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Hardik Patel is Gujarat hero, says Shiv Sena

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hardik-patel

Mumbai: The mass appeal of Hardik Patel in Gujarat “does not augur well for the BJP”, the Shiv Sena said on Friday, calling him “a hero” who had punctured claims that Gujarat was a peaceful state.

“Until now, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi was considered the only political ‘neta’ who could pull crowds,” a hard-hitting editorial in the party’s mouthpiece “Saamana” said.

“Now, Hardik Patel has become the ‘king of crowds’ which does not augur well for the BJP,” the Sena said, referring to the Patel community leader who has taken on the Gujarat government over job reservations.

“Hardik Patel is a hero of Gujarat… His rallies attract four-five lakh people… With his super-mammoth rally in Ahmedabad last Tuesday, he has thrown the gauntlet at the state government,” the Sena said.

Until now, Modi used the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, now this had been usurped by Hardik Patel, it said sarcastically.

“The state government committed the misadventure of detaining Hardik Patel after Tuesday’s rally and it paid for the blunder… Violence erupted all over the state, even ministers had to bear the brunt of Patidars’ ire,” the Sena said.

Now, Hardik Patel has threatened that if the Patidars were also not given job reservations, “then the lotus (BJP party symbol) will not bloom in 2017”.

“The manner in which the Gujarat youths have responded has created waves in Gujarat political circles,” the editorial said.

It thumbed a nose at Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who had invited Maharashtra businesses to her state, saying Gujarat was “peaceful, stable and well-administered”.

“Now, what?” the Sena asked. “A person who has yet to grow a moustache has proved her claims as bogus… and revealed the true face of Gujarat,” it said about the young Hardik Patel.

The Shiv Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the centre and in Maharashtra, urged Gujarat politicians to refrain from stoking political fires in the state “as it would be sheer stupidity”.

But the Sena questioned the legitimacy of the Patidars’ demands for inclusion in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, saying the Patels enjoyed the same social-political status in Gujarat as ‘Marathas’ in Maharashtra.

The Patels were in the forefront in various sectors like diamonds, realty and big business and also formed a huge chunk of the Gujarat NRIs, trading and commerce, it said.

“They are leading in politics with Chief Minister Anandiben Patel hailing from the community; earlier, Chimanbhai Patel, Keshubhai Patel and Babubhai Patel ruled the state…

“Yet the community wants to become ‘backward’ and takes to the streets.”

The ‘Marathas’ were also powerful similarly in Maharashtra and making various demands but they never resorted to violence or rioting which can’t be condoned at any cost, the Sena said.

(IANS)

Sheena murder: Sanjeev Khanna confesses, Mikhail submits evidence

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Indrani Mukerjea’s former husband Sanjeev Khanna (in mask) in police custody. Photo: IE

Indrani Mukerjea’s former husband Sanjeev Khanna (in mask) in police custody. Photo: IE

Mumbai: As investigators waddled through an intriguing web of lies and deceit in the Sheena Bora murder case, Mumbai Police on Friday took Sanjeev Khanna, a prime accused and former husband of co-accused Indrani Mukherjea, to the spot where the young woman was killed three years ago. Khanna later cracked and confessed to his role in the crime.

Police, acting on a court order, permitted Indrani to meet her lawyers while in custody, and officers again questioned former media baron Peter Mukherjea — Indrani’s husband — and the victim’s brother Mikhail, who, after flying into Mumbai from Guwahati, vowed to get justice for his murdered sister.

The probe picked up pace when Khanna, nabbed in Kolkata, was brought here and sent to police custody till August 31.

In a major breakthrough in the murder case, Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told media persons late on Friday that Khanna has cracked and confessed to his role in the crime.

“(Indrani’s son) Mikhail Bora has submitted some evidence to us. We are in the process of verifying it,” Maria added.

Indrani was arrested on August 25 on charges of killing Sheena on April 24, 2012 along with her driver Shyam Rai and Khanna. She as well as Khanna have denied the charge.

Public Prosecutor Laxman Rathod said police needed to know how Sheena was killed, the vehicle in which she was allegedly murdered before her body was burnt and dumped in the forests near Pen in Raigad district, adjacent to Mumbai.

Seeking custodial interrogation, Rathod said police wanted to take the accused to where Indrani, her driver Shyam Rai and Khanna allegedly poured petrol on Sheena’s body and set it on fire. They also needed to know if more people were involved in the killing.

Khanna has been charged with murder, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, destroying evidence and more. His mobile phone, laptop and passport have been seized but he has denied the police charges.

Rathod told the media that Khanna played “an active role in the case along with the other two accused”.

According to police, the macabre deed was allegedly executed by Indrani with help from Khanna and driver Rai.

Police are also browsing the details of incriminating telephone call records of Khanna and Indrani, email exchanges, birth certificates, school records and other documents that have emerged during the investigation.

Rakesh Maria is personally conducting the interrogation of various players including Indrani, Khanna, Rai, Peter Mukherjea, his son Rahul, who admits to having had a relationship with Sheena, and Mikhail for the past three days.

Late on Thursday night, Maria said investigators have a fair idea of the motives behind Sheena’s killing.

After interrogation, Maria confirmed that Sheena was indeed the daughter of Indrani, contrary to earlier perceptions that they were siblings.

On Friday afternoon, Khanna was taken to the crime scene near Pen in Raigad district, around 95 km south of Mumbai, to recreate the crime scene.

Maria said skeletal remains of Sheena were recovered from the murder scene and they were being sent for forensic and DNA tests.

Mikhail, who arrived here from Guwahati on Friday, provided certain evidence pertaining to his sister’s killing which was now being verified.

During the investigation, it also came to light that Indrani’s claim of Sheena “studying in the US” was false.

Police have also recovered Sheena’s passport from Dehradun.

Meanwhile, the Sir J.J. Hospital handed over to police the bones, nails and other evidences of Sheena which was deposited by Raigad police after her body was found three years back.

Suggesting a pre-planned conspiracy, police have said Indrani had recceed Pen area with her driver to pick the exact spot to dispose of her body a day before the actual killing.

Mikhail Bora has said he knows the real reason his sister was murdered and that he will reveal it all at the appropriate time.

There are still more angles that need probing, including who was the unknown caller who tipped off Mumbai Police some time ago about the Sheena murder.

Then, there is the mystery of why, after Sheena’s death, letters on her behalf were sent to Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd. – where she worked – and her landlord.

(IANS)

WTO ruling against India’s solar push threatens climate, clean energy

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“The U.S. should be applauding India’s efforts to scale up solar energy—not turning to the WTO to strike the program down.”

India's ambitious solar program was rebuked by the WTO in a decision that climate advocates say shows the potential damage of deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Photo: Knut-Erik Helle/flickr/cc)

India’s ambitious solar program was rebuked by the WTO in a decision that climate advocates say shows the potential damage of deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Photo: Knut-Erik Helle/flickr/cc)

by Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday ruled against India over its national solar energy program in a case brought by the U.S. government, sparking outrage from labor and environmental advocates.

As power demands grow in India, the country’s government put forth a plan to create 100,000 megawatts of energy from solar cells and modules, and included incentives to domestic manufacturers to use locally-developed equipment.

According to Indian news outlets, the WTO ruled that India had discriminated against American manufacturers by providing such incentives, which violates global trade rules, and struck down those policies—siding with the U.S. government in a case that the Sierra Club said demonstrates the environmentally and economically destructive power of pro-corporate deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

“Today, we have more evidence of how free trade rules threaten the clean energy economy and undermine action to tackle the climate crisis,” Ilana Solomon, director of the Sierra Club’s Responsible Trade Program, said on Thursday. “The U.S. should be applauding India’s efforts to scale up solar energy—not turning to the WTO to strike the program down.”

According to Indian media outlet Livemint, the U.S. government

has resorted to similar measures, specifying local content requirements and offering a range of subsidies for promoting its renewable energy sector at the federal, state, regional and local levels.

India spoke repeatedly against the US at WTO’s committee on subsidies and countervailing measures, stating that American subsidy schemes relating to local or domestic content requirements for its solar companies are inconsistent with its global trade obligations.

In addition, Livemint reports, the ruling “goes against the spirit of an agreement signed early this year…. [in which] the two sides agreed to promote clean energy and expand solar energy initiatives.”

Regardless, Solomon said, the WTO “needs to get out of the business of hampering climate action in countries around the globe. The outdated trade rules on the books now and under negotiation in trade pacts including the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership encourage trade in fossil fuels and discourage countries from developing local clean energy capacity.”

“These rules simply do not reflect the urgency of solving the climate crisis and stand in the way of clean energy growth,” Solomon said.

The Indian government will appeal the decision to the WTO’s highest court, the appellate body. It is the second time that the WTO has ruled against India in a case with the U.S., which first brought legal action against the country’s food security program in 2014.

The WTO ruled on that case in June, when it decided that the Indian ban on certain foods from the U.S. was “inconsistent with the global norms.”

Proposal to make Hampi, Machu Picchu sister heritage sites

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Hampi

Bengaluru: An initiative taken by Karnataka’s Tourism Department might soon witness the iconic ruins of Hampi in Ballari and Machu Picchu in Peru become sister heritage sites.

The dream might come true if the submitted proposal was accepted.

The plan has been taken up by Tourism Minister RV Deshpande. He recently led a delegation to the South American nation which included a free entry at Hampi for those tourists who had visited Machu Picchu.

Deshpande said that the proposal was made after reviewing the similarities between the two sites. These historical sites have the Unesco heritage tag, they were built around the 14th-15th century, also both were famous for their Sun temples.

“Peru’s tourism minister has assured that he would discuss the plan with the President of Peru. The regional administration of Cuzco, where Machu Picchu is located has also agreed to display facts about Hampi on its website,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee said that the ticket for Machu Picchu would contain a counterfoil for Hampi. Tourists have to return the counterfoil and enter Hampi within two years, he said.

He noted that it was the first time that a proposal was made to merge two heritage sites instead of cities.

(Agencies)

Two more die for special status to Andhra Pradesh

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special status Andhra

Hyderabad: The issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh continues to claim lives with one person committing suicide and another dying of a heart attack on Friday.

A day after a man hanged himself in Nellore district, a youth ended his life in Krishna district. Uday Bhanu (40) was found hanging in his house in Gudivada town of Krishna district.

Uday Bhanu, a kirana shop owner, left behind a suicide note in which he called upon students to fight for special status. “Get AP free. Dead or alive,” he wrote.

Unhappy over the delay on the part of the Centre in granting special status to Andhra, he discussed the issue with his friend before returning home and resorting to the extreme step, family members said.

In another incident, a man, who was dejected over the delay in the state getting special status, died of a heart attack. Lokes Rao (32) died at his home in Guduru in Kurnool district.

A contract lecturer in a private college, Rao had participated in a protest organised by a non-political organisation on Thursday.

According to family members, Rao discussed the issue with them last night and explained how the special status would help the unemployed.

Earlier, Ramishetti Lakshmaiah (55) committed suicide in Nellore district on the same issue on Thursday.

YSR Congress party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday visited Lakshmaiah’s house and consoled the family.

Talking to reporters, the leader of opposition said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu failed to convince the Centre to immediately accord special status.

He said though four people lost their lives, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was doing nothing to pressurise the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, in which the TDP is an alliance partner.

A Congress worker had immolated self in Tirupati on August 8 during a rally organised by the party to demand that the Centre immediately accord special status to Andhra.

Naidu called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in New Delhi to seek special status for the revenue-deficit state.

(IANS)

Sheena Bora was strangled to death by Indrani’s ex-husband: Reports

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sheena-bora

Mumbai: Indrani Mukerjea’s driver, an accused in Sheena Bora’s murder, has revealed to the Mumbai Police that the victim was strangled to death by her mother’s ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna.

The driver told the investigating officers that Sheena Bora was first forcibly sedated and then strangled to death in the car by Indrani Mukerjea’s ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, as per a report in NDTV.

After this revelation, the Mumbai police will be interrogating Sanjeev Khanna today.

Khanna, who was arrested in Kolkata by the Mumbai Police in connection to Sheena’ murder, had stated that he was sleeping in the car when the victim was murdered.

After murdering Sheena Bora, the murderers had dumped her body about 85 kilometers from Mumbai. Sheena’s face was smashed and her body was burned.

Sheena was in a relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, TV tycoon Peter Mukerjea’s son from his first marriage.

Sheena’s mother Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea’s second wife, was against her daughter’s affair with her step-son.

(Agencies)

The state of the right to life in India

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The right to life of at least 130,407 persons or 1,086 persons per month violated in India during 2004-2005 and 2013-2014

chittoor-killing

New Delhi: Releasing the report, The State of the Right to Life in India, the first ever study on the subject, Asian Centre for Human Rights today stated, “The right to life is perhaps the most violated right in India. In the last 10 years from 2004-2005 to 2013-2014, as per official records the right to life of at least 130,407 persons or 1,086 persons per month were violated either by the State agencies or caused by the failure of the State agencies to fulfill their responsibilities to prevent violations by the non-State actors. The majority of the victims are women (80,947) followed by victims of custodial deaths (16,465), encounter deaths (10,900), deaths in police firing (2,527), deaths of 10,219 civilians in militancy/Naxal related violence, deaths in caste related violence (8,138) and deaths in communal violence (1,211).

From 2004-2005 to 2013-2014, this report counts 16,465 cases of custodial death (with 1,389 deaths in police custody, 15,076 deaths in judicial custody and 23 cases of death in the custody of the army and the central paramilitary forces); 10,900 deaths in “encounters” (1,654 deaths involving police and 9,246 deaths involving the armed forces and para-military forces, of which 4,005 in Jammu and Kashmir, 3,650 in the North East and 1,591 in the Naxal affected areas); and 2,527 deaths in police firing.

The State’s failure to safeguard the right to life of individual citizens, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups, during the same period also resulted in the death of 80,947 women (79,404 dowry killings and 1,543 killings of those suspected of witchcraft); 10,219 civilians in militancy/Naxal related violence; 8,138 (1,646 Scheduled Tribes and 6,492 Scheduled Castes) in identity-related violence; and 1,211 persons in communal violence.

The report states that though the Supreme Court of India has gradually expanded elements of the right to life, it has not been immune from its role to diminish the right to life. The report criticized the Supreme Court for arbitrary imposition of death penalty and stated that the Guidelines to deal with encounter killings which among others barred mandatory registration of FIRs in encounter deaths issued by the Supreme Court on 23 September 2014 in the case of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties & Anr v. State of Maharashtra & Ors are fallacious. The guidelines limited the powers of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) both on reporting of encounter killings by the police and in awarding compensation and has direct bearing on pending case of A.P. Police Officers Association v. A. P .Civil Liberties Committee & Ors [SLP(C) NO. 5933/2009].

The fallacious nature of the Supreme Court judgement in the PUCL case stands exposed from the direction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on 16 April 2015 to register FIR against the members of the Special Task Force for murder of 20 labourers dubbed as smugglers in a forest in Chittoor district on 7 April 2015.

The report stated that impunity is the root cause for violations of the right to life. In the highly unusual situation that an independent and timely investigation is secured and a chargesheet filed against State security force personnel, prosecution is virtually impossible to pursue since Section 6 of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) stipulate that prior permission must be sought from the government. There are well-known cases in which prosecution has stopped for want of permission from the government to prosecute the accused.

“Unless impunity is addressed, the violations of the right to life cannot be effectively reduced” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.

Wipro launches ‘Wipro earthian’: A one of its kind Sustainability Education Program

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wipro-earthian

Bengaluru: Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, announced the launch of the fifth edition of ‘Wipro earthian’, a nationwide sustainability education program for schools and colleges.

This program provides an interconnected understanding of different disciplines in education related to ecological and social sustainability. It aims at long term education and learning that will help educators, students and educational institutions make more informed choices about their lives and society.

Over the last five years, Wipro reached out to more than 100,000 students from over 50,000 institutions across the country for this program. The program has consistently elicited encouraging responses from institutions and students as evidenced by the thousands of project submissions over the years. Each year, 10 schools and 10 colleges are shortlisted for the awards.

In the 2014 edition, Wipro reached out to around 10,000 students and received close to 600 submissions. The winning institutions were welcomed into the Wipro earthian community and awarded a trophy and cash prizes.

Wipro’s earthian provides a broad platform for interaction, followed by a more intense and continuing engagement program (CEP) for the winning teams. The program includes activities aimed at building skills, appreciating new attitudes and values to help shape a sustainable future. Wipro’s objective with CEP is to engage with these teams over a long period of time and help integrate sustainability education in a holistic way.

Some of the leading institutes in the country like Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NIT-Trichy), Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK), Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (ICT Mumbai) have been regularly participating in this program. “The first part of solving a problem is to identify that there is a problem. What I really like about earthian is that it is trying to recognise that there is a problem,” said Sushant Bangru, student from IISc, Bangalore, one of the winning teams of Wipro earthian 2014.

Anurag Behar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wipro Limited said, “This is a special year for Wipro earthian as we reflect on our five year journey. It has been an enriching experience where all of us, institutions, faculty and students have learnt together. Our vision and hope is to make Wipro earthian a unique platform that fosters understanding of how sustainability in education can be a powerful influence on our thoughts and actions.”

As an extension to the main Wipro earthian 2015 program, the company also introduced a new program, ‘Wipro earthian Foundations’ to introduce students in the age group of 9-13 years to the culture of sustainability. As part of this program, these students were invited to write and share stories about their experiences with nature. The two best stories in English and Hindi will be published with a foreword by noted author Ruskin Bond and actor Aamir Khan, respectively.

For more details on the program and for registration please visit: http://www.wipro.org/earthian/

Indrani Mukherjea’s son fears he is the ‘next target’

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mikhail-bora

Guwahati: The son of Indrani Mukherjea, main accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, today said he feared for his life and could be the “next target” even as investigators were working to unravel the complexities in the case.

“I fear I’ll be the next target and, if the police summon me to Mumbai, I want my friends to accompany me as the Mukherjeas are very high-profile and anything can happen to me,” Mikhail Bora told reporters outside his grandparents’ house here.

He said the police had not contacted him so far, but if they did, he would cooperate with them in every possible way.

“The police have not contacted me so far but if they come to our house here, I’ll cooperate with them in every possible way to bring out the truth about my sister’s murder,” Bora said even as he hinted that a property angle may also be there in the case.

“If the police come today, I will give evidence to them right away… because she was my elder sister and I want justice for her,” he further said.

As investigators dug deeper into the murder case, a complex web of lies and relationships unravelled and it emerged that the deceased was Indrani’s daughter and not sister, as maintained earlier by her.

Intriguing claims also came to light that Indrani, 43, had introduced her daughter and son — from an earlier marriage to one Siddharth Das — as her sister and brother. After a missing complaint was lodged, Indrani claimed that Sheena had gone to the US for higher studies.

Mikhail also maintained that his mother had wanted him to give her his PAN card and bank details the last time she had come to Guwahati, but he had flatly refused to do so.
He said that he had tried to contact Sheena through his Facebook account but there was no reply. He had also found her mobile phone switched off.

“I asked my mother (Indrani) again and again (about Sheena) every time she called me. She said she (Sheena) was fine and that she was in the US,” Mikhail said.

He, meanwhile, said it would be difficult for him to go to Mumbai to help with the probe into his sister’s murder.

“It will not be possible for me to go to Mumbai for the investigation as I have to take care of my maternal grandparents who are both in their eighties and suffering from dementia,” he said.

He, however, said he could make the journey only if the police or government assured that they would take care of his grandparents, who he said were yet to be told about Sheena’s murder.

Indrani had left Sheena and Mikhail with her parents UK Bora and Durga Rani at their residence here before leaving for Kolkata, where she married Sanjiv Khanna, who has also been arrested for his alleged involvement in the case.

Mikhail had yesterday alleged that he knew the exact reason behind the murder, but would wait till Indrani made a confession to the police before saying anything.

If his mother did not confess, then he would do whatever was necessary, he had said.

(Agencies)

Sanjay Dutt gets fresh parole, this time for daughter’s surgery

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sanjay_dutt

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who is currently serving a five-year term at Pune’s Yerawada Central Jail, has been granted a 30-day parole for tending to his daughter, who is to undergo nose surgery, official sources said here on Wednesday.

He had applied for the parole in June citing his daughter’s medical condition, which has been granted two days ago by the Pune Divisional Commissioner.

Aftre completing various formalities, including posting a surety bond, Dutt is likely to walk out of jail either later on Wednesday or Thursday and return to his Bandra home.

The 30-day parole is extendable by another 60 days.

Since he reported to the Yerawada Central Jail in May 2013, theMunna Bhai M.B.B.S. actor, who was convicted for illegal possession of arms in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, has been out on parole for around four months.

Prior to this, in October 2013, Dutt had been released on medical furlough for 28 days, followed by another 28 days in December 2013 to tend to his ailing wife Manyata, 14 days parole in December 2014 and another 60 days from January 2014.

This had sparked off protests among various sections with allegations of preferential treatment meted out to him owing to his star status.

The Khalnayak star, who has given hits like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Vaastav: The Reality and Saajan, is currently serving the remaining 42 months of his five-year jail term.

(Agencies)

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