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Everything On Investigative Journalism
Functional Definition Of Investigative Journalism:
Journalism is the first draft of history; by contrast, Investigative Journalism provides the first rough draft of legislation. It does so by drawing Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Practitioners sometimes use the terms "watchdog journalism" or "accountability reporting" for this genre. Investigative journalism is but one of many styles of reporting seen in newspapers around the world. This style of journalism is typically associated with crime, political corruption or scandal; however, the topics are not limited to these areas. For reporters who write articles in the investigative style the topic must be of deep interest not only to themselves and their paper but also to the general population. The goal of investigative journalism is to discover and reveal truth in a public forum. Journalists often find themselves working on an investigative piece before it is published, commonly in the form of an expose.
Apart from these general notions here are some scholarly definitions which provide thorough understanding of this topic.
In The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques, Steve Weinberg defined investigative journalism as: “Reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, matters of importance to readers, viewers or listeners. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed.”
De Burgh (2000) (editor) Routledge, London and New York, states that: "An investigative journalist is a man or woman whose profession it is to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available. The act of doing this generally is called investigative journalism and is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies in that it is not limited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity."
According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “Investigative journalism means the activity of news reporters trying to discover information which is of public interest but which someone might be keeping hidden. Conspiracy is a popular subject for investigative journalism.”
“Investigative journalism is a branch of journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic (almost always scandalous), and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. The classic example is the uncovering of the Watergate Scandal by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, resulting in reports being published in the Washington Post.” – www. knowledgerush.com.
The definitions clear the unique idea of the Investigative Journalism. It shows how Investigative Journalism defers from the typical storylines of – what is happening, rather presents ‘‘what could be happened’’, “what should be happened” and “what would be happened if the ongoing situation is not properly handled.” the Definitions also suggest the Journalist should be interested for venturing into the topic deeply. In none of the above definitions Investigative Journalism is not linked with the ‘sting operations’ which is considered today a synonym to the Investigative Journalism. Besides, the general notion that Investigative Journalism is the tool of exposing crime, scam or any other wrongdoing is broken. The common factor which is derived from each definition is that the Investigative Journalism is all about fact-finding.
4. Research Methodology and Data-collection:
Object of Research:
Research is an attempt to discover something but when everything has been discovered already then what remains to be discovered. The latter part mutely indicates towards the essence of Investigative Journalism. The object behind this research was to know the basics of Investigative Journalism through a thorough analysis of investigative stories published in The Indian Express. The Indian Express forged a trend so took it for proper research. The aim behind this to find the ideal ways of investigative journalism, its supposed or actual impact over the society or the authority which has inclusion in it.
The research is fragmented into various selective tools used for Investigative Journalism. How the investigative story defers from one-time sting to a universal brunt is the one of the object of this dissertation. Besides Investigative stories do not limited up to the news – coverage or report- writing, the investigated topic constantly keeps finding its place in black & white. The endeavour was also to check in the process after an investigative story is published. The portrayals of cartoons or caricature, leading editorial pieces, follow-up stories, impact of the story were among them. How the investigative story can lay impact for the further development or change is the longing for the research.
As the Investigative stories laid impact over concerned authority in particular and society in general, the editorial policy of a newspaper does the same effect over the selection of topic for the investigation. Some periodicals select sensational topics other may select mere relating with exposing or a hard-core realities behind the bar. The Indian Express has been practicing it in many other fields. I do focuss to experience that variety of selecting the topics of such sort by The Indian express. The other feel was to cultivate the journalistic instinct of investigation through a deep analysis of investigative stories from many areas. Which are the most vibrant zones for such stories, which can cause legal set-backs (like investigative stories in judiciary need to have conscious senses or ready to face defamation if a person enjoys the clout).
As earlier mentioned the relation of editorial policy with the investigative stories, one of mine motive was to comprehend the editorial policy of The Indian Express, which has been maintaining its maxim of ‘Journalism of Courage’ rather than other’s policy of ‘Journalism of coverage only.’
Type of Research:
The approach is both qualitative and quantitative as it takes the large samples but not selected it randomly. Besides, after doing in-depth study of The Indian Express (six months), only the investigative stories from the various genres have been selected. The research has been based on the information collected from the editions of The Indian Express from 1st July 2009 to 31st December 2009 and from the opinions and Interviews of experts.
Limitation of Research:
Topographical Area: I selected Ahmedabad as the topographical area for the research as it contains the educational institute where I do study and it has big media houses from where I can approach the journalists for the expert-advice.
Time-duration: Six months.
Dimensions of the Study:
Considering the time-limit, I have selected the newspapers i.e. The Indian Express of six months to analyse the process and themes of Investigative stories. For the better cultivation towards the topic I am to thoroughly read the newspapers and meet the experts.
Data –collection:
I am to use the tools of Questionnaire, Library-work and ‘in-person’ visit to get the information.
History- Growth – development of Investigative Journalism in India
The first ever credit for Investigative Journalism goes to Rustom Khurshedji Karanjiya the founder Editor of Blitz (the weekly). He started the tabloid to focus upon investigative journalism. Yet details of his works are not available. He worked as war journalists for his periodical.
Since the 1980s when investigative journalism emerged in India there have been a few landmark cases. The Bofurs gun scandal is considered one of the first and most influential pieces of Indian investigative journalism. This scandal involved then Prime Minister Gandhi who was accused of receiving kickbacks from the Bofurs Company. This piece of writing in part led to the defeat of Prime Minister Gandhi in the next election. In 1996 another landmark case emerged when the story of the Fodder scam broke. This scam again involved the Indian government as it was stated that embezzlement from the treasury of the Indian state Bihar had been ongoing. Another piece that was important was the piece concerning the Jain Diary Case which was a political scandal where the government had secretly received funding. Other pieces of investigative journalism in India worth noting are the Petrol Pumps largesse scandal and Satyendra Dubey’s murder case.
In 1976, in the face of falling oil prices, a $200-million contract was awarded to the Hong Kong-based Kuo Oil Co to take future deliveries at current prices. The government lost Rs13 crore. The money is supposed to have gone to Indira and Sanjay. The story was broken by Arun Shourie.
In the decade of 80s first ever its type of case cranked up from Bhagalpur. It was “Operation Gangajal” Over three years, from 1979 to 1982, policemen blinded 33 undertrials or convicted criminals in Bhagalpur jail using acid. Codenamed Operation Gangajal, a report by Indian Express, the incident became a national scandal and 14 policemen were suspended, of 14 policemen 13 were acquitted and reinstated in service. When the Indian express brought the issue into national spotlight, the Supreme Court accepted it as writ petition.
In 1981,a reporter bid and brought women " KAMALA" for Rs. 2300 at a sale in Madhya Pradesh to establish trafficking in women and the involvement of top bananas in the racket. This used to be face of sting in India.
In 1981 Arun Shourie provided another specimen of substantial journalism was represented by Arun shourie. That was the great Maharashtra cement scandal, when chief minister A R Antulay was charged with malpractices and favouritism in giving cement meant for public consumption to private builders.
Bofors Scandal was another break through for the accountable Journalism in 1987. Rajiv Gandhi and others were accused of receiving Rs 64 crore in payoffs for the 155mm howitzer deal from the Swedish firm Bofors. The misappropriation in the Bofors Deal was broke by The Hindu- Journalist Chitra Subramaniam later the campaign was gone to Express hands. Shourie- Goenka duo ran a campaign to leave the PM’s chair. Shouri also broke how Dhirubhai Ambani had imported an entire textile plant without paying customs, or that he was producing more than his permit, they tracked how the government was favouring him; how he owned shell companies; how he had both banks and politicians in his pocket; how, in short; he was subverting society.
In its kind of first case a Stringer from the Hindi daily Jansatta had warned of potential disaster in Bhopal. Rajkumar Keshwani asserted in several articles over the two year before the tragedy took place that safety standards in plant were inadequate and that a catastrophic leak could be resulted.
In November 16, 2003 The Indian Express exposed a Union Minister Dilip singh Judeo while taking the bribe. The sting became the controversial as it was motivated by the opposition party.
There are some notable Journalists who made a great hit in the aura of Investigative Journalism one of them is Rakesh Kalshian, a former reporter for the weekly magazine Outlook India where he focused on the environment, a beat he has covered since 1991. Kalshian’s reports for Outlook India included examinations of the effects on India of global warming, the risks workers at the world’s largest ship-breaking yard in Gujarat face, and the endangerment of various forms of Indian wildlife. In January 1999, Kalshian investigated water politics between India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Murali Krishnan has focused closely on corruption in Indian cricket which became 2000’s biggest international sports story. As part of an investigative team at Outlook, Krishnan worked closely for four years on the nexus between bookies, cricketers, and administrators. Outlook named four Indian cricketers in the scandal and called for a formal investigation. He still keeps a close eye on cricket’s underbelly.
Apart from The Indian Express, Tehelka played a vital role in the Investigative Journalism. Tehelka's first success was to catch cricketers and officials taking bribes. The sting was named as Operation Fallen Hero and performed in 2000 by Aniruddh Bahal.
OPERATION WEST End began in 2000, Aniruddha Bahal, senior correspondent of Tehelka floated the idea of an investigation into the dubious nature of defence purchases, and the general porousness of even a ministry as sensitive as defence. It was against the backdrop—Kargil, Bharatpur (the ammunition camp were fire struck and damaged crores), the middlemen controversy—that Bahal and Samuel Mathew, an investigative reporter began their story. Over the course of the first few weeks they did some background sleuthing and chanced upon a defence product that was in queue for purchase. It was something called a hand held thermal camera.
Neither of them knew anything about the product. They downloaded information on it from the net, and with the help of Tehelka’s design department created a brochure for it. They also formed a dummy company and named it West End International. For eight months, these two Tehelka reporters worked on an elaborate sting, involving hidden cameras, whisky parties, and prostitutes. They approached the then president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bangaru Laxman, as representatives of a fictitious arms company called West End. Laxman was offered a "new year party gift" in exchange for putting an arms deal their way. It was not a large sum: about £1,500-worth in dollars or rupees. Laxman, a practical man, chose US dollars. Bangaru Laxman and Samta Party member Jaya Jetly was caught taking bribe.
“Operation Kalank” or Gujarat 2002’s truth revealed the truth behind the riots and how Gujarat CM was involved in mass- butchering. Tehelka journalist Ashish Khetan showed great courage to disrobe Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, Bajrang Dal goon Babu Bajrangi and several others including policemen and political figures. Some of them confessed their role in post-Godhra riots in Gujarat before the hidden camera.
The Shohrabuddin Encounter had irked the Police as well as the Home Department of Gujarat as it was first broke by a Journalist – Prashant Dayal who declared it “Fake” before it was officially declared by Home Department.
The trend in the Investigative Journalism has been changing gradually. Some off-beat investigative stories having no sensation have been entertaining the cause of discovering the truth. One of the examples is how in Chhattisgarh records have been fudged for multi-crore paddy scam. Another one was done by Indian Express Journalist Ayesha Khan that how misappropriation in NREGA lacks the economic security to daily wagers. The topics can be the off-beat its impact would surely be the impeccable.
Earlier the Investigative Journalism was seen as a substantial journalism, nowadays it has been replaced with short-termed Sting Operation. The need is to know Sting operation is not all about the Investigative Stories but it is one of the tools of the latter. The growth has been much heightened and yet increasing especially in publishing houses like Tehelka and The Indian Express.
Review of Literature; data analysis and opinion interviews
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Classification of the Stories:
Investigative Stories on Developmental Issues
• How tractor changed lives in a village of Shepherds
Subhead: With tractor bringing in prosperity, children go to school, families stay back in Mirde, a village of Nomads
• Villagers opens mind, heart to HIV kids.
Subhead: After awareness campaign, students who had stopped attending a Latur school with HIV children are back
• ‘We may have to forgo one meal today, but we have to buy water for the crop’
Sreenivas Janyala
Mogiligidda, Mahabubnagar,
August 17: In a village in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, farmers are adding to their debt by spending about Rs 2,000 per month to buy water for their fields. Borewells of Mogiligidda and neighbouring villages have dried up. In a desperate effort to save the crop, and themselves are borrowing money to buy water from a private borewells to water their crop. Depending on the demand, the water supplier charges Rs 100 to Rs 200 for three barrels of 50 litres each, which is brought in Auto-rickshaw. At least six barrels is needed so two trips of Auto-rickshaw is needed. If that is improper then whole family including women and children do carry water from several kilometres. While Agriculture and Revenue Department officials blame the Farmers for sowing water-intensive crops and tell tem to replace it. No one is concerned about the standing –crops. The state government is considering the situation for declaring it a drought-hit.
• Inside Bundelkahnd
- A series on the Developmental issue, fragmented into three parts.
Inside Bundelkhand- 1
• Everyone fights for this region but no one wants to own it
Sub-head: Improvised, parched land is site for ‘political ping pong’ between Rahul, Mayawati.
Vandita Mishra
Jhansi, September 7: Development of Bundelkhand is dwindled with two established authorities – Bundelkhand Vikas Nigam in Jhansi, a UP government’s initiative and other is Bundelkhand Development Authority in Sagar, the answer of MP government to former one. But neither of the two is running with the ease due to the lack of sufficient funds. No scheme is yet regulated so far.
As steering for a separate state began to surface here, the Express journalist travel to various regions and found the predicament of this region caught between politicking and ruthless nature. Tube-wells are allotted to many Tehsils ‘on paper’. The scheme is under UP government for the region which is witnessing the drought for the fifth year in a row. Irrigation canals are few and far between, tanks and wells are dry, and the showers in mid-August came too late to save the kharif crop. NGOs are battling for preventing the deaths of Farmers and cattles. Even if a farmer commits suicide here, it becomes difficult for these NGO to prove it was suicide due to crop-failure. In Teletha, about 300 goats and sheep died in the first half of August. The villagers say the animals died because they grazed on crop gone poisonous due to lack of rain. The administration claims that according to post mortem reports, a viral infection called “blue tongue” was to blame.
The attempt of industrialisation for the development went into wane. For e.g. Continental Float Glass Factory which was inaugurated by Rajiv Gandhi in 1980, yet to be started. Migration has emptied villages, particularly the Harijan bastis within them. Entire families throng the bus stand at Chhatarpur and the Railway station in Jhansi, headed to Delhi, Gwalior and Surat. Young men return for festivals, or to check on old parents they leave behind. In most villages in Bundelkhand, the doctor is an unreliable presence in the PHC, and medical care is left to the quack- the “jholachhap doctor” in UP and his MP counterpart, the “chandsi”. People’s suppressed expression trigger from folk-lore, in which they justify the deeds of Dadua- the local dacoit who used to loot rich and give the looted money to poors.
Inside Bundelkhnad- II
• NREGA wages: 20 km away, 15 days late, and only once a week.
Vandita Mishra
Tikamgarh (MP), September 8: No work in 2007, 7 days in 2008 and till September, 2009 he had 28 total working days under NREGA, for that he was paid after a month, that is, too, in instalments by the co-operative bank. The major part of the payment 450(he got 500 at once) goes to Money-lenders, from whom Nathu borrowed Rs 500-700, at an interest of Rs 5 per month on every Rs 100 This is the story of Nathu, one of the NREGA ‘beneficiary’. Even after such situation, he considers himself lucky to get 28 days of work. He believes the person who has any ‘relation’ with Sarpanch or Sachiv gets the job-card. Job-cards are in ‘the hands’ of them. To collect payment Nathu has to walk for half and hour to catch the bus which only comes thrice a day. The payments are not given any day, the bank which run with the staff of three including peon and with ‘missing’ manager has scheduled days for each village. Nathu’s turn comes on Thursday, this time it came after three weeks, no-one could afford to miss it as the next turn is unpredictable. Bank is run without computers, account is maintained on the arithmetic of the cashiers. And villagers count it with their understood math. Such story is of the many like Nathu, who returns with just 40 to 50 Rs. to entertain their basic needs.
Inside Bundelkhnad- III
• Colours of knowledge on walls of hope
Vandita Mishra
Chhatarpur (M.P.), September 9: The Government High School of village Mamon tells the story of how in Bundelkhand, it was left to one man to re-imagine the school. Raghvendra Purohit, retired havildar in the Indian Army, driving force behind the school “Sir” to its 425 students, eight teachers and all residents of village Mamon. The school is located at bout 65 km from the Khajuraho temples, on a lurching dirt track off the Chhatarpur- Sagar highway.
On the outer sides of the school’s boundary walls are painted with tableau, like - “cover the vessel” while cooking for economising time and fuel. Inside, there’s not a blank wall. A class 10 wall is sombre with pictorial representations of the “World’s Main Challenges” – “water pollution”, “air and sound pollution” and “terrorism”, the last depicted in the painter’s reproduction of the 9/11 scene of two planes crashing into the World Trade Centre towers.
The MP government has a policy of appointing two teachers for classes 1 to 5. Of the two, one is kept busy with government paperwork. So he began putting the main points of the syllabus up on the walls. That way, even if the teacher is absent or inattentive, the child can just roam around the school, and learn.
When Purohit was appointed as a ‘shiksha karmi’ to the school in 1998, shortage of teachers was only one of the challenges he confronted. Another was caste-system, but in these school children of all castes eat, study, and play together. In 1999, Purohit started staying back nights in the school to complete their work in the evenings. Since October 1999 , the older children – in classes 3 to 8- have been sleeping in the school as well, though only from October to March when mosquitoes, leaky roofs and erratic electricity are less of a problem. Next on Purohit’s agenda: formal residential facility to help cut down the dropouts among the SC-ST children – the only ones who drop out now”. SCs and STc from the bulk of the migrants heading out of villages in Bundelkhand to work in faraway cities for a few months every year. Purohit has been speaking to parents, trying to persuade them to leave their children behind so that their studies are not interrupted.
2. Investigative stories on Economics:
• India’s power deficit is shrinking
Subhead Demand goes up 3.5 per cent, and capacity rises 6.7 per cent in the last fiscal year (2009); south remains the laggard (Finance)
• CLB (Company Law Board) has just 2 members to hear 2,000 cases
Subhead: Corporate wars & Family feuds have to wait
Shruti Srivastava
New Delhi, November 2: The details of the story as follows; CLB(Company Law Board) is without a chairperson and has 2 members against sanctioned strength of 9. Number of cases pending in the CLB as of March 31, 2009, stood at 2,870. Around 700 cases pertain to misappropriation and mismanagement in companies. Though a chairperson has been shortlisted, Cabinet is yet to clear his/her candidature. The 2 members are expected to shuttle between metros to attend to proceedings. Government has selected 3 members, but their appointments too have not been cleared. These members will take some time to get acquainted with the Companies Act.
• Infra trusts face FDI policy hurdle, $ 2.5 – bn plans on hold
Rajat Guha
New Delhi, December 20: The Finance Ministry has put on hold two proposals by India – registered infrastructure trusts to tie up a total of $ 2.5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), owing to the difficulty in defining the ownership of these trusts. Under the FDI policy, ownership of an entity is conducted before deciding if it can accept FDI. Since trusts have only beneficiaries, rather than owners, it is hard to determine who owns a venture capital trust, especially if it has non-resident ‘beneficiaries.’ The Foreign Investment Promotion Board deferred decision on two FDI proposals from trusts at its last meeting on December 18. while a trust fund , promoted by Macquarie and State Bank of India, proposed to bring in $ 2 billion FDI, another trust , promoted by UTI AMC, HSH Nordbank and Noor Financial, with a target size of $ 500 million approached the FIPB. Both trusts are private equity funds formed to invest in India’s infrastructure sector. Even though the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), which defines the FDI policy, supported the proposals, the finance ministry representatives in the Board wanted to put them on hold fearing that FDI into these trusts could amount to circumvention of new FDI guidelines under Press Note 2,3 and 4. DIPP has supported the proposals subject to a condition that these funds cannot invest in sectors that have entry restriction and investment caps. These sectors include retail, real, estate, telecom and banking among others.
Investigative Stories on Governmental regime:
• Rajiv’s dream, UPA-I’s commitment, but Gram Nyayalayas remain on paper
Subhead: Failure to set up even a single village court largely due to opposition from UP and West Bengal
• The nowhere people
Subhead: Its eyes on prime, Rs 1,000-cr Banglore land, the Yeddyurappa government is set to uproot over 1,700 destitute
• Singh departed from draft to invoke Vajpayee Subhead: The Reagan quote was among the several new lines PM added to drive home his point
• CPM minister appoints daughter-in-law as cook, promotes her as officer
Cash crunch shakes foundation of Govt’s slum development plan
Subhead: Centre may have to bring in pvt players to finance schemes to make country slum-free
• Govt climbs down a notch on two-month visa cooling off
• Top cultural institutions remain without full-time chiefs even after PM intervention
• To let Q off, wheels had begun to move in the first UPA govt itself
• Bofors burial logic: we paid, so no case
• Mayawati mission: DGP heli-hopes across UP on ‘Dalit beat’
Sub-head: Top cop has become a ‘foot-soldier’, say critics, dealing more with crimes against one community than on overseeing his over 2 – lakh – strong force
Bhupendra Pandey:
Lucknow, July 7.
Uttar Pradesh DGP was more likely to be mid-air in a heli-copter or visiting villages that have recently witnessed crimes against Dalits. During one particularly strenuous spree, in fact, he covered three districts in 24 hours to ensure CM Mayavati’s instructions were carried out.
Vikram singh’s focus on specific incidents against Dalits in various districts make redundant the posts of SP, DIG and IG , and also prevent him from directing and guiding the police force. This could seriously jeopardise the policing system in the state.
On the calendar
THE Indian Express tracks the DGP as he “solves” crimes against Dalits across the state:
JUNE 2
Place: Tarwa (Azamgarh)
Crime: A 60 year old Dalit was beaten to death by his neighbors due to a land dispute
Action: Arrest of three accused; DGP ordered removal of six policemen, including the SHO, from the police station concerned
Relief: The DGP handed over a cheque of Rs.1.70 lakh to the family members of the victim
JUNE 3
Place: Kotwali Sardar (Lakhimpur Kheri)
Crime: A Dalit youth was killed by two Dalits and an upper caste man, allegedly because he had illicit relations with relatives of three accused
Action: One accused arrested; a sub- inspector and constable suspended; DGP ordered an Anti-Corruption Organization probe against the SP,ASP and the CO posted in the district in 2008. The cops had not initiated action on a complaint by victim’s father then.
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh
JUNE 5
Place: Sihanigate (Ghaziabad)
Crime: A Dalit Killed as the result of Long-standing enmity
Action: Four People arrested
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh to victim’s kin
JUNE 5
Place: Bhopa (Muzaffarnagar)
Crime: Dalit man shot dead by neighbours due to familiar rivalry
Action: Main accused arrested, SO’s suspension ordered
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh
JUNE 9
Place : Dhaulana(Ghaziabad)
Crime: A watchman at a brick kiln killed by his employer
Action: Accused absconding
Relief:1.5 lakh to victim’s kin
JUNE 12
Place: Itaunja (Lucknow)
Crime: Minor girl raped by two
Action: Both accused arrested
Relief: Rs.25,000
JUNE 16
Place: Kotwali Dehat (Azamgarh)
Crime: Minor Dalit girl allegedly raped by neighbour, medical examination confirmed pregnancy
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: DGP handed over cheque of RS. 25,000 to victim’s father
June 16
Place: Kotwali Dehat (Sultanpur)
Crime: Rape of a minor girl
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: Rs. 25000
June 16
Place: Paali (Hardoi)
Crime: Dalit man hacked to death over a land dispute
Action: One person arrested
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh to the kin of deceased
June 24
Place: Saandi (Hardoi)
Crime: Man murdered his widowed lover, her mother and two of her children after suspecting the woman of infidelity
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: No claimant to receive the ex-gratia
June 24
Place: Dostpur(Sultanpur)
Crime: Hutments of two Dalit families set on fire after a dispute over the construction of a drain
Action: One accused arrested
Relief: District administration provided Rs.25, 000 to each of the families
June 25
Place: Sandana (Sitapur)
Crime: women allegedly raped by Neighbour
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: DGP assured monetary compensation
July 1
Place: Binawar (Badaun)
Crime: Girl killed by Lover
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: Rs. 75000.
• Chavan pushes for Virk extension
Shishir Gupta
New Delhi, July 25: Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan wrote to H.M. P. Chidambaram to give DGP SS Virk a three month extension for a stable continuity in the revamp sparked after 26/11, of state police establishment. The move has been taken at the time when Virk already approached the state home department asking for a two-year fixed tenure as the DGP citing the court ruling in the Prakash Singh case pertaining to police reforms.But Chavan’s case for continuity notwithstanding, Virk could not even lead a team of the Mumbai police to Israel for purchasing security equipment this month as his passport has been confiscated. With such records of him he was recommended by Chavan.
• Austere Ministers: Krishna at Maurya, Tharoor at Taj
Subhead: 5-star[] Govt says they are paying but both silent on how much; official reason: houses not ready
Shubhajit Roy
New Delhi, September 7: When all the Congress was talking about “Austerity”, two of its ministers- External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his junior Shashi Tharoor were maintaining their luxurious life-style in five-star hotel suites. Krishna was living at the ITC’s Maurya, while Shashi Tharoor settled at Taj. The ostensible reason for their five star stay is that their “official accommodation” is not ready. Krishna was allotted the residence of Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh at 19, Teen Murti Lane. However, he found the house in a “poor state” and so renovation was ordered. On becoming External Affairs Minister, Krishna got himself a bungalow allotted on Thyagaraja Marg which again is under renovation.In the case of Tharoor, he was offered accommodation in Kerala House, after the polls but is said to have turned it down. He has been allotted a house in Lodhi Estate which is getting “done up”. His office says the Minister plans to move next week- a good 100 days after the new government took charge.
The suite’s tariff in ITCs Maurya, hotel staff said, is “on request”. In other words, there’s no declared tariff for the four residential suites in the hotel which have had guests like US President George W Bush and Bill Clinton. Industry insiders say the room tariff is in the range of Rs 1 lakh plus per night although “it can be negotiated.” Krishna meets people in the hotel’s coffee shop, The Pavilion. Tharoor has been staying in a Taj suite since he moved to Delhi as the minister, staff said, and the lowest tariff for suites in the Taj Man Singh is Rs 40,000 per night (executive balcony suite). However, these rates can be negotiated, said hotel staff. MEA spokesperson informed and later Tharoor himself informed the Journalist that the cost is borne by them, no one is benefited from the tax-payers.
• Age of Austerity: UPA Ministers want Spanish tiles in office rooms, Italian porcelain in their toilets: (Investigative stories on Government)
Subhead: Office Revamp- CPWD is flooded with requests from Ministers for ‘urgent renovation’ of their work-places
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, September 15: After much-talked Austerity in UPA- II, while Rahul Gandhi is travelling in Shatabdi Chair-Car, and Tharoor commented it as ‘cattle-class’. Express records some other symbol’s of tyrannical austerity. How UPA ministers renovated their new house as their will, Express journalist reveals the exuded “Austerity”. Case- details are as follows:
Udyog bhavan office of Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
Estimate: Rs 17.54 lakh.
On July 8, a CPWD Assistant Engineer wrote to the Ministry that after the CPWD prepared architectural designs, the PS to the Minister asked for an architect from BHEL to provide “inputs” as well. In a subsequent report, the CPWD noted that despite handing two sets of drawings, “the Ministry however got another prepared by a private architect and approved them”. The following works were listed with a one-month deadline:
• Engineered wood flooring, wall panelling and veneering
• Gypsum board and false ceiling
• Glazed shutters for doctors, windows and glazed partitions
• Polished porcelain tiles in toilet, ante room and pantry (Lea, Panaria, Italian made)
• Wall tiles (Sanchis, Spanish made).
Udyog Bhawan office of Anand Sharma, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry.
Estimate: Rs 14.78 lakh.
This provided for:
• Engineered wood flooring, glazed shutters for office room
• Gypsum board false ceiling, wall partitions
• Wall painting and polishing
• Granite stone on window sill
• Wall covering with wallpaper of approved make, pattern
Shahtri Bhawan office of Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The CPWD “history-sheet” mentions an initial outlay of Rs 2.85 lakh for laying a laminated wooden floor in the office. Another letter, sent on July 21 by an Under Secretary in the Ministry, stated that the “office of the Minister of state (P&NG) has now desired that the civil work may be carried out with the following specifications”:
• All fittings of Toilets of Kohler make
• Counter of bathroom- Italian marble
• Towel rail and paper holder – Loure make floorings as per sample approved
• Wall and floor tiles of EPO2NATSQ make
• Panelling of wall and window blinds as discussed.
• Austerity express: With ‘waiting list’ stamp, Rahul confirms berth
The story item published on the same day, detailed how passenger suffered due to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Austere move’ and how Rahul got his ticket confirmed at the extreme last moment despite a long waiting list in the Economy class.
Austerity: Part II
• One UPA Minister seeks new toilet behind office seat, another walnut wood flooring:
Subhead: MoS Panabaka Lakshmi’s Vastu- friendly toilet request is turned down by CPWD
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, September 16: Ten days later Pranab Mukherjee’s meeting where all the Congress MPs reluctantly agreed to accept austerity, MoS for textile Panabaka Lakshmi ordered some changes (putting a toilet backside the office seat) according to Vastu-shashtra. But CPWD refuted giving some technical reasons. The most- expensive project estimate was of MoS for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia, it was estimated as Rs 25.63 lakh, later it scaled-down till Rs. 14.98 lakh along with a separate allocation of Rs 3.50 lakh for installation of new air conditioners. The estimate for renovation of the Shastri Bhawan office of Ambika Soni, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, was Rs.3.01 lakh – new tile flooring, replacement of aluminium windows and other “finishing and related works.” On June 3, the CPWD received a request for the Nirman Bhawan office of Selja, Union Minster for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. The note from the Ministry which The Indian Express got, read: “ The Minister has desired to have her chamber and office space repaired and renovated including false ceiling, flooring etc in consultation with the personal staff.” Besides PVC flooring and false ceiling, the ministry also sought polishing, painting and aluminium work for which an estimate of Rs 10.54 lakh was jointly approved.
# What SM Krishna did not tell: His Ministry pushed hard to get Government to pay his five-star bills.
AUSTERITY [] Urban Development rejected MEA requests that began the day Tharoor took charge; MEA said let us pay Krishna’s bill
Amitav Ranjan
New Delhi, September 24: The Government is not paying for the five-star hotel stay – “I have made private arrangements.” This was the defence trotted out by Minister of External Affairs S M Krishna after The Indian Express reported on September 8 that he was staying at the ITC Maurya and his deputy Shashi Tharoor was at the Taj Mahal Hotel while their party preached austerity.
What Krishna didn’t tell was that his Ministry repeatedly tried to get the government to pick up his tab. This is clearly established by MEA records accessed by The Indian Express.
• On May 29, the day that Tharoor took charge as Minister – Krishna had taken charge on May 24 – the MEA’s Joint Secretary (Establishment), Gauri Shankar Gupta, wrote to the Ministry of Urban Development (UD) that both Ministers were staying in private hotel as their officially allotted houses were not ready. The UD Ministry is the nodal ministry for arranging accommodation for Ministers and Members of Parliament.
• On June 17, MEA’s Gupta wrote again to the UD Ministry and referred to a note from Krishna’s office regarding his hotel stay. “I would appreciate if payment for the hotel accommodation for the Minister could be authorized till the accommodation allotted to him by the Ministry of Urban Development is ready for occupation,” Gupta wrote.
• On June 24, the UD Ministry wrote back saying that , as per rules, it had to first accommodate MPs in state guest houses and when these were exhausted, in ITDC hotels with only the room rent paid for “Transit stay in private hotels is not admissible for settlement,” it clearly wrote.
• The MEA then explored getting the Cabinet Secretariat to pay the bills arguing that “there was no provision in this Ministry (MEA)” to pay for the Minister’s stay. And that the cabinet Secretariat was responsible for expenses of the Council of Ministers. However, word came from the cabinet Secretariat that accommodation payment was handled by the UD Ministry.
• On July 30, Gupta again wrote to the UD Ministry asking it to expand the official “hotel panel” to include Maurya – where Krishna was staying – saying it was already on the MEA list for hosting visiting dignitaries. In the same letter, Gupta asked the UD Ministry to authorize the MEA to pay for Krishna’s stay at Maurya since his house was not ready and he had to meet a string of foreign dignitaries.
• However the request was turned down on September 4 with the UD saying that it was not empowered to authorise payment by the MEA.
• Its Master’s Voice: To let Q walk, CBI eats its words again
Subhead: Goes against facts to say there was no ban on agents, no decision to appeal HC ruling
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, October 3: The story established how CBI is the Government’s ‘rubber-stamp’. The Indian Express tracked some records and showed how CBI’s statement was a barefaced lie. Excerpts:
The application states: “No appeals have been preferred by the CBI against two High Court judgements (that cleared the accused) Records with The Indian Express clearly shows that in both the HC verdicts – one delivered by Justice J.D. Kapoor and the other by Justice R S Sodhi – the CBI decided to file challenges in the Supreme Court but was not permitted to. CBI files show that before the UPA came to power, the agency had sought legal opinion for challenging the Kapoor judgement and even prepared a 28 – page draft Special Leave Petition. However two months after the Manmohan Singh Government took over, both Law Secretary R L Meena and the Attorney General filed a convenient legal opinion that the verdict was not a “fit case” to challenge. Records show that the agency’s entire team of investigators was in favour of appealing against the Sodhi judgement. In his final opinion (September 7, 2005), then CBI Director U S Mishra recommended filing of an S.L.P. But it was the Law Ministry that sat on the case.
“There was no prohibition of employment of Indian or foreign agents,” said the CBI on October 2.
This is a dramatic reversal of stand. For, the assurance given by Bofors and the insistence of the Ministry of Defence that no agents be used for the deal is at the core of the corruption case.
On May 3, 1983 the then Defence Secretary met all contenders of the Howitzer contract and informed them that “the present Government did not approve of the appointment of agents acting for foreign suppliers.” The Defence Secretary, according to CBI documents, “also told Martin Ardbo (President of Bofors) that the Government of India would disqualify a firm in case it came to light that an agent had been appointed by an Indian firm.” On March 10, 1986 (days before the contract was signed) Ardbo confirmed that Bofors did not “have any representative/agent especially employed in India for this project.” Later, when the scam broke and the Swedish National Audit Bureau (SNAB) confirmed that “winding-up costs” had indeed been paid, it was Minister of state for Defence Arun Singh who threatened to cancel the contract. CBI documents state that the then Prime Minster Rajiv Gandhi “intervened at this stage” and constituted a Joint -Parliamentary Committee to inquire into the allegations. The CBI inquiry came in 1990.
“The attempt to secure the presence of Ottavio Quattrocchi in Argentina failed.”
Just as in the case of the withdrawal of Rs. 21 crore of suspected Bofors bribes – when Additional Solicitor General B Dutta travelled to London in 2007 to inform the Crown Prosecution Service that the CBI had no objection to Quattrocchi’s money being de-frozen – the agency was taken aback by the way its appeal in Argentina was withdrawn at the behest of the Government. As reported by The Indian Express, Superintendent Keshav Mishra, the key Bofors investigator, visited Buenos Aires for the extradition proceedings and admitted that an appeal to be withdrawn. Then CBI director Vijay Shankar had said: “The CBI had said there were sufficient grounds for appeal. I do not know what happened after that.” Sources had then admitted that it was the Law Ministry which issued instructions for the appeal to be withdrawn and that this advice was sent to Buenos Aires through diplomatic channels.
[Ecological Investigation]
• Survived Maoists, but tigers could fall prey to tribals
Subhead: Rebels have been driven out of the forests of Andhra’s Srisailam Tiger Reserve, but there are signs that a local tribe may have discovered the lucrative ‘business’ of poaching
• Orissa’s denial exposed, tiger numbers down by half
• Selling bird’s nest soup to save this bird: there’s change in law
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 17: National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has delisted the Edible Nest Swiftlet, a cave-nesting bird found in the Andaman and Nicoabar Islands, from the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA). Because local communities which poached the bird’s nests- used in the famous bird’s nest soup – used in the famous bird’s nest soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and thought to be an aphrodisiac- are now being roped in to harvest the nests commercially. The controlled sale of nests, which are made by the saliva of the Swiftlet, could only have been possible if the bird, accorded highest protection under Scheduled One of the WPA, was delisted from the act for three years. Law to this is amended to allow commercial harvesting of the nests. So the poaching of the nests which ultimately resulted into death of Fledglings, can be stopped.
• With Kaziranga security up, poachers shift to Orang national park:
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Guwahati, September 6: As many as five Rhinoceros are reported to be killed in less-secured Orang National Park, as the security net is tightening over Kaziranga national park. If poaching and natural deaths are together taken into account, the 78.82 sq km national park has lost as many as 44 rhinos since 2001. A little more than half of them, 23, have been killed by poachers, with the authorities failing to recover even one horn since. The quick incident of Rhino killings prompted the government to appoint a high-level security team and reviewing the situation. Besides this Government also inducted 20 more Home-guard personnel to protect remaining 62 Rhinos, the ground reality is that those personnel were not given their salaries since six months. While the park has 76 regular guards in addition to 22 fixed-pay personnel and 30 casual staff, most of the 48 Home Guards personnel inducted in Orang in the past one year have already left due to non-payment of the salary since April.
[Investigative stories from Naxal-land]
• ‘My baby will die here, I need food’
Subhead: Plight of mother and newborn show what Buddha has to do to ‘win back’ Lalgarh
• Fire Alarm
Subhead: With Jhariya being declared unsafe due to the underground mine fire, 4,650 families have to be rehabilitated. But the BCCL and district administration are facing stiff resistance from the affected people as well as some politicians.
• No Dhruv pilots, Jharkhand looks to hire choppers
•
• Write/ Wrong
Orissa’s thin Red line
Subhead: A Journalist recently joined the state‘s long list of accused having ‘Maoist links’. A packet containing Maoist literature, police said, was proof he was ‘waging war against state’
• Slain Inspector worked without pay for six months
• An Unkept Promise
• Subhead: three years after APJ Abdul Kalam launched hi PURA project in Chhattisgarh from Bhaktara village, nothing has changed here.
• Caught in crossfire, tribals flee Naxal belt
Subhead: Exodus of villagers from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh to Khammam in Andhra Pradesh
• Red faces in govt as Kishenji dials top Bengal Secy
• Now, rangers seek protection from KishenJi
• Over Rs 14 cr missing in name of Naxal war in Jharkhand
Subhead: DGP took Rs 5 cr from Secret Service fund, no explanation
Manoj Prasad
Ranchi, July 9: DGP Ram, a recipient of President’s Police Medal for meritorious services, allegedly charged with fraud and embezzlement. Ram withdrew Rs. 5.60 crore in cash from the secretariat branch of the State Bank of India on March 16, 2006 – a fortnight before he gave the withdrawal and disbursal power to the Additional DGP. With the AG raising objections, Chief Secretary AK Basu has written to Ram: DAG has raised certain objections regarding Secret Service Expenditure. The objections are very serious in nature and it needs to be examined thoroughly. Please send a detailed up-to-date report regarding the steps taken by you in this matter so that further course of action can be decided upon.” Money from the SS fund, according to Rule 4 of the Special Branch Manual (SBM), was to go to “informers who have given or are likely to give useful information of a secret nature, and whose identity must not be disclosed.”
Although the SBM states that the Secret Service Expenditure (SSE) account is not subject to scrutiny by an audit authority, the Bihar Financial Rules(BFR), which still apply in Jharkahnd , make it clear that “in respect of each officer authorized to incur secret service expenditure , Government will nominate a controlling officer who should conduct at least once in every financial year , a sufficiently real administrative audit of the expenditure incurred and furnish a certificate to the Accountant General”.
Copies in official documents in possession of The Indian Express show that the following withdrawals were made from the treasuries:
JULY 2005: Rs. 2.60 crore vide voucher no.0092 from Doranda.
March 2006: Rs. 5.60 crore vide voucher no.0025 from Secretariat.
May 2006: Rs. 60 lakh vide voucher no. 0080 from Doranda.
June 2006: Rs. 88.50 lakh vide voucher no. 0061 from Doranda.
May 2007: Rs. 1 crore vide voucher no. 0082 from Doranda.
September 2007: Rs.1 crore vide voucher no.0044 from Doranda.
March 2008: Rs.2.50 crore vide voucher no.0021 from Doranda.
Total withdrawal: Rs 14, 18,50, 000.
• Naxals building corridor through three states
Sreenivas Janyala
Hyderabad, July 12
Some 250 kms south of Rajnandgaon a larger and longer – term Naxal project- with wider and more dangerous ramifications – is currently under way. Maoists guerrillas are working to free up a Jungle corridor that connects Visakhapatnam district in Andhrapradesh with Dantewada in the heart of Chhattisgarh’s rebel stronghold.
If completed the corridor will pass through the district of Koraput and Malkangiri in South Orissa, giving control of a large area in the Andhra- Orissa- Chhattisgarh border area to the Maoists, and allow rebel cadres and arms to travel freely from the coast to deep inland.
• How Chhattisgarh fudged records for multi-crore paddy scam
Subhead: Rice procured only on paper, ‘bumper crop’ recorded in drought-hit tehsils
Joseph John
Raipur, July 12: Chhattisgarh is witnessing an alleged multi-crore scam with thousands of tonnes of paddy procured only on paper.
Glaring irregularities have surfaced in the scheme for procurement of paddy worth nearly 400 crore during the last kharif season on support price from farmers, with computerised official data indicating an alleged large-scale procurement on fake names by showing unusually higher paddy yield in almost all the districts and even bumper crop in drought-hit areas. Voluminous data generated from1,577 primary agriculture co-operative societies in 18 districts – through which the state had claimed to have procured 37.59 lakh MT of paddy this year – showed a large number of “farmers” selling curiously huge quantities of paddy on support price, inflating the yield of the land owned by the “farmers” concerned. Besides, the Food Corporation of India got 15 lakh – tonne paddy stocks as levy, pegging the total procurement at 52.59 lakh MT. The paddy procurement usually goes on for three to four months, and in this case, it started in October last year and continued till January this year.
This year, farmers fetched a support price of Rs.850 for common paddy and Rs.880 for ‘A’ grade paddy per quintal, besides a bonus of Rs 270 per quintal, which is higher than the normal bonus prevailing in other states. The names of many farmers appeared to be bogus. Also, most of the societies carried out procurement without following the state government guidelines that stipulated for close monitoring of procurement process by taking into consideration average yield per acre in each district , details of the land owned or possessed by the farmer concerned on the basis of revenue records, loan book and database available with the societies.
Being a massive exercise, involving stakeholders of more than 10 lakh farmers, 1,500 rice millers, 1,577 primary societies and 200 office and warehouse locations in seven government organizations, all guidelines and systems for checks and balances apparently went topsy-turvy and monitoring systems at district-level collapsed.
Complaints of bogus procurement at primary societies and withdrawal of support price and bonus on fake names surfaced as farmers came out in open, alleging that they did not sell such quantities of paddy as mentioned in the list available with the primary societies.
The state’s Food and Civil Supplies Department’s data throws light on many aspects of this year’s paddy procurement and its transportation to rice mills. While there are numerous instances that could question the authenticity of procurement in many of the primary societies, here are just 10 points to consider.
• A farmer named ‘Bazar S/o Shaniwar’, who possesses 0.001 hectare of land, produced and sold more than 232.38 quintals of paddy on support price at Amravati primary society in Bastar District.
• Another farmer with a similar name and son of ‘Shukravar’, whose 0.001 hectare land is under paddy cultivation , sold 153 quintals of paddy to the same society of Bastar.
• As many as 28 farmers with the name ‘Kamlu’ sold paddy to a society and their names continuously figured under serial numbers 123 to 150 in the records. In this society in Bastar region , there are three persons named Kamlesh, six farmers with the common name ‘Kamla’, nine with ‘Asaram’, nine others whose name is ‘Arkith’,13 named ‘Aiyathu’ and six called ‘Ayati’. The serial numbers mentioned in records indicate that all these farmers with common names went together to the society to sell their produce.
• In Koriya district, two farmers, who records say are not alive , sold 148 quintals of paddy was procured from 21 farmers without mentioning their names , father’s name and the area of land owned by them.
• The state’s Revenue and Rehabilitation Department had declared 33 tehsils in eight districts of Raipur, Mahasamund, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham (Kawardha) , Kanker, Bilaspur and Bijapur as drought-hit and suspended revenue recovery provisions of land revenue code 1959. But data from societies in these ‘drought-affected’ tehsils shows bumper crop at many places.
• In all the districts, there are primary societies which had ‘procured’ more quantity of paddy from the farmers than the actual average paddy yield in the respective district. State’s average yield per hectare in Kharif area ranged from 15 to 20 quintals while in some districts procurement surpassed this limit.
• The total paddy production was estimated at 54.77 lakh and the total paddy procured through societies and levy stood at 52.59 lakh MT, which are more than 96 percent. This is being considered as an impossible situation.
• In Dantewada , Kanker and Bastar districts, the state government guidelines permitted cash payment upto Rs 5,000 to farmers and payment up to Rs.10,000 through bearer cheque, throwing up opportunities for making bogus entries and fake payments. Records of Alnar primary society in Bastar showed entries such as procurement from “Wednesday weekly market” on January 28, without mentioning any details of the farmers concerned.
• In Korba district, mechanism for monitoring the procurement process was not in place between the procurement period from October 2008 to January this year, despite clear guidelines in this regard.
• Even after completion of procurement process, paddy stocks with different primary societies were transported to rice mills for custom milling on vehicles which on verification with the Road Transport Authority turned out to be cars and motorcycles.
• How this decrepit Bengal Thana was a sitting duck for the Maoists
Subhead: All arms and ammunition were kept locked away, station has no door
Ravik Bhattacharya
Sankrail, October 21: At least 24 policemen, including constables, inspectors and homeguards, were present at the Sankrail police station when the Maoists stuck at 1.30 pm on October 17. Not one shot was fired in retaliation. The Indian Express investigation has revealed how unprepared the police force is – and the abysmal state of their working and living conditions.
Consider the Following:
There were 13 constables, 5 home guards 3 national volunteer force members and 3 sub-inspectors at the police station when the Maoists struck. Not one policeman was armed. For, the practice here is to keep the weapons locked in trunks. Even Officer – in- charge (OC) Atindranath Dutta, who was abducted, was at his home unarmed. The police station had six .303 rifles, three revolvers, one 9-mm pistol and 180 rounds of ammunition – all locked up in the malkhana (store-room). The reason is the weapons are no match to those used by the Naxals – so keeping them locked up is “safer.” Until the last Lok Sabha elections in May when they got rifles, the constables here had only lathis. A recommendation for changing the guns was done by the constables of the police-thana. But it was overlooked. So when the Maoists struck, the police station was a sitting duck. The attackers raided the malkhana and took away all the 10 guns and the ammunition. Moreover, it was lunchtime, the constables were either eating or taking a nap. As they heard gunshots, they fled into the forest behind the station. Those who could not flee were killed. They took away police-uniforms, their cell-phones and cash.
The barracks , adjacent to the police station, is home to 13 constables and a driver. The ceiling in the barracks has chunks falling off. There’s no door and it’s open from both sides. The windows are broken. For 14 men, there is one toilet and the kitchen is in the open. Three years ago, the state PWD acquired 2.5 bighas across from the present police station. A sum of Rs 5 lakh was sanctioned to erect a new police station. The project is abandoned with only two rooms built which are now used by the OC two rooms built which are now used by the OC as his residence. Ironically, the Jhargram police station, barely 35 km from Sankarail, is considered “prone to Maoist violence” and has bunkers, members of State Armed Police with Insas rifles guarding it 24 hours. But the Sankrail station has no boundary wall and is situated in an open field, with a forest behind it. The dilapidated building and the adjacent barracks are rented from a local businessman. The police station has no door, no bunker to thwart an attack.
• The Maoist in his own, words
Subhead: During his police interrogation, senior Naxal leader Narla Rabi Sharma is said to have talked about the organisational structure of the CPI (Maoist), its plans and how money moves within the outfit. The Indian Express pieces together details of his interrogation after extensive interviews with the investigators.
Subrata Nagachoudhary
October 25: The Indian Express pieced together after extensive interviews with the investigators, reveal the Naxals’ organizational structure, their plans and the sources of their funds. Sharma told the Police that the Naxal Cadres usually start working in areas with large populations of tribals and backward classes. They set up bases in these areas and establish Area Committees and Zonal Committees. The party cadre in these committees in Bihar and Jharkhand, Sharma is learnt to have disclosed, are well armed and have dozens of Insas, AK-47 s, carbines, 9mm pistols, rifles and improved guns. A lot of weapons were snatched from police-stations and barracks and improvised firearms were acquired from local arms dealer and smugglers. They have trained 30-40 youth from Bihar and Jharkhand for 15 days in the Jungles of Gotang and elsewhere. He has admitted to violent strikers in Latehar and Mouka in Jharkhand. There some many details which were exposed. He divulged details about logical guerrilla squads, village defence squads and two Regional Military Commissions. Investigators said Sharma mentioned two companies working under the Eastern Regional Bureau – the Jharkahnd-Orissa Company and the Jharkhand-Bihar Company. Sharma interacted with members of the Central Military Commission, including General Committee, Politburo and General Military Commissions, including General Secretary Muppala Laxman Rao alias Ganpati, CMC in charge Basab Raj, West Bengal incharge Koteshwara Rao alias Kishanji, Kobad Ghandy and Amit Baghchi. He operated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Assam, the Central Regional Bureau in Andhra Pradesh and Dandalkaranya (the Bastar region), the Northern Regional Bureau in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan, and the South-west Regional Bureau in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Plan, the target: Maoists intend to set up an ‘education propaganda wing’. Sharma had been inducted to indoctrinate the youth cadres as well as translate books and magazines from Telugu to English. The Central Committee also planned to infiltrate into political parties so it could keep abreast of political developments and forge a closer relationship with intellectuals and radical students unions. Sharma admitted to knowing noted writer Mahashweta Devi and human rights activist Sujata Bhadra well.
The Funds
The annual expenditure for Jharkhand and Bihar amounts to about Rs. 70-80 lakh every year. The Central Committee gives the lion’s share to the State Committees. About two-thirds of the State Committees’ annual expenditure is taken care of by the Central Committee and it raises the remaining amount from levies or fines.
Investigative stories on Defence & strategy
• In Kolkata, NSG battles heat, water shortage
Inquiry finds funds misuse by skydiving team of Navy
India’s new worry: terror phones jammed, with some Pak help
‘I went looking for my lost Yak and I saw them building bunkers’
• Near Tiger Hill, Point 5353 still Pak-occupied Subhead: The Point has a clear view of the NH connecting the Kashmir valley with Kargil
• Pak wants ‘Pink foam’ from terror trawler
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• Brahmputra Dams: Govt was alerted, did not move
• Mystery girlfriends, ‘romantic email’ in Great Headley Chase
• Before 26/11, terrorists’ handlers made random calls across India to keep their Net account active
Sagnik Chowdhury
Mumbai July 11 : The Pak based Lashkar-e-Toiba handlers of the 26/11 attackers made a series of random phone calls to numbers across India-in the days before the terror strike – to keep their voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) account active after an email from their US service provider saying that the account , purchased in October, wasn’t generating any traffic. It was the VoIP account , bought using the e-mail id kharak_telco@yahoo.com , that the handlers used to call the 10 attackers on their mobile phones. This is borne out by email exchanges between the handlers and Call-phonex , the New Jersey- based service provider, and an investigation by Mumbai police that checked and cleared each number dialled.
The calls were random is evident from some of the numbers they dialled. They called 66665353, 66665363 in Mumbai, which do not exist. According to call data record they made five calls on November 23. One of them was to a number in Pune which lasted 17 seconds.
As many as 38 random calls were made to numbers across India after the Call- phonex mail on November 24, with 18 calls on November 24; 16 on November 25 and four on November 26 until before the 10 attackers landed in Mumbai. The called numbers were in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Delhi, Kolkata, Patiala, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Express accessed four e-mail exchanges between kharak_telco@yahoo.com and Callphonex.
At 12.40 p.m. on November 23, 2008, hours after the 10 attackers set sail from Karachi, an e-mail was sent from khark_telco@yahoo.com to sales@callphonex.net with the subject ‘DIDs’, referring to Direct Inward Dialling numbers: “ Dear Sir, Tell me how many payment I got to pay you for DIDs? When they will expire? If they gonna expire plz don’t stop them, I will pay 2days, when you say. Keep them working , thanks.’(sic)
At 2:07 p.m. the same day, a reply is sent from the callphonex e-mail id: “Dear Kharak, 3x$50=$150(3 months DIDs fees). They expire the 27 midnight. Thank you.”(sic)
At 5:29 a.m. on November 24, Callphonex responds to an email sent by Kharak Singh on October 21 with the subject ‘Re: Payment for DID’. Investigations believe that call-phonex may not have responded to this mail when Singh had sent it or were resending it after his November 23 enquiry: “ I gave you a reseller access based on the understanding you have traffic around $2000/month (your email date 10/11: i am in India. It’s 2 years I am selling different account). Are you going to give me your business/traffic? Regard.’(sic)
Kharak Singh replies to this email at 5:50 a.m. on November 24: “ dear sir , I a will send traffic by end of this month. Just wanna keep your vsr active when I start. Just 7 days. Will start from Ist December. Today I gonna pay $150 for just a refresh.
Thanks.’ (sic)
• Nearly half of Russian air- to-air missiles with IAF have homing, ageing problems: CAG report
Manu Pubby
New Delhi, July 15: An audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has noted that nearly half the missiles tested either did not home in on targets during evaluations or failed ground tests because they were ageing much before their shelf lives.
The R 77 (RVV-AE) BVR missiles, fitted on board the Su-30 MKIs, MiG-29s and MiG-21 Bisons, were bought from Russia starting 1996. More than 2,000 missiles were ordered after the Kargil conflict and 1,000 have been delivered.
The CAG report, which will be released soon, is based on evaluations of the missile- its range is close to 90 km- during ground tests, inspections and test firing by the IAF. The missiles were bought at a cost of Rs 2 crore each” but their failure during test has affected the “operational preparedness” of the IAF. All the figures in the report are based on air force records. This problem with the missiles was referred to Russia and several teams subsequently visited India to rectify faults. IAF officers familiar with the missiles confirmed that this has been a problem area for a long. “Missiles do not work as we would like them to. Periodic tests that are carried out when they are in storage show their dismal state. There are also some problems in the spare parts” told a retired officer who was closely associated with the matter.
We did not have our own testing facilities, they had to be tested in Russia. The question to be asked is whether the government approved testing facilities for the missiles in India. These were the missiles which kept out Pak F-165 during Kargil.
• T-72 tanks moved to remote Sikkim area after China tests Indian defences
Manu Pubby
New Delhi,July 27: Chinese moves to test Indian control of the strategic Finger Area in North Sikkim last year have prompted the Army to deploy heavy tanks, T-72 and armoured personnel carriers in the region and strengthen defensive positions.The mobilisation took place after repeated Chinese transgressions last year in the Finger area, a one kilometre stretch of land in the northern tip of Sikkim that overlooks a valley called the Sora Funnel and is considered a strong defensive position. China too has tanks on its side of the border, they are deployed well inside its territory. China does not need to deploy tanks on the border because the terrain and roads on its side makes it easy to bring them at short notice. India, on the other hand, has no option but to keep them on the border as it would take days to get the tanks up from the plains.
Besides the tanks, the Army has strengthened other defences in the region, particularly around the Finger Area. Permanent posts have been set up on heights and bunkers have been strengthened. The Army has also increased surveillance capabilities in the region. At least two Long Range Observation Systems which can detect, record and transmit live images of an area under observation, have been set up in the Finger Area. The Finger Area entered controversy last year after the Chinese increased patrolling and planned to build a road through it. While the area was always under Indian control, the Army used to send regular patrols and held only a few traditional defensive positions.
• Pradhan’s Revelations- I
What went wrong 26/11:
Cops clueless on Nariman house, 5 patrol boats were stuck in Worli
Pranab Dhal Samanta
New Delhi, August 6: In June, The Indian Express, in a 10-part investigation, answered some of these questions. The Ram Pradhan Committee is learnt to have echoed this newspaper’s findings--- and revealed startling new facts via testimonies of the key characters involved.
Rampradhan report is said to have glaring responses and the disturbing extent to which red-tape stalled the upgrade of the city police force. The committee makes startling revelation; how the top police brass did not know that Nariman House had Jewish residents until the attack; how Mumbai’s 56 –member police Quick Reaction Team had done no firing practice since September 2007 for lack of ammunition; how five Cuffe Parade police patrol boats- meant to be in the area where the 10 terrorists landed – were away, tackling a protest in Worli against the Sea Link. And how intelligence alerts were sifted first by a “desk officer” who hardly ever passed these to his seniors.
It’s also learnt that the Pradhan Committee backed the New York Police chief’s assessment that the Mumbai Police, in its current structure, would not have been able to respond and deal with attacks like the ones on 26/11 – where the terrorists were far better trained, armed and equipped. The committee is said to have praised Mumbai Police but has also noted that it was as if the police were responding to a “law order situation” and not a terrorist attack.
Some glaring lapses the committee is said to have revealed:
Nariman House: Issaq Ibrahim Bagwan, ACP of the Azad Maidan division, was among the first to respond to explosions in the Colaba area. It is believed that the committee has found that no one had any idea of the “significance” of Nariman House.
The ACP apparently came to know about the Jewish residents only on reaching the spot. Bagwan has also been praised for “pinning down’ terrorists by organising fire from adjacent building until the NSG commandoes arrived. Incidentally, alerts on Jewish individuals being possible targets had gone from the Centre on several occasions.
Patrol Boats: There were five patrol boats, controlled by DCP (Port), which were to have been patrolling the area where the terrorists landed. However it’s now known that all these patrol boats were in the Worli area where the Machchimar agitation against the Worli Sea Link project had been under way since November 24, 2008. As a result no patrol boats were present on the Cuffe Parade side. In fact , sources said, the committee found that the DCP in-charge Madhukar Kohe, learnt of the events from TV, hired a trawler and stationed himself in front of the Taj Hotel much later.
Desk Officer System: The committee is said to have found “total confusion” in the manner in which intelligence alerts are handled. Senior bureaucrats dealing with internal security had not received any of the several alerts that had been marked from the Centre to the DGP, who had sent it ahead action. Why?
Because the alerts went to a desk officer who “may or may not keep the higher officials informed”.
The committee is learnt to have pulled up the Secretary in its report and called it a violation of the Bombay Police Act 1951. As a result, no top bureaucrat in Maharashtra Mantralaya was aware of these threats and consequently, neither the political leadership.
Quick Reaction Teams: This 56-member force, which induces eight officers, was spilt into four or five smaller groups that apparently reduced is effectiveness. The QRT is the best –equipped and trained unit in the Mumbai Police to respond to such attacks. It was trained for three months under the NSG in 2003 when it was raised , but they are said to have told the committee that they received no hostage-rescue training at NSG’s Manesar training facility. More significantly, they have not had any firing practice since September 2007 because of “shortage of practice ammunition”. Not just that , they had only 24 bullet proof helmets for 56 personnel.
Flying Squads: Maharashtra had created 100 flying squads of motorcycle-borne commandoes in terms of two each, of which 46 squads were meant for Mumbai- 92 cops trained in Martial arts and armed with more sophisticated weapons than the regular police. The committee is said to have found that this system is now in “disuse”. There are still 58 policemen set aside for the job they played no role in the 26/11 operations. It’s learnt that the committee’s report lays bare numerous loopholes and significant unmasks the fact that the modernization of the police force, though envisaged on paper, never took off.
As a result, on 26/11 , the force reacted in a chaotic manner with several hotel employees confirming to inquiry officials that many policemen just entered with lathis- in some cases, the antiquated .303 rifles.
Pradhan’s Revelations- II
Archaic guns, no ammo, all tied up with Govt red tape
• Ammunition worth Rs 65 crore is needed if a policeman has to fire at least 40 rounds each year. Mumbai Police got only Rs 3 crore each year for the past five years.
• No ammunition for firing practice – the last lot received: 45,000 AK-47 rounds in 2005.
• The team that first entered the Taj Hotel had all of one.303.
Bhagavt Kacharu Bansode, the first police officer to enter the Trident, had one revolver.
And the list goes on and on as the Ram Pradhan Committee is learnt to have detailed the vulnerability of a police force and how it fought the terrorists with its hands tied. The report is said to underline how Maharashtra Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujabal- in his earlier stint back in 2000 – made it mandatory for every vendor to be approved by the Deputy CM’s office(his office) for any police purchase beyond Rs. 25 lakh. The even after all regular sanctions were received.
Results: Bottlenecks, delays, no upgradation of equipment and ammunition. It’s learnt that the committee has pointed to the specific instance of Standard Date, Additional Commissioner of Mumbai’s central region, whose pistol did not work when he and his team confirmed the terrorists at Cama Hospital.
The terrorists escaped, killing members of Date’s team besides injuring him. Date is said to have escaped because the terrorists probably thought he was dead.
The Director General of Police is said to have told the committee that there was no ammunition for firing practice and that the last lot he received was 4500 AK-47 rounds in 2005.
The State Home Department contested this, saying ammunition was given in subsequent years too. But the Pradhan committee was not able to reconcile these differences and has taken serious note of this discrepancy between file and fact.
The committee, sources said, was also informed that ammunition worth Rs 65 crore is needed if a cop must fire at least 40 rounds annually. But only Rs 3 crore was received every year for the past five years, leading to serious lack of training.
On the equipment front, the Indian Ordnance Factory may have stopped making .410 Muskets and .303 rifles but the Maharashtra government’s draft weapon policy to change to AK47s, 5.56 Insas Rifles, 9mm carbines and 7.62 SLRs received “in principle” approval only last June. This delayed approval meant cost-escalation.
According to reliable sources, the committee visited Pune- another sensitive security location and a potential terror target- where it dropped by at a police station.
It was said to be “aghast” by the level of preparedness there. When asked to show bullet-proof jackets, the police brought a 1990s vintage jacket that weighed 10-12 kg.
Besides these, it’s learnt that the committee highlighted other discrepancies:
• Standard Operating Procedures: According to the SoP, the Crisis Management Group should have been formed under a Joint Commissioner of Police immediately. But it never met. The C MG is take charge of all control rooms but none of this happened. It’s learnt the committee observed a lack of cohesion” in the Police Commissioner’s office. What has particularly been pointed out is that the decision to remove the extra security at the Taj Hotel days before the attack despite intelligence threats was taken at a “higher level”. Also, no debriefing took place after the incident and officials were only asked to file a plain report.
• Assault Mobiles: Just like the quick Reaction Team, this is supposed to be another anti-terror outfit with the Mumbai police located at seven points across the city. While they do get better arms and ammunition, the committee is learnt to have these men are shuffled around every year making it “nothing more than armed police”- ineffective to deal with a 26/11 kind of attack.
• Communication: With communication equipment outdated and out of range very quickly, the Pradhan committee is said to have found that Mumbai Police officials largely depended on private cellular phones for communication which too got jammed in course of time.
For a long time, sources said, the Mumbai Police thought that the handlers were in the city and it was only through “fortuitous circumstances” that the phone link with Pakistan-based handlers was ascertained.
• China begins building dam on its side of the Brahmaputra
Subhead: In 2006, Delhi raised concerns on reports of water diversion, was told no such plans
Pranab Dhal Samanta
New Delhi, October 14: Evidences collected by The Indian express suggested that China has begun constructing a dam on the river which it calls the Yarlungzangbo (better known as Yarlong Tsangpo to the Tibetans). Zangmu hydroelectrical project was inaugurated on March 16 this year and the first concrete was poured on April 2. The Chinese plan to have a series of five medium-sized dams along the river in the Nanshan region of Tibet at Zangmu, Jiacha or Gyasta, Jiexu and Langzhen. This dam is expected to generate 540 MW; its height will be 116 m and length 389.5 m, it’s 19 m wide at the top and 76 m wide at the bottom. According to information that is being circulated by companies involved in the project, the Zangmu dam is gravity dam with water-blocking structures which could mean construction of a reservoir. Some academic articles have set off fears of hydroelectric projects and water diversion plans on the Brahmaputra in Tibet about three years ago. Then, India had taken up the matter with China, Beijing had then assured New Delhi that these were just articles in the press and “no concrete decision” had been taken. The assumption here was that China was looking only at tributaries of the Brahmaputra but the Zangmu dam project is well after all tributaries have joined the river. The two countries had then agreed to establish a joint mechanism for sharing technological data on rivers like the Brahmputra and Sutlej. This exchange, however, has been restricted to flood season data and Indian efforts to widen the scope of information – sharing have not moved forward. But this time China did not inform India about its plans or this specific project. Satellite images from February show construction activity in Zangmu and Jiacha with evidence of labour quarters. The consequences to India from this project and the others – about which little information is known – can only be ascertained if more information is shared and teams are allowed to access the site. The tendering process for this entire project is being overseen by the Three Gorges International Corporation.
• Two Generals under scanner in probe into Darjeeling real estate fraud
Manu Pubby
New Delhi, October 27: Two seniormost Generals have come under the scanner in probe of alleged land scam in Sukana of Darjeeling. This has put on hold the appointment of Lt. Gen P K Rath, who was commanding 33 Corps when the matter came to light, as the DCAS (Information System and Training). The inquiry pertains to the sale and transfer of a tea estate in Sukana near the 3 Corps HQ. The estate, which lies close to the HQ, had been put up for sale a few years ago. As it lay adjacent to Defence land, an Army NOC was required for its transfer. The sale was halted after the Army refused to give an NOC, keeping in mind the security of the cantonment. The Army instead offer to buy the land from the tea-estate owner, given its location. But in an about turn, the sale and transfer was cleared later after the institution pleaded that it would be setting up a school on the poverty and was an affiliate for Mayo college. The NOC for transfer of land was allegedly granted on this very basis. After construction works began on the tea estate, it came to light that the Mayo College had nothing to do with the land and told the Army it did not have any affiliate that was setting up a school in Darjeeling. The Army inquiry was launched shortly afterwards and Rath was asked to stay back in Darjeeling.
• Calls link Headley-Rana to 26/11’s Lashkar handlers
Pranab Dhal Samanta &Shishir Gupta
Geneva , New Delhi, November 22: Over a month after the FBI disclosed its findings in the David Coleman Headley- Tahawwur Rana case, Indian investigators have obtained a lead that could link the duo to the 26/11 attacks. Top sources confirmed that New Delhi has sought some additional information from Washington which could help piece together this crucial evidence. It’s learnt that the response from US authorities has been positive and India was hoping for quick results. This link, sources said, relates to a Pakistan contact of one of the two accused. This contact was involved in the 26/11 attacks and there is some evidence of him being in touch with either Headley or Rana. Government sources have confirmed to The Sunday Express in New Delhi that the National Investigative Agency (NIA), after scanning call records, has found that the duo had made calls to the same numbers that were in touch with the LeT attackers in Taj Palace Hotel and Towers and Trident Hotel during 26/11. According to the 26/11 chargesheet, Abdul Rehman Bada, Javed, Abu Shoaib and Abu Umer were holed up in Taj Hotel while Abdul Rehman Chotta and Fahadullah attacked Trident Hotel. These terrorists, the chargesheet says, called four numbers (012012531824, 43720880764, 43720880767 and 43720880768) to get in touch with their handlers in Pakistan. A total of 41 calls (8,834 seconds) were made from the Taj and 62 calls (5,705 seconds) were made from the Trident to Pakistan using VOIP provided by the Callphonex company. In fact, the NIA has also found that Headley, who stayed nearly for 13 months during his nine visits to India, and Rana tried to cover their tracks by using public phone calls booths and mobiles of their friends during that period.
[ J&K story]
No Names in Final Shopian panel report
• Shopian panel even suspects victim
DOUBLE RAPE- MURDER
Subhead: Clueless on culprits, Justice Jan slams cops, victim’s brother, husband
• J&K on the boil, sex scam case runs out of steam in Chandigarh
Subhead: Only charges framed till now, absence of witnesses blamed
• The J&K’s Files
Subhead: As J&K sex scandal case resurfaced with last week’s drama in the Assembly, The Indian Express tracks down Sabina, the kingpin in the case, whose statement still haunts the political elite of the state
Muzammil Jaleel
Sabina, the Kingpin behind J&K’s sex scandal in 2006 went into anonymity. She has changed her name to Mehnaz after came into contact with an Islamist Women’s Group. Sabina’s story begins from Ijhara village in Uri. She shifted to Srinagar and in 2000 married to Abdul Hameed Bulla, an employee in the state health department at Habakadal in downtown Srinagar. Sabina developed contacts with Riyaz Ahmad Langoo to establish a well-known sex abuse ring. Langoo helped her in making and maintaining contacts with highly placed police officials and politician. She, very first time, moved to flesh trade at Chinkaral in Srinagar. She encouraged supplying the girls to police, politician and Security force officer and politician. Due to this particular supply, despite public gazed it, her activity could be protected.
The First Hush-up: On October 7,2000, the police received information that a man was escorting a group of three girls to New Delhi for prostitution and they were about to cross the Benihal tunnel. A team from the Quazigund police station laid an ambush near Glass Tower chowki on the national highway and the group was arrested. The man was identified as Nitesh Kumar of 11-28 Motigarh, Delhi.
As soon as the girls were identified , the policemen knew the case was sensitive. One of the girls, Gulshana Akhtar alias Pepsi of Kaw Mohalla. In downtown Srinagar, was a Special Police Officer. During the investigations, she was hostile towards the police men, repeatedly dropping the name of a senior police officer. One of the investigators informed his superiors and the young sub-inspector received a surprise order: Don’t pursue the case. Shaken by the clout of the girls, the policemen buried the file and let the four free.
Eight years later, the case is still “under investigation”. The case file, that had detailed confession reports of the three women and the man, is missing from the Quazigund police station. Though Sabina and Pepsi ran separate prostitutions rings, they shared several of their high profile clientele.
The Second Hush-up:
The police carried out raids across the city and the Sabina was arrested along with her husband Bhulla, businessmen Ashwani Singh and Jagbeer Singh, trader Ghulam Quadir Bhat, besides four girls. Surveillance of Sabina’s phone turned the complexion of the case. Sabina had been running a prostitution ring with an exclusive clientele of powerful politicians, security forces and police officers. The fear of exposure led the Police to call a press briefing but they deliberately omitted “explosive details” that had linked the ring to politicians, security force officers and Police officers. Even the testimonials of the four girls arrested in the case in October 2004 were struck off the case file. However, the J&K Police’s intelligence wing had informed the state government , especially the then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, of the involvement of ministers, legislators, police and security force officers but it was hushed up because of fear of the fallout on the coalition government.
Sabina was not disturbed till March 14, 2006, when a group of elders from Habakadal’s welfare committee approached the Shaheedgunj police station with two porn CDs and filed a complaint , saying a local girl was had been filmed. The police identified the girl as a 15-year old girl from Drebyar, Habakadal, who was called along with his parents and questioned. The story of the 15-year-old victim was linked to Sabina and her clients. The Police arrested Sabina’s associate Riyaz Langoo and Naseer Ahmed.
Once Sabina’s name was cropped up during investigations, the top police brass sought a report from the then Police officer Javaid Koul, who was investigating the case. He sent a written confidential report to his superiors, outlining the involvement of Sabina in what was organized rape of a minor by top politicians, police and security force officers. Immediately , the investigators were asked to hush up the case.
When The Indian Express exposed the racket on April 29, quoting the confidential report, the police arrested Sabina.
The Final hush up: The CBI probe initially went full steam. Two former ministers, a BSF DIG, a top IAS officer and senior police officers were arrested while several top J&K politicians, including ministers, legislators and officers were named. Investigations conducted by The Indian Express reveal that the CBI has prepared no formal list of suspects. However , the list, which was referred to in the House by former Deputy CM and PDP leader Muzaffar Beig on July 28, was the ‘List of Codes Allotted to Other Persons’ prepared during the CBI’s investigations into the sex scandal.
Omar Abdullah’s name does figure at serial number 102 of this list of people whose names had appeared but could not be corroborated later. Farooq Abdullah’s name is at serial number C-38 but his residence is mentioned as Coop Colony, Peerbaugh. Abdullah’s residence has always been the high security Gupkar Road and there is no Farooq Abdullah at Co-operative colony, Peerbagh.
Most of the 192 names on this list are either wrongly spelt or only first name with sketchy details about their profession , residential addresses and other identification. For example , one top bureaucrat is named as ‘Gora Chitta Commissioner’. The High Court order had said that the girls had “denied the alleged occurrences” and so, did not find it proper to name the people who had appeared in Sabina’s statement. The CBI insists that the total number of accused in the case is 37, of whom 17 were chargesheeted in six different cases while there was no evidence against anyone else. In fact, sources in the CBI reveal that a lot of names were being deliberately and wrongly brought up during the probe with an aim to settle score.
• Shopian Case: trail of neglect is behind the DNA collapse
Muzamil Jaleel
Srinagar, August 13: Mujamil Jaleel trailed negligence which resulted into collapse of DNA of two Shopian Victims. On May 30, the bodies were found, a team of doctors was called to the sight. Nazia, a doctor from the team told that vaginal examination of the bodies could not be conduced because rigor mortis had set in. Bilques (another doctor) deposed she was so “scared” of the crowd that she could not perform any test. A second team of doctors was called from District Hospital, Pulwama to do a fresh post-mortem: gynaecologist Nighat along with Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ghulam Quadir Mohammad Maqbool without having sufficient material like gloves, mask, cotton not even (a) microscope. They rushed to market to buy slides on which they could take vaginal swabs. Another negligence took place when Dr. Nighat dropped one of the slide and broke in panic. The doctors made only one slide of each victim. The slides were not sealed when these were handed over to Pulwama’s Chief Medical Officer Ghulam Mohammad Paul. He kept them in an envelope and put them in his locker. The slides were taken out of Paul’s locker on May 31. Paul sent Block Medical Officer Ghulam Mohammad Bhat to the FSL with the envelope carrying the slides. Bhat reached FSL at 5 pm on May 31. FSL refused to accept the slides because the envelope was not sealed properly and did not have the doctor’s official stamp. So the BMO went to Dr Nighat’s home in Srinagar and got the envelop resealed and re-stamped, FSL had closed for the day. Meanwhile, head constable Ghulam Nabi from Shopian Police Station had also come to FSL, Srinagar, carrying samples of the two victims’ blood and viscera. Bhat handed over the envelope carrying the slides to Nabi and asked him to submit it to FSL the next morning. The constable reported at the Ram Munshi Bag police station carrying the envelope in his pocket and stayed the night “somewhere in the city”. SIT is now investigating vaginal swab slides of other cases collected by district hospital, Pulawama. It has found four swabs taken before the Shopian case, on February 17 and 22, April 25 and May 20. The possibility of change of the slides is at only two places- Pulwama Hospital and FSL, Srinagar, and we are investigating both possibilities. On June 6, the report was sent to Police Headquarters where it was kept until DGP Kuldeep Khuda returned from leave. And it was only after his clearance that the report was sent to investigators. And they forwarded the slides and the report to New Delhi on July 22 after the high court ordered them to do so.
Law & order based Investigative stories
17 years, 48 Extensions; Secrecy was the buzzword.
Subhead: Instead of Commission staff, Liberhan used different typists while writing the report.
• Whistleblower in Judge-Minister case was murdered
• Murdered whistleblower in exam scam now an ‘accused’ (the follow-up story)
Babri files: Liberhan panel did not summon UP officer wasn’t supposed to appear before
8 years later, no justice in sight for Gopika
After 13 years, dead man walks; but one accused killed himself, another mentally unstable
‘Inexperienced doctor took Arushi vaginal swab, didn’t record it in post-mortem’
• En route to Liberhan, Babri files got lost in Officer’s mystery death:
Subhead: OSD Sadh died in Delhi ‘rail accident’, family alleges foul play
Maneesh Shahu
Lucknow, July 8: Mystery remains unsolved as the murder of Subhash Sadh complexes it. UP Chief Secretary Atul Gupta submitted a letter from the Home Secretary stating that the missing files had last been with Subhash Bhan Sadh. Subhash Sadh was on special duty in the Communalism Control Cell of the UP Home Department , who died in “Train accident” at New Delhi’s Tilak Bridge Station.
Subhash sadh’s father Birbhan Sadh filed a petition in Delhi High Court doubted the death as murder. 23 secret files are still missing . 2002 Delhi High Court asked CID to probe Sadh’s death, yet no progress observed. Police theory has also many loopholes. They claimed that Subhash Sadh was carrying secret files but he was travelling second class. They did not record statement of co-passengers. The accident is co-produced with a vendor’s statement, who, from another platform saw Subhash falls from the train. Ranbir Jain , Sadh’s lawyer said that Sadh was carrying contact numbers of several officials and lawyers he was supposed to meet but the Police mad no attempt to contact any of them. He said he got to know of the “accident” only through an anonymous call, which remained ‘untraced’.
• THE LAST ROAD
Subhead: Murdered whistleblower Yogendra Pandey cancelled Vats Constructions’ Contract for the Sitamarhi- Riga- Dheng road project just before he died. The Indian Express finds that only 6 km of the 24-km project is motorable.
Santosh Singh
Sitamarhi-Riga – Dheng Road,
July 8.
It’s been 20 days since PWD engineer Yogendra Pandeya died under mysterious circumstances , soon after receiving threats from the road construction ‘Mafia’ in Sitamarhi district. Traveling along the Sitamarhi- Riga-Dheng Road , it is to understand why the reportedly upright engineer cancelled the contract given to Kishore Singh’s Vats Construction and subsequently blacklisted the company for failing to meet its May 30,2009 , deadline. Singh , who had beaten up Pandey on June 6 , is under CBI watch.
As the India Express journeyed on the road in question, it was clear that only 6 km of the 24-km project was “motorable” as per PWD specifications. The rest of the 18-km stretch is a mixture of stone and moraine or poor concrete road with inadequate bitumen. There are six stretches where there is no discernable road at all- not even any soil filling to be seen.
At two places (along 1.5-km), only one side of the road has been built. What one could see along the stretch in the name of the company’s commitment to complete the project was heaps of soil on the roadside, used for no purpose other than as a makeshift sandpit for children. In 2006, Vats Constructions was awarded a contract of Rs.12.63 crore for the repair, widening and strengthening of Sitamarhi- Riga(9 km) and Riga- Dheng road projects. After the company pressed for fully payment this April, the PWD engineer inspected the sites and doled out Rs.6 crore as the work was incomplete.
Yogendra Pandeya’s Last Projects
Road Company
Contractors
Sitamarhi- Riga-Dheng
Vats Constructions
Riga – Parsauni
Vats Constructions
Sasaula- Apta
Vats Constructions
Narha- Dumri
Rajendra Singh and Brothers
Runi Saidpur- Nanpur
Rajendra Singh and Brothers
Riga-Majorganj-Dhengh
Rajendra Singh and Brothers
Charaut-Musra-Balwa
S KYadav
Sursand-Parihar
DevendraYadav
Parwaha- LAlbandi
Birendra Yadav
Kumma-Bela
Biltec
Riga-Parsani
S K Enterprise
Kusmari-Basantpatti
S K Enterprise
Shehor-Minapur Madhur K Singh
• In Sitamarhi engineer death, suicide most foul for Police
Sanjay Singh :
Sitamarhi , July 8. “Agar murder nikla to koi baat nahin agar suicide(by abetment)hoga to hum bhi nahi bach sakte”. (If it turns out to be murder we can handle it, but if its suicide by abetment even we’ll be in trouble).” These were the words of the senior Police official on the mysterious death of PWD engineer Yogendra Pandey, who ‘fell’ to his death on June 18 from the Sitamarhi collectorate.
A murder would mean that the CBI can detain a few persons and can only hold detain a few persons and can only hold the district police (SP in this case) responding for the negligence for not providing security to Pandey.
But if it is suicide, Sitamarhi SP Chhatranil Singh is in for serious trouble. An abetment to suicide case under Section 306 of IPC can be registered against him, his reader and a constable , along with some others.
The Express investigation at Sitamarhi showed that the DM’s office had forwarded Pandey’s request for security twice (in May 2008 and June 2009). It was upto the SP to ensure that Pandey’s request was met.
• Till Khap Panchayats do them part
Subhead: Every year, around 100 legitimate marriages in Haryana are annulled by Khap Panchayats, but successive governments have refrained from dealing with it.
Dinker Vashisht
Chandigarh, July 28: 500 policemen are protecting a dozen members of the Gehlawat family in Dhrana village of Jhajjar district. The only reason is that their son Ravindra dared to marry the girl of same ‘Gotra’. Ved pal (23) was lynched in a village of Jind district for allegedly committing the ‘same crime’. Pal had come to take his wife back, armed with a High Court order. The Court has also sent a Warrant Officer with him. But even the presence of police could not prevent his death. These are the two instances of Justice delivered by Khap panvhayat of Haryana. A Jat social structure of medieval times, the Khap is a collective panchayat of several villages or castes. Each Khap is governed by a set of brotherhood, which means that conjugal relations between a set of Gotras within that particular Khap are barred. Over the years, successive governments have shown feebleness in dealing with the issue. These Khaps are headed by local Jat leaders. The politicians depend on their support during elections. Some Khaps have a size as huge as 84 villages (Satrod in Hissar) or over one lakh people (Meham in Rohtak). The idea of gotra differs from Khap to Khap. In Ravinder’s case, a marriage between Kadiyan and Gehlawat is barred. But the same is allowed in his bride’s village in Panipat. The government’s attempt to bring about an egalitarian structure by nominating Dalits and women in statutory panchayat has also failed, as Khaps never allow any political interference.
• Their identities disclosed, facing probes and cases, whistleblowers do rounds of courts
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, August 30: The Indian Express Journalist compiled cases which shows how the Whistleblowers are being harassed, charge-sheeted, had been summoned and suspended. One such case is of Azam Siddiqui who exposed a Rs-100 crore scam at the BSNL exchange in Allahabad. Since then he is being charge-sheeted, while his Juniors are being promoted. Other such case is that of Abhijit Ghosh, a General Manager with the Central Bank of India who has been suspended for almost a year now and was served three charge-sheets earlier. Incidentally Ghosh himself did a five-year stint in the CVC. In 2008, he filed a complaint under the Whistle-blower resolution against the Chairman and Managing Director of the Bank. While no action has been taken on the complaint the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) requested the Bank’s counsel to appear “on behalf” of them in the ongoing hearings at the Delhi Court. There are many such cases in the list which suspects the role of Central Vigilance Commission, and due to this Whistle-blowers are in trouble.
• Babri demolition meticulously planned, says Liberhan, indicts Atal along with Advani
Subhead: Muslim Leaders failed people they claimed to represent.
Centre could have acted only if Governor had asked.
Common man was never a part of Mandir campaign.
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November 22: Calling them “pseudo-moderates”, the Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan Commission of Inquiry has indicted former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with current Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani and former BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi, among others, for the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
Citing the evidence it gathered, which includes witness statements and official records, one of the key conclusions of the Commission is said to be that the entire build-up to the demolition was meticulously planned. And there was nothing to show that these leaders were either unaware of what was going on or innocent of any wrongdoing.
The one-man Commission probed the “sequence of events leading, and all facts and circumstances relating, to the occurrences at Ram Janmbhhomi- Babri Masjid complex on December 6, 1992” – the day the Babri Masjid was brought down by Kar sevaks.
Sources in the Union Home Ministry have confirmed to The Indian Express that the report is also severely critical of many Muslim leaders representing organizations such as the Babri Masjid Action Committee and the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee.
The elite leaders of these Muslim organizations, the report is learnt to have observed, constituted a class of their own and were neither responsible to nor were they caring for the welfare of those they claimed to represent. These leaders failed the community by failing to put forth a logical, cohesive and consistent point of view on the dispute, both inside and outside the courts, the Commission is said to have stated.
The Home Ministry, which is giving final touches to the action taken report (ATR), intends to table the ATR in Parliament along with the report of the Commission during the ongoing winter session.
The Commission was set up 10 days after the demolition as communal riots rocked several parts of the country. After 17 years and 48 extensions, it submitted its report on June 30 this year.
It is learnt that among others indicted and found culpable – for what the commission calls pushing the nation to the brink of communal discord – are the entire top brass of the Sangh Parivar. These include the leaderships of the RSS, VHP and Shiv Sena.
It is learnt that Justice Liberhan has not come down heavily on the then Union Government headed by P V Narsimha Rao. Its Government headed by P V Narsimha Rao. Its argument as per the Constitution, the Union Government can act only after it receives the recommendation of the state Governor. In this case, the Governor did not do much and also did not seek the Centre’s intervention.
The report is learnt to have said that despite claims to the contrary, the Ayodhya campaign did not enjoy the willing and voluntary support of the common masses, particularly Hindus. In fact, Liberhan is learnt to have said that the demand for a temple never became a mass movement. The campaign only ended up silencing the voice of sanity and shaming them into joining the movement.
Liberhan is learnt to have said that despite claims by Advani and Vajpayee that they had no role in the demolition, the two leaders can not be absolved of their responsibility for the same. When he appeared before the commission, Advani had said he was pained by the events at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Liberhan is said to have stated that while Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi could have been used by the Parivar as the publicity acceptable faces of the movement, they were still party to all decisions.
And that none of them had the capacity to defy the orders of the RSS without damaging their political future. In fact, the Commission calls them tools in the hands of the RSS.
However drawing from history, particularly from the trials of Nazi soldiers, at which the plea of having acted on the orders of superiors was not accepted, the Commission is learnt to have concluded that these leaders can not be given the benefit of doubt or absolved of culpability. Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi have also been indicted for having violated the trust of voters.
Rath yatras by Advani and Joshi, Liberhan is learnt to have concluded, were targeted at making the emotionally-charged common man join the movement.
In sharp contrast to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar stand that the demolition was a spontaneous outburst, Liberhan is said to have argued that the events resulting in the demolition were carefully planned.
The commission is also said to have concluded that diversion of funds to Faizabad and Ayodhya just before the Kar seva, mobilisation of kar sevaks as well as arrangements made at the site with military – like precision, clearly proves that the plan was not just limited to symbolic kar seva, as stated by Sangh and BJP leaders.
To substantiate this argument, Liberhan is learnt to have pointed to the mode of assault on the disputed structure as well as easy availability of instrument and material. The small number of kar sevaks who actually carried out the demolition, the hidden faces of such kar sevaks, the removal of idols and cash boxes from under the domes and the eventual installation in the makeshift temple clearly show that demolition was carried out with painstaking preparation and planning, he is learnt to have said.
The report is said to suggest that the emergence of a host of leaders to lead the movement from among the ranks of the BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar groups was because of the lure of wealth and power rather than ideology.
Liberhan is learnt to have written that these leaders saw the Ayodhya movement as their road to success, and they acted as executioners wielding swords provided by the ideologies.
Referring to the funds collected by leaders of the Ram Janma Bhoomi movement, the Commission has reportedly said that many tens of crores of rupees collected from the people were deposited into the Bank account of these leaders. These funds were used to provide infrastructure and other amenities for kar sevaks in the days leading to the demolition.
Part – II
• ‘Advani & Co were barely 200 m away… could have prevented Babri demolition’:
: List of 68 culpable for pushing India to communal discord
• DM went by CM orders, did nothing , says report
Maneesh Chhiber
New Delhi, November 23: The events in the morning and afternoon of December 6, 1992 that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid were facilitated by a complaint administration and a political leadership – including L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Vinay Katiyar – that stood barely 200 metres away and did nothing to prevent the Karsevaks from tearing down the domes.
This is said to be the key conclusion of the Justice Liberhan Commission of Inquiry as it discusses the events of December 6 under the section, “The section of events”.
Liberhan is said to have pointed out that Advani, Joshi, Ashok Singhal, Vijayraje Scindia, RSS leader HV Sheshadri etc., made only feeble attempts to make karsevaksi climb down from the domes.
No request was made to the karsevaks not to enter the garbha griha or not to demolish the domes. Liberhan is said to have observed that these “icons” of the administration’s help – or that of the highly disciplined swayamsevaks – and prevented the demolition.
Sources have told The Indian Express that Liberhan’s listing of the day’s events – with District Magistrate R N Srivastava acting on direct orders of the then CM Kalyan Singh – make this point. The sequence, as in the report:
• A “sham” decision was taken by the Kendriya Marg Darshak Samiti (central body of saints of the VHP) that karseva, fixed for 12.15 pm, was only symbolic.
• RSS leader K S Sudershan admitted that RSS kar sevaks were deployed for security of the disputed structure and crowd control.
• At 9.30 am, Union Home Secretary told the DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police to keep forces ready in case of any request from the state and deploy them without waiting for formal Home Ministry orders.
• Vinay Katiyar, Advani, Joshi, Ashok Singhal, Acharya Giriraj Kishore, Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara and others were present at Katiyar’s house in the morning before going to the site.
• At 10.30 am, Advani and Joshi accompanied by Katiyar, sadhus and sants, reached the platform meant for kar seva and symbolic puja. After 10-20 minutes, Advani and Joshi went to the Ram Katha Kunj, 200 m away.
• The administration “falsely” told journalists that everything was under control and they should not waste their time.
• At 11.45 am, DM and SSP surveyed the Ram Janmabhoomi complex.
• At noon, a teenaged kar sevaks jumped into the dome, sparking off the breach of the outer cordon. Other karsevaks, wielding pickaxes, hammers, iron rods and shovels, stormed the disputed structure. Police gave their canes and shields to Kar sevaks who brandished them openly.
• Ek Dhakka aur do, Babri Masjid tod do was the war-cry to encourage kar sevaks. In this chaotic scenario, the DM did nothing.
• At 12.15 pm, kar sevaks entered the garba griha, removed the idols and cash box. Brickbatting on security men gave Kar sevaks cover to assault the structure. Demolition was accomplished by puncturing holes in the walls and then inserting ropes to pull the walls down which razed the domes.
• 1.55 pm: Kar sevaks pulled down the first dome; security forces were outnumbered and had no means of communication with officers present in the control room. State police and UP’s Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) took no action throughout. The CRPF were at the Sita Rasoi but received no oders.
• RSS leader Sudershan says 150 kar sevaks broke through. Total numbers between 1,000 and 5,000.
• Advani made requests over the PA system to kar sevaks to climb down but no one listened. This “charade” by these leaders at the instance of Advani contrasts with their own prior conduct and public posture, incitement and exhortations to the crowd to build a temple in place of the disputed structure.
• After initial attempts were made to pacify the Kar sevaks, nothing was done thereafter to stop the assault, either by the organizers or the sadhus and sants or by the administration or police.
• Idols and cash removed were returned to their original places at the site about 7 pm. The construction of a makeshift temple commenced at about 7.30 pm.
• Riots began at 3.30 pm in Ayodhya, carried out by a group of Kar sevaks different from those who carried out the demolition.
• ‘Traces of Babri villains thrive in every pillar of the system’
Subhead: SANGH [] ‘Babus & cops handpicked by Kalyan helped in Project Demolition’
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November 23: Underlining that bureaucrats helped the then Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh to subvert the system so that the Sangh Parivar could achieve its goal of demolishing the Babri Masjid, the Justice Liberhan Commission of Inquiry is said to have observed that the infiltration of the government and of the administration by pro-Sangh elements was complete.
Not just this. Sources have told The Indian Express that the Liberhan report goes on to say that its “traces and remnants are still thriving all over the country”, and pose as grave a threat as ever – continuing to spread in scope to “encompass every pillar of the Constitutional system.”
After coming to the power, Kalyan singh, Liberhan is learnt to have observed, worked to identify and replace officers who could have resisted his attempts and stopped the demolition. Transfer was a weapon used with alarming frequency, almost always to replace these officers with pliant ones. The transfers resulted in giving the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates a free run on the disputed structure, the report is said to state.
Liberhan is said to be most scathing in his condemnation of Kalyan Singh and his ministerial colleagues and officers created circumstances that led to the demolition and split Hindus and Muslims, resulting in Massacres across the country. And that at every step, the state government supported the imminent demolition by tacit, open and material support.
Liberhan is also learnt to have observed that as part of the same game plan, the state government stationed fresh recruits to armed police in Faizabad and Ayodhya and these recruits got so close to the kar sevaks that they would not have fired at them even if they had been asked to do so.
Referring to the role or the lack of it of the then P V Narsimha Rao – led Congress government during the build-up and afterwards, Liberhan is learnt to have said the Central government was crippled by failure of intelligence inputs as well as the fact that the matter was before the Supreme Court.
One of the key conclusions of Liberhan is said to be that Kalyan Singh stood guard against any pre – emptive and preventive action by the Union Government or the Supreme Court. He is also said to have observed that Kalyan tied the hands of security forced and agencies by issuing orders that directed them not to fire at karsevaks come what may liberhan is learnt to have found that by leaking information about such directives to the police, the state government further weakened the already-dejected force and ensured that kar sevaks had no fear.
• Central riot police force needed: Liberhan
Recommendations: Calls for Criminal Justice Commission, more powers for EC:
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November 23: In his report, Liberhan has called for a law that gives exemplary punishment to those guilty of using religion and caste for political gains.
• 22 references to Atal, more flattering
Amitabh Sinha & Manu Pubby: The Liberhan commission made several references to Vajpayee putting him with other culpable like Advani nad Josi in Babri Demolition report. Vajpayee figures as number 7 in the list of 68 held responsible for pushing country to the “brink of communal discord. There are at least 22 reference to Vajpayee in chapter 14, titled Conclusions.
• Why delay? Judge blames his ‘unworthy’ counsel:
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November: Justice Liberhan has explained over 18 pages why he took 17 years to complete the Babri Masjid demolition report, for which he had originally been given only three months. He blamed Anupam Gupta breaching professional duties and betrayed the trust reposed in him as Commission’s counsel, with the intended or unintended result of forestalling the submission of the commission’s report.
• How the BJP, RSS mobilised kar sevaks
Seema Chisti
New Delhi, November 24: The preparation was accomplished with phenomenal secrecy, was technically flawless with consistency and assured results…The theme was power. It attracted clusters of young men to support the hidden agenda. Leaders know how passions are aroused and how to prevent the same; they however always see what would be beneficial to them rather than what would be good for the nation. This is what happened in Ayodhya. (Excerpts from the story)
• Centre looks at way to strip Rathore of his Police Medal
Shishir Gupta
New Delhi, December 24: While the Home ministry is examining whether action against Rathore is time- barred in any way – the official retired in 2002 – record of the IPS officer revealed that not only was Rathore promoted to DGP by the OM Prakash Chautala government in 2000, his name was even recommended for a President’s Police Medal For Distinguished Service by the same government in November 1999. Records show that the proposal gave a clean chit on integrity and concealed the fact that he had a case of molestation against him. It was only when the Intelligence Bureau told the Home Ministry that Rathore was an accused in Ruchika Molestation case that the recommendation was rejected. The centre is looking at probing how and why Rathore’s recommendation was cleared and who were behind the attempt to cover up.
• Home Secy who sought medal for Rathore is in Chautala’s party
Mikesh Bhardwaj,
Chandigarh, December 25: As reported by The Indian Express on December 25, the centre is actively exploring whether it can strip Rathore of his 1985 Police Medal for Meritorious Service. Records show that the Haryana proposal for the Distinguished Service Medical in 1999 gave him a clean chit on integrity and concealed the fact that he had a case of molestation against him. It was only when the Intelligence Bureau told the Home Ministry that Rathore was an accused that the recommendation was rejected. Birbal Das Dhalia the then Home Secretary of Haryana recommended the name of SPS Rathore for a President’s medal, saying there was no charge against Rahtore though he had been accused of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra in 1990.
Miscellaneous Stories
• Land records: notice to President’s husband, kin
• Rigging possible through EVMs: ex-bureaucrat
• When CBI stands for Crude, Bizarre and Ignorant
• Being tested for rail porter’s job: an MA, a Computer Master’s, pregnant 20-yr-old
• Indians among overseas students in Oz who copied masters’ thesis
• I never meant those words Subhead: Blacklisted Class 12 student says he scribbled against Mayawati in his answer-sheet in anger after he wasn’t allowed to write the English exam; left home to work at a Noida construction site.
• For ‘efficiency’, MP district brands its poor
Subhead: Meant to ensure benefits go to right people, says administration; BSP cries humiliation
• Kasab’s ‘Sketches’ of Lashkar leaders mere doodles
Subhead: Kasab got Juge’s OK to draw of two faces of two key wanted in 26/11 case; ‘useless’, say cops.
• Raje’s note: BJP has lost before. Was leader of Opposition changed?
• Close to Rahul’s office, a ‘hunger death’
• Immunisation deficiency
Subhead: After closure of 3 govt-run vaccine units, Health Ministry data shows 10 per cent decline in target
Toufiq Rashid
New Delhi, July 14: The closure of all the three government – run vaccine manufacturing units in the country in January 2008 has had a major implication on the immunisation programme of the country in 2008-2009. Not only there has been a shortfall of vaccine, the government target achieved has been far less than what was envisioned.
While a parliamentary standing committee on health said there was a shortfall of more than 10 crore doses in 2008-9 , in a report tabled in the house in February, Health Ministry data tabbed in the house on July 8 showed at least 10 per cent decline in target achievement for immunisation compared to the last three years.
Measles vaccine met 81.2% assessed need in 2008-2009. the government had achieved 90.7 per cent in 2007-08.
Polio (per dose) target achieved in 2008-09 was 83.3% while it was 92.5 in 2007-08.
DPT for children was 78.2% in 2008-09, 93.9 in 2007-08.
BCG, achieved target in 2008-09 was 93.8% while it was 99.9 in 2007-08, 102.5 in 2007-06, 103.8 in 2005-06.
In Rajasthan child labour under NREGA
Subhead: Children use parents’ job cards, say working under scheme has more benefits than migrating to Gujarat as usual for employment in Bt cotton fields.
Teena Thacker
New Delhi, July 26: The first such incident of children working under NREGA on behalf of their parents, is reported from Rajasthan. This fact is revealed after The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) team’s visit villages over there. The trend is mostly visible in Dungarpur district, in villages like Kanela, Billia Bargawa, Golaamba and Bicchhiwara. The children mostly fall in the age group of 9-17 years, and most of them are school drop-outs.
These children, until last year, were going to the Bt cotton farms in Shepur, Laloda, Ganesh Pura, Hassanoura in Gujarat. The pollination time starts in June end and the children stay back till September. However, this time there was a change of plan. According the sources, the children have disclosed how working under NREGA is much better than going to Gujarat, where the pay is less and they have to work long hours. While under NREGA they get Rs 100 per day, working in a cotton field gets them a meagre Rs 40-60 daily. ADM of Dungarpur considers it the ample use of vacation time than the system’s fault.
• The ‘Football’ League:
# IN THE WAKE OF HOME MINISTER P CHIDAMBRAM REFERRING TO TOP POLICE OFFICERS AS “FOOTBALLS” BEING “KICKED FROM ONE POST TO ANOTHER” BY THEIR RESPECTIVE STATE GOVERNMENTS, THE INDIAN EXPRESS TAKES A LOOK AT THE FIELD AND SOME OF THE AFFECTED PLAYERS
• For UP officers, 10 transfers in 2 years no rare matters
Sanjay Singh: IPS officers in UP have been facing a ‘kicked around’ situation, where the strength of IPS cadre is over 404 while the number of available IPS officers is 260. The government’s concern for the stability factor can be seen in the posting of seven IPS officers as IG (personal), considered as crucial in any government. Since May 2007 when the Maya government came to power, the office of IG (Personal) has so far got seven IPS officers.
These are:
Rajdeep Singh: May 2007 to July 2007
Praveen Singh: July 2007 to February 2008
Kashmira Singh: February 2008 to May 2008
Harishchandra Kashyap: May 2008 to September 2008
G.L. Meena: September 2008 to February 2009
Anand Kumar: February 2009 to June 2009
Alok Prasad: June 2009- present (September)
When, union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai wrote to UP’s Chief Secretary AK Gupta showing his concern. Gupta replied that the law and order was the state’s duty and it needed to post able officers.
The Indian Express also managed to get the list of officers who faced more than eight transfers in the last two years.
1. Navin Arora (1997 batch)
Shortest Tenure: About two weeks as Commandant, 32 BN, PAC
Longest Tenure: More than five months as the SSP, Agra and Noida
2R K Srivastava (IPS- State Police Service)
Shortest Tenure: 16 days as Commandant, PAC, 27th Bn, Sitapur
Longest Tenure: More than five-and- a- half months as SP, Pratapgarh
3Ajay Kumar Mishra (2003 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Four days as the SP CB-CID Lucknow
Longest Tenure: Four months and 11 days as the SSP, Etawah
4. Love Kumar (2004 batch)
Shortest Tenure: 14 days as SP, Deoriya
Longest Tenure: 10 months and 4 days as SP, Kanshiram Nagar.
1.Ashok Kumar Singh (1995 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Two days as SSP Meerut
Longest Tenure: More than five months as SSP Kanpur
2.Abhay Kumar Prasad (1991 batch)
Shortest Tenure: About 25 days as DIG, Devipatan range, Gonda
Longest Tenure: Continuing as DIG, Police Headquarters, Allahabad, since March 3, 2009
3.Shachi Ghildayal (2004 batch)
Shortest Tenure: About one-and-a-half months as SP, Intelligence, Faizabad
Longest Tenure: More than six months as SP Chitrkoot
4.Aditya Mishra (1989 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Nine days as DIG/SSP, Gorakhpur
Longest Tenure: About two-and-a-half month
5. Ajay Anand (1992 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Three days as the DIG, ATS, Lucknow
Longest Tenure: Three months and 15 days as SSP, Bareily
• It’s musical chairs everywhere (the country-wide data is acquired by The Indian Express shows how transfers are done at the political will)
Punjab: In the two-and-a-half years since the SAD-BJP government came to power, four Directors General of Police have been transferred. This is despite the fact that the minimum tenure of a DGP in the state is two years, as per the amended Punjab Police rules in view of a Supreme Court Judgement.
Rajdeep Singh Gill became DGP after SS Virk was posted out by the Election Commission after a complaint by the Akali Dal. However, Gill remained in the post for only three months and was replaced by NPS Aulakh. Aulakh held this post for two years until he went on a Central deputation. KK Attri then took over but stayed as DGP for only five months when he retired in June 2009. Subsequently, P S Gill of the J&K cadre of the IPS was appointed as the DGP against the protestations of senior IPS officers of the state. For this Punjab Police Act was amended by the state government as only state cadre could be appointed as the DGP of Punjab.
The state intelligence chiefs were also shifted. Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) J P Birdi was removed and Shashi Kant was posted in his place, only to be removed after a year. Suresh Arora was posted in his place – as he was on IG rank officer, he was promoted to ADGP. Birdi, meanwhile, was shuttled around. From Intelligence, he was posted as ADGP (Railways) and after nine months sent to the Inter Vigilance Cell. He stayed there for five months, then as ADGP (Crime) for another eight months. Since March, Birdi has been serving as ADGP (Law and Order).
Officers in the field have also been shunted from time to time. Of the 24 district police chiefs, only three SSPs – Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana (Rural) – have stayed more than two years; the others have been frequently transferred. - Harpreet Bajwa
Bihar: While Bihar has seen two major overhauls of top cops in 2009, Patna has seen four SSPs in two years since January 2008.
The first reshuffle of the year the year took place this February – before Lok Sabha elections – when 19 IPS officers were transferred. Next, 31 IPS officers – including the Patna IG, DIG and SSP – were transferred without any prelude in the last week of July. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called the transfers a part of shake-up. - Santosh Singh
Andhra Pradesh:
One good cop who has been really kicked around like a football is A K Mohanty. The ADGP who was posted as director of the AP Road Safety Authority was posted by the Election Commission as the state’s DGP after SSP Yadav was transferred for misconduct. Known to be an honest and tough Cop, Mohanty was posted as DGP on March 23, 2009, a month before the general elections. However, a week after the results were declared, the state government reinstated SSP Yadav as DGP while Mohanty was eventually sent back to AP Road Safety Authority. Mohanty was last April shunted out of anti-terror unit ‘Octopus’ after he refused to brook any interference from DGP Yadav.
Other notable transfers include that of Charu Sinha who was posted as SP, East Godavari by the Election Commission on March 23. After elections, she was removed by the Congress government, and transferred to the AP Police Academy, considered to be an insignificant posting. - Sreenivas Janyala.
Orissa:
According to senior officials, over half – a – dozen police officers have been shunted around in the last one year or so. Amarananda Patnayak, who served as DGP from September 2006 to October 2007, was dropped by the Naveen Patnaik government although he had about four years of service left. Last year, Pattanayak took voluntary retirement.
In December last year, Sudhanshu Sarangi was posted as IG (anti- Naxal operations). In June this year, he got his marching orders , and was replaced by Sanjiv Marik, who faces a departmental probe for his alleged links with criminals.
Shafin Ahmed, posted as SP(vigilance) in Berhampur for the last couple of months, has had his share of transfers too. In the last one year, he was shuttled around SP of Bargarh district for six months, SP of Jharsuguda district for three months and SP of Gajapati for another three months.
Yatindra Koyal was SP of Maoist – infested Malkangiri for a little over a year – and – a – half when he was shifted as SP (Special Branch) where he spent about a year. Last year, he was made SP of Keonjhar, but transferred within a few months to Nayagarh. Four months later, he was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department. Koyal then applied for Central deputation and joined the CBI this year. – Debabrata Mohanty
Jammu & Kashmir:
In the militancy – infested state, many of the top brass were shifted prematurely, on political considerations, before the completion of their tenure. On July 14 ,2009, during a major administrative reshuffle in the aftermath of much-hyped Shopian rape and Murder of two Kashmiri women, the Omar Abdullah – led NC- Congress government transferred over 60 police officers including state’s Intelligence chief Ashok Bhan. Bhan, who was holding the position of Director General of CID, was posted as Director General Prisons.
Many in police circles say he was shifted following accusations that he had “misled” Omar over the Shopian case. Earlier, just before the November 2008 Assembly polls, DGP Kuldeep Khoda had shifted two SPs and 52 Deputy SPs. - Deepak Khajuriya
Rajasthan:
Once considered one of the safest states for IPS officers to be posted into, a spate of recent transfers among the IPS cadre in Rajasthan has left several officers bewildered. Senior Rajasthan police officers asserted that transfers usually preceded and succeeded Assembly elections and in the aftermath of a law and order breakdown, such as the twin Gurajar agitations in the state in 2007 and 2008, which even saw the transfers of the DGP. Figures available with the Rajasthan Department of Personnel show that the state has witnessed around seven major IPS reshuffles since August 2008, in each of which more than 20 officers were transferred. However, the state has witnessed five major reshuffles since January 2009, twice during which more than 40 officers were transferred.
Jose Mohan, SP Jaipur (South), has been transferred seven times in the last one year alone while three other SPs – HGR Suhasha, S Sengathir and P Ramjee – have been transferred four times in the last 15 months. - Apurva.
Himanchal Pradesh: While the state in 2007 enacted the Himanchal Pradesh Police act – under which DIGs, DSPs and SHOs get a minimum two-year tenure – its implantation has been a different matter. Though the Police Establishment Committee is very much in place, its recommendation have often been overruled.
Ashwani Kumar, an IPS officer, currently CBI Director, was replaced as DGP by G S Gill on his return from the central deputation with the BSF in August 2008. He remains in position though the government has recently promoted Dr D S Manhas, ADGP (Vigilance and Anti-Corruption bureau), to an equivalent rank.
When the BJP returned to power on December 30, 2007, Manhas was posted as ADGP (CID). But in October 2008, he was assign transferred from the ADGP (CID) and posted as ADGP (Vigilance and Anti- Corruption Bureau), replacing I D Bhandari, who was posted as ADGP (CID) after a tenure of little over a year.
B Kamal, ADGP (Armed Police and Training) at police headquarters, has been a “football” of sorts. He was posted as IG (Leave Reserve) at the police headquarters in January 2007 but a month later sent as IG (Law and Order with additional charge of Armed Police and Training). Ten months later, he was shifted out of the law and order charge. - Ashwani Sharma.
Tamil Nadu: The seat of the Commissioner of Police is prestigious in the state, but one that proved to be too hot for many in the recent past. Since the new government was formed in 2006, the present Commissioner T Rajendran has been the fifth to occupy the post. His predecessor K Radhakrishna was removed after severe indictment by the Madras High Court over the role of senior officials in the infamous High Court clash between police and lawyers earlier this year. His predecessor, R Sekar, was transferred after the clash inside Dr Ambedkar Law College, Chennai. Sekar was the replacement for Nanchil Kumaran, the only official in the recent past who retired while being the Commissioner of Police. - Gopu Mohan.
• Gas tragedy: Public to pay for toxic waste clean-up
Vidya Krishnan
Bhopal, December 2: Apart from health and compensation issues, the clean-up of the 67-acre Union Carbide factory has become the foremost concern of activists and survivors. The clean-up of 386 tonnes of waste is supposed to do with the money of tax-payers- the people. While Union Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh declare the site as “safe zone” by taking fistful of waste. But the Environmental Activists question the government’s rational in setting up a network of pipelines to provide safe pipelines to provide safe drinking water in the residential areas close to the Carbide factory if the factory site was harmless. The investigation shows that the government is keen on getting foreign investment and hence wants to use the taxpayer’s money to clean up the site. Government’s policy on dealing with the Bhopal gas tragedy has always been driven by economics. They would rather side with the corporates than fight for their citizens. If there are no toxic elements, why is the government spending on a new pipeline network? Despite the absence of a comprehensive study on the extent of contamination, the government has stated that the effects of methyl isocyanate (MIC) have been neutralised. As far as clean-up is concerned a proposal is pending with the Ministry of Chemicals and it suggests that Dow be made to pay Rs 100 crore for the clean-up.
• 25 years on, still waiting for Bhopal gas research
Subhead: No research on killer gas; ICMR proposal for studies attracts little interest
Vidya Krishnan
Bhopal, December 2: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) invited research to study the effects of methyl isocyanate (MIC) poisoning but has received only two proposals. So Council has decided to keep the call for research proposals’ open till it gets some noteworthy submissions. The biggest failure, according to medical experts, is that the line of treatment given to patients exposed to MIC has remained essentially unchanged since the morning of the disaster, when nothing was known about the poisonous gas. Two generations of victims exposed to MIC have been indiscriminately prescribed antibiotics, steroids and psychotropic drugs to ‘manage’ their ailments instead of finding a cure. No focused research has been conducted in developing an antidote to cyanide poisoning. Following the disaster, ICMR temporarily set up the Bhopal Gas Disaster Research Centre under Gandhi Medical College to monitor the health effects of MIC exposure. The Centre stopped monitoring mortalities in 1992. In 1994, the centre was shut down, without publishing the findings of the studies conducted between 1984-94. No research has been conducted since. All medical data has indicated serious generic mutation but no autopsy studies have been conducted. No government body can explain why the prevalence of cancer among female victims is three times the national average. No one can conclusively say what the outcomes of MIC exposure are. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), now Dow Chemicals, is yet to reveal the composition of MIC; it calls it a ‘trade secret’. After initially recommending sodium thiosulphate as a detoxifying agent, Union Carbiders later retracted from the prescription of Sodium thiosulphate. Carbide officials were worried about legal repercussions as the success of the treatment would prove that the gases had broken the blood – lung barrier and increase the compensation amount.
Investigation stories from sports ground
Furosemide doping common in India, say athletes, coaches, officials
Once linked to Dawood, he now bids for a T20 team
Badminton babus forget deadline so Saina can’t play in China
• For Kalmadi, F1 is Family 1st (sports)
Subhead: IOA swung deal, firm that got contract part owned by son; daughter son-in-law on board
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, August 21: In 2007, Suresh Kalmadi (IOA chief) sealed an agreement with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone to bring the Formula One Grand Prix to India. He announced that he had a letter of intent under which the IOA would “promote and back” the move to build infrastructure for the event in India and “elicit support from Central and State Government to construct the circuit.” A month later, the company that signed the contract with the organisers had his son as part owner- and a year later, his daughter and her husband joined it as directors. In October, 2008 the UK- based Formula One Administration Limited – F1’s organisers- signed Rs 1600-crore contract with JPSK sports private Limited. Records obtained by The Indian Express show that JPSK’s stakeholders are Jaiprakash Associates (74%); Pune –based Sulbha Realty Private Limited (13%) of which Kalmadi’s son , Sumeer kalmadi, is Director; and Trackwork International Pvt. Ltd, a Delhi- based firm (also 13%). SK in JPSK is an apparent reference to Sumeer Kalmadi. As per the agreement between the three- signed on November 16, 2007 – JPSK acquired around 2,500 acres for the project. Approximately 1000 acres of this will be used for the race circuit and the “balance land” will be “developed” in the ratio of 80%-10%-10% between Jaiprakash Associates, Sulba and Trackwork. Records from the Registrar of Companies, Ministry of Commerce, show that a year after the company was floated, Kalmadi’s daughter, Payal Aditya Bhartia, and his son-in-law, Aditya Bhartia, joined JPSK as Independent Directors.
• Battlelines: Fennel rejects Kalmadi’s sack – CEO demand
Subhead: Delhi 2010[] IOA chief slams Hooper: of no use, implement
Kunal Pradahan
New Delhi, October 15: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi sought the recall of chief executive Mike Hooper but CGF president Mike Fennel rejected the demand. On October 12, Fennel had announced the appointment of an independent panel of foreign experts to monitor preparations for Delhi 2010 on a monthly basis. The IOA recommended to the OC (Organising Committee) that the panel be rejected, and then launched a personal attack on Hooper, calling him “of no use” and an “impediment to the functioning of the OC”. Express accessed the whole detail of the scuffle. The letter of the October 14 is given as evidence.
• Before the Fiasco, 2 reports, 2 warnings
G S Vivek & Vinayak Padmadeo
New Delhi, December 27: The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) may have received at least two separate warnings on what lay in store on Sunday (Delhi ODI abandoned due to bad-pitch conditions, having uneven bounce). The first in the form of the international cricket council’s report after a routine world Cup check in November. And the second from former BCCI pitches and Ground Committee chief Venkat Sundaram who claims to have sounded the alarm bells a week ago. The ICC report a copy of which is with THE Indian Express, states: “During the Champions League and the India vs Australia ODI series, it was well-doccumented that the performers and condition of the pitches at the stadium were a cause of concern for the players. There is an ODI at this venue on 27th December 2009 and considerable improvement of the pitch block will be required by then o make the pitch provided more acceptable.
Story from Gujarat
Labour-pain: wage anomalies unchecked as commissionerate lacks enforcement power
Subhead: Only 4 officers to check 3,000 factories four lakh biz establishments.
All’s not ‘well’: villagers use groundwater recharge fund for personal welfare
Subhead: Mismanagement of funds leaves Dahod villages with dried-up wells.
Anupam Chakravarty
One month gone, students of class VIII yet to receive textbooks under SSA
Merchants of death had supplied 1,300 litres of killer hooch in city
Security short-circuited: No CCTVs in LG Hospital yet
Subhead: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation learns no lessons from blasts , say close-circuit TVs not required.
Mayor writes to MSU over delay in student leader’s result
Subhead: In a recent letter Balkrishna Shukla has sought reason for the varsity not expending reassessment of Kunal Patel’s result before students union polls.
• Repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis a costly affair for SOG
Subhead: SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP HAS TO FOOT RS 50-80 LAKH BILL AS FOOD AND REAPTRIATION COST
• State rights panel reels under severe staff crunch
Subhead: Several posts in Gujarat Human Rights Commission, including secretary, yet to be filled.
• Nargol leads Nilekani, has own ‘UID’ for residents since 2006
Subhead: Valsad coastal village has made ID-card mandatory even for outsiders.
• Akshardham attack accused retracts statement
Subhead: Alleges police forcibly recorded his statement and made him sign papers
• Staff University may face staff crunch in PG programmes
• Pollution drives south Gujarat fishermen to Porbandar, Okha waters
• Effluent treatment plans at Vapi, Ankaleshwar prove a failure
Subhead: Outlet and inlet norms are hardly followed by any of these effluent treatment facilities
• Most offenders under Prohibition Act are women
Subhead: In 2008, 2,377 criminal cases were lodged against women in Ahmedabad, of which 1,878 were related to illicit liquor trade.
• 5 months on, villagers await payment for NREG work.
• Sanskrit scholarship scheme fails to motivate students, school authorities in state
Subhead: Lack of awareness about it and small amount of incentive have brought down the interest level in the scheme
• Tidal power hangs in limbo
Subhead: After signing MoU at Vibrant Gujarat summit, Indian subsidiary yet to approach state government for work on modalities
• Four years on, RTI backlog piles up
Subhead: Govt had sanctioned two additional posts of information commissioner in 2007 but no fresh appointment made yet
Cost ‘miscalculation’ delays border fencing work in Gujarat
DIET colleges crippled by vacancies in posts for lecturers
Marathon website guides foreigners how to get liquor in Vadodara
Subhead: Says the city lacks nightlife because of the blanket ban on alcohol in Gujarat
Grant to NCLP schools irregular, teachers threaten to resign
Gender bias? VMC to pay NGOs only for female dogs’ sterilisation
• Two years on, chemistry encyclopaedia in Gujarati yet to reach students
Subhead: 1,000 copies of the work are stocked in the Gujarat University Granth Nirman Board
• Bangladeshi migrants’ deportation: Cops tried to hand over kids to locals
Subhead: Plan failed as locals refused to take custody of 8 – yr – old, brother
• A year on, survivors of serial blasts still to receive compensation from Centre
Amrita Didyala
Ahmedabad,July 25: Victims of July 26,2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts drew attention from all quarters in the aftermath of terror attack. But in a sharp contrast to the Rs 11.5 lakh compensation received by the kin of the dead , the survivors are still struggling for the Rs 50,000 compensation announced by the Centre. As many as 262 injured people received the state government’s compensation money within a month oh the tragic incident.
Most of the survivors are surviving on loans, as they spent the compensation money spent from the state government long ago. The doctors have asked them to continue with the medicines, but many have returned to work to make ends meet. Juggled between collector office and Congress bhavan, they returned at home.
• In 2 yrs, state records 17 suicides under pressure from moneylenders
Syed Khalique Ahmed
Ahmedabad, July 27: 17 people had committed suicide to escape harassment from moneylenders in two years till March 31, 2009, according to State Home department’s official datas. The maximum suicide has been reported from Rajkot, followed by Ahmedabad. Police has taken many action against moneylenders by booking them under various sections of the IPC, including 305 (pertaining to abetment of suicide), 384 (punishment for extortion), 386 (extortion by issuing threats of death) as also under various sections of the Moneylenders Act. But these actions seem to be of little use in deterring moneylenders from using extortion methods to recover money along with high amount of interest, in case the borrowers suffered losses in their businesses and delayed the repayment.
• No end to Piraman villagers’ woes, courtesy industrial noise, stench:
Anupam Chakravarty
Piraman (Bharuch), August 12: In the heart of the chemical corridor of Gujarat about 4,000 villagers of Piraman in Ankaleshwar taluka bear the noise of industries and stench of wastes that pass through the village in Amla Khadi, a creek, due to leaks in the effluent pipeline. Question over displacement and livelihood had cropped up when the government acquired lands from farmers for Panoli and Ankaleshwar GIDC.On the other hand, three generations of at least 32 farmers have been waging a legal battle to get compensation after the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) acquired their lands in Kharod and Sanjali village for industrial purposes.
• Power show for Minister, so cuts elsewhere
Subhead: Farmers suffer s DGVCL diverts supply away from Narmada village agriculture feeder
Shubhulakshmi Shukla
Vadodara, August 13: The state government may have launched a 100 per-cent funded Jyotigram scheme, but nearly 80 villages in the eastern part of tribal- dominated Narmada district continue to live in the dark. During the inaugurations of Primary health centre and resource centre the state minister themselves faces power-cut. The district administration was forced to take electric supply from an agriculture line when State Tribal Affairs Minister Jashwantsinh Bhabhor visited interior villages for functions slated ahead of the Independence-day. If this was not enough, Narmada Information Department had to look for invertors after the Transformers stopped functioning, which further led to power failure. In Suka village people had to face the power-cut, as the DGVCL (Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited) diverted the power supply of the agriculture feeder. Jhariya village, where education minister Ramanlal Vora, and Bhadarva where Minister of Social Justice Fakir Vaghela paid a visit on August 8, also faced similar power shortage problem.
• Treeless ‘green drive’ costs state Rs 148.87 lakh
Adam Haliday
Ahmedabad, August 23: As part of a national afforestation project involving villages, Rs 148.87 lakh were spent in 12 Forest Development Agencies (FDA) in 12 districts (South Valsad, Dahod, Surat and Kutch-Bhuj in 2003-2004; in Vadodara, Kutch-Bhuj, Surendranagar, Jamnagar,Gandhinagar, Mehsana and Kheda in 2004-2005; and in Vadodara, Rajkot, Junagarh and Bhavangar in 2005-2006) between 2003 and 2006, without a single tree being planted. The information get the revelation after filed an RTI.
• 2002 riot compensation: Missing information delays disbursal
Tanvir A Siddiqui
Ahmedabad, August 23: For more than a hundred out of the 12,293 post- Godhra riots victims, getting the second part of compensation is proving quite a task, thanks to some missing links in the official records. Scores of victims can be seen running from pillar to post at the Ahmedabad Colloectorate on any given day. Shabnambanu Sabirbhai Rangrez, a victim, had got a cheque (no 421837 of Dena Bank) of Rs 10,000 as compensation, which she promptly deposited in her savings bank account in June 2002. The family lived in a rented house. Later this year, when an announcement was made that victim in her category would be paid another Rs 50,000, she approached the collectorate both at Danilimda Chavdi and the main office. Although the officials acknowledged her status as victim, they told her that her name did not figure in the second list even as she believed there might be some snag in transit due to changed address and the cheque did not reach her. A reality check in the city Mamlatdar office, that handles disbursals, revealed that there was no name as Shabanam banu in the list.
Civic body’s town planning scheme threatens its own slum networking project
Ujjwala Nayudu
Ahmedabad, August 31: The Slum Networking Project (SNP) of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has benefited 48 slums in the city. But the 30 SNP slum pockets in the city risk demolition in the face of the corporation’s town planning schemes. Three major pockets are KK Vishwanath ni Chali, Macchipir and Khodiyarnagar, were demolished for the Kankariya Lake Front Development and the Sabarmati Riverfront Development projects, leaving 1,478 families homeless.
Almost six major areas – Chamanpura, Kankaria, Behrampura, Gomtipur, Sabarmati and Wadaj, proposed to come under SNP – have been identified for demolition to give way to the upcoming infrastructure projects. As part of the SNP, the slums are provided with basic amenities of water, sanitation, drainage and roads. The shanties are also upgraded to pucca houses. Each upgrade costs AMC Rs. 50000, totalling up to Rs.15.74 crore for 48 slums. Now, the AMC has decided to remove even the upgraded slums in tune with its constantly changing town planning schemes. After placing the slums under SNP, it cannot be removed until 10 years, but if a major project has to be developed, they are alternatively rehabilitated. Incidentally, both the Kankaria and Sabarmati riverfront projects were conceptualised much before the SNP was implemented. The related slums were also removed before the completion of the 10 year period.
• 1600 – km ‘porous’ state coastline still vulnerable
Hiral Dave
Rajkot, September 16: Growing incidents of infiltration and smuggling raised some basic questions to Gujarat’s coastal security. The coastline is so vulnerable if it is compared with the fenced borders from Rajasthan to J&K. And if the ongoing attempt will be succeeded than a terror incident will be unavoidable. The same thing was happened in 1992. Miscreants had exploited this vulnerability to land RDX at Gosabora in Porbandar for orchestrating the Mumbai serial blasts.
What makes the situation more vulnerable is the fact that several points along the shore are totally unmanned. The 30 km stretch between Medi and Jakhau is a no man’s land. The last BSF post is at Jakhau, where as the coast Guard only means the area near the shore. This is an area where only fishing boats can go. The Possibility of the involvement of Indian fishermen in the exchanges of men and material cannot be ruled out. Besides, a part of the Sir Creek in Pakistan is only 2 hours away from the International Maritime BoundaryLine (IMBL), which easily facilitates the exchange of men or material between Indian and Pakistani fishermen.
• For Demanding graveyard, Shias forced out of Gujarat village
Syed Khalique Ahmed
Kharavda, September 20: All 85 Momins , a Shia sub-sect, have quitted Kharvada, blaming the Chaudharies who make nearly 50 per cent of the village population. They have sought refuge in a Jamaatkhana at Vadnagar, 40 km away for never to return. This led with the sequence from when the Momins sought one acre from the village panchayat to bury their dead – burials so far were being done in Kharta Parsa, 30 km away, and it was not easy transporting bodies. For this they approached state Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel who recommended their case to Momin leader Hyderbhai on July 23, asking him to approach the district Collector with a letter. The matter was raised again on August 8 during a Lok Darbar in the village where Anandiben and the Collector were present. She gave verbal instructions to the Collector to look into the matter. Since the Panchayat had over 150 bighas of non-agriculture land, Collector Ajay Bhandu asked the Visnagar mamlatdar to “take appropriate action”. But the panchayat split on the issue and, at a meeting on August 15, sarpanch Maadhubhai Jisangbhai Choudhary turned down the request for land. In the village, dominated by Choudharies (who became furious after the demand of asking the land for graveyard), told Momins to stop azans, stop wearing topis or taking out tazias. Also, told to shut down their Madrasas if they wanted to stay in the village. Simultaneously an economic boycott was imposed – no hiring their jeeps for local transport. So tired Momins, on August 24, they packed our house- hold belonging in our jeeps and left the village. To ensure no one attacked them, Hyderbhai – the leader to Momin community, apologised to the sarpanch and others, telling them that was their mistake of demanding land for the graveyard. Before they left, Hyderbhai sent letters to everyone he could think of – the President of India, state DGP, National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for minorities, District Collector and SP – and narrated all that.
• To dilute 2002 riot case, Gujarat cops list kin of accused as witnesses.
Parimal Dabhi
Ahmedabad, September 21: At least 70 people who do not support the prosecution case have been named as witnesses by the local police in the February 2002 Dipda Darwaza massacre case, it has emerged. At least 20 of these 70 witnesses have been found to be close relatives of the accused. The intended deal was made by then Police Inspector M K Patel (Investigating Officer regarding this case). Eighty – three people are accused in the trial currently under way in the senior specially- appointed fast-track court Judge B N Karya. They were allegedly involved in burning alive 11 people and seriously injuring 21 at Chudi Vaas in the Dipda Darwaza area of Visnagar town in Mehsana on February 28, 2002.
Among the 20 witnesses so far identified by the SPP as close relatives of the accused is Menaben Patel – Witness No. 84, eight of whose relatives are accused in the case – and Bhikhiben B Patel, Witness NO. 87, five of whose relatives are accused. Witnesses No. 106 and 119, Taraben Patel and Bhikhiben I. Patel, have four relatives each among the accused.
Intelligence gathering suffers as govt delays reimbursing fishermen informers for 3 years.
Subhead: Gujarat first state to conceptualise this innovative strategy, Shivraj Patil had asked others to follow suit.
Vikram Rautela
Ahmedabad, October 11: The State Home Department has not reimbursed the expenses incurred by villagers under the Fishermen Watch Groups (FWG). For the last three years, state authorities are considering a proposal for payment to these fishermen informers. In a bid to strengthen its intelligence network in the coastal areas, the intelligence department of the state police, had in 2005, constituted the FWG in almost all coastal villages across Gujarat. The FWG members were handpicked on the basis of their socialising ability among the community members and were supposed to report to the local police station once a month. They were also trained to immediately pass on information on any suspicious activity in the coastal area to the police over phone. Some 4,000-odd fishermen were chosen for the task. The model was conceptualised by then Additional Director General of Police, CID (intelligence), J Mahapatra, in order to augment close patrolling along the state’s 1600-km coastline. A year later incurred by the fishermen. The proposal is under consideration for three years.
• Gujarat wants 12 more coastal police stations
Vikram Rautela
Ahmedabad, October 12: According to records accessed by The Indian Express, the government wants these police stations at Jakhau, Mandvi and Kandla in Kutch, Salaya in Jamnagar, Mangrol in Junagarh, Jafrabad in Amreli, Alang in Bhavnagar, Vasad in Vadodara, Dahej in Bharuch, Dholai in Navsari and Umargaon and Umarsadi in Valsad. The proposal also asks for sanctions of a total of 20 new Coastal Out Posts (COPs). Launched in January 2005, the CSS (phase-I) had an outlay of Rs 400 crore as non-recruiting amount and Rs 151 crore as recruiting expenses. It envisaged state-of-the-art police stations in all the coastal states and UTs at an estimated expenditure of Rs 18-21 lakh each. A total of 10 coastal Police stations were sanctioned for Gujarat, for which the Centre released Rs 58 crore. All the 10 police stations are presently operational and the government has also deployed 23 policemen in each station. Of the 30 boats the Centre was supposed to sanction for these police-stations (three for each), Gujarat has until now received only five.
• No FIR, no court case to send back illegal Bangladeshi migrants
Ujjwala Nayudu
Ahmedabad, October 22: Too many Bangladeshi detainees, who are children- come in the category of Juvenile are kept in custody of SOG. Besides there are many such children who are disable and should not be kept away from parents under any circumstances and nodal agencies must be informed in case of their detention. But the SOG’s current act is making the law unfeasible. For instance a five-year-old boy Tariq, who is differently- able, is kept under SOG custody with his father. SOG officer raided Siyasatnagar area where Tariq and his family took refuge. SOG group manhandled Tariq’s mother and snatch the small Tariq from her lap and took her with his husband. Her remaining two children are with her and both of them are given a threat by SOG. Even after three months of their detention, they were not produced before court. In the lack of proper care Tariq got Pneumonia and was treated in VS Hospital, Ahmedabad and then when he was gradually keeping well, detained again. Tariq who was mentally challenged, have had some physical problems as well, and could not speak. Another case is of Mena and Zoshor’s, whose children are also detained. When Mena went pleading at the SOG camp, she was also detained. She was eight month pregnant then and later gave birth to a child at the camp. While Police and Home Department have different views. They backed such acts by the SOG and consider it as time-saving, ‘No FIR’ is their new modus-operandi, authorised by Home Minister Amit Shah.
• Three decades on, pest control shrub threatens food chain in Gir Sanctuary
Shubhulakshmi Shukla
Ahmedabad, November 4: The flowering shrub, Lantana (Lantana Camera), sown in the early seventies to control pest attacks on teak, is now threatening to upset the food chain in Gir sanctuary. With its aggressive growth, it has suppressed the growth of at least three dozen odd indigenous grass species, the main food of some antelope species. Lantana is now confirmed as a poisonous species. The total area of Gir National Sanctuary is 1,412 sq km of which around 100 sq km is dominated by this invasive species. This species is found in the periphery where the Spotted Deer (Axis axis) and Sambar (Cervus unicolour) graze. It was also suggested that 16,000 hectares needed to be cleared of Lantana, but only 2,000 hectares of Lantana weeding is done in the sanctuary per year due to paucity of funds. The weeding out exercise requires manual labour which costs nearly Rs 10,000 per hectare.
• No TV, no music, beards a must: new rules in a Gujarat riot relief camp
Subhead: Many families leave colony in Bharuch after London charity lays down hard ‘Sharia law’
Anupam Chakravarty
Vadodara, November 14: London based NRI who built a rehabilitation camp for riot victims Muslims imposed a Saria law on them. A ban on “Shaitani” (devilish) things such as TV, music systems and all forms of electronic entertainment has been imposed. It has threatened to evict the riot victims if they donot adhere to these. Residents have been ordered to stay away from fellow villagers, asked to pray only in the special “Shariat – specified” place of worship built for them and not in any local mosque. Among other diktats, they are also required wear skull caps and keep long beard. Tableeghi-e-Jamaat (the charity trust)’s letter is accessed by The Indian Express.
• Kuber’s crew still ‘missing’, so compensation conditional
Kamaal Saiyed
Surat, November 19: Even after a year, families of three fishermen are still not compensated as the bodies of slain fishermen can not be found. Although Kasab has confessed that all the fishermen were killed, the fishermen are yet considered ‘missing’ in the official records. The family of Amarsinh Solanki (one slain crew-member) got 5 lakh from Maharashtra government but not a single penny is received from Gujarat government. The family is struggling to make their ends meet. Some got Rs 50000 ex-gratia, which is given for those who have been gone astray.
• In Naroda Patiya case, 3 deaths go unheard Subhead: The killings of three Hindus in 2002 Gujarat riots don’t fall under SIT’s purview
Vikram Rautela
Ahmedabad, November 21: According to records, the 2002 Gujarat riots in which 96 people were killed, there are three deaths that have got no hearing. Tucked away in police files are the accounts of two deaths, one of 70-year-old Bholi Marwadi, Kanti Savalia and Ranjeetsinh Vanjara. While in Vanjara’s case, two arrests were made, both were acquitted for lack of evidence. These cases do not fall under the purview of the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team and so are not being investigated by it either. Though Marwadi, Savalia and Vanjara were all killed on February 28, 2002 the day the Naroda Patiya massacre took place, their deaths don’t figure in the FIR being investigated by the SIT. These cases were mentioned in the SIT charge-sheet when the then Naroda police inspector, Deputy SP, K K Mysorewalla in his deposition before the SIT on February 2 this year, described the brutal killing of Marwadi in Naroda Patiya. The charge-sheet says a 1,000 – strong mob burnt Bholi Marwadi at her home in Pandit ni chali on February 28, 2002. SIT is asked to to investigate only the FIRs and Marwadi’s murder does not figure in this complaint, so it is unsolved.
• Lessons learnt, but forgotten soon
Subhead: A race by The Indian Express team finds that the tightened security in and around the city following the July 26 blasts and 26/11 Mumbai attacks has many loose ends.
Story 1: Overburdened cops have wooden sticks to guard major check-posts
Express News Service
Vadodara, November 26: The security at the entry and exit point in the city is provided by a few police personnel as vehicles enter the city unhindered all through the night. Golden Chowkdi was devoid of any armed policeman, Savli crossroads on Express Highway was guarded by three cops. On duty for the last 17 hours, the policemen at the junction said they were overburdened and the point understaffed for proper security. Policemen who are given two motorbikes and wooden sticks for maintaining security at the post said it is difficult to stop vehicles for checking. The situation is not very different at other entry points, including Gorwa, Chhani, Waghodia, Makarpura and Dabhoi. The vehicles from Mumbai moving to Ahmedabad usually pass through Vadodara via Makarpura. However, at 3 am, the check post at Makarpura had only one policeman.
Story 2: Inadequate security at SSGH
Vadodara: Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospiatal has no security guard present at the entry or exit points, the emergency unit depended on a few resident doctors and a Medico Legal Officer. During a visit to the hospital around 2 am, no nurse or helper on duty. The patient and their kin were left to help themselves at various wards. Moreover, Raopura police officers, who are required to be at the SSGH’s police chowki, were not available at night. – ENS
Story 3: Vehicles get entry without thorough check at toll booths:
Debrati Basu
Vadodara, November 26: A year after the Mumbai terror attacks, the security is lax gain. The Indian Express team moved around the city to check the alertness at the entry points in the city especially at night. Now, heavy and light vehicles enter into the city unquestioned through the check-points. At Halol check point, no vehicles are stopped for questioning. The check post on the other side of the toll booth should be manned by police, but often no cop is posted there. While workers at the toll post said all details of the vehicles passing from there were noted, the toll slips issued to vehicle drivers contained only the numerical numbers of the vehicle registration number.
• In Gujarat village, minor’s gangrape has hung for 11 years on an MLA’s note
Subhead: In a Ruchika parallel, clout, police and court delays have ensured Dalit family is still waiting for justice
Parimal Dabhi &
Hitarth Pandya
Ahmedabad & Vadodara: A 13-year old Dalit Girl who was allegedly raped by an MLA’s relative and a friend of his. In the 11 years since, the case is still as a stage where the witnesses are to be examined. Her grandfather has had to sell most of his land in the court battle while the girl heself is now married to a local youth. Express tracked the loopholes created in the case and also accessed the letter from MLA Khuman sinh Chauahn. The details are as follows:
• The Police take a month to submit a chargesheet before the local Sessions court on April 25,1998, naming Baria and accomplice Ramesh Vankar.
• A year letter, on April 14, 1999, the additional Sessions Judge refers the case to the Lok Adalat, deciding that the gang-rape of a minor was a fit case to try for an amicable “compromise”. The girl’s family does not agree.
• Eight more years would pass, until May 30, 2007, before the court, which had by then completed the entire trial proceedings, would realise that proper procedure was not followed in submitting the chargesheet and that it was submitted directly to the Sessions Court instead of the Court of the Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFMC), which could have committed it to the Sessions Court. The case paper submitted to the Investigating Officer, who was told to submit those to the JFMC court.
Police would take five months, till October 9, 2007, to submit the case to the Magistrate.
Story from the North-east
• Why death no. 751 blew up in Manipur govt’s face
Subhead: wave of killings: Alleged murder of former insurgent shows the conflict between public anger against insurgents and a trigger-happy police force.
• Star of 2nd Assamese film lives in penury
• Cong, BJP sought Black Widow help in poll: Inquiry
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Guwahati, July 21: A commission of inquiry set up by the Assam government has found that the Congress and BJP approached the Jewel Garlosaled Dima Halam Daogah – or Black Widow – militant group for help during North Cacher Hills Autonomous Council elections. The black widow Group –responsible for the killings, abduction and extortion, and targeted attacks on railway property, government officials and businessmen – was outlawed by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on July 2.
The report , given by former Supreme Court Justice RK Manisena singh , puts on record various aspects of the militant- politician nexus in the North Cacher Hills District. It says that the leader of the ASDC-BJP alliance paid Rs.2 crore to the leaders of the DHD (J) , and refers to allegations that a senior Congress leader paid the militants Rs8 crore. The report refers to the deposition of Kalijoy Sengyung, vice-president of the ASDC, who said the DHD had “openly supported” Congress’s GC Langthassa in the 2001 Assembly elections. However, according to Sengyung, on June 4,2007, Langthasa’s son and nephew, Purnendu Langthasa and Lindu Langthasa, were killed when they went to deliver Rs 8 crore to the militants.
• Stuck in camps, surrendered militants wait for road ahead
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Guwahati, August 12: Six militant groups are currently under ceasefire with the government – Dima Halam Daoga (DHD), Birsa Commando Force (BCF), one faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam, United People’s Democratic Solidarity(UPDS), National Democratic Front of Bodoland(NDFB) and Adivasi Cobra Militnat Force (ACMF).1851 members of these six groups are currently lodged in different camps. Rs. 2000 per month is allocated to each surrendered militant, and over Rs 10 crore has been spent on them from 2006-07 to 2008-09. 8 groups are still active in Assam, including two Islamic groups – Muslims United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM)- in addition to ULFA and the Black Widow faction of the DHD. The state government just held the talk twice since January, 2003. It was supposed to hold in each six months.
Chart – 1 Numbers of story accordin to Classification:
Classification of the Storis
No. of the Stories
Jammu and Kashmir
5
Defence
16
Naxals
14
Ecology
14
Government
18
Economics
3
Developmental stories
6
Law and order
22
Miscellaneous
16
Sports
6
Gujarat
46
North east
4
Impact of the Stories:
The Indian Express publshes investigative Stories frequently playing the role of watchdog very often. The Investigative Stories published in the Indian Express have had a great past of making impact. Whether it was the case of Bhagalpur blindings, where human rights activists uproared after the story exposed the un-humane deeds of policemen or it was the cae of baring UPA ministers’ double standards of being austere. It, many of the times, laid impact to change the situation to a better one.
The given stories show how they put impact over the state of affairs; system or society is recounted here.
The unimpeachable investigative story of two “austere ministers” published in The Indian Express on September 5. A day after when the Express reported it, reacting on the story Government called on a cabinet meeting. Krishna and Tharoor were ordered to move out of the hotel suites. Pranab Mukherjee “requested” on behalf of upset UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi(after reading reports in The Indian Express) that SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor to leave the Hotel suites where they were living for three months, on the urgent basis. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had to vacate the Hotel Suit at the same day, when the story was published in The Indian Express.
The two ministers had to give their statement. The official statement from cabinet came blaming the CPWD for delaying in allotment of official bungalows for the two ministers but it was “work in progress”. The delay occurred as both the ministers wanted spacious accommodation with large lawns to suit their diplomatic assignments. CPWD staff members also pointed out some former ministers also mad lavish changes according to their will.
After the issue was surfaced, finance ministry appealed to all ministries to observe austerity in view of the pressure on its finances. The Ministry had also ordered a 10-percent cut in non-plan expenditure by way of slashing foreign and domestic travel, publicity expenses and ban on conferences in five-star hotels. Besides, two nation goodwill tours to Egypt and Greece by 12 MPs belonging to different parties, was also cancelled.
A cabinet meeting was called to question half a dozen MPs who were not following austerity measures. Sources were also placed in the meeting noted several MPs like Anand Sharma and Sharad Pawar refuted and said, “allow ministers to travel in first-class, as during foreign visits they need a “freshness’ and meetings are held at very hectic time-frame, barely after an hour of ending the journey ”. Sharad Pawar also pointed out his demand that “lunches and dinners for foreign delegations should be organised in Five-star hotels.” This time Pranab Mukherjee declined it saying the foreign dignitaries should be hosted “appropriately” but five-star hotels as venues should be avoided. Farooq Abdulla said he cannot travel in Economy class being a tall man. The heated arguments were reported when Daysnidhi Maran stated that no minister either home or finance do need to travel in Private air-craft rather they should use commercial flights.
The next day on September 11 Pranab Mukherjee travelled on his way to Kolkata in Economy class. While Shushil Shinde flew in economy class to Delhi from Mumbai.
While another series of investigative stories on the austerity drive started on 16th September. The Indian Express published how the UPA ministers are arranging lavish life-style for themselves. CPWD was requestd to do some worthy changes in their work places and residences. Express gave all the records to bare the austerity mask. The day one impact was unsullied; Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma wrote back to The Indian Express. He clarified that an administration decision was taken to undertake repair and renovation which was long overdue. He also wrote that the cost mentioned in the report gives an erroneous impression that the entire expense was incurred for the minister’s room. To optimise costs, the damaged wooden flooring in the minister’s room was re-used for the visitor’s room. CPWD has executed the works as per laid down government norms and procedures.
As SM Krishna was the first one capture the Express’ attention with his serene life-style. He was the vry next person after Anand Sharma he did with his acton. He travelled in the Business class on his 25 hour long journey to Egypt.
Very next day another stiry was broken by The Indian Express on the same issue writing how UPA minister set new Italian toilets according to Vastu-shastra. The Minister has desired to have her chamber and office space repaired and renovated including false ceiling, flooring etc in consultation with the personal staff.” Besides PVC flooring and false ceiling, the ministry also sought polishing, painting and alluminium work for which an estimate of Rs 10.54 lakh was jointly approved. The reaction came the same day Jacob Joseph posted Shashi Tharoor’s picture showing him travelling in Cattle –class.
Reactinng to this Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee issued a circular asking its 181 elected members to opt for 20 per cent cut in their salaries for one year.
Sharad Yadav of JDU commented in Lok-sabha upon Congress-member (Krishna and Tharoor) who lived in Five-star hotel when the nation is being jeopardised in drought. Showing the Express reports several other MPs – Rajiv Pratap Ruddy also asked for Tharoor’s resign.
Showing commitment towards austerity Kapil Sibal reduced his team, from 20 to 5, which was supposed to go to the Unesco General Conference at Paris. HRD ministry also issued a directive to autonomous and statutory bodies under its control, including IITs and Central universities, to cut down expenses and explore the option of generating resources by gradually revising tuition fee of students and levying charges for using certain facilities.
Sonia Gandhi and PM held a meeting and called Shashi Tharoor and told him to maintain austerity norms.
When The Indian Express publish the records of the multi-crore paddy scam. Questioning statistics and official figures published in thenewspaper, former CM Ajit Jogi has demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the scam and allied activities, alleging that the scam was to the tune of Rs 1,674 crore. In a letter to Chief Minister Raman Singh , he has alleged that paddy procurement and related activities such as purchase of gunny bags, custom milling of paddy, transportation and payment to procurement agencies were riddled with corruption. “Being a major scam the state machinery cannot conduct a fair probe. Hence , the investigation should be handed over to the CBI.
The state food and Civil Supplies Department, on its part, blocked the data available on its website, claiming that there were “typo errors” and asked the State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) to carry out a campaign to rectify the “mistakes” in computerised records within three months. Food and Civil supplies Department Principal Secretary Vivek Dhabi said, “Discrepancies have crept into the official data. We have asked MARKFED and district collectors to get them verified and corrected. These are simple ‘typo errors’ committed by data operators.
While another story from the Naxal land enforced the authority to step further. The story about the Journalist has been published. Laxman Choudhary, a stringer from the Sambad – an oriya daily, was arrested having alleged connections with the banned Naxal Outfit. There were several other such cases like Choudhary. After the story published in The Indian Express, Odisha CM Nabin Patnayak asked authority to take legitimate measures in the interest of arrested intellectuals. Later, all the Journalists got the bail as Police Party did not have the evidences to prove them culprit.
China is building dam at Brahmputra- this story was first published in the in The Indian Express on October 15. Next day MEA spokesperson Visnu Prakash assured that India will look into the matter,revealed by the newspaper, whether there are recent development that suggest any change in the position conveyed to us by the Government of China. China has categorically denied about such action plan. Further China will be asked about the dam-project and its supposed impact over India’s socio-economic culture.
While reacting on tis a Chian Daily’s Editorial goes like this ‘Indian hegemony continues to harm relations with neighbours’. They warn India if they forgot the 1962 experience. On October 23 PM met Wen Jia Bao at ASEAN summit and discussed the issue.
The Sukana land scam was also first ever reported by The Indian Express. After that the inquiry was set-up by Defence Minister A.K. Antony. He called Army Chief to discuss the situation.
On July 11 The Indian Express published a story which reads like Shopian probe panel suspects the victims. Justice Muzaffar Jan who was heading the panel retracted that the all shopian reports was not made by him. There were some inputs by local police also which suspects even the victims too. He told ths in the exclusive interview with The Indian Express.
Who can afford to forget the role of The Indian Express in the case of exposing the Librehan commission’s report on Babri demolition? Since the Liberhan commission handed over the final report of the disputed structure Express had been tracing the moves of Liberhan and the Home Department. The first break through was publishing the story where it told some of crucial documents went missing while the death of Subhash Sadh was occurred. It was the mystery whether he died in accident or it was pre-planned murder. To this, UP Home Secretary and Liberhan Commission Secretary told Delhi Police the slain OSD Sadh was never summoned by Liberhan Commission.
Besides that sporadic story Express journalist culd manage to have the Babri demolition report by Liberhan Commssion. The added-and shocking content especially the reference to atal bihar Vajpayi heated the temperature of Parliament. Advani stated that there should be a mole in the Home- Ministry otherwise report could not reach to The Indian Express before it was tabled. The disruptions were maintained in the procedure of Parliament, all was happened due to the Express’ habbit of first to report.
KHAP Panchayats rulled over Haryana’s lgacy, no political party can breach its code of conduct, then where the people come. The clout to these Khap Panchayat was shaken by the Express’ brief story over the panchayats. The case was broke by Express, in a recent judgement Delhi High Court gave verdict against Khap Panchayat and the member whowere allegedly involved in the couple of the same gotra’s murder.
On August 30 The Indian Express published an extensive report on how the whistleblowers were being harassed after giving tipp-offs. Abhijit Ghosh’ case was one among many. He was General Manager with the Central Bank of India who has been suspended for almost a year now and was served three charge-sheets earlier.The Delhi High Court gave the judgement in the favour of Abhjit Ghosh. His firm was supposed to compensate him with the remained salary since he was suspended.
On December 24, the Ruchika Girhotra episode once again inked in the newspaper, Expres showed the reason why Rathore should have been stripped off with his madles and why he was not? Very next day centre started scrutinized whether the action against Rathore should have taken. Later Rathore was stripped-off with his medals. He got show-cause notices from Home Department why his pension shoul not cut and why he should not be stripped-off with the medal.
The way CBI gave its report about the accused Nun (showing her woman of easy virtue) in Abhaya Murder Case. The findings make some feminist organisation to raise their eye-brow. Vrinda Karat the CPI(M) firebrand asked Rajya-sabha to sack the authority who made such ludicrous – obscene remarks which decreases a woman’s dignity. The CBI ‘s bizarre was that after proved the Nun a virgin CBI blamed she was not virgin as her breast are pendulous due to vigorous fondling during sex. The government sacked the Authority to re-investigate the case.
For Kalmadi, F1 is Family 1st – the story pubished in The Indian Express the next day Suresh Kalmadi (IOA President) wrote back to The Indian Express. But he culd not save his alleged ‘role’ in the case.
On December 25 match between India and Srilanka was abandoned due to uneven bounce in the pitch. Two players got injury.a copy of ICC report accessed by The Indian Express where ICC warned DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) about the dodgy pitch. The story was published in the edition of 27th December. Next day former DDCA chief Kirti Azad with some of his colleagues protested before DDCA office citing the report. Chetan Chauhan (the then Chief of DDCA) had to resign from the post.
Investigative Stories from Gujarat have published most number of the times. It also laid impact to change thescenario. There are so many stories like, “L G hospital does not have CCTV.” After the story published LG authority looked into the matter and did the needful. The same impact happened at the MSU student leader’s case where Mayor asked about the delay in Student leader’s result. The Municipal authority had to answer nabbing their hands behind. Pollution drives south Gujarat fishermen to Porbandar, Okha waters- the story was published on August 10, enforced GPCB (Gujarat Pollution Control Board) and CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) to step further.
To dilute 2002 riot case, Gujarat cops list kin of accused as witnesses – the story was published on September 22. This resulted into hullabaloo in the Gujarat Vidhansabha. The Gujarat Congress alleged Narendra Modi Government having hand in that.
On October 22, a story about the humiliation of Bangladeshi migrants was published in The Indian Express. Where it told disabled child also put in the custody. Impact of the story was - Principal Secretary (Home) Balvant Singh ordered the Gujarat Police to look into the matter. The order has reached senior police officers in Ahmedabad, Surat and Kutch where the concentration of Bangladeshi immigrants is very high. The home secretary also revealed that instances of maltreatment of Bangladeshi have been reported from the joint interrogation Centre at Kutch and the Special Operation Group campuses in the state. The department also ensured that the legal actions will be taken if any humiliation is found. The Gujarat High Court issued a notice to the state government following a habeas corpus petition by a woman accusing the Ahmedabd police of detaining her three sons, including one who is mentally challenged, along with illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
On November 15a story came from the riot-victims’ camp from Gujarat. London based NRI who built a rehabilitation camp for riot victims Muslims imposed a Saria law on them. A ban on “Shaitani” (devilish) things such as TV, music systems and all forms of electronic entertainment has been imposed. Impact of the story was that the London based charity run by trustee Yousuf Chamar denied that he has not given any such authority to care-taker Bashir Dukanwala. He did not impose any Saria law over residents. Besides this, several other cases emerged to be reported after this incident from the riot victims housed in Himmatnagar and Modasa in Sabarkantha.
Types of the Story
No. of impacts it had made
Jammu and Kashmir
1
Defence and strategy
2
Naxals affected states
2
Ecology
0
Government
1
Economics
0
Developmental stories
0
Law and order
4
Miscellaneous
1
Sports
2
Gujarat
5
North east
0
Stories which got Follow-up:
Story about Bureaucratic downfall was published in The Indian Express on July 8. How Mayawati allotted Heli-copters to top cops for Dalit appeasement. The story was published with the details how and when DGP travelled using government tools. The follow-up to this story was published on July 23 with some other crucial details. This time the money which was provided to alleged Dalit Victims and the travel-distance what the DGP Vikram Singh travelled – all the details were given.
The much- criticised austerity drive was exposed by The Indian Express. The first story was published on September 8, the follow-up came on the next day showing S M Krishna leaving the five-star suit. Pramab Mukhrji’s request on behalf of Sonia Gandhi placed at the front page as the another follow-up story. The next day CPWD’s denials for not preparing the houses gain front page place for it self. A follow-up Article published on September 9, merely two days after the story came into light. The article named as “Short-take” has a dialogue form, where the author talked with two imaginary personas of SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor. Two cartoons came for two consecutive days.
On September 11 another story came where the secret discussion of cabinet revealed. Which goes like, “A cabinet meeting was called to question half a dozen MPs who were not following austerity measures. Sources were also placed in the meeting noted several MPs like Anand Sharma and Sharad Pawar refuted and said, “allow ministers to travel in first-class, as during foreign visits they need a “freshness’ and meetings are held at very hectic time-frame, barely after an hour of ending the journey ”. Sharad Pawar also pointed out his demand that “lunches and dinners for foreign delegations should be organised in Five-star hotels.” This time Pranab Mukherjee declined it saying the foreign dignitaries should be hosted “appropriately” but five-star hotels as venues should be avoided. Farooq Abdulla said he cannot travel in Economy class being a tall man. The heated arguments were reported when Daysnidhi Maran stated that no minister either home or finance do need to travel in Private air-craft rather they should use commercial flights.”
The first series of Austerity invoked another with the Tiltle ‘AAJ KA AUSTERITY”. The series began on September 16, revealed the details of UPA ministers’ lavish desires. The ministers wanted Italian tiles in their office, Engineered wood flooring, wall panelling and veneering , Gypsum board and false ceiling, Glazed shutters for doctors, windows and glazed partitions, Polished porcelain tiles in toilet, ante room and pantry (Lea, Panaria, Italian made), Wall tiles (Sanchis, Spanish made).
On September 16, a box item was come with Rahul Gandhi’s much-acclaimed Shatabdi ride and Shashi Tharoor’s much criticised twitter-comment on it. The box titled as AAJ KA AUSTERITY. At the same day an Editorial piece published, which criticised hypocritical socialism within Congress. It was titled as “The Holy Cow”.
“Austerity express: With ‘waiting list’ stamp, Rahul confirms berth”, the follow-up story was published on the same day, detailed how passenger suffered due to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Austere move’ and how Rahul got his ticket confirmed at the extreme last moment despite a long waiting list in the Economy class.
On September 18, a follow-up story surfaced with the heading One UPA Minister seeks new toilet behind office seat, another walnut wood flooring. It was about MoS Panabaka Lakshmi’s Vastu- friendly toilet request is turned down by CPWD.
On September 18, Shashi Tharoor’s photograph travelling in economy-class came. The same day news-story from Gujarat where Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee issued a circular asking its 181 elected members to opt for 20 per cent cut in their salaries for one year.
On September 20 Tavleen Singh, columnist Sunday Express wrote an article titled as “We need real Austerity”. Talking about themask of austeirity worn by the UPA ministers, while the nation is facing drought-hit situation. She wrote it is the game of audacity versus scarcity.
On September 23, Tharoor met PM and Sonia told to be “careful” (Sonia Tharoor photograph was given; put at appendix). Caricature of Mayawati siting on Elephant put by Unny. On September 24, a cartoon caricature of Sonia & Tharoor came.
A Follow-up ‘crucial’ story came on September 25 titled as, “What SM Krishna did not tell: His Ministry pushed hard to get Government to pay his five-star bills.” Express accessed the letter of MEA’s Gupta wrote again to the UD Ministry and referred to a note from Krishna’s office regarding his hotel stay. “I would appreciate if payment for the hotel accommodation for the Minister could be authorized till the accommodation allotted to him by the Ministry of Urban Development is ready for occupation,” Gupta wrote. The letter is put in the appendix.
Its Master’s voice- a series led the CBI to a loose organisation run on the Central Government’s indication. The earlier series came in the June. Later in October another series began, this time it blamed UPA government. The story suggested the UPA-II’s entire top legal team got together to prepare the ground for the withdrawal of charges against Quattrochi.
The next follow-up came on October 3, where it detailed; In a note on June 10, 1987, then Minister of state for Defence Arun Singh had recommended that cancellation of the contract should be pursued as an option if the Swedish authorities did not co-operate in the probe. On July 4, 1987, the advice of then Attorney General K Parasmani was sought. Though the AG himself said ‘on record’ that Bofors had “clearly breached the contract”, the contract was not annulled.
The third follow-up came on October 4 which showed how CBI withdrew from his words on the high-commnad’s order.
As far as the defence and strategy is concerned it also included terrorism in it. Terrorism is much-listenen-talked thing for Newspapers so the stories which express broke only those are selected in this diseertation.
What went wron series had come in the June . the nex series began on August 7. The three part series devided into the crucial details of security-gaffe. The first one was how the police-system lacked communication devices. The next story suggested how our security forces had the deficient ammunition and those were available were put in the locks. Bhagavt Kacharu Bansode, the first police officer to enter the Trident, had one revolver. The communication between SoPs was not made properly.
Express first reported suspicios activity of China. China was making dam on its side of Brahmputra. The follow-up came with a leading Editorial Piece on October 16 titled as “Dammed truths: China moves to build dams in Tibet. What India should learn.” A follow-up story on November 4, 2009 came detaling and giving evidences: “Remote Sensing confirms China building dam: The NRSA findings confirm The Indian Express report that the ongoing construction for a dam on the river which China calls the Yarlungzangbo at Zangmu. The construction was for a water storage project.”
On October 16 it proceeded further, the news story published on that day hinted government was alerted about the suspicious Chinese activity.
Reactng to this In The Sunday Express wrote an article titled as ‘How the folly led to to 1962.
In the Case of Headly- Rana express did the story but all were sporadic having different details. So it could not come under this section.
Investigative stories from Jammu and Kashmir have been leading the front with the sequence of the story till yet. The story about the Shopian panel’s report came on July 11 where the story wrote ‘Victims were also suspected by the Shopian probe pannel’. The follow-up story came on the next day July 12 where the Judge denied his role in the alleged remarks about the victims. Shopian got yet another place in black & white. In the Sunday Express Muzammila Jaleel wrote a full-length Investigative article on the Shopian double rape and murder case.
In the case of Law and order the first major story was of the Liberhan wher it published saying that secrecy in the Babri panel report was not maintained. It wrote Liberhan used different typists instead of using the commission staff. The story was published on July 1. Later it confined the ten stories out of this.
Another one published on July 9, where it allegated that some crucial documents from the Liberhan Files wemt missing while OSD Sadh succumbed into consumtion.
The major brea-through was the series on Liberhan reprt’s accessed by The Indian Express. On November 24 the story titled as, “Advani & Co were barely 200 m away… could have prevented Babri demolition’’ came. That particular day a list of alleged culprit was also given. For the next seven to eight days newspaper was covered with Liberhan and its faulty report. The stories which came as the sequence stories are as follows: “Story 1: DM went by CM orders, did nothing , says report.” “Story 2: ‘Traces of Babri villains thrive in every pillar of the system’’. “Story 3: Central riot police force needed: Liberhan.” “Story 4. 22 references to Atal, more flattering”, “5: Why delay? Judge blames his ‘unworthy’ counsel”, “Story 6: How the BJP, RSS mobilised kar sevaks”. Finally the series ended with the conclusion given by the Liberhan.”
Another crucial story is about Ruchika Molestation case. Express gave the details about Rathore’s high connections.The sequence storie went as: “Ex-DGP: Faced pressure to give Rathore clean-chit”. On December 26 Ruchika’s statement was given under the Title ‘Statement from Ruchika “I was so socked… nervous”. Very next day a news-story came where HC Judge cited Express ordered, “Fix responsibility on all who shielded Rathore.” An article by Shekhar Gupta which was published in 2000 was resurfaced again.
“On December 26, considering it as Express impact: FIRST ACTION AGAINST RATHORE: NOTICES ON MEDAL, PENSION;Subhead: Award committee to meet January 4 on move to take back ex-DGP’s 1985 Police Medal.”- come as follow-up story.
Gujarat has the highest stories in the genus of Investigative Stories. The follow-ups are not that much and particular in this. While the Hooch tragedy gave seven back to back stories. Aprt from that the Stories of Bangladeshi migrants had three sequence stories. On December 4, a news –story published; “Govt gets notice over detention of differently-abled kid” DCB had detained five-year old Tariq on April 25: The Gujarat High Court issued a notice to the state government following a habeas corpus petition by a woman accusing the Ahmedabd police of detaining her three sons, including one who is mentally challenged, along with illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The story about the migrant disabled child Tariq the story kept coming till the high court gave the order to rehabilitate the children who are under custody.
The story which generated more sequence story was about industrial waste near coastal area one was about the Piraman village near Bharuch and another was from Okha coast in September.
The ferment for any investigative Journalist is 2002 – Gujarat. On November 14, the stories about the rehabilitation camp run by a London based businessman who imposed Shariya in the refugee’s camp. The follow-up story published in The Inidan Express that after seeing the Express reports Yousuf Chamar – the businessman from London clarified his position on the issue. The story published on November 14.
Table- 3 - The stories which got follow-ups.
Stories which made impact (according to classification)
Number of the stories
Jammu and Kashmir
3
Defence and strategy
7
Naxals affected states
0
Ecology
0
Government
15
Economics
0
Developmental stories
0
Law and order
16
Miscellaneous
0
Sports
0
Gujarat
12
North east
7
The Follow-up stories after an investigative stoy.
Expert Intrerviews:
Amrita Shah, Contributing Editor of The Indian Express, Editor, Elle and Debonaire:
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: Investigative journalism is going behind the news to find a largerstory using a variety of legitimate and often innovative means.
Q.2. Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: I dont have any definite views on your question about tools. But I do think your motive must be to serve the public cause and you must do as much as possible to not invade privacy and so on.
Q.3. What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: One should keep the legal aspects in mind and be prepared for the consequences. To me however the ethical aspects are also important. I do not believe you have to break the law or be unethical to do investigative journalism - there are many ways.
Q.4.: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: If you do stories for shock value then they will have less and lessimpact over time.
Q.5. memorable investigative stories
A.5: one was a story in an American publication where a well known violinist played in a subway and the reporter watched to see if anyone stopped to listen.The other story was about the Antulay-cement case in Maharashtra done by Arun Shourie in the Indian Express.
Prashant Dayal, Crime Reporter, The Times of India
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: Investigative journalism means a process of scrutinising the depth of truth which is visible, whether it is truth or not; its cross-examination to establish it as a truth.
Q.2. Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: It does not matter. One can go till any level.
Q.3: What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: One should keep legal aspects in mind. In hurry, if you overlooked them there are close chances to be trapped into cases like defamation.
Q.4.: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: Today Investigative Journalism is considred as Sting, but there is a hair-line difference between them. But as far as Investigative Journalism is concerned it generates faith in the readers. Till the faith of readers is there , it would surely make impact.
Q.5. memorable investigative stories
A.5: First one is Sohrabuddin Encounter case, I broke the case and told it was fake encounter before it was officially revealed. Another one was about another fake encounter did in Vatva where five persons were killed. I gave the detail report o it. Seeing that story, Human rights Commission asked the state government to clarify the stand.
Rajesh Sharma- Columnist ,Sandesh
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: To expose the truth in public-welfare by the journalistic means.
Q.2. Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: Necessarily not. If someone or some institution is doing wrong than you have to venture into his areas to expose him. Sometimes it needs bad virtue to follow god one which can do something in public welfare.
Q.3: What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: If you do expose or bare someone he will also do something to save his credit. In most of the cases the person would be a public figure or a big personality so he cannot let you unhurt. It depends upon particular case, in each case you donot need to look into legal aspects. And if you are doing good then people will beside you.
Q.4.: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: It makes impact as every investigative story is published after collecting the enough evidences, verifying it then after satisfying with its legitimacy it is published. so its impact is not less.
Q.5. Memorable investigative stories.
A.5: one is the Operation Gangajal- Bhagalpur blinding, another is Antulay’s cement scam and the third one is of Bofors which was cranked by Chitra Subramaniam of The Hindu but later the task was taken by The Indian Express.
Bhaven Kacchhi
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: When a Journalist, instead of depending upon the news-sources, press-release and other typical means of getting stories, he observes
the things from each and every dimensions of a person, society incident or place profoundly and then link them to create a new story- it is called investigative journalism.
Q.2: Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: in the changing scenario of journalism, many times Journalists use spy-cameras, they settled taoe-recorders or even use any staff-member as a ‘source’ there is nothing wrong in it. But it should not be done with the intention of harm the reputation of any person or institution. Rather it must only have the object of establishing some ethical practices in society by the means of Journalism. Spy camera or other such sources should be used as weapons, not for the yallow journalism.
Q.3: What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: Audio or Vedio recordings are not considered as evidences legally. Initially many yellow-journalist used it as tools to increase the reader interest or cases of black-mailing through such tools also came in highlight. So the intention of the journalist sould be pure, not only this his superior whether editor or senior – journalist must check the entity very circumspectly. Despite this, if anyone or Police do not believe in it and if the journalist has faith in his own instinct then he should come forward to tell the truth. There is no need to be fearfull in each and every case if there would be defamation or other charges would be assaulted. If the work of that journalist would be substantial then no culprit can save himself from it.
Q.4: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: It necessarily put impact. The person who has been exposed, its credit has been diminished in public. Today many curropt politicians, fraudsters are either in jail or resting at their homes that is all due to some sincere efforts of Investigative Journalists. There is a fear if the increasing sensationalism in TV and other types of electronics media mainly 24x7 news channels loosing the trust of viewers.
Q.5. Memorable investigative stories.
A.5. it is the case of R.K. Anand – the former CJI and who offered bribe of crores in a hit was and run case by Former Army chief’s son. A TV news channel did a sting by pen camera. Later Anand was suspended to practice law and sacked from the post. Another is the well- known note for vote case. Where all saw MPs having a bag full of notes pouring before the Loksabha speaker.
Findings and Recommendations:
There are too many restraints for the Investigative Journalism in India. As Media-houses are either the governmentally-regulated or run by the market-forces. The Indian Express has been doing exceptionally well in such scenario. It seems Express’ policy to tell truth. The findings suggest that The Indian Express’ Editorial Policy is anti-incumbant so it has no not to do anything with Government rather a party’s incursions. While, if a news-paper publishes truth in public welfare than it also do not need that much market- capital. Public stands by it. So the Investigative Stories published in The Indian Express are ‘neutral’ in taste.
Considering the editorial policy into account, Express has done a number of investigative stories from the Governmental regime. They uncovered the mask of austerity from UPA ministers by giving extensive details. Publishing an investigative story with detail, with evidences exemplify the sincere journalism, seeing the aspects of law while doing it.
There is also a question of propriety; at what level a Journalist can go to get the story. As it happened in the case of Babri report’s revealing. The question is that is the Journalist do have authority to venture into other’s see. The report was accessed by The Indian Express and published it before it was tabled in both the houses. The sequence of that series was also notable. The Indian Express began to publishing the report since Justice Liberhan submitted the Babri panel report. The news-blast was supposedly the outcome of the intensive reading of that report the exposing time was also that particular, it was exposed in the news – story before two to three days when it was supposed to table in the Parliament. The whole details were narrated. Likewise: how Karsevaks did demolition of disputed structure, how police help them by remainig silent and how government both the state and central do nothing while witnessing huge Mass-mobilisation. It was the subject of Judiciary to act upon it.
The same thing implies with the Shopian case. Express publish the CBI report and the loopholes in it, when the matter was still sub-judice. Another similar case is of Ruchika molestation case, where Express did a campaigning coverage to prove Rathore culprit. Some old editions of the newspaper again got the place in black and white. Express easily made in and out in many such cases even if t is related with Judiciary. The sphere of express is its substantialism. Unlike others it is not only depended upon ‘sources’. While reading the news- story it can be drived that The Indian Express has a huge range of sources from FBI to CBI. So it has succeeded to establish a realm of Investigative Journalism.
Besides, The Indian Express did not do Investigative stories from typical zones of crime and scandals, apart from the hard-core stories. It frequently does Investiagative Stories on developmental issues which hardly appear in the media. The investigative storis in The Indian Express deals with massive variety on the one hand it depicts the story of a DGP molested a teen-girl another side it narrates the story of Policemen suffering in the Naxal land with the lack of modern weapons. Whereas it did the story of NREGA misappropriations, on the other hand it did developmental story of Bundelkhand, where a school provides free and entertaining education to poor children. Maintaing the variety is another feature of the Investigative stories of The Indian Express.
Venturing into police and governmental regime is another sort to get these stories. But Express accessed the records how policemen are transferred on Government’s will. The series was come with two stories having prolonged details of transfer’s place and time duration.
More to the point, Investigative journalism is a distinctive aspect of the work undertaken by the media. Essentially an information-gathering exercise, it looks for facts that are not easy to obtain by simple requests and searches, or those that are actively being concealed, suppressed or distorted. Where such investigative work involves the use of covert methods, it raises issues that tend to further blur the line between law and ethics. An informed citizenry – the bedrock of a democracy, holding the government accountable through voting and participation – requires investigative journalism. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed. A healthy democracy cannot sustain itself on asymmetric dissemination of information. The political elite are ever sensitive to news; and news about economic or political wrongdoing can trigger judicial or quasi-judicial scrutiny. The question of media and ethics became answerable after Expert’s opinion; all the experts are Media-person. The justifiable means are not the priority of any Editor or the Newspaper the priority is to find out the Out of the box thing. All the Journalist to whom I met denied the need of justifiable means if they became the hindrance to get the story. With the reference of The Indian Express it can be noticed that it has not used any stroopy trap to get the story. In the special case of Liberhan it managed to get the unrevealed report. The central point is that investigative journalism that insists on going after information through deception and invasion of privacy can have only one argument: a large social purpose.
The proximity of the investigative stories was also considered. A story from Gujarat was surfaced when the Ruchika case’ verdict was given. The story reads a minor girl who was molested by two local youths having a clout as their Uncle was an MLA the then, the MLA wrote a leter to judicial authority to delay the case. The story made an impact with its suitable proximity. Other such case was of Bhopal Gas Tragedy’s. Two Investigative Stories came to suggest the current status of Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.
While Gujarat is still knows as 2002’s reference. Express Journalists maintain to have the stories out of it and sometimes included it too. They did some sincere efforts to collects the story which can not be penned in any pro-government newspaper. The Investigative Stories maintained democratic values in Gujarat. In cases like Shia Muslims are not getting their graveyard or some cleric imposes Shariyat law. How accused in riots cases consider witnesses by Police and how one can get the liquer in Gujarat are some of the example of courageous story-collections from Gujarat.
The Indian Express’ stories have a cycle of investigative story – follow up – impact. Some cases of the scams are rendered till the level of judicial inquiry like the case of Khap pachayat which was first reported in Express. Sukana land scam and China’s act of building a dam are some other instances which became the evidencial note for proceedings.
To conclude, the Investigative Stories published in The Indian Express have variety, authenticity and audacity. The stories are not mere ‘stinging’ one but practicing ‘Journalism of Courage’ in Public Welfare.
APPENDIX:
Some instances of Great Investigative Stories:
• Villagers opens mind, heart to HIV kids
Subhead: After awareness campaign, students who had stopped attending a Latur school with HIV children are back
Swati Kher
Mumbai, July 30: As soon as nine children from Sevalaya AIDS ashram of Latur were admitted to the district primary school in Hasegaon village, parents began demanding removal of those HIV infected children from the school and when the authorities refused, they stopped sending their wards to the government –run institution. The attendance in the 248-student school had then dipped to 48. But it had also risen to 175 with the efforts of Sevalaya, a local voluntary group and some officials of State’s health department.
Local activists of Sevalaya organised a protest rally against the discrimination on July 21, 2009. A day later, activists decided to approach villagers directly and clear their misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. There were door-to-door visits, including to the village Sarpanch, senior residents and influential people. The efforts seemed to work as the attendance rose to 107 on July 22. The villagers had initially resisted information and directives from health officials from the cities. But with such conjoined efforts now the minds and hearts are begun to open.
India’s power deficit is shrinking [Investigation of Financial sector]
Subhead Demand goes up 3.5 per cent, and capacity rises 6.7 per cent in the last fiscal year (2009); south remains the laggard.
Kartikeya Malhotra
July, 02,2009 New Delhi:
Amid outcries over power cuts, blackouts and shortfalls in some states and cities, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is reporting a decrease in India’s power deficit, so far this calendar year.
Although the demand for power has bumped up by 3.5 per cent compared with this time last year, power generators across India have improved on the nation’s capacity by 6.7 per cent. The main problems in keeping up with the demand for power lie in the south where most state power systems have failed to reduce their shortfalls.
The demand for generated power has reached more than 333,507 millions of units (mu) this year — an 11,000 mu increase from this time last year. The country’s power supply has not only grown in proportion to the bump in demand, but public and private power generators have managed to bolster supply by nearly 17,000 mu, swelling the available capacity to 298,715 mu through May this year, according to the CEA’s monthly review executive summaries.
The nowhere people :
Subhead: Its eyes on prime, Rs 1,000-cr Banglore land, the Yeddyurappa government is set to uproot over 1,700 destitute
Johnson TA
Banglore, July 28: Over 1700 people, including poor school children, AIDS-affected, destitute and disabled are set to be uprooted as the state government moves to take back 210 acres form Sumanahalli and its neighbouring Beggars society. Apart from the 50 acres of land leased to Sumanahalli, an adjacent 160-acre property with a Beggars colony that houses 922 people – including 131 mentally disabled, 45 disabled and 402 elderly-will also be a part of the government land swoop The prime land valued at Rs. 1,000 crore has been coveted by politicians. In 2007, during the JD(S) - BJP rule, a minister had proposed handing over the entire property at one-third of the market value to private developers. But the proposal did not go through.
A ‘cabinet decision’ on moving the Beggars Colony was taken on July 6,20089 after Yeddyurappa paid “surprise visit” and expressed unhappiness over health, food and working conditions of the people living there. Cabinet has decided to take over 160 acres of the Beggar’s colony on the Magadi Road for the construction of a hospital, a bus terminus and a large park, but remained silent on 50 acres of land with the Sumanahalli society. The society handed over 13 out of its 63 acres to the government for building road. In 2006, the society agreed to a proposal where 25 acres of land was to be taken by the government for creating a campus for the Visvesvaraya Technological University and the remaining 25 acres would be given as a grant to the society.
The Sumanahalli society was started as a leprosy treatment and rehabilitation project in 1977 on 63 acres of land leased by the then chief minister Devraj urs.
Selling bird’s nest soup to save this bird: there’s change in law
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 17: National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has delisted the Edible Nest Swiftlet, a cave-nesting bird found in the Andaman and Nicoabar Islands, from the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA). Because local communities which poached the bird’s nests- used in the famous bird’s nest soup – used in the famous bird’s nest soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and thought to be an aphrodisiac- are now being roped in to harvest the nests commercially. The controlled sale of nests, which are made by the saliva of the Swiftlet, could only have been possible if the bird, accorded highest protection under Scheduled One of the WPA, was delisted from the act for three years. Law to this is amended to allow commercial harvesting of the nests. So the poaching of the nests which ultimately resulted into death of Fledglings, can be stopped.
Write/ Wrong
Orissa’s thin Red line
Subhead: A Journalist recently joined the state‘s long list of accused having ‘Maoist links’. A packet containing Maoist literature, police said, was proof he was ‘waging war against state’
Debbrata Mohanty
Bhubneshwar, September 24: The Orissa Police arrested a stringer with Sambad, the largest-selling Oriya daily, and slapped several charges against him, including of “waging war against the state”. Laxman Choudhary’s offence: a packet containing eight Maoist leaflets addressed to him was recovered from a bus conductor. The conductor, Pradip Patra, too, has been arrested. The act is criticised by CM Navin Patanayka, but the critique only could not give any relief to Choudhury. In any case he was supposed to be jailed till October 5. Investigation regarding this reveals how police is itself waging war against ‘raising voices’. Coudhary is not even the first Journalist to be arrested on allegations of links with Maoists in the state.
While Journalist Kirti Sahoo was arrested in 2004 on similar charges, editor of Nishan magazine Lenin Kumar was jailed for several days last years by Bhubaneswar police for writing “provocative” reports on the Kandhamal riots. In September 2008, a correspondent of Amari Katha newspaper, Debendra Das, was arrested on charges of sedition, and is still behind bars.
Others too have drawn similar action in the state. Orissa High Court lawyer Pratima Das, arrested for alleged links with Maoists and charged with sedition around the same time as Debendra Das, too continues to be behind bars. A few weeks ago, 30 tribal labourers were arrested in Sundargarh district on charges of harbouring Maoists, which had also triggered an uproar. In Choudhary’s case, the police did not even try to locate the source of the packet containing the Maoist leaflets addressed to him and the conductor from whom it was recovered under Sections 120(b) and 121 (waging war against the government), and 121(a) (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by Section 121) of IPC; and under Section 17 of the Criminal Amendment Act. While Choudhary had not even received those leaflets, the serious charges levelled by the Mohana police ensured that the local court rejected his bail plea. Choudhary’s fellow journalists believed the real reason behind his arrest might have been the series of article written by the Sambad stringer on illegal activities by police personnel.
India’s new worry: terror phones jammed, with some Pak help
Pranab Dhal Samanta
Rome, July 7: (While Reporting the G-8 summit Pranab Dhal Samanta broke this story)
According to Top Government Sources, India has found evidence that Pakistan is “spoofing” Thurya satellite phones used commonly by terrorist and , thus , undermining its stated commitment to undo the India – targeted terror infrastructure on its soil. Sources said transmitters have come up across the Line of Control and the international border which blank out signals emanating from Thurya phones used by terrorists. This makes impossible for Indian agencies to triangulate and track the location of these Thurya phones, which are among the most effective ways to detect infiltration or follow movement of known Pak-based terrorists.
India believes that these transmitters cannot exist without tacit support of the Pak establishment. And even if they do, they can easily be detected and removed. The existence of these transmitters, sources said, has provided another cover to terrorists acting against India. In fact, these phones were used perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks. Without being alarmist, the Indian security establishment feels there are “credible threats against India”.
Cartoons – Caricature, which published as The Investigative Stories Follow-up:
The Cartoon came after Babri Report became public.
Follow-up cartoons after the Liberhan’s report on Babri demolition.
Austerity Part-2: Shashi Tharoor and SM Krishna’s Episode of living in five-star suit. As well as the Fennel –kalmadi controversy was on its peak, when the Express story published Kalmadi’s secrest letter.
The cartoon came after Shashi Tharoor’s cattle class comment.
S M Krishna leaving the hotel the same day the Story was published about his lavish life-style.
A follow-up picture on September 8 to show Tharoor’s ready house.
Tharoor – sonia met following austerity measures.
Copy of letter was given which shows how Krishna’s hotel accommodation afforded by ministry.
Follow-up cartoon to Ruchika Girhotra case.
the cartoon came after the series ‘What went wrong’
What went wrong series- photograph.
Picture showing where Naxalites are making a safe Naxal-zone.
Story from Naxal-land, How DGP did misappropriation of fund in Naxal war.
Miscellaneous story- how MP authority brands poors.
Singh Envokes draft from Vajpayee- a follow-up cartoon.
China building dam – an evidential picture is given.
Letter of Khuman sinh Chauhan who wrote to delay the case- published as evidence.
Follow-up to Ruchika molestation case.
Journalism is the first draft of history; by contrast, Investigative Journalism provides the first rough draft of legislation. It does so by drawing Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Practitioners sometimes use the terms "watchdog journalism" or "accountability reporting" for this genre. Investigative journalism is but one of many styles of reporting seen in newspapers around the world. This style of journalism is typically associated with crime, political corruption or scandal; however, the topics are not limited to these areas. For reporters who write articles in the investigative style the topic must be of deep interest not only to themselves and their paper but also to the general population. The goal of investigative journalism is to discover and reveal truth in a public forum. Journalists often find themselves working on an investigative piece before it is published, commonly in the form of an expose.
Apart from these general notions here are some scholarly definitions which provide thorough understanding of this topic.
In The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques, Steve Weinberg defined investigative journalism as: “Reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, matters of importance to readers, viewers or listeners. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed.”
De Burgh (2000) (editor) Routledge, London and New York, states that: "An investigative journalist is a man or woman whose profession it is to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available. The act of doing this generally is called investigative journalism and is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies in that it is not limited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity."
According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “Investigative journalism means the activity of news reporters trying to discover information which is of public interest but which someone might be keeping hidden. Conspiracy is a popular subject for investigative journalism.”
“Investigative journalism is a branch of journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic (almost always scandalous), and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. The classic example is the uncovering of the Watergate Scandal by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, resulting in reports being published in the Washington Post.” – www. knowledgerush.com.
The definitions clear the unique idea of the Investigative Journalism. It shows how Investigative Journalism defers from the typical storylines of – what is happening, rather presents ‘‘what could be happened’’, “what should be happened” and “what would be happened if the ongoing situation is not properly handled.” the Definitions also suggest the Journalist should be interested for venturing into the topic deeply. In none of the above definitions Investigative Journalism is not linked with the ‘sting operations’ which is considered today a synonym to the Investigative Journalism. Besides, the general notion that Investigative Journalism is the tool of exposing crime, scam or any other wrongdoing is broken. The common factor which is derived from each definition is that the Investigative Journalism is all about fact-finding.
4. Research Methodology and Data-collection:
Object of Research:
Research is an attempt to discover something but when everything has been discovered already then what remains to be discovered. The latter part mutely indicates towards the essence of Investigative Journalism. The object behind this research was to know the basics of Investigative Journalism through a thorough analysis of investigative stories published in The Indian Express. The Indian Express forged a trend so took it for proper research. The aim behind this to find the ideal ways of investigative journalism, its supposed or actual impact over the society or the authority which has inclusion in it.
The research is fragmented into various selective tools used for Investigative Journalism. How the investigative story defers from one-time sting to a universal brunt is the one of the object of this dissertation. Besides Investigative stories do not limited up to the news – coverage or report- writing, the investigated topic constantly keeps finding its place in black & white. The endeavour was also to check in the process after an investigative story is published. The portrayals of cartoons or caricature, leading editorial pieces, follow-up stories, impact of the story were among them. How the investigative story can lay impact for the further development or change is the longing for the research.
As the Investigative stories laid impact over concerned authority in particular and society in general, the editorial policy of a newspaper does the same effect over the selection of topic for the investigation. Some periodicals select sensational topics other may select mere relating with exposing or a hard-core realities behind the bar. The Indian Express has been practicing it in many other fields. I do focuss to experience that variety of selecting the topics of such sort by The Indian express. The other feel was to cultivate the journalistic instinct of investigation through a deep analysis of investigative stories from many areas. Which are the most vibrant zones for such stories, which can cause legal set-backs (like investigative stories in judiciary need to have conscious senses or ready to face defamation if a person enjoys the clout).
As earlier mentioned the relation of editorial policy with the investigative stories, one of mine motive was to comprehend the editorial policy of The Indian Express, which has been maintaining its maxim of ‘Journalism of Courage’ rather than other’s policy of ‘Journalism of coverage only.’
Type of Research:
The approach is both qualitative and quantitative as it takes the large samples but not selected it randomly. Besides, after doing in-depth study of The Indian Express (six months), only the investigative stories from the various genres have been selected. The research has been based on the information collected from the editions of The Indian Express from 1st July 2009 to 31st December 2009 and from the opinions and Interviews of experts.
Limitation of Research:
Topographical Area: I selected Ahmedabad as the topographical area for the research as it contains the educational institute where I do study and it has big media houses from where I can approach the journalists for the expert-advice.
Time-duration: Six months.
Dimensions of the Study:
Considering the time-limit, I have selected the newspapers i.e. The Indian Express of six months to analyse the process and themes of Investigative stories. For the better cultivation towards the topic I am to thoroughly read the newspapers and meet the experts.
Data –collection:
I am to use the tools of Questionnaire, Library-work and ‘in-person’ visit to get the information.
History- Growth – development of Investigative Journalism in India
The first ever credit for Investigative Journalism goes to Rustom Khurshedji Karanjiya the founder Editor of Blitz (the weekly). He started the tabloid to focus upon investigative journalism. Yet details of his works are not available. He worked as war journalists for his periodical.
Since the 1980s when investigative journalism emerged in India there have been a few landmark cases. The Bofurs gun scandal is considered one of the first and most influential pieces of Indian investigative journalism. This scandal involved then Prime Minister Gandhi who was accused of receiving kickbacks from the Bofurs Company. This piece of writing in part led to the defeat of Prime Minister Gandhi in the next election. In 1996 another landmark case emerged when the story of the Fodder scam broke. This scam again involved the Indian government as it was stated that embezzlement from the treasury of the Indian state Bihar had been ongoing. Another piece that was important was the piece concerning the Jain Diary Case which was a political scandal where the government had secretly received funding. Other pieces of investigative journalism in India worth noting are the Petrol Pumps largesse scandal and Satyendra Dubey’s murder case.
In 1976, in the face of falling oil prices, a $200-million contract was awarded to the Hong Kong-based Kuo Oil Co to take future deliveries at current prices. The government lost Rs13 crore. The money is supposed to have gone to Indira and Sanjay. The story was broken by Arun Shourie.
In the decade of 80s first ever its type of case cranked up from Bhagalpur. It was “Operation Gangajal” Over three years, from 1979 to 1982, policemen blinded 33 undertrials or convicted criminals in Bhagalpur jail using acid. Codenamed Operation Gangajal, a report by Indian Express, the incident became a national scandal and 14 policemen were suspended, of 14 policemen 13 were acquitted and reinstated in service. When the Indian express brought the issue into national spotlight, the Supreme Court accepted it as writ petition.
In 1981,a reporter bid and brought women " KAMALA" for Rs. 2300 at a sale in Madhya Pradesh to establish trafficking in women and the involvement of top bananas in the racket. This used to be face of sting in India.
In 1981 Arun Shourie provided another specimen of substantial journalism was represented by Arun shourie. That was the great Maharashtra cement scandal, when chief minister A R Antulay was charged with malpractices and favouritism in giving cement meant for public consumption to private builders.
Bofors Scandal was another break through for the accountable Journalism in 1987. Rajiv Gandhi and others were accused of receiving Rs 64 crore in payoffs for the 155mm howitzer deal from the Swedish firm Bofors. The misappropriation in the Bofors Deal was broke by The Hindu- Journalist Chitra Subramaniam later the campaign was gone to Express hands. Shourie- Goenka duo ran a campaign to leave the PM’s chair. Shouri also broke how Dhirubhai Ambani had imported an entire textile plant without paying customs, or that he was producing more than his permit, they tracked how the government was favouring him; how he owned shell companies; how he had both banks and politicians in his pocket; how, in short; he was subverting society.
In its kind of first case a Stringer from the Hindi daily Jansatta had warned of potential disaster in Bhopal. Rajkumar Keshwani asserted in several articles over the two year before the tragedy took place that safety standards in plant were inadequate and that a catastrophic leak could be resulted.
In November 16, 2003 The Indian Express exposed a Union Minister Dilip singh Judeo while taking the bribe. The sting became the controversial as it was motivated by the opposition party.
There are some notable Journalists who made a great hit in the aura of Investigative Journalism one of them is Rakesh Kalshian, a former reporter for the weekly magazine Outlook India where he focused on the environment, a beat he has covered since 1991. Kalshian’s reports for Outlook India included examinations of the effects on India of global warming, the risks workers at the world’s largest ship-breaking yard in Gujarat face, and the endangerment of various forms of Indian wildlife. In January 1999, Kalshian investigated water politics between India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Murali Krishnan has focused closely on corruption in Indian cricket which became 2000’s biggest international sports story. As part of an investigative team at Outlook, Krishnan worked closely for four years on the nexus between bookies, cricketers, and administrators. Outlook named four Indian cricketers in the scandal and called for a formal investigation. He still keeps a close eye on cricket’s underbelly.
Apart from The Indian Express, Tehelka played a vital role in the Investigative Journalism. Tehelka's first success was to catch cricketers and officials taking bribes. The sting was named as Operation Fallen Hero and performed in 2000 by Aniruddh Bahal.
OPERATION WEST End began in 2000, Aniruddha Bahal, senior correspondent of Tehelka floated the idea of an investigation into the dubious nature of defence purchases, and the general porousness of even a ministry as sensitive as defence. It was against the backdrop—Kargil, Bharatpur (the ammunition camp were fire struck and damaged crores), the middlemen controversy—that Bahal and Samuel Mathew, an investigative reporter began their story. Over the course of the first few weeks they did some background sleuthing and chanced upon a defence product that was in queue for purchase. It was something called a hand held thermal camera.
Neither of them knew anything about the product. They downloaded information on it from the net, and with the help of Tehelka’s design department created a brochure for it. They also formed a dummy company and named it West End International. For eight months, these two Tehelka reporters worked on an elaborate sting, involving hidden cameras, whisky parties, and prostitutes. They approached the then president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bangaru Laxman, as representatives of a fictitious arms company called West End. Laxman was offered a "new year party gift" in exchange for putting an arms deal their way. It was not a large sum: about £1,500-worth in dollars or rupees. Laxman, a practical man, chose US dollars. Bangaru Laxman and Samta Party member Jaya Jetly was caught taking bribe.
“Operation Kalank” or Gujarat 2002’s truth revealed the truth behind the riots and how Gujarat CM was involved in mass- butchering. Tehelka journalist Ashish Khetan showed great courage to disrobe Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, Bajrang Dal goon Babu Bajrangi and several others including policemen and political figures. Some of them confessed their role in post-Godhra riots in Gujarat before the hidden camera.
The Shohrabuddin Encounter had irked the Police as well as the Home Department of Gujarat as it was first broke by a Journalist – Prashant Dayal who declared it “Fake” before it was officially declared by Home Department.
The trend in the Investigative Journalism has been changing gradually. Some off-beat investigative stories having no sensation have been entertaining the cause of discovering the truth. One of the examples is how in Chhattisgarh records have been fudged for multi-crore paddy scam. Another one was done by Indian Express Journalist Ayesha Khan that how misappropriation in NREGA lacks the economic security to daily wagers. The topics can be the off-beat its impact would surely be the impeccable.
Earlier the Investigative Journalism was seen as a substantial journalism, nowadays it has been replaced with short-termed Sting Operation. The need is to know Sting operation is not all about the Investigative Stories but it is one of the tools of the latter. The growth has been much heightened and yet increasing especially in publishing houses like Tehelka and The Indian Express.
Review of Literature; data analysis and opinion interviews
:
Classification of the Stories:
Investigative Stories on Developmental Issues
• How tractor changed lives in a village of Shepherds
Subhead: With tractor bringing in prosperity, children go to school, families stay back in Mirde, a village of Nomads
• Villagers opens mind, heart to HIV kids.
Subhead: After awareness campaign, students who had stopped attending a Latur school with HIV children are back
• ‘We may have to forgo one meal today, but we have to buy water for the crop’
Sreenivas Janyala
Mogiligidda, Mahabubnagar,
August 17: In a village in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, farmers are adding to their debt by spending about Rs 2,000 per month to buy water for their fields. Borewells of Mogiligidda and neighbouring villages have dried up. In a desperate effort to save the crop, and themselves are borrowing money to buy water from a private borewells to water their crop. Depending on the demand, the water supplier charges Rs 100 to Rs 200 for three barrels of 50 litres each, which is brought in Auto-rickshaw. At least six barrels is needed so two trips of Auto-rickshaw is needed. If that is improper then whole family including women and children do carry water from several kilometres. While Agriculture and Revenue Department officials blame the Farmers for sowing water-intensive crops and tell tem to replace it. No one is concerned about the standing –crops. The state government is considering the situation for declaring it a drought-hit.
• Inside Bundelkahnd
- A series on the Developmental issue, fragmented into three parts.
Inside Bundelkhand- 1
• Everyone fights for this region but no one wants to own it
Sub-head: Improvised, parched land is site for ‘political ping pong’ between Rahul, Mayawati.
Vandita Mishra
Jhansi, September 7: Development of Bundelkhand is dwindled with two established authorities – Bundelkhand Vikas Nigam in Jhansi, a UP government’s initiative and other is Bundelkhand Development Authority in Sagar, the answer of MP government to former one. But neither of the two is running with the ease due to the lack of sufficient funds. No scheme is yet regulated so far.
As steering for a separate state began to surface here, the Express journalist travel to various regions and found the predicament of this region caught between politicking and ruthless nature. Tube-wells are allotted to many Tehsils ‘on paper’. The scheme is under UP government for the region which is witnessing the drought for the fifth year in a row. Irrigation canals are few and far between, tanks and wells are dry, and the showers in mid-August came too late to save the kharif crop. NGOs are battling for preventing the deaths of Farmers and cattles. Even if a farmer commits suicide here, it becomes difficult for these NGO to prove it was suicide due to crop-failure. In Teletha, about 300 goats and sheep died in the first half of August. The villagers say the animals died because they grazed on crop gone poisonous due to lack of rain. The administration claims that according to post mortem reports, a viral infection called “blue tongue” was to blame.
The attempt of industrialisation for the development went into wane. For e.g. Continental Float Glass Factory which was inaugurated by Rajiv Gandhi in 1980, yet to be started. Migration has emptied villages, particularly the Harijan bastis within them. Entire families throng the bus stand at Chhatarpur and the Railway station in Jhansi, headed to Delhi, Gwalior and Surat. Young men return for festivals, or to check on old parents they leave behind. In most villages in Bundelkhand, the doctor is an unreliable presence in the PHC, and medical care is left to the quack- the “jholachhap doctor” in UP and his MP counterpart, the “chandsi”. People’s suppressed expression trigger from folk-lore, in which they justify the deeds of Dadua- the local dacoit who used to loot rich and give the looted money to poors.
Inside Bundelkhnad- II
• NREGA wages: 20 km away, 15 days late, and only once a week.
Vandita Mishra
Tikamgarh (MP), September 8: No work in 2007, 7 days in 2008 and till September, 2009 he had 28 total working days under NREGA, for that he was paid after a month, that is, too, in instalments by the co-operative bank. The major part of the payment 450(he got 500 at once) goes to Money-lenders, from whom Nathu borrowed Rs 500-700, at an interest of Rs 5 per month on every Rs 100 This is the story of Nathu, one of the NREGA ‘beneficiary’. Even after such situation, he considers himself lucky to get 28 days of work. He believes the person who has any ‘relation’ with Sarpanch or Sachiv gets the job-card. Job-cards are in ‘the hands’ of them. To collect payment Nathu has to walk for half and hour to catch the bus which only comes thrice a day. The payments are not given any day, the bank which run with the staff of three including peon and with ‘missing’ manager has scheduled days for each village. Nathu’s turn comes on Thursday, this time it came after three weeks, no-one could afford to miss it as the next turn is unpredictable. Bank is run without computers, account is maintained on the arithmetic of the cashiers. And villagers count it with their understood math. Such story is of the many like Nathu, who returns with just 40 to 50 Rs. to entertain their basic needs.
Inside Bundelkhnad- III
• Colours of knowledge on walls of hope
Vandita Mishra
Chhatarpur (M.P.), September 9: The Government High School of village Mamon tells the story of how in Bundelkhand, it was left to one man to re-imagine the school. Raghvendra Purohit, retired havildar in the Indian Army, driving force behind the school “Sir” to its 425 students, eight teachers and all residents of village Mamon. The school is located at bout 65 km from the Khajuraho temples, on a lurching dirt track off the Chhatarpur- Sagar highway.
On the outer sides of the school’s boundary walls are painted with tableau, like - “cover the vessel” while cooking for economising time and fuel. Inside, there’s not a blank wall. A class 10 wall is sombre with pictorial representations of the “World’s Main Challenges” – “water pollution”, “air and sound pollution” and “terrorism”, the last depicted in the painter’s reproduction of the 9/11 scene of two planes crashing into the World Trade Centre towers.
The MP government has a policy of appointing two teachers for classes 1 to 5. Of the two, one is kept busy with government paperwork. So he began putting the main points of the syllabus up on the walls. That way, even if the teacher is absent or inattentive, the child can just roam around the school, and learn.
When Purohit was appointed as a ‘shiksha karmi’ to the school in 1998, shortage of teachers was only one of the challenges he confronted. Another was caste-system, but in these school children of all castes eat, study, and play together. In 1999, Purohit started staying back nights in the school to complete their work in the evenings. Since October 1999 , the older children – in classes 3 to 8- have been sleeping in the school as well, though only from October to March when mosquitoes, leaky roofs and erratic electricity are less of a problem. Next on Purohit’s agenda: formal residential facility to help cut down the dropouts among the SC-ST children – the only ones who drop out now”. SCs and STc from the bulk of the migrants heading out of villages in Bundelkhand to work in faraway cities for a few months every year. Purohit has been speaking to parents, trying to persuade them to leave their children behind so that their studies are not interrupted.
2. Investigative stories on Economics:
• India’s power deficit is shrinking
Subhead Demand goes up 3.5 per cent, and capacity rises 6.7 per cent in the last fiscal year (2009); south remains the laggard (Finance)
• CLB (Company Law Board) has just 2 members to hear 2,000 cases
Subhead: Corporate wars & Family feuds have to wait
Shruti Srivastava
New Delhi, November 2: The details of the story as follows; CLB(Company Law Board) is without a chairperson and has 2 members against sanctioned strength of 9. Number of cases pending in the CLB as of March 31, 2009, stood at 2,870. Around 700 cases pertain to misappropriation and mismanagement in companies. Though a chairperson has been shortlisted, Cabinet is yet to clear his/her candidature. The 2 members are expected to shuttle between metros to attend to proceedings. Government has selected 3 members, but their appointments too have not been cleared. These members will take some time to get acquainted with the Companies Act.
• Infra trusts face FDI policy hurdle, $ 2.5 – bn plans on hold
Rajat Guha
New Delhi, December 20: The Finance Ministry has put on hold two proposals by India – registered infrastructure trusts to tie up a total of $ 2.5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), owing to the difficulty in defining the ownership of these trusts. Under the FDI policy, ownership of an entity is conducted before deciding if it can accept FDI. Since trusts have only beneficiaries, rather than owners, it is hard to determine who owns a venture capital trust, especially if it has non-resident ‘beneficiaries.’ The Foreign Investment Promotion Board deferred decision on two FDI proposals from trusts at its last meeting on December 18. while a trust fund , promoted by Macquarie and State Bank of India, proposed to bring in $ 2 billion FDI, another trust , promoted by UTI AMC, HSH Nordbank and Noor Financial, with a target size of $ 500 million approached the FIPB. Both trusts are private equity funds formed to invest in India’s infrastructure sector. Even though the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), which defines the FDI policy, supported the proposals, the finance ministry representatives in the Board wanted to put them on hold fearing that FDI into these trusts could amount to circumvention of new FDI guidelines under Press Note 2,3 and 4. DIPP has supported the proposals subject to a condition that these funds cannot invest in sectors that have entry restriction and investment caps. These sectors include retail, real, estate, telecom and banking among others.
Investigative Stories on Governmental regime:
• Rajiv’s dream, UPA-I’s commitment, but Gram Nyayalayas remain on paper
Subhead: Failure to set up even a single village court largely due to opposition from UP and West Bengal
• The nowhere people
Subhead: Its eyes on prime, Rs 1,000-cr Banglore land, the Yeddyurappa government is set to uproot over 1,700 destitute
• Singh departed from draft to invoke Vajpayee Subhead: The Reagan quote was among the several new lines PM added to drive home his point
• CPM minister appoints daughter-in-law as cook, promotes her as officer
Cash crunch shakes foundation of Govt’s slum development plan
Subhead: Centre may have to bring in pvt players to finance schemes to make country slum-free
• Govt climbs down a notch on two-month visa cooling off
• Top cultural institutions remain without full-time chiefs even after PM intervention
• To let Q off, wheels had begun to move in the first UPA govt itself
• Bofors burial logic: we paid, so no case
• Mayawati mission: DGP heli-hopes across UP on ‘Dalit beat’
Sub-head: Top cop has become a ‘foot-soldier’, say critics, dealing more with crimes against one community than on overseeing his over 2 – lakh – strong force
Bhupendra Pandey:
Lucknow, July 7.
Uttar Pradesh DGP was more likely to be mid-air in a heli-copter or visiting villages that have recently witnessed crimes against Dalits. During one particularly strenuous spree, in fact, he covered three districts in 24 hours to ensure CM Mayavati’s instructions were carried out.
Vikram singh’s focus on specific incidents against Dalits in various districts make redundant the posts of SP, DIG and IG , and also prevent him from directing and guiding the police force. This could seriously jeopardise the policing system in the state.
On the calendar
THE Indian Express tracks the DGP as he “solves” crimes against Dalits across the state:
JUNE 2
Place: Tarwa (Azamgarh)
Crime: A 60 year old Dalit was beaten to death by his neighbors due to a land dispute
Action: Arrest of three accused; DGP ordered removal of six policemen, including the SHO, from the police station concerned
Relief: The DGP handed over a cheque of Rs.1.70 lakh to the family members of the victim
JUNE 3
Place: Kotwali Sardar (Lakhimpur Kheri)
Crime: A Dalit youth was killed by two Dalits and an upper caste man, allegedly because he had illicit relations with relatives of three accused
Action: One accused arrested; a sub- inspector and constable suspended; DGP ordered an Anti-Corruption Organization probe against the SP,ASP and the CO posted in the district in 2008. The cops had not initiated action on a complaint by victim’s father then.
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh
JUNE 5
Place: Sihanigate (Ghaziabad)
Crime: A Dalit Killed as the result of Long-standing enmity
Action: Four People arrested
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh to victim’s kin
JUNE 5
Place: Bhopa (Muzaffarnagar)
Crime: Dalit man shot dead by neighbours due to familiar rivalry
Action: Main accused arrested, SO’s suspension ordered
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh
JUNE 9
Place : Dhaulana(Ghaziabad)
Crime: A watchman at a brick kiln killed by his employer
Action: Accused absconding
Relief:1.5 lakh to victim’s kin
JUNE 12
Place: Itaunja (Lucknow)
Crime: Minor girl raped by two
Action: Both accused arrested
Relief: Rs.25,000
JUNE 16
Place: Kotwali Dehat (Azamgarh)
Crime: Minor Dalit girl allegedly raped by neighbour, medical examination confirmed pregnancy
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: DGP handed over cheque of RS. 25,000 to victim’s father
June 16
Place: Kotwali Dehat (Sultanpur)
Crime: Rape of a minor girl
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: Rs. 25000
June 16
Place: Paali (Hardoi)
Crime: Dalit man hacked to death over a land dispute
Action: One person arrested
Relief: Rs. 1.5 lakh to the kin of deceased
June 24
Place: Saandi (Hardoi)
Crime: Man murdered his widowed lover, her mother and two of her children after suspecting the woman of infidelity
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: No claimant to receive the ex-gratia
June 24
Place: Dostpur(Sultanpur)
Crime: Hutments of two Dalit families set on fire after a dispute over the construction of a drain
Action: One accused arrested
Relief: District administration provided Rs.25, 000 to each of the families
June 25
Place: Sandana (Sitapur)
Crime: women allegedly raped by Neighbour
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: DGP assured monetary compensation
July 1
Place: Binawar (Badaun)
Crime: Girl killed by Lover
Action: Accused arrested
Relief: Rs. 75000.
• Chavan pushes for Virk extension
Shishir Gupta
New Delhi, July 25: Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan wrote to H.M. P. Chidambaram to give DGP SS Virk a three month extension for a stable continuity in the revamp sparked after 26/11, of state police establishment. The move has been taken at the time when Virk already approached the state home department asking for a two-year fixed tenure as the DGP citing the court ruling in the Prakash Singh case pertaining to police reforms.But Chavan’s case for continuity notwithstanding, Virk could not even lead a team of the Mumbai police to Israel for purchasing security equipment this month as his passport has been confiscated. With such records of him he was recommended by Chavan.
• Austere Ministers: Krishna at Maurya, Tharoor at Taj
Subhead: 5-star[] Govt says they are paying but both silent on how much; official reason: houses not ready
Shubhajit Roy
New Delhi, September 7: When all the Congress was talking about “Austerity”, two of its ministers- External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his junior Shashi Tharoor were maintaining their luxurious life-style in five-star hotel suites. Krishna was living at the ITC’s Maurya, while Shashi Tharoor settled at Taj. The ostensible reason for their five star stay is that their “official accommodation” is not ready. Krishna was allotted the residence of Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh at 19, Teen Murti Lane. However, he found the house in a “poor state” and so renovation was ordered. On becoming External Affairs Minister, Krishna got himself a bungalow allotted on Thyagaraja Marg which again is under renovation.In the case of Tharoor, he was offered accommodation in Kerala House, after the polls but is said to have turned it down. He has been allotted a house in Lodhi Estate which is getting “done up”. His office says the Minister plans to move next week- a good 100 days after the new government took charge.
The suite’s tariff in ITCs Maurya, hotel staff said, is “on request”. In other words, there’s no declared tariff for the four residential suites in the hotel which have had guests like US President George W Bush and Bill Clinton. Industry insiders say the room tariff is in the range of Rs 1 lakh plus per night although “it can be negotiated.” Krishna meets people in the hotel’s coffee shop, The Pavilion. Tharoor has been staying in a Taj suite since he moved to Delhi as the minister, staff said, and the lowest tariff for suites in the Taj Man Singh is Rs 40,000 per night (executive balcony suite). However, these rates can be negotiated, said hotel staff. MEA spokesperson informed and later Tharoor himself informed the Journalist that the cost is borne by them, no one is benefited from the tax-payers.
• Age of Austerity: UPA Ministers want Spanish tiles in office rooms, Italian porcelain in their toilets: (Investigative stories on Government)
Subhead: Office Revamp- CPWD is flooded with requests from Ministers for ‘urgent renovation’ of their work-places
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, September 15: After much-talked Austerity in UPA- II, while Rahul Gandhi is travelling in Shatabdi Chair-Car, and Tharoor commented it as ‘cattle-class’. Express records some other symbol’s of tyrannical austerity. How UPA ministers renovated their new house as their will, Express journalist reveals the exuded “Austerity”. Case- details are as follows:
Udyog bhavan office of Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
Estimate: Rs 17.54 lakh.
On July 8, a CPWD Assistant Engineer wrote to the Ministry that after the CPWD prepared architectural designs, the PS to the Minister asked for an architect from BHEL to provide “inputs” as well. In a subsequent report, the CPWD noted that despite handing two sets of drawings, “the Ministry however got another prepared by a private architect and approved them”. The following works were listed with a one-month deadline:
• Engineered wood flooring, wall panelling and veneering
• Gypsum board and false ceiling
• Glazed shutters for doctors, windows and glazed partitions
• Polished porcelain tiles in toilet, ante room and pantry (Lea, Panaria, Italian made)
• Wall tiles (Sanchis, Spanish made).
Udyog Bhawan office of Anand Sharma, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry.
Estimate: Rs 14.78 lakh.
This provided for:
• Engineered wood flooring, glazed shutters for office room
• Gypsum board false ceiling, wall partitions
• Wall painting and polishing
• Granite stone on window sill
• Wall covering with wallpaper of approved make, pattern
Shahtri Bhawan office of Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The CPWD “history-sheet” mentions an initial outlay of Rs 2.85 lakh for laying a laminated wooden floor in the office. Another letter, sent on July 21 by an Under Secretary in the Ministry, stated that the “office of the Minister of state (P&NG) has now desired that the civil work may be carried out with the following specifications”:
• All fittings of Toilets of Kohler make
• Counter of bathroom- Italian marble
• Towel rail and paper holder – Loure make floorings as per sample approved
• Wall and floor tiles of EPO2NATSQ make
• Panelling of wall and window blinds as discussed.
• Austerity express: With ‘waiting list’ stamp, Rahul confirms berth
The story item published on the same day, detailed how passenger suffered due to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Austere move’ and how Rahul got his ticket confirmed at the extreme last moment despite a long waiting list in the Economy class.
Austerity: Part II
• One UPA Minister seeks new toilet behind office seat, another walnut wood flooring:
Subhead: MoS Panabaka Lakshmi’s Vastu- friendly toilet request is turned down by CPWD
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, September 16: Ten days later Pranab Mukherjee’s meeting where all the Congress MPs reluctantly agreed to accept austerity, MoS for textile Panabaka Lakshmi ordered some changes (putting a toilet backside the office seat) according to Vastu-shashtra. But CPWD refuted giving some technical reasons. The most- expensive project estimate was of MoS for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia, it was estimated as Rs 25.63 lakh, later it scaled-down till Rs. 14.98 lakh along with a separate allocation of Rs 3.50 lakh for installation of new air conditioners. The estimate for renovation of the Shastri Bhawan office of Ambika Soni, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, was Rs.3.01 lakh – new tile flooring, replacement of aluminium windows and other “finishing and related works.” On June 3, the CPWD received a request for the Nirman Bhawan office of Selja, Union Minster for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. The note from the Ministry which The Indian Express got, read: “ The Minister has desired to have her chamber and office space repaired and renovated including false ceiling, flooring etc in consultation with the personal staff.” Besides PVC flooring and false ceiling, the ministry also sought polishing, painting and aluminium work for which an estimate of Rs 10.54 lakh was jointly approved.
# What SM Krishna did not tell: His Ministry pushed hard to get Government to pay his five-star bills.
AUSTERITY [] Urban Development rejected MEA requests that began the day Tharoor took charge; MEA said let us pay Krishna’s bill
Amitav Ranjan
New Delhi, September 24: The Government is not paying for the five-star hotel stay – “I have made private arrangements.” This was the defence trotted out by Minister of External Affairs S M Krishna after The Indian Express reported on September 8 that he was staying at the ITC Maurya and his deputy Shashi Tharoor was at the Taj Mahal Hotel while their party preached austerity.
What Krishna didn’t tell was that his Ministry repeatedly tried to get the government to pick up his tab. This is clearly established by MEA records accessed by The Indian Express.
• On May 29, the day that Tharoor took charge as Minister – Krishna had taken charge on May 24 – the MEA’s Joint Secretary (Establishment), Gauri Shankar Gupta, wrote to the Ministry of Urban Development (UD) that both Ministers were staying in private hotel as their officially allotted houses were not ready. The UD Ministry is the nodal ministry for arranging accommodation for Ministers and Members of Parliament.
• On June 17, MEA’s Gupta wrote again to the UD Ministry and referred to a note from Krishna’s office regarding his hotel stay. “I would appreciate if payment for the hotel accommodation for the Minister could be authorized till the accommodation allotted to him by the Ministry of Urban Development is ready for occupation,” Gupta wrote.
• On June 24, the UD Ministry wrote back saying that , as per rules, it had to first accommodate MPs in state guest houses and when these were exhausted, in ITDC hotels with only the room rent paid for “Transit stay in private hotels is not admissible for settlement,” it clearly wrote.
• The MEA then explored getting the Cabinet Secretariat to pay the bills arguing that “there was no provision in this Ministry (MEA)” to pay for the Minister’s stay. And that the cabinet Secretariat was responsible for expenses of the Council of Ministers. However, word came from the cabinet Secretariat that accommodation payment was handled by the UD Ministry.
• On July 30, Gupta again wrote to the UD Ministry asking it to expand the official “hotel panel” to include Maurya – where Krishna was staying – saying it was already on the MEA list for hosting visiting dignitaries. In the same letter, Gupta asked the UD Ministry to authorize the MEA to pay for Krishna’s stay at Maurya since his house was not ready and he had to meet a string of foreign dignitaries.
• However the request was turned down on September 4 with the UD saying that it was not empowered to authorise payment by the MEA.
• Its Master’s Voice: To let Q walk, CBI eats its words again
Subhead: Goes against facts to say there was no ban on agents, no decision to appeal HC ruling
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, October 3: The story established how CBI is the Government’s ‘rubber-stamp’. The Indian Express tracked some records and showed how CBI’s statement was a barefaced lie. Excerpts:
The application states: “No appeals have been preferred by the CBI against two High Court judgements (that cleared the accused) Records with The Indian Express clearly shows that in both the HC verdicts – one delivered by Justice J.D. Kapoor and the other by Justice R S Sodhi – the CBI decided to file challenges in the Supreme Court but was not permitted to. CBI files show that before the UPA came to power, the agency had sought legal opinion for challenging the Kapoor judgement and even prepared a 28 – page draft Special Leave Petition. However two months after the Manmohan Singh Government took over, both Law Secretary R L Meena and the Attorney General filed a convenient legal opinion that the verdict was not a “fit case” to challenge. Records show that the agency’s entire team of investigators was in favour of appealing against the Sodhi judgement. In his final opinion (September 7, 2005), then CBI Director U S Mishra recommended filing of an S.L.P. But it was the Law Ministry that sat on the case.
“There was no prohibition of employment of Indian or foreign agents,” said the CBI on October 2.
This is a dramatic reversal of stand. For, the assurance given by Bofors and the insistence of the Ministry of Defence that no agents be used for the deal is at the core of the corruption case.
On May 3, 1983 the then Defence Secretary met all contenders of the Howitzer contract and informed them that “the present Government did not approve of the appointment of agents acting for foreign suppliers.” The Defence Secretary, according to CBI documents, “also told Martin Ardbo (President of Bofors) that the Government of India would disqualify a firm in case it came to light that an agent had been appointed by an Indian firm.” On March 10, 1986 (days before the contract was signed) Ardbo confirmed that Bofors did not “have any representative/agent especially employed in India for this project.” Later, when the scam broke and the Swedish National Audit Bureau (SNAB) confirmed that “winding-up costs” had indeed been paid, it was Minister of state for Defence Arun Singh who threatened to cancel the contract. CBI documents state that the then Prime Minster Rajiv Gandhi “intervened at this stage” and constituted a Joint -Parliamentary Committee to inquire into the allegations. The CBI inquiry came in 1990.
“The attempt to secure the presence of Ottavio Quattrocchi in Argentina failed.”
Just as in the case of the withdrawal of Rs. 21 crore of suspected Bofors bribes – when Additional Solicitor General B Dutta travelled to London in 2007 to inform the Crown Prosecution Service that the CBI had no objection to Quattrocchi’s money being de-frozen – the agency was taken aback by the way its appeal in Argentina was withdrawn at the behest of the Government. As reported by The Indian Express, Superintendent Keshav Mishra, the key Bofors investigator, visited Buenos Aires for the extradition proceedings and admitted that an appeal to be withdrawn. Then CBI director Vijay Shankar had said: “The CBI had said there were sufficient grounds for appeal. I do not know what happened after that.” Sources had then admitted that it was the Law Ministry which issued instructions for the appeal to be withdrawn and that this advice was sent to Buenos Aires through diplomatic channels.
[Ecological Investigation]
• Survived Maoists, but tigers could fall prey to tribals
Subhead: Rebels have been driven out of the forests of Andhra’s Srisailam Tiger Reserve, but there are signs that a local tribe may have discovered the lucrative ‘business’ of poaching
• Orissa’s denial exposed, tiger numbers down by half
• Selling bird’s nest soup to save this bird: there’s change in law
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 17: National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has delisted the Edible Nest Swiftlet, a cave-nesting bird found in the Andaman and Nicoabar Islands, from the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA). Because local communities which poached the bird’s nests- used in the famous bird’s nest soup – used in the famous bird’s nest soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and thought to be an aphrodisiac- are now being roped in to harvest the nests commercially. The controlled sale of nests, which are made by the saliva of the Swiftlet, could only have been possible if the bird, accorded highest protection under Scheduled One of the WPA, was delisted from the act for three years. Law to this is amended to allow commercial harvesting of the nests. So the poaching of the nests which ultimately resulted into death of Fledglings, can be stopped.
• With Kaziranga security up, poachers shift to Orang national park:
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Guwahati, September 6: As many as five Rhinoceros are reported to be killed in less-secured Orang National Park, as the security net is tightening over Kaziranga national park. If poaching and natural deaths are together taken into account, the 78.82 sq km national park has lost as many as 44 rhinos since 2001. A little more than half of them, 23, have been killed by poachers, with the authorities failing to recover even one horn since. The quick incident of Rhino killings prompted the government to appoint a high-level security team and reviewing the situation. Besides this Government also inducted 20 more Home-guard personnel to protect remaining 62 Rhinos, the ground reality is that those personnel were not given their salaries since six months. While the park has 76 regular guards in addition to 22 fixed-pay personnel and 30 casual staff, most of the 48 Home Guards personnel inducted in Orang in the past one year have already left due to non-payment of the salary since April.
[Investigative stories from Naxal-land]
• ‘My baby will die here, I need food’
Subhead: Plight of mother and newborn show what Buddha has to do to ‘win back’ Lalgarh
• Fire Alarm
Subhead: With Jhariya being declared unsafe due to the underground mine fire, 4,650 families have to be rehabilitated. But the BCCL and district administration are facing stiff resistance from the affected people as well as some politicians.
• No Dhruv pilots, Jharkhand looks to hire choppers
•
• Write/ Wrong
Orissa’s thin Red line
Subhead: A Journalist recently joined the state‘s long list of accused having ‘Maoist links’. A packet containing Maoist literature, police said, was proof he was ‘waging war against state’
• Slain Inspector worked without pay for six months
• An Unkept Promise
• Subhead: three years after APJ Abdul Kalam launched hi PURA project in Chhattisgarh from Bhaktara village, nothing has changed here.
• Caught in crossfire, tribals flee Naxal belt
Subhead: Exodus of villagers from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh to Khammam in Andhra Pradesh
• Red faces in govt as Kishenji dials top Bengal Secy
• Now, rangers seek protection from KishenJi
• Over Rs 14 cr missing in name of Naxal war in Jharkhand
Subhead: DGP took Rs 5 cr from Secret Service fund, no explanation
Manoj Prasad
Ranchi, July 9: DGP Ram, a recipient of President’s Police Medal for meritorious services, allegedly charged with fraud and embezzlement. Ram withdrew Rs. 5.60 crore in cash from the secretariat branch of the State Bank of India on March 16, 2006 – a fortnight before he gave the withdrawal and disbursal power to the Additional DGP. With the AG raising objections, Chief Secretary AK Basu has written to Ram: DAG has raised certain objections regarding Secret Service Expenditure. The objections are very serious in nature and it needs to be examined thoroughly. Please send a detailed up-to-date report regarding the steps taken by you in this matter so that further course of action can be decided upon.” Money from the SS fund, according to Rule 4 of the Special Branch Manual (SBM), was to go to “informers who have given or are likely to give useful information of a secret nature, and whose identity must not be disclosed.”
Although the SBM states that the Secret Service Expenditure (SSE) account is not subject to scrutiny by an audit authority, the Bihar Financial Rules(BFR), which still apply in Jharkahnd , make it clear that “in respect of each officer authorized to incur secret service expenditure , Government will nominate a controlling officer who should conduct at least once in every financial year , a sufficiently real administrative audit of the expenditure incurred and furnish a certificate to the Accountant General”.
Copies in official documents in possession of The Indian Express show that the following withdrawals were made from the treasuries:
JULY 2005: Rs. 2.60 crore vide voucher no.0092 from Doranda.
March 2006: Rs. 5.60 crore vide voucher no.0025 from Secretariat.
May 2006: Rs. 60 lakh vide voucher no. 0080 from Doranda.
June 2006: Rs. 88.50 lakh vide voucher no. 0061 from Doranda.
May 2007: Rs. 1 crore vide voucher no. 0082 from Doranda.
September 2007: Rs.1 crore vide voucher no.0044 from Doranda.
March 2008: Rs.2.50 crore vide voucher no.0021 from Doranda.
Total withdrawal: Rs 14, 18,50, 000.
• Naxals building corridor through three states
Sreenivas Janyala
Hyderabad, July 12
Some 250 kms south of Rajnandgaon a larger and longer – term Naxal project- with wider and more dangerous ramifications – is currently under way. Maoists guerrillas are working to free up a Jungle corridor that connects Visakhapatnam district in Andhrapradesh with Dantewada in the heart of Chhattisgarh’s rebel stronghold.
If completed the corridor will pass through the district of Koraput and Malkangiri in South Orissa, giving control of a large area in the Andhra- Orissa- Chhattisgarh border area to the Maoists, and allow rebel cadres and arms to travel freely from the coast to deep inland.
• How Chhattisgarh fudged records for multi-crore paddy scam
Subhead: Rice procured only on paper, ‘bumper crop’ recorded in drought-hit tehsils
Joseph John
Raipur, July 12: Chhattisgarh is witnessing an alleged multi-crore scam with thousands of tonnes of paddy procured only on paper.
Glaring irregularities have surfaced in the scheme for procurement of paddy worth nearly 400 crore during the last kharif season on support price from farmers, with computerised official data indicating an alleged large-scale procurement on fake names by showing unusually higher paddy yield in almost all the districts and even bumper crop in drought-hit areas. Voluminous data generated from1,577 primary agriculture co-operative societies in 18 districts – through which the state had claimed to have procured 37.59 lakh MT of paddy this year – showed a large number of “farmers” selling curiously huge quantities of paddy on support price, inflating the yield of the land owned by the “farmers” concerned. Besides, the Food Corporation of India got 15 lakh – tonne paddy stocks as levy, pegging the total procurement at 52.59 lakh MT. The paddy procurement usually goes on for three to four months, and in this case, it started in October last year and continued till January this year.
This year, farmers fetched a support price of Rs.850 for common paddy and Rs.880 for ‘A’ grade paddy per quintal, besides a bonus of Rs 270 per quintal, which is higher than the normal bonus prevailing in other states. The names of many farmers appeared to be bogus. Also, most of the societies carried out procurement without following the state government guidelines that stipulated for close monitoring of procurement process by taking into consideration average yield per acre in each district , details of the land owned or possessed by the farmer concerned on the basis of revenue records, loan book and database available with the societies.
Being a massive exercise, involving stakeholders of more than 10 lakh farmers, 1,500 rice millers, 1,577 primary societies and 200 office and warehouse locations in seven government organizations, all guidelines and systems for checks and balances apparently went topsy-turvy and monitoring systems at district-level collapsed.
Complaints of bogus procurement at primary societies and withdrawal of support price and bonus on fake names surfaced as farmers came out in open, alleging that they did not sell such quantities of paddy as mentioned in the list available with the primary societies.
The state’s Food and Civil Supplies Department’s data throws light on many aspects of this year’s paddy procurement and its transportation to rice mills. While there are numerous instances that could question the authenticity of procurement in many of the primary societies, here are just 10 points to consider.
• A farmer named ‘Bazar S/o Shaniwar’, who possesses 0.001 hectare of land, produced and sold more than 232.38 quintals of paddy on support price at Amravati primary society in Bastar District.
• Another farmer with a similar name and son of ‘Shukravar’, whose 0.001 hectare land is under paddy cultivation , sold 153 quintals of paddy to the same society of Bastar.
• As many as 28 farmers with the name ‘Kamlu’ sold paddy to a society and their names continuously figured under serial numbers 123 to 150 in the records. In this society in Bastar region , there are three persons named Kamlesh, six farmers with the common name ‘Kamla’, nine with ‘Asaram’, nine others whose name is ‘Arkith’,13 named ‘Aiyathu’ and six called ‘Ayati’. The serial numbers mentioned in records indicate that all these farmers with common names went together to the society to sell their produce.
• In Koriya district, two farmers, who records say are not alive , sold 148 quintals of paddy was procured from 21 farmers without mentioning their names , father’s name and the area of land owned by them.
• The state’s Revenue and Rehabilitation Department had declared 33 tehsils in eight districts of Raipur, Mahasamund, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham (Kawardha) , Kanker, Bilaspur and Bijapur as drought-hit and suspended revenue recovery provisions of land revenue code 1959. But data from societies in these ‘drought-affected’ tehsils shows bumper crop at many places.
• In all the districts, there are primary societies which had ‘procured’ more quantity of paddy from the farmers than the actual average paddy yield in the respective district. State’s average yield per hectare in Kharif area ranged from 15 to 20 quintals while in some districts procurement surpassed this limit.
• The total paddy production was estimated at 54.77 lakh and the total paddy procured through societies and levy stood at 52.59 lakh MT, which are more than 96 percent. This is being considered as an impossible situation.
• In Dantewada , Kanker and Bastar districts, the state government guidelines permitted cash payment upto Rs 5,000 to farmers and payment up to Rs.10,000 through bearer cheque, throwing up opportunities for making bogus entries and fake payments. Records of Alnar primary society in Bastar showed entries such as procurement from “Wednesday weekly market” on January 28, without mentioning any details of the farmers concerned.
• In Korba district, mechanism for monitoring the procurement process was not in place between the procurement period from October 2008 to January this year, despite clear guidelines in this regard.
• Even after completion of procurement process, paddy stocks with different primary societies were transported to rice mills for custom milling on vehicles which on verification with the Road Transport Authority turned out to be cars and motorcycles.
• How this decrepit Bengal Thana was a sitting duck for the Maoists
Subhead: All arms and ammunition were kept locked away, station has no door
Ravik Bhattacharya
Sankrail, October 21: At least 24 policemen, including constables, inspectors and homeguards, were present at the Sankrail police station when the Maoists stuck at 1.30 pm on October 17. Not one shot was fired in retaliation. The Indian Express investigation has revealed how unprepared the police force is – and the abysmal state of their working and living conditions.
Consider the Following:
There were 13 constables, 5 home guards 3 national volunteer force members and 3 sub-inspectors at the police station when the Maoists struck. Not one policeman was armed. For, the practice here is to keep the weapons locked in trunks. Even Officer – in- charge (OC) Atindranath Dutta, who was abducted, was at his home unarmed. The police station had six .303 rifles, three revolvers, one 9-mm pistol and 180 rounds of ammunition – all locked up in the malkhana (store-room). The reason is the weapons are no match to those used by the Naxals – so keeping them locked up is “safer.” Until the last Lok Sabha elections in May when they got rifles, the constables here had only lathis. A recommendation for changing the guns was done by the constables of the police-thana. But it was overlooked. So when the Maoists struck, the police station was a sitting duck. The attackers raided the malkhana and took away all the 10 guns and the ammunition. Moreover, it was lunchtime, the constables were either eating or taking a nap. As they heard gunshots, they fled into the forest behind the station. Those who could not flee were killed. They took away police-uniforms, their cell-phones and cash.
The barracks , adjacent to the police station, is home to 13 constables and a driver. The ceiling in the barracks has chunks falling off. There’s no door and it’s open from both sides. The windows are broken. For 14 men, there is one toilet and the kitchen is in the open. Three years ago, the state PWD acquired 2.5 bighas across from the present police station. A sum of Rs 5 lakh was sanctioned to erect a new police station. The project is abandoned with only two rooms built which are now used by the OC two rooms built which are now used by the OC as his residence. Ironically, the Jhargram police station, barely 35 km from Sankarail, is considered “prone to Maoist violence” and has bunkers, members of State Armed Police with Insas rifles guarding it 24 hours. But the Sankrail station has no boundary wall and is situated in an open field, with a forest behind it. The dilapidated building and the adjacent barracks are rented from a local businessman. The police station has no door, no bunker to thwart an attack.
• The Maoist in his own, words
Subhead: During his police interrogation, senior Naxal leader Narla Rabi Sharma is said to have talked about the organisational structure of the CPI (Maoist), its plans and how money moves within the outfit. The Indian Express pieces together details of his interrogation after extensive interviews with the investigators.
Subrata Nagachoudhary
October 25: The Indian Express pieced together after extensive interviews with the investigators, reveal the Naxals’ organizational structure, their plans and the sources of their funds. Sharma told the Police that the Naxal Cadres usually start working in areas with large populations of tribals and backward classes. They set up bases in these areas and establish Area Committees and Zonal Committees. The party cadre in these committees in Bihar and Jharkhand, Sharma is learnt to have disclosed, are well armed and have dozens of Insas, AK-47 s, carbines, 9mm pistols, rifles and improved guns. A lot of weapons were snatched from police-stations and barracks and improvised firearms were acquired from local arms dealer and smugglers. They have trained 30-40 youth from Bihar and Jharkhand for 15 days in the Jungles of Gotang and elsewhere. He has admitted to violent strikers in Latehar and Mouka in Jharkhand. There some many details which were exposed. He divulged details about logical guerrilla squads, village defence squads and two Regional Military Commissions. Investigators said Sharma mentioned two companies working under the Eastern Regional Bureau – the Jharkahnd-Orissa Company and the Jharkhand-Bihar Company. Sharma interacted with members of the Central Military Commission, including General Committee, Politburo and General Military Commissions, including General Secretary Muppala Laxman Rao alias Ganpati, CMC in charge Basab Raj, West Bengal incharge Koteshwara Rao alias Kishanji, Kobad Ghandy and Amit Baghchi. He operated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Assam, the Central Regional Bureau in Andhra Pradesh and Dandalkaranya (the Bastar region), the Northern Regional Bureau in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan, and the South-west Regional Bureau in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Plan, the target: Maoists intend to set up an ‘education propaganda wing’. Sharma had been inducted to indoctrinate the youth cadres as well as translate books and magazines from Telugu to English. The Central Committee also planned to infiltrate into political parties so it could keep abreast of political developments and forge a closer relationship with intellectuals and radical students unions. Sharma admitted to knowing noted writer Mahashweta Devi and human rights activist Sujata Bhadra well.
The Funds
The annual expenditure for Jharkhand and Bihar amounts to about Rs. 70-80 lakh every year. The Central Committee gives the lion’s share to the State Committees. About two-thirds of the State Committees’ annual expenditure is taken care of by the Central Committee and it raises the remaining amount from levies or fines.
Investigative stories on Defence & strategy
• In Kolkata, NSG battles heat, water shortage
Inquiry finds funds misuse by skydiving team of Navy
India’s new worry: terror phones jammed, with some Pak help
‘I went looking for my lost Yak and I saw them building bunkers’
• Near Tiger Hill, Point 5353 still Pak-occupied Subhead: The Point has a clear view of the NH connecting the Kashmir valley with Kargil
• Pak wants ‘Pink foam’ from terror trawler
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• Brahmputra Dams: Govt was alerted, did not move
• Mystery girlfriends, ‘romantic email’ in Great Headley Chase
• Before 26/11, terrorists’ handlers made random calls across India to keep their Net account active
Sagnik Chowdhury
Mumbai July 11 : The Pak based Lashkar-e-Toiba handlers of the 26/11 attackers made a series of random phone calls to numbers across India-in the days before the terror strike – to keep their voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) account active after an email from their US service provider saying that the account , purchased in October, wasn’t generating any traffic. It was the VoIP account , bought using the e-mail id kharak_telco@yahoo.com , that the handlers used to call the 10 attackers on their mobile phones. This is borne out by email exchanges between the handlers and Call-phonex , the New Jersey- based service provider, and an investigation by Mumbai police that checked and cleared each number dialled.
The calls were random is evident from some of the numbers they dialled. They called 66665353, 66665363 in Mumbai, which do not exist. According to call data record they made five calls on November 23. One of them was to a number in Pune which lasted 17 seconds.
As many as 38 random calls were made to numbers across India after the Call- phonex mail on November 24, with 18 calls on November 24; 16 on November 25 and four on November 26 until before the 10 attackers landed in Mumbai. The called numbers were in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Delhi, Kolkata, Patiala, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Express accessed four e-mail exchanges between kharak_telco@yahoo.com and Callphonex.
At 12.40 p.m. on November 23, 2008, hours after the 10 attackers set sail from Karachi, an e-mail was sent from khark_telco@yahoo.com to sales@callphonex.net with the subject ‘DIDs’, referring to Direct Inward Dialling numbers: “ Dear Sir, Tell me how many payment I got to pay you for DIDs? When they will expire? If they gonna expire plz don’t stop them, I will pay 2days, when you say. Keep them working , thanks.’(sic)
At 2:07 p.m. the same day, a reply is sent from the callphonex e-mail id: “Dear Kharak, 3x$50=$150(3 months DIDs fees). They expire the 27 midnight. Thank you.”(sic)
At 5:29 a.m. on November 24, Callphonex responds to an email sent by Kharak Singh on October 21 with the subject ‘Re: Payment for DID’. Investigations believe that call-phonex may not have responded to this mail when Singh had sent it or were resending it after his November 23 enquiry: “ I gave you a reseller access based on the understanding you have traffic around $2000/month (your email date 10/11: i am in India. It’s 2 years I am selling different account). Are you going to give me your business/traffic? Regard.’(sic)
Kharak Singh replies to this email at 5:50 a.m. on November 24: “ dear sir , I a will send traffic by end of this month. Just wanna keep your vsr active when I start. Just 7 days. Will start from Ist December. Today I gonna pay $150 for just a refresh.
Thanks.’ (sic)
• Nearly half of Russian air- to-air missiles with IAF have homing, ageing problems: CAG report
Manu Pubby
New Delhi, July 15: An audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has noted that nearly half the missiles tested either did not home in on targets during evaluations or failed ground tests because they were ageing much before their shelf lives.
The R 77 (RVV-AE) BVR missiles, fitted on board the Su-30 MKIs, MiG-29s and MiG-21 Bisons, were bought from Russia starting 1996. More than 2,000 missiles were ordered after the Kargil conflict and 1,000 have been delivered.
The CAG report, which will be released soon, is based on evaluations of the missile- its range is close to 90 km- during ground tests, inspections and test firing by the IAF. The missiles were bought at a cost of Rs 2 crore each” but their failure during test has affected the “operational preparedness” of the IAF. All the figures in the report are based on air force records. This problem with the missiles was referred to Russia and several teams subsequently visited India to rectify faults. IAF officers familiar with the missiles confirmed that this has been a problem area for a long. “Missiles do not work as we would like them to. Periodic tests that are carried out when they are in storage show their dismal state. There are also some problems in the spare parts” told a retired officer who was closely associated with the matter.
We did not have our own testing facilities, they had to be tested in Russia. The question to be asked is whether the government approved testing facilities for the missiles in India. These were the missiles which kept out Pak F-165 during Kargil.
• T-72 tanks moved to remote Sikkim area after China tests Indian defences
Manu Pubby
New Delhi,July 27: Chinese moves to test Indian control of the strategic Finger Area in North Sikkim last year have prompted the Army to deploy heavy tanks, T-72 and armoured personnel carriers in the region and strengthen defensive positions.The mobilisation took place after repeated Chinese transgressions last year in the Finger area, a one kilometre stretch of land in the northern tip of Sikkim that overlooks a valley called the Sora Funnel and is considered a strong defensive position. China too has tanks on its side of the border, they are deployed well inside its territory. China does not need to deploy tanks on the border because the terrain and roads on its side makes it easy to bring them at short notice. India, on the other hand, has no option but to keep them on the border as it would take days to get the tanks up from the plains.
Besides the tanks, the Army has strengthened other defences in the region, particularly around the Finger Area. Permanent posts have been set up on heights and bunkers have been strengthened. The Army has also increased surveillance capabilities in the region. At least two Long Range Observation Systems which can detect, record and transmit live images of an area under observation, have been set up in the Finger Area. The Finger Area entered controversy last year after the Chinese increased patrolling and planned to build a road through it. While the area was always under Indian control, the Army used to send regular patrols and held only a few traditional defensive positions.
• Pradhan’s Revelations- I
What went wrong 26/11:
Cops clueless on Nariman house, 5 patrol boats were stuck in Worli
Pranab Dhal Samanta
New Delhi, August 6: In June, The Indian Express, in a 10-part investigation, answered some of these questions. The Ram Pradhan Committee is learnt to have echoed this newspaper’s findings--- and revealed startling new facts via testimonies of the key characters involved.
Rampradhan report is said to have glaring responses and the disturbing extent to which red-tape stalled the upgrade of the city police force. The committee makes startling revelation; how the top police brass did not know that Nariman House had Jewish residents until the attack; how Mumbai’s 56 –member police Quick Reaction Team had done no firing practice since September 2007 for lack of ammunition; how five Cuffe Parade police patrol boats- meant to be in the area where the 10 terrorists landed – were away, tackling a protest in Worli against the Sea Link. And how intelligence alerts were sifted first by a “desk officer” who hardly ever passed these to his seniors.
It’s also learnt that the Pradhan Committee backed the New York Police chief’s assessment that the Mumbai Police, in its current structure, would not have been able to respond and deal with attacks like the ones on 26/11 – where the terrorists were far better trained, armed and equipped. The committee is said to have praised Mumbai Police but has also noted that it was as if the police were responding to a “law order situation” and not a terrorist attack.
Some glaring lapses the committee is said to have revealed:
Nariman House: Issaq Ibrahim Bagwan, ACP of the Azad Maidan division, was among the first to respond to explosions in the Colaba area. It is believed that the committee has found that no one had any idea of the “significance” of Nariman House.
The ACP apparently came to know about the Jewish residents only on reaching the spot. Bagwan has also been praised for “pinning down’ terrorists by organising fire from adjacent building until the NSG commandoes arrived. Incidentally, alerts on Jewish individuals being possible targets had gone from the Centre on several occasions.
Patrol Boats: There were five patrol boats, controlled by DCP (Port), which were to have been patrolling the area where the terrorists landed. However it’s now known that all these patrol boats were in the Worli area where the Machchimar agitation against the Worli Sea Link project had been under way since November 24, 2008. As a result no patrol boats were present on the Cuffe Parade side. In fact , sources said, the committee found that the DCP in-charge Madhukar Kohe, learnt of the events from TV, hired a trawler and stationed himself in front of the Taj Hotel much later.
Desk Officer System: The committee is said to have found “total confusion” in the manner in which intelligence alerts are handled. Senior bureaucrats dealing with internal security had not received any of the several alerts that had been marked from the Centre to the DGP, who had sent it ahead action. Why?
Because the alerts went to a desk officer who “may or may not keep the higher officials informed”.
The committee is learnt to have pulled up the Secretary in its report and called it a violation of the Bombay Police Act 1951. As a result, no top bureaucrat in Maharashtra Mantralaya was aware of these threats and consequently, neither the political leadership.
Quick Reaction Teams: This 56-member force, which induces eight officers, was spilt into four or five smaller groups that apparently reduced is effectiveness. The QRT is the best –equipped and trained unit in the Mumbai Police to respond to such attacks. It was trained for three months under the NSG in 2003 when it was raised , but they are said to have told the committee that they received no hostage-rescue training at NSG’s Manesar training facility. More significantly, they have not had any firing practice since September 2007 because of “shortage of practice ammunition”. Not just that , they had only 24 bullet proof helmets for 56 personnel.
Flying Squads: Maharashtra had created 100 flying squads of motorcycle-borne commandoes in terms of two each, of which 46 squads were meant for Mumbai- 92 cops trained in Martial arts and armed with more sophisticated weapons than the regular police. The committee is said to have found that this system is now in “disuse”. There are still 58 policemen set aside for the job they played no role in the 26/11 operations. It’s learnt that the committee’s report lays bare numerous loopholes and significant unmasks the fact that the modernization of the police force, though envisaged on paper, never took off.
As a result, on 26/11 , the force reacted in a chaotic manner with several hotel employees confirming to inquiry officials that many policemen just entered with lathis- in some cases, the antiquated .303 rifles.
Pradhan’s Revelations- II
Archaic guns, no ammo, all tied up with Govt red tape
• Ammunition worth Rs 65 crore is needed if a policeman has to fire at least 40 rounds each year. Mumbai Police got only Rs 3 crore each year for the past five years.
• No ammunition for firing practice – the last lot received: 45,000 AK-47 rounds in 2005.
• The team that first entered the Taj Hotel had all of one.303.
Bhagavt Kacharu Bansode, the first police officer to enter the Trident, had one revolver.
And the list goes on and on as the Ram Pradhan Committee is learnt to have detailed the vulnerability of a police force and how it fought the terrorists with its hands tied. The report is said to underline how Maharashtra Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujabal- in his earlier stint back in 2000 – made it mandatory for every vendor to be approved by the Deputy CM’s office(his office) for any police purchase beyond Rs. 25 lakh. The even after all regular sanctions were received.
Results: Bottlenecks, delays, no upgradation of equipment and ammunition. It’s learnt that the committee has pointed to the specific instance of Standard Date, Additional Commissioner of Mumbai’s central region, whose pistol did not work when he and his team confirmed the terrorists at Cama Hospital.
The terrorists escaped, killing members of Date’s team besides injuring him. Date is said to have escaped because the terrorists probably thought he was dead.
The Director General of Police is said to have told the committee that there was no ammunition for firing practice and that the last lot he received was 4500 AK-47 rounds in 2005.
The State Home Department contested this, saying ammunition was given in subsequent years too. But the Pradhan committee was not able to reconcile these differences and has taken serious note of this discrepancy between file and fact.
The committee, sources said, was also informed that ammunition worth Rs 65 crore is needed if a cop must fire at least 40 rounds annually. But only Rs 3 crore was received every year for the past five years, leading to serious lack of training.
On the equipment front, the Indian Ordnance Factory may have stopped making .410 Muskets and .303 rifles but the Maharashtra government’s draft weapon policy to change to AK47s, 5.56 Insas Rifles, 9mm carbines and 7.62 SLRs received “in principle” approval only last June. This delayed approval meant cost-escalation.
According to reliable sources, the committee visited Pune- another sensitive security location and a potential terror target- where it dropped by at a police station.
It was said to be “aghast” by the level of preparedness there. When asked to show bullet-proof jackets, the police brought a 1990s vintage jacket that weighed 10-12 kg.
Besides these, it’s learnt that the committee highlighted other discrepancies:
• Standard Operating Procedures: According to the SoP, the Crisis Management Group should have been formed under a Joint Commissioner of Police immediately. But it never met. The C MG is take charge of all control rooms but none of this happened. It’s learnt the committee observed a lack of cohesion” in the Police Commissioner’s office. What has particularly been pointed out is that the decision to remove the extra security at the Taj Hotel days before the attack despite intelligence threats was taken at a “higher level”. Also, no debriefing took place after the incident and officials were only asked to file a plain report.
• Assault Mobiles: Just like the quick Reaction Team, this is supposed to be another anti-terror outfit with the Mumbai police located at seven points across the city. While they do get better arms and ammunition, the committee is learnt to have these men are shuffled around every year making it “nothing more than armed police”- ineffective to deal with a 26/11 kind of attack.
• Communication: With communication equipment outdated and out of range very quickly, the Pradhan committee is said to have found that Mumbai Police officials largely depended on private cellular phones for communication which too got jammed in course of time.
For a long time, sources said, the Mumbai Police thought that the handlers were in the city and it was only through “fortuitous circumstances” that the phone link with Pakistan-based handlers was ascertained.
• China begins building dam on its side of the Brahmaputra
Subhead: In 2006, Delhi raised concerns on reports of water diversion, was told no such plans
Pranab Dhal Samanta
New Delhi, October 14: Evidences collected by The Indian express suggested that China has begun constructing a dam on the river which it calls the Yarlungzangbo (better known as Yarlong Tsangpo to the Tibetans). Zangmu hydroelectrical project was inaugurated on March 16 this year and the first concrete was poured on April 2. The Chinese plan to have a series of five medium-sized dams along the river in the Nanshan region of Tibet at Zangmu, Jiacha or Gyasta, Jiexu and Langzhen. This dam is expected to generate 540 MW; its height will be 116 m and length 389.5 m, it’s 19 m wide at the top and 76 m wide at the bottom. According to information that is being circulated by companies involved in the project, the Zangmu dam is gravity dam with water-blocking structures which could mean construction of a reservoir. Some academic articles have set off fears of hydroelectric projects and water diversion plans on the Brahmaputra in Tibet about three years ago. Then, India had taken up the matter with China, Beijing had then assured New Delhi that these were just articles in the press and “no concrete decision” had been taken. The assumption here was that China was looking only at tributaries of the Brahmaputra but the Zangmu dam project is well after all tributaries have joined the river. The two countries had then agreed to establish a joint mechanism for sharing technological data on rivers like the Brahmputra and Sutlej. This exchange, however, has been restricted to flood season data and Indian efforts to widen the scope of information – sharing have not moved forward. But this time China did not inform India about its plans or this specific project. Satellite images from February show construction activity in Zangmu and Jiacha with evidence of labour quarters. The consequences to India from this project and the others – about which little information is known – can only be ascertained if more information is shared and teams are allowed to access the site. The tendering process for this entire project is being overseen by the Three Gorges International Corporation.
• Two Generals under scanner in probe into Darjeeling real estate fraud
Manu Pubby
New Delhi, October 27: Two seniormost Generals have come under the scanner in probe of alleged land scam in Sukana of Darjeeling. This has put on hold the appointment of Lt. Gen P K Rath, who was commanding 33 Corps when the matter came to light, as the DCAS (Information System and Training). The inquiry pertains to the sale and transfer of a tea estate in Sukana near the 3 Corps HQ. The estate, which lies close to the HQ, had been put up for sale a few years ago. As it lay adjacent to Defence land, an Army NOC was required for its transfer. The sale was halted after the Army refused to give an NOC, keeping in mind the security of the cantonment. The Army instead offer to buy the land from the tea-estate owner, given its location. But in an about turn, the sale and transfer was cleared later after the institution pleaded that it would be setting up a school on the poverty and was an affiliate for Mayo college. The NOC for transfer of land was allegedly granted on this very basis. After construction works began on the tea estate, it came to light that the Mayo College had nothing to do with the land and told the Army it did not have any affiliate that was setting up a school in Darjeeling. The Army inquiry was launched shortly afterwards and Rath was asked to stay back in Darjeeling.
• Calls link Headley-Rana to 26/11’s Lashkar handlers
Pranab Dhal Samanta &Shishir Gupta
Geneva , New Delhi, November 22: Over a month after the FBI disclosed its findings in the David Coleman Headley- Tahawwur Rana case, Indian investigators have obtained a lead that could link the duo to the 26/11 attacks. Top sources confirmed that New Delhi has sought some additional information from Washington which could help piece together this crucial evidence. It’s learnt that the response from US authorities has been positive and India was hoping for quick results. This link, sources said, relates to a Pakistan contact of one of the two accused. This contact was involved in the 26/11 attacks and there is some evidence of him being in touch with either Headley or Rana. Government sources have confirmed to The Sunday Express in New Delhi that the National Investigative Agency (NIA), after scanning call records, has found that the duo had made calls to the same numbers that were in touch with the LeT attackers in Taj Palace Hotel and Towers and Trident Hotel during 26/11. According to the 26/11 chargesheet, Abdul Rehman Bada, Javed, Abu Shoaib and Abu Umer were holed up in Taj Hotel while Abdul Rehman Chotta and Fahadullah attacked Trident Hotel. These terrorists, the chargesheet says, called four numbers (012012531824, 43720880764, 43720880767 and 43720880768) to get in touch with their handlers in Pakistan. A total of 41 calls (8,834 seconds) were made from the Taj and 62 calls (5,705 seconds) were made from the Trident to Pakistan using VOIP provided by the Callphonex company. In fact, the NIA has also found that Headley, who stayed nearly for 13 months during his nine visits to India, and Rana tried to cover their tracks by using public phone calls booths and mobiles of their friends during that period.
[ J&K story]
No Names in Final Shopian panel report
• Shopian panel even suspects victim
DOUBLE RAPE- MURDER
Subhead: Clueless on culprits, Justice Jan slams cops, victim’s brother, husband
• J&K on the boil, sex scam case runs out of steam in Chandigarh
Subhead: Only charges framed till now, absence of witnesses blamed
• The J&K’s Files
Subhead: As J&K sex scandal case resurfaced with last week’s drama in the Assembly, The Indian Express tracks down Sabina, the kingpin in the case, whose statement still haunts the political elite of the state
Muzammil Jaleel
Sabina, the Kingpin behind J&K’s sex scandal in 2006 went into anonymity. She has changed her name to Mehnaz after came into contact with an Islamist Women’s Group. Sabina’s story begins from Ijhara village in Uri. She shifted to Srinagar and in 2000 married to Abdul Hameed Bulla, an employee in the state health department at Habakadal in downtown Srinagar. Sabina developed contacts with Riyaz Ahmad Langoo to establish a well-known sex abuse ring. Langoo helped her in making and maintaining contacts with highly placed police officials and politician. She, very first time, moved to flesh trade at Chinkaral in Srinagar. She encouraged supplying the girls to police, politician and Security force officer and politician. Due to this particular supply, despite public gazed it, her activity could be protected.
The First Hush-up: On October 7,2000, the police received information that a man was escorting a group of three girls to New Delhi for prostitution and they were about to cross the Benihal tunnel. A team from the Quazigund police station laid an ambush near Glass Tower chowki on the national highway and the group was arrested. The man was identified as Nitesh Kumar of 11-28 Motigarh, Delhi.
As soon as the girls were identified , the policemen knew the case was sensitive. One of the girls, Gulshana Akhtar alias Pepsi of Kaw Mohalla. In downtown Srinagar, was a Special Police Officer. During the investigations, she was hostile towards the police men, repeatedly dropping the name of a senior police officer. One of the investigators informed his superiors and the young sub-inspector received a surprise order: Don’t pursue the case. Shaken by the clout of the girls, the policemen buried the file and let the four free.
Eight years later, the case is still “under investigation”. The case file, that had detailed confession reports of the three women and the man, is missing from the Quazigund police station. Though Sabina and Pepsi ran separate prostitutions rings, they shared several of their high profile clientele.
The Second Hush-up:
The police carried out raids across the city and the Sabina was arrested along with her husband Bhulla, businessmen Ashwani Singh and Jagbeer Singh, trader Ghulam Quadir Bhat, besides four girls. Surveillance of Sabina’s phone turned the complexion of the case. Sabina had been running a prostitution ring with an exclusive clientele of powerful politicians, security forces and police officers. The fear of exposure led the Police to call a press briefing but they deliberately omitted “explosive details” that had linked the ring to politicians, security force officers and Police officers. Even the testimonials of the four girls arrested in the case in October 2004 were struck off the case file. However, the J&K Police’s intelligence wing had informed the state government , especially the then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, of the involvement of ministers, legislators, police and security force officers but it was hushed up because of fear of the fallout on the coalition government.
Sabina was not disturbed till March 14, 2006, when a group of elders from Habakadal’s welfare committee approached the Shaheedgunj police station with two porn CDs and filed a complaint , saying a local girl was had been filmed. The police identified the girl as a 15-year old girl from Drebyar, Habakadal, who was called along with his parents and questioned. The story of the 15-year-old victim was linked to Sabina and her clients. The Police arrested Sabina’s associate Riyaz Langoo and Naseer Ahmed.
Once Sabina’s name was cropped up during investigations, the top police brass sought a report from the then Police officer Javaid Koul, who was investigating the case. He sent a written confidential report to his superiors, outlining the involvement of Sabina in what was organized rape of a minor by top politicians, police and security force officers. Immediately , the investigators were asked to hush up the case.
When The Indian Express exposed the racket on April 29, quoting the confidential report, the police arrested Sabina.
The Final hush up: The CBI probe initially went full steam. Two former ministers, a BSF DIG, a top IAS officer and senior police officers were arrested while several top J&K politicians, including ministers, legislators and officers were named. Investigations conducted by The Indian Express reveal that the CBI has prepared no formal list of suspects. However , the list, which was referred to in the House by former Deputy CM and PDP leader Muzaffar Beig on July 28, was the ‘List of Codes Allotted to Other Persons’ prepared during the CBI’s investigations into the sex scandal.
Omar Abdullah’s name does figure at serial number 102 of this list of people whose names had appeared but could not be corroborated later. Farooq Abdullah’s name is at serial number C-38 but his residence is mentioned as Coop Colony, Peerbaugh. Abdullah’s residence has always been the high security Gupkar Road and there is no Farooq Abdullah at Co-operative colony, Peerbagh.
Most of the 192 names on this list are either wrongly spelt or only first name with sketchy details about their profession , residential addresses and other identification. For example , one top bureaucrat is named as ‘Gora Chitta Commissioner’. The High Court order had said that the girls had “denied the alleged occurrences” and so, did not find it proper to name the people who had appeared in Sabina’s statement. The CBI insists that the total number of accused in the case is 37, of whom 17 were chargesheeted in six different cases while there was no evidence against anyone else. In fact, sources in the CBI reveal that a lot of names were being deliberately and wrongly brought up during the probe with an aim to settle score.
• Shopian Case: trail of neglect is behind the DNA collapse
Muzamil Jaleel
Srinagar, August 13: Mujamil Jaleel trailed negligence which resulted into collapse of DNA of two Shopian Victims. On May 30, the bodies were found, a team of doctors was called to the sight. Nazia, a doctor from the team told that vaginal examination of the bodies could not be conduced because rigor mortis had set in. Bilques (another doctor) deposed she was so “scared” of the crowd that she could not perform any test. A second team of doctors was called from District Hospital, Pulwama to do a fresh post-mortem: gynaecologist Nighat along with Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ghulam Quadir Mohammad Maqbool without having sufficient material like gloves, mask, cotton not even (a) microscope. They rushed to market to buy slides on which they could take vaginal swabs. Another negligence took place when Dr. Nighat dropped one of the slide and broke in panic. The doctors made only one slide of each victim. The slides were not sealed when these were handed over to Pulwama’s Chief Medical Officer Ghulam Mohammad Paul. He kept them in an envelope and put them in his locker. The slides were taken out of Paul’s locker on May 31. Paul sent Block Medical Officer Ghulam Mohammad Bhat to the FSL with the envelope carrying the slides. Bhat reached FSL at 5 pm on May 31. FSL refused to accept the slides because the envelope was not sealed properly and did not have the doctor’s official stamp. So the BMO went to Dr Nighat’s home in Srinagar and got the envelop resealed and re-stamped, FSL had closed for the day. Meanwhile, head constable Ghulam Nabi from Shopian Police Station had also come to FSL, Srinagar, carrying samples of the two victims’ blood and viscera. Bhat handed over the envelope carrying the slides to Nabi and asked him to submit it to FSL the next morning. The constable reported at the Ram Munshi Bag police station carrying the envelope in his pocket and stayed the night “somewhere in the city”. SIT is now investigating vaginal swab slides of other cases collected by district hospital, Pulawama. It has found four swabs taken before the Shopian case, on February 17 and 22, April 25 and May 20. The possibility of change of the slides is at only two places- Pulwama Hospital and FSL, Srinagar, and we are investigating both possibilities. On June 6, the report was sent to Police Headquarters where it was kept until DGP Kuldeep Khuda returned from leave. And it was only after his clearance that the report was sent to investigators. And they forwarded the slides and the report to New Delhi on July 22 after the high court ordered them to do so.
Law & order based Investigative stories
17 years, 48 Extensions; Secrecy was the buzzword.
Subhead: Instead of Commission staff, Liberhan used different typists while writing the report.
• Whistleblower in Judge-Minister case was murdered
• Murdered whistleblower in exam scam now an ‘accused’ (the follow-up story)
Babri files: Liberhan panel did not summon UP officer wasn’t supposed to appear before
8 years later, no justice in sight for Gopika
After 13 years, dead man walks; but one accused killed himself, another mentally unstable
‘Inexperienced doctor took Arushi vaginal swab, didn’t record it in post-mortem’
• En route to Liberhan, Babri files got lost in Officer’s mystery death:
Subhead: OSD Sadh died in Delhi ‘rail accident’, family alleges foul play
Maneesh Shahu
Lucknow, July 8: Mystery remains unsolved as the murder of Subhash Sadh complexes it. UP Chief Secretary Atul Gupta submitted a letter from the Home Secretary stating that the missing files had last been with Subhash Bhan Sadh. Subhash Sadh was on special duty in the Communalism Control Cell of the UP Home Department , who died in “Train accident” at New Delhi’s Tilak Bridge Station.
Subhash sadh’s father Birbhan Sadh filed a petition in Delhi High Court doubted the death as murder. 23 secret files are still missing . 2002 Delhi High Court asked CID to probe Sadh’s death, yet no progress observed. Police theory has also many loopholes. They claimed that Subhash Sadh was carrying secret files but he was travelling second class. They did not record statement of co-passengers. The accident is co-produced with a vendor’s statement, who, from another platform saw Subhash falls from the train. Ranbir Jain , Sadh’s lawyer said that Sadh was carrying contact numbers of several officials and lawyers he was supposed to meet but the Police mad no attempt to contact any of them. He said he got to know of the “accident” only through an anonymous call, which remained ‘untraced’.
• THE LAST ROAD
Subhead: Murdered whistleblower Yogendra Pandey cancelled Vats Constructions’ Contract for the Sitamarhi- Riga- Dheng road project just before he died. The Indian Express finds that only 6 km of the 24-km project is motorable.
Santosh Singh
Sitamarhi-Riga – Dheng Road,
July 8.
It’s been 20 days since PWD engineer Yogendra Pandeya died under mysterious circumstances , soon after receiving threats from the road construction ‘Mafia’ in Sitamarhi district. Traveling along the Sitamarhi- Riga-Dheng Road , it is to understand why the reportedly upright engineer cancelled the contract given to Kishore Singh’s Vats Construction and subsequently blacklisted the company for failing to meet its May 30,2009 , deadline. Singh , who had beaten up Pandey on June 6 , is under CBI watch.
As the India Express journeyed on the road in question, it was clear that only 6 km of the 24-km project was “motorable” as per PWD specifications. The rest of the 18-km stretch is a mixture of stone and moraine or poor concrete road with inadequate bitumen. There are six stretches where there is no discernable road at all- not even any soil filling to be seen.
At two places (along 1.5-km), only one side of the road has been built. What one could see along the stretch in the name of the company’s commitment to complete the project was heaps of soil on the roadside, used for no purpose other than as a makeshift sandpit for children. In 2006, Vats Constructions was awarded a contract of Rs.12.63 crore for the repair, widening and strengthening of Sitamarhi- Riga(9 km) and Riga- Dheng road projects. After the company pressed for fully payment this April, the PWD engineer inspected the sites and doled out Rs.6 crore as the work was incomplete.
Yogendra Pandeya’s Last Projects
Road Company
Contractors
Sitamarhi- Riga-Dheng
Vats Constructions
Riga – Parsauni
Vats Constructions
Sasaula- Apta
Vats Constructions
Narha- Dumri
Rajendra Singh and Brothers
Runi Saidpur- Nanpur
Rajendra Singh and Brothers
Riga-Majorganj-Dhengh
Rajendra Singh and Brothers
Charaut-Musra-Balwa
S KYadav
Sursand-Parihar
DevendraYadav
Parwaha- LAlbandi
Birendra Yadav
Kumma-Bela
Biltec
Riga-Parsani
S K Enterprise
Kusmari-Basantpatti
S K Enterprise
Shehor-Minapur Madhur K Singh
• In Sitamarhi engineer death, suicide most foul for Police
Sanjay Singh :
Sitamarhi , July 8. “Agar murder nikla to koi baat nahin agar suicide(by abetment)hoga to hum bhi nahi bach sakte”. (If it turns out to be murder we can handle it, but if its suicide by abetment even we’ll be in trouble).” These were the words of the senior Police official on the mysterious death of PWD engineer Yogendra Pandey, who ‘fell’ to his death on June 18 from the Sitamarhi collectorate.
A murder would mean that the CBI can detain a few persons and can only hold detain a few persons and can only hold the district police (SP in this case) responding for the negligence for not providing security to Pandey.
But if it is suicide, Sitamarhi SP Chhatranil Singh is in for serious trouble. An abetment to suicide case under Section 306 of IPC can be registered against him, his reader and a constable , along with some others.
The Express investigation at Sitamarhi showed that the DM’s office had forwarded Pandey’s request for security twice (in May 2008 and June 2009). It was upto the SP to ensure that Pandey’s request was met.
• Till Khap Panchayats do them part
Subhead: Every year, around 100 legitimate marriages in Haryana are annulled by Khap Panchayats, but successive governments have refrained from dealing with it.
Dinker Vashisht
Chandigarh, July 28: 500 policemen are protecting a dozen members of the Gehlawat family in Dhrana village of Jhajjar district. The only reason is that their son Ravindra dared to marry the girl of same ‘Gotra’. Ved pal (23) was lynched in a village of Jind district for allegedly committing the ‘same crime’. Pal had come to take his wife back, armed with a High Court order. The Court has also sent a Warrant Officer with him. But even the presence of police could not prevent his death. These are the two instances of Justice delivered by Khap panvhayat of Haryana. A Jat social structure of medieval times, the Khap is a collective panchayat of several villages or castes. Each Khap is governed by a set of brotherhood, which means that conjugal relations between a set of Gotras within that particular Khap are barred. Over the years, successive governments have shown feebleness in dealing with the issue. These Khaps are headed by local Jat leaders. The politicians depend on their support during elections. Some Khaps have a size as huge as 84 villages (Satrod in Hissar) or over one lakh people (Meham in Rohtak). The idea of gotra differs from Khap to Khap. In Ravinder’s case, a marriage between Kadiyan and Gehlawat is barred. But the same is allowed in his bride’s village in Panipat. The government’s attempt to bring about an egalitarian structure by nominating Dalits and women in statutory panchayat has also failed, as Khaps never allow any political interference.
• Their identities disclosed, facing probes and cases, whistleblowers do rounds of courts
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, August 30: The Indian Express Journalist compiled cases which shows how the Whistleblowers are being harassed, charge-sheeted, had been summoned and suspended. One such case is of Azam Siddiqui who exposed a Rs-100 crore scam at the BSNL exchange in Allahabad. Since then he is being charge-sheeted, while his Juniors are being promoted. Other such case is that of Abhijit Ghosh, a General Manager with the Central Bank of India who has been suspended for almost a year now and was served three charge-sheets earlier. Incidentally Ghosh himself did a five-year stint in the CVC. In 2008, he filed a complaint under the Whistle-blower resolution against the Chairman and Managing Director of the Bank. While no action has been taken on the complaint the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) requested the Bank’s counsel to appear “on behalf” of them in the ongoing hearings at the Delhi Court. There are many such cases in the list which suspects the role of Central Vigilance Commission, and due to this Whistle-blowers are in trouble.
• Babri demolition meticulously planned, says Liberhan, indicts Atal along with Advani
Subhead: Muslim Leaders failed people they claimed to represent.
Centre could have acted only if Governor had asked.
Common man was never a part of Mandir campaign.
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November 22: Calling them “pseudo-moderates”, the Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan Commission of Inquiry has indicted former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with current Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani and former BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi, among others, for the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
Citing the evidence it gathered, which includes witness statements and official records, one of the key conclusions of the Commission is said to be that the entire build-up to the demolition was meticulously planned. And there was nothing to show that these leaders were either unaware of what was going on or innocent of any wrongdoing.
The one-man Commission probed the “sequence of events leading, and all facts and circumstances relating, to the occurrences at Ram Janmbhhomi- Babri Masjid complex on December 6, 1992” – the day the Babri Masjid was brought down by Kar sevaks.
Sources in the Union Home Ministry have confirmed to The Indian Express that the report is also severely critical of many Muslim leaders representing organizations such as the Babri Masjid Action Committee and the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee.
The elite leaders of these Muslim organizations, the report is learnt to have observed, constituted a class of their own and were neither responsible to nor were they caring for the welfare of those they claimed to represent. These leaders failed the community by failing to put forth a logical, cohesive and consistent point of view on the dispute, both inside and outside the courts, the Commission is said to have stated.
The Home Ministry, which is giving final touches to the action taken report (ATR), intends to table the ATR in Parliament along with the report of the Commission during the ongoing winter session.
The Commission was set up 10 days after the demolition as communal riots rocked several parts of the country. After 17 years and 48 extensions, it submitted its report on June 30 this year.
It is learnt that among others indicted and found culpable – for what the commission calls pushing the nation to the brink of communal discord – are the entire top brass of the Sangh Parivar. These include the leaderships of the RSS, VHP and Shiv Sena.
It is learnt that Justice Liberhan has not come down heavily on the then Union Government headed by P V Narsimha Rao. Its Government headed by P V Narsimha Rao. Its argument as per the Constitution, the Union Government can act only after it receives the recommendation of the state Governor. In this case, the Governor did not do much and also did not seek the Centre’s intervention.
The report is learnt to have said that despite claims to the contrary, the Ayodhya campaign did not enjoy the willing and voluntary support of the common masses, particularly Hindus. In fact, Liberhan is learnt to have said that the demand for a temple never became a mass movement. The campaign only ended up silencing the voice of sanity and shaming them into joining the movement.
Liberhan is learnt to have said that despite claims by Advani and Vajpayee that they had no role in the demolition, the two leaders can not be absolved of their responsibility for the same. When he appeared before the commission, Advani had said he was pained by the events at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Liberhan is said to have stated that while Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi could have been used by the Parivar as the publicity acceptable faces of the movement, they were still party to all decisions.
And that none of them had the capacity to defy the orders of the RSS without damaging their political future. In fact, the Commission calls them tools in the hands of the RSS.
However drawing from history, particularly from the trials of Nazi soldiers, at which the plea of having acted on the orders of superiors was not accepted, the Commission is learnt to have concluded that these leaders can not be given the benefit of doubt or absolved of culpability. Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi have also been indicted for having violated the trust of voters.
Rath yatras by Advani and Joshi, Liberhan is learnt to have concluded, were targeted at making the emotionally-charged common man join the movement.
In sharp contrast to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar stand that the demolition was a spontaneous outburst, Liberhan is said to have argued that the events resulting in the demolition were carefully planned.
The commission is also said to have concluded that diversion of funds to Faizabad and Ayodhya just before the Kar seva, mobilisation of kar sevaks as well as arrangements made at the site with military – like precision, clearly proves that the plan was not just limited to symbolic kar seva, as stated by Sangh and BJP leaders.
To substantiate this argument, Liberhan is learnt to have pointed to the mode of assault on the disputed structure as well as easy availability of instrument and material. The small number of kar sevaks who actually carried out the demolition, the hidden faces of such kar sevaks, the removal of idols and cash boxes from under the domes and the eventual installation in the makeshift temple clearly show that demolition was carried out with painstaking preparation and planning, he is learnt to have said.
The report is said to suggest that the emergence of a host of leaders to lead the movement from among the ranks of the BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar groups was because of the lure of wealth and power rather than ideology.
Liberhan is learnt to have written that these leaders saw the Ayodhya movement as their road to success, and they acted as executioners wielding swords provided by the ideologies.
Referring to the funds collected by leaders of the Ram Janma Bhoomi movement, the Commission has reportedly said that many tens of crores of rupees collected from the people were deposited into the Bank account of these leaders. These funds were used to provide infrastructure and other amenities for kar sevaks in the days leading to the demolition.
Part – II
• ‘Advani & Co were barely 200 m away… could have prevented Babri demolition’:
: List of 68 culpable for pushing India to communal discord
• DM went by CM orders, did nothing , says report
Maneesh Chhiber
New Delhi, November 23: The events in the morning and afternoon of December 6, 1992 that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid were facilitated by a complaint administration and a political leadership – including L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Vinay Katiyar – that stood barely 200 metres away and did nothing to prevent the Karsevaks from tearing down the domes.
This is said to be the key conclusion of the Justice Liberhan Commission of Inquiry as it discusses the events of December 6 under the section, “The section of events”.
Liberhan is said to have pointed out that Advani, Joshi, Ashok Singhal, Vijayraje Scindia, RSS leader HV Sheshadri etc., made only feeble attempts to make karsevaksi climb down from the domes.
No request was made to the karsevaks not to enter the garbha griha or not to demolish the domes. Liberhan is said to have observed that these “icons” of the administration’s help – or that of the highly disciplined swayamsevaks – and prevented the demolition.
Sources have told The Indian Express that Liberhan’s listing of the day’s events – with District Magistrate R N Srivastava acting on direct orders of the then CM Kalyan Singh – make this point. The sequence, as in the report:
• A “sham” decision was taken by the Kendriya Marg Darshak Samiti (central body of saints of the VHP) that karseva, fixed for 12.15 pm, was only symbolic.
• RSS leader K S Sudershan admitted that RSS kar sevaks were deployed for security of the disputed structure and crowd control.
• At 9.30 am, Union Home Secretary told the DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police to keep forces ready in case of any request from the state and deploy them without waiting for formal Home Ministry orders.
• Vinay Katiyar, Advani, Joshi, Ashok Singhal, Acharya Giriraj Kishore, Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara and others were present at Katiyar’s house in the morning before going to the site.
• At 10.30 am, Advani and Joshi accompanied by Katiyar, sadhus and sants, reached the platform meant for kar seva and symbolic puja. After 10-20 minutes, Advani and Joshi went to the Ram Katha Kunj, 200 m away.
• The administration “falsely” told journalists that everything was under control and they should not waste their time.
• At 11.45 am, DM and SSP surveyed the Ram Janmabhoomi complex.
• At noon, a teenaged kar sevaks jumped into the dome, sparking off the breach of the outer cordon. Other karsevaks, wielding pickaxes, hammers, iron rods and shovels, stormed the disputed structure. Police gave their canes and shields to Kar sevaks who brandished them openly.
• Ek Dhakka aur do, Babri Masjid tod do was the war-cry to encourage kar sevaks. In this chaotic scenario, the DM did nothing.
• At 12.15 pm, kar sevaks entered the garba griha, removed the idols and cash box. Brickbatting on security men gave Kar sevaks cover to assault the structure. Demolition was accomplished by puncturing holes in the walls and then inserting ropes to pull the walls down which razed the domes.
• 1.55 pm: Kar sevaks pulled down the first dome; security forces were outnumbered and had no means of communication with officers present in the control room. State police and UP’s Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) took no action throughout. The CRPF were at the Sita Rasoi but received no oders.
• RSS leader Sudershan says 150 kar sevaks broke through. Total numbers between 1,000 and 5,000.
• Advani made requests over the PA system to kar sevaks to climb down but no one listened. This “charade” by these leaders at the instance of Advani contrasts with their own prior conduct and public posture, incitement and exhortations to the crowd to build a temple in place of the disputed structure.
• After initial attempts were made to pacify the Kar sevaks, nothing was done thereafter to stop the assault, either by the organizers or the sadhus and sants or by the administration or police.
• Idols and cash removed were returned to their original places at the site about 7 pm. The construction of a makeshift temple commenced at about 7.30 pm.
• Riots began at 3.30 pm in Ayodhya, carried out by a group of Kar sevaks different from those who carried out the demolition.
• ‘Traces of Babri villains thrive in every pillar of the system’
Subhead: SANGH [] ‘Babus & cops handpicked by Kalyan helped in Project Demolition’
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November 23: Underlining that bureaucrats helped the then Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh to subvert the system so that the Sangh Parivar could achieve its goal of demolishing the Babri Masjid, the Justice Liberhan Commission of Inquiry is said to have observed that the infiltration of the government and of the administration by pro-Sangh elements was complete.
Not just this. Sources have told The Indian Express that the Liberhan report goes on to say that its “traces and remnants are still thriving all over the country”, and pose as grave a threat as ever – continuing to spread in scope to “encompass every pillar of the Constitutional system.”
After coming to the power, Kalyan singh, Liberhan is learnt to have observed, worked to identify and replace officers who could have resisted his attempts and stopped the demolition. Transfer was a weapon used with alarming frequency, almost always to replace these officers with pliant ones. The transfers resulted in giving the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates a free run on the disputed structure, the report is said to state.
Liberhan is said to be most scathing in his condemnation of Kalyan Singh and his ministerial colleagues and officers created circumstances that led to the demolition and split Hindus and Muslims, resulting in Massacres across the country. And that at every step, the state government supported the imminent demolition by tacit, open and material support.
Liberhan is also learnt to have observed that as part of the same game plan, the state government stationed fresh recruits to armed police in Faizabad and Ayodhya and these recruits got so close to the kar sevaks that they would not have fired at them even if they had been asked to do so.
Referring to the role or the lack of it of the then P V Narsimha Rao – led Congress government during the build-up and afterwards, Liberhan is learnt to have said the Central government was crippled by failure of intelligence inputs as well as the fact that the matter was before the Supreme Court.
One of the key conclusions of Liberhan is said to be that Kalyan Singh stood guard against any pre – emptive and preventive action by the Union Government or the Supreme Court. He is also said to have observed that Kalyan tied the hands of security forced and agencies by issuing orders that directed them not to fire at karsevaks come what may liberhan is learnt to have found that by leaking information about such directives to the police, the state government further weakened the already-dejected force and ensured that kar sevaks had no fear.
• Central riot police force needed: Liberhan
Recommendations: Calls for Criminal Justice Commission, more powers for EC:
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November 23: In his report, Liberhan has called for a law that gives exemplary punishment to those guilty of using religion and caste for political gains.
• 22 references to Atal, more flattering
Amitabh Sinha & Manu Pubby: The Liberhan commission made several references to Vajpayee putting him with other culpable like Advani nad Josi in Babri Demolition report. Vajpayee figures as number 7 in the list of 68 held responsible for pushing country to the “brink of communal discord. There are at least 22 reference to Vajpayee in chapter 14, titled Conclusions.
• Why delay? Judge blames his ‘unworthy’ counsel:
Maneesh Chhibber
New Delhi, November: Justice Liberhan has explained over 18 pages why he took 17 years to complete the Babri Masjid demolition report, for which he had originally been given only three months. He blamed Anupam Gupta breaching professional duties and betrayed the trust reposed in him as Commission’s counsel, with the intended or unintended result of forestalling the submission of the commission’s report.
• How the BJP, RSS mobilised kar sevaks
Seema Chisti
New Delhi, November 24: The preparation was accomplished with phenomenal secrecy, was technically flawless with consistency and assured results…The theme was power. It attracted clusters of young men to support the hidden agenda. Leaders know how passions are aroused and how to prevent the same; they however always see what would be beneficial to them rather than what would be good for the nation. This is what happened in Ayodhya. (Excerpts from the story)
• Centre looks at way to strip Rathore of his Police Medal
Shishir Gupta
New Delhi, December 24: While the Home ministry is examining whether action against Rathore is time- barred in any way – the official retired in 2002 – record of the IPS officer revealed that not only was Rathore promoted to DGP by the OM Prakash Chautala government in 2000, his name was even recommended for a President’s Police Medal For Distinguished Service by the same government in November 1999. Records show that the proposal gave a clean chit on integrity and concealed the fact that he had a case of molestation against him. It was only when the Intelligence Bureau told the Home Ministry that Rathore was an accused in Ruchika Molestation case that the recommendation was rejected. The centre is looking at probing how and why Rathore’s recommendation was cleared and who were behind the attempt to cover up.
• Home Secy who sought medal for Rathore is in Chautala’s party
Mikesh Bhardwaj,
Chandigarh, December 25: As reported by The Indian Express on December 25, the centre is actively exploring whether it can strip Rathore of his 1985 Police Medal for Meritorious Service. Records show that the Haryana proposal for the Distinguished Service Medical in 1999 gave him a clean chit on integrity and concealed the fact that he had a case of molestation against him. It was only when the Intelligence Bureau told the Home Ministry that Rathore was an accused that the recommendation was rejected. Birbal Das Dhalia the then Home Secretary of Haryana recommended the name of SPS Rathore for a President’s medal, saying there was no charge against Rahtore though he had been accused of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra in 1990.
Miscellaneous Stories
• Land records: notice to President’s husband, kin
• Rigging possible through EVMs: ex-bureaucrat
• When CBI stands for Crude, Bizarre and Ignorant
• Being tested for rail porter’s job: an MA, a Computer Master’s, pregnant 20-yr-old
• Indians among overseas students in Oz who copied masters’ thesis
• I never meant those words Subhead: Blacklisted Class 12 student says he scribbled against Mayawati in his answer-sheet in anger after he wasn’t allowed to write the English exam; left home to work at a Noida construction site.
• For ‘efficiency’, MP district brands its poor
Subhead: Meant to ensure benefits go to right people, says administration; BSP cries humiliation
• Kasab’s ‘Sketches’ of Lashkar leaders mere doodles
Subhead: Kasab got Juge’s OK to draw of two faces of two key wanted in 26/11 case; ‘useless’, say cops.
• Raje’s note: BJP has lost before. Was leader of Opposition changed?
• Close to Rahul’s office, a ‘hunger death’
• Immunisation deficiency
Subhead: After closure of 3 govt-run vaccine units, Health Ministry data shows 10 per cent decline in target
Toufiq Rashid
New Delhi, July 14: The closure of all the three government – run vaccine manufacturing units in the country in January 2008 has had a major implication on the immunisation programme of the country in 2008-2009. Not only there has been a shortfall of vaccine, the government target achieved has been far less than what was envisioned.
While a parliamentary standing committee on health said there was a shortfall of more than 10 crore doses in 2008-9 , in a report tabled in the house in February, Health Ministry data tabbed in the house on July 8 showed at least 10 per cent decline in target achievement for immunisation compared to the last three years.
Measles vaccine met 81.2% assessed need in 2008-2009. the government had achieved 90.7 per cent in 2007-08.
Polio (per dose) target achieved in 2008-09 was 83.3% while it was 92.5 in 2007-08.
DPT for children was 78.2% in 2008-09, 93.9 in 2007-08.
BCG, achieved target in 2008-09 was 93.8% while it was 99.9 in 2007-08, 102.5 in 2007-06, 103.8 in 2005-06.
In Rajasthan child labour under NREGA
Subhead: Children use parents’ job cards, say working under scheme has more benefits than migrating to Gujarat as usual for employment in Bt cotton fields.
Teena Thacker
New Delhi, July 26: The first such incident of children working under NREGA on behalf of their parents, is reported from Rajasthan. This fact is revealed after The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) team’s visit villages over there. The trend is mostly visible in Dungarpur district, in villages like Kanela, Billia Bargawa, Golaamba and Bicchhiwara. The children mostly fall in the age group of 9-17 years, and most of them are school drop-outs.
These children, until last year, were going to the Bt cotton farms in Shepur, Laloda, Ganesh Pura, Hassanoura in Gujarat. The pollination time starts in June end and the children stay back till September. However, this time there was a change of plan. According the sources, the children have disclosed how working under NREGA is much better than going to Gujarat, where the pay is less and they have to work long hours. While under NREGA they get Rs 100 per day, working in a cotton field gets them a meagre Rs 40-60 daily. ADM of Dungarpur considers it the ample use of vacation time than the system’s fault.
• The ‘Football’ League:
# IN THE WAKE OF HOME MINISTER P CHIDAMBRAM REFERRING TO TOP POLICE OFFICERS AS “FOOTBALLS” BEING “KICKED FROM ONE POST TO ANOTHER” BY THEIR RESPECTIVE STATE GOVERNMENTS, THE INDIAN EXPRESS TAKES A LOOK AT THE FIELD AND SOME OF THE AFFECTED PLAYERS
• For UP officers, 10 transfers in 2 years no rare matters
Sanjay Singh: IPS officers in UP have been facing a ‘kicked around’ situation, where the strength of IPS cadre is over 404 while the number of available IPS officers is 260. The government’s concern for the stability factor can be seen in the posting of seven IPS officers as IG (personal), considered as crucial in any government. Since May 2007 when the Maya government came to power, the office of IG (Personal) has so far got seven IPS officers.
These are:
Rajdeep Singh: May 2007 to July 2007
Praveen Singh: July 2007 to February 2008
Kashmira Singh: February 2008 to May 2008
Harishchandra Kashyap: May 2008 to September 2008
G.L. Meena: September 2008 to February 2009
Anand Kumar: February 2009 to June 2009
Alok Prasad: June 2009- present (September)
When, union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai wrote to UP’s Chief Secretary AK Gupta showing his concern. Gupta replied that the law and order was the state’s duty and it needed to post able officers.
The Indian Express also managed to get the list of officers who faced more than eight transfers in the last two years.
1. Navin Arora (1997 batch)
Shortest Tenure: About two weeks as Commandant, 32 BN, PAC
Longest Tenure: More than five months as the SSP, Agra and Noida
2R K Srivastava (IPS- State Police Service)
Shortest Tenure: 16 days as Commandant, PAC, 27th Bn, Sitapur
Longest Tenure: More than five-and- a- half months as SP, Pratapgarh
3Ajay Kumar Mishra (2003 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Four days as the SP CB-CID Lucknow
Longest Tenure: Four months and 11 days as the SSP, Etawah
4. Love Kumar (2004 batch)
Shortest Tenure: 14 days as SP, Deoriya
Longest Tenure: 10 months and 4 days as SP, Kanshiram Nagar.
1.Ashok Kumar Singh (1995 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Two days as SSP Meerut
Longest Tenure: More than five months as SSP Kanpur
2.Abhay Kumar Prasad (1991 batch)
Shortest Tenure: About 25 days as DIG, Devipatan range, Gonda
Longest Tenure: Continuing as DIG, Police Headquarters, Allahabad, since March 3, 2009
3.Shachi Ghildayal (2004 batch)
Shortest Tenure: About one-and-a-half months as SP, Intelligence, Faizabad
Longest Tenure: More than six months as SP Chitrkoot
4.Aditya Mishra (1989 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Nine days as DIG/SSP, Gorakhpur
Longest Tenure: About two-and-a-half month
5. Ajay Anand (1992 batch)
Shortest Tenure: Three days as the DIG, ATS, Lucknow
Longest Tenure: Three months and 15 days as SSP, Bareily
• It’s musical chairs everywhere (the country-wide data is acquired by The Indian Express shows how transfers are done at the political will)
Punjab: In the two-and-a-half years since the SAD-BJP government came to power, four Directors General of Police have been transferred. This is despite the fact that the minimum tenure of a DGP in the state is two years, as per the amended Punjab Police rules in view of a Supreme Court Judgement.
Rajdeep Singh Gill became DGP after SS Virk was posted out by the Election Commission after a complaint by the Akali Dal. However, Gill remained in the post for only three months and was replaced by NPS Aulakh. Aulakh held this post for two years until he went on a Central deputation. KK Attri then took over but stayed as DGP for only five months when he retired in June 2009. Subsequently, P S Gill of the J&K cadre of the IPS was appointed as the DGP against the protestations of senior IPS officers of the state. For this Punjab Police Act was amended by the state government as only state cadre could be appointed as the DGP of Punjab.
The state intelligence chiefs were also shifted. Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) J P Birdi was removed and Shashi Kant was posted in his place, only to be removed after a year. Suresh Arora was posted in his place – as he was on IG rank officer, he was promoted to ADGP. Birdi, meanwhile, was shuttled around. From Intelligence, he was posted as ADGP (Railways) and after nine months sent to the Inter Vigilance Cell. He stayed there for five months, then as ADGP (Crime) for another eight months. Since March, Birdi has been serving as ADGP (Law and Order).
Officers in the field have also been shunted from time to time. Of the 24 district police chiefs, only three SSPs – Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana (Rural) – have stayed more than two years; the others have been frequently transferred. - Harpreet Bajwa
Bihar: While Bihar has seen two major overhauls of top cops in 2009, Patna has seen four SSPs in two years since January 2008.
The first reshuffle of the year the year took place this February – before Lok Sabha elections – when 19 IPS officers were transferred. Next, 31 IPS officers – including the Patna IG, DIG and SSP – were transferred without any prelude in the last week of July. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called the transfers a part of shake-up. - Santosh Singh
Andhra Pradesh:
One good cop who has been really kicked around like a football is A K Mohanty. The ADGP who was posted as director of the AP Road Safety Authority was posted by the Election Commission as the state’s DGP after SSP Yadav was transferred for misconduct. Known to be an honest and tough Cop, Mohanty was posted as DGP on March 23, 2009, a month before the general elections. However, a week after the results were declared, the state government reinstated SSP Yadav as DGP while Mohanty was eventually sent back to AP Road Safety Authority. Mohanty was last April shunted out of anti-terror unit ‘Octopus’ after he refused to brook any interference from DGP Yadav.
Other notable transfers include that of Charu Sinha who was posted as SP, East Godavari by the Election Commission on March 23. After elections, she was removed by the Congress government, and transferred to the AP Police Academy, considered to be an insignificant posting. - Sreenivas Janyala.
Orissa:
According to senior officials, over half – a – dozen police officers have been shunted around in the last one year or so. Amarananda Patnayak, who served as DGP from September 2006 to October 2007, was dropped by the Naveen Patnaik government although he had about four years of service left. Last year, Pattanayak took voluntary retirement.
In December last year, Sudhanshu Sarangi was posted as IG (anti- Naxal operations). In June this year, he got his marching orders , and was replaced by Sanjiv Marik, who faces a departmental probe for his alleged links with criminals.
Shafin Ahmed, posted as SP(vigilance) in Berhampur for the last couple of months, has had his share of transfers too. In the last one year, he was shuttled around SP of Bargarh district for six months, SP of Jharsuguda district for three months and SP of Gajapati for another three months.
Yatindra Koyal was SP of Maoist – infested Malkangiri for a little over a year – and – a – half when he was shifted as SP (Special Branch) where he spent about a year. Last year, he was made SP of Keonjhar, but transferred within a few months to Nayagarh. Four months later, he was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department. Koyal then applied for Central deputation and joined the CBI this year. – Debabrata Mohanty
Jammu & Kashmir:
In the militancy – infested state, many of the top brass were shifted prematurely, on political considerations, before the completion of their tenure. On July 14 ,2009, during a major administrative reshuffle in the aftermath of much-hyped Shopian rape and Murder of two Kashmiri women, the Omar Abdullah – led NC- Congress government transferred over 60 police officers including state’s Intelligence chief Ashok Bhan. Bhan, who was holding the position of Director General of CID, was posted as Director General Prisons.
Many in police circles say he was shifted following accusations that he had “misled” Omar over the Shopian case. Earlier, just before the November 2008 Assembly polls, DGP Kuldeep Khoda had shifted two SPs and 52 Deputy SPs. - Deepak Khajuriya
Rajasthan:
Once considered one of the safest states for IPS officers to be posted into, a spate of recent transfers among the IPS cadre in Rajasthan has left several officers bewildered. Senior Rajasthan police officers asserted that transfers usually preceded and succeeded Assembly elections and in the aftermath of a law and order breakdown, such as the twin Gurajar agitations in the state in 2007 and 2008, which even saw the transfers of the DGP. Figures available with the Rajasthan Department of Personnel show that the state has witnessed around seven major IPS reshuffles since August 2008, in each of which more than 20 officers were transferred. However, the state has witnessed five major reshuffles since January 2009, twice during which more than 40 officers were transferred.
Jose Mohan, SP Jaipur (South), has been transferred seven times in the last one year alone while three other SPs – HGR Suhasha, S Sengathir and P Ramjee – have been transferred four times in the last 15 months. - Apurva.
Himanchal Pradesh: While the state in 2007 enacted the Himanchal Pradesh Police act – under which DIGs, DSPs and SHOs get a minimum two-year tenure – its implantation has been a different matter. Though the Police Establishment Committee is very much in place, its recommendation have often been overruled.
Ashwani Kumar, an IPS officer, currently CBI Director, was replaced as DGP by G S Gill on his return from the central deputation with the BSF in August 2008. He remains in position though the government has recently promoted Dr D S Manhas, ADGP (Vigilance and Anti-Corruption bureau), to an equivalent rank.
When the BJP returned to power on December 30, 2007, Manhas was posted as ADGP (CID). But in October 2008, he was assign transferred from the ADGP (CID) and posted as ADGP (Vigilance and Anti- Corruption Bureau), replacing I D Bhandari, who was posted as ADGP (CID) after a tenure of little over a year.
B Kamal, ADGP (Armed Police and Training) at police headquarters, has been a “football” of sorts. He was posted as IG (Leave Reserve) at the police headquarters in January 2007 but a month later sent as IG (Law and Order with additional charge of Armed Police and Training). Ten months later, he was shifted out of the law and order charge. - Ashwani Sharma.
Tamil Nadu: The seat of the Commissioner of Police is prestigious in the state, but one that proved to be too hot for many in the recent past. Since the new government was formed in 2006, the present Commissioner T Rajendran has been the fifth to occupy the post. His predecessor K Radhakrishna was removed after severe indictment by the Madras High Court over the role of senior officials in the infamous High Court clash between police and lawyers earlier this year. His predecessor, R Sekar, was transferred after the clash inside Dr Ambedkar Law College, Chennai. Sekar was the replacement for Nanchil Kumaran, the only official in the recent past who retired while being the Commissioner of Police. - Gopu Mohan.
• Gas tragedy: Public to pay for toxic waste clean-up
Vidya Krishnan
Bhopal, December 2: Apart from health and compensation issues, the clean-up of the 67-acre Union Carbide factory has become the foremost concern of activists and survivors. The clean-up of 386 tonnes of waste is supposed to do with the money of tax-payers- the people. While Union Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh declare the site as “safe zone” by taking fistful of waste. But the Environmental Activists question the government’s rational in setting up a network of pipelines to provide safe pipelines to provide safe drinking water in the residential areas close to the Carbide factory if the factory site was harmless. The investigation shows that the government is keen on getting foreign investment and hence wants to use the taxpayer’s money to clean up the site. Government’s policy on dealing with the Bhopal gas tragedy has always been driven by economics. They would rather side with the corporates than fight for their citizens. If there are no toxic elements, why is the government spending on a new pipeline network? Despite the absence of a comprehensive study on the extent of contamination, the government has stated that the effects of methyl isocyanate (MIC) have been neutralised. As far as clean-up is concerned a proposal is pending with the Ministry of Chemicals and it suggests that Dow be made to pay Rs 100 crore for the clean-up.
• 25 years on, still waiting for Bhopal gas research
Subhead: No research on killer gas; ICMR proposal for studies attracts little interest
Vidya Krishnan
Bhopal, December 2: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) invited research to study the effects of methyl isocyanate (MIC) poisoning but has received only two proposals. So Council has decided to keep the call for research proposals’ open till it gets some noteworthy submissions. The biggest failure, according to medical experts, is that the line of treatment given to patients exposed to MIC has remained essentially unchanged since the morning of the disaster, when nothing was known about the poisonous gas. Two generations of victims exposed to MIC have been indiscriminately prescribed antibiotics, steroids and psychotropic drugs to ‘manage’ their ailments instead of finding a cure. No focused research has been conducted in developing an antidote to cyanide poisoning. Following the disaster, ICMR temporarily set up the Bhopal Gas Disaster Research Centre under Gandhi Medical College to monitor the health effects of MIC exposure. The Centre stopped monitoring mortalities in 1992. In 1994, the centre was shut down, without publishing the findings of the studies conducted between 1984-94. No research has been conducted since. All medical data has indicated serious generic mutation but no autopsy studies have been conducted. No government body can explain why the prevalence of cancer among female victims is three times the national average. No one can conclusively say what the outcomes of MIC exposure are. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), now Dow Chemicals, is yet to reveal the composition of MIC; it calls it a ‘trade secret’. After initially recommending sodium thiosulphate as a detoxifying agent, Union Carbiders later retracted from the prescription of Sodium thiosulphate. Carbide officials were worried about legal repercussions as the success of the treatment would prove that the gases had broken the blood – lung barrier and increase the compensation amount.
Investigation stories from sports ground
Furosemide doping common in India, say athletes, coaches, officials
Once linked to Dawood, he now bids for a T20 team
Badminton babus forget deadline so Saina can’t play in China
• For Kalmadi, F1 is Family 1st (sports)
Subhead: IOA swung deal, firm that got contract part owned by son; daughter son-in-law on board
Ritu Sarin
New Delhi, August 21: In 2007, Suresh Kalmadi (IOA chief) sealed an agreement with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone to bring the Formula One Grand Prix to India. He announced that he had a letter of intent under which the IOA would “promote and back” the move to build infrastructure for the event in India and “elicit support from Central and State Government to construct the circuit.” A month later, the company that signed the contract with the organisers had his son as part owner- and a year later, his daughter and her husband joined it as directors. In October, 2008 the UK- based Formula One Administration Limited – F1’s organisers- signed Rs 1600-crore contract with JPSK sports private Limited. Records obtained by The Indian Express show that JPSK’s stakeholders are Jaiprakash Associates (74%); Pune –based Sulbha Realty Private Limited (13%) of which Kalmadi’s son , Sumeer kalmadi, is Director; and Trackwork International Pvt. Ltd, a Delhi- based firm (also 13%). SK in JPSK is an apparent reference to Sumeer Kalmadi. As per the agreement between the three- signed on November 16, 2007 – JPSK acquired around 2,500 acres for the project. Approximately 1000 acres of this will be used for the race circuit and the “balance land” will be “developed” in the ratio of 80%-10%-10% between Jaiprakash Associates, Sulba and Trackwork. Records from the Registrar of Companies, Ministry of Commerce, show that a year after the company was floated, Kalmadi’s daughter, Payal Aditya Bhartia, and his son-in-law, Aditya Bhartia, joined JPSK as Independent Directors.
• Battlelines: Fennel rejects Kalmadi’s sack – CEO demand
Subhead: Delhi 2010[] IOA chief slams Hooper: of no use, implement
Kunal Pradahan
New Delhi, October 15: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi sought the recall of chief executive Mike Hooper but CGF president Mike Fennel rejected the demand. On October 12, Fennel had announced the appointment of an independent panel of foreign experts to monitor preparations for Delhi 2010 on a monthly basis. The IOA recommended to the OC (Organising Committee) that the panel be rejected, and then launched a personal attack on Hooper, calling him “of no use” and an “impediment to the functioning of the OC”. Express accessed the whole detail of the scuffle. The letter of the October 14 is given as evidence.
• Before the Fiasco, 2 reports, 2 warnings
G S Vivek & Vinayak Padmadeo
New Delhi, December 27: The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) may have received at least two separate warnings on what lay in store on Sunday (Delhi ODI abandoned due to bad-pitch conditions, having uneven bounce). The first in the form of the international cricket council’s report after a routine world Cup check in November. And the second from former BCCI pitches and Ground Committee chief Venkat Sundaram who claims to have sounded the alarm bells a week ago. The ICC report a copy of which is with THE Indian Express, states: “During the Champions League and the India vs Australia ODI series, it was well-doccumented that the performers and condition of the pitches at the stadium were a cause of concern for the players. There is an ODI at this venue on 27th December 2009 and considerable improvement of the pitch block will be required by then o make the pitch provided more acceptable.
Story from Gujarat
Labour-pain: wage anomalies unchecked as commissionerate lacks enforcement power
Subhead: Only 4 officers to check 3,000 factories four lakh biz establishments.
All’s not ‘well’: villagers use groundwater recharge fund for personal welfare
Subhead: Mismanagement of funds leaves Dahod villages with dried-up wells.
Anupam Chakravarty
One month gone, students of class VIII yet to receive textbooks under SSA
Merchants of death had supplied 1,300 litres of killer hooch in city
Security short-circuited: No CCTVs in LG Hospital yet
Subhead: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation learns no lessons from blasts , say close-circuit TVs not required.
Mayor writes to MSU over delay in student leader’s result
Subhead: In a recent letter Balkrishna Shukla has sought reason for the varsity not expending reassessment of Kunal Patel’s result before students union polls.
• Repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis a costly affair for SOG
Subhead: SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP HAS TO FOOT RS 50-80 LAKH BILL AS FOOD AND REAPTRIATION COST
• State rights panel reels under severe staff crunch
Subhead: Several posts in Gujarat Human Rights Commission, including secretary, yet to be filled.
• Nargol leads Nilekani, has own ‘UID’ for residents since 2006
Subhead: Valsad coastal village has made ID-card mandatory even for outsiders.
• Akshardham attack accused retracts statement
Subhead: Alleges police forcibly recorded his statement and made him sign papers
• Staff University may face staff crunch in PG programmes
• Pollution drives south Gujarat fishermen to Porbandar, Okha waters
• Effluent treatment plans at Vapi, Ankaleshwar prove a failure
Subhead: Outlet and inlet norms are hardly followed by any of these effluent treatment facilities
• Most offenders under Prohibition Act are women
Subhead: In 2008, 2,377 criminal cases were lodged against women in Ahmedabad, of which 1,878 were related to illicit liquor trade.
• 5 months on, villagers await payment for NREG work.
• Sanskrit scholarship scheme fails to motivate students, school authorities in state
Subhead: Lack of awareness about it and small amount of incentive have brought down the interest level in the scheme
• Tidal power hangs in limbo
Subhead: After signing MoU at Vibrant Gujarat summit, Indian subsidiary yet to approach state government for work on modalities
• Four years on, RTI backlog piles up
Subhead: Govt had sanctioned two additional posts of information commissioner in 2007 but no fresh appointment made yet
Cost ‘miscalculation’ delays border fencing work in Gujarat
DIET colleges crippled by vacancies in posts for lecturers
Marathon website guides foreigners how to get liquor in Vadodara
Subhead: Says the city lacks nightlife because of the blanket ban on alcohol in Gujarat
Grant to NCLP schools irregular, teachers threaten to resign
Gender bias? VMC to pay NGOs only for female dogs’ sterilisation
• Two years on, chemistry encyclopaedia in Gujarati yet to reach students
Subhead: 1,000 copies of the work are stocked in the Gujarat University Granth Nirman Board
• Bangladeshi migrants’ deportation: Cops tried to hand over kids to locals
Subhead: Plan failed as locals refused to take custody of 8 – yr – old, brother
• A year on, survivors of serial blasts still to receive compensation from Centre
Amrita Didyala
Ahmedabad,July 25: Victims of July 26,2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts drew attention from all quarters in the aftermath of terror attack. But in a sharp contrast to the Rs 11.5 lakh compensation received by the kin of the dead , the survivors are still struggling for the Rs 50,000 compensation announced by the Centre. As many as 262 injured people received the state government’s compensation money within a month oh the tragic incident.
Most of the survivors are surviving on loans, as they spent the compensation money spent from the state government long ago. The doctors have asked them to continue with the medicines, but many have returned to work to make ends meet. Juggled between collector office and Congress bhavan, they returned at home.
• In 2 yrs, state records 17 suicides under pressure from moneylenders
Syed Khalique Ahmed
Ahmedabad, July 27: 17 people had committed suicide to escape harassment from moneylenders in two years till March 31, 2009, according to State Home department’s official datas. The maximum suicide has been reported from Rajkot, followed by Ahmedabad. Police has taken many action against moneylenders by booking them under various sections of the IPC, including 305 (pertaining to abetment of suicide), 384 (punishment for extortion), 386 (extortion by issuing threats of death) as also under various sections of the Moneylenders Act. But these actions seem to be of little use in deterring moneylenders from using extortion methods to recover money along with high amount of interest, in case the borrowers suffered losses in their businesses and delayed the repayment.
• No end to Piraman villagers’ woes, courtesy industrial noise, stench:
Anupam Chakravarty
Piraman (Bharuch), August 12: In the heart of the chemical corridor of Gujarat about 4,000 villagers of Piraman in Ankaleshwar taluka bear the noise of industries and stench of wastes that pass through the village in Amla Khadi, a creek, due to leaks in the effluent pipeline. Question over displacement and livelihood had cropped up when the government acquired lands from farmers for Panoli and Ankaleshwar GIDC.On the other hand, three generations of at least 32 farmers have been waging a legal battle to get compensation after the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) acquired their lands in Kharod and Sanjali village for industrial purposes.
• Power show for Minister, so cuts elsewhere
Subhead: Farmers suffer s DGVCL diverts supply away from Narmada village agriculture feeder
Shubhulakshmi Shukla
Vadodara, August 13: The state government may have launched a 100 per-cent funded Jyotigram scheme, but nearly 80 villages in the eastern part of tribal- dominated Narmada district continue to live in the dark. During the inaugurations of Primary health centre and resource centre the state minister themselves faces power-cut. The district administration was forced to take electric supply from an agriculture line when State Tribal Affairs Minister Jashwantsinh Bhabhor visited interior villages for functions slated ahead of the Independence-day. If this was not enough, Narmada Information Department had to look for invertors after the Transformers stopped functioning, which further led to power failure. In Suka village people had to face the power-cut, as the DGVCL (Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited) diverted the power supply of the agriculture feeder. Jhariya village, where education minister Ramanlal Vora, and Bhadarva where Minister of Social Justice Fakir Vaghela paid a visit on August 8, also faced similar power shortage problem.
• Treeless ‘green drive’ costs state Rs 148.87 lakh
Adam Haliday
Ahmedabad, August 23: As part of a national afforestation project involving villages, Rs 148.87 lakh were spent in 12 Forest Development Agencies (FDA) in 12 districts (South Valsad, Dahod, Surat and Kutch-Bhuj in 2003-2004; in Vadodara, Kutch-Bhuj, Surendranagar, Jamnagar,Gandhinagar, Mehsana and Kheda in 2004-2005; and in Vadodara, Rajkot, Junagarh and Bhavangar in 2005-2006) between 2003 and 2006, without a single tree being planted. The information get the revelation after filed an RTI.
• 2002 riot compensation: Missing information delays disbursal
Tanvir A Siddiqui
Ahmedabad, August 23: For more than a hundred out of the 12,293 post- Godhra riots victims, getting the second part of compensation is proving quite a task, thanks to some missing links in the official records. Scores of victims can be seen running from pillar to post at the Ahmedabad Colloectorate on any given day. Shabnambanu Sabirbhai Rangrez, a victim, had got a cheque (no 421837 of Dena Bank) of Rs 10,000 as compensation, which she promptly deposited in her savings bank account in June 2002. The family lived in a rented house. Later this year, when an announcement was made that victim in her category would be paid another Rs 50,000, she approached the collectorate both at Danilimda Chavdi and the main office. Although the officials acknowledged her status as victim, they told her that her name did not figure in the second list even as she believed there might be some snag in transit due to changed address and the cheque did not reach her. A reality check in the city Mamlatdar office, that handles disbursals, revealed that there was no name as Shabanam banu in the list.
Civic body’s town planning scheme threatens its own slum networking project
Ujjwala Nayudu
Ahmedabad, August 31: The Slum Networking Project (SNP) of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has benefited 48 slums in the city. But the 30 SNP slum pockets in the city risk demolition in the face of the corporation’s town planning schemes. Three major pockets are KK Vishwanath ni Chali, Macchipir and Khodiyarnagar, were demolished for the Kankariya Lake Front Development and the Sabarmati Riverfront Development projects, leaving 1,478 families homeless.
Almost six major areas – Chamanpura, Kankaria, Behrampura, Gomtipur, Sabarmati and Wadaj, proposed to come under SNP – have been identified for demolition to give way to the upcoming infrastructure projects. As part of the SNP, the slums are provided with basic amenities of water, sanitation, drainage and roads. The shanties are also upgraded to pucca houses. Each upgrade costs AMC Rs. 50000, totalling up to Rs.15.74 crore for 48 slums. Now, the AMC has decided to remove even the upgraded slums in tune with its constantly changing town planning schemes. After placing the slums under SNP, it cannot be removed until 10 years, but if a major project has to be developed, they are alternatively rehabilitated. Incidentally, both the Kankaria and Sabarmati riverfront projects were conceptualised much before the SNP was implemented. The related slums were also removed before the completion of the 10 year period.
• 1600 – km ‘porous’ state coastline still vulnerable
Hiral Dave
Rajkot, September 16: Growing incidents of infiltration and smuggling raised some basic questions to Gujarat’s coastal security. The coastline is so vulnerable if it is compared with the fenced borders from Rajasthan to J&K. And if the ongoing attempt will be succeeded than a terror incident will be unavoidable. The same thing was happened in 1992. Miscreants had exploited this vulnerability to land RDX at Gosabora in Porbandar for orchestrating the Mumbai serial blasts.
What makes the situation more vulnerable is the fact that several points along the shore are totally unmanned. The 30 km stretch between Medi and Jakhau is a no man’s land. The last BSF post is at Jakhau, where as the coast Guard only means the area near the shore. This is an area where only fishing boats can go. The Possibility of the involvement of Indian fishermen in the exchanges of men and material cannot be ruled out. Besides, a part of the Sir Creek in Pakistan is only 2 hours away from the International Maritime BoundaryLine (IMBL), which easily facilitates the exchange of men or material between Indian and Pakistani fishermen.
• For Demanding graveyard, Shias forced out of Gujarat village
Syed Khalique Ahmed
Kharavda, September 20: All 85 Momins , a Shia sub-sect, have quitted Kharvada, blaming the Chaudharies who make nearly 50 per cent of the village population. They have sought refuge in a Jamaatkhana at Vadnagar, 40 km away for never to return. This led with the sequence from when the Momins sought one acre from the village panchayat to bury their dead – burials so far were being done in Kharta Parsa, 30 km away, and it was not easy transporting bodies. For this they approached state Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel who recommended their case to Momin leader Hyderbhai on July 23, asking him to approach the district Collector with a letter. The matter was raised again on August 8 during a Lok Darbar in the village where Anandiben and the Collector were present. She gave verbal instructions to the Collector to look into the matter. Since the Panchayat had over 150 bighas of non-agriculture land, Collector Ajay Bhandu asked the Visnagar mamlatdar to “take appropriate action”. But the panchayat split on the issue and, at a meeting on August 15, sarpanch Maadhubhai Jisangbhai Choudhary turned down the request for land. In the village, dominated by Choudharies (who became furious after the demand of asking the land for graveyard), told Momins to stop azans, stop wearing topis or taking out tazias. Also, told to shut down their Madrasas if they wanted to stay in the village. Simultaneously an economic boycott was imposed – no hiring their jeeps for local transport. So tired Momins, on August 24, they packed our house- hold belonging in our jeeps and left the village. To ensure no one attacked them, Hyderbhai – the leader to Momin community, apologised to the sarpanch and others, telling them that was their mistake of demanding land for the graveyard. Before they left, Hyderbhai sent letters to everyone he could think of – the President of India, state DGP, National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for minorities, District Collector and SP – and narrated all that.
• To dilute 2002 riot case, Gujarat cops list kin of accused as witnesses.
Parimal Dabhi
Ahmedabad, September 21: At least 70 people who do not support the prosecution case have been named as witnesses by the local police in the February 2002 Dipda Darwaza massacre case, it has emerged. At least 20 of these 70 witnesses have been found to be close relatives of the accused. The intended deal was made by then Police Inspector M K Patel (Investigating Officer regarding this case). Eighty – three people are accused in the trial currently under way in the senior specially- appointed fast-track court Judge B N Karya. They were allegedly involved in burning alive 11 people and seriously injuring 21 at Chudi Vaas in the Dipda Darwaza area of Visnagar town in Mehsana on February 28, 2002.
Among the 20 witnesses so far identified by the SPP as close relatives of the accused is Menaben Patel – Witness No. 84, eight of whose relatives are accused in the case – and Bhikhiben B Patel, Witness NO. 87, five of whose relatives are accused. Witnesses No. 106 and 119, Taraben Patel and Bhikhiben I. Patel, have four relatives each among the accused.
Intelligence gathering suffers as govt delays reimbursing fishermen informers for 3 years.
Subhead: Gujarat first state to conceptualise this innovative strategy, Shivraj Patil had asked others to follow suit.
Vikram Rautela
Ahmedabad, October 11: The State Home Department has not reimbursed the expenses incurred by villagers under the Fishermen Watch Groups (FWG). For the last three years, state authorities are considering a proposal for payment to these fishermen informers. In a bid to strengthen its intelligence network in the coastal areas, the intelligence department of the state police, had in 2005, constituted the FWG in almost all coastal villages across Gujarat. The FWG members were handpicked on the basis of their socialising ability among the community members and were supposed to report to the local police station once a month. They were also trained to immediately pass on information on any suspicious activity in the coastal area to the police over phone. Some 4,000-odd fishermen were chosen for the task. The model was conceptualised by then Additional Director General of Police, CID (intelligence), J Mahapatra, in order to augment close patrolling along the state’s 1600-km coastline. A year later incurred by the fishermen. The proposal is under consideration for three years.
• Gujarat wants 12 more coastal police stations
Vikram Rautela
Ahmedabad, October 12: According to records accessed by The Indian Express, the government wants these police stations at Jakhau, Mandvi and Kandla in Kutch, Salaya in Jamnagar, Mangrol in Junagarh, Jafrabad in Amreli, Alang in Bhavnagar, Vasad in Vadodara, Dahej in Bharuch, Dholai in Navsari and Umargaon and Umarsadi in Valsad. The proposal also asks for sanctions of a total of 20 new Coastal Out Posts (COPs). Launched in January 2005, the CSS (phase-I) had an outlay of Rs 400 crore as non-recruiting amount and Rs 151 crore as recruiting expenses. It envisaged state-of-the-art police stations in all the coastal states and UTs at an estimated expenditure of Rs 18-21 lakh each. A total of 10 coastal Police stations were sanctioned for Gujarat, for which the Centre released Rs 58 crore. All the 10 police stations are presently operational and the government has also deployed 23 policemen in each station. Of the 30 boats the Centre was supposed to sanction for these police-stations (three for each), Gujarat has until now received only five.
• No FIR, no court case to send back illegal Bangladeshi migrants
Ujjwala Nayudu
Ahmedabad, October 22: Too many Bangladeshi detainees, who are children- come in the category of Juvenile are kept in custody of SOG. Besides there are many such children who are disable and should not be kept away from parents under any circumstances and nodal agencies must be informed in case of their detention. But the SOG’s current act is making the law unfeasible. For instance a five-year-old boy Tariq, who is differently- able, is kept under SOG custody with his father. SOG officer raided Siyasatnagar area where Tariq and his family took refuge. SOG group manhandled Tariq’s mother and snatch the small Tariq from her lap and took her with his husband. Her remaining two children are with her and both of them are given a threat by SOG. Even after three months of their detention, they were not produced before court. In the lack of proper care Tariq got Pneumonia and was treated in VS Hospital, Ahmedabad and then when he was gradually keeping well, detained again. Tariq who was mentally challenged, have had some physical problems as well, and could not speak. Another case is of Mena and Zoshor’s, whose children are also detained. When Mena went pleading at the SOG camp, she was also detained. She was eight month pregnant then and later gave birth to a child at the camp. While Police and Home Department have different views. They backed such acts by the SOG and consider it as time-saving, ‘No FIR’ is their new modus-operandi, authorised by Home Minister Amit Shah.
• Three decades on, pest control shrub threatens food chain in Gir Sanctuary
Shubhulakshmi Shukla
Ahmedabad, November 4: The flowering shrub, Lantana (Lantana Camera), sown in the early seventies to control pest attacks on teak, is now threatening to upset the food chain in Gir sanctuary. With its aggressive growth, it has suppressed the growth of at least three dozen odd indigenous grass species, the main food of some antelope species. Lantana is now confirmed as a poisonous species. The total area of Gir National Sanctuary is 1,412 sq km of which around 100 sq km is dominated by this invasive species. This species is found in the periphery where the Spotted Deer (Axis axis) and Sambar (Cervus unicolour) graze. It was also suggested that 16,000 hectares needed to be cleared of Lantana, but only 2,000 hectares of Lantana weeding is done in the sanctuary per year due to paucity of funds. The weeding out exercise requires manual labour which costs nearly Rs 10,000 per hectare.
• No TV, no music, beards a must: new rules in a Gujarat riot relief camp
Subhead: Many families leave colony in Bharuch after London charity lays down hard ‘Sharia law’
Anupam Chakravarty
Vadodara, November 14: London based NRI who built a rehabilitation camp for riot victims Muslims imposed a Saria law on them. A ban on “Shaitani” (devilish) things such as TV, music systems and all forms of electronic entertainment has been imposed. It has threatened to evict the riot victims if they donot adhere to these. Residents have been ordered to stay away from fellow villagers, asked to pray only in the special “Shariat – specified” place of worship built for them and not in any local mosque. Among other diktats, they are also required wear skull caps and keep long beard. Tableeghi-e-Jamaat (the charity trust)’s letter is accessed by The Indian Express.
• Kuber’s crew still ‘missing’, so compensation conditional
Kamaal Saiyed
Surat, November 19: Even after a year, families of three fishermen are still not compensated as the bodies of slain fishermen can not be found. Although Kasab has confessed that all the fishermen were killed, the fishermen are yet considered ‘missing’ in the official records. The family of Amarsinh Solanki (one slain crew-member) got 5 lakh from Maharashtra government but not a single penny is received from Gujarat government. The family is struggling to make their ends meet. Some got Rs 50000 ex-gratia, which is given for those who have been gone astray.
• In Naroda Patiya case, 3 deaths go unheard Subhead: The killings of three Hindus in 2002 Gujarat riots don’t fall under SIT’s purview
Vikram Rautela
Ahmedabad, November 21: According to records, the 2002 Gujarat riots in which 96 people were killed, there are three deaths that have got no hearing. Tucked away in police files are the accounts of two deaths, one of 70-year-old Bholi Marwadi, Kanti Savalia and Ranjeetsinh Vanjara. While in Vanjara’s case, two arrests were made, both were acquitted for lack of evidence. These cases do not fall under the purview of the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team and so are not being investigated by it either. Though Marwadi, Savalia and Vanjara were all killed on February 28, 2002 the day the Naroda Patiya massacre took place, their deaths don’t figure in the FIR being investigated by the SIT. These cases were mentioned in the SIT charge-sheet when the then Naroda police inspector, Deputy SP, K K Mysorewalla in his deposition before the SIT on February 2 this year, described the brutal killing of Marwadi in Naroda Patiya. The charge-sheet says a 1,000 – strong mob burnt Bholi Marwadi at her home in Pandit ni chali on February 28, 2002. SIT is asked to to investigate only the FIRs and Marwadi’s murder does not figure in this complaint, so it is unsolved.
• Lessons learnt, but forgotten soon
Subhead: A race by The Indian Express team finds that the tightened security in and around the city following the July 26 blasts and 26/11 Mumbai attacks has many loose ends.
Story 1: Overburdened cops have wooden sticks to guard major check-posts
Express News Service
Vadodara, November 26: The security at the entry and exit point in the city is provided by a few police personnel as vehicles enter the city unhindered all through the night. Golden Chowkdi was devoid of any armed policeman, Savli crossroads on Express Highway was guarded by three cops. On duty for the last 17 hours, the policemen at the junction said they were overburdened and the point understaffed for proper security. Policemen who are given two motorbikes and wooden sticks for maintaining security at the post said it is difficult to stop vehicles for checking. The situation is not very different at other entry points, including Gorwa, Chhani, Waghodia, Makarpura and Dabhoi. The vehicles from Mumbai moving to Ahmedabad usually pass through Vadodara via Makarpura. However, at 3 am, the check post at Makarpura had only one policeman.
Story 2: Inadequate security at SSGH
Vadodara: Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospiatal has no security guard present at the entry or exit points, the emergency unit depended on a few resident doctors and a Medico Legal Officer. During a visit to the hospital around 2 am, no nurse or helper on duty. The patient and their kin were left to help themselves at various wards. Moreover, Raopura police officers, who are required to be at the SSGH’s police chowki, were not available at night. – ENS
Story 3: Vehicles get entry without thorough check at toll booths:
Debrati Basu
Vadodara, November 26: A year after the Mumbai terror attacks, the security is lax gain. The Indian Express team moved around the city to check the alertness at the entry points in the city especially at night. Now, heavy and light vehicles enter into the city unquestioned through the check-points. At Halol check point, no vehicles are stopped for questioning. The check post on the other side of the toll booth should be manned by police, but often no cop is posted there. While workers at the toll post said all details of the vehicles passing from there were noted, the toll slips issued to vehicle drivers contained only the numerical numbers of the vehicle registration number.
• In Gujarat village, minor’s gangrape has hung for 11 years on an MLA’s note
Subhead: In a Ruchika parallel, clout, police and court delays have ensured Dalit family is still waiting for justice
Parimal Dabhi &
Hitarth Pandya
Ahmedabad & Vadodara: A 13-year old Dalit Girl who was allegedly raped by an MLA’s relative and a friend of his. In the 11 years since, the case is still as a stage where the witnesses are to be examined. Her grandfather has had to sell most of his land in the court battle while the girl heself is now married to a local youth. Express tracked the loopholes created in the case and also accessed the letter from MLA Khuman sinh Chauahn. The details are as follows:
• The Police take a month to submit a chargesheet before the local Sessions court on April 25,1998, naming Baria and accomplice Ramesh Vankar.
• A year letter, on April 14, 1999, the additional Sessions Judge refers the case to the Lok Adalat, deciding that the gang-rape of a minor was a fit case to try for an amicable “compromise”. The girl’s family does not agree.
• Eight more years would pass, until May 30, 2007, before the court, which had by then completed the entire trial proceedings, would realise that proper procedure was not followed in submitting the chargesheet and that it was submitted directly to the Sessions Court instead of the Court of the Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFMC), which could have committed it to the Sessions Court. The case paper submitted to the Investigating Officer, who was told to submit those to the JFMC court.
Police would take five months, till October 9, 2007, to submit the case to the Magistrate.
Story from the North-east
• Why death no. 751 blew up in Manipur govt’s face
Subhead: wave of killings: Alleged murder of former insurgent shows the conflict between public anger against insurgents and a trigger-happy police force.
• Star of 2nd Assamese film lives in penury
• Cong, BJP sought Black Widow help in poll: Inquiry
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Guwahati, July 21: A commission of inquiry set up by the Assam government has found that the Congress and BJP approached the Jewel Garlosaled Dima Halam Daogah – or Black Widow – militant group for help during North Cacher Hills Autonomous Council elections. The black widow Group –responsible for the killings, abduction and extortion, and targeted attacks on railway property, government officials and businessmen – was outlawed by the Centre under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on July 2.
The report , given by former Supreme Court Justice RK Manisena singh , puts on record various aspects of the militant- politician nexus in the North Cacher Hills District. It says that the leader of the ASDC-BJP alliance paid Rs.2 crore to the leaders of the DHD (J) , and refers to allegations that a senior Congress leader paid the militants Rs8 crore. The report refers to the deposition of Kalijoy Sengyung, vice-president of the ASDC, who said the DHD had “openly supported” Congress’s GC Langthassa in the 2001 Assembly elections. However, according to Sengyung, on June 4,2007, Langthasa’s son and nephew, Purnendu Langthasa and Lindu Langthasa, were killed when they went to deliver Rs 8 crore to the militants.
• Stuck in camps, surrendered militants wait for road ahead
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Guwahati, August 12: Six militant groups are currently under ceasefire with the government – Dima Halam Daoga (DHD), Birsa Commando Force (BCF), one faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam, United People’s Democratic Solidarity(UPDS), National Democratic Front of Bodoland(NDFB) and Adivasi Cobra Militnat Force (ACMF).1851 members of these six groups are currently lodged in different camps. Rs. 2000 per month is allocated to each surrendered militant, and over Rs 10 crore has been spent on them from 2006-07 to 2008-09. 8 groups are still active in Assam, including two Islamic groups – Muslims United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM)- in addition to ULFA and the Black Widow faction of the DHD. The state government just held the talk twice since January, 2003. It was supposed to hold in each six months.
Chart – 1 Numbers of story accordin to Classification:
Classification of the Storis
No. of the Stories
Jammu and Kashmir
5
Defence
16
Naxals
14
Ecology
14
Government
18
Economics
3
Developmental stories
6
Law and order
22
Miscellaneous
16
Sports
6
Gujarat
46
North east
4
Impact of the Stories:
The Indian Express publshes investigative Stories frequently playing the role of watchdog very often. The Investigative Stories published in the Indian Express have had a great past of making impact. Whether it was the case of Bhagalpur blindings, where human rights activists uproared after the story exposed the un-humane deeds of policemen or it was the cae of baring UPA ministers’ double standards of being austere. It, many of the times, laid impact to change the situation to a better one.
The given stories show how they put impact over the state of affairs; system or society is recounted here.
The unimpeachable investigative story of two “austere ministers” published in The Indian Express on September 5. A day after when the Express reported it, reacting on the story Government called on a cabinet meeting. Krishna and Tharoor were ordered to move out of the hotel suites. Pranab Mukherjee “requested” on behalf of upset UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi(after reading reports in The Indian Express) that SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor to leave the Hotel suites where they were living for three months, on the urgent basis. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had to vacate the Hotel Suit at the same day, when the story was published in The Indian Express.
The two ministers had to give their statement. The official statement from cabinet came blaming the CPWD for delaying in allotment of official bungalows for the two ministers but it was “work in progress”. The delay occurred as both the ministers wanted spacious accommodation with large lawns to suit their diplomatic assignments. CPWD staff members also pointed out some former ministers also mad lavish changes according to their will.
After the issue was surfaced, finance ministry appealed to all ministries to observe austerity in view of the pressure on its finances. The Ministry had also ordered a 10-percent cut in non-plan expenditure by way of slashing foreign and domestic travel, publicity expenses and ban on conferences in five-star hotels. Besides, two nation goodwill tours to Egypt and Greece by 12 MPs belonging to different parties, was also cancelled.
A cabinet meeting was called to question half a dozen MPs who were not following austerity measures. Sources were also placed in the meeting noted several MPs like Anand Sharma and Sharad Pawar refuted and said, “allow ministers to travel in first-class, as during foreign visits they need a “freshness’ and meetings are held at very hectic time-frame, barely after an hour of ending the journey ”. Sharad Pawar also pointed out his demand that “lunches and dinners for foreign delegations should be organised in Five-star hotels.” This time Pranab Mukherjee declined it saying the foreign dignitaries should be hosted “appropriately” but five-star hotels as venues should be avoided. Farooq Abdulla said he cannot travel in Economy class being a tall man. The heated arguments were reported when Daysnidhi Maran stated that no minister either home or finance do need to travel in Private air-craft rather they should use commercial flights.
The next day on September 11 Pranab Mukherjee travelled on his way to Kolkata in Economy class. While Shushil Shinde flew in economy class to Delhi from Mumbai.
While another series of investigative stories on the austerity drive started on 16th September. The Indian Express published how the UPA ministers are arranging lavish life-style for themselves. CPWD was requestd to do some worthy changes in their work places and residences. Express gave all the records to bare the austerity mask. The day one impact was unsullied; Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma wrote back to The Indian Express. He clarified that an administration decision was taken to undertake repair and renovation which was long overdue. He also wrote that the cost mentioned in the report gives an erroneous impression that the entire expense was incurred for the minister’s room. To optimise costs, the damaged wooden flooring in the minister’s room was re-used for the visitor’s room. CPWD has executed the works as per laid down government norms and procedures.
As SM Krishna was the first one capture the Express’ attention with his serene life-style. He was the vry next person after Anand Sharma he did with his acton. He travelled in the Business class on his 25 hour long journey to Egypt.
Very next day another stiry was broken by The Indian Express on the same issue writing how UPA minister set new Italian toilets according to Vastu-shastra. The Minister has desired to have her chamber and office space repaired and renovated including false ceiling, flooring etc in consultation with the personal staff.” Besides PVC flooring and false ceiling, the ministry also sought polishing, painting and alluminium work for which an estimate of Rs 10.54 lakh was jointly approved. The reaction came the same day Jacob Joseph posted Shashi Tharoor’s picture showing him travelling in Cattle –class.
Reactinng to this Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee issued a circular asking its 181 elected members to opt for 20 per cent cut in their salaries for one year.
Sharad Yadav of JDU commented in Lok-sabha upon Congress-member (Krishna and Tharoor) who lived in Five-star hotel when the nation is being jeopardised in drought. Showing the Express reports several other MPs – Rajiv Pratap Ruddy also asked for Tharoor’s resign.
Showing commitment towards austerity Kapil Sibal reduced his team, from 20 to 5, which was supposed to go to the Unesco General Conference at Paris. HRD ministry also issued a directive to autonomous and statutory bodies under its control, including IITs and Central universities, to cut down expenses and explore the option of generating resources by gradually revising tuition fee of students and levying charges for using certain facilities.
Sonia Gandhi and PM held a meeting and called Shashi Tharoor and told him to maintain austerity norms.
When The Indian Express publish the records of the multi-crore paddy scam. Questioning statistics and official figures published in thenewspaper, former CM Ajit Jogi has demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the scam and allied activities, alleging that the scam was to the tune of Rs 1,674 crore. In a letter to Chief Minister Raman Singh , he has alleged that paddy procurement and related activities such as purchase of gunny bags, custom milling of paddy, transportation and payment to procurement agencies were riddled with corruption. “Being a major scam the state machinery cannot conduct a fair probe. Hence , the investigation should be handed over to the CBI.
The state food and Civil Supplies Department, on its part, blocked the data available on its website, claiming that there were “typo errors” and asked the State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) to carry out a campaign to rectify the “mistakes” in computerised records within three months. Food and Civil supplies Department Principal Secretary Vivek Dhabi said, “Discrepancies have crept into the official data. We have asked MARKFED and district collectors to get them verified and corrected. These are simple ‘typo errors’ committed by data operators.
While another story from the Naxal land enforced the authority to step further. The story about the Journalist has been published. Laxman Choudhary, a stringer from the Sambad – an oriya daily, was arrested having alleged connections with the banned Naxal Outfit. There were several other such cases like Choudhary. After the story published in The Indian Express, Odisha CM Nabin Patnayak asked authority to take legitimate measures in the interest of arrested intellectuals. Later, all the Journalists got the bail as Police Party did not have the evidences to prove them culprit.
China is building dam at Brahmputra- this story was first published in the in The Indian Express on October 15. Next day MEA spokesperson Visnu Prakash assured that India will look into the matter,revealed by the newspaper, whether there are recent development that suggest any change in the position conveyed to us by the Government of China. China has categorically denied about such action plan. Further China will be asked about the dam-project and its supposed impact over India’s socio-economic culture.
While reacting on tis a Chian Daily’s Editorial goes like this ‘Indian hegemony continues to harm relations with neighbours’. They warn India if they forgot the 1962 experience. On October 23 PM met Wen Jia Bao at ASEAN summit and discussed the issue.
The Sukana land scam was also first ever reported by The Indian Express. After that the inquiry was set-up by Defence Minister A.K. Antony. He called Army Chief to discuss the situation.
On July 11 The Indian Express published a story which reads like Shopian probe panel suspects the victims. Justice Muzaffar Jan who was heading the panel retracted that the all shopian reports was not made by him. There were some inputs by local police also which suspects even the victims too. He told ths in the exclusive interview with The Indian Express.
Who can afford to forget the role of The Indian Express in the case of exposing the Librehan commission’s report on Babri demolition? Since the Liberhan commission handed over the final report of the disputed structure Express had been tracing the moves of Liberhan and the Home Department. The first break through was publishing the story where it told some of crucial documents went missing while the death of Subhash Sadh was occurred. It was the mystery whether he died in accident or it was pre-planned murder. To this, UP Home Secretary and Liberhan Commission Secretary told Delhi Police the slain OSD Sadh was never summoned by Liberhan Commission.
Besides that sporadic story Express journalist culd manage to have the Babri demolition report by Liberhan Commssion. The added-and shocking content especially the reference to atal bihar Vajpayi heated the temperature of Parliament. Advani stated that there should be a mole in the Home- Ministry otherwise report could not reach to The Indian Express before it was tabled. The disruptions were maintained in the procedure of Parliament, all was happened due to the Express’ habbit of first to report.
KHAP Panchayats rulled over Haryana’s lgacy, no political party can breach its code of conduct, then where the people come. The clout to these Khap Panchayat was shaken by the Express’ brief story over the panchayats. The case was broke by Express, in a recent judgement Delhi High Court gave verdict against Khap Panchayat and the member whowere allegedly involved in the couple of the same gotra’s murder.
On August 30 The Indian Express published an extensive report on how the whistleblowers were being harassed after giving tipp-offs. Abhijit Ghosh’ case was one among many. He was General Manager with the Central Bank of India who has been suspended for almost a year now and was served three charge-sheets earlier.The Delhi High Court gave the judgement in the favour of Abhjit Ghosh. His firm was supposed to compensate him with the remained salary since he was suspended.
On December 24, the Ruchika Girhotra episode once again inked in the newspaper, Expres showed the reason why Rathore should have been stripped off with his madles and why he was not? Very next day centre started scrutinized whether the action against Rathore should have taken. Later Rathore was stripped-off with his medals. He got show-cause notices from Home Department why his pension shoul not cut and why he should not be stripped-off with the medal.
The way CBI gave its report about the accused Nun (showing her woman of easy virtue) in Abhaya Murder Case. The findings make some feminist organisation to raise their eye-brow. Vrinda Karat the CPI(M) firebrand asked Rajya-sabha to sack the authority who made such ludicrous – obscene remarks which decreases a woman’s dignity. The CBI ‘s bizarre was that after proved the Nun a virgin CBI blamed she was not virgin as her breast are pendulous due to vigorous fondling during sex. The government sacked the Authority to re-investigate the case.
For Kalmadi, F1 is Family 1st – the story pubished in The Indian Express the next day Suresh Kalmadi (IOA President) wrote back to The Indian Express. But he culd not save his alleged ‘role’ in the case.
On December 25 match between India and Srilanka was abandoned due to uneven bounce in the pitch. Two players got injury.a copy of ICC report accessed by The Indian Express where ICC warned DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) about the dodgy pitch. The story was published in the edition of 27th December. Next day former DDCA chief Kirti Azad with some of his colleagues protested before DDCA office citing the report. Chetan Chauhan (the then Chief of DDCA) had to resign from the post.
Investigative Stories from Gujarat have published most number of the times. It also laid impact to change thescenario. There are so many stories like, “L G hospital does not have CCTV.” After the story published LG authority looked into the matter and did the needful. The same impact happened at the MSU student leader’s case where Mayor asked about the delay in Student leader’s result. The Municipal authority had to answer nabbing their hands behind. Pollution drives south Gujarat fishermen to Porbandar, Okha waters- the story was published on August 10, enforced GPCB (Gujarat Pollution Control Board) and CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) to step further.
To dilute 2002 riot case, Gujarat cops list kin of accused as witnesses – the story was published on September 22. This resulted into hullabaloo in the Gujarat Vidhansabha. The Gujarat Congress alleged Narendra Modi Government having hand in that.
On October 22, a story about the humiliation of Bangladeshi migrants was published in The Indian Express. Where it told disabled child also put in the custody. Impact of the story was - Principal Secretary (Home) Balvant Singh ordered the Gujarat Police to look into the matter. The order has reached senior police officers in Ahmedabad, Surat and Kutch where the concentration of Bangladeshi immigrants is very high. The home secretary also revealed that instances of maltreatment of Bangladeshi have been reported from the joint interrogation Centre at Kutch and the Special Operation Group campuses in the state. The department also ensured that the legal actions will be taken if any humiliation is found. The Gujarat High Court issued a notice to the state government following a habeas corpus petition by a woman accusing the Ahmedabd police of detaining her three sons, including one who is mentally challenged, along with illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
On November 15a story came from the riot-victims’ camp from Gujarat. London based NRI who built a rehabilitation camp for riot victims Muslims imposed a Saria law on them. A ban on “Shaitani” (devilish) things such as TV, music systems and all forms of electronic entertainment has been imposed. Impact of the story was that the London based charity run by trustee Yousuf Chamar denied that he has not given any such authority to care-taker Bashir Dukanwala. He did not impose any Saria law over residents. Besides this, several other cases emerged to be reported after this incident from the riot victims housed in Himmatnagar and Modasa in Sabarkantha.
Types of the Story
No. of impacts it had made
Jammu and Kashmir
1
Defence and strategy
2
Naxals affected states
2
Ecology
0
Government
1
Economics
0
Developmental stories
0
Law and order
4
Miscellaneous
1
Sports
2
Gujarat
5
North east
0
Stories which got Follow-up:
Story about Bureaucratic downfall was published in The Indian Express on July 8. How Mayawati allotted Heli-copters to top cops for Dalit appeasement. The story was published with the details how and when DGP travelled using government tools. The follow-up to this story was published on July 23 with some other crucial details. This time the money which was provided to alleged Dalit Victims and the travel-distance what the DGP Vikram Singh travelled – all the details were given.
The much- criticised austerity drive was exposed by The Indian Express. The first story was published on September 8, the follow-up came on the next day showing S M Krishna leaving the five-star suit. Pramab Mukhrji’s request on behalf of Sonia Gandhi placed at the front page as the another follow-up story. The next day CPWD’s denials for not preparing the houses gain front page place for it self. A follow-up Article published on September 9, merely two days after the story came into light. The article named as “Short-take” has a dialogue form, where the author talked with two imaginary personas of SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor. Two cartoons came for two consecutive days.
On September 11 another story came where the secret discussion of cabinet revealed. Which goes like, “A cabinet meeting was called to question half a dozen MPs who were not following austerity measures. Sources were also placed in the meeting noted several MPs like Anand Sharma and Sharad Pawar refuted and said, “allow ministers to travel in first-class, as during foreign visits they need a “freshness’ and meetings are held at very hectic time-frame, barely after an hour of ending the journey ”. Sharad Pawar also pointed out his demand that “lunches and dinners for foreign delegations should be organised in Five-star hotels.” This time Pranab Mukherjee declined it saying the foreign dignitaries should be hosted “appropriately” but five-star hotels as venues should be avoided. Farooq Abdulla said he cannot travel in Economy class being a tall man. The heated arguments were reported when Daysnidhi Maran stated that no minister either home or finance do need to travel in Private air-craft rather they should use commercial flights.”
The first series of Austerity invoked another with the Tiltle ‘AAJ KA AUSTERITY”. The series began on September 16, revealed the details of UPA ministers’ lavish desires. The ministers wanted Italian tiles in their office, Engineered wood flooring, wall panelling and veneering , Gypsum board and false ceiling, Glazed shutters for doctors, windows and glazed partitions, Polished porcelain tiles in toilet, ante room and pantry (Lea, Panaria, Italian made), Wall tiles (Sanchis, Spanish made).
On September 16, a box item was come with Rahul Gandhi’s much-acclaimed Shatabdi ride and Shashi Tharoor’s much criticised twitter-comment on it. The box titled as AAJ KA AUSTERITY. At the same day an Editorial piece published, which criticised hypocritical socialism within Congress. It was titled as “The Holy Cow”.
“Austerity express: With ‘waiting list’ stamp, Rahul confirms berth”, the follow-up story was published on the same day, detailed how passenger suffered due to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Austere move’ and how Rahul got his ticket confirmed at the extreme last moment despite a long waiting list in the Economy class.
On September 18, a follow-up story surfaced with the heading One UPA Minister seeks new toilet behind office seat, another walnut wood flooring. It was about MoS Panabaka Lakshmi’s Vastu- friendly toilet request is turned down by CPWD.
On September 18, Shashi Tharoor’s photograph travelling in economy-class came. The same day news-story from Gujarat where Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee issued a circular asking its 181 elected members to opt for 20 per cent cut in their salaries for one year.
On September 20 Tavleen Singh, columnist Sunday Express wrote an article titled as “We need real Austerity”. Talking about themask of austeirity worn by the UPA ministers, while the nation is facing drought-hit situation. She wrote it is the game of audacity versus scarcity.
On September 23, Tharoor met PM and Sonia told to be “careful” (Sonia Tharoor photograph was given; put at appendix). Caricature of Mayawati siting on Elephant put by Unny. On September 24, a cartoon caricature of Sonia & Tharoor came.
A Follow-up ‘crucial’ story came on September 25 titled as, “What SM Krishna did not tell: His Ministry pushed hard to get Government to pay his five-star bills.” Express accessed the letter of MEA’s Gupta wrote again to the UD Ministry and referred to a note from Krishna’s office regarding his hotel stay. “I would appreciate if payment for the hotel accommodation for the Minister could be authorized till the accommodation allotted to him by the Ministry of Urban Development is ready for occupation,” Gupta wrote. The letter is put in the appendix.
Its Master’s voice- a series led the CBI to a loose organisation run on the Central Government’s indication. The earlier series came in the June. Later in October another series began, this time it blamed UPA government. The story suggested the UPA-II’s entire top legal team got together to prepare the ground for the withdrawal of charges against Quattrochi.
The next follow-up came on October 3, where it detailed; In a note on June 10, 1987, then Minister of state for Defence Arun Singh had recommended that cancellation of the contract should be pursued as an option if the Swedish authorities did not co-operate in the probe. On July 4, 1987, the advice of then Attorney General K Parasmani was sought. Though the AG himself said ‘on record’ that Bofors had “clearly breached the contract”, the contract was not annulled.
The third follow-up came on October 4 which showed how CBI withdrew from his words on the high-commnad’s order.
As far as the defence and strategy is concerned it also included terrorism in it. Terrorism is much-listenen-talked thing for Newspapers so the stories which express broke only those are selected in this diseertation.
What went wron series had come in the June . the nex series began on August 7. The three part series devided into the crucial details of security-gaffe. The first one was how the police-system lacked communication devices. The next story suggested how our security forces had the deficient ammunition and those were available were put in the locks. Bhagavt Kacharu Bansode, the first police officer to enter the Trident, had one revolver. The communication between SoPs was not made properly.
Express first reported suspicios activity of China. China was making dam on its side of Brahmputra. The follow-up came with a leading Editorial Piece on October 16 titled as “Dammed truths: China moves to build dams in Tibet. What India should learn.” A follow-up story on November 4, 2009 came detaling and giving evidences: “Remote Sensing confirms China building dam: The NRSA findings confirm The Indian Express report that the ongoing construction for a dam on the river which China calls the Yarlungzangbo at Zangmu. The construction was for a water storage project.”
On October 16 it proceeded further, the news story published on that day hinted government was alerted about the suspicious Chinese activity.
Reactng to this In The Sunday Express wrote an article titled as ‘How the folly led to to 1962.
In the Case of Headly- Rana express did the story but all were sporadic having different details. So it could not come under this section.
Investigative stories from Jammu and Kashmir have been leading the front with the sequence of the story till yet. The story about the Shopian panel’s report came on July 11 where the story wrote ‘Victims were also suspected by the Shopian probe pannel’. The follow-up story came on the next day July 12 where the Judge denied his role in the alleged remarks about the victims. Shopian got yet another place in black & white. In the Sunday Express Muzammila Jaleel wrote a full-length Investigative article on the Shopian double rape and murder case.
In the case of Law and order the first major story was of the Liberhan wher it published saying that secrecy in the Babri panel report was not maintained. It wrote Liberhan used different typists instead of using the commission staff. The story was published on July 1. Later it confined the ten stories out of this.
Another one published on July 9, where it allegated that some crucial documents from the Liberhan Files wemt missing while OSD Sadh succumbed into consumtion.
The major brea-through was the series on Liberhan reprt’s accessed by The Indian Express. On November 24 the story titled as, “Advani & Co were barely 200 m away… could have prevented Babri demolition’’ came. That particular day a list of alleged culprit was also given. For the next seven to eight days newspaper was covered with Liberhan and its faulty report. The stories which came as the sequence stories are as follows: “Story 1: DM went by CM orders, did nothing , says report.” “Story 2: ‘Traces of Babri villains thrive in every pillar of the system’’. “Story 3: Central riot police force needed: Liberhan.” “Story 4. 22 references to Atal, more flattering”, “5: Why delay? Judge blames his ‘unworthy’ counsel”, “Story 6: How the BJP, RSS mobilised kar sevaks”. Finally the series ended with the conclusion given by the Liberhan.”
Another crucial story is about Ruchika Molestation case. Express gave the details about Rathore’s high connections.The sequence storie went as: “Ex-DGP: Faced pressure to give Rathore clean-chit”. On December 26 Ruchika’s statement was given under the Title ‘Statement from Ruchika “I was so socked… nervous”. Very next day a news-story came where HC Judge cited Express ordered, “Fix responsibility on all who shielded Rathore.” An article by Shekhar Gupta which was published in 2000 was resurfaced again.
“On December 26, considering it as Express impact: FIRST ACTION AGAINST RATHORE: NOTICES ON MEDAL, PENSION;Subhead: Award committee to meet January 4 on move to take back ex-DGP’s 1985 Police Medal.”- come as follow-up story.
Gujarat has the highest stories in the genus of Investigative Stories. The follow-ups are not that much and particular in this. While the Hooch tragedy gave seven back to back stories. Aprt from that the Stories of Bangladeshi migrants had three sequence stories. On December 4, a news –story published; “Govt gets notice over detention of differently-abled kid” DCB had detained five-year old Tariq on April 25: The Gujarat High Court issued a notice to the state government following a habeas corpus petition by a woman accusing the Ahmedabd police of detaining her three sons, including one who is mentally challenged, along with illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The story about the migrant disabled child Tariq the story kept coming till the high court gave the order to rehabilitate the children who are under custody.
The story which generated more sequence story was about industrial waste near coastal area one was about the Piraman village near Bharuch and another was from Okha coast in September.
The ferment for any investigative Journalist is 2002 – Gujarat. On November 14, the stories about the rehabilitation camp run by a London based businessman who imposed Shariya in the refugee’s camp. The follow-up story published in The Inidan Express that after seeing the Express reports Yousuf Chamar – the businessman from London clarified his position on the issue. The story published on November 14.
Table- 3 - The stories which got follow-ups.
Stories which made impact (according to classification)
Number of the stories
Jammu and Kashmir
3
Defence and strategy
7
Naxals affected states
0
Ecology
0
Government
15
Economics
0
Developmental stories
0
Law and order
16
Miscellaneous
0
Sports
0
Gujarat
12
North east
7
The Follow-up stories after an investigative stoy.
Expert Intrerviews:
Amrita Shah, Contributing Editor of The Indian Express, Editor, Elle and Debonaire:
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: Investigative journalism is going behind the news to find a largerstory using a variety of legitimate and often innovative means.
Q.2. Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: I dont have any definite views on your question about tools. But I do think your motive must be to serve the public cause and you must do as much as possible to not invade privacy and so on.
Q.3. What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: One should keep the legal aspects in mind and be prepared for the consequences. To me however the ethical aspects are also important. I do not believe you have to break the law or be unethical to do investigative journalism - there are many ways.
Q.4.: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: If you do stories for shock value then they will have less and lessimpact over time.
Q.5. memorable investigative stories
A.5: one was a story in an American publication where a well known violinist played in a subway and the reporter watched to see if anyone stopped to listen.The other story was about the Antulay-cement case in Maharashtra done by Arun Shourie in the Indian Express.
Prashant Dayal, Crime Reporter, The Times of India
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: Investigative journalism means a process of scrutinising the depth of truth which is visible, whether it is truth or not; its cross-examination to establish it as a truth.
Q.2. Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: It does not matter. One can go till any level.
Q.3: What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: One should keep legal aspects in mind. In hurry, if you overlooked them there are close chances to be trapped into cases like defamation.
Q.4.: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: Today Investigative Journalism is considred as Sting, but there is a hair-line difference between them. But as far as Investigative Journalism is concerned it generates faith in the readers. Till the faith of readers is there , it would surely make impact.
Q.5. memorable investigative stories
A.5: First one is Sohrabuddin Encounter case, I broke the case and told it was fake encounter before it was officially revealed. Another one was about another fake encounter did in Vatva where five persons were killed. I gave the detail report o it. Seeing that story, Human rights Commission asked the state government to clarify the stand.
Rajesh Sharma- Columnist ,Sandesh
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: To expose the truth in public-welfare by the journalistic means.
Q.2. Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: Necessarily not. If someone or some institution is doing wrong than you have to venture into his areas to expose him. Sometimes it needs bad virtue to follow god one which can do something in public welfare.
Q.3: What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: If you do expose or bare someone he will also do something to save his credit. In most of the cases the person would be a public figure or a big personality so he cannot let you unhurt. It depends upon particular case, in each case you donot need to look into legal aspects. And if you are doing good then people will beside you.
Q.4.: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: It makes impact as every investigative story is published after collecting the enough evidences, verifying it then after satisfying with its legitimacy it is published. so its impact is not less.
Q.5. Memorable investigative stories.
A.5: one is the Operation Gangajal- Bhagalpur blinding, another is Antulay’s cement scam and the third one is of Bofors which was cranked by Chitra Subramaniam of The Hindu but later the task was taken by The Indian Express.
Bhaven Kacchhi
Q.1: What is the definition of Investigative Journalism?
A.1: When a Journalist, instead of depending upon the news-sources, press-release and other typical means of getting stories, he observes
the things from each and every dimensions of a person, society incident or place profoundly and then link them to create a new story- it is called investigative journalism.
Q.2: Should propriety of tools be maintained?
A.2: in the changing scenario of journalism, many times Journalists use spy-cameras, they settled taoe-recorders or even use any staff-member as a ‘source’ there is nothing wrong in it. But it should not be done with the intention of harm the reputation of any person or institution. Rather it must only have the object of establishing some ethical practices in society by the means of Journalism. Spy camera or other such sources should be used as weapons, not for the yallow journalism.
Q.3: What are the legal aspects which should be considered necessarily? If the aspects are overlooked then what can be the consequences of it?
A.3: Audio or Vedio recordings are not considered as evidences legally. Initially many yellow-journalist used it as tools to increase the reader interest or cases of black-mailing through such tools also came in highlight. So the intention of the journalist sould be pure, not only this his superior whether editor or senior – journalist must check the entity very circumspectly. Despite this, if anyone or Police do not believe in it and if the journalist has faith in his own instinct then he should come forward to tell the truth. There is no need to be fearfull in each and every case if there would be defamation or other charges would be assaulted. If the work of that journalist would be substantial then no culprit can save himself from it.
Q.4: Does it have any impact or its impact is less now?
A.4: It necessarily put impact. The person who has been exposed, its credit has been diminished in public. Today many curropt politicians, fraudsters are either in jail or resting at their homes that is all due to some sincere efforts of Investigative Journalists. There is a fear if the increasing sensationalism in TV and other types of electronics media mainly 24x7 news channels loosing the trust of viewers.
Q.5. Memorable investigative stories.
A.5. it is the case of R.K. Anand – the former CJI and who offered bribe of crores in a hit was and run case by Former Army chief’s son. A TV news channel did a sting by pen camera. Later Anand was suspended to practice law and sacked from the post. Another is the well- known note for vote case. Where all saw MPs having a bag full of notes pouring before the Loksabha speaker.
Findings and Recommendations:
There are too many restraints for the Investigative Journalism in India. As Media-houses are either the governmentally-regulated or run by the market-forces. The Indian Express has been doing exceptionally well in such scenario. It seems Express’ policy to tell truth. The findings suggest that The Indian Express’ Editorial Policy is anti-incumbant so it has no not to do anything with Government rather a party’s incursions. While, if a news-paper publishes truth in public welfare than it also do not need that much market- capital. Public stands by it. So the Investigative Stories published in The Indian Express are ‘neutral’ in taste.
Considering the editorial policy into account, Express has done a number of investigative stories from the Governmental regime. They uncovered the mask of austerity from UPA ministers by giving extensive details. Publishing an investigative story with detail, with evidences exemplify the sincere journalism, seeing the aspects of law while doing it.
There is also a question of propriety; at what level a Journalist can go to get the story. As it happened in the case of Babri report’s revealing. The question is that is the Journalist do have authority to venture into other’s see. The report was accessed by The Indian Express and published it before it was tabled in both the houses. The sequence of that series was also notable. The Indian Express began to publishing the report since Justice Liberhan submitted the Babri panel report. The news-blast was supposedly the outcome of the intensive reading of that report the exposing time was also that particular, it was exposed in the news – story before two to three days when it was supposed to table in the Parliament. The whole details were narrated. Likewise: how Karsevaks did demolition of disputed structure, how police help them by remainig silent and how government both the state and central do nothing while witnessing huge Mass-mobilisation. It was the subject of Judiciary to act upon it.
The same thing implies with the Shopian case. Express publish the CBI report and the loopholes in it, when the matter was still sub-judice. Another similar case is of Ruchika molestation case, where Express did a campaigning coverage to prove Rathore culprit. Some old editions of the newspaper again got the place in black and white. Express easily made in and out in many such cases even if t is related with Judiciary. The sphere of express is its substantialism. Unlike others it is not only depended upon ‘sources’. While reading the news- story it can be drived that The Indian Express has a huge range of sources from FBI to CBI. So it has succeeded to establish a realm of Investigative Journalism.
Besides, The Indian Express did not do Investigative stories from typical zones of crime and scandals, apart from the hard-core stories. It frequently does Investiagative Stories on developmental issues which hardly appear in the media. The investigative storis in The Indian Express deals with massive variety on the one hand it depicts the story of a DGP molested a teen-girl another side it narrates the story of Policemen suffering in the Naxal land with the lack of modern weapons. Whereas it did the story of NREGA misappropriations, on the other hand it did developmental story of Bundelkhand, where a school provides free and entertaining education to poor children. Maintaing the variety is another feature of the Investigative stories of The Indian Express.
Venturing into police and governmental regime is another sort to get these stories. But Express accessed the records how policemen are transferred on Government’s will. The series was come with two stories having prolonged details of transfer’s place and time duration.
More to the point, Investigative journalism is a distinctive aspect of the work undertaken by the media. Essentially an information-gathering exercise, it looks for facts that are not easy to obtain by simple requests and searches, or those that are actively being concealed, suppressed or distorted. Where such investigative work involves the use of covert methods, it raises issues that tend to further blur the line between law and ethics. An informed citizenry – the bedrock of a democracy, holding the government accountable through voting and participation – requires investigative journalism. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed. A healthy democracy cannot sustain itself on asymmetric dissemination of information. The political elite are ever sensitive to news; and news about economic or political wrongdoing can trigger judicial or quasi-judicial scrutiny. The question of media and ethics became answerable after Expert’s opinion; all the experts are Media-person. The justifiable means are not the priority of any Editor or the Newspaper the priority is to find out the Out of the box thing. All the Journalist to whom I met denied the need of justifiable means if they became the hindrance to get the story. With the reference of The Indian Express it can be noticed that it has not used any stroopy trap to get the story. In the special case of Liberhan it managed to get the unrevealed report. The central point is that investigative journalism that insists on going after information through deception and invasion of privacy can have only one argument: a large social purpose.
The proximity of the investigative stories was also considered. A story from Gujarat was surfaced when the Ruchika case’ verdict was given. The story reads a minor girl who was molested by two local youths having a clout as their Uncle was an MLA the then, the MLA wrote a leter to judicial authority to delay the case. The story made an impact with its suitable proximity. Other such case was of Bhopal Gas Tragedy’s. Two Investigative Stories came to suggest the current status of Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims.
While Gujarat is still knows as 2002’s reference. Express Journalists maintain to have the stories out of it and sometimes included it too. They did some sincere efforts to collects the story which can not be penned in any pro-government newspaper. The Investigative Stories maintained democratic values in Gujarat. In cases like Shia Muslims are not getting their graveyard or some cleric imposes Shariyat law. How accused in riots cases consider witnesses by Police and how one can get the liquer in Gujarat are some of the example of courageous story-collections from Gujarat.
The Indian Express’ stories have a cycle of investigative story – follow up – impact. Some cases of the scams are rendered till the level of judicial inquiry like the case of Khap pachayat which was first reported in Express. Sukana land scam and China’s act of building a dam are some other instances which became the evidencial note for proceedings.
To conclude, the Investigative Stories published in The Indian Express have variety, authenticity and audacity. The stories are not mere ‘stinging’ one but practicing ‘Journalism of Courage’ in Public Welfare.
APPENDIX:
Some instances of Great Investigative Stories:
• Villagers opens mind, heart to HIV kids
Subhead: After awareness campaign, students who had stopped attending a Latur school with HIV children are back
Swati Kher
Mumbai, July 30: As soon as nine children from Sevalaya AIDS ashram of Latur were admitted to the district primary school in Hasegaon village, parents began demanding removal of those HIV infected children from the school and when the authorities refused, they stopped sending their wards to the government –run institution. The attendance in the 248-student school had then dipped to 48. But it had also risen to 175 with the efforts of Sevalaya, a local voluntary group and some officials of State’s health department.
Local activists of Sevalaya organised a protest rally against the discrimination on July 21, 2009. A day later, activists decided to approach villagers directly and clear their misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. There were door-to-door visits, including to the village Sarpanch, senior residents and influential people. The efforts seemed to work as the attendance rose to 107 on July 22. The villagers had initially resisted information and directives from health officials from the cities. But with such conjoined efforts now the minds and hearts are begun to open.
India’s power deficit is shrinking [Investigation of Financial sector]
Subhead Demand goes up 3.5 per cent, and capacity rises 6.7 per cent in the last fiscal year (2009); south remains the laggard.
Kartikeya Malhotra
July, 02,2009 New Delhi:
Amid outcries over power cuts, blackouts and shortfalls in some states and cities, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is reporting a decrease in India’s power deficit, so far this calendar year.
Although the demand for power has bumped up by 3.5 per cent compared with this time last year, power generators across India have improved on the nation’s capacity by 6.7 per cent. The main problems in keeping up with the demand for power lie in the south where most state power systems have failed to reduce their shortfalls.
The demand for generated power has reached more than 333,507 millions of units (mu) this year — an 11,000 mu increase from this time last year. The country’s power supply has not only grown in proportion to the bump in demand, but public and private power generators have managed to bolster supply by nearly 17,000 mu, swelling the available capacity to 298,715 mu through May this year, according to the CEA’s monthly review executive summaries.
The nowhere people :
Subhead: Its eyes on prime, Rs 1,000-cr Banglore land, the Yeddyurappa government is set to uproot over 1,700 destitute
Johnson TA
Banglore, July 28: Over 1700 people, including poor school children, AIDS-affected, destitute and disabled are set to be uprooted as the state government moves to take back 210 acres form Sumanahalli and its neighbouring Beggars society. Apart from the 50 acres of land leased to Sumanahalli, an adjacent 160-acre property with a Beggars colony that houses 922 people – including 131 mentally disabled, 45 disabled and 402 elderly-will also be a part of the government land swoop The prime land valued at Rs. 1,000 crore has been coveted by politicians. In 2007, during the JD(S) - BJP rule, a minister had proposed handing over the entire property at one-third of the market value to private developers. But the proposal did not go through.
A ‘cabinet decision’ on moving the Beggars Colony was taken on July 6,20089 after Yeddyurappa paid “surprise visit” and expressed unhappiness over health, food and working conditions of the people living there. Cabinet has decided to take over 160 acres of the Beggar’s colony on the Magadi Road for the construction of a hospital, a bus terminus and a large park, but remained silent on 50 acres of land with the Sumanahalli society. The society handed over 13 out of its 63 acres to the government for building road. In 2006, the society agreed to a proposal where 25 acres of land was to be taken by the government for creating a campus for the Visvesvaraya Technological University and the remaining 25 acres would be given as a grant to the society.
The Sumanahalli society was started as a leprosy treatment and rehabilitation project in 1977 on 63 acres of land leased by the then chief minister Devraj urs.
Selling bird’s nest soup to save this bird: there’s change in law
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 17: National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has delisted the Edible Nest Swiftlet, a cave-nesting bird found in the Andaman and Nicoabar Islands, from the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA). Because local communities which poached the bird’s nests- used in the famous bird’s nest soup – used in the famous bird’s nest soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and thought to be an aphrodisiac- are now being roped in to harvest the nests commercially. The controlled sale of nests, which are made by the saliva of the Swiftlet, could only have been possible if the bird, accorded highest protection under Scheduled One of the WPA, was delisted from the act for three years. Law to this is amended to allow commercial harvesting of the nests. So the poaching of the nests which ultimately resulted into death of Fledglings, can be stopped.
Write/ Wrong
Orissa’s thin Red line
Subhead: A Journalist recently joined the state‘s long list of accused having ‘Maoist links’. A packet containing Maoist literature, police said, was proof he was ‘waging war against state’
Debbrata Mohanty
Bhubneshwar, September 24: The Orissa Police arrested a stringer with Sambad, the largest-selling Oriya daily, and slapped several charges against him, including of “waging war against the state”. Laxman Choudhary’s offence: a packet containing eight Maoist leaflets addressed to him was recovered from a bus conductor. The conductor, Pradip Patra, too, has been arrested. The act is criticised by CM Navin Patanayka, but the critique only could not give any relief to Choudhury. In any case he was supposed to be jailed till October 5. Investigation regarding this reveals how police is itself waging war against ‘raising voices’. Coudhary is not even the first Journalist to be arrested on allegations of links with Maoists in the state.
While Journalist Kirti Sahoo was arrested in 2004 on similar charges, editor of Nishan magazine Lenin Kumar was jailed for several days last years by Bhubaneswar police for writing “provocative” reports on the Kandhamal riots. In September 2008, a correspondent of Amari Katha newspaper, Debendra Das, was arrested on charges of sedition, and is still behind bars.
Others too have drawn similar action in the state. Orissa High Court lawyer Pratima Das, arrested for alleged links with Maoists and charged with sedition around the same time as Debendra Das, too continues to be behind bars. A few weeks ago, 30 tribal labourers were arrested in Sundargarh district on charges of harbouring Maoists, which had also triggered an uproar. In Choudhary’s case, the police did not even try to locate the source of the packet containing the Maoist leaflets addressed to him and the conductor from whom it was recovered under Sections 120(b) and 121 (waging war against the government), and 121(a) (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by Section 121) of IPC; and under Section 17 of the Criminal Amendment Act. While Choudhary had not even received those leaflets, the serious charges levelled by the Mohana police ensured that the local court rejected his bail plea. Choudhary’s fellow journalists believed the real reason behind his arrest might have been the series of article written by the Sambad stringer on illegal activities by police personnel.
India’s new worry: terror phones jammed, with some Pak help
Pranab Dhal Samanta
Rome, July 7: (While Reporting the G-8 summit Pranab Dhal Samanta broke this story)
According to Top Government Sources, India has found evidence that Pakistan is “spoofing” Thurya satellite phones used commonly by terrorist and , thus , undermining its stated commitment to undo the India – targeted terror infrastructure on its soil. Sources said transmitters have come up across the Line of Control and the international border which blank out signals emanating from Thurya phones used by terrorists. This makes impossible for Indian agencies to triangulate and track the location of these Thurya phones, which are among the most effective ways to detect infiltration or follow movement of known Pak-based terrorists.
India believes that these transmitters cannot exist without tacit support of the Pak establishment. And even if they do, they can easily be detected and removed. The existence of these transmitters, sources said, has provided another cover to terrorists acting against India. In fact, these phones were used perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks. Without being alarmist, the Indian security establishment feels there are “credible threats against India”.
Cartoons – Caricature, which published as The Investigative Stories Follow-up:
The Cartoon came after Babri Report became public.
Follow-up cartoons after the Liberhan’s report on Babri demolition.
Austerity Part-2: Shashi Tharoor and SM Krishna’s Episode of living in five-star suit. As well as the Fennel –kalmadi controversy was on its peak, when the Express story published Kalmadi’s secrest letter.
The cartoon came after Shashi Tharoor’s cattle class comment.
S M Krishna leaving the hotel the same day the Story was published about his lavish life-style.
A follow-up picture on September 8 to show Tharoor’s ready house.
Tharoor – sonia met following austerity measures.
Copy of letter was given which shows how Krishna’s hotel accommodation afforded by ministry.
Follow-up cartoon to Ruchika Girhotra case.
the cartoon came after the series ‘What went wrong’
What went wrong series- photograph.
Picture showing where Naxalites are making a safe Naxal-zone.
Story from Naxal-land, How DGP did misappropriation of fund in Naxal war.
Miscellaneous story- how MP authority brands poors.
Singh Envokes draft from Vajpayee- a follow-up cartoon.
China building dam – an evidential picture is given.
Letter of Khuman sinh Chauhan who wrote to delay the case- published as evidence.
Follow-up to Ruchika molestation case.