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TOP REPORTS
State-funded minority institutions subject to rules: SC
An eleven-judge constitutional bench said that while minorities have a right to establish educational institutions, the same right is also available to the majority community.

Twelve BJP dissidents ditch Mayawati
They have urged Governor Vishnukant Shastri to ask the chief minister to face a trial of strength.

Consider linking major rivers by 2012, SC tells Centre
Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General Soli Sorabjee said the Centre agrees with the concept, but a major constraint is the huge expenditure involved -- Rs 560,000 crore at current prices.

PM's plea to tackle illegal transfer of nuclear technology
Vajpayee said atomic energy should be seen as an 'energy of growth and progress and not through prism of nuclear weapons'.

Judicial custody for Karnataka farmer leader Made Gowda
His detention came as the agitation of the farmers against Karnataka government's decision to release Cauvery waters entered the fourth day.

N C Vij appointed new army chief
The first army officer hailing from Jammu, Vij is an alumni of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the Dogra Regiment on December 11, 1962.

GUJARAT ASSEMBLY POLLS
BJP kickstarts poll campaign
Launching the eighth leg of the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, Chief Minister Modi sought to appropriate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's legacy.

Congress wants to prevent splitting of 'secular' votes
State Congress president Shankarsinh Vaghela is expected to talk to other parties in this regard.
Gujarat Assembly Election: Full Coverage

INDO-PAK TENSION
Musharraf plans to extend rule as parties fail agree
A report in the portal 'South Asia Tribune' said this reflected the fact that the military regime was 'running out of options' as pressure mounted from all sides to form the asembly.

Don't question J&K's accession: Sinha
'Why have a plebiscite only in Jammu and Kashmir? Why not in the whole subcontinent and ask if we want one nation as we were before?" the external affairs minister asked.

Pakistan is the epicentre of terror: Advani
The deputy prime minister said India could not afford to take a soft stand against cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan releases man behind Parliament attack
Maulana Azam Tariq of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan denied that his release was part of a secret deal with the junta.

Pakistan frees former Lashkar chief
Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed is the second terrorist to be released in the past two days.

TAMIL NADU CONVERSION ROW
Anti-conversion bill passed
The bill was supported by 140 members and opposed by 73.

Anti-conversion law common to all: Shankaracharya
Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati denied suggesting to the J Jayalalithaa government that it was necessary to bring in the law.

JAMMU & KASHMIR REPORTS
JKLF splits for the second time
Three founder members announced the parting of ways with the Javed Ahmed Mir-led JKLF.

Mufti more concerned about militants: Panun Kashmir
'If we are forced to live like second class citizens in our own motherland and militants are treated like royalty, why should anybody blame us if we express apprehension,' said a Panun Kashmir leader.

Pandits protest against possible release of 'terrorist'
They are upset over the news that the name of Bitta Karate, accused of killing 40 of their brethren in the early nineties, is in the list of those who may be released.

OTHER REPORTS
Nagappa's supporters go on rampage in Chamarajanagar
Frustrated over the delay in getting their leader released from the hold of Veerappan, they attacked the district commissioner's office in Chamarajanagar.

LTTE chief gets 200 years in jail in bombing case
Three others were sentences to 200-year terms in connection with a bombing in 1996, in which 76 people were killed.

'Terrorist' in plane turns out to be a hoax
A fax message received by Air India said that a woman passenger in the Mumbai-Delhi-Hong Kong flight 316 was carrying explosives.

R K Sharma denies making any confession
He also said he did not pass on any sensitive documents to Shivani Bhatnagar.

Salman urges for return of Land Cruiser
Police objected to the return of the vehicle saying it was not registered in the name of Salman, but in the name of Mohammed Abdul Rehman.

Agitation by Paswan's party disrupts train services in Bihar
Lok Jan Shakti Party workers blocked railway tracks at Gaya, Dhanbad and Patna, which resulted in the cancellation of several long distance express trains.

IT sleuths seize fireworks worth Rs 2.5 crore in Patna
The raids followed information that some businessmen were hoarding firecrackers without filing Income tax returns properly.

Rajni to launch people's movement
When asked, in an interview to The Hindu' in Chennai, if he would enter politics, he left it to the 'will of god'

Pakistani linked to terror to stay in Britain
Shafiq-ur-Rehman, 30, was told last week that deportation proceedings against him have been dropped even though the home office spent hundreds of thousands of pounds fighting the case.

MPs pay tribute to Sardar Patel
Thursday was the nation's first deputy prime minister's 127th birth anniversary.

Goa issues alert on visitors
The recent Bali blast in Indonesia prompted the state government to take security precautions.

Houses still a dream for cyclone survivors
'I went from pillar to post seeking a shelter, but to no avail,' Dola Pradhan, whose husband died in the Orissa cyclone, told rediff.com

Indian bags UNEP environment award
Ashok Khosla will receive the UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize for introducing low-cost eco-friendly technologies.

Kerala bans low-quality plastic bags
The government has provided for strong punitive measures against violators. These include imprisonment of up to six months and fine up to Rs 1,000 under Section 188 of the IPC.

World Ayurveda Congress in Kochi begins Friday
The four-day congress seeks to project ayurveda as an effective system of treatment for various diseases.

Pakistan EC allots 60 seats reserved for women
The PML-Q, which got the highest allocation of 21 seats, still requires the support of 74 more MP's for a simple majority of 172 in the 342-member National Assembly.

TN probe panel blames DMK cadres for violence
One-man judicial inquiry appointed by the Tamil Nadu government has said that opposition DMK cadres had tried to break into the office of the Director General of Police during their violence-ridden rally on August 12 last year.

SPECIALS
A win-win situation?
Zhang Guihong finds more things in common between India and China despite the 'considerable differences' in views.

SOG: Good guys or bad guys?
The Special Operations Group is hailed for taking on the terrorists and reviled for its human rights abuses, writes Basharat Peer.

DEAR REDIFF
'The award has been degraded'

October 30, 2002

TOP REPORTS
CAUVERY WATERS DISPUTE
Cauvery row: Curfew imposed in Mandya
This was after some farmers, among those on an indefinite hunger strike in Mandya, turned violent.

Jaya demands protection for Tamils in Karnataka
The demand came after some miscreants attacked the house of AIADMK leader V Pugazhendi in Bangalore.

Congress MP Ambareesh to resign from Lok Sabha
The Kannada actor-turned-politician said he did not intend to cause embarrassment to the S M Krishna government with this 'personal decision'.
The Cauvery River Water Dispute: Full Coverage

INDO-PAK TIES
US asks India to 're-engage' Pakistan
Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca claimed that infiltration across the LoC had come down.

Pakistan must stop terrorism for talks: India
An MEA official, however, told rediff.com that America's efforts to bring both the countries to the negotiating table was understandable given the 'volatile situation' in South Asia.

J&K POST POLL SCENARIO
Sayeed invited to form government
The PDP leader had earlier submitted to Governor Saxena a list of 52 legislators supporting him.

Mufti for medium-sized Cabinet
'Dr Farooq Abdullah had twenty-seven ministers in his Cabinet. We will have a couple of ministers either more or less,' he said.

Mufti's policies could become a bane for Centre
The chief minister-designate's offer of unconditional talks with terrorists is a cause of worry to the Centre.

Paramilitary strength to be reduced to pre-election level
Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani said the states which had sent in their forces -- especially Assam, Tripura and others of the Northeast -- had called for their return.
The Jammu and Kashmir Election: Full Coverage

COLUMNS
Mufti's fateful links
'Time alone will tell how his equation/non-equation in future with the Abdullah and Nehru dynasties will influence the course of his political fortunes,' says Mohammad Sayeed Malik.

Distressing signs from J&K
'If the PDP fails in its allotted first use of the batting crease in Srinagar, the Congress can always claim to have been only the non-striker. And if it succeeds, the Congress can boast about it during the 2004 general election,' says Arvind Lavakare.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Pakistan reacts angrily to Blackwill's remarks
The US ambassador to India had said that terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir was `entirely externally driven'.

Commonwealth to review Pakistan polls
It will review whether any principles contained in the Harare Declaration and the Millbrook Action Programme were violated.

Pakistan parties fail to reach consensus
But they vowed not to put any hurdles in the way of transfer of power by the military government to the elected representatives.

OTHER REPORTS
Gas used to end hostage crisis was Fentanyl
Russian Health Minister Yuri Shevchenko said the compound was an anaesthetic and could not cause death.

Anti-conversion and anti-burying bill introduced in TN assembly
The entire opposition, except the BJP, opposed the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Bill, seeking to replace the ordinance promulgated on October 5.

Senior IAS official receives death threats in Bihar
"I have taken strong steps to streamline the administration and check corruption at all levels. All this made me enemies and I suspect this letter is their handiwork," Divisional Commissioner, Dharbhanga, Amita Paul said.

PM slams industrial nations on climate change issue
Vajpayee said developing nations need more funds to address basic human needs first.

Kolathur Mani's bail plea rejected
The Tamil activist is charged with supplying arms and ammunition to forest brigand Veerappan.

Five dissidents seek UP governor's intervention
'The idea was to draw the governor's attention to the undemocratic and repressive tactics adopted by the chief minister against some independent MLAs,' BJP dissident Ganga Bhakt Singh said.

CPI for united front against BJP in Gujarat
'The defeat of the BJP in Gujarat will mark a beginning of the end of the communal BJP in country,' said party leader A B Bardhan.

Court orders medical relief to girl rescued from python
A 11-foot-long python had grasped the girl while she was climbing down a tree in the forest near Siddhapuram village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Withdraw strike by Friday or face ESMA: Jaya
The Tamil Nadu chief minister promised salary for the employees for the non-strike period.

'Anti-conversion law scuttles hopes of Dalits'
Archbishop Devasahayam said the law 'justified untouchability by denying Dalits religious freedom'.

'Sharma ordered Shivani's killing to save his job'
This has been stated in the the 45-page charge sheet filed by the police in a Delhi court.

Police personnel transferred in Gujarat on EC's order
The order, issued on Tuesday night, has affected the entire police set up in the state.

Two ULFA militants killed near CM's house in Guwahati
The ultras were killed near Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's private residence. The chief minister spends most of his time in his official residence in Khanapara.

BJP slams Rajasthan government over starvation deaths
The state government failed to lift more than 65 per cent of the food grains allotted by the Centre, the party alleged.

Kerala BJP fails to attract Ezhavas, Nairs
The party is hoping to grab some political space in the state by gaining acceptance among religious and social organisations of influential communities.

Govt has target of Rs 10 bn for defence exports: Fernandes
The defence minister also said that several countries, which were earlier blacklisted, would now be treated as potential customers.

First Talwar class warship to come in December
Navy chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh said the delivery of the warship was delayed due to the fitting of 'latest state-of-the-art equipment'.

Kirit Rawal appointed solicitor general
Rawal, 50, is one of the youngest solicitors general and the first from Gujarat. He replaces Harish N Salve, whose term ends on November 3.

Rains lash Chennai
It was the first major downpour for the city after the northeast monsoon set in this year.

Rohinton Mistry bags Kiriyama Prize
His novel, Family Matters, is set in Mumbai, and features an ailing patriarch whose children debate over how to care for him.

Dr Ida Scudder's vision continues in Christian Medical College
In 1902, Dr Scudder built a 40-bed hospital in Vellore, which is today the 1700-bed Christian Medical College.

Jesrani contesting for clerk of courts post in Delaware
In addition to legal experience, Florence Murray Jesrani has seven years of project management and marketing experience.

'Political parties cannot start defining nationalism'
Archana Masih reports on Shabana Azmi's speech at the Asia Society, New York.

SPECIAL
'Tehelka journalism has been incredible ride'
Tarun Tejpal on tehelka.com and why the website stopped its operations.

October 29, 2002

Anti-India terrorism 'entirely external driven'
US Ambassador Robert Blackwill also told a FICCI meeting that Indo-Pak tensions had raised doubts about India being a safe investment destination.

Terrorists may use weapons of mass destruction: Advani
The deputy prime minister also emphasised the need for a comprehensive disaster management mechanism.

India slams Pakistan for justifying terror
Ajit Kumar Panja, representing India before a committee of the UN General Assembly, said Pakistan's call for a dialogue sounds 'hollow' in the face of its support to terrorism.

Air marshal in political row gets PVSM
Air Marshal Manjit Singh Sekhon had to make an unceremonious exit from the IAF for seeking political help to further his career.

CAUVERY WATERS ROW
Made Gowda threatens to launch indefinite fast
The Cauvery River Protection Committee chairman has also asked farmers in Mandya district to launch an indefinite bandh.

Pondicherry demands Cauvery water from TN
Pondicherry Chief Minister N Rengaswamy on Tuesday led a delegation of parties to New Delhi to meet Advani and discuss the issue.

Agitating Karnataka farmers attack MLA's house
No one was injured in the attack on the residence of the Pandavapura legislator Kempe Gowda.
The Cauvery River Waters Dispute

POLITICAL CRISIS IN UTTAR PRADESH
Congress unlikely to rescue Samajwadi Party
Having failed for the third successive time to prevent the BJP from coming to power, the SP may be losing its relevance as a political force to reckon with.

SP's request will be discussed: Congress
After a meeting with SP leader Amar Singh, CWC member Arjun Singh said a decision would be taken in accordance with the wishes of party leader Sonia Gandhi.

No talks till suspensions revoked: Dissidents
Leader of the dissidents Ganga Bhakt Singh on Tuesday spoke to former chief minister Rajnath Singh about their grievances.

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
Compromise on CM's post was for J&K's good: Azad
Asked about the PDP's stand on militancy in Kashmir, the Congress leader said: "We need to evolve a new approach to tackle this problem. While an iron-hand treatment must be given to foreign militants, we have to deal differently with misguided locals."

Mufti's promises not to solve problem: Hizb
The terrorist outfit said the solution to the Kashmir issue was in implementation of UN resolutions or tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.

Mufti elected PDP legislature party leader
He will meet Governor Saxena and stake claim to form a PDP-led coalition government on Wednesday.
The Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Election: Full Coverage

MORE FROM J&K
Trilateral talks answer to J&K's problems: Hurriyat
Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat said efforts were on to facilitate a meeting between the Kashmir Committee and its counterpart in Pakistan.

Militants kill three security personnel in J&K
The casualties occurred when militants carried out two attacks in Srinagar.

2 BSF jawans, 8 ultras killed in J&K
Six militants were killed in two separate encounters while two were killed trying to infiltrate.

REPORTS FROM BIHAR
13 bus passengers abducted in Bihar rescued
The abducted passengers included four state irrigation department engineers. The police have not been able to identify the abductors.

Tainted IAS officer in Bihar to join home cadre
S M Raju allegedly had misappropriated funds meant for the construction of the Gaya district board building.

'Tortured' wife seeks President's help
Reena Choudhary, wife of Vijay Choudhary, a member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, has threatened self-immolation if denied justice.

OTHER REPORTS
Congress to hold talks with like-minded parties: Vaghela
Speaking to reporters in Vadodra, the Gujarat unit chief of the Congress, Shankersinh Vaghela, said: "It's time for secular forces to come together to defeat the BJP."

Togadia to tour Maharashtra despite ban
'The entire Hindu society will take the law into its hands and counter the ban imposed on Togadia,' VHP state unit leader Professor Vyankatesh Abdev said.

VHP leader asks government to withdraw security
Giriraj Kishore has complained that his security is not in keeping with the threats to his life.

One personnel for every 329 people during Gujarat polls
Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh has directed the Gujarat election office to increase security during polls in view of the post-Godhra violence.

Akshardham attack: Slain terrorists buried
Members of State Wakf Board took the bodies from hospital and performed the burial, at the Musa Soher ground in Gujarat, as per Islamic rites.

Rebel recognised as BJD leader in Lok Sabha
Six BJD MPs had asked Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi to recognise Prasanna Acharya as the BJD Parliamentary Party leader.

Bomb scare forces BA plane to land in Delhi
The unclaimed packet found in the plane turned out to be a toilet pack containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and some other items.

Man carrying ammo detained at Kolkata airport
The 45-year-old man, a businessman and resident of Ballygunj area of the city, had concealed eight .22 bore bullets in a matchbox, officials said.

Jayalalithaa gets tougher with striking staff
'They must accept the four per cent DA increase already announced by the government and return to work. Failing this, the government knows how to deal with them,' the Tamil Nadu CM said.

Toll in Chomu fire tragedy rises to 11
One more person died of injuries sustained in the fire near Jaipur that destroyed a two-storied building on Sunday. The fire is believed to have been caused by an LPG cylinder blast.

Train services in Punjab hit due to farmers' protest
They were demanding an increase in the minimum support price for paddy and payment of dues pertaining to the procurement of sugarcane last year.

Kerala to integrate spirituality and medicine
The State Mental Health Authority has embarked on a project to equip the spiritual healing centres mushrooming across the state with tools of modern medicine.

Orissa sets up police station to probe cyber crimes
The Orissa Crime Records Bureau probe cases involving hacking, dissemination of virus programmes into network, cyber theft, and intimidation through email.

Sonia performs puja at Kashi Vishwanath
She was in Uttar Pradesh as part of her mission to revive the Congress in the state.

Plan to distribute condoms at Sabrimala shelved
AIDS control agencies in Kerala are upset over the decision, apparently taken under pressure from Hindu organisations.

Amartya Sen to quit Trinity for Harvard
'Six years is, I think, long enough [at Cambridge]. I have been very privileged to be master, and intend to continue being active as a member of the Trinity community,' he said.

Man carrying ammo detained at Kolkata airport
The 45-year-old man, a businessman and resident of Ballygunj area of the city, had concealed eight .22 bore bullets in a matchbox, officials said.

Sorabjee's tenure as AG extended; Salve wants break
Solicitor General Harish Salve denied rumours of his resignation and said that he is taking a 'small break' for personal reasons.

SPECIALS
Back to the future
After 10 days in the remote Tawang region, G Vinayak returns convinced that there can be no repeat of 1962.

5 men = 1 cow
Five men were killed for skinning a dead cow, even as the local police did nothing. Basharat Peer reports on the human tragedy.

COLUMN
The politics of abuse
'Such venomous politics could not have developed even 20 years ago. What made it possible is the Parivar's anti-Babri campaign and its still-unfolding sequel. This is Hindutva's sole contribution -- to India's political coarsening and decay,' says Praful Bidwai.

REDIFF DIARY
College Rag
With a shudder and a smile, Siddhu Warrier recalls his first days in college.

October 28, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Gujarat poll on December 12
The last date for nominations will be November 25. Scrutiny will take place on November 26 and the last date for withdrawals will be November 28.

EC supreme in election matters: SC
A five-member Constitution bench rejected arguments for early polls in Gujarat on the ground that the Constitution mandated that six months should not lapse between the two sittings of a state assembly.
Gujarat Assembly Election: Full Coverage

Samir Khan case: NHRC notice to Gujarat police
Killed in an encounter in Ahmedabad, Khan was accused of plotting to eliminate Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Krishna tenders unconditional apology to SC
'It gives us no pleasure to punish anybody. What caused us great anguish is that the state of Karnataka, foremost in development, showed scant respect to the Supreme Court's order. It is disgraceful,' the court said.

PM has promised 'full support' to Sayeed
'Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani too has offered full support to Mufti's government in economic and the political field', a senior PDP leader told rediff.com.

Indian scientists may have found evidence of extra-terrestrial life
Biologists are trying to verify the origins of some micro-organisms found in samples collected from the Earth's atmosphere.

CAUVERY RIVER WATERS ROW
Karnataka starts releasing Cauvery waters
The police have rushed reinforcements to maintain law and order in the volatile districts across the Cauvery river basin on the release of water.

Lathi charge on agitating farmers in Mandya
Approximately 1000 farmers had gathered in Mandya in view of the Supreme Court hearing Tamil Nadu's contempt petition against Karnataka.
The Cauvery Waters Dispute: Full Coverage

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
Sonia to attend swearing-in ceremony
The PDP's Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is to be sworn in as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on November two.

Congress-PDP 'mollycoddling militancy': BJP
Party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged the Common Minimum Programme of the two parties 'largely ignored' Jammu and Ladakh.

We will seek a political package from Centre: Mufti
Jammu and Kashmir's chief minister-designate said he has his coalition partner's support to start an unconditional dialogue with all sections of the people in the state.

Congress denies resentment over choice of Mufti as CM
The majority of the Congress MLAs are from the Jammu region while the Mufti is from the Kashmir valley.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election: Full Coverage

INTERVIEW
'The return of Pandits is an essential ingredient of Kashmiriat'
Jammu & Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad swallows his disappointment at missing the chief minister's chair for now and gets on with the task of consolidating the party and the coalition.

POLITICAL CRISIS IN UP
18 BJP MLAs met me: Amar Singh
But the Congress is unwilling to support the Samajwadi Party's efforts to topple the BSP-BJP government in UP.

Suspended BJP MLA sets conditions for talks
Ganga Bhakt Singh has demanded removal of Lalji Tandon as BJP Legislature Party leader in Uttar Pradesh.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
MMA abandons hardline stance, promises to be flexible
Prime ministerial nominee Maulana Fazlur Rehman said they are willing to accept Pervez Musharraf's presidency and promised to be flexible on the presence of American troops, constitutional changes, and Islamic laws.

Nepalese forces repulse Maoist attack on security base
At least 32 rebels were killed in the fighting, along with two Royal Nepal Army soldiers.

OTHER REPORTS
NSG commando's condition still critical
Surjan Singh Bhandari was injured during the terrorist attack on the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar in September.

One arrested on charge of murdering Ahmedabad cop
The constable was murdered in Vejalpur area during the post-Godhra communal riots.

Thirteen killed in bomb explosion in Bengal
The accident happened at Dakhalbati village in Birbhum district of West Bengal when crude bombs being manufactured went off.

Six people killed in Tamil Nadu rains
The Thanjavur delta, in particular, has been receiving substantial rains over the past fortnight, giving a new twist to the ongoing Cauvery dispute.

Communal tension grips Patapol area of Cuttack
Twenty people were injured when people of two communities pelted stones at each other after a wedding procession of one community came across the puja procession of the other.

Probe unearths kidney racket in Kerala
The inquiry conducted by the Indian Medical Association ruled out the involvement of doctors and hospitals.

Implant of wrong embryos: Indian at centre of row
The Indian doctor has been suspended though it is believed that two of her colleagues in a London hospital had committed the grievous error.

Nearly 24 million cases pending in Indian courts
Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said 3.5 million cases were pending in 21 high courts and 20 million in subordinate courts.

Three Congress ministers resign from Rabri Devi govt
The three ministers had long wanted a change in their portfolios. The resignations have been forwarded to Sonia Gandhi.

CBI busts gang printing forged letterheads of Vajpayee
The gang, based in Munger district of Bihar, was also engaged in printing forged letterheads of many Union ministers.

Militants hurl bombs at railway station in UP
The incident too place at the Ramchaura railway station on the Allahabad-Lucknow section on Sunday.

TN employees to intensify stir
Even as they demanded Diwali bonuses, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced a Diwali hamper of Rs 210 to be given to 10 lakh Cauvery river basin farmers in the state.

Bihar bans sale of dangerous crackers during Diwali
This action was prompted by reports that cracker and fireworks manufacturing units were disregarding safety issues.

Suspected Naxalites loot Rs 1.4 million from bank in AP
A five-member gang robbed a branch of the Andhra Bank at Pentlavalli village in Mahbubnagar district.

AP home secretary kicks up row
Bharath Chandra visited a police station in Hyderabad to check allegations of human rights violations against his industrialist friend Mukund Kakani who had been detained in a case of cheating.

India will not make biological weapons: Kalam
The President was responding to students' queries at an interactive session at the Al-Ameen Educational Society in Bangalore.

Padmanabhan leaves for Italy
Besides a three-day visit to Italy, he is also expected to have a brief stopover in Germany.

MCC suspends novelist Jeffrey Archer's membership
The suspension of cricket-loving Archer, who is serving a four-year prison sentence, means he will be nearly 70-years-old before he is able to enter the hallowed members' enclosure at the MCC.

Diwali to be celebrated in British parliament
A record number of British MPs are expected to participate in the celebrations on October 31.

SPECIAL
The Kashmir card
Dr Swaran Singh believes the 1962 war with China changed the fate of Kashmir.

COLUMNS
Where there's money, there are hostile witnesses
'Salman is going to play that which is handled beautifully by our politicians - the religious card. I say this with absolute certainty because he's played it once before - in the blackbuck poaching case,' says Varsha Bhosle.

Old world disorder
'We have made men, and worse still, supermen, in the UN Security Council; the last thing India needs is a place of pride in this shameful gathering,' says Ashwin Mahesh.

October 27, 2002

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
Mufti to relocate SOG, withdraw POTA
'We will release all the political prisoners. Besides, we consider that there are enough laws in existence to deal with militancy,' the PDP chief said while releasing the common minimum programme.

Congress MLAs relent on Mufti being made CM
'I have been contacted by the Congress high command and assured that the points raised by us would be looked into and fulfilled,' Taj Mohiuddin, legislator from Uri, said.

Mufti to be sworn-in on November 2
'Since Mufti saheb will lead a coalition government of the PDP and Congress, we have requested Sonia Gandhi to attend the ceremony,' PDP leader Muzzaffar Hussain Beg told rediff.com

The Jammu & Kashmir Election: Full Coverage

INTERVIEW
'Sonia has taken a statesmanlike stand'
PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who has been chosen to head the coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir, insists the post was never a hurdle in the government's formation.

THE ROW OVER CAUVERY WATERS
Karnataka to convey decision to SC on Monday
'We cannot disclose anything beyond this as the matter is sub-judice,' Information Minister Kagodu Thimappa said after the Cabinet met for the second time on Sunday.

Karnataka farmers to resume agitation
The farmers have come to know that water is being released from the KRS reservoir, Cauvery Protection Forum president G Made Gowda told rediff.com

The Cauvery Waters Dispute: Full Coverage

POLITICAL CRISIS IN UTTAR PRADESH
BJP suspends leader of dissidents
'After much deliberation, we have decided to suspend Ganga Bhakt Singhji for his anti-party activities,' state BJP chief Vinay Katiyar said.

Sonia gives 'patient hearing' to Mulayam and co
'The Mayawati government has been reduced to a minority and we have apprised Soniaji of the ground situation in Uttar Pradesh...' Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said after the meeting.

Amar Singh says he is being threatened
An officer has threatened 'me that I will be implicated in murder and rape cases if I continue to interfere' in the political developments in UP, the Samajwadi Party leader said.

SP, Congress MLAs willing to support us: BJP
The party also said there was no proposal to arrange for a meeting between dissident MLAs and Prime Minister Vajpayee.

OTHER REPORTS
Terrorists kill 22 people in Assam
A police official said that the NDFB terrorists opened fire on people sleeping in their houses in Dadgiri village under Basugaon police station area.

Chechen rebels were shot in the head while in sleep: Report
'I understand that this is cruel, but when the person has two kilograms of plastic explosives strapped on his body, we did not see any alternative,' an officer of the special forces was quoted as saying.

Former Union minister V K Ramamurthy dead
Ramamurthy, 62, had recently merged his Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress with its parent body, Congress.

Families of lynched dalits embrace Buddhism, Islam
The conversions were organised at the Guru Ravidas Mandir in Haryana by the All India Confederation of SC and ST Organisations and the Lord Buddha Club.

Time in jail was educative: Salman
'Perhaps I needed to go inside... I had always lived a life of luxury; had never seen so much pain and discomfort,' the actor told BBC World.

October 26, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Congress, PDP strike deal; Mufti to be CM
The decision to let the Mufti be the CM was taken 'in the larger interest of Jammu and Kashmir', Congress president Sonia Gandhi said.

M R Sharma may be Congress nominee for Dy CM
Sharma, who has been elected from Jammu West, is a prominent leader from the state and had served as minister in different governments.

PM alerts forces against terrorists' unexpected tactics
'Technology has created chemical and biological weapons of great diversity, which are difficult to detect. Many of the techniques and weapons can fall into hands of terrorists,' he said addressing top commander of the armed forces.

Hostage crisis in Russia ends
Sixty-seven hostages and 32 Chechen gunmen, including their leader Movsar Barayev, were killed in the operation.

Fifteen BSP legislators willing to revolt: Mulayam
'With the magic figure of 202 for a simple majority, if even ten MLAs go, the governor should immediately dismiss the Mayawati ministry,' the Samajwadi Party chief said.

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
Decision to dump Azad taken at Mufti -Manmohan meeting
Indications of the party high command dumping Azad came on Friday when he was not asked to be present at the Mufti's meeting with senior Congress leaders Dr Manmohan Singh and Arjun Singh.

Two defeated candidates threaten to sue EC
Abdul Haq and Ghulam Qadir Mir have charged the commission with not doing anything to prevent rigging of polls.

Mufti Mohammed Sayeed faces a yeoman task
The soon to be sworn in chief minister lives with the tag of a man blamed for the rise in militancy in the state and faces a yeoman task of shedding that image.
The Jammu & Kashmir Election: Full Coverage

POLITICAL CRISIS IN UTTAR PRADESH
No need to convene assembly: UP governor
Vishnukant Shastri said the Mayawati government still enjoys majority.

Amar Singh holds talks with Congress leaders
The SP leader has sought time with Sonia Gandhi to discuss the issue of forming an alternative government.

Rebel BJP legislators not keen to meet Vajpayee
BJP general secretary Rajnath Singh had arranged a meeting with the prime minister to sort out the grievances of the dissident legislators.

TAMIL NADU CONVERSION ROW
Government issues notices to minority institutions
Christian and Islamic educational institutions had remained closed on Thursday to protest the government's ordinance.

BJP wants nationwide debate on ordinance
Party president Venkaiah Naidu said conversions lead to social disharmony, tension and cause communal violence.

CAUVERY WATERS ROW
Increased security near reservoirs makes farmers suspicious
Karnataka farmers feel that the state government is planning to release the Cauvery waters to escape the Supreme Court's wrath.

Opposition parties to boycott Krishna's all-party meet
The opposition parties accused the Karnataka chief minister of deriving political mileage out of the Cauvery issue.

Krishna convenes emergency Cabinet meeting on Sunday
Apart from discussing the Supreme Court order to release 'some' Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the meeting is also expected to take into account the fallout of the court's strictures on the state government.
The Cauvery River Waters Dispute: Full Coverage

OTHER REPORTS
Veerappan sends fourth cassette
The arrival of the cassette is an important development in the wake of Kolathur Mani securing bail in one of the five cases registered against him.
The Nagappa Abduction: Full Coverage

Sharma gave Shivani St Kitts case documents: Police
A 45-page Delhi police charge sheet said the conspiracy to eliminate the Indian Express journalist was hatched sometime between December 1998 and May 1999 at Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Pune by the IPS officer.
The Shivani Bhatnagar Murder Case: Full Coverage

Anti-corruption sleuths trap IAS officer in TN
Social Welfare Department Commissioner K M Subramaniam was charged with collecting money from his subordinates without authorisation.

Insurgents kill eight people in West Tripura
The attack took place when the victims were travelling in a jeep to Khowai sub-divisional town.

AP high court stays order on shifting of cracker stalls
The interim order was passed on a writ petition filed by D Jagdishwar and 11 other traders on Friday complaining that the authorities had asked all retail merchants to stop sale of crackers in the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secundrabad.

First murder charges filed against suspected snipers
Investigating authorities have tracked down the co-owner of a blue Chevrolet Caprice in which the two suspects were arrested.

Pallone slams Bush for not punishing Pakistan
The founder and former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans has asked the US president to reimpose sanctions on Pakistan.

Commonwealth doubts fairness of Pakistan polls
'We have observed an incomplete democratic process. We look forward to the complete restoration of democracy in Pakistan,' the Commonwealth Observer Group said.

Kalam gets job for terror victim's 14-year-old son
The President has got him a job in the Tirunelvelli tehsildar's office in view of the family's difficulties.

Maoists invite King Gyanendra for peace talks
But the underground Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist also warned their rebellion will continue indefinitely if the king did not take up their offer of peace.

COLUMN
A cup half full
'To put it bluntly General Musharraf has called our bluff. Whatever gloss the government's spin doctors put on it, our first efforts at gunboat diplomacy have failed,' says Admiral (retired) J G Nadkarni.

SLIDE SHOW
The week's images
An effort to save the environment, a couple of protests, a joint military exercise and more.

October 25, 2002

INTERVIEW
'There is no groupism in the BJP'
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh on the political upheaval in the state.

TOP REPORTS
Eight independent MLAs withdraw support to Mayawati govt
The decision was unanimously taken at a meeting at the residence of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiah, the legislator from Kunda. BJP legislators Ganga Bhakt Singh, Kovit Kumar Singh and Badshah Singh, attended the meeting.

Advani and I will always be together: Vajpayee
'Mountains are being made of molehills. We have worked together and will continue to do so. I ask the press to be careful,' he said.

Former Russian PM restarts negotiations with Chechen rebels
Yevgeny Primakov, former head of the Russian intelligence service, Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, is considered a skilled negotiator.

NDA RALLY IN NEW DELHI
Pakistan emerging as a terrorist state: PM
'This demon [of terrorism] has to be eliminated. We have the resolve to end it. For that we have to prepare ourselves mentally,' Vajpayee said.

US is not our God, Farooq tells Centre
The NC leader said the government should take tough decisions and not succumb to pressure from Washington.

PM's first public appearance after being ill for four days
Vajpayee said the change in climate had given him a bad throat.

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
Sonia, Mufti to thrash out chief ministership issue on Saturday
The PDP chief and senior Congress leaders Arjun Singh and Dr Manmohan Singh discussed the Common Minimum Programme to be adopted by the proposed coalition government.

PDF has no preferences on chief ministership
People's Democratic Forum leader Tarigami said, 'Our only emphasis is on providing good governance and a healing touch to the people.'
The Jammu & Kashmir Election: Full Coverage

CAUVERY RIVER WATER DISPUTE
Karnataka farmers defer stir till October 28
They decided to wait for the judgment of the Supreme Court, which will conduct a hearing of the Cauvery river waters case on October 28.

Northeast monsoon arrives in Tamil Nadu
Karnataka may point to the northeast monsoon to stop releasing Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu.
The Cauvery Waters Dispute: Full Coverage

OTHER REPORTS
Mayawati sets UP police on the dissidents
The police raided the houses of at least four independent and one BJP legislator on one pretext or the other.

Ranvir Sena, CPI-ML clash in Bihar, 7 killed
Tensions between the CPI-ML and the Ranvir Sena have increased after the arrest of Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh by Patna police.

Police file charge sheet against R K Sharma
They also charge sheeted co-accused Satya Prakash, Sri Bhagwan Sharma, Pradeep Sharma, Ved Prakash Sharma, and Ved alias Kalu.
The Shivani Bhatnagar Murder Case: Full Coverage

Pakistani shelling along LoC; jawan killed
The Pakistani troops resorted to shelling with the intention of pushing terrorists into the valley.

Police make another arrest in Godhra case
Riyazuddin Aval, manager of Aman guesthouse at Signal Faliya near Godhra railway station, was arrested in Vadodara.
The Gujarat Riots: Full Coverage

Kolathur Mani gets bail in one case
Veerappan's favoured mediator in the Nagappa abduction crisis still has his bail pleas pending in the Karnataka high court, Mysore and Kollegal.
The Nagappa Abduction: Full Coverage

Scam unearthed in Patna high court
The racket involved tampering with court orders.

Congress, Trinamool spar over Indira Gandhi's statue
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, ruled by the Trinamool, wants to install the statue at a major water pressure station named after Indira Gandhi. But the Congress has also staked claim.

Another witness turns hostile in Salman poaching case
Bhanwar Singh said the police had pressurised him into signing the testimony.

Osama's 'ambassador' in Europe arrested
Abu Qatada, believed to be a pivotal figure in the Al Qaeda, was arrested following a raid on his hideout in London.

Pondicherry speaker, former CM acquitted in bribery case
D Ramachandran, former chief minister V Vaithilingam, and seven others were accused of giving a Rs 995,000 bribe to legislator K Kandaswamy.

Erase untouchability, DMK tells government
Party chief Karunanidhi said the Jayalalithaa government had come up with the ordinance banning forced conversion to please Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati.

Prateep Kumar Mohanty new chief secretary of Orissa
Mohanty, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1967 batch, will take over from D P Bagchi.

Diwali has a message for all of us: Blair
'Diwali is the festival of lights symbolising joy, brightness and happiness; the victory of light over darkness and of good over evil,' the British prime minister said.

SPECIALS
India Is Losing...
Philosophically, economically and politically, China has outpaced India, feels Dr Michael E Marti.

Defying the Court over the Cauvery
Karnataka, claiming a history of slights on the Cauvery water dispute, has so far refused to heed the Supreme Court's orders, writes Tara Shankar Sahay.

COLUMN
Certain kinds of people
'We may have our religious differences, economic differences, all that; but in India, our ultimate reality is caste. No doubt about it,' says Dilip D'Souza.

SLIDE SHOW
The week's images
An effort to save the environment, a couple of protests, a joint military exercise and more.

DEAR REDIFF
'Conversion is not a matter of faith'

October 24, 2002

CAUVERY WATERS DISPUTE
SC asks Karnataka to release 'some water'
The court held that the S M Krishna government had prima facie committed contempt by `deliberate non-compliance' of its order.

Karnataka to consider Supreme Court order on Friday
Some reports said the state might release 1000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu from the Kabini reservoir to implement the court order.

Karnataka farmers threaten to revive Cauvery stir
Speaking to rediff.com, the head of the Cauvery River Protection Committee, G Made Gowda, held Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna 'responsible' for the crisis.
The Cauvery River Dispute: Full Coverage

COLUMN
The recipe for chaos
The Supreme Court is one of the few institutions that still commands respect across India. How can Karnataka get away with open defiance of an order from the apex court? says T V R Shenoy.

SALMAN KHAN CASE
Salman Khan released from Thane Jail
The media was kept in the dark about the actor's release from jail. Salman's family members and friends told journalists that he would be freed only on Friday.

Sessions court grants bail to Salman Khan
While granting bail, Judge P V Bavkar warned the actor not to contact any witnesses.

Probe blames police for lack of coordination
The probe was ordered as the police handling of the case came under intense media attack.
Controversy's Child: Salman Khan

PM-RSS MEET
RSS leaders, PM end up discussing cross-border terror
The much-anticipated meeting was expected to discuss the spate of attacks on the prime minister by various Sangh Parivar outfits.

RUSSIAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
Hostage drama continues, one captive killed
'This is the largest hostage taking not only in Russia, but also abroad,' President Putin said.

India condemns 'cowardly' act of terror
An external affairs ministry statement said India expressed sympathy and solidarity with the people of Russia and hoped that the standoff would end soon.

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
Congress hopes for settlement with PDP
'PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed will be coming here [New Delhi] tomorrow. We will pick up the threads...,' Congress leader Manmohan Singh said.

PDP says it is against disbanding STF
PDP chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said, 'We will try to weed out some people with vested interests within the STF and make it more responsive.'
Jammu & Kashmir Election Results

DISSENT IN UTTAR PRADESH BJP UNIT
Some BJP MLAs can be inducted: Mayawati
The Uttar Pradesh CM said dissidence in the BJP was an internal matter of that party and there was no threat to her government.

Amar Singh's visit to Lucknow fuels speculation
The Samajwadi Party general secretary created a sensation by visiting the residence of independent legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh, whom he had lambasted during the election for aligning with the BJP.

Rajnath to mollycoddle dissidents in UP
The dissidents, on the other hand, are reportedly holding a meeting at an unknown place to chalk out their strategy.

TAMIL NADU CONVERSION ROW
Anti-ordinance protests end peacefully in TN
Over 3000 Christian schools and colleges, and a few Muslim institutions across the state, remained closed for a day. Minorities observed a daylong fast.

'They should have kept students out of this'
The closure of minority-run educational institutions in Tamil Nadu in protest against a recent ordinance banning forced religious conversions does not seem to have gone down well with the common people.

Find ways to end discrimination, dalits to TN govt
With the ordinance banning forced religious conversions bringing Christianity and Islam into focus, many dalits now say they will turn to Buddhism for succour.

INTERVIEW
'We might have to take part in politics to fight fundamentalism'
Bishop V Devasahayam from the Madras Diocese of the Church of South India says the Tamil Nadu government's ordinance against religious conversions is aimed against minorities.

OTHER REPORTS
CEC meets Gujarat electoral officer
An Election Commission official said the discussions were general in nature and related to the poll preparedness of the state.

Microsoft launches MSN 8
The company plans to spend a whopping $300 million on its advertising campaign, three times more than the budget of its competitor AOL, which recently released AOL 8.

The Gujarat Assembly Election: Full Coverage

Cracker unit blast kills 4 in Bhagalpur
Eyewitnesses said the blast completely destroyed the building that housed the unit.

Shivani's husband identifies her gold chain
Shivani's chain had allegedly been snatched away from her on the day of the murder and later recovered from one of the key accused.
The Shivani Bhatnagar Murder Case: Full Coverage

Two men arrested in US sniper case
Members of the sniper task force arrested the men at 1249 IST in Frederick County, Maryland.

Pak religious parties differ on sharing power
The Jamaat-e-Islami has publicly objected to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami's chief ministerial candidate for the North West Frontier Province.

'Cong to supply farmers free power if elected in AP'
All-India Congress Committee general secretary Vayalar Ravi said that the party would adhere to its promise made in 1999 for the upcoming 2004 assembly election.

Govt scheme for non-resident Keralites
The scheme, which is being touted as one of the best in the country, will be available even for returnees who have lost their jobs abroad.

Condition of Keralites in Saudi Arabia to be studied
A three-member team, led by well-known demographer Dr K C Zachariah, will conduct the study, which is sponsored by the external affairs ministry and supported by associations of Indians in Saudi Arabia.

BJP wants Cong to clarify Vaghela's 'remarks'
The Gujarat Congress unit chief has reportedly invited the United States International Commission on Religion to probe the incidents of human rights violation during the post-Godhra communal riots.

Crisis of governance prevailing everywhere: NHRC chairman
J S Verma said faulty governance leads to more cases of human rights violations.

Children of Orissa women prisoners can go to school
The state has also launched a prison reforms programme.

Rare squirrel sighted in Orissa
The hoary-bellied Himalayan Squirrel was spotted in the forests of Chattighar in the Dhenkanal district.

SPECIAL
A ringside view
New Delhi, not Beijing, instigated the border tension, feels former Australian diplomat Gregory Clark.

COLUMN
India in the American national security strategy
While President Bush has asked Pakistan to 'permanently' end its support for cross-border terrorism, there is no dearth of voices that seek to dilute this policy, says G Parthasarathy.

October 23, 2002

TOP REPORT
Top RSS leaders to meet Vajpayee on Thursday
The meeting assumes significance in the wake of the recent criticism of the prime minister and his advisors by the RSS and its affiliated bodies, including the influential Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

J&K POST-POLL SCENARIO
'PDP, Congress have almost resolved differences'
'There have been tussles over the chief ministership in the past as well. The problem is that the media is seeing these differences in the open for the first time,' a PDP member said.

Advani indicates Congress-led govt
The deputy prime minister said a party 'reasonably near majority' could be invited to form the next government in the state.

Governor unlikely to allow Cong-led minority govt
Governor Saxena is not impressed by the claims of the Congress and the PDP that they can form the government with the help of independents, a home ministry source told rediff.com

DPF may support Cong-led minority govt
'Is it not wise to replace the governor's rule with a popular voice?'Yousuf Tarigami, CPI-M state secretary and leader of the DPF, said.

Panthers Party not to support PDP-led govt
The party asked the Congress not to surrender the chief minister's post.

Mufti to meet Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi
PDP vice-president Mehbooba Mufti called up the Congress president on Wednesday morning and expressed her willingness to hold further talks.

J&K impasse due to the Congress: Jayalalithaa
The Tamil Nadu chief minister said the Congress was preventing the formation of government simply because it was not getting the chief ministership.
Jammu & Kashmir Election Results

INTERVIEW
'We have successfully managed a tough election'
Jammu & Kashmir police chief A K Suri looks back proudly on a task well done.

DISSENT IN BJP'S UP UNIT
Mulayam wants Mayawati govt dismissed
The Samajwadi Party chief claimed the BJP-BSP coalition in the state has been reduced to a minority after a section of the BJP legislators rebelled against the chief minister.

BJP state leadership seeks truce with dissidents
State BJP chief Vinay Katiyar agreed to take the demands of the rebels to the central leadership for a 'final decision'.

BJP rebels rule out talks, 4 get show-cause notice
They insisted that the party pull out of the Mayawati-led BJP-BSP coalition government in Uttar Pradesh and support it from outside.

CAUVERY WATERS ROW
Theatre screening Tamil movie attacked in Bangalore
The attack took place within hours of pro-Kannada organisations deciding to stop the screening of Tamil movies and the airing of Tamil channels in Karnataka.

TN intent on confrontation: Krishna
The Karnataka chief minister said that by demanding more Cauvery waters the Tamil Nadu government wants to incite the passions of people in both states and thereby create conditions of instability.
The Cauvery Waters Dispute: Full Coverage

OTHER REPORTS
Trinamool Congress to attend NDA rally
The invitation assumes significance after the Trinamool Congress distanced itself from the government and the NDA on the issue of the Eastern Railway bifurcation.

Fire in cracker shop in Hyderabad claims 13
Ten persons were also injured in the incident, which occurred in Begumbazar area.

Moscow gunmen release 150 hostages
The gunmen, believed to be Chechen terrorists, are demanding that Russian troops leave the breakaway republic of Chechnya.

Court raps police for vague reply to Salman's bail plea
The Mumbai session court asked the investigating officer to give in writing if he was opposing the bail or not.

Tamil Nadu HC declines to stay closure of Christian schools
Two petitions had wanted Christian missionary schools to be open during the strike called against the anti-conversion law on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu govt staff launch indefinite stir
The protestors have a 19-point charter of demands, including Diwali bonus.

Witness identifies Bharat Shah
An unnamed witness identified the film financier's voice, recorded by the police, to match the voice in the conversation with gangster Chhota Shakeel.

Pune Congress claims to have blackened Togadia's face
But the VHP secretary general denied the incident and termed it a publicity stunt by Congressmen to make Sonia Gandhi happy.

Life of Pi Wins Booker Prize
Martel, a philosophy graduate who did odd jobs before making a living as a writer from the age of 27, edged out five others short-listed, including Indian-born Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters.

SAARC summit from January 11: Pakistan
A foreign ministry statement said members of the seven-nation grouping have been informed of the dates in August.

Goa could be a target for Al Qaeda
But central intelligence agencies have not sent any alert even after the Bali bomb blast earlier this month.

BJD to enrol one million members by December 26
The membership drive is aimed at the upcoming civic bodies' polls, Panchayati Raj and Public Relations Minister Dr Damodar Rout said.

100 HIV cases in Darbhanga Medical College this year
With this the number of cases in the state has gone up to nearly 1,700.

Bihar may not meet deadline for issuing photo I-cards
Over 30 millions of the 50 million voters are yet to get the cards, which are mandatory during elections.

SPECIALS
The confiscation of history
Claude Arpi laments the laws which block access to the official account of the 1962 war.

Of inventions, innovations and discoveries
M D Riti meets V M Naik, who is responsible for some amazing scientific and technological breakthroughs in India.

COLUMNS
The Narmada dammed
'Whether it was Enron or Narmada, it is the neta-babu cabal that has emerged victorious by deploying an arsenal of lofty slogans to cover up their double speak, fudged facts, and outright lies,' says Sucheta Dalal.

Operation Cleanup
Major Jaswant Singh, on special assignment. Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi durbar.

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