Veerappan, the strategist

Veerappan, the strategist

By G. Satyamurty

COIMBATORE, OCT. 19. Even some top police officials had conceded that Veerappan was a brilliant strategist.

"He is a worthy foe," W.I. Dawaram, then Commandant of the Special Task Force (STF), had said after the Palar landmine blast in April 1993. That blast killed 22 persons, including seven police personnel. "Veerappan is a tricky customer who is not only ruthless but also cunning: he is able to read the minds of opponents very well," Mr. Dawaram said.

Despite intensive operations to catch him dead or alive over almost one and a half decades, he had never been even surrounded convincingly — until last night.

According to police sources, he was sighted only once. That was by a team led by Sanjay Arora, Superintendent of Police, STF — that too from a hill top. Before the STF could reach the spot, he had vanished. At one point, he is known to have murdered his infant daughter for fear that the child's screams could reveal his whereabouts.

Intensive combing operations did weaken but did not paralyse him. And he could frequently outwit the police thanks to intelligence gathered from tribal people. Many of them were loyal to him either because of favours received or out of fear.

Surprise was his weapon. He had as his playground jungle terrain extending to almost 14,000 sq km in the Eastern Ghats (from Chinnampathy in Coimbatore district to Anchetty in Dharmapuri district apart from a substantial forest area in Karnataka), which he knew as he did the palm of his hand.

Take, for instance, the ambush of three Sub-Inspectors and a constable of the Karnataka Police who were returning from a bath at the Hogenekkal Falls in April 1990. Or the shooting of five constables at the Rampura police station in May 1992. Or the ambush of six Karnataka Police personnel, including the Mysore SP, Harikrishna, in August 1992, or the landmine blasts near Palar the following year. He used the surprise element to devastating effect.

Mr. Dawaram considered him to be a "devious coward." "He rarely had the courage to engage us directly," the former Director-General of Police, Tamil Nadu, said. Of course, he was very good in guerilla tactics, using the "hit and run" strategy. The jurisdictional grey areas of the police helped him. He never had a direct confrontation with the police but saw to it that whenever possible they were ruthlessly eliminated using the weapons available and his expertise in deploying them.

While he shot dead Harikrishna and his Sub-Inspector, Shakeel Mohammed, at point-blank range on the ghat road leading to Rampura, he ensured that the personnel who were accompanying them could not come to their rescue. This he did by spraying bullets from a lofty vantage point.

Similarly, the landmines that he had laid in Palar for the team led by K. Gopalakrishan, SP, STF, were so powerful that 22 personnel were ripped apart on the spot.

Quite a few including the SP were injured too. A second police vehicle in which M. Ashok Kumar, an Inspector, was heading a team was late to enter the mine field by a fraction of a minute.

This enabled it to strike back. Otherwise, there would have been a massacre, claiming at least 70 lives including of some 40 police personnel.

Ultimately, it is the painstaking and meticulous strategy of the STF that sealed his fate.

Veerappan: Anatomy of a life of crime

Anatomy of a life of crime

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

DHARMAPURI, OCT.19. Veerappan, who was born at Gopinatham in Kollegal taluk of Karnataka, took to a life of petty crime such as poaching and tree felling at the age of 12. Soon enough, the lure of money made him a full-fledged criminal. He took to murder and abduction shortly thereafter.

Veerappan started off life in the major crime league by plundering forest wealth, joining hands with Xavi Gowde. The focus was primarily on elephant tusks, which fetched big money and led the bandit to felling elephants ruthlessly.

The growing demand for sandalwood soon led him to sandalwood smuggling at the age of 18. In his bid to overcome official resistance and to silence law enforcers, Veerappan targeted forest officials and police officials who stood in his way. His list of enemies grew.

Veerappan's first escape from the law came in 1965, after forest officials arrested him for killing an elephant. In due course, he formed his own gang, posing a challenge to both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The murder of a number of forest personnel during three successive years from 1984 turned the attention of the media as well as the State Governments on him.

Escaped from police net

On a visit to Bangalore in December 1986 during the SAARC summit, he was arrested by the police. But once again he escaped. The subsequent murder of forest ranger, Chidambaram, near Erode, drew nationwide attention.

The killing of five persons from his native village in 1989, the abduction and release of five forest personnel in June 89 and the killing of a forest guard in August `89 meant that he was not out of the limelight for long.

These incidents brought home the need for an organised and sustained effort to contain, if not arrest a growing criminal force. Consequently, a special wing of the police came into existence in 1989, both in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, charged with the mission of apprehending Veerappan.

Task force set up

The high-profile murders of the Karnataka Deputy Conservator of Forests, Srinivasan, in 1991, the Karnataka Superintendent of Police, Harikrishnan, in 1992 and sub-inspector, Shakeel Ahmad, in 1992, which put Veerappan on the front pages of the newspapers, led to the setting up of the Special Task Force.

The Special Task Force formally came into existence in 1993 after a landmine attack on the Superintendent of Police, Gopalakrishnan, and his team at Palar near Mettur during a combing operation.

Such became his notoriety that a battalion of the Border Security Force was requisitioned in 1993 to conduct operations against him. Veerappan while carrying out his criminal operations kept insisting on pardon and general amnesty, which none of the Governments could promise. The beheading of hapless villagers suspected of being informants made Veerappan a dreaded name in the Western Ghats.

His forest offences since 1978 included the killing of nearly 2,000 elephants for their tusks.

Veerappan is estimated to have killed 77 civilians at Gethesal, Thalavady, Hasanoor, Arepalayam, Pulinjur and nearby hamlets, nine police personnel from Tamil Nadu, one from the BSF and 24 police personnel from Karnataka. Karnataka lost 24 civilians and four forest personnel while the Tamil Nadu Forest department lost a range officer.

106 cases

There are 106 cases against him in Tamil Nadu, and 70 in Karnataka. His acquaintance with Tamil extremist movements such as the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) and Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops opened up new avenues to pursue his thirst for money, resorting to several abductions. Notable among them were the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chidambaranathan, in 1994, the Karnataka matinee idol, Rajkumar in 2000, and the former Karnataka Agriculture Minister, H. Nagappa.

Veerappan: Beera of Ravan movie: robin hood for the poor

Veerappan as `Robin Hood'

By Suresh Nambath

P. Nedumaran, `Nakkheeran' Gopal, Rajkumar, Kalyani, Sukumaran, Veerappan and Sethukuzhi Govindan (partially seen) at the brigand's hideout during a failed mission to seek the release of the Kannada actor.

CHENNAI, OCT. 19. Although he started off as a petty criminal, in later years, under the limelight, Veerappan saw himself as Robin Hood. In this he was helped along by two organisations: the Tamil National Retrieval Troops (TNRT) and the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA). Both of them are now banned.

The TNRT was but a front for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Tamil Nadu. The TNLA was a naxalite outfit with links to People's War. Leaders of both were on the run, and they found the jungle, in the company of Veerappan, a safe hideout. While kidnapping for ransom was the brigand's only motive, the links with the TNRT and the TNLA provided him with an ideological camouflage.

Political demands

Thus it was that after kidnapping the Kannada film star, Rajkumar, Veerappan, along with the TNRT and the TNLA, raised a host of political demands. These included justice for Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery issue, making Tamil the medium of instruction and measures to uplift the poor. Another demand was the freeing of Tamil extremists in prison.

In contrast to the demands aimed at self-aggrandisement that marked his early phase, Veerappan was now talking of Che Guevara and of changing the world. But, charges of money changing hands hung over the negotiations.

One of the people responsible for allying Veerappan with the Tamil extremists was T.S. Mani, an LTTE supporter, who, like the brigand, hails from Kolathur in Tamil Nadu. Mr. Mani, who was sympathetic to the TNRT cause, and who knew Veerappan from his days as a small-time poacher, was instrumental in the appointment of another pro-LTTE leader, P. Nedumaran of the Tamil Nationalist Movement, as the emissary to negotiate the release of Rajkumar. Other pro-LTTE elements in Karnataka also visited Veerappan during this period.

However, after the release of Rajkumar, when the Governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka revived the Special Task Force operations against Veerappan, the Tamil extremists moved out of the forest. The police later apprehended many of them.

Once he came under pressure from the STF, Veerappan preferred to move in a small group.

Monetary help

The Robin Hood image that some of the villagers had of Veerappan was largely on account of the monetary help he gave them in return for food stuff. As his contacts with the outside world increased, so did his interaction with the villagers. The atrocities committed by some of the STF personnel, seeking to extract information from the villagers, cast Veerappan in a good light by default.

How Veerappan was murdered by STF

10 months of planning, 45 minutes for action

By V.S. Palaniappan

DHARMAPURI, OCT. 19. While `Operation Cocoon' took at least 10 months of planning and three weeks of rigorous and meticulous preparation, its execution lasted hardly 45 minutes, the Additional Director-General of Police, K. Vijay Kumar, said today.

The Superintendent of Police, STF, N.K. Senthamaraikannan, handled the intelligence component of the plan, while logistics were taken care of by the Superintendents of Police, K. Shanmugavelu and P. Chinnasamy. The Karnataka STF team also worked on a similar strategy.

Four STF men were sent to the fringe villages and settled in without giving rise to any suspicion. Later, they mingled with the criminal gang, won their confidence and provided a treasure trove of information to the intelligence wing. STF men also posed as taxi and car drivers, bus conductors, hawkers and even as `maistris' to keep tabs on the gang.

Infiltration

Some men also infiltrated into prisons in the State and the STF was rewarded with vital clues and leads. The Karnataka STF provided inputs from the Kollegal, Mysore and Bangalore prisons.

The gang was plagued by many problems such as difference of opinion between Veerappan and Sethukuzhi Govindan, the wavering minds of Chandre Gowde and Sethumani and a shortage of men and material. The brigand was also in need of medical assistance, Mr. Kumar said.

After learning that Veerappan was trying to establish contact with some persons in the South Arcot and Perambalur districts, the STF lured him into its trap. His decision to move from the dense forests made the job easier.

Trap laid

On getting a tip-off that the gang was likely to move out of the jungles either on Monday or Wednesday, a trap was laid on Monday. A police van was re-designed like an ambulance to convince the brigand that medical aid was in the offing. An STF man, Saravanan, posed as hospital staff and drove the ambulance while his colleague, Kumaresan, mingled with the gang and provided vital information on their movements.

The hit teams were led by the Deputy Superintendents of Police, N. Thirunavukkarasu and Hussain, and the core teams by the Inspectors, Rajarajan and Mohan Nawaz, and Sub-Inspector Prasanna.

As the ambulance was proceeding towards Dharmapuri, a lorry with built-in bunkers was positioned on the roadside in a vantage position. STF men with assault rifles also took positions atop a nearby school under the cover of darkness. The van was intercepted at 10.45 p.m. and the brigand was asked to surrender. Veerappan and his gang opened fire and did not respond even to the second warning. "The STF then opened fire in defence," Mr. Kumar said.

The bullets of the STF team riddled the van, killing Veerappan on the spot. Sethukuzhi Govindan, Chandre Gowde and Sethumani died on way to the Dharmapuri Government Hospital. To a query if any accomplice of Veerappan had escaped, Mr. Kumar replied in the negative.

After the operation got over, the ADGP took some time off to visit the Bannari Amman temple to fulfil his vow. He sported a tonsured head at the press conference.

Climax of ravan: Veerappan story

The strategy worked flawlessly

By G. Satyamurty and V.S. Palaniappan

Photo: K. Ananthan 

The sub-inspector Velladurai (left), and the STF driver, Saravanan, who drove the ambulance for the gangsters.

SATHYAMANGALAM, OCT 20. "Either we capture the enemy or we get killed: these were the options available to us when we were sent on the Operation Cocoon," said Saravanan, who drove the ambulance that took Veerappan and his gangsters to the site of the encounter at Papparapatti in Dharmapuri district late on Monday night.

Speaking to reporters at the Sathyamangalam Special Task Force camp, Mr. Saravanan said, "We were fully aware of the risk but were confident of accomplishing the mission". Sub-Inspector Velladurai (who shot to fame in the Ayodhyakuppam Veeramani encounter at Chennai) was chosen to infiltrate the gang. He won its confidence posing as an armed revolutionary activist associated with groups in Sri Lanka. After assuring them medical aid and safe passage from the Yemanur and Pennagaram jungles, which are under tight STF vigil, he persuaded the gang to exit the forests in an ambulance.

Timing and location

A police vehicle was redesigned to look like an ambulance. This involved fabricating a compartment separating the driver's cabin from the rear side, that hid the four-member gang. The sub-inspector sat in the front seat along with the driver, Saravanan.

The vehicle proceeded towards the encounter site where the STF teams --- codenamed Angel, Rocky and Cobra, had taken up position after ensuring that the last bus on the route crossed the point. The teams had to wait for the night show at a nearby cinema either to end or act well ahead of it, to ensure that civilians were not hurt or killed in crossfire. The ideal window for the operation was put at between 10.50 p.m. and 11.30 p.m.

A desolate stretch was chosen for the ambush. The teams then took position inside a bunker created atop a lorry (one of the three commandeered for the purpose). The strategy was to position them for a strike from a reasonable height — a strategy used by Veerappan to ambush STF men and forest personnel. More policemen, armed with assault rifles, took positions atop a nearby school building.

One lorry carrying hidden armed reinforcements was positioned a 100 meters, ready to storm the ambulance, while another lorry laden with sugarcane was used to block the ambulance to make Veerappan believe it was heading for a sugar mill in nearby Palacode. Once intercepted, the brigand was asked to surrender over a megaphone. At this moment, the two STF men in the ambulance escaped. The gang greeted a second call for surrender with gunfire; the STF opened retaliatory fire on the ambulance. It was all over soon; a 15-year public menace had been eliminated in just 45 minutes. Ten months of meticulous planning had borne fruit.

Veerappan: Beera of Ravan movie

A file photo of the elusive forest brigand Veerappan. AP

Ravan : Movie review

Raavan is not a story, it is a world. Beera Munda - Undisputed, Unlawful, Untamed Dev Pratap Sharma - The Punisher; the Law, the Righteous Ragini - Conscience, Beauty; Music Dev falls in with Ragini, a spunky classical dancer who is as unconventional as him. They get married and he takes up his new post in Lal Maati, a small town in northern India. A town where the world of law is not the police but Beera, a tribal who has, over the years, shifted the power equation of the place from the ruling to the have-nots of the area. Dev knows that the key to bringing order to any place is not to vanquish the big fish; in this case - Beera. In one stroke Dev manage to rip open Beera's world, and set in motion a change of event which will claim lives, changes fortune. Beera, injured but enraged hits back starting a battle that draws Dev, Beera and Ragini into the jungle. The jungle which is dense, confusing, scary. And in this journey they must confront their own truth. A journey which will test their beliefs, convictions and emotions. Emotions which are as scary and confusing as the forest. The forest becomes the battleground. The battle between good and evil, between Dev and Beera, between Ram and Raavan. But when the lines dividing good and evil are blurring fast whose side will you take. When hate turns to love and the good starts looking evil. Which side will you battle for? Love is the battle that nobody wins but everyone must fight. Even this Raavan.

Viveka Babajee, once among India's top models and the face of the Kamasutra campaign, died a tragic and lonely death.

Mumbai:  Viveka Babajee, once among India's top models and the face of the Kamasutra campaign, died a tragic and lonely death.

The 37-year-old hung herself from the ceiling fan in her flat in the posh suburb of Bandra on Friday. The police suspect she was depressed after a recent break-up with her boyfriend.

The police have recovered her diary; its last entry reads "I Kill". The diary is now being treated as a suicide note.The police say she had a fight with her boyfriend on 24th of this month, just two days earlierHer last two calls were to a woman friend and to her family in Mauritius. She had told her family that she was going far, far away.Police have also recovered her laptop and a polythene bag containing sleeping pills.The police are examining Babajee's diary which they say could reveal whether she committed suicide of her own accord or was pushed to the edge, though police sources say she had tried to commit suicide at least once before.The family and friends say they are shocked. The case is a throwback to the suicide of another to model Nafisa Joseph in 2004, also the result of love gone awry. These are the cases which underline the dark side of the glamour world where people and relationships may be much more fragile than they seem.

congress party: Fuel price hike is due to compulsions

New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) With the Centre coming under all round attack over the hike in fuel prices, Congress today turned defensive saying that it was due to compulsions and no government wants to become unpopular. "There must have been certain compulsions.

No government wants to become unpopular," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here as the Left-ruled West Bengal and Kerala witnessed day-long strike to protest the hike. The remarks of Dwivedi came soon after the JD(U) urged the entire opposition to join hands for a ''Bharat bandh'' on the issue of fuel price hike.

"The council of ministers must have considered all aspects before taking the decision," a senior party leader said. Party sources, however, ruled out the possibility of price rise becoming an electoral issue in the Bihar Assembly elections, expected in October-November this year.

"Price rise is hardly a factor in elections. People are more concerned about governance than price rise," a senior party leader said.

The opposition, however, has planned to bring the government in the dock on the issue with JD(U) President Sharad Yadav saying, "The UPA government has not only increased fuel prices but has also decided to hand over the country to the market. Government is under a false impression that the opposition is divided and hence, it can do whatever it likes.

" UPA ally and Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee stuck to her demand of a rollback. "The hike in prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene has overburdened the people.

I am disturbed," she told reporters and once again appealed to the government to reconsider its decision. Banerjee said she has conveyed her displeasure to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, whom she met second time in as many days.

BJP also came down heavily on the government for effecting the hike terming it as a "betrayal". "The ruling UPA government has betrayed the people.

from day one (of Parliament Session), we will take up this issue and oppose it by all means," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said in Chennai. "I think the session would begin in the last week of July.

till that time we will fight for rollback of fuel prices on the streets," he said. Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav too criticised the government terming the hike in prices of petroleum products as a "cruel joke" with common people and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the decision.

"The Centre has failed to check prise rise and yesterday''s decision to hike prices of petroleum products is a cruel joke with the common and poor people of the country. It should be rolled back immediately," Yadav said in a statement.

Time for critics to say sorry, Maradona says

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- Argentina coach Diego Maradona is ready for his critics to stand up and hang their heads in shame.

Maradona was derided in Argentina before the World Cup as a naive tactician and attention-grabber who would squander the nation's best chance of winning the title in years.

Three wins later and the tone's changed. Argentina, many now believe, could go on to win the tournament in South Africa.

But Maradona was having none of it Saturday.

"Many journalists should apologize to the players," Maradona said. "I'm not suggesting you drop your trousers, but it would be honest and great so we all get along better."

With Lionel Messi flanked by Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain, the Argentines are one of the favorites to win the competition. It's quite a turnaround for a squad that only just squeezed through qualifying, when Maradona used more than 100 players.

With Messi in top form, Argentina at times threatened to crush Nigeria in the opening match but missed a string of chances in the 1-0 win. Higuain then scored a hat trick as South Korea were beaten 4-1 -- a result that allowed Maradona the luxury of bringing in seven new faces for the 2-0 win over Greece.

"I am turning 50 and I am not bitter," Maradona said. "But I get annoyed when people don't respect my players.

"It isn't easy going from being nobodies back home to winning three matches at a World Cup. At the training camp, we had to swallow what you all said about us being a disaster -- the worst Argentine team you'd ever seen," Maradona said. "All of a sudden we're an excellent team ... the most handsome people in the 'barrio!"'

Next up for Argentina is Mexico on Sunday, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.

The two nations met at the same stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. A long-distance strike by Maxi Rodriguez sent the Argentines through in extra time.

The winner of Sunday's match will play either England or Germany, and Maradona, at least publicly, isn't buying into the sudden status of Argentina being potential champions.

"I still think the other teams are the favorites, but we're fighting for it," he said. "My players have understood the message and know perfectly what's needed.

"When you win, you don't get carried away. But if you go step by step, with confidence, you can go far."

Maradona may lack official coaching certificates and has never tasted success during short stints as a club manager. But one thing he does have in abundance is experience of World Cups -- and self-belief.

"I certainly have an advantage over some because I can pass on so much from the World Cups I played in," he said, recalling the four tournaments he played in from 1982 to 1994.

In 1986, he led the country to the World Cup title with one of the most stunning individual performances in the history of the competition. Four years later, when the Argentines reached the final, "we came back to life when everybody had left us for dead."

"I was left out in 1978. I've experienced everything," Maradona said. "And now I am able to pass this on with all my soul and all my heart to my players."

Send

Share

Print

Uruguay beats South Korea 2-1 in round of 16

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AP) -- The game on the line, Luis Suarez sidestepped two defenders in the driving rain and struck a right-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area.

"The truth is, I didn't realize the ball was going to go in," he said.

It did. And now Uruguay is headed to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after beating South Korea 2-1 on Saturday.

Suarez, who had Uruguay's only goal in its 1-0 group stage win over Mexico, scored twice against the Koreans -- early in the first half and again in the 80th with the score tied 1-1.

"In these moments, the only thing I want to do is enjoy," said Suarez, who jumped over a row of photographers to celebrate his second goal with his teammates.

Lee Chung-yong had tied the second-round game in the 68th on a header after goalkeeper Fernando Muslera left his line attempting to punch away a looping ball. It was the first goal given up by Uruguay in the tournament.

"The key to Uruguay's improvement (at the end of the game) was South Korea's goal. We stopped thinking about not conceding a goal," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said.

"Luckily, Suarez scored a spectacular goal that gave us victory."

Uruguay took the lead in the eighth when goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong failed to intercept Diego Forlan's low cross from the left flank. It bounced across the goal mouth and Suarez put the ball in the net with a one-timer from a tight angle.

"I'm really happy because, being young, I always dream of these types of moments," the 23-year-old forward said. "These moments we're experiencing are once in a lifetime."

The goal forced the Koreans to push forward, but Uruguay's compact defense forced them to rely on outside shots and they struggled to hit the target. Meanwhile, the South Americans sat back and waited for opportunities to counterattack.

Lee finally scored when Uruguay failed to clear a free kick hooked into the penalty area. He rose above Diego Lugano to head the ball past Muslera.

Uruguay will play a quarterfinal against the United States or Ghana, who play later Saturday

The Koreans fell to their knees at the final whistle as the Uruguayans celebrated with a group hug in the downpour.

A two-time world champion, Uruguay had not gotten this far in a World Cup since it reached the semifinals in 1970. Its victory also continued South America's amazing run in South Africa. All five of its teams made the final 16 and the continent's record in the tournament now stands at 11 wins, one loss, three draws. And loss didn't cost Chile, which advanced.

South Korea reached the semifinals in the 2002 World Cup it co-hosted with Japan. But this year was the first time it advanced from the group stage on foreign soil, after beating Greece 2-0, losing to Argentina 4-1 and drawing Nigeria 2-2.

"It would have been a lot better if we had played a bit smarter with a bit more confidence," South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo said. "We did learn this time that we have some areas to improve on."

The Koreans came close late in the game when Muslera couldn't hold substitute Lee Dong-gook's shot, but Lugano controlled the ball as it rolled toward the goal line.

Ayesha killing case stayed: who are the real culprits

June 10: The AP High Court on Thursday stayed the trial in B. Pharmacy student Ayesha Meera murder case for a week.


Justice P. Swaroop Reddy, while dealing with a petition filed by the prime accused, P. Satyam Babu, granted the interim orders. The petitioner sought a direction to stay the recording of his statement by a lower court at Vijayawada under Section 313 CrPC. He contended that such a statement cannot be recorded unless all the witnesses are cross-examined. The judge adjourned the hearing to Monday.



HC pulls up man for complaint on cops



Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court on Thursday expressed his displeasure over the averments made by the writ petitioner who commented that the police officers are biased regarding Telangana-oriented meetings.

While dealing with a petition filed by Mr D. Suresh Kumar, who complained that the police have not accorded permission for a meeting against the police firing at Mahabubabad recently, the judge said sweeping remarks attributing bias based upon region on the police officers was not proper. The judge instructed the police to consider the application of the petitioner and pass orders.



HC asks for details of Maytas contract



A division bench comprising Justice G. Raghuram and Justice Noushad Ali on Thursday directed the authorities to produce records before the court pertaining to awarding the contract of resettlement and rehabilitation works of Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi project to Maytas on nomination basis.



Sale of Sir Silk factory plots permitted



Justice Seshasayana Reddy on Thursday permitted the sale of house plots of Sir Silk factory to its former employees, who have been occupying the premises.

The petitioners sought a direction from the court to facilitate them to purchase the house plots.



SBH rapped for false loan case



The High Court on Thursday pulled up SBH for trying to recover money under the Securitisation Act from a person though no loan was sanctioned and directed the bank to pay Rs 5,000 to the petitioner as costs.

A division bench comprising Justice Goda Raghuram and Justice Noushad Ali allowed a writ petition filed by G. Prabhakar.

He told the court that the bank claimed that a loan of Rs 40 lakhs was given to him and on allegedly defaulting the payment had put his property to auction. He said he did not receive the loan at all.



Petition against RTI application dismissal



A division bench comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar of the High Court on Thursday admitted a writ appeal filed by Mr Ravi Raj, a para legal worker, challenging the dismissal of his writ petition under Right to Information Act by authorities.

The petitioner told the court that he had asked for details of the landless and houses allotted to the poor in Vuyyuru mandal of Krishna district. He said the officers had provided only partial information and his efforts seeking more details were brushed aside.

CBI names four of Hindu group for Macca Masjid blast

June 10: The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a memo in the 14th additional chief metropolitan magistrate court at Nampally on Thursday seeking the arrest of four activists of a Hindu terror group for triggering the Mecca Masjid blast.




In all, five persons were killed in the blast that took place on May 18, 2007. Following this, the court issued prisoners transit warrant for Devender Gupta and Lokesh Sharma and ordered the CBI to produce them. They are now in Ajmer jail in connection with Ajmer Darga blast and are likely to be brought to the city on Monday.



The CBI alleged that these two accused conspired to carry out the explosion in Mecca Masjid and aided the others.



They also purchased SIM cards and mobile phone devices which were e used in the bomb placed in the masjid. Devender used a fake driving license to buy the SIM cards.



The CBI has established the Mecca Masjid and Ajmer blasts were part of single conspiracy. According to the CBI prosecutor, the bombs used in the blast were made by Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kaslangara alias Ramji Kaslangara.



The two bomb experts come to the city two months ahead of the blast and stayed here. The CBI thinks they made the bombs using RDX and planted two of them Mecca Masjid and two in Ajmer.



Sandeep and Ramchandra are absconding and a manhunt is on to nab them. The CBI is also looking into the role of Swami Ashimanand in the case.

Arjun Singh disturbed by allegations, claims local media

The vetran Congress leader who faught for the existance of sonia family is now in trouble.
For the first time since the Bhopal verdict came out earlier this week, Arjun Singh, the then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister who is believed to have helped key accused Warren Anderson to leave the country, seems to have spoken out.
The editor of a Bhopal newspaper claims Singh told him he is perturbed over reports about his alleged role in facilitating Anderson's exit from Bhopal in a state government plane three days after the gas leak. (Did Arjun Singh arrange Anderson's exit?)




Singh is also quoted as saying that he would speak on the matter at an appropriate time.



Earlier, speaking to NDTV's group editor Barkha Dutt, Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan also did not deny that Arjun Singh needs to clarify his stand. (Bhopal gas verdict: Questions over political culpability)



When asked if she thinks that Arjun Singh owes an answer to the people of India and the people of Bhopal, she said, "Well certainly, the facts need to come out."



"The party has always maintained that all questions that are raised in any such situation must be answered properly and responsibility should be fixed. The same norm applies to this case," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters on Thursday, but without naming Arjun Singh.



The biggest fallout of this week's verdict in the Bhopal gas tragedy case has been the refocusing of attention on Warren Anderson, who was Chief Executive Officer of Union Carbide Corporation. Anderson flew into India four days after the gas leak, on December 7. He had been charged with culpable homicide and was even taken into custody. Yet, a few hours later, Anderson flew out of Bhopal on the official plane of Chief Minister Arjun Singh. (Read: Bhopal gas tragedy: Questions over Warren Anderson's getaway)





So far, there have been several statements from investigators and aviation officials at that time that a call from the Chief Minister's office had facilitated the exit of Anderson.



The Congress party is in a spot after one of its senior-most leaders, Digvijaya Singh, said on Thursday that pressure from the USA could have been a factor in how the party's government tackled the aftermath of the Bhopal gas tragedy.(Read:Digvijaya defends Rajiv, says Arjun Singh should answer)



Speaking to NDTV from America, he said, "I don't know as I was not in Bhopal at the time of gas leak. It could be under US pressure but I am not aware of the facts." The Congressman was a minister in the Arjun Singh government in Madhya Pradesh at the time of the gas leak in 1984.



Moti Singh, who was the then Collector of Bhopal, has also suggested that the orders to provide safe and immediate passage to Anderson came from the top. "The Chief Secretary at that time called me to the room and told me to arrange for the departure of Warren Anderson," he told NDTV. (Watch: Bhopal then collector Moti Singh on Anderson)



Captain R S Sodhi, who was then Director of Aviation, Bhopal, has also told NDTV that he received a call from the office of the Chief Minister ordering him to arrange Anderson's departure.

Dow on Bhopal: Bottom line important, Indians got $500

Despite the outrage over the lack of accountability for the Bhopal gas tragedy and the failure to nail top Union Carbide officials, Dow Chemicals, which took over Union Carbide, insists that it cannot be responsible for any clean-up at the gas leak site.



In a statement, Dow says its shareholders will see no losses because Dow's policy towards Bhopal has not changed.



"Much as we at Dow may care, as human beings, about the victims of the Bhopal catastrophe, we must reiterate that Dow's sole and unique responsibility is to its shareholders, and Dow cannot do anything that goes against its bottom line unless forced to by law," the statement reads.



"Dow will not commit any funds to compensate and treat 120,000 Bhopal residents who require lifelong care. The Bhopal victims have already been compensated; many received about USD 500 several years ago, which in India can cover a full year of medical care."



Clearly Dow does not see the tragedy of the paltry compensation of 500 dollars per person for the world's worst industrial disaster that killed 20,000 people.



But it has retracted a 2002 statement by its spokesperson.



"Dow hereby wishes to retract the 2002 statement of Dow PR Head Kathy Hunt as to US $500 being 'plenty good for an Indian'. The poor phrasing of this statement has often come back to haunt us," the statement read



Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/care-for-bhopal-but-shareholders-priority-31063.php?u=1056