JHARGRAM, West Bengal: At least 68 passengers of a Maharashtra-bound express train were killed early Friday and over 200 injured in a Maoist-backed attack which led to derailment of 13 coaches that were hit by a goods train coming from the opposite direction.
"The toll could go up," West Bengal home secretary Samar Ghosh said.
The Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) has claimed responsibility for the derailment of the train.
"The PCAPA have left two posters near the rail tracks clearly owning responsibility for the derailment of the Kurla-bound Gyaneswari Express," IGP (Law and Order) S Karpurakayastha said.
The posters read, "We earlier demanded withdrawal of the joint security forces from Jangalmahal (West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia) and end of CPM atrocities, but those demands were not met."
Another poster demanded immediate withdrawal of the joint forces from the area. Police have seized both posters.
The incident occurred at 1:30am when the train was running between Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, about 135 km from Jhargram, south eastern railway officials said.
Surojit Karpurokayastha said that according to preliminary investigation, fish plates were found removed at the derailment site.
Earlier, railway minister Mamata Banerjee said the derailment followed a blast apparently triggered by Maoists who are observing a 'black week'.
"We suspect Maoist hand behind the blast," Member (Traffic) Railway Board Vivek Sahai said.
He said the driver of the train heard a loud explosion after which the train derailed. Railways are investigating if the tracks were tampered with, he said.
5 of the 13 derailed coaches fell on an adjacent track and were hit by a goods train coming from the opposite direction, Additional Superintendent of Police, Jhargram, Mukesh Kumar said.
Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters were pressed into service at the accident spot to airlift some of the injured to the hospitals.
Banerjee, who reached the accident spot, said a patrol engine had passed through the area half an hour earlier, but the timing of the blast proved disastrous with a portion of the line being blown away.
She announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each of the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.
This is the second Maoist attack on civilians this month. Naxals had blown up a civilian bus in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on May 17, killing at least 36 people, including 12 Special Police Officers.
The West Bengal home secretary said that the over 200 injured have been shifted to different hospitals and the condition of some of them is critical.
"Some of the critically injured people have been brought to Kolkata for surgical treatment," he said, adding that 30 of the bodies have been sent to various hospitals for post-mortem.
President Pratibha Patil, who is in China, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident. The Prime Minister announced Rs 2 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
South eastern railway spokesman Soumitra Majumdar said the train had 24 coaches. After the explosion, 13 including 10 sleeper coaches, derailed of which five were hit by the goods train coming on the opposite track. The derailment took place at a spot, 150 km from Kolkata.
An unreserved coach, the pantry car and luggage van also derailed, he said.
Relief officials used gas cutters to extricate trapped passengers and bodies from the mangled remains of the affected coaches. Passengers’ belongings lay strewn scattered on the tracks.
Angry passengers said the first signs of relief came only around 5 am, three-and-a-half hours after the incident.
Nine of the coaches which were not damaged in the blast took the injured and the other passengers to Kharagpur where they were admitted to hospital.
Anti-Maoist forces were at the spot and assisting the police and rescue personnel in extricating the bodies from four badly damaged sleeper coaches S-5, S-6, S-7 and S-8.
Helplines have been set up at Kharagpur -- (0322) 255751 and 255735, Howrah - (033) 26382217, besides a toll free number 10722.
Helplines have also been set up at Tatanagar (0657) 2290324, 2290074, 2290382, at Rourkela (0661) 2511155, Chakradharpur (06587) 238072 and Jharsuguda (06445) 270977.
Terrorists storm Lahore mosques; 30 feared dead
LAHORE: Heavily armed Taliban guerrillas on Friday stormed two mosques in this Pakistan city, killing at least 30 people and injuring many others, according to TV reports. The mosques of the minority Ahmadi sect were packed with about 1,500 worshippers.
The apparently coordinated attacks by two groups of terrorists, which began at around 1.45 pm local time, targeted the mosques in Garhi Shahu and Model Town areas of Lahore.
Witnesses said at least two terrorists wearing suicide vests blew themselves up at the mosque in Garhi Shahu. They said the attackers lobbed grenades and fired indiscriminately as they entered the two mosques.
TV channels reported that at least 30 people were killed and many others, including seven policemen, injured in the attacks. Among the injured was Superintendent of Police Haider Ashraf.
Television footage showed gunmen firing indiscriminately from the rooftop of one of the mosques. Gunfire could be heard as people ran to take cover outside the mosque.
A police official told reporters that among the terrorists involved in the Model Town attack "one terrorist is dead, one injured and one has been held".
Worried relatives of the worshippers who were trapped inside the mosques desperately tried to seek information about their fate.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Suicide bombers struck at a market in Lahore city March 12, killing 45 and injuring over 100.
Jagan Reddy arrested
MAHABUBABAD (WARANGAL): Mahabubabad in Warangal district erupted in unprecedented violence on Friday as Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy stubbornly stuck to his Odarpu yatra schedule. One student Praful Raju, aged 20, was killed when gunmen of Congress leaders opened fire to disperse a mob who attacked former minister Konda Surekha and others at the Mahabubabad railway station waiting room.
Praful Raju was a Bahujan Student Federation activist who hailed from V S Lakshmipuram of Mahbubabad mandal. The bullet from a gunman's pistol pierced through his right ear and came out from the left ear, shattering his skull. He was declared brought dead at a private hospital.
Police arrested Jagan at Vangapalli station and he was being taken to Hyderabad. Warangal SP Shahnawaz Qasim announced that the yatra had been cancelled.
The Mahbubabad railway station resembled a war zone with stones strewn all over the place and doors and windows being broken. TV sets and announcement systems were also damaged in the incident. Section 144 was imposed in Mahbubabad.
While the police fired rubber pellets, gunmen of Congress leaders used their pistols to fire at the swelling crowd which went wild. Ten others were injured, two of whom are said to be critical.
As police began escorting Konda Surekha out of the station, she picked up a few stones and threw them at the agitated mob. Mahbubabad MLA M Kavitha and her father, former minister Redya Naik, who were also in the waiting room, were escorted to safety.
Tension had built up in Jangaon, Kesamudram, Nekkonda, Mahbubabad and other stations even as Jagan boarded the Inter-City Express at Secunderabad station at 7.45 am. Movement of 20 trains including the Satavahana, Kerala, Konark, AP Express were affected as pro-Telangana supporters squatted on the tracks.
Earlier, one BJP activist Nagaraju tried to end his life by slitting his throat with a blade in Jangaon railway station to protest Jagan's yatra. He was rushed to the hospital where his condition is said to be critical. Another pro-Telangana activist Md Shabbir poured kerosene on himself but was overpowered by police as he attempted immolation. Two RTC buses were set ablaze by pro-Telangana protestors.
Jagan decided to embark on the Odarpu (Consolation) yatra despite strict instructions from the Congress high command not to go ahead. While the Kadapa MP has consistently insisted that this is a personal tour, political overtones have brought the T-stir to a boil again. Jagan is an avowed united Andhra Pradesh supporter.
Jaya Bachchan rejects Mulayam's RS offer
In a surprise move, Jaya Bachchan has turned down her nomination for the Rajya Sabha by Samajwadi Party, which announced the candidature of its national spokesman Mohan Singh for the seat.
Party sources said today that Bachchan has refused to contest the Rajya Sabha election citing "family reasons".
The party leadership was surprised at her decision as she was renominated after being consulted, they said.
Canada 'deeply regrets' visa row with India
New Delhi: Canada on Friday expressed "deep regret" over the language used by its officials against Indian defence and security establishments, saying it has created "inaccurate impression" which does not reflect the position or policy of the Canadian government.
In a damage-control exercise, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney hailed the Indian defence and security institutions, saying they operate "under the framework of democratic processes and the rule of law."
Terming as "unfortunate" the incidents involving use of foul language by Canadian High Commission in visa rejection letters to some individuals, Kenney said, "This language, or the inaccurate impression it has created, in no way reflects the policy or position of the Government of Canada."
In a statement emailed from Ottawa, he said, "The Government of Canada, therefore, deeply regrets the recent incident in which letters drafted by public service officials during routine visa refusals to Indian nationals cast false aspersions on the legitimacy of work carried out by Indian defence and security institutions, which operate under the framework of democratic processes and the rule of law."
The comments came in the backdrop of an outrage in India over adverse comments made by Canadian High Commission officials here against Indian armed forces and intelligence establishment while rejecting visas of some senior serving and retired officials.
The Canadian High Commission has denied visas claiming that their organisations or they themselves have served in sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir and engaged in violence and human rights violations.
The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday had taken up the issue of denial of visa to Indian nationals with the Canadian High Commission.
Reportedly, the issue was taken up after the Union Home Ministry wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao after a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) official was denied visa to Canada.
In his letter to Rao, Home Secretary G K Pillai has stated that the stance of the Canadian authorities is unacceptable and discriminatory.
Canada’s move comes less than a month before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits that country for the G-8 and G-20 summits.
Business News
Food inflation eases to 16.23 pct
New Delhi: Food inflation eased to 16.23 per cent for the week ended May 15 on account of a fall in prices of masur, fruits and vegetables.
Inflation declined by 0.26 percentage point from 16.49 per cent in the previous week.
The fall was mainly owing to a 4 per cent slide in masur prices, 2 per cent fall in prices of fruits and vegetable each, and 0.20 per decline in prices of cereals and pulses over the week.
Non-food articles also saw a decline in prices. Cotton seed prices fell 2 per cent and raw rubber and mustard seed by 1 per cent each.
However, the prices of tea rose by 9 per cent, that of mutton by 5 per cent, and urad and spices by 1 per cent each.
The overall inflation for April stood at 9.59 per cent, moderating slightly from 9.90 per cent in March, according to the provisional figures.
The final figure for February, showed inflation breaching the 10 per cent mark.
SAIL Q4 net up 40 pct to Rs 2,085 cr
New Delhi:State-run steel major SAIL reported a jump of over 40 per cent in net profit to Rs 2,084.9 crore for the fourth quarter ended March, 2010, against Rs 1,485.20 crore in the corresponding period a year ago.
Total income of the company rose to Rs 12,672.69 crore in the January-March period of FY'10 from Rs 12,519.33 crore in the same quarter of the previous year, Steel Authority of India Ltd said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The company has declared a final dividend of Rs 1.70 per share, in addition to an already paid interim dividend of Rs 1.60 a share, for the 2009-10 financial year.
For the full year ended March 31, the public sector major posted a net profit of Rs 6,754.37 crore, up 9.4 per cent from Rs 6,170.40 crore in FY'09.
Shares of SAIL rose 3.5 per cent and were being traded at Rs 205.55 in late afternoon trade on the BSE.
RIL makes fifth oil discovery in Gujarat
Mumbai: Reliance Industries said on Friday it had discovered oil in one of its exploration blocks in the Cambay Basin.
This is its fifth oil discovery in the region.
The block, in which Reliance holds 100 per cent participating interest, covers an area of 635 sq kilometres, the company said. It had made its fourth discovery in the region last month.
Sports News
Post-Mumbai attack 100 was best: Tendulkar
Mumbai:Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar tonight rated the century he scored in Chennai against England that helped India chase 387 runs in the fourth innings soon after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai as the best of his career.
"There were all sorts of talks around and then suddenly all our focus was on the match. England dominated the match for almost four days before Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir brought us back into it," he recounted.
"Generally when we win, it is the groundsmen who run to congratulate us, but on that day the grounds-women rushed to congratulate us. It was just because of something that had numbed the nation," he said.
"By no means India winning a Test match could compensate the lives lost. But for our team, we had succeeded in bringing a fraction of a smile on the faces of the people. That is why the hundred in Chennai Test match will be the best (of my career)," Tendulkar said.
He scored an unbeaten 100 as India upset all calculations to score an unlikely six wicket victory over England while chasing a target of 387.
Tendulkar, who shared tit-bits of his life and answered questions by noted commentator Harsha Bhogle and the audience, said he had not given a thought to life after retirement as yet.
"As a child I had dreamt of playing for India and I am still living my dream. Hopefully, I am good enough to play for some more time. When I play cricket, the centre of focus should be cricket and nothing else. I may explore what I want to do when I retire from cricket. Right now I want to focus my energies on cricket," he added.
The champion cricketer, who made his international debut against Pakistan in 1989 in Karachi, revealed he did not remember the first of his over 31,000 runs in international cricket as he was too nervous on the occasion.
"I don't remember my first run. The first match was a blur. I don't remember walking in. I was asking myself whether I belonged here. I was told by my seniors to spend sometime in the middle and luckily I could do it," he said.
Tendulkar said he did not regret quitting Twenty 20 internationals after playing just one match in this form of the game. "I made a decision in 2008 and will stick to that," he added.
He said one of the reasons why his personal life was not a material for gossip could be his simple lifestyle.
"Its perhaps to do with lifestyle. I came from a simple family. There were no major celebrations whenever I had a good performance. It was just putting sweets in front of god. That was in the childhood. It was an unwritten rule. Brother Ajit made sure it stayed that way," he added.
To a query, Tendulkar said the first page of the book he would write in the future would be about his family.
"The first page has to be my family. My brother is the reason I started playing cricket. My father, mother, sisters (it is with them) that my cricket started and it will end with my children," he added.
Tendulkar thanked Dr P Jagannath of the 'Crusade against Cancer foundation' and complimented his wife Anjali for making the crusade against cancer a success. "The kind of response we have seen is remarkable. If by donating generously one can help a cancer patient, I don't think anything is better than that," he said.
Meanwhile, Jagannath said that the overall donations received by the 'Crusade against Cancer foundation' had crossed over Rs 1.30 crore.
Rohit ton powers India vs Zim
Bulawayo: Rohit Sharma cracked his maiden ODI century as India overcame a mid-innings slump to post a commanding 285 for five against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the cricket tri-series here today.
Rohit, who cracked six fours and four sixes during his 119-ball innings, found an able ally in Ravindra Jadeja and the duo added 130 runs for the fifth wicket to guide India to a good total.
Jadeja remained unbeaten on run-a-ball 61, which he made with the help of five fours.
Electing to bat, India were off to a smooth start on a placid Queens Sports Club pitch with Murali Vijay (11) and Dinesh Karthik (22) forging a 56-run opening stand.
India suffered their first loss in the ninth over when Vijay was run out which was a combination of the batsman's laziness and Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor's brilliance.
Vijay was ambling towards the batting crease when Taylor collected a Prosper Utseya throw in front of the wicket and flicked it behind onto the stumps.
Next man in Virat Kohli's was a scoreless stay as the vice captain, without facing a ball, was beaten by an Elton Chigumbura throw.
Another four runs on the board and Karthik was back in the hut, falling to Utseya and leaving India in a spot of bother at 61 for three.
Captain Suresh Raina (37) then joined Rohit and it was the 67-run partnership between them that steadied the ship and took India past the 100-run mark.
Raina, who cracked two fours during his 53-ball innings, extended good support to Rohit in the middle overs.
Paceman Chris Mpofu broke the partnership by removing Raina in the 30th over as Raina rushed down the track only to edge a rising delivery to the wicketkeeper.
In Jadeja's company, Rohit continued the good work and his century came in the 47th over when he hit Ray Price out of the ground for a massive six.
At the fag end, Mpofu removed Rohit but Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan (11 off 5 balls) provided the late charge to take the score to 285.
For the hosts, Mpofu scalped two wickets for 63 while Utseya bagged one.
Sreesanth is wasting himself: Azhar
Kochi: Not many have the talent of S Sreesanth but the temperamental pacer is wasting himself by not being consistent and fit enough, says former India skipper Mohd Azharuddin.
"He has got the natural swing but I think his talent is totally wasted. I think he needs to understand that he has to deliver and remain fit. So I do not like to see him waste his talent," Azharuddin told reporters.
"To be very honest, I think he should use his brain more.
With due respect to him, I think he is a very good bowler. I think he is one of the few bowlers who can swing the ball," he said.
Hoping that Sreesanth would take his comments in the right spirit, Azharuddin said the spunky bowler needs to work harder.
"He must not take it in a wrong way. I am saying all this only for his betterment. I think he needs to work hard as he is such a good bowler. Not many bowlers can swing the ball," he said.
Sreesanth's career has been marred by several disciplinary indiscretions and he has been in the firing line of the BCCI for losing his cool too often on the field.
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