Key witnesses in bakery blast case coaxed to give statements against Baig

Key witnesses in bakery blast case coaxed to give statements against Baig
Tamil NewsYesterday,

In what could prove to be a major embarrassment to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), a sting operation by journalist Ashish Khetan has revealed that key prosecution witnesses in the 2010 Pune German Bakery blast case were tutored, coaxed and pressured to give statements against convict Himayat Baig.
"There are three counts on which Baig was awarded the death sentence by the Pune Sessions Court – RDX was recovered from his residence, he was of jehadi mindset and was seen in Pune with Yasin Bhatkal on the day of the blast. The testimonies of the prosecution witnesses played a key role in this. Our expose shows how their statements were extracted under duress. Also they were tutored on their testimonies by ATS officers," said Ashish Khetan, editor, Gulail, at a press conference in Mumbai.

Top Indian Mujahideen (IM) leader Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested at the India-Nepal border last month, had told his interrogators that Baig was not involved in the bakery blast. He claimed that it was he and another IM operative, Qatil Siddhique, who planned and executed the attack. He said explosives were sourced and assembled locally.

The ATS had claimed that Bhatkal procured explosives from Mumbai and that he and Baig prepared the bombs in a cybercafé owned by the latter in Udgir and they travelled in a State transport bus on February 13 morning and carried out the attack.

S Nazir Ateeq, a prosecution witnesses, is seen claiming in the sting operation that when he deposed before the court to testify that Baig was with him in Aurangabad on February 13 and not in Pune as claimed by the ATS, his testimony was not recorded and he was declared a hostile witness by the court.

All the prosecution witnesses filmed by Khetan, using a hidden camera, are seen narrating same stories of torture and brutality that they were subjected to by junior rank ATS officers of the Pune team. They also claimed that the officers tutored them on their depositions.

"We were kept in a lodge where policemen tutored us on how to depose. Two days before my deposition I was produced before the ATS DIG Sanjay Latkar, who posed as a lawyer and asked me questions. They told me to say that Baig was a jehadi and always spoke about taking revenge on what happened to Muslims in Gujarat and Mumbai riots. When I said Baig was not a jehadi, Latkar got angry. He reprimanded his juniors for not 'tutoring' me properly," said Gaur Sheikh, another witness.

Mr. Khetan claims that on Friday morning he got a message from Sheikh, who said that ATS officers had visited his home in Udgir and inquired if he had spoken to a 'stranger.' They had warned him not to speak to anyone on the case.

When The Hindu tried to contact ATS chief Rakesh Maria on his reaction to the sting operation, he was unavailable for comments. But officials in the ATS, on the condition of anonymity, told this paper that they have sufficient evidence against Baig and that he was convicted by the court, which has relied on their evidence.

"Many of the witnesses had recorded their statements under 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr Pc). If we had pressured them, they could have said the same in their confessions. They all have confessed before the court. The allegation of we tutoring them is completely baseless," said an officer.

"We have sufficient evidence against Baig. We were the first to expose the LeT-IM nexus. Baig used to work for LeT operative Faiyaz Kagzi, who was his recruiter and also the link between the IM and the LeT. Kagzi is one of the wanted accused in the case," added the officer.

On September 23, Baig's death confirmation plea will come up for hearing in the Bombay High Court. Khetan claims he will move an application before the court to take cognisance of the sting operation and reopen the case.

Earlier this week, State Home Minister R.R. Patil refused to reopen the case, claiming that he was sentenced by a court and, therefore, there was no fresh need to reinvestigate the case.

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Chennai to host a disability film festival from Monday

Chennai to host a disability film festival from Monday
by vijigermany
New Tamil Jokes - .comYesterday,
Chennai to host a disability film festival from Monday

: A four-day international festival, featuring films showcasing 'disability,' will open in the city on Monday. More than 50 films from different countries, including Iran, Israel, France, Mexico, Finland, UK, US and India, will be screened at the festival organised by Ability Foundation, which works for the empowerment, integration and rights of the differently-abled. The even will open with 'Left Foot Cinderell'a, a 14-minute French movie.

AbilityFest 2013 - India is a bi-annual event presenting a unique and inspiring showcase of extraordinary films from around the world, said a release from the organisers. "Films by, with and about people with disabilities, bringing the ideas and philosophy of an inclusive society, will be the major objectives," it said.

The festival comes at a time when leading international film archives and online portals are featuring disability in films as a separate category. Websites like IMDB.com and Allmovie.com have exclusive pages featuring the best movies on disability.

A Sound Story (Greece),
The Delusion (India),
Third Brigade of Libya (France),
Gold and Copper (Iran),
Sound of Mazin (Netherland),
Pina Palmera: We Live to Grow (Mexico),
Tamil Friendship (India),
Alzheimer (Iran),
Deaf Mugger (UK)

will be among the major films to be screened at the festival at Sathyam Cinemas. A number of film makers who have made movies on disability are expected to participate.

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Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh no more

Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh no more
Tamil NewsYesterday,

Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Mohan Singh, who was recently removed from the post of party national spokesman over differences with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, passed away at AIIMS on Sunday after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Mr. Singh, 68, was admitted to AIIMS on September 18, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary. Mr. Singh is survived by his wife Urmila and two daughters.

AIIMS medical superintendent P.K. Sharma said, "Singh was suffering from blood cancer."

"Two days back his condition became serious and he was shifted to ICU. He died at 4:15 p.m. today."

His body will be taken to Lucknow on Monday and put in party office at Vikramaditya Marg, SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said.

Later, the body will be taken to Gorakhpur and then to his ancestral village Jainagar in Deoria for the last rites.

"After the demise of Janeshwar Mishra and Brij Bhushan Tiwari, the demise of Mohan Singh is a setback for the socialist movement. He was a man of principles and his death has left a void in the Samajwadi Party," Mr. Ram Gopal said.

SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, U.P. Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan and several party leaders have condoled his death.

On January 6, 2012 Mr. Singh was removed from the post of SP national spokesman after he disagreed with Mr. Akhilesh Yadav's decision to keep controversial leader D.P. Yadav out of the Samajwadi Party, who accused party leadership of dictatorship.

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NAC to examine effect of developmental interventions and constitutional safeguards on tribal people

NAC to examine effect of developmental interventions and constitutional safeguards on tribal people

Tamil NewsYesterday,

The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) will examine whether developmental interventions and constitutional safeguards — including Fifth Schedule provisions — have come to the aid of tribal people in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts in central India. An NAC Working Group (WG) headed by tribal expert Professor Virginius Xaxa — who also heads the Prime Minister's high level committee that is to produce a report on the socio-economic condition of tribal people — will hold its first meeting on the subject on September 23. It is expected to zero in on "the issue of displacement arising from the various development and mining projects and wild life sanctuaries, and issues such as atrocities, redressal of undertrials, etc." The key question the agenda papers for the NAC's WG meeting poses is whether "industry, mineral exploitation and other infrastructure development projects that displace tribal communities are to be invariably resisted? Or to be worked out, ensuring overall interest of the tribal communities [livelihood security, environment, culture, improved quality of life etc]?"
The NAC's WG meeting coincides with the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee's recent admission that the organisation's strength — whether manpower, arms and ammunition, or support of the middle-class and intellectuals — stands depleted, even though sporadic Maoist attacks continue to be reported from the region. Meanwhile, the high-level committee, set up last month by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to prepare a position paper on the socio-economic, health and educational status of tribal people, has also been asked to look at the controversial issue of mining in Schedule Five areas in central India.

On September 9, when members of the PM's high-level committee met union tribal affairs minister Kishore Chandra Deo, the minister urged the members to pay attention to this issue, as mining by private companies in Schedule Five areas has had an adverse impact on the lives, livelihoods and health of the tribal people, such as in Odhisha's Keonjhar district. Mr. Deo also asked them to pay special attention to the manner in which money from the Tribal Sub-Plan is disbursed by the various ministries — in many cases, government sources said, these monies are used as discretionary funds rather than being used "to fill the critical gaps."

In recent months, the UPA government — and now the NAC — has once again begun to lay special emphasis on the condition of tribal people: the PM's high level committee is expected to produce a report similar to the one the Sachar Committee did on Muslims, ahead of the general elections in 2014. The NAC's WG background note for the September 23 meeting admits that tribal people "have veered in some areas to left radicalism either as cadres or sympathisers and supporters due to their exploitation and oppression by traders, money lenders, land grabbers…and absence of effective and sensitive civil administration." The large scale displacement of tribal people in recent years, it says, "has reinforced the discontent… widespread in these areas for decades." This has happened, it continues, "despite the special Constitutional and legal provisions for the protection of the tribal people in the Fifth Schedule," as well as a slew of other laws. The note then lists three perspectives on LWE: It can be treated "as a national security problem to be addressed militaristically... (that) could result in… widening the trust deficit, (and) end up strengthening the Maoists," something the country can "least afford"; or the focus can be on the development approach that "co-relates the roots of Maoist influence in the areas to governance and development deficit"; or "a judicious combination of both the above perspectives" can be deployed.

The note asks the WG to "assess the impact of special programmes for the LWE areas, being implemented over the past 5-6 years"; "review the implementation of provisions under the Fifth Schedule and PESA, 1996 and Scheduled Tribe and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, Prevention of Atrocities Act."

The mix of lawyers, activists and sociologists invited to the NAC's WG meeting include Ajay Dandekar, Nandini Sundar, Himanshu Kumar, Professor Hargopal, Prafulla Samantara, Dayamani Barla, Sudha Bhardwaj, Sudhir Pattnaik, Abhay Xaxa, Bela Bhatia, Pradip Prabhu, Chitrangada Chaudhary, Vipul Mudgal and C.R. Bijoy.

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Rangasamy downplays meeting of MLAs

Rangasamy downplays meeting of MLAs

Tamil NewsYesterday

Even as a group of five MLAs of AINRC held a secret meeting here to express their displeasure over the slow pace of development, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Saturday downplayed the development.
A group of five MLAs, including M. Vaidhyanathan, M. Kalyanasundaram, Angalan and Nehru, met at the office of Mr. Vaidhyanathan, who is the Parliamentary Secretary of the Chief Minister.

They reportedly discussed the snail pace of development schemes in their respective constituencies.

When the meeting was on, they received an invitation from Speaker of the Assembly V. Sabapathy for negotiation.

Subsequently, the MLAs also met the Chief Minister at his residence.

Mr. Rangasamy, who gave a patient hearing to them, promised to take care of their grievances, said sources close to him.

Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Nehru said they had discussed various demands of people.

There was nothing special in it.

When asked about the secret meeting of a section of MLAs, Mr. Rangasamy said it was not a problem.

"There is no difference of opinion with the Lt. Governor also. Both of us are taking steps to run the government smoothly," he said.

On law and order, the Chief Minister said several steps were being taken to improve the situation.

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