Ranchi: Maoists tonight blew up a portion of rail track causing derailment of eight bogies of Tata-Bilaspur passenger train near Ghaghra Halt in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district.
The blast occurred at 9:15 pm shortly after a pilot engine passed.
"Maoists blew up a portion of the railway track which caused the derailment. Three bogies have been badly damaged," Railway minister Mamata Banerjee told PTI from Delhi.
"I am monitoring the situation and have asked senior railway officials to rush to the spot," she said.
The three badly damaged bogies were believed to be carrying CRPF personnel.
"The derailment followed a blast which damaged the rail track," Superintended of Police (Railway) Amil B Homkar said adding the number of casualty or injury could not be ascertained.
There was no official word on the number of casualties or injuries.
"As far as casualty or injuries are concerned, we have not got exact information but there might be some injuries", said Soumitra Majumdar, PRO South Eastern Railways.
The guard of the train A Biswas said "there was a strong jerk as the train was moving and stone chips went flying in all directions. Dust spread as the train came to a halt."
A relief train from Rourkela has reached the accident spot.
Meanwhile, train movement on Howrah-Mumbai route came to a halt following the accident, railway sources said.
The New Delhi-Howrah-Bilaspur Rajdhani Express, Koraput-Howrah Samaleshwari Express and Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express have been stopped near Rourkela station, railway sources said.
Rana and Headley have elite Pak antecedents
WASHINGTON: Emerging profiles of Pakistani expatriates Tahawwur Hussain Rana and Daood Gilani a.k.a. David Headley, the two principal accused in a transcontinental terror plot, show they belonged to elite Pakistani families rooted in the military and the diplomatic world, far removed from the clichéd image of indigent madrassa recruits that is often associated with Pakistani terrorism. It appears they are both in the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed/ Mohammed Atta/Omar Sheikh mould - Pakistani transplants in the west who struggled to come to terms with liberal western outlook.
That they both went to Hasan Abdal Cadet College, an elite boys’ military residential school in Pakistan that counts generals and diplomats among its alumni is well known through the FBI affidavit. But it now emerges that while both Rana and Gilani migrated to the west in their teens, they retain considerable influential family connections in Pakistan. Two of Rana’s brothers are said to be serving officers in the Pakistan army; and Gilani’s pedigree is as privileged - he is the son of a now deceased diplomat Saleem Gilani.
The discovery that two expatriates well-entrenched in America but having active military-diplomatic connections in Pakistan has sent alarms through security establishments because of how easily they could move between the two worlds. On Thursday, in a calculated leak the US media, American officials directly linked the duo to a former Pakistani military officer, though, the New York Times reported circumspectly, ''they have long suspected connections between extremists and many members of the Pakistani military.''
The Pakistani military's connections to terrorism are rather more direct, best illustrated in reported telephone intercepts that show both current army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and his predecessor Pervez Musharraf (during the Kargil infiltration) endorsing terrorists and their tactics. Washington is still coy about outing Pakistan on this matter, but for the first time, US officials are sending out unmistakable signals that they know the Pakistani military is involved in terrorist activities and will not hesitate to call them on this.
For now though, US officials have declined to name the ''former'' military officer involved in the Rana-Gilani case. But he is said to have ''recently'' left the Pakistani Army and held the rank of colonel or brigadier general. There are conflicting reports about whether he is currently in Pakistani custody, with some reports suggesting that he was arrested but freed under pressure from the military. Identified in court documents as Individual A, he is said to be different person from Rana’s two brothers, who are in the military but so far have not been implicated in the case.
Meanwhile, the Rana-Gilani/Headley trail in the west has thrown up a sketchy but fascinating story of how a young man from Pakistan grew up in a dysfunctional manner in the west
Gilani’s mother Serill Headley, who died in 2008, was a Pennsylvania resident who was married in the sixties to Pakistani diplomat Saleem Gilani, and lived in Pakistan before their separation. She returned to the US in the early 70s and bought a 100-year old tavern in Philadelphia, renaming it Khyber Pass bar/restaurant and running it successfully as a bustling nightspot for more than a decade.
In 1977, after at least two attempts, she got custody of the young Daood Gilani, who was at the Hasan Abdal Cadet College at that time. Transported to Philadelphia, Daood apparently suffered from culture shock. Raised a Muslim, he had trouble adjusting to the idea that his mother ran a bar, according to a report that that time in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which traced his background in a story on Thursday. "He has never been alone with, much less had a date with, a girl, except the servant girls of his household," the paper quoted a column from that time from its archives.
Serill Headley turned over the business to her son in 1985 and he quickly ran it into the ground, according to current owners of the restaurant. Meantime, he is said to have studied accounting, possibly at a community college in the Philadelphia region, and operated a video store, FliksVideo, with his mother.
In 1997, under his birth name of Gilani, he was convicted on federal charges in Brooklyn of smuggling heroin into the country and sentenced to 15 months in prison, according to the Inquirer. Serrill Headley died in 2008, two years after Gilani changed his name to reflect his western pedigree as a cover for his terror plans. And in a filmi twist to the Gilani/Headley character, family members in an archived Inquirer report have described him as having striking eyes - one blue and one brownish-green.
Rana, like Gilani, also came to the west decades ago, although the circumstances of his migration are less clear. He became a Canadian citizen, but lives primarily in Chicago with his Samraz Akhtar Rana, two daughters and a son, owning several businesses and a farm which supplies halal meat to his grocery store in Chicago’s desi enclave, Devon Avenue. Rana though still owns a home outside Ottawa in Canada where his ailing father, and another one of his brothers, a well-regarded journalist with the political newspaper Hill Times, live.
The question facing investigators is whether Rana and Headley were actively considering terrorist attack themselves or whether they were on a reconnaissance mission to scope the target and scout for recruits. Both are in their late 40s, which does not fit the typical profile of an active jihadi, although Gilani-Headley is on record as saying the Danish cartoons on Prophet Mohammed made him “feel disposed towards violence for the offending parties.”
China tries to mollify India over Indo-Pak reference
China tried to pacify India on a controversial reference in the Sino-US joint statement on Thursday, saying that it was not trying to meddle in Indo-Pak ties. Responding to a question on what China thought was its role in India-Pakistan relationship, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang tried to downplay the significance of the Sino-US joint statement and said Beijing hopes for "gradual improvement" in Indo-Pak ties.
"China hopes for a gradual improvement in the relations between India and Pakistan. As long as it is good for the stability of the region, China will support the relevant moves," Qin said at a press briefing, the first after US President Barack Obama returned after his maiden state visit.
"We believe that India and Pakistan are important countries in South Asia," he said and went on to explain that China highly values its bilateral ties with both countries.
India had reacted sharply to the Sino-US joint statement.
"A third country role cannot be envisaged nor is it necessary," External Affairs Ministry Spokesman said in a terse comment yesterday on the joint statement issued on the conclusion of talks between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Tuesday.
Obama and Hu had voiced support for the improvement in Indo-Pak ties and their readiness to promote peace and stability in the region, listing the situation in South Asia among regional and global challenges.
Answering a question on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Qin said that China and the US did not discuss it during Obama's talks with the Chinese leadership.
Koda's net assets worth nearly Rs 1cr
NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, facing charges of money laundering of over Rs 2,000 crore, had put his net assets at nearly Rs one crore at the time of the Lok Sabha polls.
In 2005, Koda had movable assets worth Rs 13 lakh, and by 2009, they rose to over Rs 94 lakh. His immovable assets also doubled to over Rs four lakh during this period.
These disclosures were made by Koda himself -- first in the affidavit he filed with the Election Commission at the time of contesting the Assembly elections in 2005 and then earlier this year when he fought the Lok Sabha polls.
Koda won on both the occasions -- from Jagannathpur in 2005 and Singhbhum this year as an Independent candidate.
According to the affidavits, his cash holding of about Rs 30,000 in 2005 also rose to Rs 13.6 lakh in 2009. He also purchased shares in blue chip companies like Tata Steel, Reliance Petroleum and SBI, the EC website says.
While in 2005, he had jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh, by 2009 he possessed ornaments worth nearly Rs 37 lakh. He owns agricultural land worth Rs 4.2 lakh as against Rs 1.1 lakh in 2005.
Koda, who earlier this month said he was a "poor tribal", has total assets worth over Rs 98 lakh, as per his disclosure with the Election Commission.(
The assets include bank deposits, bonds, shares, other savings, two cars (Bolero and Indigo), jewellery and land.
He disclosed his bank deposits with three branches of SBI and one branch each of Allahabad Bank and Bank of India in Jharkhand.
The companies where he owns shares included Allahabad Bank, Reliance Petroleum (which has now been merged with Reliance Industries), SBI and Tata Steel.
In comparison, he had disclosed shareholding in only one concern -- Allahabad Bank in 2005.
Most of these assets are in Koda's name, while some of the cash deposits, jewellery and land, are in the names of his wife Geeta and daughter Darshani Nagi.
Koda, who rose from a labourer in iron-ore mines to the chief minister's chair, is now being quizzed for allegedly being part of a massive corruption scandal.
The Enforcement Directorate and the income tax department over the past few days have unearthed Koda's alleged involvement in hawala transactions and illegal investments running into more than Rs 2,000 crore.
It is also alleged that some companies in which Koda and his eight associates had invested the money were actually a front for Naxal groups.
Jharkhand netas made fortunes as state stagnated
RANCHI: A rickshaw puller who made two bungalows. A daily wage earner who nearly built a Rs 4,000 crore international business empire. And a small-time contractor who now owns a fleet of cars and SUVs. These are not people who won the national lottery; these are Jharkhand's sons-of-soil who quit their original trades to enter politics and rose to dizzying heights as money-spinning machines.
The dense tropical forests that surround the Jharkhand capital somehow seem to impart a sense of impunity to its politicians who, ever since the state was carved out of Bihar in November 2000, have discovered their personal El Dorados. A cursory look at the declaration of wealth before assembly elections by Jharkhand politicians between 2004 and 2009 gives an insight into their skills at multiplying their fortune.
Former chief minister Madhu Koda, in the dock for allegedly building a Rs 4,000 crore business empire stretching from Liberia to Thailand, began his career as a daily wager. But, by the dint of his resourcefulness, this aspiring independent MLA, whose declared personal worth was Rs 24.25 lakh in 2005, had his assets increase by five times to Rs 1.17 crore in May 2009 when he fought the Lok Sabha polls from Singhbhum.
While Koda is being grilled by the enforcement directorate, his erstwhile cabinet colleagues, Enos Ekka and Harinarayan Rai, face disproportionate assets cases and are in jail. The two had declared worth of Rs 2.20 lakh and Rs 18 lakh when they first contested. While Ekka's latest declaration reveals a fortune of around Rs 1.40 crore, Rai's has jumped to Rs 3.23 crore—the proverbial tip of the iceberg that no doubt lurks beneath their sworn affidavits.
For, Ekka, who lived in an Indira Awas Yojana house until the early 1990s, now has two bungalows worth Rs 18 lakh. Once landless, he now boasts of more than 19 acres of land. Just the worth of his vehicles, including two Ford SUVs, a tractor and a motorcycle, is close to Rs 25 lakh.
Rai, who did not even own a motorcycle until a few years ago, now has a Scorpio and a house worth Rs 55.54 lakh in his wife's name. He also has a dairy farm on Ranchi's outskirts.
All this while development was put on the backburner. Rai, who was the urban development minister under Koda, could have claimed Rs 10,000 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JUNURM). His ministry was petitioned repeatedly for slum development in Ranchi, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur. But Rai sat on the files, did nothing.
Likewise, as also the tourism development minister, Rai had promised security at Ranchi's numerous picnic and tourist spots in face of the naxal threat. But nothing ever materialised. Then Enos Ekka, as the rural development minister, never claimed budgetary support for building roads in rural areas, which could have proved vital in fighting the Naxals.
Political analyst A K Sinha, who has been tracking elections for the last two decades, says Dulal Bhuiyan, an MLA from Jugsalai in East Singbhum, who was a rickshaw puller in the early 1980s, is a typical example of the rising fortunes of politicians. According to his affidavit, the two-term MLA was worth around Rs 45 lakh in 2005 but in 2009 he mentioned a net worth of over Rs 1 crore. Cash jumped from Rs 15,000 in 2005 to Rs 4.33 lakh in 2009.
Sinha says the exponential rise in fortune is not limited to Koda and his cronies. JMM general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Hemant Soren, son of former chief minister Shibu Soren, too managed to multiply his net worth six times in five years.
Hemant's affidavit in 2005, which affirmed assets worth Rs 12.70 lakh when he contested from Dumka and lost, claims more than Rs 75 lakh in 2009. Not just him, of the contestants in 41 constituencies in the first two phases, 22 have assets more than Rs 1 crore.
Indian Business News
Food inflation rises to 14.55 pct
New Delhi: Food inflation rose to 14.55 per cent in the first week of November fuelled by higher prices of staple items like potatoes, onions and pulses.
On a weekly basis, inflation rose 0.87 percentage points from 13.68 per cent.
On yearly basis, prices of potatoes shot up by 102.47 per cent, onions by 38.24 per cent and that of pulses by 27.03 per cent.
Analysts expect prices to remain at elevated level, unless Rabi crops are abundant.
"Food inflation is likely to remain high, unless prospects of rabi are known. It is a matter of concern," CRISIL principal economist D K Joshi said. However, he said high onion and potato prices may be seasonal.
There is no item on the list mentioned in the data that has shown a declining trend on yearly basis. On weekly basis, though, prices of fruits fell by 1.3 per cent, while that of jowar and poultry chicken by one per cent each.
Urad, mutton, moong, condiments and spices, barley, wheat and bajra rose three per cent each and milk, gram, river fish and eggs by one per cent each.
Non-food articles inflation also rose to 0.59 per cent from (-) 0.17 per cent a week ago and rate of price rise in fuel, power, light and lubricants was higher at (-) 1.51 per cent compared to (-)1.71 per cent.
On yearly basis, cereal prices rose by 13.16 per cent. Rice became dearer by 11.65 per cent, wheat by 12.60 per cent and milk by 11.29 per cent.
EGoM fails to resolve 3G spectrum deadlock
New Delhi:An empowered group of ministers seems to have remained unable to resolve the deadlock over release of 3G spectrum by the defence services at a meeting held in the capital on Thursday.
None of the members of the EGoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, was willing to talk to media on the discussions at the meeting, but there were widespread speculations that the Ministry of Defence did not agree with the Ministry of Communications.
On the meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the committee "discussed the issue, but the chairman specially instructed all members not to share it."
When asked why the decision could not be shared with the media, Soni said: "We will share it at appropriate time when a decision is taken. Discussions may not necessarily be conclusive."
The meeting was held to review progress on auction of 3G mobile licences amid sharp differences between telecom and defence ministries over release of spectrum (airwaves) for commercial use.
The government plans to commence auction of 3G spectrum from January 14, 2010, but lack of clarity on number of slots to be sold could derail the process.
The government has estimated a revenue of about Rs 35,000 crore from sale of spectrum in current financial year. Today's EGoM meeting was the second in three days.
Indian Sports News
Ahmedabad: India fought back gallantly in their bid to save the first cricket Test but were still not completely out of danger after Sri Lanka piled up the agony on the hosts with a record-breaking run deluge in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
After being buried by a massive 334-run first innings lead mainly built around a world record sixth wicket partnership between Mahela Jayawardene (275) and Prasanna Jayawardene (154 not out), the Indians reached 190 for two in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day, still trailing by 144 runs.
The hosts still have a daunting task to prevent the Lankans from recording their first Test triumph on Indian soil as they have to bat out the entire last day on a Motera track which was expected to deteriorate and assist the spinners.
But the Indians have an experienced batting line up and should fancy their chances of saving the match which has turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers.
Gautam Gambhir (74) and night watchman Amit Mishra (12) were at the crease at stumps on a day which saw Mahela and Prasanna breaking the 72-year-old world record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership in Tests by putting on a 351-run stand.
The home team first lost Virender Sehwag (51) and then Rahul Dravid (38) was distincly unlucky to get a dubious leg before decision at the fag end of the day.
The hosts started off confidently with Sehwag and Gambhir putting on 81 runs before spinner Rangana Harath provided the breakthrough for the visitors.
Piquet says 'close' to Force India deal
New Delhi: A key character of the 'crashgate' scandal, Renault discard Nelson Piquet Jr could be seen behind the wheels of the Force India car next season, according to media reports.
According to paddock speculations, Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi cannot take their Force India seats for granted because the Mercedes-backed duo of Pedro de la Rosa and Paul di Resta are also apparently on the radar of the Vijay Mallya-owned side.
Piquet's future looked bleak after he admitted deliberately crashing in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix so that teammate Fernando Alonso could win the race. Renault team principle Flavio Briatore summarily dismissed Piquet even though neither Briatore nor engineer Pat Symonds could avoid a ban from the FIA.
Talking to a Brazilian website, Piquet Jr said he was weighing in his Force India and NASCAR options.
"I am close to Force India at the moment," Piquet told Brazilian website globo.com, translated by GMM. "But to me NASCAR is very interesting, so I don't know yet what is going to happen...It is clear that the F1 cars are very much better technologically the best in the world but I find that if it is enjoyable, it doesn't matter if I am racing in karts. The important thing is to compete," said the 24-year-old Brazilian.
Apparently, his father and three-time world champion Nelson Piquet is also ready to bankroll the comeback of his son. McLaren test driver de la Rosa is apparently also in running for a Force India race seat, having tested for the Silverstone-based squad last winter.
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