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Friday 29 November 2013

NAXAL ATTACKS & TERROR ATTACKS LIKELY DURING ELECTIONS

देशभरातील पोलिस महासंचालक आणि पोलिस महानिरीक्षकांच्या तीन दिवसांच्या परिषदेच्या सांगता समारंभात, पंतप्रधानांनी असे आवाहन केले की, अतिरेकी, नक्षलवादी आणि सांप्रदायिक दंगलींकडे डोळ्यांत तेल घालून पहारा द्यावा, सतर्क राहावे. सोबतच येत्या लोकसभा निवडणुकीत अतिरेकी संघटना डोके वर काढून व्यत्यय निर्माण करण्याची शक्यता असल्याचे संकेत दिले. यासाठी त्यांनी इंटेलिजन्स ब्युरोकडे (आयबी) आलेल्या गुप्त माहितीचा हवाला दिला. पंतप्रधानांना हे माहीतच असेल की, आयबी आपले काम अतिशय चोखपणे बजावीत असते. तेव्हा आपण आणि आपले सरकार तेच काम परराष्ट्र पातळीवर चोखपणे बजावत आहोत की नाही, हेही पंतप्रधानांनी सांगितले असते, तर अधिक बरे झाले असते. एकतर कॉंग्रेसने स्वातंत्र्य मिळाल्यापासून परराष्ट्र धोरणाबाबत धरसोड भूमिका घेतल्यामुळे, भारताच्या प्रत्येकच शेजारी राष्ट्रासोबतचे संबंध अधिकच तणावाचे करून टाकले आहेत. अशा प्रतिकूल परिस्थितीत आयबीचे लोक गुप्त माहिती मिळविण्यासाठी किती कष्ट घेतात, याचे भान पंतप्रधानांना असेलच. पण, स्वत: सत्तारूढ पक्षच सीबीआय आणि आयबीचा वापर आपल्या राजकीय फायद्यासाठी करून घेत असेल, त्यांना आरोपींच्या पिंजर्‍यात उभे करीत असेल, तर ते मुक्तपणे आपले कर्तव्य कसे बजावणार, याचाही विचार पंतप्रधानांनी केला पाहिजे. गुजरातचे मुख्यमंत्री नरेेंद्र मोदी यांना बदनाम करण्यासाठी आधी सरकारने अनेक तपास यंत्रणांचा दुरुपयोग केला. नंतर तर त्यांनी आयबीवरच दबाव आणून ‘आम्ही सांगतो तसेच वागा,’ असा हुकूम दिला. हे कोणत्या नैतिकतेत बसते, हेही पंतप्रधानांनी देशभरातल्या सर्व पोलिसप्रमुखांना सांगितले असते, तर बरे झाले असते. केवळ गोड गोड बोलून आयबीची एकीकडे स्तुती करायची आणि दुसरीकडे गृहमंत्रालयाच्या, साध्या कॉन्स्टेबलची लायकी नसलेल्या मंत्र्यांनी त्यांच्यावर दबाव आणायचा, याला कुठेतरी आळा घालण्याची गरज आहे. तरच आयबीला मुक्त वातावरणात काम करणे सोयीचे होईल. आयबी आणि रॉ या दोन संघटना केवळ देशातच नव्हे, तर जगभरात भारताच्या संदर्भात काय घडामोडी सुरू आहेत, कोण विरोधात आहे, कोण बाजूने आहे, याची माहिती गोळा करीत असतात आणि ती सरकारला देत असतात. जर त्यांच्यावर अनावश्यक दबाव आणला आणि त्यांनी ‘वर्क टू रुल’चा अंगीकार केला तर काय होऊ शकते, याची कल्पना जरा करा. आयबीच्या प्रयत्नांमुळेच अलीकडे काही अतिरेक्यांना आम्ही पकडू शकलो, असा उल्लेख पंतप्रधानांनी आपल्या भाषणात केला. पंतप्रधानांनी हे लक्षात घेतले पाहिजे की, नेपाळच्या सीमेवरून अनेक पाकिस्तानी आणि बांगलादेशी अतिरेकी भारतात सहज प्रवेश करू शकतात. आयबी तर आपले काम करीतच आहे; पण भारताला धोकादायक ठरणार्‍या नेपाळसोबत व्हिसाचा करार भारत का करीत नाही? ही मागणी तर गुप्तचर संस्थांनीही केली आहे. मग त्यांच्या मागणीकडे लक्ष का दिले जात नाही? याचाही खुलासा डॉ. मनमोहनसिंग यांनी केला असता, तर अधिक बरे झाले असते. पण, आपण आपली जबाबदारी झटकायची आणि सारी दारोमदार सुरक्षायंत्रणांवर ढकलून द्यायची, हाच प्रकार गेली कित्येक वर्षे सुरू आहे. अशी कितीतरी उदाहरणे आहेत की, सरकार आणि गुप्तचर संघटना यांच्यात मुळीच समन्वय नाही, त्यांना पुरेशी संसाधने पुरविली जात नाहीत. पंतप्रधानांनी जरा अमेरिका आणि रशियापासून धडा घेतला पाहिजे. तेथे गुप्तचर संघटनांना पाण्यासारखा पैसा पुरविला जातो. प्रत्येक देशांत त्यांचे एजंट आहेत. त्यामुळे गुप्तचर संघटना किंवा अन्य देशांतर्गत आणि स्थानिक गुप्तवार्ता संघटनांना अधिक मजबूत करण्याची गरज आहे. प्रश्‍न राहिला निवडणुकांचा. सध्या छत्तीसगड विधानसभेच्या निवडणुकीसाठी मतदान झाले आहे. अन्य चार राज्यांचे मतदान अजून व्हायचे आहे. अशा स्थितीत केंद्र आणि राज्य सुरक्षादलांसोबत आयबीचा संबंध सातत्याने असायला हवा. बिहारमध्ये आयबीने अलर्ट देऊनही तेथे मोदींच्या सभेवर हल्ला करण्याचा कट रचण्यात आला. छत्तीसगडमध्ये धोक्याची सूचना देऊनही कॉंग्रेस नेत्यांनी नक्षलवादीबहुल भागातून मिरवणूक नेली आणि त्यात कॉंग्रेसच्याच प्रमुख नेत्यांना जीव गमवावा लागला. त्यामुळे आधी आपल्या पक्षातील लोकांनाही शिस्त लावण्याची गरज आहे. आज जसा कॉंग्रेस पक्ष मोदींना पाण्यात पाहत आहे, किंबहुना पाकिस्तानसह अन्य देशांना मोदींनी पंतप्रधान व्हावे, असे मुळीच वाटत नाही, त्यामुळे धोका दोन्ही बाजूंनी आहे. अशा वेळी मोदींना कडेकोट सुरक्षा प्रदान करणे, हे संबंधित राज्यांसह केंद्रीय गुप्तचर यंत्रणांचेही काम आहे. पंतप्रधानांनी मुजफ्फरनगर दंगलींचा उल्लेख करून, अलीकडे काही राज्यांमध्ये सांप्रदायिक दंगलींचे प्रमाण वाढल्याचे प्रमाणपत्र दिले. या दंगली का घडल्या, कुणी घडवून आणल्या, त्यात कुणाला बदनाम करण्याचा उद्देश होता, हेही जनतेसमोर स्पष्टपणे यायला हवे. पण, केवळ भाजपाला ठोकायचे आणि खर्‍या दंगेखोरांना संरक्षण द्यायचे, हे जर सरकारचे आणि गैरभाजपाशासित पक्षांचे धोरण असेल, तर तेथे सुरक्षादले काय करणार? त्यांना तर मुख्यमंत्री जसे सांगतील तसेच ऐकावे लागते. मुजफ्फरनगर दंगलीत अटक केलेल्यांना सोडून द्यावे, असा फोन आजम खान यांनी केला होता. पोलिसांच्या कामात हस्तक्षेप करण्याच्या आरोपाखाली आजम खान यांना अटक का झाली नाही? अशा अनेक प्रश्‍नांचा सुरक्षादलांना सतत सामना करावा लागतो. जर राज्य ऐकत नसेल, तर मग केंद्राने हस्तक्षेप का करू नये? केवळ सुरक्षादलांवर खापर फोडून काय उपयोग? छत्तीसगडमध्ये कॉंग्रेसच्या रॅलीवर हल्ला झाला, अनेक नेते मारले गेले. लागलीच नॅशनल इन्व्हेस्टिगेशन एजन्सी (एनआयए)ला पाचारण करण्यात आले. तपासात त्यांना, यात कॉंग्रेसच्या नेत्यांचाच हात होता, असे कळताच, एनआयएने पळ का काढला? एनआयएचा अहवाल जाहीर का करण्यात आला नाही, याचेही उत्तर पंतप्रधानांनी द्यायला हवे. छत्तीसगडमध्ये राज्य शासनाला न विचारता थेट केंद्राने हस्तक्षेप केला. मग मुजफ्फरनगर दंगलीचा तपास करण्यासाठी एनआयएला का पाठविले नाही? या दंगलीत कॉंग्रेसच्या नेत्यांचाही सहभाग होता म्हणून? एकीकडे ही दुतोंडी भूमिका घ्यायची आणि सुरक्षा व गुप्तचरयंत्रणांना डोस पाजायचे, हे काम आता कॉंग्रेसने बंद केले पाहिजे. भारतात लोकशाही आहे, हे कॉंग्रेसने कदापि विसरता कामा नये. सीबीआयचा ‘पोपट’ केल्याच्या प्रकरणात केंद्र सरकारची इज्जत तर गेलीच, सीबीआयचीही संपूर्ण देशात छी: थु: झाली. त्यामुळे सरकारने आधी आपले वर्तन सुधारण्याची गरज आहे. अतिरेक्यांपेक्षाही अधिक धोका देशाला नक्षलवादाचा आहे, असे विधान पंतप्रधानांनी अनेकदा केले आहे. पण, त्यावर ठोस उपाय ते करीत नाहीत, अशी सुरक्षादलांची खंत आहे. नक्षलग्रस्त भागात मलेरियाने जवानाचा मृत्यू होतो, यापेक्षा दुसरी लाजिरवाणी बाब नाही. जवानांच्याच सुरक्षेची जेथे व्यवस्था नाही, ते जनतेची सुरक्षा काय करणार? त्यांनाच जीव मुठीत धरून आधी आपली सुरक्षा करावी लागते आणि नंतर नक्षल्यांशी लढावे लागते. सरकारचे धोरण जर असेच उदासीनतेचे असेल, तर आपले जवान पूर्ण ताकदीने काम कसे करणार? आज १००-१५० नक्षलवाद्यांची टोळी कारागृहांवर हल्ला करते, सुरक्षारक्षकांना मारते आणि आपल्या साथीदारांना सोडवून नेते, एवढी हिंमत त्यांची होतेच कशी? आपल्या स्थानिक गुप्तवार्ता यंत्रणा काय करतात? छत्तीसगडमध्ये तर प्रत्येक गावात वेगवेगळी बोली बोलली जाते. जर एखाद्याने आपल्या बोलीत नक्षल्यांना संदेश जरी दिला, तरी जवळ असलेल्या पोलिसांना, तो काय बोलत आहे, हे कळत नाही. हा आहे आदिवासी भागाचा विकास! त्यांना वार्‍यावर सोडून दिल्यामुळेच आज ही स्थिती उद्भवली आहे. स्वातंत्र्य मिळून ६५ वर्षे लोटली. नक्षलवादाने अर्ध्या देशाला कवेत घेतल्यानंतरच सरकारची गाढ झोप उघडली. आता या स्थितीचा सामना करण्यासाठी सरकारने एकतर सामोपचाराने अन्यथा मोठ्या मोहिमा आखून त्यांना उत्तर दिले पाहिजे. तरच आदिवासी भागाचा विकास होऊ शकतो. केवळ सुरक्षादलांना फुकटचे सल्ले देऊन देशाची ही ज्वलंत समस्या सुटणार नाही

TARUN TEJPAL PROFESSIONAL GRAPH

[46NDA 55REG 39TECH 50463] Professional Graph Of Tarun Tejpal M Bala Nov 28 at 10:22 PMTo, On Thursday, 28 November 2013 9:41 PM, r s yadav wrote: India Today -28 Nov 13 Tarun Tejpal dropped out of college, though his official autobiography says that he is an economics graduate of Punjab University Chandigarh. In 1983, he got a job at the copydesk of The Indian Express, Chandigarh. In the mid-80s Tejpal relocated to Delhi where, after a short stint at a publication named India 2000, he joined the copy desk of India Today in 1988. He quickly rose to become the magazine's literary editor and even gained a reputation, at one time, of being Sir VS Naipaul's favourite literary editor. Tejpal left India Today in 1994 to join Prabhu Chawla, the former Indian Express editor, who had taken charge of the Financial Express. Tejpal joined as the features head. Though many wondered why he had left a leading news magazine to join a smaller newspaper Tejpal transformed FE's features section. It was during this time that he met Anirudha Bahal, the reporter with whom he would uncover several scams. Tarun Tejpal In 1995, when Chawla left the Financial Express to become the editor of India Today, Tejpal left to become the managing editor of Outlook which was launched by the Rahejas with Vinod Mehta as editor. Though Mehta has always described him as an excellent deputy, he's said to have left Outlook in 2000 in unhappy circumstances. While in Outlook, Tejpal, along with his brother Minty Tejpal, an ex-employee of the video newsmagazine Newstrack, produced and anchored literary shows for DD3, the shortlived Doordarshan channel. In 1997 he teamed up with photographer Sanjiv Saith to launch the publishing house India Ink. India Ink published Arundhati Roy's Man Booker Prize-winning debut novel, The God of Small Things. It was after The God of Small Things that Tejpal finally had enough money to become the web entrepreneur-editor that he often talked to colleagues about. In 2000, he left Outlook and started Tehelka along with Anirudha Bahal as an investigative news website. Tehelka first made a splash with a sting operation on former Test cricketer Manoj Prabhakar that exposed the betting racket in the game. Tehelka gained international acclaim with Operation Westend, the sting operation conducted in 2001 that exposed corruption and sleaze in the defence deals struck in Delhi. The most high profile victim of the sting was the then BJP president Bangaru Laxman who was caught on camera taking a bribe from Tehelka reporters posing as arms dealers. Tehelka.com was relaunched as a weekly newspaper in 2004 and in 2007 it was converted into a weekly news magazine. In 2008, Trinamool Congress MP and industrialist Kanwar Deep 'KD' Singh had invested heavily in Tehelka's holding company. With Singh's investment the group planned to launch an economic daily called Financial World in 2010. Dummy runs had started and the magazine had hired several people only for Singh to pull out of the venture 6 months later, citing a lack of funds. At the time that the rape scandal broke, Tejpal was in the process of setting up Prufrock, an 'elite intellectual club for select Indians'. He was also nominated to be a part of the Prasar Bharati Board though his nomination was withdrawn soon after the scandal

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: Tehelka business: Murky deals, profits for Tejpal ...

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: Tehelka business: Murky deals, profits for Tejpal ...: Tehelka business: Murky deals, profits for Tejpal family, Shoma by Raman Kirpal Nov 28, 2013 #attempted rape #Goa #investors #murky deals...

Tehelka business: Murky deals, profits for Tejpal family, Shoma

Tehelka business: Murky deals, profits for Tejpal family, Shoma by Raman Kirpal Nov 28, 2013 #attempted rape #Goa #investors #murky deals #neena Tejpal #sexual assault #Shoma Chaudhury #Tarun Tejpal #Tehelka #Think festival 0 inShare32259 CommentsEmailPrint As it becomes increasingly evident that the sexual assault charges against Tarun Tejpal will not be the only woes for the Tehelka management in coming days, it now appears that the Tejpal family and Tehelka’s managing editor Shoma Chaudhury made a killing through a series of doubtful transactions. They sold some of their shares in one of their companies at mind-boggling premiums to a nondescript company, pocketing large gains. Tehelka’s Tarun Tejpal and Shoma Chaudhury On one occasion, a share of Rs 10 was sold at a premium of Rs 13,189. And select founding members of Tehelka were quick to offload their own shares at this price, even when the net asset value of Tehelka’s company, Agni Media Private Limited (now Anant Media Private Limited), was negative. Meanwhile, those who worked with Tehelka during 2005-06 are clear that the institution was never in robust financial health. “Our salaries were delayed for two months,’’ recalls the then bureau chief of Tehelka, Hartosh Singh Bal. But around the same time, the personal fortunes of some of the shareholders was about to improve dramatically. Shareholders who benefited despite the miserable finances of Anant Media Pvt Ltd include the Tejpal family and Shoma Chaudhary, the managing editor who resigned yesterday (November 27). Other shareholders, like Ram Jethmalini (165 shares), Kapil Sibal (80 shares) and London-based entrepreneur Priyanka Gill (4,242 shares) are sitting on the periphery, their shares more or less dormant. Sibal told Firstpost: “I don’t even know that Tarun issued shares in my name. I had donated Rs 5 lakh to Tehelka in good faith, but I never filled any application for share allotments.’’ These 80 shares in Sibal’s name have existed on the books since 2005. And so do Ram Jethmalani’s shares. It is strange though that Kapil Sibal is not even aware that Tehelka shares have existed in his name since 2005. But he may be right that he gave the money as a ‘donation’ and not to buy shares. Before 2005, Tarun Tejpal had struck a chord with many celebrities while he sought donations. He is said to have collected Rs 2 crore with a donation of Rs 1 lakh each from Bollywood stars, including Aamir Khan and Nandita Das. They all contributed in good faith to see Tehelka emerge as an alternative media solely supported by like-minded people. This idea was shortlived. Many questionable deals began to surface through many nondescript and non-serious company investors. In this Tehelka story, there are mainly six investors – Fakhruddin Tahirbhai Khorakiwala, AK Gurtu Holding Pvt Ltd, Enlightened Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd, Weldon Polymers Pvt Ltd, Rajasthan Patrika Pvt Ltd and Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP K D Singh’s Royal Building and Infrastructure Private Limited. Barring Rajasthan Patrika and Khorakiwala, most of them registered huge losses and disappeared from the scene. Firstpost investigations reveal that many of these were ‘briefcase’ companies, used only for parking funds from unknown destinations. The same was invested in Anant Media Private Limited. The trend in Tehelka’s investors is that they exist for a couple of years and then disappear after registering losses. First, the beneficiaries: • Shoma Chaudhury was then Editor (Features). Anant Media had allocated 1,500 equity shares to her at a price of Rs 10 each. On 14 June 2006, she sold off 500 shares to AK Gurtu Holdings Private Ltd at a premium of Rs 13,189 per share, thus pocketing Rs 66 lakh (Rs 65,94,500 to be precise). In short, Shoma Chaudhary’s Rs 5,000 investment (a third of her full investment of Rs 15,000 in buying 1,500 shares) brought her Rs 66 lakh in less than three years. • Tarun Tejpal’s wife Geetan Batra sold off 2,000 equity shares to AK Gurtu at a premium of Rs 13,189, thus getting Rs 2.64 crore. • Tejpal’s brother Minty Kunwar sold 1,500 shares to AK Gurtu for nearly Rs 2 crore. • Tejpal’s father Inderjit Tejpal offloaded 1,000 shares to AK Gurtu for Rs 1.32 crore • Tejpal’s mother Shakuntla too sold 1,000 shares to the same company for Rs 1.32 crore • Tejpal’s sister and Tehelka’s COO Neena T Sharma sold 432 shares for Rs 57 lakh. Tarun Tejpal did not offload any of his shares. Rather he acquired 4,125 equity shares from two persons, Shankar Sharma and Devina Mehra, at Rs 10 per share on the same day – that is, 14 June 2006. Thus on the same day, Anant Media shares had two different prices – Rs 10 and Rs 13,189 per share! In fact, the new Finance Act 2012 prohibits private companies from issuing equity shares at more than their net asset value. This has been made a cognisable offence. The net asset value of Anant Media was negative at the time these transactions took place. Thus its share value is not even Rs 10, whereas it sold off equity shares at prices ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 13,000-plus a share. The only non-Tejpal family shareholder, who appears to have made huge money from Tehelka’s equity shares, is Mumbai-based businessman and Padmashree award winner Fakhruddin Shaikh Taherbhai Khorakiwala. In 2005, when Tehelka had done several exposes on Godhra, Khorakiwala came forward to rescue the magazine and invested Rs 4.65 crore in installments by buying 19,326 equity shares at a premium of Rs 2,409.35 a share. Anant Media’s balance-sheets reveal that Khorakiwala offloaded all his shares to AK Gurtu in 2006 at the premium of Rs 13,189 and pocketed Rs 25.49 crore. Khorakiwala passed away in 2011 at the age of 93, but sources close to the family claim he never got Rs 25 crore against his investment in Tehelka. In short, it was a donation. Firstpost emailed a detailed questionnaire to Tehelka COO Neena Tejpal Sharma and Shoma Chaudhury, but they did not respond. The investors’ companies, however, are a big mystery. Who owns A K Gurtu Holdings Private Limited, which invested Rs 40 crore in Tehelka in 2006 and just disappeared after a year? The name of AK Gurtu had prominently had figured in Tehelka magazine’s masthead, along with an undertaking from Tarun Tejpal that he had verified the antecedents of AK Gurtu before seeking its money. AK Gurtu Holdings, however, does not figure on the radar of Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Even a Google search throws out only one Arun Kumar Gurtu, Director of a Chennai-based Company called Marg, but he was never part of AK Gurtu Holdings. On Tehelka’s records, the office of AK Gurtu Holdings was initially located in 22 Jangpura A in New Delhi. Tejpal too resides in Jangpura. Later, Gurtu’s office shifted to 313, MJ Shopping Centre, 3 Vir Savarkar Block, Shakarpur, Delhi-110092. Firstpost checked both the addresses. AK Gurtu doesn’t exist at the places mentioned. AK Gurtu suddenly folded its investment in 2007 and its shares were transferred at a loss to two companies – Enlightened Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd and Weldon Polymers Ltd – at a premium of Rs 10,623. Strangely, Enlightened Consultancy has the same Shakarpur address that AK Gurtu Holding had! “Areas like Shakarpur and Rohini are ‘Mauritius’ for us these days. We red mark any investments coming from these areas. Investment companies operating in these areas are briefcase companies. They don’t do any manufacturing. They are just used as post offices to convert black into white money,” says a senior Income Tax officer. Two years later in 2009, even Enlightened Consultancy folded up its operations in Tehelka. Firstpost investigations reveal that Enlightened Consultancy registered huge losses from its Rs 17 crore investment in Tehelka and made an exit. The company’s balance-sheet reveals that Enlightened Consultancy is even funding Weldon Polymers Pvt Ltd, which in turn is making investments in Tehelka. Thus it is a maze of doubtful transactions through which Tehelka got huge sums even when its net asset value is zero and its accumulated losses run into tens of crores of rupees. In 2009, Rajasthan Patrika Pvt Ltd was lured in to invest Rs 1.75 crore in Tehelka. On 22 June 2009, Rajasthan Patrika bought Tehelka shares at a premium of Rs 4,493.35 per share, while another company bought the same share for Rs 10,623. Such discrepancies are rampant in investments made in Anant Media. The last saviour for Tehelka is Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP KD Singh. His company Royal Building and Infrastructure Private Limited (RBIPL) has invested nearly Rs 32 crore and has a 66 percent stake in the company. In fact, Anant Media Private Limited is now a ‘subsidiary’ company of RBIPL. Satish Mehta, Director of RBIPL, is Promoter and Director of Anant Media as well. KD Singh, who now owns Anant Media by virtue of his majority stake, says he will exit Anant Media. The Tejpal family has less than 22 percent stake. Singh’s exit means certain death for Tehelka. (The author is a former Tehelka journalist who worked with the organisation till mid-2011.)

INDIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME & SUICIDES BY INDIAN SCIENTISTS

Indian nuclear scientists haven't had an easy time of it over the past decade. Not only has the scientific community been plagued by "suicides," unexplained deaths, and sabotage, but those incidents have gone mostly underreported in the country—diluting public interest and leaving the cases quickly cast off by police. Last month, two high-ranking engineers—KK Josh and Abhish Shivam—on India's first nuclear-powered submarine were found on railway tracks by workers. They were pulled from the line before a train could crush them, but were already dead. No marks were found on the bodies, so it was clear they hadn't been hit by a moving train, and reports allege they were poisoned elsewhere before being placed on the tracks to make the deaths look either accidental or like a suicide. The media and the Ministry of Defence, however, described the incident as a routine accident and didn't investigate any further. This is the latest in a long list of suspicious deaths. When nuclear scientist Lokanathan Mahalingam's body turned up in June of 2009, it was palmed off as a suicide and largely ignored by the Indian media. However, Pakistani outlets, perhaps unsurprisingly, given relations between the two countries, kept the story going, noting how quick authorities were to label the death a suicide considering no note was left. Five years earlier, in the same forest where Mahalingham's body was eventually discovered, an armed group with sophisticated weaponry allegedly tried to abduct an official from India's Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC). He, however, managed to escape. Another NPC employee, Ravi Mule, had been murdered weeks before, with police failing to "make any headway" into his case and effectively leaving his family to investigate the crime. A couple of years later, in April of 2011, when the body of former scientist Uma Rao was found, investigators ruled the death as suicide, but family members contested the verdict, saying there had been no signs that Rao was suicidal. Trombay, the site of India's first atomic reactor. (Photo via) This seems to be a recurring theme with deaths in the community. Madhav Nalapat, one of the few journalists in India giving the cases any real attention, has been in close contact with the families of the recently deceased scientists left on the train tracks. "There was absolutely no kind of depression or any family problems that would lead to suicide," he told me over the phone. If the deaths of those in the community aren't classed as suicide, they're generally labeled as "unexplained." A good example is the case of M Iyer, who was found with internal haemorrhaging to his skull—possibly the result of a "kinky experiment," according to a police officer. After a preliminary look-in, the police couldn't work out how Iyer had suffered internal injuries while not displaying any cuts or bruises, and investigations fizzled out. This label is essentially admission of defeat on the police force's part. Once the "unexplained" rubber stamp has been approved, government bodies don't tend to task the authorities with investigating further. This may be a necessity due to the stark lack of evidence available at the scene of the deaths—a feature that some suggest could indicate the work of professional killers—but if this is the case, why not bring in better trained detectives to investigate the cases? A spate of deaths in the nuclear scientific community would create a media storm and highly publicised police investigation in other countries, so why not India? This inertia has led to great public dissatisfaction with the Indian police. "[The police] say it's an unsolved murder, that's all. Why doesn't it go higher? Perhaps to a specialist investigations unit?" Madhav asked. "These people were working on the submarine program, creating a reactor, and have either 'committed suicide' or been murdered. It's astonishing that this hasn't been seen as suspicious." Perhaps, I suggested, this series of deaths is just the latest chapter in a long campaign aiming to derail India's nuclear and technological capabilities. Madhav agreed, "There is a clear pattern of this type of activity going on," he said. INS Sindhurakshak (Photo via) The explosions that sunk INS Sindhurakshak – a submarine docked in Mumbai – in August of this year could have been deliberate, according to unnamed intelligence sources. And some have alleged that the CIA was behind the sabotage of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Of course, the deaths have caused fear and tension among those currently working on India's various nuclear projects. "[Whistleblowers] are getting scared of being involved in the nuclear industry in India," Madhav relayed to me. Their "families are getting very nervous about this" and "many of them leave for foreign countries and get other jobs." There are parallels here with the numerous attacks on the Iranian nuclear scientist community. Five people associated with the country's nuclear programme have been targeted in the same way: men on motorcycles sticking magnetic bombs on to their cars and detonating them as they drive off. However, the Iranian government are incredibly vocal in condemning these acts—blaming the US and Israel—and at least give the appearance that they are actively investigating. The same cannot be said for the Indian government. "India is not making any noise about the whole thing," Madhav explained. "People have just accepted the police version, [which describes these incidents] as normal kinds of death." If the deaths do, in fact, turn out to be premeditated murders, deciding who's responsible is pure speculation at this point. Two authors have alleged that the US have dabbled in sabotaging the country's technological efforts in the past; China is in a constant soft-power battle with India; and the volatile relationship with Pakistan makes the country a prime suspect. "It could be any of them," Madhav said. But the most pressing issue isn't who might be behind the murders, but that the Indian government's apathy is potentially putting their high-value staff at even greater risk. Currently, these scientists, who are crucial to the development of India's nuclear programes, whether for energy or security, have "absolutely no protection at all. Nothing, zero," Madhav told me. "Which is amazing for people who are in a such a sensitive program

Monday 25 November 2013

INTERESTING ARTICLE ON IMDIAN MEDIA MUST READ

IS IT TRUE............................... Shocking but true...... Who owns the media in India ?......? INTERESTING ARTICLE ON OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA .....ONE MUST READ Let us see the ownership of different media agencies. NDTV: A very popular TV news media is funded by Gospels of Charity in Spain Supports Communism. Recently it has developed a soft corner towards Pakistan because Pakistan President has allowed only this channel to be aired in Pakistan . Indian CEO Prannoy Roy is co-brother of Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist party of India . His wife and Brinda Karat are sisters. IndiaToday: Which used to be the only national weekly which supported BJP is now bought by NDTV!! Since then the tone has changed drastically and turned into Hindu bashing. CNN-IBN: This is 100 percent funded by Southern Baptist Church with its branches in all over the world with HQ in US.. The Church annually allocates $800 million for promotion of its channel. Its Indian head is Rajdeep Sardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghosh. Times group list: Times Of India, Mid-Day, Nav-Bharth Times, Stardust, Femina, Vijay Times, Vijaya Karnataka, Times now (24- hour news channel) and many more... Times Group is owned by Bennet & Coleman. 'World Christian Council' does 80 percent of the Funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally share balance 20 percent. The Italian Robertio Mindo is a close relative of Sonia Gandhi. Star TV: It is run by an Australian, who is supported by St. Peters Pontifical Church Melbourne. HindustanTimes: Owned by Birla Group, but hands have changed since Shobana Bhartiya took over. Presently it is working in Collaboration with Times Group. The Hindu: English daily, started over 125 years has been recently taken over by Joshua Society, Berne , Switzerland .. N. Ram's wife is a Swiss national. Indian Express: Divided into two groups. The Indian Express and new Indian Express (southern edition) ACTS Christian Ministries have major stake in the Indian Express and latter is still with the Indian counterpart. Eeenadu: Still to date controlled by an Indian named Ramoji Rao. Ramoji Rao is connected with film industry and owns a huge studio in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Jyothi: The Muslim party of Hyderabad known as MIM along with a Congress Minister has purchased this Telugu daily very recently. The Statesman: It is controlled by Communist Party of India. Kairali TV: It is controlled by Communist party of India (Marxist) Mathrubhoomi: Leaders of Muslim League and Communist leaders have major investment. Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle: It is owned by a Saudi Arabian Company with its chief Editor M.J. Akbar. Gujarat riots which took place in 2002 where Hindus were burnt alive, Rajdeep Sardesai and Bharkha Dutt working for NDTV at that time got around 5 Million Dollars from Saudi Arabia to cover only Muslim victims, which they did very faithfully... Not a single Hindu family was interviewed or shown on TV whose near and dear ones had been burnt alive in Godra, it is reported. Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka.comregularly gets blank cheques from Arab countries to target BJP and Hindus only, it is said. The ownership explains the control of media in India by foreigners. The result is obvious. DON'T FORGET TO SHARE, LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN TO EVERYONE He is Kapil Sibbal's Bhanja - and that is a FACT. Who is Tarun Tejpal ? Tarun is son of Punjab congress committee member and MLA of Punjab congress. A high profile extortionist. His mother is real sister of Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Law.... Can we all believe that justice will be given to that Jr Journalist... No Media and news channel will show this... Only You can forward this... When will this stop... wake wake up...

ARE WE PREPARED FOR ANOTHER 26 11 PART 1

सागरी सुरक्षेबद्दल निष्काळजी राहणे आपल्याला परवडेल का?भाग १ ऐतिहासिक काळापासूनच महाराष्ट्राची किनारपट्टी विशेष सुरक्षित नाही. शस्त्रे, दारूगोळ्याची तस्करी व अतिरेक्यांची घुसखोरी किनारपट्टीवरून सुरू असते आणि हे प्रकार रोखावयाचे कोणी? नौदल, तटरक्षक दल, पोलिस आणि गुप्तचर संघटना एकमेकांवर जबाबदारी ढकलण्यात मग्न असतात. महाराष्ट्राला ७2० किलोमीटरची किनारपट्टी लाभली आहे. या किनारपट्टीवर १ मोठी आणि ८ छोटी बंदरे आहेत. नौदल, तटरक्षक दल आणि सागरी पोलिसांसारखी दले संभ्रमाच्या स्थितीत काम करत आहेत. गुप्तचर विभागही पुरेसा सक्षम नाही.(२०१३ मध्ये समुद्रामार्गे हल्ला होऊ शकतो असे गुप्तहेर खात्याने २०० हुन जास्त वेळा सांगीतले ) कशाचे गांभीर्य नसलेले राजकीय नेते, स्वतःतच मशगुल असलेली नोकरशाही, किनारपट्टीच्या रक्षणासाठी अयोग्य नौका वापरणारे नौदल आणि नौका आणि सागरी सैनिक कमी असणारे तटरक्षक दल अशी सध्याची स्थिती आहे. गलथानपणाचा कळस म्हणजे मुंबईवर पाकप्रशिक्षित दहशतवाद्यांनी केलेल्या हल्ल्याच्या घटनेला ५ वर्षे पूर्ण झाली. मुंबईकर आणि संपूर्ण भारतवासियांना झालेल्या या कटू घटनेच्या जखमा आजही भळभळत आहेत. मुंबई आणि देशातील इतर महानगरांच्या सुरक्षेचा मुद्दा वारंवार चर्चिला जातोघडल्या घटनेतून बोध घेऊन सरकार नावाच्या यंत्रणेने कारभार सुधारावा, अशी जनतेची अपेक्षा असते. आपण आपल्याच देशात खरोखर सुरक्षित आहोत का? आपण काही शहाणपणा शिकणार आहोत का? २६ नोव्हेंबर २००८ ला मुंबईवर भयंकर हल्ला झाला. केवळ १० अतिरेक्यांनी सगळी मुंबईची सुरक्षा यंत्रणा ४ दिवस वेठीला धरली. यासाठी लागणारा सगळा दारूगोळा आणि अत्याधुनिक संपर्क साधनं घेवून ते समुद्रमार्गानी मुंबईत शिरले. त्यानंतरच्या काळात प्रत्येक सुरक्षा अधिकारी आणि संबंधित किंवा मंत्री आपल्याला जोरदार भाषण देवून सांगत होते, की आता मुंबई आणि पश्चिम किनारपट्टीच्या रक्षणाची पुरेपूर काळजी घेतली जाईल, त्यासाठी पैसा कमी पडू दिला जाणार नाही, वगैरे वगैरे.त्या हल्ल्यानंतर आपण मुंबईच्या किनारपट्टीवर काय काय बघितलं? २३ मार्च २०१०: तट रक्षक दलाचे विवेक नावाचे जहाज इंदिरा गोदीत दुरुस्तीसाठी उभं असताना त्याच्यावर ग्लोबल प्युरीटी नावाचे मालवाहू जहाज आपटल्यामुळे उलटलं, आणि तळाला गेलं. दुरुस्तीच्या काळात याच्या रक्षणाची जबाबदारी कोणाची, तसच इंदिरा गोदीत असे अपघात होवू नयेत, हे कोण पाहणार, हे प्रश्न अजूनही अनुत्तरीत आहेत. १० ऑगस्ट २०१०: खालेजा आणि चित्रा नावाच्या २ मालवाहू जहाजांची मुंबई बंदरालागत ५ किलोमीटरवर टक्कर झाली, आणि जहाजातून समुद्रात कोसळलेल्या कंटेनर्सच्या भितीनी मुंबई बंदर काही काळ बंद ठेवावं लागलं. जवळजवळ ४०० टन खनिज तेल समुद्रात सांडले. मुंबईचे किनाऱ्यांचे, पर्यावरणाच्चे नुकसान थांबवता आलं नाही. मच्छीमार अनेक दिवस मासेमारी करू शकले नाहीत. ३१ ऑगस्ट २०१०: डॉल्फीन, आणि नंद हजारा या जहाजांची इंदिरा डॉक मध्ये टक्कर झाली. चौकशीमध्ये स्पष्ट झालं, की गोदीतल्या जहाजांचे वाहतूक नियंत्रण करण्याची जबाबदारी ज्यांच्याकडे आहे, त्यांचे प्रशिक्षण पुरेसे नाही. ३० जानेवारी २०११: नोर्दीक्लेक नावाचे मालवाहू जहाज, भारतीय नौदलाच्या विंध्यगिरी नावाच्या (फ्रिगेट श्रेणीच्या, विमानवाहू ) लढाऊ जहाजावर समोरासमोर आदळलं. आश्चर्य असं, की लढाईत मोठ नुकसान सहन करूनही लढत राहण्यासाठी बांधलेल्या विन्ध्यगीरीच्या इंजिनाला आग लागली. ती विझवण्याच्या प्रयत्नात बोटीत इतकं पाणी शिरलं, की हे लढाऊ जहाज चक्क बुडाले!. Vessel Traffic Management System नावाची अत्याधुनिक यंत्रणा दोन्ही जहाजांवर असूनही हा अपघात झालाच. माझगाव गोदीत १९८१मध्ये ७१ कोटी रुपये खर्चून उभारलेलं हे जहाज ५ महिन्यांच्या प्रयत्नानंतर बाहेर काढले. सगळ्या यंत्रणा अजुन पण कुचकामी या सगळ्या अपघातांपेक्षा जास्त गंभीर प्रकरण आहे, ते बांद्र्याच्या किनाऱ्यासमोर रुतलेल्या MV Wisdom नामक जहाजाचे.हे कुठून आणि कसे आले? ? हे थेट किनाऱ्याशी भिडेपर्यंत कोणालाच कळलं नाही, की कोणालाच थांबवता आलं नाही? जर हे बांद्रा सी लिंकला धडकले असते तर? सागरी सुरक्षेची ‘डोळ्यात तेल घालून’ काळजी घेणाऱ्या सगळ्या यंत्रणा कुचकामी होत्या, की त्यांना काही सूचना मिळाल्या होत्या? मागच्या वेळेला अतिरेक्यांनी एक मच्छीमार नौका ताब्यात घेतली, आणि केवळ पाठीवर उचलून आणता येईल इतकेच समान त्यांना घेवून येत आले. या ६००० टन क्षमतेच्या जहाजातून काय काय आणता आलं असतं? बंदुका, दारूगोळा, लष्करी ट्रक्स, की एखादा लहानसा अणुबॉम्ब? किती माणस येऊ शकली असती? हे जहाज बॉम्बे हाय परिसरात, तेल विहिरीवर किंवा तेलवाहू जहाजावर आपटलं असतं तर? काही नौकानयन तज्ञांचे मते , दोर तुटल्याची कथा ही चुकीची आहे. भरतीची वेळ, वाऱ्याचा वेग, सागरी प्रवाह, याचं गणित मांडून बांद्रा सी लिंक वर आपटेल, अशा बेतानी हे जहाज मुद्दाम योग्य जागी आणून सोडून दिले. आणि केवळ नशिबानी, वाऱ्याची दिशा थोडी बदलल्यामुळे, तिथून ३-४ किलोमीटर दूर येऊन रुतले. पण लिंकवर आपटले असते तर? १६,००० कोटी रुपये पाण्यात गेले असते.. वीजडम् आणि सीबल्क प्लोव्हर, या दोन्ही जहाजांवर Automatic Identification System होती का? ती चालू होती का?समुद्र प्रवासास अयोग्य जहाजांना भारताच्या सागरी हद्दीत प्रवेश करतांना भारताची परवानगी घेणे आवश्यक आहे, आणि अशा जहाजांना परवानगी नाकारण्याचा, किंवा योग्य अटींवरच प्रवेश देण्याचा पूर्ण अधिकार, आंतरराष्ट्रीय संकेतानुसार, भारताला आहे. अशी परवानगी मागितली होती का? दिली होती का? काय अटींवर?असे धोकेदायक, आणि स्वत:ची ओळख लपवलेले जहाज सागरी हद्दीतून १,५०० किलोमीटर प्रवास करेपर्यंत सुरक्षा व्यवस्थेच्या नजरेला पडले नाही ? अशा ‘टग – टो’ प्रवासासाठी सागरी वाहतूक विभागाच्या महानिर्देशाकांनी १९७४ साली एक नियमावली लागू केली होती. या प्रकरणात तिची पूर्ण अंमलबजावणी झाली का? गेल्या ३६ वर्षांत जगात, विशेषत: संपर्क साधने आणि अतिरेकी कारवाया या २ संदर्भात जे फरक पडले, त्यानुसार या नियमात काही बदल करावेसे वाटले नाही का? मुंबईच्या डॉकयार्डमध्ये उभ्या असलेल्या आयएनएस सिंधुरक्षक पाणबुडीत मध्यरात्री तीन भयंकर स्फोट होऊन आगीचे तांडव घडले. या भीषण दुर्घटनेत पाणबुडीला समुद्रात जलसमाधी मिळाली. पाणबुडीवर असलेले नौदलाचे तीन अधिकारी व १५ जवानांचा मृत्यू झाला. स्वातंत्र्यदिनाच्या पूर्वसंध्येला नौदलाच्या इतिहासात ही भयंकर दुर्घटना घडली. महाराष्ट्राचा समुद्र सुरक्षेविना महाराष्ट्राच्या सागरी सुरक्षा व्यवस्थेची अवस्था आज ‘रस्त्यावर नाकाबंदी आणि समुद्राची ‘खुली’ तटबंदी’, अशी झाल्याचे चित्र समोर आले आहे. समुद्रावर दिवसाला फक्त एक तास गस्त घातली जात असल्यामुळे उर्वरित २३ तास राज्याचा समुद्र सुरक्षेविना खुला पडला आहे आणि याचमुळे १९९३ साली मुंबईवर झालेल्या बॉम्बहल्ल्यासाठी कोकणातून खुलेआम आरडीएक्स येऊ शकले. ठाणे ते सिंधुदुर्गापर्यंत पसरलेल्या राज्याच्या ७२० कि.मी.च्या किनार्याेची सुरक्षा आजघडीला ऐरणीवर आहे.स्पीड बोटीने समुद्रावर गस्त घालण्यासाठी तासाला १०० लिटर पेट्रोल लागते. मात्र आठवड्याला ६०० लिटर पेट्रोल मिळत असल्यामुळे दर दिवसाला फक्त एकच तास गस्त घालण्याचे आदेश पोलीस विभागाकडून देण्यात आले आहेत. याचा अर्थ उर्वरित २३ तास समुद्र खुला पडला असून यामार्गे कधीही दहशतवादी समुद्रात घुसू शकतात हे वास्तव आहे. अर्थात मुख्य कारण आर्थिक आहे. संशयित वाहनांची / माणसांची तपासणी करण्याचीही यंत्रणा उपलब्ध नाही समुद्रकिनार्याीवरून येणार्या संशयित वाहनांची तसेच माणसांची तपासणी करण्याचीही यंत्रणा आजही उपलब्ध नाही. सिंधुदुर्गात बांदा, पत्रादेवी तसेच तेरेखोल, किरणपाणीमार्गे पोलीस चौक्या या फक्त चोरटी दारू वाहतूक पकडण्यासाठीच आहेत की काय, अशी परिस्थिती आहे. तेथील पोलिसांकडे दहशतवाद्यांशी मुकाबला करण्यासाठी अत्याधुनिक शस्त्रांऐवजी फक्त काठ्या आहेत. हीच परिस्थिती रत्नागिरी व ठाण्याचीही. ठाण्यात उत्तन, अर्नाळा, केळवा या ठिकाणी ३ सागरी पोलीस स्टेशन व १८३ कर्मचार्याची गरज आहे. ठाणे परिसरात काही ठिकाणी बोटी आहेत, पण जेटी नाहीत. काही जागांवर बोटी असल्या तरी प्रशिक्षित कर्मचारी नाहीत. ‘२६/११’ ला कसाब व त्याचे सहकारी कुलाब्यावरून मुंबईत घुसले ते समुद्रमार्गेच!त्यावेळीही सागरी सुरक्षेत किती भगदाडे आहेत, हे स्पष्ट झाले होते. आधुनिक गस्ती नौकांचा, प्रशिक्षित मनुष्यबळाचा, जीपीएस ट्रॅकिंगसारख्या आधुनिक यंत्रणेचा, इतकेच काय असलेल्या गस्ती नौकांसाठीही इंधनाचा अभाव ही किनारी सुरक्षा यंत्रणेची दुखणी कायम आहेत. सरकारांना कुंभकर्णी झोपेतून जाग आली नाही, तर सत्तेवर राहण्यास ते पात्र नाहीत, असेच म्हणावे लागेल. मुंबईवरील दहशतवादी हल्ल्यानंतर या महानगराची सागरी सुरक्षा कडेकोट केली जाईल, अशी आश्वासने देण्यात आली खरी; मात्र हल्ल्याला ५ वर्षे उलटून गेल्यानंतरही ही सुरक्षा दैवाच्याच हवाली असल्याचे दिसत आहे.२६/११नंतर कफ परेड, राजभवन अशा 'व्हीआयपी' किनारपट्टीवरच सुरक्षा आहे. व्हीआयपी किनारपट्टी वगळता इतर ठिकाणी सुरक्षेच्या नावाने आनंदच आहे.सामन्य जनतेची सुरक्षा वार्यावर आहे.

NARESHCHANDRA COMMITTEE REPORT INEFFICIENT INCOMPETANT BUREAUCRACY & MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/national-security-naresh-chandra-gom-manmohan-singh-cabinet-committee-on-security-ministry-of-defence-chandra-committee-iaf-army/1/325970.html Shutting his ears to changeManoj JoshiNovember 22, 2013New Delhi In July 2011, the government of India set up a task force to examine the processes and procedures related to national security in India and come up with recommendations to fix the problems and plug any gaps that emerged. Chaired by former Cabinet Secretary Naresh Chandra, the task force's aim was to deepen the reforms in the national security system begun by the group of ministers (GOM) in 2001.In May 2012, the committee submitted its report to prime minister Manmohan Singh who turned it over to the National Security Council Secretariat for processing its recommendations and presenting them to the Cabinet Committee on Security. This writer was a member of the task force, but has had little or no official information on its status since then. But the bureaucratic grapevine suggests that the report is on its way to meet the fate of other similar endeavours: get shelved. PowerThe reason for this is plain: The Ministry of Defence thinks there is no need for change, leave alone, horror of horrors, an overhaul. At first sight this may appear to be counter-intuitive, after all the sorry state of our defence modernisation is an open secret. Last year, the serving Chief of Army Staff wrote a letter to the Prime Minister pointing to shortages of vital equipment. The Air Force chief regularly bemoans the declining numbers of his combat force and the delays in the Navy's submarine and shipbuilding programmes are no secret.The goal of the civilian part of the ministry appears to be singularly focused on how to retain its power and privileges. For this reason, the only public information of the Chandra Committee recommendations came through a leak of a portion of the report by the MoD itself. Their grouse, according to the media leaks, was apparent - they did not want changes in the way the system is run. Inefficient, incompetent, and wasteful, yes, but the command ought to rest firmly in the inexpert hands of the IAS fraternity. The Chandra Committee, on the other hand, was suggesting reforms - first of the manner in which the armed forces were run, and secondly, of how the ministry itself was functioning. In the case of the armed forces, following the GOM report of 2001, the committee suggested a chief of defence staff (CDS) like figure, a permanent chairman to the chiefs of staff committee, to promote integrated planning and organisations in the armed forces, as well as an expert defence bureaucracy to staff the MoD by cross-posting military officers to key bureaucratic positions.These were minimalist suggestions, but vital. Most armed forces in the world operate on an integrated principle where planning and execution of combat operations is done through joint planning and command. That is why the GOM of 2001 recommended the beginnings of tri-service organisations and a CDS to head them. The need for joint planning is crucial given the exponential rise in the cost of weapons systems. Currently, each service puts up its own demands and the Ministry of Defence has little or no expertise to prioritise them. The Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) or five year defence plans have little integrity.Take for example the case of the Mountain Strike Corps which has been approved by the government recently. It will require capital expenditure of Rs. 90,000 crore (plus another Rs. 30,000 crore for ancillary units), yet it does not figure in the 2012-2027 LTIPP which was approved with great fanfare last year. To get a perspective on this, consider that in the period 2009-10 to 2013-14, which includes the period of high economic growth the country spent something like Rs. 300,000 crore in capital acquisitions. PriorityThe Army, of course, is not the only claimant here. The really capital intensive services are the Air Force and the Navy whose need for modernisation is dire. India needs new combat jets, submarines, ships, transport aircraft, artillery guns, helicopters and a host of other equipment in the next ten years. But what should be the priority? At present, there is simply no machinery to do this since each service feels its needs are the most important and the MoD lacks any expertise to pronounce on the issue. But the MoD does not want another senior military figure because they think that the Defence Secretary and his IAS colleagues will be somehow diminished. Well, considering the current state of India's defence setup, they ought to have already been indicted for gross incompetence. ResistanceIn view of this, the National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon had pushed for the setting up of the Naresh Chandra Committee. Another group headed by Ravindra Gupta, was simultaneously asked to look at the issue of defence manufacturing and indigenisation. But after the committees, comprised mostly of former government and military officials, had done their work they find that there are no takers within the government for their advice. But that should not surprise. Bureaucratic resistance to reform is a given whenever there is talk of reform. What does surprise, however, is the spinelessness of the UPA II ministers who tamely allowed their bureaucrats to manipulate them into a paralysis. As long as P Chidambaram was there, the Home Ministry was supportive of reform, but with Sushilkumar Shinde at the helm, the do-nothing school prevails. As for the Defence Ministry, the less said the better. AK Antony is happiest when he does not have to take any decisions whatsoever. This clearly suits his bureaucrats who have so far successfully blocked the passage of the Naresh Chandra Committee report to the Cabinet Committee on Security. Whether the CCS itself has the political gumption to tell the babus where to get off or not, remains to be seen if and when the report reaches them. But going by the record of the UPA II, there is not much hope. As for the PM, he has now given up on his political colleagues and is totally dependent on bureaucratic advice. It is not too difficult to guess what that advice is: Do nothing, there's nothing broke and there is nothing that needs fixing.The problem is that not that the national security system is not broke, but that it is rapidly hollowing out from within

Sunday 24 November 2013

HORRIFYING DETAILS OF TARUN TEJPAL ACTIVITIES

http://divyamarathi.bhaskar.com/article-ht/NAT-DEL-horrifying-and-gory-details-of-tarun-tejpals-act-4442353-PHO.html?seq=6

Saturday 23 November 2013

SEPAI MAHESH DHYGUDE MARTYERED IN KASHMIR

अतिरेक्यांशी झालेल्या चकमकीत पाडळीचा जवान शहीद ऐक्य समूह Wednesday, November 20, 2013 AT 11:10 AM (IST) Tags: mn2 खंडाळा तालुक्यातील चौथा जवान धारातीर्थी लोणंद, दि. 19 : जम्मू-काश्मीर येथील सांबा सेक्टरमध्ये अतिरेक्यांशी झालेल्या चकमकीत मराठा बटालियन, 856 राष्ट्रीय रायफलमधील महेश व्यंकटराव धायगुडे (वय 23, रा.पाडळी,ता.खंडाळा) हा जवान सोमवारी रात्री शहीद झाला. देशाच्या सीमेच्या रक्षणासाठी शहीद झालेला महेश धायगुडे हा खंडाळा तालुक्यातील चौथा जवान आहे. महेश धायगुडे शहीद झाल्याची वार्ता समजताच पाडळी पंचक्रोशीसह संपूर्ण खंडाळा तालुक्यावर शोककळा पसरली आहे. पाडळी या लोणंदपासून 10 कि.मी. अंतरावर असलेल्या गावामध्ये शहीद जवान महेश धायगुडे याचे घर व कुटुंबीय असून सांबा सेक्टर, जम्मू कश्मीर येथे सीमा रक्षणात कार्यरत असलेला महेश धायगुडे शहीद झाल्याचा दूरध्वनी संदेश आज मंगळवार, दि. 19 रोजी सकाळी 8.30 च्या सुमारास त्याचा चुलत भाऊ हणमंत धायगुडे यांना आला. त्यानंतर खात्री करण्यासाठी सैन्य दलातच नोकरीस असणारा महेश धायगुडे याचा धाकटा भाऊ अविनाश धायगुडे याच्याशी संपर्क केला असता त्याने या वृत्तास दुजोरा दिल्यानंतर संपूर्ण खंडाळा तालुक्यात ही वार्ता पसरली. त्यानंतर महेश धायगुडे यांच्या पाडळी येथील निवासस्थानी ग्रामस्थ व महिलांनी मोठी गर्दी केली. शहीद जवान महेश धायगुडे याच्या पश्चात आई श्रीमती संगीता धायगुडे, धाकटा भाऊ जवान अविनाश धायगुडे (आर्मी मेडिकल कोअर लखनौ), दोन विवाहित बहिणी असा परिवार आहे. शहीद जवान महेश धायगुडे याचे वडील कै.व्यंकटराव धायगुडे व चुलते सर्जेराव धायगुडे हे सैन्यदलात कार्यरत होते. सर्जेराव धायगुडे सैन्यदलातून निवृत्त झाले आहेत. महेश धायगुडे याचे प्राथमिक शिक्षण पाडळी येेथे, माध्यमिक शिक्षण पंचक्रोशी विद्यालय, बोरी व लोणंद येथे झाले. 2009 मध्ये बेळगाव येथे सैन्यदलात तो दाखल झाला. जम्मू येथे तो कार्यरत होता. दोन महिन्यांपूर्वी गणेशोत्सवा दरम्यान तो पाडळी येथे सुट्टीवर आला होता. पाडळी प्रमाणेच लोणंद येथील माउली नगरमध्ये जागा घेऊन त्याने घराचे बांधकाम सुरू केले होते. बांधकाम पूर्ण झाल्यानंतर विवाह करण्याचा त्याचा मानस होता. परंतु काळाने त्यापूर्वीच त्याच्यावर घाला घातला. महेश धायगुडे हा जवान शहीद झाल्याची माहिती मिळताच तहसीलदार डॉ. योगेश खरमाटे, सहाय्यक पोलीस निरीक्षक भारत किंद्रे, गटविकास अधिकारी नानासाहेब रणदिवे, सभापती सौ. दीपाली साळुंखे, खेड पंचायत समिती गणाचे सदस्य रमेश धायगुडे (पाटील) यांनी तातडीने भाडळी येथे जाऊन अंत्यदर्शन, अंत्ययात्रा, अंत्यविधी जागांची व मार्गाची पाहणी केली. अंत्यविधीच्या जागेचे सपाटीकरण व रस्ता दुरुस्तीचे काम शासकीय यंत्रणा व ग्रामस्थांच्यावतीने युद्धपातळीवर हाती घेण्यात आले आहे. शहीद जवान महेश धायगुडे याचे पार्थिव पाडळी येथे कधी आणण्यात येणार याबाबत निश्चित माहिती उपलब्ध झाली नाही. तथापि बुधवार, दि. 20 रोजी पार्थिव येथे दाखल होईल अशी अपेक्षा व्यक्त होत आहे. खंडाळा तालुक्यात यापूर्वी सुनील यादव (पारगाव), प्रकाश शेळके (निंबोडी), संतोष ठोंबरे हे जवान देशाच्या सीमा रक्षणासाठी कार्यरत असताना शहीद झाले आहेत. महेश धायगुडे हा खंडाळा तालुक्यातील चौथा शहीद जवान आहे.

तेजपाल यांचे ‘तेज’ TARUN TEJPAL

तेजपाल यांचे ‘तेज’ Published on: November 23, 2013 - 10:11 More in: अग्रलेख अत्यंत खळबळजनक स्टिंग ऑपरेशन्स करून भल्या भल्यांची पोल खोलणार्‍या तेहलकाचे संपादक तरूण तेजपाल हे शेवटी स्वतःच गोत्यात आले. आपल्या प्रकाशन संस्थेतील महिला पत्रकारावर लैंगिक अत्याचार केल्याचा त्यांच्यावर आरोप आहे. सार्वजनिक जीवनातील शूचितेविषयी जगाला पाठ देत आलेल्या ‘तेहलका’ ने या प्रकरणानंतर जी सारवासारव चालवली ती मूळ गुन्ह्याइतकीच गंभीर आणि संबंधितांची दांभिकता दर्शविणारी आहे. तेजपाल यांनी झाल्या प्रकाराची वाच्यता होताच सहा महिने पदावरून दूर राहण्याची तयारी स्वतःहून दाखवलेली असली तरी ही त्यांनी स्वतः काढलेली पळवाटच म्हणावी लागेल. कायद्याच्या कचाट्यातून सुटण्याची ही चाल वाटते. निर्भया प्रकरणानंतर देशात अस्तित्वात आलेल्या कायद्यानुसार लैंगिक शोषण हाही बलात्काराइतकाच गंभीर गुन्हा ठरतो आणि त्याला किमान सात वर्षांच्या कारावासाची शिक्षा आहे. तेजपाल यांना आपण निर्दोष आहोत असे वाटत असेल तर त्यांनी कायद्यानुसार कारवाईला सामोरे जाऊन स्वतःचे निर्दोषत्व सिद्ध करण्याची हिंमत दाखवायला हवी होती. पण जगाला पांडित्य शिकवणार्‍या तेहलकाच्या कंपूने हे प्रकरण दडपण्याचा प्रयत्न केला आणि तेजपाल स्वतः नामानिराळे झाले. आपल्या दृष्टीने या प्रकरणाला एक वेगळा आयाम आहे तो म्हणजे हे प्रकरण गोव्यात घडले, तेही अलीकडेच आयोजित केलेल्या थिंक फेस्ट या वैचारिक महोत्सवाच्या दरम्यान. या महोत्सवामध्ये जगभरातून मोठमोठ्या विचारवंतांना आणून वैचारिक मंथनाचा जो देखावा तेहलकाने घडवून आणला, त्या दिव्याखाली शेवटी अंधारच निघाला. तेजपाल यांनी आपल्यावर हॉटेलमध्ये बलात्काराचा दोन वेळा प्रयत्न केला आणि नोकरी टिकवायची असेल तर तुला हे करावेच लागेल अशी दमबाजी केली असे पीडित तरूणीचे म्हणणे आहे. ही काही एकाच संस्थेत काम करणार्‍या आणि सहवासाने एकमेकांशी भावनिक गुंतवणूक झालेल्या दोन व्यक्तींची कहाणी नव्हे, वा व्यावसायिक स्पर्धेतून केला गेलेला हा द्वेषपूर्ण आरोपही नव्हे. तरूणीची तक्रार खरी असेल तर हा सरळसरळ आपल्या कनिष्ठ महिला सहकार्‍याच्या असहाय्यतेचा शारीरिक गैरफायदा घेण्याचा प्रकार ठरतो. नशेच्या धुंदीत एकदा चुकून हे घडलेले नाही, तर दोन वेळा हा प्रकार घडला आणि दोन्ही वेळा आपण रडत रडत आपल्या खोलीत परतले असे तक्रारदार तरूणीचे म्हणणे आहे. तिने या प्रकरणी आपल्या प्रकाशनसंस्थेपाशी दाद मागण्याचा प्रयत्न केला, खुद्द तेजपाल यांच्या मुलीपर्यंतही हा विषय पोहोचवला. परंतु कुठेही तिला दाद मिळाली नाही व हे सारे प्रकरण गुंडाळण्याचा प्रयत्न झाला. तेहलका हा आज देशातील एक मोठा ब्रँड आहे. मोठमोठ्या शक्ती या माध्यम संस्थेच्या पाठीशी आहेत. हे आमचे संस्थांतर्गत प्रकरण आहे असे सांगणार्‍या तेहलकाच्या व्यवस्थापकीय संपादक शोमा चौधरी अलीकडेच सीबीआय प्रमुखांच्या वादग्रस्त विधानावर त्यांच्यावर तुटून पडल्या होत्या. त्यांची ही दांभिकता या प्रकरणात सपशेल उघडी पडली आहे. तेजपाल यांच्या पाठीराख्यांनी हे प्रकरण चिघळू नये यासाठी आटोकाट प्रयत्न चालवला असल्याचे दिसते, परंतु पिंजर्‍यातून बाहेर पडलेला पुन्हा उंदीर पिंजर्‍यात जाऊ शकत नाही. त्यामुळे या प्रकरणी आता काय तो सोक्षमोक्ष लावावा लागेल. संबंधित तरूणीला बदनामीच्या भीतीने आणि पुढील न्यायालयीन कटकटी टाळण्यासाठी या प्रकरणात पोलीस तक्रार करायची नसेल, परंतु गोव्यात हा प्रकार घडलेला असल्याने या प्रकाराची गोवा पोलिसांकडून शहानिशा व्हायला कोणाची हरकत असण्याचे काही कारण नाही. त्यासाठी तेजपाल यांना चौकशीसाठी पाचारण करणे हे पोलिसांचे पहिले कर्तव्य असेल. तेजपाल हे देशातील एक उत्कृष्ट पत्रकार आहेत याविषयी वादच नाही. त्यांनी या देशातील अनेक काळोख्या गोष्टी प्रकाशात आणल्या आणि कित्येकांची बुरखेफाड केली. परंतु आता त्यांची इभ्रत पणाला लागलेली आहे. स्वतःचे निर्दोषत्व सिद्ध करण्याची हिंमत त्यांनी दाखवावी. अलीकडेच सर्वोच्च न्यायालयाच्या न्यायाधीशांकडून आपले लैंगिक शोषण झाल्याची तक्रार कायद्याच्या एका प्रशिक्षणार्थीने केली आहे. त्यानंतर तेजपाल प्रकरण घडले. समाजाला सदैव नीतीमत्तेचे पाठ देणार्‍या न्यायपालिका आणि माध्यमविश्वाची प्रतिष्ठाच या दोन्ही घटनांत पणाला लागली आहे. लोकशाहीचे एकेक खांब असे ढासळू लागले तर समाजाने अपेक्षा तरी कोणाकडून ठेवायची

TEHELKA OF TEHELA TARUN TEJPAL

तरुण तेजपाल या ‘तहलका’च्या संपादकाने त्याच्या गोव्यातील मुक्कामात आपल्या एका सहकारी महिलेचा विनयभंग केल्याची स्वत:च दिलेली कबुली जेवढी संतापजनक व निराशादायी, तेवढीच त्या अपराधासाठी त्याने स्वत:ला दिलेली सहा महिन्यांच्या सेवानवृत्तीची शिक्षाही हास्यास्पद व स्त्रियांएवढाच देशाच्या कायद्याचा अपमान करणारी आहे. ‘स्टिंग ऑपरेशन’च्या तंत्राने स्वत:ला आणि स्वत:च्या नियतकालिकाला देशाच्या कुतुहलाचा व भीतीचा विषय बनविणार्‍या या संपादकाने आपण स्वत:देखील फारसे स्वच्छ नसल्याचे सांगून साधुत्वाचा आव आणला असला तरी तो खरा मानण्याचे कारण नाही. ‘मी गुन्हेगार, मीच वकील आणि मीच न्यायाधीश’ असे सांगणारा हा फसवा आणि जाणकारांच्या डोळ्यांत धूळ फेकणारा पवित्रा आहे. ज्या महिला सहकार्‍याचे गोव्याच्या पंचतारांकित हॉटेलात त्याने दोन दिवस लैंगिक शोषण केले, तिने त्याच्याविरुद्ध पोलिसांत तक्रार दाखल केली नसली तरी त्याविषयीचा आपला इरादा तिने लपवून ठेवला नाही, हेही तरुण तेजपालच्या जबानीतून स्पष्ट झाले आहे. त्या प्रकाराने घाबरून जाऊन स्वत:च सारे काही सांगून टाकण्याचा व आपण आपल्याही बाबतीत भरपूर प्रामाणिक असल्याचा त्याने केलेला हा देखावा आहे. असल्या देखाव्याला भुलणारे आणि ‘अहाहा! काय हा प्रामाणिकपणा’ असे म्हणणारे बावळट लोक आपल्यात काही कमी नाहीत. तसे ते या तेजपालाची बाजू घेताना दूरचित्रवाहिन्यांच्या पडद्यांवर दिसलेही आहेत. तेजपालने आजवर उजेडात आणलेल्या राजकारणी माणसांच्या भ्रष्टाचाराच्या कथा फार असल्याने त्याच्या बाजूने व त्याच्या विरोधात अशा वेळी उतरणारे राजकारणीही बरेच आहेत. अशांचे आताचे पवित्रेही त्यांच्या राजकारणांच्या सोयींच्या संदर्भात नीट तपासून व पारखून घेणे आवश्यक आहे. ‘आमच्या पक्षाने अवैधरीत्या पैसे जमविण्याच्या आरोपांची चौकशी करण्यासाठी आम्हीच आमच्या तीन सदस्यांची एक समिती नेमली आहे’, हा अरविंद केजरीवाल यांच्या आम आदमी पार्टीचा ताजा पवित्राही अशाच ढोंगाचा आहे. विनयभंग वा त्याचा प्रयत्न हा स्त्रीच्या मूलभूत अधिकाराविरुद्धचा अपराध आहे आणि त्याविषयीच्या कायद्यातील तरतुदींची जाणीव सगळ्या सुशिक्षितांना असणे अपेक्षित आहे. समाज आणि देश यांचे राजकीय पर्यावरण शुद्ध करण्याची प्रक्रिया सुरू करून प्रसिद्धी माध्यमांच्या क्षेत्रात उतरलेल्या तेजपालला या दोन्ही बाजू चांगल्या ठाऊकही आहेत. तरीही त्याला अशा गुन्ह्याचा मोह आवरता आला नसेल, तर ती त्याची मूलभूत प्रकृती व मानसिक समस्या आहे हे लक्षात घेऊन त्याचा निकाल करणे गरजेचे आहे. सार्वजनिक जीवनात व व्यवसायात स्त्रियांचा वावर आता मोठा व पुरुषांच्या बरोबरीचा झाला आहे. या वावरामुळे वाढायला हवी असलेली सभ्यतेची जाणीव मात्र अजूनही अनेक क्षेत्रांत पूर्वीएवढीच लहान व क्षुद्र राहिली आहे. सर्वोच्च न्यायालयाच्या एका नवृत्त न्यायमूतर्र्ींनी त्यांच्या नियुक्तीपूर्वी आपले लैंगिक शोषण केल्याची तक्रार एका शिकाऊ वकील स्त्रीने नुकतीच केली आहे. न्यायमूर्तीच्या पदावर राहिलेला आणि सर्वोच्च न्यायालयापर्यंत पोहोचलेला कायदेशीर इसम एवढा बेकायदेशीर, बेपर्वा व अनैतिक वर्तन करणारा असेल तर तरुण तेजपाल या सर्व तर्‍हेची ख्याती पावलेल्या इसमाकडून कशाची अपेक्षा करायची असते? त्याच्या नावाची शिफारस प्रसार भारतीच्या संचालक पदाच्या नेमणुकीसाठी उपराष्ट्रपती डॉ. हमीद अन्सारी यांनी केल्याचे व या ‘बातमी’नंतर त्यांनी ती मागे घेतल्याचे वृत्तही आताच प्रकाशित झाले आहे. विधिमंडळ, प्रशासन आणि न्यायासन या लोकशाहीच्या तीन स्तंभांएवढीच ‘प्रसिद्धीमाध्यम’ या चौथ्या स्तंभानेही आपली बेअब्रू स्वत:च करून घेतल्याचे सांगणारी ही तरुण कहाणी आहे. ती अडचणीच्या बातमीसारखी दडपली जाणार नाही आणि तिची योग्य ती कायदेशीर शहानिशा होऊन संबंधिताची सुटका होणार नाही याची काळजी घेणे हेच आता कायद्याच्या यंत्रणांचे काम आहे

SHAZIA ILAMI AAM ADMI PARTY & STING OPERATION

Shazia IlmiFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Shazia Ilmi DCN001 Nationality Indian Education Mass Comm. Occupation Politician, Social Activist, Journalist Political party Aam Aadmi Party Shazia Ilmi is an Indian politician and social activist. She was previously a television journalist and anchor at Star News. She was a spokesperson for the India Against Corruption movement led by Anna Hazare in 2011 and 2012. She led a media campaign for an anti-corruption bill (to institute an Ombudsman popularly known as Jan Lokpal Bill) which captured the imagination of millions of Indians and became a widespread protest across the nation. She is a National executive member of the Aam Aadmi Party. She is a Aam Aadmi Party candidate for the Rama Krishna Puram constituency in the December 2013 elections to the Delhi Vidhan Sabha.[1][2] Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Politics 3 Allegations 4 References Early life[edit]Shazia Ilmi comes from a Kanpur Muslim family with links to Congress party,[3] one of her uncles has been a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for over two decades, as well as holding ministerial office in the state. Her sister is married to Arif Mohammed Khan, a former Indian National Congress politician and minister who has since joined the Bahujan Samaj Party.[citation needed] Ilmi was educated at St. Mary’s School in Kanpur and Nainital and then at St. Bede’s College, Shimla.[4] She then completed degree courses in journalism and broadcasting at Jamia Millia Islamia and the University of Wales, Cardiff,[3] and also completed a Diploma in 16mm Film production at New York Film Academy.[5] Career[edit]Ilmi spent 15 years in varied aspects of television news and documentary production.[3] She has been an anchor on Star Network's news channel, where she hosted and produced the popular prime time news show Desh Videsh.[6][citation needed] She has produced several current affairs shows and documentaries focussing on gender issues and rights of Indian minority groups. Her show “Dr Kans” featuring a sting operation on doctors involved in the practice of female foeticide resulting in the suspension of their medical licences for the very first time in India’s medical history.[citation needed] Ilmi has been a member of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television.[7] Her film titled P.O. 418 Siyasat Kanpur, concerning the struggle for survival of an Urdu language newspaper, was screened at the IAWRT film festival in 2011[8] and also at events such as a similar festival in Kerala.[9] She was also a co-director, with Radha Hola, of a 1996 documentary concerning the eco-feminist Vandana Shiva. This film, called Daughter of the Earth - Portrait of Vandana Shiva, has been shown by various television broadcasters, including the Discovery Channel.[10] She was also the Director of “The Stolen Harvest”- a documentary based on Dr. Vandana Shiva’s book on Food Security and Seed Patenting under World Trade Organization -[citation needed] and directed the first television series for DD International produced by an all-female crew.[citation needed] Politics[edit]Ilmi was active in the India Against Corruption Movement, for which her media experience suited her. She has been described as a "media strategist".[3][11] As of 2013[update], Ilmi is a member of the National Executive of the Aam Aadmi Party.[12] Allegations[edit]In one of the sting operations carried out by Media Sarkar, Shazia Ilmi along with few other Aam Aadmi Party members are accused of allegedly accepting donations in cash through illegal means for the party.[13][14] According this video sting operation (partial footage was released),[15] the funds were allegedly raised as a return for their help in recovery of money from some individuals and getting land deals done. The video footage has raised claims of selective editing from AAP members,AAnd who have demanded access to the unedited raw footage

Friday 22 November 2013

MINORITY RIGHTS A FRAUD ON HINDUS

A Fraud on Hindus 'Minority Rights' meant for Hindus, but hijacked by Muslims! (Editorial in Hindu Voice, November 2013) Whenever the word ‘minority’ is used, the general perception is that it connotes Muslims and Christians. But is it really so? An in-depth analysis of our Constitutional provisions will reveal that it is actually meant for Hindus migrating from one state to another. Read on. The word ‘minority’ is not defined in our Constitution. However, there are two Articles in our Constitution - Articles 29 & 30 - which mention the word ‘minority’. Article 29 is titled ‘Protection of interests of minorities’. Here, the word ‘minority’ does not refer to Muslims or Christians at all. Minoritism is not related to religion, and the framers of our constitution have not given any special privileges for Muslims or Christians (as it will be against the canon of equality). However this article is twisted and tangled by the continuous Congress Govts., as though it is meant for protecting the interests of Muslims and Christians. Now let us see what Article 29 says. Article 29 of our Constitution titled ‘Protection of interests of minorities’ says: “Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same”. The Article does not talk about ‘Muslims’ or ‘Christians’ or religion, but only about ‘language, script or culture’. So, the question of ‘religious minority’ does not arise at all. “Religious minority” is a creation of the Congress party, distorting our constitution, with vote bank considerations. If at all there is a need for Article 29, it is for Hindus in states like J&K, Nagaland and Mizoram, etc., where the cultural and linguistic identities of people from other states (i.e. Hindus) have to be conserved. But strangely, the people from other states are not treated as cultural or linguistic minorities in these states, and their minority interests are not protected. This is a clear violation of Article 29. Similarly Article 30 titled ‘Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions’ says: “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice”. This Article DOES talk about all religious as well as linguistic minorities, but to establish educational institutions only. Hence it is quite clear that the word ‘minority’ mentioned in our Constitution does not mean Muslims and Christians. It talks about cultural and linguistic minorities and protection of their interests (and NOT the interest of religious minorities as is generally believed). Religion no where comes into the picture (except for establishing educational institutions). For example, I hail from Tamil Nadu and am settled in Mumbai for four decades. Hence, according to Article 29, I am a ‘minority’ in Maharashtra. It gives me the right to protect and conserve my language, script, dress code, etc. Looking at the diversity of our nation (with different castes, languages, scripts, life styles, etc), the framers of our Constitution have prudently inserted Article 29. Legally speaking, since I am a minority in Maharashtra, under Article 29 of the Constitution, I am entitled to all the benefits that are being wrongly provided to Muslims alone under the various schemes of the UPA Govt. However, the UPA Govt. has twisted the word ‘minority’ to give it a religious (read communal) colour so as to mean Muslims alone, disregarding the ‘language, script and culture’ aspects mentioned in Article 29. In fact, the word ‘minority’ has been hijacked by Muslims, with the connivance of the Congress party, to blackmail (with vote-bank) and derive undue benefits from the Govt. Therefore, all the special benefits and privileges announced by the UPA Govt. for religious minorities, including the appointment of Sachar Committee, are ultra vires our Constitution. The Constitution does not confer any special rights on the basis of religion. (Hinduism is not a religion - it is a way of life - as per our Supreme Court). Thus, the Minority Affairs Ministry (MAM) of every State Govt. has a duty to protect the interests of the linguistic and cultural minorities in their states, i.e. people who have come from other states and settled in their states. For example, MAM of the Maharashtra Govt. has to protect the interests of Biharis residing in Maharashtra against the onslaught of Raj Thackery. This is exactly what is meant by ‘Protection of interests of minorities’. But today the MAM takes care of the interests of only Muslims (and Christians), by wilful and wrong interpretation of our Constitution. The linguistic and cultural minorities (like Biharis and Tamilians in Mumbai or Maharashtrians in Thanjavoor, TN, or Sikhs staying in all states) are left out of the care of the MAM, which is a violation of Article 29. It is Hindus alone who are having different language and script - and NOT Muslims and Christians (global communities with same language, script and culture). Hence, the constitutional rights under Article 29 are available only to Hindus. These constitutional rights meant for Hindus when they go and settle in other states, are stolen and conferred upon Muslims and Christians, when it is not meant for them. It is a fraud on Hindus. The word ‘minority’ meaning Muslims and Christians is peculiar only for our country. No where in the world, repeat no where, you find this concept of minority-majority. Indians, especially Hindus, have settled down in USA, UK, Australia, etc. Are they treated as minorities in those countries? Do they get any special rights there? They are all citizens of those countries with equal rights and duties. Then why should India be different? India is not different. Our constitution makers have NOT made it different, but our crooked politicians, especially the Congressmen, have made it to be so. They have distorted our constitution to suit their vote-bank politics. In fact, the Congress party is perpetrating a fraud on Hindus, by depriving them of their rights and conferring it on Muslims. P. Deivamuthu Editor, Hindu Voice

CHINESE DRAGON HUG FIRST REPENT IN LEISURE

Hug first, repent at leisure Posted on November 14, 2013 by Chellaney Singh returned from Beijing with a sham river-waters accord and a China-dictated border pact that crimps Indian military response to any incursion by the PLA Brahma Chellaney, India Today, November 25, 2013, Upfront Column, Page 12 Diplomacy, to be effective, must be backed by leverage and cross-linkages to minimize the weaker side’s disadvantages and help maintain a degree of equilibrium in a bilateral relationship. The Indian leadership, however, has ignored that imperative, embracing diplomatic showmanship. Its engagement with China is bereft of even the first principle of diplomacy—reciprocity—thus allowing Beijing to reap a soaring trade surplus even as it undermines Indian interests. Showcasing the “success” of a bilateral summit takes precedence over safeguarding national interest—a “hug first, repent at leisure” approach. Nothing can illustrate this better than the recent Beijing visit of Manmohan Singh, India’s most-travelled prime minister ever. He returned with a completely hollow river-waters accord that effectively hands China a propaganda tool to blunt any Indian criticism of its dam-building spree in Tibet. Rarely before have two major countries signed an accord so steeped in empty rhetoric as this memorandum of understanding unveiled during Singh’s visit. The accord, incorporating not a single Chinese commitment or anything tangible, seeks to pull the wool over the Indian public’s eyes. It is just a public-relations text with only platitudes—that the “two sides recognized that trans-border rivers and related natural resources and the environment are assets of immense value”; that they “agreed that cooperation on trans-border rivers will further enhance mutual strategic trust and communication”; and that they also “agreed to further strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers” and “exchange views on other issues of mutual interest”. As if to add insult to injury, the accord extracts India’s “appreciation to China” for selling “flood-season hydrological data”, although India provides such data free to downstream Pakistan and Bangladesh year-round. Another much-trumpeted accord signed during the visit—the Chinese-dictated Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA)—contains nothing to halt the increasingly frequent Chinese border incursions or prevent a Depsang-style deep encroachment again. Defence Minister A.K. Anthony has admitted this, saying the accord “does not mean nothing will happen” on the frontier. Beijing wanted a new accord to wipe the slate clean over its breaches of the border-peace agreements signed in 1993, 1996 and 2005. But why did India accede to the violator’s demand for new border rules? BDCA’s provisions are so vaguely worded as to allow China—a master at reinterpreting texts—to cast the burden of compliance mainly on India. For example, Article II, without elaboration, calls for exchange of “information about military exercises, aircrafts, demolition operations and unmarked mines”. Does this mean that India must inform China about its military-cargo flights to forward landing strips such as Daulat Beg Oldi and its demolition work to build Himalayan road tunnels? Or take Article VI, which says minimally: “The two sides agree that they shall not follow or tail patrols of the other side in areas where there is no common understanding of the line of actual control (LAC)”. The Home Ministry-administered Assam Rifles and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (not regular army troops) that India timorously deploys to fend off the aggressive People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have a defensive mindset and are in no position to tail the Chinese. But if PLA troops intrude and pitch tents, claiming they are on Chinese land, Beijing is likely to interpret this provision as barring Indian patrols from encircling them or setting up their own Depsang-style camp to keep an eye on the raiders. The provision indeed will constrain Indian border guards from attempting to drive back any intruding Chinese patrol. Given China’s claims on Indian territories and its refusal to even clarify the LAC, Article VI, in effect, ties only India’s hands. No less suspect is Article VII, which gives either side the right to seek “clarification” from the other if “any activity” occurs in “areas where there is no common understanding” of the LAC. If India were to seek clarification over a Chinese penetration, it would likely get the stock reply that the “Chinese troops are on Chinese soil”. Contrary to the pre-visit claim, BDCA contains no commitment to set up a hotline between the Indian and Chinese military headquarters; it only says the two sides “may consider” doing that. Any Chinese leader combines an India stopover with a visit to his country’s “all-weather ally”, Pakistan, but a meek Singh declined to club his China visit with a trip to Japan or Vietnam. Singh, in fact, was in Beijing at the same time as the Russian and Mongolian premiers, with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev beginning his Beijing trip while Singh was cooling his heels in Moscow on an official visit. Yet, with the help of the planeload of journalists he takes with him on any overseas visit, Singh marketed his China trip as a major success. In truth, as the two accords attest, he wilfully played into China’s hands. Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and author

Thursday 21 November 2013

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: TEHELKA TARUN TEJPAL SHOMA CHAUDHARI FULL STORY LO...

BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN NATIONAL SECURITY: TEHELKA TARUN TEJPAL SHOMA CHAUDHARI FULL STORY LO...: Tehelka editor facing sexual assault allegationsNovember 21, 2013 1997 Vishakha judgement, Amitabh Bachchan, attempted rape, Bhupendra Cha...

TEHELKA TARUN TEJPAL SHOMA CHAUDHARI FULL STORY LONGISH BUT WORTH READING

Tehelka editor facing sexual assault allegationsNovember 21, 2013 1997 Vishakha judgement, Amitabh Bachchan, attempted rape, Bhupendra Chaube, Business Standard, CCTV footage, circuit, CNN IBN, Delhi, Drena De Niro, Editor-in-Chief, gender panel, Goa, Goa Governor, Hollywood, Indian Express, intimidation, journalism, Lady Naipaul, magazine, Managing Editor, Panjim, prison term, Revathy Laul, Robert De Niro, Sexual Harassment Committee, sexual harrassment, Shoma Chaudhary, Sir VS Naipaul, stalking, star, Supreme Court, Tarun Tejpal, Tehelka, The Hindu, Think, top editor, Vidya Subrahmaniam20 Comments Delhi’s journalism circuit went into a tizzy on Wednesday night when it became increasingly apparent that a top editor could soon be facing charges of stalking, attempted rape (at the least), intimidation and in all probability, a prison term. That Tehelka magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal was still a free bird for a crime committed in Goa a fortnight back was, because the survivor, an employee of the magazine who claimed to be not only his daughter’s age but also her friend, was yet to lodge a police complaint. This, a friend of hers told Delhi Durbar, was only because she cared for Tehelka as an institution and was conscious the magazine may not survive this jolt. The friend agreed there was enough evidence that could put Tejpal in serious trouble if legal recourse was taken. This evidence allegedly includes Tejpal’s text messages to the survivor sent both immediately after the incident and then a week after that. It also includes CCTV footage of the elevators of the five star hotel where the incidents allegedly took place, two days in succession, on November 07 and 08. Tejpal admitted to the crime in an email he sent Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhary, and now his successor, around 03 pm on Wednesday (20th November). In his email Tejpal termed the incident “tragic” and “a lapse of judgement”. He said that as “atonement” he was “offering to recuse” himself “from the editorship of Tehelka, and from the Tehelka office, for the next six months”. In turn, Chaudhary wrote to all Tehelka employees at 07 pm on Wednesday that Tejpal was leaving for six months because of an “untoward incident”. To the survivor and her friends, Tejpal’s apology has come across as half-hearted. What has hurt more is Tehelka‘s failure to institute an inquiry into the incident even three days after the survivor wrote to Chaudhary demanding such an inquiry. The incident has highlighted how leading media organisations like Tehelka are yet to constitute the Supreme Court-mandated Sexual Harassment Committees as per the 1997 Vishakha judgement of the apex court. Important voices within the media like The Hindu‘s Vidya Subramaniam and others hoped the survivor would find the courage to file a criminal complaint. “Girl’s friends must help her out of her trauma & persuade her to file criminal complaint against Tejpal…,” tweeted Subramaniam. CNN-IBN‘s Bhupendra Chaubey felt it was the Nirbhaya moment for the media. Most in the industry were aghast at the nonchalance that both Tejpal and Chaudhary betray in their emails to serious allegations of sexual harassment by a young girl. It is also something that made one Tehelka employee, Revathy Laul, quit in disgust. A source said that Laul already had problems at Tehelka but this was the “very last straw that pushed her over the edge”. The disgust could be gauged from the fact that it didn’t take minutes for Tehelka employees to let the world know through social media of Tejpal and Chaudhary’s chicanery in the face of a young girl’s serious allegations. The incident relates to Tehelka‘s Think festival from November 08 to 10 in Goa. In her email the survivor wrote to Chaudhary that “the editor in chief of Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal sexually assaulted” her “at Think on two occasions last week”. Her letter was written earlier this week to Chaudhary. The survivor further claimed that it took her time to tell Chaudhary about the incident as she had to “process the fact that it was Tarun who molested me — … — someone I had so deeply respected and admired for so many years”. According to the survivor’s friend, the first instance took place on the opening night of Think on November 07. The survivor, who is in her late 20s, was responsible for chaperoning Hollywood star Robert De Niro and his daughter. De Niro was one of the guest speakers at the festival. The young journalist survivor spent the entire day taking De Niro and his daughter Drena De Niro sightseeing and ensuring that they were not inconvenienced in any way at a place that was new to them. According to her friend, whom the survivor recounted the incident later, Tejpal and she accompanied De Niro and his daughter to their hotel suites to wish them goodnight. The survivor told her friends that Tejpal, whom she had known since she was a child and who had offered her first job and was a paternal figure to her, allegedly molested her in the elevator of the five star hotel when they were returned from De Niro’s hotel suite. She told them that she resisted. She reminded Tejpal that his daughter was her best friend, that the two families were close and that he had known her since she was a child. Her entreaties fell on deaf ears. According to the survivor, Tejpal allegedly “penetrated” her with his hands. The young journalist escaped somehow when the lift stopped on the ground floor. Well, this is the easiest way for you to keep your job. Tejpal followed the survivor as she walked out of the elevator. According to her friend Tejpal even threatened to sack the journalist if she didn’t play along. “Well, this is the easiest way for you to keep your job,” he allegedly told her as she walked away from him. The survivor then caught a taxi and returned to her hotel where she recounted the incident to three of her closest friends. Around this time, an hour past midnight, Tejpal texted the survivor which had reference to the incident in the elevator. “The fingertips,” it read. The next morning and afternoon, that is November 08, passed off normally. The survivor did discuss the incident with her friends but continued with the tasks assigned to her. In the afternoon she accompanied De Niro, his daughter, Sir VS Naipaul, Lady Naipaul and Tejpal’s wife to the Goa Governor’s bungalow for lunch. But the survivor didn’t mention the incident to Tejpal’s wife. After returning to the hotel, Tejpal instructed her to ensure that De Niro attended Amitabh Bachchan’s session in the evening. Tejpal said he wanted the two giants of cinema to meet. The survivor escorted De Niro and his daughter to shop at Panjim and brought the two to the hotel to attend actor Amitabh Bachchan’s session. The survivor then went back to her hotel room to change when she received Tejpal’s text messages, as well as a phone call from another employee’s number inquiring about her whereabouts and asking her to return to the hotel where the main event was taking place. Tejpal then, allegedly, asked her to accompany him to De Niro’s room as the actor, or so Tejpal claimed, wanted something from the room. The survivor later told her friends that she resisted entering the elevator as she was afraid it would lead to a repeat of the previous night’s incident. She alleged that Tejpal took her into the elevator forcefully and molested her again despite her protests. The journalist somehow extricated herself from Tejpal, who, she claimed, had by then became wary, realising that the survivor was on the verge of hysteria. She walked out of the elevator and immediately told one of her friends that Tejpal had molested her again. The survivor met her friend Tejpal’s daughter and recounted her the incident. The survivor told her friends that Tejpal’s daughter was extremely disgusted. When the survivor met Tejpal later to convey De Niro’s complaint about him having been mobbed badly, Tejpal told her that she made a mistake telling his daughter about the incident. It seems his daughter had shouted at Tejpal, asking him to keep his pants up. The survivor told her friends and her mother about the incident and was sure she would lose her job. She stayed the next day to chaperone De Niro and his daughter when she started getting text messages from Tejpal. In one message Tejpal allegedly told the survivor he hoped she conveyed to his daughter that it was “just a drunken banter, and nothing else” between the two of them. A second message followed: “and just banter, and nothing else”. Two more messages followed which conveyed that Tejpal was the least bit sorry about his act. “I can’t believe u went and mentioned even the smallest thing to her. What an absence of any understanding of a parent child relationship,” Tejpal texted her (sic). The survivor claimed to her friends that she did have phone conversations with Tejpal about De Niro’s travel plans on November 09, but generally stayed away from him. According to the survivor, Tejpal didn’t mention the incident during these calls. She had no contact with Tejpal, she claimed to her friends, after she dropped De Niro and his daughter to the Goa Airport at 4.30 pm on November 09. Tejpal texted the survivor again half dozen times on November 16. Tejpal inquired from her whether she had spoken to his daughter and if his daughter was okay. “Why would she be ok about the fact that you sexually assaulted her best friend, that is me?” texted the survivor. But according to her version to her friends Tejpal continued to evade. “What’s with saying this awful stuff??” he texted back. The survivor replied:”Do not send me any messages. You are lying and you know that.” But to Tejpal the incident was nothing but drunken banter. “Oh is that so? I cherished you like one of my best kids always, all these years; and because of one drunken banter you so easily say these awful things.” The survivor persisted that “it was twice Tarun, not once and it was no banter. You did the most horrible things to me and I certainly was not drunk. I asked you to stop repeatedly.” The Editor-in-Chief was still trying to browbeat her. “Oh so that’s what you told XXX (Tejpal’s daughter). No wonder she’s so madly upset. Its ok. Am not going to contest anything with her. Will let time and my love heal what it can.” and “Don’t think I’ve been more saddened in the longest time.” In her letter to Chaudhary sent earlier this week, the survivor stated that Tejpal’s text messages on Saturday evening insinuated that she “misconstrued “a drunken banter”. That is not what happened. Banter does not involve forcing yourself on someone, trying to disrobe them, and penetrate them with your fingers despite them pleading for you to stop.” The survivor said it has been “traumatic and terrifying” for her to report this to Chaudhary “and yet how critical” She demanded that “Tehelka constitute an anti sexual harassment cell as per the Vishakha guidelines immediately, to investigate this matter. At the very least, I will need a written apology from Mr Tejpal and an acknowledgement of the same to be circulated through the organization. It cannot be considered acceptable for him to treat a female employee in this way.” However, Tejpal’s wasn’t much of an apology. In an email to Chaudhary at nearly 03 pm on November 20, Tejpal showed little realisation of the gravity of his crime. “The last few days have been most testing, and I squarely take the blame for this. A bad lapse of judgment, an awful misreading of the situation, have led to an unfortunate incident that rails against all we believe in and fight for,” he stated. He claimed that he has “already unconditionally apologised for” his misconduct to the concerned journalist, but I feel impelled to atone further.” He said that in a “lapse of judgement” he has hurt Tehelka‘s “high principles”. “I must do the penance that lacerates me. I am therefore offering to recuse myself from the editorship of Tehelka, and from the Tehelka office, for the next six months,” Tejpal said. At a little past 07 pm, Chaudhary emailed the rest of the employees about the “untoward incident”. She appended Tejpal’s email to her letter stating that “though he has extended an unconditional apology to the colleague involved, Tarun will be recusing himself as the editor of Tehelka for the next six months.” But two public statements by Chaudhary on Wednesday seemed to raise questions as to her bipartisanship in this matter. “It is an internal problem and we are not setting up any enquiry into the matter,” Chaudhary told the Business Standard.” And when questioned by the Indian Express, she said, “I don’t know how this concerns you…I don’t think you can ask me these questions.” This isn’t the first such instance of sexual harassment in the media. There have been well known incidents in the past in both print and television journalism. In all of those case, the perpetrators were punished only because one brave survivor decided to stand up. It wasn’t as if it was the first transgression for any of these editors. However, the editors have soon found cushy jobs or assignments elsewhere.

REWARDING TREASON UPA STYLE

Rewarding Treason - UPA's art of Governance? In September 2012, the Ottawa based Atlantic Council, alleged to have links with Pakistan's ISI, announced the signing of an agreement to demilitarize Siachen as part of Confidence Building Measure between India and Pakistan. This agreement was negotiated by a 22-member India-Pakistan Track II team, headed on the Indian side by former Air Chief Marshall SP Tyagi, in its various meetings in Bangkok, Dubai, USA and finally at Lahore. This was despite the clear stand adopted by the Army, Defence Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs against 'demilitarization' of the glacier that has huge strategic value for India. There was something sinister in the whole thing because Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been under pressure from the US to pull back from Siachen as a sop to the Pakistan Army who has been threatening to lease out Baltistan/Gilgit to China. It was also known that despite having no actual presence on Siachen, Pakistan continues to claim the territory. As soon as details of the 'Agreement' were put up on the internet all hell broke loose. It went ballistic on the military (serving and veteran) email circuit in which some civilians like me were also part. Lt General PC Katoch, who had commanded the Siachen Brigade during the Kargil War, fired the first salvo through an article in the Fair Observer followed by Kunal Verma (filmmaker and writer) in Gfiles and the Hindi edition of Outlook. The mainstream media kept mum, obviously under orders from PMO! The just retired General VK Singh's take on the issue was nuanced and candid: "Let us first be very clear as to who is asking for this so-called demilitarization. The Pakistanis are not on the Siachen Glacier, but are west of the Saltoro Range. Contrary to what they want their own people to believe, they have a zero presence in Siachen. I wonder if demilitarization will also result in Pakistan withdrawing from Baltistan, pulling back to the west towards the Karakoram Highway?...It is ludicrous that in such circumstances we are talking of demilitarization and withdrawal. Our troops are well established and administratively well off so what is the rationale to pull them out of the area?" A set of twelve questions were posed to the Track II team: (i) Who appointed the Team and what are their credentials and service record in the Siachen area? (ii) Who all in the Government briefed the Team? (iii) Did the Team visit Siachen before inking the agreement? (iv) Was the decision of the Team unanimous? (v) Decision to demilitarize Siachen has grave military consequences. Were the three Service Chiefs consulted on this? (vi) This issue has serious strategic, deployment, logistics, demographic, displacement, cost and time implications for the Army. Was the matter discussed with the Northern Army Commander? (vii) After 'demilitarization' what additional measures will be required to check terrorist infiltration in Kashmir Valley? (viii) Is it merely a Track II initiative? If so why were the members briefed by Government officials before the Lahore meet? Were they not told that this team is "as good as Track I"? Does it not make it official? (ix) NSA is stated to have briefed the leader of the Team and one/two members separately? If so why? To firm up a secret deal? (x) The whole process, particularly signing of the Agreement was kept under wraps. Why this secrecy? (xi) On whose orders did some select members of the Team justify the agreement? (xii) Why was such a major decision not discussed in Parliament and President kept informed? ACM Tyagi declined to respond, but Col Ajai Shukla, a Track II member and its self-appointed spokesperson did. He was livid with anger but had no answers to our questions. So he called us all 'communal scums' and pointing to me wrote: "Amongst those with the most dubious credentials in this group is you. An IAS officer turned moralizer! What a combination, Sir-ji." This impotent outburst did not work, PMO made a hasty retreat but Ajai Shukla the treason-peddler was offered a high position in Prashar Bharati, but that did not work out! This 'gentleman' who has sold his soul for less than a mess of pottage says that General VK Singh's 'autobiography provides a stunning insight into the mind of an army chief who went rogue'. He then goes on to upbraid co-author Kunal Verma as 'a long-time military groupie who has been paid crores from the defence budget to write self-congratulatory coffee-table books!' What a travesty! Treason seems to be the practiced art of UPA minions and their cohorts. Even abetting virtual mutiny in the Army is game for them. They did it by planting stories in a 'Delhi based English daily' in April 2012 suggesting that the serving Army Chief was engineering a coup to overthrow the Government of India. The report deliberately linked movement of some Army units in Rajasthan and Haryana to "June 1984 when some mutineers from Sikh units had moved towards the capital in the wake of Operation Bluestar," suggesting in a devious manner that the above troop movement was also part of mutiny. Even after a year and a half, this blasphemy is yet to be probed and the seditious/treasonous intent of its perpetrators brought to light! But the 'fertile brain' behind this in the PMO was elevated to the rank of Minister-of-State! The Technical Service Division (TSD) episode was equally bizarre. TSD is a covert operation agency, activities of which are directly related to the safety of the soldiers fighting on the borders, retribution on the enemy and the security of the citizens. By its very nature TSD operation was 'top secret'. Even the existence of TSD should never have been publicised. Doing so could be treasonous. Yet on March 2, 2012 a leading Magazine published a planted story that inter alia read: "Defence Ministry officials say they are also concerned about the activities of a shadowy unit called the Technical Support Division within MI…Who the targets were and for what purpose, is still not clear." Soon thereafter the incumbent Defence Secretary initiated a 'Board of Officers inquiry' to go into the working of TSD and received the report in March 2013. In the meantime TSD was wound up. After six months the same daily that 'leaked' the coup came out with banner headlines: "Unit set up by VK Singh used secret funds to try and topple J&K government, block Bikram Singh: Army probe". The leak had come from a former Joint Secretary in the Defence Ministry who was the alter ego of the Defence Secretary. This sad episode has cost the Army heavy in terms of life and reputation and the nation has been repeatedly humiliated. Even then, the high-official behind this treasonous act was seamlessly elevated to a prestigious constitutional position! Governance is at such nadir today because governments at the centre and states have been banishing the wise and promoting the profligates. By rewarding treason UPA government has descended to despicable depths and has made governance a tragedy! About the Author MG Devasahayam was an IAS Officer and holds post-graduate degree in Economics. Previous to the IAS he served in the Indian army (Infantry, Madras Regiment) and has participated in the 1965 Indo-Pak war and counter-insurgency operations in Nagaland. He also has wide experience in the corporate and NGO sectors. He pursues advocacy of environmental sustainability, honest governance, electoral integrity and other public causes.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

DAWOOD GETS ISI CONTRACT FOR NARENDRA MODI

..Dawood gets ISI contract on Modi Intelligence note reveals Modi faces a risk not just within India but also from other countries. Mail Today – 13 hours ago....Recommend343Tweet0......Latest News ». ..Nokia updates music app for Windows Phone, renames it Nokia MixRadio .EU lawmakers vote to end their costly 'travelling circus' .French seen cutting online Christmas budget .U.S. Fed's Bullard: Dec taper "definitely on the table" - Bloomberg TV .'Colossal' Ronaldo to turn Fado into Samba at World Cup ....More »....NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has turned to its old confidant Dawood Ibrahim seeking his aid to attack the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, if the central intelligence agencies are to be believed. This has been revealed in a secret note of the intelligence agencies on Modi’s threat perception. The Gujarat chief minister is facing threats from various terror outfits also. The fresh intelligence gathered by central intelligence agencies reveals that the ISI is taking the underworld don’s assistance to target Modi. The intelligence note prepared on the threat to Modi has also mentioned about the ISI-Dawood nexus. “As per an input, Dawood Ibrahim during a meeting with senior ISI functionaries was tasked to restart activities in India and also target Shri Narendra Modi,” the note says. Sources say the note was prepared after the attack on Modi’s rally in Patna on October 27. As many as eight people were killed in the eight explosions occurred in Patna during Modi rally. It is suspected that terror outfit Indian Mujahideen was responsible for the attack. The intelligence note also reveals that Modi faces a risk not just within India but also from other countries. Other than Pakistan’s ISI, terror operatives in Saudi Arabia are also targeting Modi. “Islamic fundamentalists based in Saudi Arabia are planning attack Modi,” the note says. According to the inputs gathered by intelligence agencies, a terror operative — Shahid alias Bilal — has informed an unidentified associate in Saudi Arabia that a suicide attack would be a better option as against a remotecontrolled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to attack Modi, says the note. Another revelation made by in the note is about the possibility of some Indian security officials turning rouge and helping terror groups to attack Modi. The note states that Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) operatives have recruited some security officials to allow free access to them. According to intelligence inputs that have been put together by central intelligence agencies, banned outfit Student Islamic Students of India (SIMI) is collaborating with other terror outfits and seeking their help to attack Modi. “SIMI members have been networking with LeT, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) and Jaish-e-Mohammed ( JeM),” the note says. According to the note, SIMI activists who were arrested recently reveal that the outfit is organising training camps and a suicide wing called Shaheen Force is being organised to target senior political leaders, including Modi who tops the hit list. The note also mentions that Modi faces a threat from Maoists. The intelligence note also mentions the various modus operandi that the terror outfits would resort to. Use of launchers to target Modi’s convoy and ramming an explosives- laden vehicle into his convoy is one of the many options that have been listed. Suicide attacks are another method that terror outfits could use

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Tuesday 19 November 2013

INDIAN GOVT SURRENDERS TO PAKISTAN ON KARGIL HERO

Govt surrenders to Pakistan on Kargil hero Captain Saurabh Kalia will get no justice, not even from the government of the nation he so bravely died for. NEW DELHI: Barely three months after a video of a Pakistani soldier admitting that the 32- year- old Indian Army officer was tortured and killed during the 1999 Kargil war, the government has decided to bury the cause. An affidavit filed by the Centre on a petition in Supreme Court seeking referral of the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) says it can’t be done. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) says in the affidavit that it cannot move the ICJ as Pakistan might not permit it, and no country can be so compelled to. It says the effect on relations with our neighbour country has to be kept in mind, and that “moving the ICJ is not a legally enforceable right”. Capt. Kalia, of the 4 Jat Regiment, was the first Army officer to report large- scale incursions by the Pakistan Army in the Kargil region in 1999. He was captured by Pakistani troops along with five soldiers on May 15. The bodies were handed over to India by the Pakistan Army on June 9. The bodies had been burnt with cigarettes, ear-the drums pierced with hot rods, eyes punctured and removed, most teeth and bones broken, and limbs and genitals cut or chopped off. The injuries were found to predate death. The affidavit filed by B. Shyam, Director (Pakistan) in the MEA, said: “It is highly unlikely that Pakistan will consent to India's proposal to submit the case to ICJ by special agreement when it has treated the allegations as absurd… a state cannot be compelled without its consent to submit to a dispute filed by with another state to international adjudication.” Pakistan has maintained that the bodies of Kalia and five Indian soldiers were found in a pit, and they probably died because of the extreme weather. “The video proved my son did not die due to bad weather but was killed in the hands of his captors. He was tortured. It is surprising that the Centre has not considered the new evidence which has come on record, and still goes by Pakistan version,” Kalia’s 64-year-old father NK Kalia told MAIL TODAY from Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. The Central government had at the time summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi and issued a notice on the breach of the Geneva Convention. “Why is Indian government going soft on Pakistan even after several wars, continuing infiltration and export of terror? It is not just an issue of my son but no other Indian soldier shall be treated like this. There should be a deterrent,” NK Kalia says, adding he will submit CDs of the Pakistani soldier’s TV confession to the Supreme Court. Kalia’s lawyer, Arvind Kumar Sharma, told a bench headed by Justice RM Lodha: "New evidence has come on record. This is a fit case to be referred to the ICJ as the torture is a clear violation of Geneva Convention on treatment of war prisoners. Pakistan has dragged India many times to the ICJ, then why cannot we on the issue?” The court will hear detailed arguments on Wednesday. “Rows between India and Pakistan may be governed by the Simla pact under which they are to be settled bilaterally but in such issues India is definitely not going to get justice and it has to be taken to the international court,” Sharma adds. The MEA is also worried about the fallout of approaching the ICJ on the bilateral relations. The affidavit says: “A decision to approach the International Court of Justice on any issue is a decision which falls within the executive mandate of the government. The jurisdiction cannot be invoked unilaterally as it has effect on foreign relations as well as future implications for India as the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ is applicable on reciprocity. This decision, therefore, is to be taken from the policy and national perspective and cannot be agitated as a legally enforceable right.” Defence Minister AK Antony had written last month to Captain Kalia’s parents, claiming India was bound by the Simla Agreement and had pledged to settle all differences with Pakistan at bilateral level. The letter was in response to question raised by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar who has taken up the cause of Captain Kalia at various levels, highlighting the brutality of the Pakistan Army during the Kargil conflict

INDIAS 17 CORPS AGAINST CHINA BEING RAISED HOPE NOT A FALSE START ?

The information is in public domain and interesting. So it's going to be 17 Mountain Corps? Earlier this week Indian Army's top brass, comprising the Army Chief, the Vice Chief and the 7 Army Commanders, met to clear the promotion of nearly two dozen Major General rank officers to Lt. Generals. One of these to be promoted officers--the names of those approved for the next rank should become public in less than a month's time--will have the honour to raise and head India's 1st dedicated Mountain Strike Corps, to be most probably numbered 17, cleared by the government in July. South Block, the British time building that houses among others the Army Headquarters, is right now in the middle of fine tuning the contours of the formation to be reportedly based at Ranchi in Jharkhand. Top sources say while Panagarh in West Bengal will witness the raising of two new Mountain Divisions, the location for the third is in the final stages of discussion. All the three new divisions will eventually come under the new 17 Corps to be based in Ranchi. Significantly, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh was in Ranchi over the last two days, ostensibly to pay a visit to the 23 Division based there. So what will it be called? 17 Corps? Or 17 Mountain Corps? I am yet to get a clarity on this though surely Army HQ has already thought about it or even finalised it. India already has 13 full-fledged Corps. Three of them, the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, Mathura-headquartered 1 Corps and 2 Corps, located at Ambala, are designated as Strike Corps. But all of them are tasked for an offensive against Pakistan. The 17 Corps--as a dedicated Mountain Strike Corps--will specifically provide an offensive option against China if required. The budget of Rs 64,000 crore for the new corps is to be spent over seven years –- which is just as well since raising new formations as large as a Corps is not an easy task. It is further difficult to make that formation capable of mountain warfare. For mountains gobble up troops; they take a heavy toll on man and machine. The decision on 17 July was somewhat reminiscent of a similar choice exercised by the UPA government almost over four years ago. The then outgoing UPA-I government's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was meeting for the last time before the results of the 2009 general elections were to be announced. The sole item on the agenda: Enhancing India's military preparedness against China. According to insiders present at that meeting, some of the members of the CCS wanted to leave the decision to the next government but better sense prevailed and days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first UPA government went ahead and sanctioned raising of two new Mountain Divisions for deployment in India's north eastern State of Arunachal Pradesh, an area claimed by China as South Tibet. In addition, the Indian Air Force was given the go ahead to reactivate half a dozen Advance Landing Grounds (ALGs) spread all along the Arunachal-Tibet portion of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries and base additional squadrons of Sukhoi-30 combat jets in Assam. The goal was to plug existing gaps in India’s preparedness along the Arunachal Pradesh-China frontier. The two new divisions were to include a squadron of India’s armoured spearhead—Soviet-built T-90 tanks--and a regiment of artillery. Now four years later, the two mountain divisions have completed their recruitment, equipping and orbatting in the North-east. One of them--the 56 Mountain Division--after being raised in Nagaland's Zakhama area has been placed at Lekhabali, north of the Brahmaputra adding teeth to Indian Army's presence in East and Central Arunachal Pradesh. The other new Division--71--headquartered at Missamari in the plains of Assam, will enhance troop deployment beyond Tawang in West Arunachal Pradesh in addition to the 5 Mountain Division already stationed at Tenga. The new mountain corps will require light artillery which can be easily transported, even airlifted in the highest mountains. Given India's painfully-slow process of weapons acquisition, empowering the Mountain Strike Corps quickly will be a big challenge. It is all the more necessary for the government to walk the talk in making the new formation a reality by adhering to timelines. Thankfully, both in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh on the frontier with China, India's strategic planners have started to make amends for decades of lethargy and apathy. China watchers will recall that it was in 2006 that the Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS), which takes the final decision on India's security matters had decided to reverse the decades old policy of NOT building infrastructure in the border areas, lest the Chinese get easier access to Indian areas in the event of a skirmish! The late realisation and start to improve infrastructure--both military and civil--in these remote areas however means that at least for decade, India's military preparedness there will remain tenuous. Over the past one year, having travelled to both Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, I am convinced that India has the right intention but somehow lacks the means to get its act together in building and improving infrastructure. There are multiple agencies involved in planning and giving clearances for border projects. Although the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is primarily responsible for road and bridge building in these areas, it is hampered by a number of shortcomings. Having told the BRO to construct 73 strategic Roads in 2006, it was expected that these roads will be ready by its original deadline of 2012. Unfortunately on a fraction of the work has been completed As a quasi-military organization the BRO is entrusted with building and maintaining these strategic roads and come rain or winter, its labourers work to keep the only road link to Tawang in Arunachal Prdaesh open through the year but at the moment they are fighting a losing battle, as I saw during my travel there. The fault lies not with them but with people higher up who planned the widening of the only road without building an alternative. Constant landslips, frequent blockades are a recurring challenge. But landslides apart , BRO officials told me that they are plagued by a shortage of labour in this sector. Earlier, large groups from Jharkhand and Bihar made their way to these parts. No longer, since now plenty of work is available in their home states. Excruciatingly slow environmental clearances both by the central and state governments add to the delays. In Arunachal Pradesh, nearly five months of Monsoon followed by a couple of months of intense cold and snowfall means, the working season is limited to less than six months. In Ladakh too, the situation is no different. Snow and severe winter leaves the road and infrastructure builders just about six months of work time through the year. But as state government officials in a remote sub-division like Nyoma in south eastern Ladakh told me last fortnight the clearances have started flowing in faster than before. The road from Upshi to Demchok for instance is currently witnessing intense broadening and improvement work. Demchok is the place where maximum face offs have occurred between Indian Army and Chinese PLA patrols. The Indus also enters India at this extreme south-east corner of Ladakh. India owes it to its own forces to put in place better infrastructurealong the China frontier and provide border guarding forces like the ITBP better facilities than the current ones. Although there is clamour to entrust the India-China border fully to the Army or bring the ITBP fully under the Army's control, so long as the ITBP is deployed on the front line, it deserves better treatment. Similarly, the Centre and the State government must go the extra distance to support the nomadic tribes that live along the remote Ladakh frontier. The further these grazers keep going in search of pasteur for their cattle, the better it is for Indian authorities to lay a claim on the undemarcated borders. These nomads should get full material help in their quest for a better life and access to more grazing land in the border areas. We all recognise that 2013 is not 1962. India's military capability is far far better than it was then; And finally there is too much at stake for Beijing to launch any overt aggression. But as I wrote earlier, what has not changed is the Chinese tendency of bullying weaker neighbours and its policy to keep redefining 'core' interests according to circumstances. Policy making in China is one continuous process. In India on the other hand, it varies according to personalities and political parties in power. While the military in India has overcome the trauma of the 1962 defeat, civilian policy makers appear to be still bogged down by the burdens of the past in dealing with China. Policy makers in India must be mindful of the fact that military preparedness and trying to improve diplomatic relations are not necessarily mutually exclusive