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Archives for 2015

A P J Abdul Kalam’s mortal remains reach Delhi

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A P J Abdul Kalam

New Delhi: The body of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a lecture at the IIM-Shillong on Monday, was flown to Delhi early Tuesday morning by a special aircraft.

President Pranab Mukherjee received the body of Kalam. Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung was present at Palam Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar too were present at Palam airport.

The Army, Navy and Air Force paid their last respects to the mortal remains of the former president.

Kalam’s body will be kept at his residence in Rajaji Marg, New Delhi, for public to pay their last respects from 4 pm.

Leaders pay tribute

Several leaders including Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and senior IAF officials joined in paying tribute to India’s ‘Missile Man’ whose departure has plunged the nation into overwhelming grief.

“It is an irreparable loss to the nation. He loved children, he loved the nation. I have met him many times. I took him to rural areas of Assam. He was a very simple and honest man. Along with India, entire state is mourning his death,” Mr. Gogoi said.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Anjan Dutta and other senior party leaders were also present and paid their respects.

State mourning

Wrapped in the tricolour, the casket carrying his body was taken inside the aircraft as a mournful hymn played in the background.

The Union Cabinet is expected to hold a special meeting in New Delhi to condole his death.

The government has announced a seven-day State mourning in honour of Kalam. “As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, seven days of state mourning will be observed throughout India from July 27, 2015 to August 2, 2015, both days inclusive,” an official statement said.

President, PM condole

Condoling Kalam’s death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “India mourns the loss of a great scientist, a wonderful President & above all an inspiring individual.”

President Pranab Mukherjee said in a message, “In his passing away, we have lost a great son of India who dedicated his entire life for the welfare of the motherland and its people. Mr. Kalam was a people’s President during his lifetime and will remain so even after his death.”

Parliament pays tribute to Kalam

Paying glowing tributes to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Union Cabinet today passed a resolution saying the country has lost “a visionary scientist, a true nationalist and a great son.”

The meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed its profound sorrow at the sad demise of former President of India yesterday in Shillong.

In the resolution, it said, “in his passing away the country has lost a visionary scientist, a true nationalist and a great son”.

Both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day after paying glowing tributes to Kalam.

(Agencies)

Southern Movies Round Up

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Katappa

As compared to films produced in Bollywoodian & Hollywoodian Cinema arena, South Indian Cinema is rapidly & regularly progressing by churning out its own brand of gems of milestone movies in all the 4 languages namely Kannada, Malyalam, Telugu & Tamil. In an exclusive Nasheman.In, Shaheen Raaj will present a sneak preview of the productional happenings of Southern Cinema every fortnight. Time to stay tuned in.

Sathyaraj Turns Villain In ‘Sandakozhi 2’

Director N. Linguswamy revealed recently that he will start filming for ‘Sandakozhi 2’ from 9th Sept, 2015 and just recently Sathyaraj has been signed on for a major role and he will be the main villain having a very powerful role. ‘Sandakozhi 2’ stars Vishal, Meera Jasmine, Keerthi Suresh, Rajkiran, Soori & Lal with music by D. Imman & produced by Vishal Film Factory.

G. V. Prakash Once Again Has A Catchy Title For His Next Film

G. V. Prakash’s next film as a lead hero will be directed by Prashanth Pandiyaraj, a former assistant to National award winning director Pandiraj. This film is going to be produced by Selvakumar of Kenanya films. Shankar is in charge of cinematography while GVP himself will score the music. The team considered various titles for the film and now they have zeroed in on a catchy name. The film has been titled as ‘Bruce Lee’ reminding us of yesteryear’s Hong Kong Superstar. The film is expected to go on floors in Sept, 2015.

Vijay Fans force The Producer To Have More Cinema Halls

The Telugu version of Vijay’s ‘Jilla’ which released last Friday has become a super hit in Andhra and in the wake of that the Telugu fans of Vijay seem to be loving it and the extraordinary demand has forced the producer of the film to increase the theatre count by 50 from this weekend. The charisma of Illayathalapathy Vijay and the presence of well known stars like Mohan Lal, Kajal Agarwal, Brahmanandham, Poornima Bhagyaraj & Sampathraj coupled with the high quotient masala elements that director R. T. Neason has mixed in the script seems to have gone down well with the Telugu audiences.

Andrea Gets Anjali’s Support

Intense filmmaker Ram of ‘Katradhu Tamizh’ & ‘Thangameengal’ fame has finished his urban love story ‘Taramani’ that has Andrea in the leading role with newcomer Vasanth Ravi playing her love interest. Azhangam Perumal & child actor Adrian Knight Jesly are also in the cast. ‘Taramani’ has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja and is produced by J. Sathish Kumar under the banner JSK Film Corporation. Anjali is making a special appearance in the film and it is said that her role will be an important one serving as a turning point to the story. The film is expected to release in a couple of months.

Manisha Koirala & Shaam Shoot For A Romantic Song

Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala will be joining the cast of the Tamil film ‘Oru Melliya Kodu’. The unit will be shooting 2 songs 1 with Shaam & Raksha Bhatt and the other song featuring Shaam & Manisha Koirala in Bangkok. Both the songs are romantic numbers, composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

The film revolves around a murder mystery in which Manisha plays politician’s wife and Arjun & Shaam are the protagonists.

Mahesh Babu’s Latest Avtar Decoded

Mahesh Babu has recently upped his eye candy quotient to a new level to get into the role of a filthy rich NRI in his forthcoming film ‘Srimanthdu’. Apparently, Mahesh had to follow an exhausting weight training sessions & cardio schedule that helps him perform his action & dance sequences. And that’s not all; the superstar has also experimented with his looks for this movie. Apparently, Mahesh will be seen in at least 7 new looks as he tried everything, from scarf’s to dhotis, a corporate look, a college look, et al. He will also be seen in a never seen before dhoti and a shirt avatar.

Anjali To Act In Another Cameo Role

Actress Anjali has played a cameo in filmmaker Ramsubramaniam’s ‘Taramani’, which features débutante Vasanth Ravi and singer – turned -actress Andrea Jeremiah in the lead.

“It was at the personal request of direct Ram that I accepted this offer. It’s a role quite contrary to anything I’ve done lately,” Anjali told. Anjali had previously worked with Ram in his critically acclaimed directorial debut ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’. Said to be a moody urban romantic saga, ‘Taramani’ is jointly produced by Ram & JSK Sathish. The film, which has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, is currently in its post production phase.

Nikhila Waits For Sreebala’s Next

Nikhila Vimal is on a high after her debut vehicle as an actress namely ‘Love 24×7’ which is getting rave reviews. Her performance in the movie as Kabani was much appreciated and many reviewed that she was a face to watch out for. Nikhila however says that she did nothing for the role and all she did was to follow director Sreebala’s instructions. Nikhila revealed that she had known Sreebala ever since she had acted in ‘Bhagyadevatha’ when she was in class 8. Sreebala had been associate to Sathyan Anthikad then.

Samvrutha Writes To Malayalees

After a long sabbaitical Samvrutha Sunil’s voice was heard loud & clear as she addressed Malaylees. Specifically, her post was addressed to people who “might be interested in her marital status”. This is after some rumours sprang up stating that she was on the verge of a divorce. She wrote, “To everyone who might be concerned about my marital status…….I am happily married and leading a peaceful life by God’s grace. I have a 5 month old baby who is keeping me very busy and I barely have the time to even post this message”.

Katappa To Don A Villainous Avatar

Versatile actor Satyaraj, who played many different roles in his illustrious career, is going to be seen in a negative role once again. As Katappa has been roped in as the baddie in the sequel of ‘Pandem Kodi’ (Sandakozhi).
Lingusamy, who directed the 1st part, will also direct this film. Though it was speculated that Shamili will play the lead actress in this film, the unit has rubbished those rumours. Akshara Haasan is being considered as the heroine but she is not finalized yet.

‘Sri Sai’ Audio Released

Noted director Om Saiprakash at the edge of his 100th film direction released audio CD of ‘Sri Sai’ at a function attended by prominent pontiffs. Adhichunchanagiri Sri Nirmalananda Swamiji, Murugarajendra Brihanmath Mokshapathi Swamiji, Mukthinaga Kshetra Daivagna Subramanya Shastry, Sri Angala Parameshwari Temple Elumalai Swamiji & Maharshi Dr Ananda Guruji presided over the audio release function and blessed the makers of ‘Sri Sai’, a Kannada film. Producer TS Senthil brother MLC Sharavana plays devotee of Shirdi Saibaba in this film.

Bengaluru beat Puneri Paltan, Bengal lose three on the trot in PKL

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pro-kabaddi-league-dabang-delhi-vs-bengal-warriors-0232

Kolkata: Bengaluru Bulls staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Puneri Paltans 31-26 while hosts Bengal Warriors lost to Dabang Delhi 21-32 in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) matches at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

The triumph helped Bengaluru retain third place with three wins from four games, whereas Paltan remain last in the leaderboard with four consecutive losses.

Bengal slumped to their third consecutive loss and have only one win from five games while Delhi jumped ahead of their opponents to the fourth place with two triumphs from three outings.

In the first contest, Paltan were quick off the blocks, racing to a 4-0 lead courtesy successful raids from skipper Wazir Singh and Tushar Patil and the defence too played its part in holding onto raiders.

But Bengaluru charged back into the match through their captain Manjeet Chillar who with his all-round performance made sure his side was breathing down the neck of its rival.

Bengaluru raider Ashish Chhokar was at the top of his game too as he stormed into the opponents half and clinched six points till the breather.

Wazir collected a few more points ensuring Paltan did not crumble under pressure and at half-time, they led 13-12.

It was again a tight contest after the break but Bengaluru, with more consistency, moved ahead and had a 27-19 lead at the 32nd-minute mark.

Raider Rajesh Mondal and Joginder Narwal combined with Dharmaraj Cheralatan to make sure they logged precious points for Bengaluru, even substitute Rakesh Narwal had three touch points to his credit.

Seeing the game going out of their grasp, Wazir again tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck as he along with Amit Rathi pulled back a few points and inched closer to Bengaluru.

Bengaluru, however, did not choke and held onto their lead till the end, winning the match 31-26.

In the last game of the night, Delhi surged ahead at halftime leading 15-10 against Bengal.

Delhi’s star raider Rohit Kumar Choudury made all the difference in the first 20 minutes of the game as he bagged six points including a bonus.

Bengal too had their moments as captain Dinesh Kumar and South Korean recruit Jang Kun Lee ventured into the opponent half successfully.

Locked at 5-5 in the 14th minute, Choudury was inspirational as he landed his palm on the middle line even after he was grabbed by three defenders. Warriors defender Nilesh Shinde suffered a blow to the head and had to be stretchered off the playing surface.

On the other side, Delhi captain Ravinder Pahal was brilliant in his defensive duties.

Bengal suffered another heavy jolt as Dinesh limped off the mat after halftime.

Empty, unsuccessful raids eventually made the hosts pay as Delhi clinched the game quite easily.

(IANS)

Saudi Arabian airstrike kills 120 civilians as US-backed war in Yemen rages

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Humanitarian crisis continues with no end in sight as forces armed and supported by the United States continue to terrorize the people of Yemen

Houthi followers demonstrate against Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen's capital Sanaa July 24, 2015. A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states has been bombing the Iranian-allied Houthi rebel movement and army forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh since late March in a bid to restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. (Photo: Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)

Houthi followers demonstrate against Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa July 24, 2015. A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states has been bombing the Iranian-allied Houthi rebel movement and army forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh since late March in a bid to restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. (Photo: Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

Intense fighting between Houthi factions and Yemeni forces allied with a Saudi-backed military campaign continued on Sunday, just a day after the killing of approximately 120 civilians by a Saudi airstrike spurred an impromptu call for a five-day ceasefire in the war-torn and poverty-stricken country.

According to the Associated Press:

The airstrikes late Friday hit workers’ housing for a power plant in Mokha, flattening some of the buildings to the ground […] A fire erupted in the area, charring many of the corpses, including children, women and elderly people.

Wahib Mohammed, an eyewitness and area resident, said some of the bodies were torn apart by the force of the blast and buried in a mass grave on Saturday. Some of the strikes also hit nearby livestock pens, he said. Human and animal blood pooled on the ground of the surrounding area.

The deadly strike highlights growing concerns that the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes are increasingly killing civilians as they continue to target Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

Responding to the carnage, Hassan Boucenine of the Geneva-based Doctors Without Borders told AP, “It just shows what is the trend now of the air strikes from the coalition. Now, it’s a house, it’s a market, it’s anything.”

In the wake of the deadly airstrike on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition, which includes the United States and allied Gulf states, called for a five-day ceasefire that would begin at midnight local time on Sunday.

However, even as mixed reporting by Reuters indicated that Houthi military leaders may have rejected the call, a fierce battle raged near the port city Aden over a strategically valuable air base:

The al-Anad base, 50 km (30 miles) from the major southern port city, has been held by the Iranian-allied Houthi movement for much of a fourth-month-old civil war, and is regarded as a strategic asset commanding the approaches to Aden.

The Arab coalition on Saturday announced a ceasefire to take effect at 11.59 p.m. (2059 GMT) on Sunday evening for five days to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Reuters indicated that a Houthi leader may have taken to Twitter to reject the call for the midnight ceasefire, but other journalists expressed doubt that the message was valid:

Since the Saudi-led bombing began in March of this year, the United Nations last week estimated that in addition to the many more thousands injured and maimed, at least 1,693 civilians have been killed in Yemen, of which 365 were children. Already one of the poorest nations on the planet before the fighting and subsequent bombing campaign began, both the UN and independent aid agencies have warned that so long as the war continues and humanitarian blockade enforced, Yemen’s further spiral towards total political chaos and a full-fledged famine will continue.

Bengaluru City police and Amnesty International India partner to enable safe reporting of sexual violence

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Amnesty International India will also inform people about the process of filing an FIR through virtual reality kiosks in select neighbourhoods, Interactive voice responses, WhatsApp, e-learning videos and Haptik (a mobile-based chat platform that offers support services).

by Karuna Mishra

Nasheman.in reporter Karuna Mishra understanding the process to file FIR by the ready to report campaign.

Nasheman.in reporter Karuna Mishra understanding the process to file FIR by the ready to report campaign.

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru City Police and Amnesty International India today launched the ‘Bengaluru, get Ready to Report’ initiative to empower women in the city to report sexual violence with safety and dignity.

The initiative is part of Amnesty International India’s ‘Ready to Report’ campaign. It will involve local neighborhood communities working with the Bengaluru police to enable safe and dignified reporting, in line with international standards.

Launching the initiative at the Ashok Nagar police station, M. N. Reddi, the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, said “We want to encourage women to report instances of sexual abuse or harassment to the police without any loss of time. Unless women are ready to report, it is difficult for the police to act.”

“We are collaborating with Amnesty International India in 10 police stations where our staff and officers will take a pledge to enable women in the area to freely report cases of sexual abuse and harassment.”

Speaking to Nasheman.in, he said, “he is concerned with the sexual harassment faced by the women in the city and the police is trying its best to reduce it by educating such concept.”

The Commissioner inaugurated a ‘virtual kiosk’ set up by Amnesty International India that offers a simulated experience of being inside a police station and explains the step-by-step process of filing an FIR in Kannada and English. He joined local residents in painting the wall of the Ashok Nagar police station on the theme of ‘women’s safety’.

sexual violence

“National statistics show that for every one woman who reports sexual violence to the police, there are 99 that do not. Women often do not feel confident about walking in to a police station to report any form of sexual violence. Sometimes, they are not aware of the formal procedure to file an official complaint,” said Gopika Bashi, Amnesty International India’s Women’s Rights Campaigner.

“Through our ‘Ready to Report’ campaign, we hope to inform and make it easier for women to approach the police.”

Amnesty International India will also inform people about the process of filing an FIR through virtual reality kiosks in select neighbourhoods, Interactive voice responses, WhatsApp, e-learning videos and Haptik (a mobile-based chat platform that offers support services).

The police stations from the six divisions of Bengaluru that will be part of the initiative are: North – Yeshwantpur, West – Chickpet, Central – Cubbon Park, Sadashiv Nagar, Ashok Nagar, East – Indira Nagar, South – Electronic City, Basavangudi, South East – Whitefield, Koramangala. The stations will host events to build relationships with neighborhood communities.

The artist Ullas Hydoor, Zoom car, Logical Indian, Flippar and Haptik are the other partners in the initiative.

Wedding celebrations in Afghanistan turn bloody

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At least 20 people killed by gunmen who opened fire at wedding guests in northern Baghlan province.

Afghanistan

by Al Jazeera

At least 20 people have been killed by gunmen who opened fire at a wedding in Afghanistan’s north, officials said.

The attack, apparently linked to a feud between two families, happened in the Andarab district of Baghlan province on Sunday night. One family was hosting a wedding as members of a rival family arrived and started shooting at male guests, sources told Al Jazeera.

The bride and groom survived the attack.

Most of the dead were wedding guests aged from 14 years old to 60 years old, Jaweed Basharat, the governor of Baghlan province, told the AP news agency. He said 10 people were also injured.

The remote district, with little government presence, has witnessed frequent family disputes over land and other issues, Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy said. Deaths in such disputes are reported almost every month but the number of casualties at the wedding was unusually high.

Police has sent reinforcement to the area, but gunfire was still reported there on Monday morning.

Fatal gun fights and celebratory gun fire are common at Afghan weddings, which have boomed in recent years in a country battered by nearly 40 years of war.

Afghan soldiers fired mortars at a wedding party in late December in the southern province of Helmand, killing 17 women and children.

​Lalu Prasad Yadav arrested as RJD bandh cripples life in Bihar

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lalu prasad yadav

Patna: RJD President Lalu Prasad and several of his supporters were today arrested here while trying to enforce the day-long Bihar bandh called by his party as the shutdown adversely affected life across the state.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vikas Vaibhav said, “Prasad has been arrested along with his supporters while enforcing bandh. He has been taken to the camp jail of Bihar Military Police – 5 located on the outskirts of Patna. He might be given bail if the sections imposed are bailable ones.”

An FIR has been registered against Prasad at Kotwali police station under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty, 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).

332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from discharge of duty), 431 (mischief by injury to public road), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation).

The bandh disrupted normal life as few trains were halted by lathi-wielding mobs, which also forced few shops and educational institutions to shut operations. The working of the Patna High Court was also hit.

Officials said several judges got delayed in reaching the High Court due to the bandh and wanted to know if the state government was supporting it. They also questioned the security preparedness of the state government.

Earlier, Prasad had come out from his residence riding a ‘tamtam’ or ‘tonga’ (a single-horse drawn carriage) draped with his party colours and symbol.

He and his hundreds of supporters then proceeded towards Dak Bungalow crossing, the nerve centre of city traffic, enforcing bandh all the way.

“Our motive is to demand caste census data and remove BJP from power. ‘BJP hatao, desh bachao’ (Remove BJP, save the country) because it is ‘Bharat Jalao Party’. The bandh is a huge success. I have never seen this type of bandh in my life except during the JP movement,” Prasad said.

The RJD chief denied any untoward incident by his party workers anywhere in the state and asserted that “youths have punctured BJP”. He also gave the call to remove Narendra Modi from the post of Prime Minister.

Officials said shops remained shut, colleges and educational institutions were forced to close down, roads including national highways were blocked and vehicles were attacked during the shut-down called by RJD.

Hordes of RJD supporters armed with sticks and canes were seen burning tyres and bamboos at busy thoroughfares in the state capital. They also disrupted classes and forcibly closed colleges affiliated to Patna University, officials said.

(Agencies)

Lokayukta joint commissioner Syed Riyaz arrested

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Lokayukta scam

Bengaluru: Karnataka Lokayukta joint commissioner Syed Riyaz was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday night for his alleged involvement in collecting bribes from state officials.

“We have taken Riyaz into custody from a private hospital where he was taking treatment for blood pressure and diabetes,” said a senior investigating officer.

As part of its probe into the graft charges against some unidentified officials in the watchdog, though the SIT team summoned Riyaz for interrogation, he delayed by extending his leave from July 17 to July 31 on returning from pilgrimage to Makkah on July 19.

“Preliminary investigation and interrogation of three suspected extortionists whom we arrested last week revealed that Riayz was one of the kingpins in threatening many officials of booking graft cases and raiding their premises if they did not pay up over the years,” the officer said.

The SIT, headed by Additional Director General of Police Kamal Pant, was set up by the state government on the request of Lokayukta, Justice (retd.) Y. Bhaskar Rao on June 30 to probe the graft charges, including a bribe of Rs.1 crore sought allegedly by his son Ashwin Rao.

The SIT is also on the lookout for Riyaz’s brother-in-law Sadiq for allegedly being part of the extortionist gang.

The three co-accused in the scam are Ashok Kumar, Srinivas Gowda and Shankare Gowda, who used to threaten officials and extort money after collecting information against them through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

(Agencies)

Petition by eminent personalities urges President to pardon Yakub Memon

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Yakub Memon

New Delhi: Leaders of various parties including BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha and its expelled MP Ram Jethmalani, eminent jurists and persons from different walks of life today submitted a fresh petition to President Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to waive off the death sentence of Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

In the new petition urging stay against imminent execution of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, the signatories claimed that there are “substantive and fresh grounds” that can be considered on merits.

Memon is scheduled to be executed on July 30 as per the execution warrant issued by TADA Court.

The petition has come at a time when there is a huge political controversy over Memon’s hanging and the BJP has condemned the remarks by parties against the hanging of Memon saying such a defence is happening due to “petty politics”.

BJP MP Sinha, who had a day before met and praised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has once again gone against the party’s stand on the Memon issue.

In the 15-page petition, the signatories have cited varioius legal points and international committments to argue that Memon should not be hanged.

“We most humbly request your Excellency to consider the case of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon and spare him from the noose of death for a crime that was master-minded by someone else to communally divide the country.

“Grant of mercy in this case will send out a message that while this country will not tolerate acts of terrorism, as a nation we are committed to equal application of the power of mercy and values of forgiveness, and justice. Blood letting and human sacrifice will not make this country a safer place; it will, however, degrade us all,” the signatories said.

Besides Sinha and Jethmalani, those, who have signed the petition include MPs like Mani Shankar Aiyar (Congress), Majeed Memon (NCP), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI), K T S Tulsi and H K Dua (nominated) and T Siva (DMK), former CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI(ML)-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Brinda Karat (CPI-M) and filmmakers and actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Mahesh Bhatt, M K Raina and Tushar Gandhi.

It also included various academicians, members of the legal fraternity, activists and retired judges – Justice Panachand Jain, Justice H S Bedi, Justice P B Sawant, Justice H Suresh, Justice K P Siva Subramaniam, Justice S N Bhargava, Justice (retd) K Chandru, and Justice Nagmohan Das, noted lawyer Indira Jaising.

Others include academicians like Irfan Habib, Arjun Dev, D N Jha, and social activists Aruna Roy, Jean Dreze and John Dayal.

They cited that India is a signatory to an international commitment to abolish death penalty and hence death penalty cannot be imposed in India.

“Yakub Memon was not given advance notice of the death warrant hearing and as a result of which he and his lawyers could not participate and contest the issuance of the death warrant. Lack of hearing makes the present death warrant void,” they said, citing a Supreme Court decision in the May 2015 Shabnam versus Union of India and Others case.

They said that there are some very “disturbing” aspects of this case which make the award of death sentence to Yakub Memon as “grossly unfair, arbitrary and excessive”.
“Yakub Memon has served more than 20 years in prison since his arrest. His trial took 14 years to complete. While the Supreme Court used this long period of incarceration as a mitigating circumstance to commute the death sentences of the other 10 co-accused persons, it applied a different yardstick to Yakub.

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that lengthy incarceration during pendency of appeal in death cases is a significant mitigating circumstance which ought to be considered in determination of sentence. In the interests of justice we request you to give due importance to this,” they said.

They also argued that Memon is mentally unfit for execution as he has been suffering from schizophrenia for the last 20 years.

“His mental condition has been certified by jail doctors. Schizophrenia as a mental illness has been held by the Supreme Court to render a convict unfit for execution,” they said.
They have also cited that commutation of death sentences of convicts in other terror cases like late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

“It is also worthwhile to note that death sentences imposed on the aides of Veerappan (convicted and sentenced to death under TADA), Rajiv Gandhi killers and Devender Pal Singh Bhullar have been commuted recently by Supreme Court.

“While the mercy petitions of Verappan’s aides, Rajiv Gandhi’s three killers and Devender Pal Singh Bhullar were decided belatedly by the President, thereby giving them the claim of delay jurisprudence, the Home Ministry has moved swiftly to reject Yakub Abdul Razak Memon’s mercy’s petition,” they alleged.

The petitioners said that it seemed that “subjective factors” were the basis of decisions which lead to arbitrary actions.

They also argued that the death sentence has been awarded under TADA which was repealed.

“Memon has been tried and sentenced to death under TADA, a special law which was repealed by Parliament on account of it having been used to target minorities,” they said and referred to a Supreme Court judgement, which according to them doubted the legality of prosecutions pursued after the repeal of TADA.

“Given the highly compromised rule of law credentials of TADA, executing Yakub Memon will perpetuate the dark legacy of this law,” they said.

(PTI)

Terror strikes Punjab, SP among 6 killed, 1 militant eliminated

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Terror strikes Punja

Gurdaspur: In the first major terror strike in Punjab in eight years, heavily-armed militants in army uniform today sprayed bullets on a moving bus and stormed a police station, killing six persons, including an SP, and injuring eight others in Gurdaspur bordering Pakistan.

One militant was killed and another seriously injured in the gunbattle with security forces that stretched for over 10 hours as the terrorists, who went of a rampage at around 5 AM, were holed up in a vacant building adjacent to Dinanagar police station.

The terrorists have killed six persons– three civilians and three policemen including Superintendent of Police (Detective), Baljit Singh, a Punjab provincial service officer, police said.

Official sources said it was too early to say which terrorist outfit had carried out the strike, but finger of suspicion is on Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba as the modus operandi of the militants was similar to the attacks in Jammu region in recent past.

According to Punjab Police IG (Counter Intelligence) Gaurav Yadav, SP Baljit Singh succumbed to bullet injuries sustained in the gunbattle.

Police said out of the eight injured brought to civil hospital at Gurdaspur, seven seriously injured were referred to Amritsar. They all were aged between 15-54 years.

One militant was killed and another seriously injured in the operation, Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur, Abhinav Trikha, said.

According to police, the attackers first targeted a roadside eatery and took off in a white Maruti 800 with Punjab registration number. They shot dead a roadside vendor near Dinanagar bypass.

They opened fire on passengers of a moving Punjab roadways bus before targeting a community health centre adjacent to Dinanagar police station.

The gunmen barged into the Dinanagar police station and opened indiscriminate fire. The militants also targeted another part of the complex where the families of police personnel reside and hurled grenades.

An alert has been sounded along the international border in Punjab and Jammu as the terrorists are suspected to have infiltrated from there, the sources said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval about the situation.

Singh said he will make a statement on the issue tomorrow in Parliament, where members today sought a detailed government response.

On October 14, 2007, seven persons were killed and more than 30 were injured when a powerful explosion took place at the cinema hall in Ludhiana, the last major terror attack in the state which had grappled with Sikh militancy for several years from 1980s.

Security agencies have heightened vigil across the contry especially Punjab and neighbouring states as well a Union Territory of Chandigarh in the wake of the attack which came just three weeks ahead of Independence Day.

In a related development, five live bombs were found on Amritsar-Pathankot railway track and the train services on the route have been suspended.

Dina Nagar town, which is close to Pakistan, falls in Gurdaspur district. It is sandwiched between Gurdaspur town on one side and Pathankot on the other and lies about 260 km from capital Chandigarh.

Officials said schools, colleges and other institutions have been shut today in the town in view of the incident.

Local resident Kamaljeet Singh Matharu, who said that the assailants had snatched his car after firing at him, said they were dressed in army uniform and were heavily armed.

Matharu received gunshot injuries and is admitted to hospital.

Three of the dead were identified as Ghulam Rasool, Asha Rani and Amarjeet Singh.

Ishwar Chandra Sharma, IG, Border Zone, said the gunmen attacked a Punjab roadways bus and then entered the police station complex.

“We have engaged them in an adjoining building which is an abandoned building and a barrack,” he said.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said there is no hostage situation.

According to Civil hospital authorities at Gurdaspur, SP Baljit Singh was brought dead to the hospital.

Fear gripped the town this morning and people largely remained indoors.

“People are in a state of shock and terrified here after they came to know about the attack,” said Jatinder Kumar, whose house is just 500 metre away from the Dina Nagar police station.

“We could clearly listen to the sound of firing going on at police station between and security personnel and (suspected) militants,” Jatinder, who is an employee of Punjab Health department, said.

Strongly condemning the terror strike, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that terrorism was a national problem.

“Terrorism is a national problem, it is not a state problem. It has to be tackled by national policies,” Badal said and demanded that the border be sealed.

(Agencies)

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