pall@bank.ecn.purdue.edu (Pallab K Bhattacharyya) (04/03/91)
1. BOMB BLASTS LEAVE 12 DEAD, OVER 100 INJURED New Delhi (Reuters): Twelve people were killed and over 100 injured, many of them seriously, in a twin bomb attack in the Indian capital last week in what appeared to be a new offensive by Sikh militants. The two bombs, which went off within five minutes of each other on on the night of March 23, were set about 100 yards apart at a roadside market crowded with thousands of shoppers. 2. AIR FORCE PLANE CRASHES, 28 DEAD Bangalore: An Air Force transport plane crashed and burned during a routine training flight on March 25, killing all 25 trainees and three crew members aboard, police and air force officials said. Deputy Superintendent of Police Nanjappa said there were no survivors from the crash near Bangalore and most bodies were charred beyond recognition. 3. INDIAN POPULATION TOUCHES 844 MILLION New Delhi (Reuters): India's population has soared by 160 million over the past decade - more than the number of people in Japan - and the proportion of females has declined where baby girls are valued less than boys. The total Indian population is now at least 844 million, officials said on March 25. 4. EC REACTS TO SUDDEN TRANSFER OF IAS OFFICERS New Delhi: Reacting to the sudden transfer of over 80 IAS officers in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Election Commission made it clear to the governments at the center and the states that the ban on transfer of officials connected with the conduct of the mid-term poll in May, has become effective March 25. 5. MEHTA ENDS BABOOR'S SUCCESSFUL RUN IN NATIONAL TABLE TENNIS Jaipur: Top seed Kamlesh Mehta will meet second seed S.Raman in the men's singles final, while Montu Ghosh will take on B.Bhuvaneshwari in the women's singles final, in th Puma Corona senior national table tennis championship here on March 24. SOURCE: NEWS INDIA, MARCH 29, 1991 Peace, .....Pallab _____________________________________________________________________________ Edited by Surekha Reddy Gaddam. Please mail your current news articles pertinent to S.asia to gaddam@remus.rutgers.edu. _____________________________________________________________________________ --
gaddam@remus.rutgers.edu (Surekha Reddy Gaddam) (05/31/91)
From: Narotham Reddy gnreddy@att.com or gaddam@remus.rutgers.edu Source: Deccan Chronicle - Secunderabad ( May 21 ): ==================================================== Missing candidates in U.P. ========================= Six candidates contesting the LS and ASssembly polls in Meerut dist are untraceable. They are Mr.Narsuddin contesting Bagpat assembly seat as an independent, Mr.Gaze Singh, an indep from Meerut cant amd Mr.Aftab Ali, contesting the Meerut LS seat as a candidate of All India Urdu Morcha. The other three were one Mr. Mohd Akram ( Bagpat assembly), Mr.Braham Singh and Mr.Bharat Bhushan, both contesting the Meerut LS as independents. Security personnel sent to search their addresses have returned without any clue, according to police. 13 contesting from jail in Punjab: ================================== Thirteen candidates, contesting elections in Punjab are at present in jail facing various charges, police said. According to the IGP( election cell), Mr.S.R.Sharma, 111 candidates were not available at their address. He said 1477 candidates have been provided with security while 538 others had refused to take security cover. New Akali party formed: ======================= A senior Akali leader Lt.Col Pratap Singh(ret) formed a new party - "The Khasla Raj Party" with an aim of forming an independent "Sikh's homeland (Khalistan". Releasing the so-called declaration of independence at a press conference, Mr.Singh a former member of Akali Dal(Mann) asked the govt to negotiate ""alignment of the international boundary and other related matters"" Aligarh students to campaign for NF, allies: =========================================== Students of the Aligarh Muslim univ will fan out all over the country to campaign for NF candidates, announced by the student union president Mr.Anwar Hussein. In a statemnt, he said this was in pursuance of the union general body resolution adpoted appealing to minorities to vote for NF, Left front and NF allies. Brother vs Sister in Haryana: ============================= The reserve Dabwali assembly constituency in Sirsa dist of Haryana witnessed a contest between brother and sister, who are fielded by two parties. Mr.Rajinder Kumar Chauhan is contesting on the ticket of Haryana Vikas party while his sister, Mrs. Santosh Chauhan Sarwan, is the candidate of Cong(I). Their father, the late Mr.Goverdhan Das Chauhan, was a minister. Among other 19 candidates is Bhai Devi lal (BJP), Mr.Suraj Bhan(BSP), Mr.Gian Chand(Janata Party) amd Dr.Surjeet Singh(Akali Dal- Maan). The other 15 are independents. Left parties field 2 candidates in Rajasthan: ============================================= Mr.Shopat Singh, a veteran of many electoral battles is trying to retain the Bikaner seat as a CPI(M) candidate. The CPI has fielded Meghraj Tavad for the Salumber(ST) seat. Mr.Shopat Singh supported by ND had won Bikaner seat 1984 and 1989. In contrast to Mr.Singh, Bikaner elected Maharaja Karani Singh for consecutive five terms. Naxalites freed forest officials in Andhra Pradesh: =================================================== Narsampet sub divisional forest officer Mr.Anil Kumar Mourya, forester Komarayya and watcher Yellaiah who were abducted by the PWG militants from Gorlacherla in Warangal dist were set free. They were let off in Pathipalli forest area near Mulug. More attrocities of Naxals: =========================== forty eight year old Umapathi Reddy was beaten to death by the naxalites of PWG at Golugoppala village near Bhimgal police limits in Nizamabad dist. According to plice, the naxalites raided the house of Mr.Umapathi and beat him severely suspecting him to be a police informer. He died on the spot. ABVP activist killed: ==================== An ABVP activist was gunned down and another injured by two unknown persons, suspsected to be the extremists of PWG, in Parkal town in Warangal dist. According to police, Mr.Daggu Venkateshwara Rao and Mr.M.Prabhakara Rao were shot when they were coming out of hostel. Mr.Venkateshwara Rao died on the spot, Mr.Prabhakara Rao was reported to be in serious condition. Mr.Venkateshwara Rao was stated to have attended the Kar Seva program at Ayodhya on Oct 30, last year in Ayodhya. Call to deposit licenced arms with police: ========================================== All the licence holders of arms residing in the jurisdiction of the commissioner of Police, Hydrabad, are directed to depoist their arms with the respective police stations following the govt order suspending all the arms lecences ( except those held by banks) with effect from May 15- June 5. Assam invokes NSA: ================= The Assam govt has invoked national security act, 1990, in the state for a period of three months. The notification issued on May 6 empowers the Dist deputy commissioner to take action in view of the election in the state More news later ....
kammula@plato.engr.umbc.edu (06/16/91)
Subj: POLITICAL VIOLENCE CLAIMS 11 MORE LIVES IN INDIA
From: Chandra Sekhar Kammula
NEW DELHI (JUNE 13) - Sikh separatists stormed into the house of an election
candidate in Punjab while he was having dinner, and opened fire, wounding him
seriously and killing five other people, the Press Trust of India
reported Thursday.
A Sikh militant was among six others shot dead elsewhere in the northern state
overnight Wednesday in violence linked to the Sikh separatist campaign.
The wounded candidate, Kirpal Singh, is a nominee of the Sikh Akali Dal party
for the June 22 election to the Punjab legislature.
Sikh separatists have shot dead 21 candidates and scores of their supporters.
The attacks prompted Indian communists to pull out of the Punjab polls on
Tuesday.
In other incidents, security forces shot dead a Sikh militant in a gunbattle
in Amritsar, while Sikh rebels gunned down five civilians in separate attacks.
At least 2,140 people have died this year in the separatist campaign.
Subj: FALL IN INDIAN FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES CHECKED, LATEST
ESTIMATES SHOW
NEW DELHI (JUNE 13) - The decline of India's foreign exchange reserves has
been halted and they have now stabilised at an improved level, latest
estimates available from the Indian Reserve Bank here show.
The reserves, excluding gold and special drawing rights (SDR), stood at 1,320
million dollars as of May 24.
They had dropped to 1,253.5 million dollars in the first week of May from
2,050 million dollars a month ago.
Officials attribute the sharp drop to repayment of foreign loans made in two
parts in May, and say the goal is to keep the reserves higher than 1,250
million dollars.
The latest release of the bank estimates was preceded by official confirmation
last week of press reports of India having sold 20 tonnes of gold to tackle a
worsening exchange crunch.
In addition, Indian authorities may have sent another 10 tonnes of gold to
Zurich since then, at least one local newspaper, Business and Political
Observer, has reported.
Subj: GUNMEN TRY TO ASSASSINATE THE HEAD OF INDIA'S STATE-RUN
TELEVISION
NEW DELHI (JUNE 13) - Gunmen shot and seriously wounded the chief of India's
state-run television here Thursday and killed his driver.
As a manhunt got underway for the assailants, police suspected that Sikh
militants were behind the daylight ambush.
The incident came as India was winding up its national parliamentary elections
postponed last month after the assassination of Congress (I) party leader
Rajiv Gandhi.
Two of the attackers, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, fired bursts at the car
of Doordarshan director general Shiv Sharma as he was going to his office
wounding him badly, Police Commissioner Arun Bhagat said.
One of Mr. Sharma's bodyguards, a police commando, fired back at the attackers
as they fled in the direction of southern New Delhi, Mr. Bhagat said. It was
not know if any of the four assailants were hit.
Mr. Sharma, two guards with him in the car and his official driver were taken
to hospital after the attack. The doctors declared the chauffeur dead on
arrival.
The fleeing attackers also fired at a policeman directing rush hour traffic,
but the officer ducked and escaped injury. Police were hunting a white van used
by the attackers.
The police commissioner blamed the attack on Sikh militants campaigning for a
homeland in the northern Punjab state.
He said the separatists had issued a general warning some time ago that they
would attack personnel of both Doordarshan and All India Radio.
The New Delhi police department sealed the capital's borders with neighbouring
states as it began hunting for the attackers, all of whom were thought to be
clean shaven and without the turbans which are the traditional headgear of the
Sikhs.
Mr. Sharma became head of Doordarshan television a few months ago. The station
is viewed by an estimated 100 million people nationwide.
Subj: EXIT POLLS PREDICT INDIA WILL HAVE HUNG PARLIAMENT
NEW DELHI, INDIA (JUNE 14) UPI - Indians prepared for the final round of
national elections Friday amid predictions of a hung Parliament in which none
of the three major political parties has a commanding majority.
The last day of voting comes Saturday following a three-week delay caused by
the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the leader of the
Congress (I) Party. Gandhi was killed May 21, one day after the first round of
balloting.
Voters will fill 186 seats in the 545-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of
Parliament, during the final day of the elections.retaker Prime Minister
Chandra Shekhar and L.K. Advani, a leader of the right- wing Bharatiya Janata
Party, are among the candidates.
Also in the fray during Saturday's voting is Maneka Gandhi, who left the
Congress (I) Party after a falling-out with her mother-in-law, former Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi, and brother-in-law, Rajiv Gandhi. She joined Shekhar's
small Samajwadi Janata Party and has been serving as minister of state for the
environment.
Candidates in the final round of voting wrapped up their campaigns at 5 p.m.
Thursday. Under Indian law, campaigning comes to a close about 36 hours before
the polling booths open.
Preparations for the final round of voting came amid predictions that the
elections would result in a hung Parliament, with none of the three major
political groups winning a commanding majority in the Lok Sabha.
Exit polls conducted by India Today during the first two rounds of voting
showed the Congress (I) Party winning 111 of the he polls showed the Bharatiya Janata Party winning 96 seats and the National
Front 93.
Pollster Prannoy Roy told The Hindu newspaper that if a similar trend held up
during the final round of voting, the Congress (I) Party would barely win 200
seats, far short of the 273 needed to win an absolute majority.
If the trend continues through the final round of voting, the right- wing
Bharatiya Janata Party would win about 160 seats and the National Front
coalition, led by the Janata Dal Party, would capture about 120 seats, the
pollster said.
The pollster cautioned, however, it was difficult to predict what would happen
on the final day of balloting because of the mood of the electorate in the
wake of Gandhi's assassination.
Gandhi and 17 other people, including the assassin, was killed by a bomb
explosion before he was to address a crowd of about 10,000 people near the
southeastern city of Madras in Tamil Nadu state.
The Congress (I) Party, which did poorly in the opening round of the elections
was banking on a wave of sympathy votes in reaction to the Gandhi killing.
Much of its campaign in the three weeks after the assassination was aimed at
encouraging sympathy votes.
The wave was expected more in the north, where voting takes place Saturday,
than in the south, where voting occurred Wednesday. Exit polls from
Wednesday's voting showed the Congress retaining its base of support but
gaining little sympathy.
A failure to improve significantly on the 195 seats it won during the 1989
elections would be a major setback for the Congress. While it had the largest
number of seats in Parliament in 1989, the Congress preferred to sit in
opposition rather than form the government.
That decision led to the formation and quick collapse of two minority
governments in 18 months, one led by Janata Dal Party chief V.P. Singh and the
other by Chandra Shekhar, who split the Janata Dal and formed his own party.
The Congress (I) Party, pointing to the turmoil of the previous two
governments, made stability a key campaign issue, saying only Congress had
been able to serve out a full five-year term.
The failure of any single party to win an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha
is likely to create further instability and could lead to new elections in a
few months.
Subj: CROWDED MINIBUS SKIDS, PLUNGES OFF BRIDGE INTO RIVER IN INDIA,
KILLS 17
NEW DELHI, INDIA (JUNE 14) UPI - A crowded minibus skidded and plunged off a
bridge into a river Friday in central India, killing 17 people and injuring
seven others, the Press Trust of India reported.
It said a tire on the bus burst as it crossed the bridge on the River Umri
near Jabalpur city, about 400 miles south of New Delhi, causing the driver to
lose control of the vehicle.
The minibus, which carried 24 people, skidded off the bridge and into the
water, the agency said. It said 14 people were killed instantly and three of
the 10 injured were dead on arrival at a hospital.
End of article
==============pall@ecn.purdue.edu (Pallab K Bhattacharyya) (06/26/91)
======================= SOURCE: NEWS INDIA Pallab K Bhattacharyya ======================= 1. U.S. INFLATION UNDER CONTROL: REPORT Washington: U.S. retail prices rose a slight 0.3 percent in May, the government said on June 14 in a report economists said showed inflation is undercontrol and poses no threat to a recovery from the 11-month-old recession. Wall Street signalled its approval of the inflation report, boosting the blue-chip Dow index more than 27 points at noon to 2,992.40. 2. DOLLAR FETCHES RS. 27 IN BOMBAY'S HAWALA MARKET Bombay: A mad scramble for the U.S. dollar has pushed up the unofficial dollar-rupee exchange rate, popularly called the `havala', from about Rs. 22.50 a week ago, to an all time high of Rs. 27 to Rs. 27.50 on June 12. 3. BIHAR VIOLENCE CLAIMS 12 LIVES DURING SECOND ROUND OF INDIAN GENERAL POLL New Delhi: At least a dozen people were killed in Bihar state in clashesamong rival party workers after India resumed its second round of polling June 12. An estimated 50 percent of 106 million voters cast ballots in the polling held for 113 parliamentary seats. 4. INDIA OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HOSTING WORLD CUP SOCCER FINALS IN 1998 New Delhi: The decision to award the 1994 World Cup soccer finals to North American has encouraged India to believe it can capture the finals four years later. "One point which has been debated for years is to rotate the World Cup and allow continents other than Europe and South America to host the World Cup," all-India Football Federation secretary P.P.Lakshmanan said. End of article ==============