NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
US ARCHIVES
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

RIOTS AND THE RIPPLES
Congmen hold dharna, begin hunger strike for Modi's ouster
Kicking off the second phase of a nationwide campaign against Modi, Sonia Gandhi joined senior party leaders Kamal Nath, Buta Singh, Shivraj Patil, Moti Lal Vora, R K Dhawan and Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit in the dharna.

Muslim group asks students to boycott exams
A meeting held in Ahmedabad under the aegis of Affected Citizens of Ahmedabad resolved that the minority community will not participate in the Class X and Class XII exams beginning April 18.

TDP says no to speaker's post
The post is lying vacant since the untimely death of the sitting speaker G M C Balayogi, who belonged to the TDP, in a plane crash.

NDA partners look to the TDP for leadership
Since the TDP has 28 members in the Lok Sabha, its position on support or withdrawal of support to the government will remove much of the current political uncertainty, Samata Party MP Prabhunath Singh said.

Trinamool to back NDA in case of confidence vote
`People don't want an election every year. Opposition parties earlier brought down the Vajpayee government, but failed to provide an alternative,' Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee said.

Parliament disruption a challenge to NDA: PM
The opposition was not interested in a test of strength, but in vitiating the atmosphere, Vajpayee said.

Minorities panel postpones visit to Gujarat
Speaking to rediff.com Vice Chairman Tarlochan Singh said, 'We have decided to postpone our visit to the state for the time being in view of the fact that some of the areas in Ahmedabad are still under curfew'.

Congress behaving like Muslim League: BJP
The opposition party was `all the time condemning the majority community', party spokesman V K Malhotra said.

Narendra Modi issue rocks Parliament
Opposition members demanded the ouster of the Gujarat chief minister, while ruling BJP members sought an apology from Sonia Gandhi for her remarks against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Three killed, nine hurt in Ahmedabad violence
The police lobbed 14 teargas shells in Nagoriwad locality of Shahpur area to disperse crowds late on Monday night, sources said.

Muslim body criticises PM for remarks
The UK-based Council of Indian Muslims has condemned as 'highly provocative, irresponsible and unwarranted' Atal Bihari Vajapyee's reported remarks justifying Gujarat riots.

Resolve Gujarat violence peacefully: US
Deputy spokesman of US state department Philip Reeker said that Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca, during her recent visit to New Delhi, had conveyed her concern over the continuing violence in Gujarat.

BJP may take action against Shanta Kumar
The food and civil supplies minister had criticised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for failing to control the riots in the state.

NCP may fill slot left open by TDP
BJP politicians have been quick to underline that the TDP's rejection of the speaker's post does not necessarily mean it is breaking off from the NDA.

COLUMNS
Of Sabarmati secularism & non-violence
'If the "secularists" want the Hindus of 2002 to accept the Sabarmati shibboleths of non-violence with the Muslims at any cost, they ought to also demand that the red carpet be laid for Pakistan to just stride into Srinagar all the way down into Sabarimalai -- via Sabarmati, if you please,' says Arvind Lavakare.

Across the great divide
'Why does the trip of Kashmiri Pandits to Gujarat fill me with hope? Because this is a demonstration that there are still people who are willing to bridge the divide,' says Dilip D'Souza.

SLIDE SHOW
Steaming ahead on nostalgia
Images from the historic re-run of India's inaugural rail service.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Centre unveils plan to curb terrorism in J&K
However, there is no proposal to hold talks with terrorists or separatist groups.

Blast in Srinagar-Jammu highway kills 3
Sixteen others were hurt, including four armymen, in the explosion which took place in Awantipore on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

NEWS FROM PAKISTAN
Musharraf's power base lies in US: Bhutto
The former Pakistan prime minister said the referendum being held by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was only a publicity stunt as his real power base rested with the army and US administration.

Hearing in petitions against Musharraf postponed
The petitions question the legality of the referendum being held by President Pervez Musharraf.

CPJ slams Pak govt for attack on journalists
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the police attack on scribes, protesting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's referendum plan, in Faisalabad.

OTHER REPORTS
Jaish planning another attack on Parliament
An intelligence intercept on the border suggested that some terrorists had already sneaked into the capital to carry out the attack.

Benefits of being Laloo Prasad's relative
Hichhin Bigha -- a sleepy hamlet in Bihar - is getting facelift because it is going to be the sasural of Rohini, the second daughter of the RJD chief.

BJP, BSP to form coalition government in UP
BSP leader Kanshi Ram met Home Minister L K Advani on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Pak alleges torture of high commission staffer
A late night statement issued by the Pakistan foreign ministry said the government of Pakistan strongly condemns the abduction, illegal detention and torture of Ali Abbas, an official of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi.

Historic re-run of India's first train attracts crowds in Mumbai
A commemorative stamp was also released by Union Communications Minister Pramod Mahajan on the occasion in the presence of Maharashtra Governor Dr P C Alexander and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar.

Blast in ordnance factory near Jabalpur; 1 killed
The explosion took place in the premises of the ordnance factory at Kamaria, where anti-tank mines and small arms are manufactured.

No timeframe can be fixed for criminal trials: SC
There are nearly 13 million criminal cases pending in the trial courts across the country, while there are only 12,000 trial court judges.

12 MCC ultras escape from Ranchi jail
Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Sukdev Singh said the prisoners broke open the backdoor of a toilet in the yard behind the district and sessions court's lockup and fled.

Tamil Nadu wants LTTE chief extradited
The 19-member Pattali Makkal Kachchi voted against the motion, which also asked the Centre not to allow any LTTE leader to enter the country.

Pak national, IAF corporal held for spying
According to intelligence sources, the IAF personnel was handing over to the Pakistan embassy staffer details about a joint exercise of the air forces of India and the US.

Pak cooperating in war on terror: US
US Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld said, 'They (Pakistan) have been wonderfully helpful and cooperative from the outset of this global war on terrorism'.

Runaway Kuwaiti girl to resist deportation
Dhalal Falag Al-Azmi Al-Azmi said that she was prepared to end her life along with her Indian husband, rather than returning to Kuwait.

No mediation in Indo-Pak disputes: UN
'Any role for the United Nations would have to be welcomed by both India and Pakistan', spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

Orissa stops power supply to AP
The Grid Corporation Limited, the sole licensee for bulk supply of power in Orissa, was supplying 150 megawatt of power to Andhra Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation.

Six victims of Republic Day blast in Orissa lose sight
`We do not have money to spend on their treatment now. The boys need more efforts and money to get back their vision,' their parents told rediff.com.

Gulshan case: No proof against 15 accused
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, however, argued that there was strong evidence against three accused -- Rauf Raja, Rashid Daud Merchant and Ramesh Taurani.

Bank employees go on strike
United Forum of Bank Unions, the apex union of bank employees, said that over 1 million employees of 27 public sector banks and some foreign banks will participate in the strike.

April 15, 2002

TOP REPORT
Nationwide bank strike on Tuesday
United Forum of Bank Unions, the apex union of bank employees, said that over 1 million employees of 27 public sector banks and some foreign banks will participate in the strike.

RIOTS AND THE RIPPLES
Modi Cabinet to decide on fresh election on Wednesday
The state unit of the BJP authorised the chief minister to take the appropriate decision on dissolving the Gujarat assembly.

NDA allies to meet Tuesday on floor strategy
However, they were evasive on whether they would support a censure motion on the Gujarat issue in Parliament.

Gujarat govt files report to NHRC
"We have received a report from the Gujarat government today, but we are yet to receive the response from the home ministry. We are sending a reminder to them," the NHRC sources said.

Sena welcomes BJP 'taking up Hindutva again'
Sena mouthpiece Saamna said that the BJP first espoused the cause of the Hindus and later ignored them.

SC issues notice to Centre, Modi on Gujarat
The notices were issued on a petition seeking appointment of a special investigating team to enquire into the communal riots in the state to fix responsibility of state government and concerned police officials.

Narendra Modi issue rocks Lok Sabha
Opposition members demanded suspension of Question Hour and taking up of the notices of adjournment motion saying as many as 56 members had given such notices.

Puri seer slams PM for 'justifying' riots
Holding the prime minister directly responsible for the Gujarat killings Swami Adhyakshojanandji said the riots were a crime 'without any parallel' in Indian history.

BJP authorises Modi to decide on polls
Gujarat BJP president Rajendra Singh Rana said members favoured an 'early election', but left the matter to be decided by the chief minister and the state government.

BJP decides to focus on ideology
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party needs to approach and convince people on the basis of its 'ideology' to succeed.

MIM alleges 'ethnic cleansing' of Muslims in Gujarat
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen floor leader Asaduddin Owaisi said that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu must send a study team of Telugu Desam Party to make an on-the-spot assessment of the 'ethnic cleansing'.

NEWS FROM LANKA
Laloo seeks to file cases against Vajpayee, Advani
The RJD chief has sought an appointment with the President to seek his nod to lodge a criminal case against the prime minister and the home minister under section 120B of the CrPC for making inflammatory statements.

Pondy assembly seeks Prabhakaran's extradition
The assembly's resolution also urged the Centre not to permit any LTTE leader right of passage through India. The DMK abstained.

PM-Prez tug-of-war threatens to derail Lankan peace process
Many believe that President Chandrika Kumaratunga is the biggest stumbling block in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's attempts to open peace talks with the LTTE.

OTHER REPORTS
Grenade blast in Pulwama, 25 injured
The blast occurred at Laroo Jageer Tral. The injured were being treated at the Base hospital and the Bone and Joint Hospital in Srinagar.

Bhutto to face trial if she returns: Musharraf
The former prime minister of Pakistan had said that she would return home to contest the October elections.

Sadhu Yadav revolts against Laloo
Sadhu Yadav charged that Rashtriya Janata Dal has been reduced to a 'party of capitalists' from being once the 'champion of the downtrodden'.

Ansari case: Former passport officer arrested
M N Prasad was arrested by the police on the basis of information provided by Aftab Ansari, the main accused in the attack on the USIS office in Kolkata.

Nepalese forces Kill 17 Maoist rebels
The rebels were gunned down in a bus near Murkutti, on the border of Dang district, state-run Nepal Radio said.

Bihar police on alert along Indo-Nepal border
Central intelligence agencies have confirmed that many Nepalese Maoists are being trained to handle arms and explosives in Gaya and Aurangabad districts in central Bihar.

Journalist murdered in Lucknow
Paritosh Pandey was working as a crime reporter with the local Hindi daily Jansatta.

Accidental blast kills 4 US soldiers in Kandahar
The soldiers had seized 107 mm rockets from enemy sites and were stockpiling them in a remote area to destroy them.

109 killed in Chinese plane crash
The Boeing 767-200 was approaching Kimhae Airport in Busan when it hit the mountainside near a residential area.

COLUMNS
The best of bedfellows
Despite frightening noises about the myriad corruption cases against Captain Satish Sharma, the CBI has all but let him be. Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi durbar.

Dealing with the Tigers: India's tightrope options
'We who are unable to force General Musharraf to release Masood Azhar and Sheikh Omar should not even dream of getting Prabhakaran handed over to India to stand trial. Whose army is going to enforce that, I ask?' says Rajeev Srinivasan.

April 14, 2002

TOP REPORTS
TDP will continue to support NDA
However, it will not give up its demands - Modi's resignation and no polls in Gujarat for now.

Vajpayee defends 'anti-Muslim' speech
He was unhappy at being praised as a 'secular leader' when he condemned the negative aspects of Hindu fundamentalists while being branded as a 'communal leader' when he did the same about Muslims fanatics.

Continue support: NDA appeals to TDP
NDA convener George Fernandes said seeking Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's resignation would amount to interfering in the affairs of states.

Position in Parliament: What the numbers say
The NDA government will not be endangered even if the TDP withdraws support.

BJP MEET IN GOA
No threat to NDA govt: Vajpayee
The prime minister said that withdrawal of support by the TDP would not jeopardise his government's survival.

TDP can't rock NDA boat: Mahajan
He said that the reverses in recent assembly elections and the fact that the BJP is in power in only three states compared to the Congress's 14 would not have a bearing on national politics.

Modi should resign on moral grounds: BJD
Secretary general Dr Damodar Rout said that the BJD will continue to be a part of the NDA as long as it adheres to the national agenda for governance.

Don't interfere in other states: Jana
Party chief Jana Krishnamurthy advised NDA constituents to discuss contentious issues within the NDA before going public.

GUJARAT VIOLENCE AFTERMATH
Curfew re-imposed in Ahmedabad locality
The trouble began after people in some localities gathered on the roads and threw stones and hurled burning rags.

Railway officials seek transfer outside Guj
A Western Railway workers union leader said 'officials belonging to the minority community were no longer in a position to return to Ahmedabad and resume duties'.

OTHER REPORTS
Bhujbal tours violence-hit Kalyan town
Arson, looting and violence continued in the town near Mumbai for the fourth day on Saturday.

April 13, 2002

BJP MEET IN GOA
BJP will stick to NDA's agenda: Advani
However, he said the BJP's apologetic attitude about its own agenda was contributing to people's disenchantment with the party.

Party discipline has suffered: Advani
He said some BJP ministers might be inducted into the party to help correct matters.

BJP rallies behind middle class, farmers
A five-page economic resolution adopted on the second day of the executive meeting acknowledged that the Union Budget contained measures that may appear to be harsh to certain sections.

GUJARAT VIOLENCE AFTERMATH
TDP opposes polls in Guj, firm on Modi's ouster
The party pointed out that holding elections in Gujarat now was equivalent to making political capital out of a human tragedy.

CONGRESS CONCLAVE IN GUWAHATI
Sonia has harsh words for PM
The Congress president was replying to Vajpayee's taunt about the Congress having failed to come up with an alternative after toppling his government.

OTHER REPORTS
B N Kirpal to be next Chief Justice
Justice Kirpal was chief justice of the Gujarat High Court before he was elevated to the Supreme Court on September 11, 1995.

April 12, 2002

BJP MEET IN GOA
Jana overruled PM on Modi resignation
A BJP leader speaking to rediff.com said that when Modi gave his resignation to Vajpayee, who wanted fresh assembly polls, the party president Jana Krishnamurthy intervened and rejected the Gujarat CM's offer to quit.

BJP asks Modi to dissolve Gujarat assembly
A resolution adopted at the party's executive meeting at Goa said, 'Instead of accepting his resignation, the national executive advises him to seek dissolution of the assembly, go to the people and seek their verdict.'

Vajpayee lashes out at Muslims
'They don't mix with the society, they don't want to live in harmony,' the prime minister said at a public meeting in Goa.

TDP to decide its course of action in two days
Party general secretary Laljan Basha said that the the Parliamentary Party was likely take up the matter on Sunday.

RSS forces PM to change tack on Modi issue
The RSS leadership, especially former BJP president Kushabhau Thakre, put his foot down on the issue of Modi's replacement as Gujarat CM, a senior PMO official told rediff.com.

Jana echoes RSS line on minority welfare
The BJP president also made it clear that the party is solidly behind Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP rejects demand for Modi's removal
Party president Jana Krishnamurthy said that the nation needs to be saved from forces whose only aim seems to be to destabilise" the BJP-led NDA government.

Gujarat has gained a lot from Modi: Munde
The former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra said that it was not easy to remove Modi from the Gujarat chief minister's post.

I had decided on polls five days ago: Modi
The Gujarat chief minister said that he had decided to resign as he did not want to appear to be responsible for any bad name Gujarat could get internationally.

Rejection of Modi's resignation a notice to allies: Shambhu
Stating that now it was for the allies to decide whether to continue in the National Democratic Alliance, the Samata Party leader said it is a kind of litmus test for all of them.

'Rejection of Modi's offer to quit negative'
Congress Party leader Anand Sharma said, 'Modi's offer was a gimmick which lacked both sincerity and intention of owning moral responsibility'.

Modi gives in, submits his resignation
The national executive of the BJP is to discuss the resignation on Friday night before deciding whether to accept it.

CONGRESS CONCLAVE IN GUWAHATI
Cong natural party for governance: Sonia
The Congress president said that the people of India are recognising this 'fact'.

Deal strictly with communal elements: Sonia
Speaking at the conclave of 14 Congress chief ministers in Assam's capital Guwahati, Sonia, spent first 10 minutes of her 40-minute speech stressing on the need to preserve India's secular character.

Sonia demands Narendra Modi's dismissal
The Gujarat chief minister had failed in discharging his constitutional obligations and responsibilities, she said.

FRESH VIOLENCE IN GUJARAT
40 hurt in Ahmedabad; army out
Twenty-five shops and houses were also set on fire in the fresh outbreak of violence in the Danilimda locality.

VIOLENCE IN KALYAN
Rioting, arson continues in Kalyan
Miscreants set fire to a row of shops near the Kalyan Dombivili Municipal Corporation building around 6.30 pm. While there were no reports of casualties, three fire engines had not succeeded in taming the flames till late night.

Probe to be ordered into Kalyan riots
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said those responsible for the violence would not be spared.

VIOLENCE IN NEPAL
Maoist attack in Nepal in retaliation to arrests in India
The attack in Dang district of Nepal was in retaliation to the arrest of eight rebels from some private nursing homes in Lucknow, UP, officials said.

Maoists massacre 50 policemen in Nepal
Twelve rebels were also killed in the clashes, which took place in Dang district, officials said.

OTHER REPORTS
SC declines to vacate stay on new curriculum
The government had pleaded that the stay on the implementation of the National Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education be vacated.

Indo-US ties remain strong: Gen Franks
The commander-in-chief of the US Central Command praised India for its contribution to the fight against terrorism.

PWG founder Kondapalli Seetharamaiah dead
The 85-year-old Seetharamaiah was one of the founders of the Naxalite movement that took roots in Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh in 1969.

Pakistan election panel member resigns
Justice Tariq Mehmood was of the view that the panel had no mandate to hold the national referendum, which was announced by President Musharraf.

Road accident in Howrah, 21 killed
Seventeen people were injured when a van collided with a truck on a bridge in Howrah district.

J&K REPORTS
No importance in Pant's remarks: Hurriyat
'We do not seek a chair or seat in assembly and if polls are conducted for making a government, we will never participate in such an exercise', the outfit's chairman Abdul Gani Bhatt said.

Four JeM terrorists killed in Kashmir
Meanwhile, life was disrupted in some parts of the valley following a strike called by the Al-Umer Mujahideen.

REPORTS FROM BIHAR
Free treatment for ailing mathematician
Bashistha Narayan Singh would undergo treatment for schizophrenia at the Delhi-based Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences.

MCC blows up three houses in Gaya
About 300 Maoist Communist Centre guerrillas raided Korap village in Gaya district and blew up three houses using dynamite, injuring two people.

REPORTS FROM ORISSA
Youth arrested for cannibalism in Orissa
P Ramulu of Digpahandi village was caught while he was eating the flesh of his four-month-old niece.

Hailstorm injures hundreds in Orissa
The storm damaged houses and uprooted thousands of trees in the district headquarters of Angul, an official said.

INTERVIEW
'Modi is anti-Muslim politically'
'I don't believe he is in the chakkar of Hindutvawad. But he can use Hindutvawad to his advantage.' Former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela lashes out at the Narendra Modi government.

SPECIAL
Education is an activity of peace. Not turmoil
It's a reasonably happy picture the J&K government paints of its educational system. But that is not the truth. The Lost Generation, a series on Kashmir's children, continues.

April 11, 2002

TOP REPORTS
BJP caught in the horns of dilemma
The ruling party needs to make a decision whether to worry about Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's anguish and concern for India's image or press on with the search for an emotional issue to re-energise its cadres.

BJP rules out replacing Narendra Modi
Spokesman Sunil Shastri said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would not come under pressure of anyone on the issue of replacing the Gujarat chief minister.

Godhra mayhem accused arrested
The Uttar Pradesh police nabbed Anwar Rashid, a Students Islamic Movement of India activist from Bhadohi town near Varanasi in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Talks to form BJP-BSP govt in UP: PM
But BJP president K Jana Krishnamurthy said in Panaji that there was no `concrete proposal' for such a coalition.

Ban on LTTE to stay: Vajpayee
Vajpayee, however, said his government could sympathetically consider the request to extend medical help to the ailing LTTE spokesperson Anton Balasingham.

Sonia may travel to Gujarat again
The focus of the visit would be to gauge the extent of communal divide in the violence-ravaged state and to ascertain what kind of impact it could have on the party's electoral prospects.

Al Qaeda growing in Southeast Asia: PM
Atal Bihari Vajpayee asserted that the challenge posed by terrorists must be fought unitedly.

CRISIS IN GUJARAT
Jaitley rushes to Gandhinagar to meet Modi
The Union law minister, who is understood to have been deputed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, held a one-on-one meeting with the chief minister. The two later had dinner together, official sources said.

TDP seeks Narendra Modi's ouster
The TDP at its politburo meeting in Hyderabad on Thursday night adopted a resolution criticising the Gujarat chief minister for his handling of the situation following the communal violence in that state.

PM, Modi can't co-exist: Srivastava
If BJP insists on retaining (Narendra) Modi (as Gujarat chief minister), it is a matter of time before the Vajpayee government collapses," the former Samata Party spokesman said.

'Demand for Modi's ouster to be discussed'
The prime minister said he would like to take the views of his colleagues before making any comment on the Modi issue.

Congress begins 'remove Modi' campaign
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarsinh Chaudhary sat on a dharna in Gandhinagar along with his party workers demanding Modi's ouster.

Modi needs all help he can get: BJP
Modi would remain CM till he had the support of the majority in the Gujarat assembly, party president Jana Krishnamurthy said.

Shanta Kumar calls for Modi's resignation
The Gujarat chief minister's continuation in office was beyond human norms, he told rediff.com

SPECIAL REPORTS
Guns & more guns for a statement of peace
Ganesh Nadar recounts the stifling security checks he had to undergo before being allowed a rendezvous with the LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

Face-to-face with Prabhakaran
Ganesh Nadar recounts the LTTE chief's first press conference in 12 years.

LTTE RELATED REPORTS
LTTE willing to give up arms
But the Sri Lankan government would have to come up with an acceptable solution: LTTE chief Prabhakaran said.

LTTE wants to 'build bridges' with India
LTTE chief Prabhakaran said: 'India's role in resolving the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is the most important.'

Jaya seeks Prabhakaran's extradition
The Congress and the TMC also reacted on similar lines. DMK chief Karunanidhi, was, however, guarded in his reaction to the LTTE chief's statements at Wednesday's press conference.

OTHER REPORTS
BJP all keyed up for executive meet on Friday
Bharatiya Janata Party cadres are looking forward to the huge rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other top party leaders on Friday evening.

Mann goes to Pakistan despite Centre's ban
An Intelligence Bureau officer said they could not stop the Akali politician from going on a pilgrimage to Sikh shrines across the border because he holds a diplomatic passport.

'Cong conclave not aimed at toppling NDA'
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told rediff.com that Sonia Gandhi plans to project her party as one that knows how to govern.

Toll in Kalyan violence reaches 6
Meanwhile, violence spread to new areas even as the police assure that there was nothing to worry about.

BJD to file criminal case against Dilip Ray
The former Union minister minister has been using BJD symbol even after being expelled from the party, spokesman Damodar Rout said.

Four MCC activists, 1 cop killed in Bihar
A CRPF constable was also injured in the gun battle, which took place in Aurangabad district.

Cong to boycott panel probing Orissa assembly attack
There is no need of a house committee when the accused are known, leader of opposition Ramakant Mishra said.

PM visits Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia
The Archaeological Survey of India had renovated the Angkor Wat temple between 1986 and 1993, giving a major boost to tourism in Cambodia.

TDP leader hacked to death in Warangal
Telugu Desam Party whip and legislator E Dayakar Rao alleged the involvement of a legislator from the Congress Party in the killing of Pratap Reddy.

Five ultras killed in Manipur
The encounter took place when paramilitary forces, acting on a tip-off, rushed to the area under the Lamlai police station and surrounded it, sources said.

Pilot killed in MiG crash in Karnataka
According to a senior police officer the flight recorder has been located and sent to the Karwar Air Force station.

SPECIALS
What game is he playing now?
George Iype reports on LTTE chief V Prabhakaran's attempts at a makeover from a ruthless guerilla leader to a peacemaker.

Oh, that was universal. Everyone copied
'We were not worried about our pride,' the schoolteacher said. 'Only about our lives.' The Lost Generation, a series on the impact of militancy on Kashmir's children, continues.

COLUMN
Why is the IAF out of sync?
'It is not clear why the government is permitting the IAF to hold the country's security to ransom,' says Major General (retd) Ashok K Mehta.

April 10, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Pallone slams Musharraf referendum
Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone described the proposed April 30 referendum to extend Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's rule by five years as 'illegal' and 'unconstitutional'.

Pakistan clarifies threat to use nukes
A Pakistani official spokesman said that hos country would use nuclear weapons 'if all of Pakistan were threatened to disappear from the map'.

PRABHAKARAN's PRESS CONFERENCE
LTTE chief calls Rajiv Gandhi's killing tragic
Addressing a international press conference after a gap of 12 years in his hideout in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka, Vellupillai Prabhakaran said Tamil Eelam is the demand of the Tamil people and not the LTTE.

India not likely to concede LTTE chief's demands
While a formal response to Prabhakaran's comments at his press conference in Kilinochchi on Wednesday evening is expected on Thursday, government sources said there was no change in New Delhi's stand of not mediating between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.

REPORTS FROM GUJARAT
Modi stops bureaucrats' from self-introspection
Chief Minister Narendra Modi has denied top bureaucrats of the state permission to hold a meeting to discuss the bureaucracy's role in communally divided Gujarat.

Gujarat: Pamphlets threaten to whip up tension
Some pamphlets, purportedly printed by Hindu socio-political organisations, call for economic and social boycott of Muslims.

Impose President's Rule in Gujarat: Paswan
The Lok Jan Shakti chief and the coal and mines minister said that Central rule is essential to protect the lives and property of the minority community.

ANTI-TERROR BILL
Sonia may tell Cong CMs to not use POTA
Ajit Jogi, Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot and A K Antony, chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala, respectively, have already said they will not implement the new anti-terrorism law.

REPORTS FROM AP
Naidu tells TDP leaders not to speak out of turn
At an informal meeting of the party politburo in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister expressed displeasure at conflicting reports in the media about the TDP's stand on Gujarat and Ayodhya.

BJP MP wants Chandrababu as NDA convenor
'As convenor of the United Front, Chandrababu Naidu had proved himself to be the best crisis manager', Jitender Reddy said.

Telugu Desam activist shot dead by Naxalites
The Naxalites belonging to Konalava local guerrilla squad of the People's War Group shot dead 65-year-old Yerraiah.

CNG CRISIS IN DELHI
CNG crisis continues; Delhi schools reopen
Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit will meet Union Petroleum Minister Ram Naik on Wednesday to work out a strategy to end the crisis.

1,842 more buses on Thursday
Owners of 882 diesel buses have decided to ply their vehicles after paying a fine of Rs 500 per day levied by the Supreme Court.

J&K REPORTS
Weed out ultras from hilly areas: Farooq
The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister wanted immediate operations to flush out militants in the higher reaches of Udhampur district after they fired at his chopper when he was on his way to Dandli village.

Terrorists kill 5 in Doda district
The incident took place in Nagini village. Three children were among those killed.

8 persons killed in Kashmir
Among them were four militants, two BSF personnel and an activist of the ruling National Conference.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
Suicide bomber kills 10 in Israel
The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attack.

India asks Israel to stop attacks
'There is no justification for directing violence at civilians,' India's deputy permanent representative to the UN, A Gopinathan, said.

OTHER REPORTS
Article 32 can't assail our judgments: SC
However, a litigant would have a remedy against 'gross miscarriage' of justice through a curative writ subject to fulfilment of certain conditions, the court said.

Rocca, Singh discuss bilateral issues
The US assistant secretary of state for South Asia also briefed the Indian foreign minister on her talks with Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan.

French warships drop anchor in India
Antisubmarine frigate FNS De Grasse, maintenance and repair vessel FNS Jules Verne will take part in the joint exercises with the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea on April 15.

Fernandes arrives on 4-day visit to Russia
The defence minister will hold extensive talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov to finalise several defence deals.

5 killed in communal violence in Kalyan
The murder of Bajrang Dal activist Ashok Walunj on the Valli Peer intersection of Ambedkar Marg triggered violence in which 14 people were injured.

Bihar police look for minister in assault case
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Purnmasi Ram allegedly abducted and beat up CPI-ML leader Dayanand Dwivedi for filing a PIL in the Patna high court about a scam in the PDS red-card scheme.

Privilege motion against Jaya, Ponnaiyan
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members gave a notice for a privilege motion against Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and Finance Minister C Ponnaiyan for 'misleading' the House on the Cauvery issue.

Osama safe, planning attacks: Report
The Qai'dat al-Jihad, an Islamic group linked to the Al Qaeda, sent a letter to Arabic newspaper Al Hayat making such claims, ANSA news agency said.

Panel to probe Orissa assembly attack
The 20-member committee, headed by Speaker Sarat Kumar Kar, has legislators from all parties.

INTERVIEW
'Modi either lacks administrative will or competence'
'If the violence continues even after the PM's visit, it impinges not only on the image of the BJP but also of the NDA allies,' says Shambhu Srivastava, who resigned as Samata Party spokesman after demanding Narendra Modi's ouster.

COLUMNS
Trial by the media
'In most democracies a person is deemed to be innocent until he is tried and convicted. Not in India, where accusations, however wild they may be, are proof of final guilt,' says Admiral (retd) J G Nadkarni.

Jinnah's true inheritors: The Sangh Parivar
'The Parivar's idea of a Hindu Rashtra is an imitation of the concept of Islamic state and borrows heavily from the European concept of nation state,' says Anil Athale.

DIARY
Young single female... on India-travel!
Dipika Kohli backpacks through the land of her parents' origin.

April 9, 2002

TOP REPORTS
India offers judge for Khmer Rouge trial
The UN has stated that due to differences in the approach to set up an International Tribunal and flaws in Khmer Rouge law, passed by Cambodia, it is unlikely to associate itself with any trial for Khmer Rouge leaders.

Srivastava quits Samata on Modi issue
'I do not think I can carry on with my party positions with any sense of dignity and self respect," Samata Party general secretary Shambu Srivastava said in a letter to party president V V Krishna Rao.

Murder sparks off riots in Kalyan
Trouble started in the Rohidaswada area after the body of Bajrang Dal activist, who was stabbed to death, was found.

Pak's claims on terror an eyewash: Abdullah
The J&K chief minister said that Pakistan was trying to impress the United States and the world at large, but the reality was that militant training camps were still operating in that country.

POST-RIOTS GUJARAT
Patkar joins the chorus, wants Modi fired
The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader who was assaulted by the Gujarat police on Sunday at a peace meeting in Sabarmati Ashram said that the removal of the Gujarat chief minister is essential to restore normalcy.

LJP joins the clamour for Modi's head
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, LJP senior vice-president Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the volatile situation in Gujarat had created a constitutional crisis, which could be resolved only by Modi's dismissal.

People's Front wants Modi dismissed
'The state administration is totally biased against citizens who belong to the minority community' the Front said.

Orissa communists want Modi to be dismissed
'The recent attack on media men in Gujarat clearly demonstrated the kind of situation prevailing in that state,' the secretary of the Orissa unit of the CPI-M, Janardan Pati, said.

Samata changes stand on Modi's ouster
Samata Party spokesman Shambhu Srivastava had said that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should be removed by the Centre to restore normalcy in the state.

Gujarat incident-free first time in over a month
Curfew remained in force in Umreth and Borsad towns of Anand district, while it was relaxed during daytime in Visnagar town of Mehsana district, police said.

Sabarmati residents protest cop's transfer
Inspector Prakash Mehra was suspended following the attack on journalists in Sabarmati Ashram on April 7.

PM's TWO NATION VISIT
'Terrorism aided by undemocratic societies'
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said that democracies represent the will and determination of their peoples and have the internal strength, resilience to overcome the scourge of terrorism.

PM arrives on a 3-day visit to Cambodia
Insurgents suspected to be from the NLFT raided Jarulcherra area of Dhalai district and abducted the men.

Terrorism must be tackled jointly: PM
Prime Minister Vajpayee said this while addressing The Annual Singapore Lecture 2002 in Singapore.

FERNANDES's RUSSIA VISIT
George Fernandes to visit Russia
The defence minister heads a nine-member delegation seeking to expedite supply of T-90 tanks, upgraded SU-30 fighters and other equipment.

Russia to start delivering Sukhois by May
Russia will dispatch 10 Su-30MKI fighters in May, while another 22 are to be delivered next year.

'Russia offers to sell spare parts factory'
Officials of the Indian defence ministry and the Russian arms export agency are discussing the offer to sell MiG-21 spare parts factory, the Defense News said.

ANTI-TERRORISM ACT
Centre warns states over POTA issue
`If a state government does not cooperate in curbing terrorism, then the Centre must see what are the constitutional remedies,' BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy said.

INDO-US TIES
Rocca holds talks with Lambah, MEA officials
The US assistant secretary of state for South Asia is expected to discuss the three-month long military stand-off between India and Pakistan and the progress in the global campaign against terrorism.

Indo-US crime-fighting treaty goes to Senate
The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Treaty, signed by the two countries on October 17 last year, will become effective only after ratification by the Senate by a two-thirds majority.

New US visa restrictions hit students
The INS wants people who get final deportation orders to surrender within 30 days. Those who do not will be denied any chance to appeal or seek asylum.

Christina Rocca arrives on two-day visit
The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia will call on External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and meet with India's special envoy to Afghanistan S K Lambah.

AFROZ CASE
Afroz released; police file charge sheet
The police has filed the charge sheet under provisions of the IPC.

SP criticises cops, Maharashtra govt
The president of the Mumbai unit of the Samajwadi Party, Abu Asim Azmi, told rediff.com the way Afroz case has been handled showed that the 'minority community is treated badly by police officials and politicians alike'.

Mumbai police chief going on leave raises eyebrows
M N Singh has proceeded on a week's leave a day after suspected Al Qaeda terrorist Mohammed Afroz was granted bail by the court.

MILITANT ATTACKS
Six killed in militant attack in Manipur
Four Central Reserve Police Force personnel and two civilians were killed and some jawans injured when armed militants attacked a CRPF party at Pangei in Manipur's Imphal East district on Tuesday.

Grenade attack in Anantnag district, 2 killed
The grenade was aimed at a patrolling party, but it missed the target and exploded on the road, sources said.

Eight labourers abducted in Tripura
Insurgents suspected to be from the NLFT raided Jarulcherra area of Dhalai district and abducted the men.

SUPREME COURT REPORTS
Submit security plan for Taj: SC to Centre
The UP government had submitted an affidavit with the court stating that ill-equipped private security personnel were guarding the monument.

Justice Sema sworn in SC judge
Justice Hotoi Khetoho Sema (58) was the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court before being inducted as the 25th of the Supreme Court.

CNG CRISIS
Centre says no to ordinance
Speaking to newsmen after a high-level meeting, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik said since Parliament is in session, an ordinance cannot be issued.

Delhi schools to open on Wednesday
The government had on Sunday ordered closure of the schools in view of the withdrawal of about 7,000 diesel buses from the capital.

DIASPORA
Neo-Nazis threaten Indians in Russia
The Association of Russian Skinheads has threatened in an email to kill all aliens saying `Russia is for Russians'.

Indo-Canadians involved in 2 murders
Police have stepped up vigilance at public gatherings of Indo-Canadians following gang wars.

OTHER REPORTS
Links between J&K, northeast militants: Govt
A home ministry source speaking to rediff.com, however, said that there are no links between Naxalites in various states and the J&K and northeast terrorists.

Sena wants Ayodhya issue on NDA agenda
The feelings of Hindus need to be honoured, party MP Sanjay Nirupam said at the mahashibir of the party in Shirdi.

Surveys predict massive win for Musharraf
67.50 per cent people would vote in favour of the general continuing at the helm, the surveys said.

'Hurriyat's poll panel functioning well'
'We may not have met physically but we are in touch with each other through emails and telephone,' Tapan Bose, the joint chairman of the People's Election Commission, said.

NYT bags seven Pulitzers
The Wall Street Journal won the highest honour in journalism in the breaking news category for its coverage of the terrorist attack on the US.

Alert sounded in Konkan coast for terrorist activity
The authorities suspect that RDX may be landed at one of the desolate rocky beaches along the Konkan coast and moved to Goa, where the BJP's national executive is scheduled to meet on the weekend.

Oppn parties stage walkout in TN assembly
They staged a walkout after the speaker refused them permission to raise the issue of alleged malpractices committed by the ruling AIADMK in Monday's byelections in two wards of the Chennai City Corporation.

Orissa court adjourns Staines murder trial
The trial was adjourned, as the defence counsels were absent on Monday.

COLUMNS
'National shame' is not for premiers, Mr Vajpayee
'The wound of the majority Hindu psyche has now become putrid and full of pus. If its reprisal after Godhra is condemnable -- and it certainly is -- so is the anti-majorityism of the government,' says Arvind Lavakare.

Sinha the outgoing
Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha's time is up... Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi Durbar.

SPECIAL
'We are finished. We are gone'
It's not just the Muslims and Hindus who suffered in the Gujarat riots. The Congress did too, terribly, writes Sheela Bhatt.

INTERVIEW
'Arafat wants to be a revolutionary, not a statesman'
'Suicide bombers are killing innocent civilians, mostly young, even children on the street or at a nightclub. Where is the glory in this?' Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel on the West Asia crisis.

April 8, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Referendum in Pakistan on April 30
Nearly 70 million voters would cast their votes in the referendum to decide whether Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf should occupy the office for a five-year term.

Gujarat: Govt worried as Rocca comes calling
The US assistant secretary of state for South Asia will convey America's concern for the safety of the minorities when she meets Union Home Minister L K Advani on Tuesday.

Govt notifies Al Qaeda under POTA
The move came after discussions involving visiting CIA Deputy Director John E McLaughlin and the top brass of Indian intelligence agencies.

Sleuth who warned Gujarat govt shifted
The intelligence wing of the state police has also not found any evidence to support the state government's hypothesis that the attack at Godhra on the Sabarmati Express was pre-planned.

Afroz will be released on Tuesday: Lawyer
Decks were cleared on Monday night for the release of the suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist after a release memo was issued by the registrar of the trial court.

PM discusses steps to tackle terror with Goh
Vajpayee told the Singapore prime minister he is convinced that India's destiny, like that of Singapore, is closely intertwined with the future of South-East Asia and of the Asia Pacific.

GUJARAT SITUATION
BJP chief rules out Modi's removal
Bharatiya Janata Party chief K Jana Krishnamurthy said he does not understand why an individual is being targeted for no fault of his.

BJP's executive meet to discuss Gujarat riots
BJP leader Sharad Kulkarni, coordinating the party's executive meet in Goa, ruled out any discussion on changing Narendra Modi as the Gujarat chief minister.

Laloo demands Modi's arrest
The former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav described the attack on mediapersons in Sabarmati Ashram on Sunday as an 'attack on the freedom of press'.

Mamata demands Narendra Modi's removal
Speaking to journalists in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress chief said the people of Gujarat have lost confidence in Modi's government.

Naidu opposes removal of Modi as Guj CM
The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said that the immediate priority was restoration of normalcy in Gujarat.

PM sent emissary to assuage Naidu
A senior TDP leader told rediff.com that Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Vijay Goel carried a specific message from Vajpayee to 'assuage' the ruffled feelings of the TDP chief over Gujarat riots.

REPORTS FROM J&K
Terrorists kill 5 villagers in Udhampur district
Four villagers were injured in the attack, which took place in village Dandali Arnas.

Bomb blast in Rajouri, three killed
Around four people were injured in the explosion, which took place inside a shop.

CNG CRISIS IN DELHI
Centre considers ordinance
Petroleum Minister Ram Naik told transporters that the Centre was looking at ways to avoid changing the transport system in Delhi to a single fuel mode.

Delhiites stranded as diesel buses stay off
The Supreme Court had on Friday rejected the Centre's plea for extension of the January 31 deadline on plying of diesel-run buses.

Naik, Jaitley to meet Advani on Tuesday
The Centre might issue an ordinance to allow use of multiple fuels, meeting emission standards, in Delhi to circumvent the Supreme Court order to stop buses using diesel.

Congress to blame for CNG crisis: BJP
'If the Congress government in Delhi had banned registration of non-CNG buses three years ago the present crisis would not have arisen,' former chief minister Madan Lal Khurana said.

ATTACK ON JOURNALISTS
Modi visits injured cameraman at hospital
NDTV cameraman Pranav Joshi suffered serious head injuries in Sunday's police assault on mediapersons at Sabarmati Ashram.

Journalists, writers protest assault on media
Addressing a rally at Jantar Mantar, senior journalists Sumit Chakravarty, Jawed Naqvi, Seema Mustafa and Prabhat Dabral termed Sunday's attack on journalists in Ahmedabad as an assault on democracy.

Cops transferred in connection with attack
Twelve journalists, covering a peace meeting, were injured in police action at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

SUPREME COURT ORDERS
SC fines petitioner opposing Namaz at public places
The Supreme Court rejected the petition as mischievous fining the petitioner Rs 10,000 saying people like him were causing bloodshed in the country.

Supreme Court issues notice to Vajpayee
A petitioner has sought setting aside the election of Vajpayee to the Lok Sabha claiming that his nomination papers were wrongly rejected.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Musharraf leaves Kashmir alone at SAARC meet
The Pakistani president devoted most of his inaugural speech on the 'three-tier concept of regional development to effectively deal with grinding poverty of the region' at the groups' inter-ministerial meeting.

US almost got Osama in Pakistan: Report
The Saudi renegade managed to escape hours before his hideout in Faisalabad was raided, Pakistani daily The Nation reported.

OTHER REPORTS
Naxalites blast govt bus in AP
Reports said that around 12 People's War Group guerrillas waylaid the bus near Madanapalle and blasted it, after getting passengers to disembark.

Collision between buses in TN, 16 dead
While one bus was proceeding from Namakkal to Tiruchirappalli, the other was going towards Thiruvasi, police said.

Runaway girl can seek Indian citizenship: Kuwait
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Information Director Khaled Humoud Al-Razni pointed out that Azmi, who eloped with her driver, Khader Basha and entered India on forged documents, was free to marry whoever she wished to.

ULFA refuses to withdraw terms for talks
The three demands are that talks be held in a third country, under the supervision of the UN and that the issue of Assam's sovereignty be discussed.

MCC activists blast railway track in Bihar
However, the Bihar bandh called by MCC to protest against the anti-terror act had no impact in the state, sources said.

Two top PWG leaders arrested in Orissa
The police arrested Mangu Raju and Dhanu Khara when they came to Malkangiri district on Saturday to purchase materials used in making bombs.

UPDS announces 2-month unilateral ceasefire
The ceasefire has been declared to facilitate negotiation with the Centre, official sources said in Guwahati.

Tension in UP village following violence
The trouble began over the alleged poisoning of fishes in the pond in Ishaqpur village of Azamgarh district.

Centre to help needy heart patients: Thakur
The health minister said that the needy patients could avail themselves of monetary benefit from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

COLUMNS
The front-runner
'In the absence of any sensational events, I think we may see P C Alexander as the next President of India before the summer is out,' says T V R Shenoy.

This is banality, Mr Advani
'As home minister, Sri L K Advani's record has been disastrous, but for his loud rhetoric every time Pakistan-based terrorists have struck,' says Arun B Srivastava.

Archives