Top Stories

States will raise 50,000-strong
police force to fight militants

What is India News Service, Monday, 11 October 2004, 1900 hrs IST

A 50,000 strong police force will be raised within two years at the Centre\92s initiative to deal with militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East.

The Centre has asked Jammu and Kashmir, north-eastern states and Naxalism-affected states to raise over 50 battalions of \93India Reserve\94 to counter insurgency and acts of terror, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.

\93The force will be under the command of the state police and will be deployed wherever necessary,\94 he said.

Patil, who recently held a meeting to assess the internal security scenario in these regions, said the states had been asked to raise these battalions within two years. The Centre would give a grant of Rs 13 crore for each battalion, he said.

The idea was two-pronged: on one hand, the force would supplement the efforts of other security agencies to check acts of violence and on the other it would help in addressing the problem on unemployment among the youth of these states, he said.

ISI behind N-E blasts, says Pranab: India today reiterated that Pakistan\92s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was \93behind\94 the serial blasts in the North-East and said it had asked Bangladesh and Myanmar to take action against militants holed up in those countries.

Flash flood toll rises to 52: Unprecedented flash floods in lower Assam's Goalpara district have claimed 52 lives and rendered over 1,85,000 people of 172 villages homeless.

Interim administrator to run cricket board: The Chennai High Court today restrained the newly elected president and his office-bearers from functioning.

Eco-battle over critical Krishna reservoir: \93In the past, the government had given a commitment before the high court that it would implement the project only after obtaining the necessary environmental clearances. Now that the government is going ahead with the work, it amounts to contempt of court,\94 says noted environmentalist K Purushotham Reddy.

Locked doors greet Justice Mohan: On what was supposed to be a fact-finding first day, everything went wrong for the Madras High Court-appointed BCCI Interim Administrator, Justice S. Mohan, a former Supreme Court judge.

Moonlit Taj viewing will have to wait till 2005: The UP Government may have received permission to open the Taj Mahal at night in November, but this Sharad Poornima, when the moon will tour over it at its brightest best, the monument will stand alone under the bayonets of the paramilitary forces.

Captain among four killed in J&K blast: Four persons, including two Army personnel, were killed, and 30 others, including 15 security personnel and 15 civilians, were injured in an explosion on the Srinagar-Baramula highway. 

'No invitation to Varun to join Congress': There is no truth in press reports that Varun Gandhi, the young first cousin of Rahul and Priyanka Vadra, has been invited to join the Congress, according to highly-placed party sources.

The alternative Nobel men: For the first time this year, two Indians from India have been awarded the honorary 2003 Right Livelihood Awards, also known as the Alternative Nobel.

'France misled India on turban issue': The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, which has decided to move the European Court of Human Rights against the French law banning wearing of turban by Sikhs in government institutions, today accused Paris of having mislead the Indian Government on the issue.
 
 
States

Congress retains Arunachal: The Congress looked set to retain power in Arunachal Pradesh, winning 25 of the 46 seats the results for which were declared. Main challenger BJP was way behind in the race.

Thackeray blasts Sonia, Pawar: Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray said that there was no need for Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a "white-skinned woman," to teach Indians patriotism.

Shooting for Jackie Chan movie stalled: The film unit of The Myth, starring Hollywood star Jackie Chan and the Hindi actress Mallika Sheravat had to abruptly "pack up" following objections raised by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums.

Charges framed against Punjab CM: A local court admitted charges against Capt Amarinder Singh in a defamation case filed by the General Secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Sukhbir Badal.

Karnataka promises to address concerns of IT firms: Stung by several information technology companies deciding to boycott Bangalore IT.com, the government responded on Saturday by assuring them their concerns would be addressed immediately.

HVP may merge with Congress: Disappointed with state BJP leaders, Haryana Vikas Party chief Bansi Lal has decided to go back to the Congress. 


Neighbours

Dhaka protests 'BSF action': An embankment cut across the Sonai river in the Satkhira district of Bangladesh, allegedly by the Border Security Force, has triggered flash floods in the villages adjoining West Bengal.

Afghanistan goes to the polls: Afghanistan's first-ever direct Presidential election began Saturday, with people across this ethnically diverse land casting the first ballots in an improbable experiment with democracy. 

Chinese engineers abducted in Pakistan: Two Chinese engineers working at a Pakistan hydroelectric project close to a tribal region bordering Afghanistan have been kidnapped.

Bomber attacks mosque, five dead: A suicide bomber killed four people as he shot his way into a Shi'ite Muslim mosque and blew himself up in Lahore on Sunday, emergency workers said.

24 Taliban killed in Afghanistan: At least 24 suspected Taliban militants were killed on Saturday in an aircraft raid carried out by the US-led coalition, the provincial governor said.

Pakistan justifies fight against terror: Pakistan said it had waged a war on terrorism in the "supreme national interest" and not to appease the West.
 
View from abroad 

UNSC denounces acts of terror in Pakistan: The UN Security Council strongly condemned on Friday the string of attacks this week in Pakistan and Egypt as well as the beheading of a British civilian in Baghdad.



Overall:

Centre said it would initiate police recruitments: States affected by militancy will hire 50,000 over two years.