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Bengaluru police bust child trafficking racket, 16 arrested

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Bengaluru

Bengaluru: City police on Monday claimed to have unearthed a crime syndicate allegedly involved in the illegal transportation of children to the US with 16 people, including the suspected kingpin, being taken into custody.

In a crackdown, 14 teams of officers conducted raids in various police stations in Bengaluru City Commissionerate and registered about 13 cases and “secured” 16 persons including Uday Prathap Singh who was identified as the kingpin, and two women for various offenses.

Police said on the basis of information collected, it was found that Singh along with his other syndicate members lured a couple or a single male/female and projected them as real husband and wife, and accordingly documents were prepared to obtain passport and other travel documents.

They said Singh through his agents in Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other places brought children under the age of 10 years and paired them with the couples in Bengaluru who acted as family.

While the couple and the children got trained about behaving like a family, other team members prepared documents like rental agreement, birth certificate, voter cards, ration cards and applied for obtaining passport as family members.

After obtaining passport through “fraudulent means”, another team in Tamil Nadu used to assist the “family” to get Non-immigration B1/B2 VISA (Business and pleasure visa) from the US consulate at Chennai.

Police said based on credible information, collection of actionable intelligence and preliminary inquiry, SIT has made prima facie case about human trafficking of children to US in which 16 couples were shortlisted and their antecedents verified clandestinely.

(IANS)

Headley was tasked with recruiting spies from Indian Army

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Mumbai: Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Tuesday described how he was assigned to gather military intelligence in India and recruit spies from the Indian Army.

On the second day of his deposition through video conferencing from a US jail before the Special TADA Court here, Headley said he was tasked with luring spies from the Indian Army to work for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

In his response to questions posed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley admitted to working both for the LeT and the ISI.

Headley on Monday revealed that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were planned over a year in Pakistan.

Detailing the planning for the 26/11 strike, Headley said in November-December 2007 he had attended a meeting in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir along with his LeT contact Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa, in which they asked him to conduct a recce of the Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and other locations in Mumbai.

At the meeting, the LeT leaders gave information about a conference of Indian defence officials and scientists at the luxury hotel opposite Gateway of India which they wanted to hit, Headley told the court of Special Judge G.A. Sanap.

He was specifically asked by his handlers to survey and videograph the second floor of the hotel which he did along with his wife Faiza, selected the landing site for the vessels which would sneak in from the Arabian Sea at Colaba, and discussed everything with Major Iqbal of the Pakistan Army.

Besides Hotel Taj, Headley made videos of Leopold Cafe, Colaba Police Station, the local markets and restaurants in Colaba, the naval and air force stations, the Maharashtra Police headquarters, Hotel Trident-Oberoi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, and the Siddhi Vinayak temple in Prabhadevi.

“Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal were satisfied with the videos and photos of the hotel which I gave them,” Headley said, adding that the plan to target Hotel Taj conference hall was later scrapped for “logistics reasons”.

All the data and locations were stored in a GPS device for future uses, he added.

Headley unravelled before the Special Court how the LeT and Al-Qaeda, which he termed a “terrorist organisation”, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahiddeen and other groups in Pakistan function under the “United Jihad Council” and were working against India.

He said the LeT and ISI have a close nexus with the ISI providing the “financial, military and moral support”, Nikam later told media persons.

Admitting that he served both the LeT and ISI, he said Hafez Sayeed was LeT’s “spiritual leader,” Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was its “operational commander” and worked with the sole aim of spreading terror in India.

Headley said that in 2003, he was present at a LeT meeting when Maulana Masood Azhar made a guest speech about his anti-India activities and his release from India (in December 1999 in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814).

Headley’s deposition will resume again on Wednesday, Nikam told media persons.

(Agencies)

Soldier found alive at Siachen glacier

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Siachen

Jammu: One of the ten army soldiers buried alive under an avalanche in Siachen glacier area of Ladakh region has been rescued alive, the rest are confirmed dead.

“The ongoing rescue operation at Siachen, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was found alive, all the other soldiers are regrettably no more with us,” GOC northern command Lt General D.S.Hooda said in an official statement on Tuesday.

The medical condition of Hanamanthappa was said to be critical, but attempts were being made to evacuate him to the hospital.

“We hope the miracle continues. Pray with us,” Hooda added.

Ten soldiers were buried under tons of avalanche debris in Siachin glacier on February 3 after an avalanche hit their post.

Massive rescue operations had been going on by the army and the Air Force since then to trace the missing soldiers.

(IANS)

Worship parents on Valentine’s Day: Asaram Bapu’s ads in Delhi Metro

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bapu

New Delhi: This February 14, worship your parents instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day, say a series of billboards put up at Delhi Metro stations by a religious group, which also endorsed police action against couples.

The advertisements, put up across 35 stations by an organisation of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, advocating ‘Matri Pitri Pujan Diwas’ has left many commuters enraged, prompting Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to order the matter to be examined. Asaram is lodged in jail in connection with a sexual assault case.

The ads bear two contrasting pictures; one showing two kids worshipping their parents and the other showing a young couple holding each other’s ears as policemen stand nearby.

“Police take strong action against those indulging in degenerate activities by celebrating Valentine’s Day in broad daylight. Don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day,” the message in the posters say.

“The ads were displayed by a private contractor as all the ad space inside the Delhi Metro premises are allotted to specialised agencies who in turn allot them to interested advertisers. The matter is being thoroughly examined and taken up with the concerned contractor for necessary action,” DMRC chief spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

When contacted, a functionary of ‘Bal Sanskar Kendra’, the organisation behind the posters, said the objective of the ad campaign was to make youngsters “aware” that Valentine’s Day was “against Indian culture”.

“The picture depicts the plight of a couple who were caught celebrating Valentine’s Day in a public park at Raipur where the state government officially celebrates ‘Matri Pitri Pujan Diwas’. We want other state governments to come up with similar orders,” Manish Goswami, the functionary said.

The posters also made a few wonder about the advertising policy of DMRC. “I guess Delhi Metro will put up just about anything if you pay them enough money,” Govind RS posted on Facebook.

A DMRC executive said the company follows the Delhi Outdoor Advertising Policy, 2008 and does not have its own policy in this regard.

Unlike DMRC, Transport for London, which runs the vast London subway train service, has its own advertising policy.

“Technology wise we compete with west, #mentality wise we compete with 19th century !!” one Hamraj Singh posted on Twitter, while a tweet by one Shalu Dyani reads, “Asaram Bapu’s ads in Delhi Metro threatening couples celebrating Valentines! DMRC has some serious explaining to do.”

(PTI)

SDPI vice president Samkutty Jacob passes away

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Samkutty-Jacob

New Delhi: SDPI National President A. Sayeed expressed his condolence for the sudden demise of party vice president Samkutty Jacob.

In a statement the party said, “the sudden demise of our party vice president Mr. Samkutty Jacob is a big loss for our party and we express our deep condolence for his demise. He was a sincere and loyal public worker without any taint of any kind either in personal or public life. He was a pure secularist and socialist who spent most of his life for the realization of his political ideology. I hope that Social Democratic Party of India will recover from the loss of this Samaritan leader.We pray Almighty God to give strength and patience to his family to bear his demise. Along with National President A.Sayeed the Former National President of SDPI E. Abubakkar and Other National Office bearers had expressed their deep Condolence for Party National Vice President Samkutty Jacob’s demise.”

“Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road completes successful 50 Sunday Conversations”

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3000 citizens benefited from the health educative forum since inception

Fortis

Bengaluru: Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road in their journey of providing continuous quality healthcare services is happy to announce their yet another milestone – successful 50 Sunday conversations; providing health education to over 3000 people in a span of two years. An initiative that began with an aim of bridging the doctor and community relationship by educating the public over various topics on health received tremendous response from the citizens. Various topics on Cardiology, Bone & Joint, Neurology, Pediatrics, Women Care, Emergency Care, Urology and many other clinical specialties were covered during these sessions.

The 50th Sunday conversation on “Cardiac Diseases, Joint Pain & Urology – Risks & Management” witnessed participation of over 100 people. Eminent doctors including Dr. Venkatesh S – Consultant, Interventional Cardiologist, Dr, Narayan Hulse – Add. Director, Dept. Of Bone & Joint Surgery and Dr. Mohan Keshavamurthy – Director, Urology, Andrology & Transplant Surgery shared their insights and inputs with the participants.

“It’s indeed an exciting moment for as we complete the 50th Sunday Conversation at Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road. Giving back to the community is what we always believe in and this initiative was a humble effort from our end towards the same. The Sunday Conversations has turned out to be a trusted forum among the public and we are glad to have played a small yet significant role in imparting knowledge on healthcare to our people,” said Mr. Vijayarathna, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road.

“The topics covered in the Sunday conversation are very relevant and informative. This has given me insights on various problems which we often tend to see in our family, neighbours or colleagues. Also these sessions have been helpful in clearing myths and increasing awareness,” said 76 year old Mr. Kulkarni Swasahaya, a regular attendee of Sunday Conversation and ex-employee of Karnataka Administration Service (KAS).

Irfan Pathan marries 21-year-old Safa Baig in low-key affair

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pathan-baig

New Delhi: Calling it as ‘probably the best phase of life’ in a tweet, Cricketer Irfan Pathan on Thursday tied the knot with Safa Baig at Haram Shareef in the holy city of Mecca.

Reports have confirmed that the couple had been dating for the past two years before they decided to take their relationship to the next level.

Speaking to media sources, a friend of the couple said, “Irfan and Safa met in Dubai about two years ago and later came close. Safa even visited Vadodara to meet Irfan’s family. The duo got engaged about three months ago following which the wedding date was fixed,”

Safa works for a PR firm in Jeddah.

There were no grand celebrations as the Pathan family conducted a low-key affair.

There were no high-profile guests at the function with only family members of the couple present during the ‘nikaah’.

A dinner party was held by the Pathan family at a luxury hotel at Al-Hindaweeyah on Thursday night.

(Agencies)

TRAI rules in favour of Net Neutrality

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Facebook

New Delhi: “No service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content,” says TRAI.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Monday issued the ‘Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016’ that bars service providers from offerring or charging discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content.

A service provider may reduce tariff for accessing or providing emergency services, the body ruled. TRAI may review these regulations after a period of two years.

TRAI will also levy a penalty of Rs. 50,000 a day for discriminatory tariffs charged by service providers.

This comes amid an ongoing debate over net neutrality in the country.

Earlier, the regulatory body had issued two consulation papers – one in December 2016 aboutdifferential data pricing and the one in early 2015 about over-the-top (OTT) services.

The consultation paper on differential data pricing had raised concern over zero-rating tariff models — a practice wherein service providers offer free data to users for select applications and websites — and the paper had become key to the debate on Net neutrality.

According to Internet activists, this model violates the principle of Net neutrality as it restricts access to free, open Internet. Facebook’s Free Basic initiative has come under severe criticism in India as it is based on a zero-rating model.

TRAI has also asked Reliance Communication, Facebook’s partner in India for Free Basics, to put the service on hold till the authority considers all the details and terms and conditions of the service.

(Agencies)

Headley bares two failed attempts before 26/11

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Headley

Mumbai: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) made two unsuccessful attempts before wreaking havoc in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, in a terror attack that killed 166 persons, terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headly told a Special TADA court here on Monday.

In the first attempt to strike Mumbai in September 2008, the terrorist’s boat hit some rocks in the Arabian Sea, resulting in loss of weapons and ammunition, but those on board survived, Headley told TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap via video-conferencing from a US jail.

The second attempt was made the following month, in October, with the same persons involved as in the first one, but that also failed for unknown reasons, before the third and successful attack was executed on November 26 that year, (in which 166 persons were killed and hundreds more were injured), he said.

Headley also identified in a picture his main contact in the LeT terror group Sajid Mir and LeT founder Hafez Sayeed and said he was inspired by Sayeed’s fiery speeches to join the group in 2002.

Represented by criminal lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani at the TADA court, Headley said he underwent his first training with LeT in 2002 at a camp in Muzaffarabad, which is in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

About the motive behind the crime, he said the terror attack was carried out to assist the Kashmiris fighting against the Indian Army in the border state.

Earlier, Headley, 56, said he was born on June 30, 1960, in the US and shifted to Pakistan later where his name was Daood Sayeed Gilani.

Flanked by three persons at an undisclosed location in the US — his attorney John, US attorney Sarah and a person identified merely as Bob — Headley was administered the oath at 7.30 a.m. and Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam started firing questions at him.

Headley provided details of his passport and spoke of his seven to eight trips to Mumbai and one to New Delhi between 2006-2008 before the 26/11 attacks. The trips included seven via Pakistan and one via the UAE. He also made yet another trip to Mumbai in July 2009, after the terror attack was executed.

To a pointed question by Nikam, who is leading the prosecution case, Headley named one person named Raymaond Sanders as a visa consultant who helped him procure the Indian visa.

Headley said most of the information on his visa application was false — except his birth date and place, mother’s name and nationality and the passport number — so that he would not blow his cover.

“This is the first time that a terrorist is deposing and tendering evidence live in a foreign country. He will divulge the larger aspects of the 26/11 terror conspiracy, the people behind it and related aspects,” Nikam said on the eve of Headley’s trial.

“The evidence coming out today could be very significant,” Jethmalani commented briefly on the proceedings before the special court.

Headley’s ongoing evidence on Monday could help the prosecution nail the alleged co-conspirators in the attacks Zakiur Rehman Lakhi, the terrorists’ handlers, the role and involvement of other state and non-state actors, and the role of arrested LeT activist Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, currently in a Mumbai jail.

At the previous hearing on December 10 last year, the special TADA court judge had pardoned Headley and made him an approver in the case, subject to certain conditions.

Headley had already confessed to his role in the offences in the US for which he is serving a 35-year sentence.

The five-hour court proceedings were held here amidst tight security.

(IANS)

Make in India and hate in India cannot go together: Tharoor

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shashi tharoor

Boston: Taking a jibe at the Modi government, former minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said policies like ‘Make in India’ and hatred cannot go together as he asserted that “outrageous” statements against minorities by ruling party members only undermine the country’s soft power.

To attract foreign direct investment, which is key to the construction and modernisation of the infrastructure sector and manufacturing, the Congress MP stressed on the need to maintain the pluralistic character of the country.

Before India tries to leverage its soft power to increase its standing in the world, Tharoor said first there is need to fix the problem at the domestic front.

“For us to be credible as a nation that enjoys and wields soft power, we have to fix our domestic problems first. The truth is that we have to do enough to keep our people, healthy, well and secure not just from jihadi terrorism. Progress is being made but not enough to reach everyone,” Tharoor said in his keynote address to the Harvard University’s annual Indian convention 2016.

“If on one hand, we go around saying Make in India, Startup India and Digital India and want to attract foreign investors, we can’t do so if we are condoning hatred in India at the same time,” Tharoor said in reference to the flagship schemes launched by the Narendra Modi-led government.

“It is not good when people in the ruling party make outrageous statements against minorities. These are not good because they undermine the soft power of India,” Tharoor told the students in the packed Harvard Business School auditorium.

Tharoor asserted that in order to maintain India’s soft power, the larger idea of India needs to be sustained.

“An India that celebrates the common space of every identity, it would be a secure to be a Muslim, secure to be a kayastha… whatever you define yourself. Because all of those identities are made secure under the Indian identity,” he said.

Tharoor said if India wants to remain a source of attraction for the world, it must preserve the “precious pluralism like a civilizational asset”

“It is not so good when women are assaulted on the streets of Delhi. It is not good when some people begin to fear that it is safer to be a cow than to be a Muslim in India today,” Tharoor said.

He also told the Indian students that one of his investor friends decided against investing in India because of acts of intolerance in the country.

Responding to a question, Tharoor said the Congress party has a “deep bench of talent”.
“Political parties live by electoral success. We have taken quite a beating in the last couple of years. Fortunes always change in politics. It (Congress) is certainly not as has been caricatured as the most corrupt party of India,” he said.

The Congress party happened to be in power when a number of corruption scandals took place, Tharoor said.

“Whoever had been in power would have been tarnished in the same way that happened to us,” he said.

(PTI)

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