BJP slams Railway Budget; Congress says it is pro-people
Omar welcomes HC order on Shopian killings
Srinagar, July 04, 2009: Welcoming the High Court order to exhume the bodies of two women allegedly raped and killed in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the move will help in establishing the facts in this case which have evoked strong reactions in the valley.
The Chief Minister was of the view that any move that will help establish the fact in this case will go a long way in addressing the anger of people.
"I think it is a welcome development. The government is keen that we establish the facts in this case. The interim report submitted by the (Retd Justice Muzzafar Jan) Commission has raised questions about the post mortems that were conducted and whether anything could be determined from them.
"The High Court has decided that an exhumation followed by an in-depth post-mortem is the best way to establish the facts in this case and that is exactly what we want," he said.
Kashmir was on a boil after 22 year-old Neelofar Jan and her 17-year-old sister-in-law Asiya Jan were allegedly raped and murdered on the intervening night of May 29 and 30 in Shopian.
The Jan Commission, appointed by Abdullah on June 3, was of the view that the conduct of the some of the officials, including doctors who conducted the first post-mortem on the victims and an official of the Forensic Science Laboratory had led to loss of crucial evidence.
Youth killed in 'police encounter', parents cry foul
DEHRADUN: Controversy surrounded gunning down of an MBA qualified youth in an alleged police encounter, with his parents on Saturday claiming that
he has no criminal history have raised doubts that it could be a killing in a case of mistaken identity.
Ranbir Singh, 22,who hailed from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, was shot dead on Friday in an alleged encounter with police in Ladpur jungles here.
"We have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident," principal secretary home Subhash Kumar said.
Senior superintendent of police, Dehradun, said the youth, who was riding a motor cycle along with two others, snatched the revolver of a constable when their two-wheeler was stopped during a checking of vehicles in view of president Pratibha Patil's visit.
However, Ranbir's father Ravinder Singh said his son is innocent. "Show me his criminal record. The police just killed him to get (gallantry) medals. And the police are threatening me now," he said, sobbing and trying to console his wife.
Uttarakhand inspector general of police N A Ganapati said the three boys were asked to stop by G D Bhatt, a sub-inspector at Dalanwala area. When the police searched their bag, a weapon was found in it, he said, adding that the boys overpowered Bhatt, snatched his revolver and fled.
When the SI flashed a message over the wireless, the boys were intercepted at another place and there was an encounter in which Ranbir was killed, Ganapati said.
Minibus falls off flyover at Howrah station; over 6 killed
Saturday July 4, 2009, Howrah: At least six people have been killed and several others have been seriously injured after a minibus fell off a flyover on to the tracks of the Howrah railway station.
The freak accident took place shortly after 4 pm on Saturday. The minibus skidded off the Bankim Setu, a flyover adjacent to the Howrah station.
The bus fell several metres below on the tracks between Platforms 11 and 12.
"The bus was trying to overtake and it slipped off the flyover as it was raining. There were many passengers in the bus," said an eyewitness.
Rescue operations were slowed down initially by bad weather conditions, but all the people inside the minibus have now been taken out. The injured have been taken to hospital.
Centre has failed to tackle Naxal problem: Rajnath
Ranchi, July 04, 2009: The BJP on Saturday alleged that the Centre has failed to solve the Naxal problem, saying the menace should be tackled administratively and politically.
"The Centre has not been able to take effective steps in solving the Naxal problem. Apart from administrative steps, Naxalism should also be tackled politically," BJP President Rajnath Singh told a press conference here.
The BJP being the main opposition party would support the government in tackling Naxalism, Singh, who was here to address the party's state unit executive committee meeting, said.
On the submission of the Liberhan Committee report to the Centre, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said it would not be proper to comment as details were not known.
Asked whether the party had accepted its rejection by the people after the Lok Sabha polls, Singh pointed out that the Congress had got only 114 seats in 1998.
Speaking about Jharkhand where the President's Rule has been extended by the Centre beyond July 28, Singh alleged that Congress alone was responsible for the political instability in the state and demanded dissolution of the Assembly and fresh elections.
There was also no fissure in the state party, he said.
BJP slams Railway Budget; Congress says it is pro-people
New Delhi: BJP on Friday slammed the Railway Budget saying that it had been prepared in haste and failed to provide the needed impetus even as Congress described it as pro-people and a reflection of the policies of the UPA government.
"The Budget builds on the achievements of the UPA Government in the last five years," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters soon after Mamata Banerjee presented the Railway Budget in Lok Sabha.
He said it was a pro-people budget. "Special focus has been on the SC/ST areas of the country through the Budget," Mr. Tewari said.
The silver lining, according to Mr. Tewari was that no fares had been increased in times of economic recession.
Asked whether the Budget was better as compared to the one presented by Lalu Prasad last year, Mr. Tewari said every budget has to be seen in perspective.
BJP President Rajnath Singh said the people will have to wait for the implementation of the Budget to know whether it is effective or not.
The party leaders said that the budget had been prepared in haste and failed to give the needed impetus.
Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said the Budget was a "grave injustice" to Bihar. "Nothing has been done for Bihar, the State which I represent. It is a great injustice to the people of the State," Mr. Hussain said.
