned anti-India militant groups, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, on Wednesday vowed to take "revenge" for the execution of Afzal Guru and step up their "jihad" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Scores of members of the groups gathered at the National Press Club for a conference organized by the United Jihad Council to pay tribute to Guru, who was hanged in a Delhi jail on Saturday for his role in the 2001 terror attack on the Indian parliament.

Chanting anti-India slogans, leaders of the LeT, JeM, Al Badr Mujahideen, Jamiatul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the United Jihad Council made fiery speeches in which they pledged to continue their jihad in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India.

This was the first time in the past four years that the banned groups organized a public gathering in the Pakistani capital though they have held low-key meetings in Rawalpindi and Lahore that were opened to sections of the local media.

Senior JeM leader Mufti Asghar said his group would take revenge against the Indian government and security forces for Guru's hanging. "We know how to take revenge and we will take revenge," he said.

United Jihad Council chief Syed Salahuddin, who also heads the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, claimed in his address that Pakistan was silent on events in Kashmir and the hanging of Guru. The mujahideen leadership, Salahuddin claimed, believed that the Kashmir issue could be settled only by jihad as talks with India were a waste of time.

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Haryana Roadways staff stir may hit 3500 govt buses too

CHANDIGARH: The call for the roadways employees' strike may hit the government transport services in Haryana on Wednesday.

All Haryana Roadways Workers Joint Action Committee, an umbrella body of two trade unions, has given the call for the strike to press the workers' demand of regularization of contractual staff and stop the process of giving 3519 permits to private bus operators in Haryana.

A senior leader of the committee, Dalbir Kirmara told the TOI that the committee has appealed to roadways employees, including drivers and conductors of 3500 government buses to remain off the road on Wednesday.

However, the state government has urged the employees not to resort to strike claiming that government has already accepted most of their demands and the remaining were being examined.

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Kumbh stampede: Minister refutes callousness charge

NEW DELHI: The railways were caught off guard on Sunday after the Allahabad administration diverted a deluge of pilgrims towards the station complex which ultimately caused the stampede, sources said.

This happened all of a sudden as thousands of pilgrims poured in through the Civil Lines between 5pm and 6pm. It wasn't part of the plan shared with them and the railway authorities were stumped. In no time, the station complex was overflowing, platforms were packed, the foot overbridge and circulation area were teeming with jostling pilgrims.

A day after the stampede, a blame game began between the railways and the state government. The railways insisted they were kept in the dark on crowd management plans, but the administration blamed it on a lathicharge at the station. Railway minister Pawan Bansal, in Allahabad on Monday, strongly defended his department saying the stampede happened because of the rush and that all arrangements were in place. He denied a lathicharge triggered the panic.

Despite the railway effort to shift blame, one thing seems clear: It failed to estimate the likely crowd at the station. Not enough security men were at the station. Unlike CRPF, BSF and RAF, trained in crowd control, the Government Railway Police isn't . Allahabad can handle a maximum of 40,000 commuters at a time and it's now being asked why railway authorities allowed nearly 3lakh people to descend on its premises at a go. "Piligrims could have been diverted to smaller halts and informed about train movements over the public address system," Shiv Gopal Mishra, general secretary of the All India Railwaymen Federation said. Mishra was in Allahabad on Sunday.

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