JAMMU: The Indian Army was put on alert following heavy exchange of fire at the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir early on Tuesday following a major infiltration bid, defence sources said on Tuesday as the country celebrated its 61st Republic Day.
The firing, at the Kanachak sector near Akhnoor, 30 km northwest from here, started at 2 a.m. and went on four hours. Officials said Pakistani Rangers provided covering fire to a group of infiltrators. The BSF men retaliated and the guns fell silent around 6 a.m.
The Indian Army has been put on alert along the border, where the first line of defence is provided by the BSF.
Army sources said troops were put on alert after the fire started from Pakistani side. They described the firing as heavy and said it was a clear attempt by Pakistan to push terrorists into India on Republic Day.
The exchange of fire was heavy for about two hours initially. "Thereafter, it was intermittent firing that lasted till 6 a.m.," Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda told reporters.
It was the 15th ceasefire violation incident and infiltration attempt from across the border this month.
"Pakistan is desperate to push terrorists to the Indian side," a senior army official said, adding that they wanted to strike on India's national day and were unhappy with the peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
First time in 19 years flag not hoisted at Lal Chowk
SRINAGAR: The national flag was not hoisted by security forces in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of Srinagar, on the Republic Day today for the first time in 19 years.
The usual hustle and bustle was not there in the heart of the city as people preferred to remain indoors in view of strike call given by separatists as well as tight security measures taken by the authorities.
The tricolour used to be unfurled on the clock tower, popularly known here as "Ghantaghar" in Lal Chowk on the Republic Day and Independence Day since 1991.
The first time the flag was hoisted at the clock tower was in 1991 when then BJP President Murli Manohar Joshi did it amidst rocket attacks by militants.
No official reason was cited for not hoisting the national flag in Lal Chowk, which recently saw a 22-hour terrorist siege.
The authorities last evening eased security restrictions in the city to lessen inconvenience to the people. Police and paramilitary forces remained deployed in strength but checking of vehicles and frisking of pedestrians was restricted to a few places.
"We have not lowered the guard but several steps have been taken to avoid unnecessary harassment of the people. Instead of random checking at every half a km in the city, the vehicles were searched at a few places particularly at the entry points," officials said yesterday.
However, tight security arrangements were made today in view of terror threat to the R-day function.
I have no idea about BJP's objection: Chatwal
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: US-based NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal on Tuesday remained unfazed over BJP's demand to the government that the Padma Bhushan awarded to him be taken back in the wake of his controversial financial dealings.
Chatwal, who was earlier chargesheeted by the CBI for an alleged $9 million fraud case connected with the State Bank of India, said he was thrilled and "grateful" to the Indian Government that after such a long time they have really recognised his services towards strengthening Indo-US ties.
"I have really no idea about BJP's objection. I love my country and have been working for the past 30 years. I don't care for the parties. They will come and go," said Chatwal, considered close to former US President Bill Clinton and his wife and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
BJP's Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde had written a letter to the President and Prime Minister expressing disapproval over the government's decision to bestow the third highest civilian honour on Chatwal.
Munde alleged that due to Chatwal's controversial financial dealings he did not deserve the honour and it should be taken back.
In the wake of the BJP demand, Congress said the Home Ministry decides the awards and they might have their reasons for it. Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed however said that in general the party wants these awards to be given to people who enhance its prestige and not to those with a taint.
Chatwal said he was grateful to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has recognised "my efforts and services for this award."
Chatwal is one of the 13 Non-resident Indians to be given Padma awards on the occasion of the Republic Day. He had recently announced that his Hampshire Hotels chain would set up 25 hotels in India by 2011.
We apologise for mistake in India map: CGF CEO Mike Hooper
NEW DELHI: The Commonwealth Games Federation was embroiled in a controversy today because of a distorted India map put on its website earlier on Tuesday.
The map of India on www.thecgf.com showed some areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat as parts of Pakistan as organisers of the 2010 Commonwealth Games said they raised the issue with CGF officials.
"We have noticed it and told CGF officials about it. They have promised to revert back to us on the issue," Organising Committee secretary Lalit Bhanot said.
"They would definitely correct it. We were told that they would talk to the people who maintain the site and get back to us," added Bhanot.
"It was a mistake and we apologise for it," CGF CEO Mike Hooper said. Hooper said the goof-up was entirely unintentional. "It was not intentional but we have rectified the matter immediately. And we certainly apologise to all concerned," Hooper said.
"We generally use reliable sources for the territory of the Commonwealth countries but we are going to double check all of those again," said the CGF official.
The corrected version, uploaded within hours of a media storm, now shows these areas in Indian territory.
Military might, cultural heritage on display at R-Day parade
New Delhi: The country's vibrant cultural heritage, its impressive achievements and military might were on a majestic display on Tuesday as the country celebrated the 60th Republic Day.
Marching down from the Raisina Hills, the Republic Day parade showcased the country's 'unity in diversity' as well as the armed forces in full battle regalia. Despite the heavy fog, well turned out and synchronised military contingents marched proudly through the Rajpath where President and Supreme Commander of armed forces Pratibha Patil took the salute.
The march-past was watched by the Republic Day chief guest South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A K Antony and the country's top political and military brass, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Patil and her South Korean counterpart arrived at the Rajpath escorted by the President's 46 bodyguards riding well-trained, impeccably-bedecked horses. Minutes before the parade began, Singh, Antony and chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force laid wreaths at 'Amar Jawan Jyoti', the British-era World War-I memorial at India Gate, where an eternal flame burns in memory of those who laid down their lives while defending the nation's frontiers.
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A heavy security blanket was thrown around the capital for the Republic Day celebrations in the backdrop of intelligence inputs about militant outfit LeT acquiring over 50 para-gliding equipment which could be used to launch an air-borne suicide attack.
After the President unfurled the tricolour and a customary 21-gun salute, the parade led by Major General KJS Oberoi, General Officer Commanding of Delhi Area of the Army, started.
Tahawwur Rana is honest and innocent, says family
Chicago: The family of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Tahawwur Rana, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, feels he has been framed in the terror plots and is “honest” and “innocent”.
“All I know is that Rana is innocent... He is very honest and god fearing. He will share his last morsel with a man in need. I do not know how he got involved in all this,” Rana’s father-in-law Rana M Akhtar told a TV channel here.
Akhtar said Rana had gone to Pakistan since his grandmother had died. Since he was in Pakistan, he decided to go to India as well. He applied for a visa and went to India after he got the visa, Akhtar said.
“Once there, he decided to visit the Taj. What is wrong with that? Everybody wants to see the Taj. It was closed because it was Friday and so he had to stay the night and now the Indian press has gone and harassed our family in India asking them all sorts of questions about Rana,” he said, adding all his five children are doctors and are all honest.
“They have never even smoked a cigarette. I do not know how this happened”.
Prosecutors allege that Rana was in Mumbai and traveled to Dubai five days before the November, 2008, attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people, including foreigners. They have also submitted as evidence an Al-Qaeda DVD recovered from Rana’s house that he says was given to him by Headley.
Indian Business News
India to grow at 9.2 pct in FY11: CMIE
Mumbai :India's economic growth is likely to return to pre-crisis levels in the next fiscal year, driven by strong industrial and agriculture growth, a recent review by a think tank showed.
"In fiscal 2010/11, real GDP growth will be propelled by a strong performance by the industrial sector and a robust recovery in agricultural and elite sector. Services sector too is expected to do well," CMIE said in the report.
"A revival in consumer confidence and investment activities will supplement growth in the commodities segment," it added.
India's GDP growth slowed to 6.7 per cent in 2008/09 from 9 per cent or more in the previous three years as the effect of global financial turmoil hurt demand, prompting the authorities to unveil a spate of measures designed to boost the economy.
The measures helped as the country's industrial output grew at its fastest pace in two years in November at 11.7 per cent, the economy expanded 7.9 per cent in the September-quarter and inflation jumped to a one-year high of 7.3 per cent in December.
CMIE expects the wholesale price index, the main price barometer, to steadily fall to 7.7 per cent in the June quarter and further to 3.8 per cent March quarter of 2011.
The drop in inflation which is seen across primary articles, fuel and manufactured products, is likely to be because of the high base value in 2009/10 and a good kharif (summer) crop production in 2010, it said.
Hero Honda Q3 profit up 78.34%
New Delhi: Two-wheeler maker Hero Honda Motors Ltd reported a jump of 78.34 per cent in net profit for the third quarter at Rs 535.77 crore.
The company had a net profit of Rs 300.42 crore during the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal, Hero Honda Motors Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement.
It also reported an increase of 32.82 per cent in its total net operating income for the quarter ended December 31, 2009, at Rs 3,827.03 crore against Rs 2,881.27 crore in the year-ago period.
HMIL's total two-wheeler sales registered a growth 29.56 per cent during the October-December period at 11,11,372 units, from 8,57,806 units during the corresponding period of 2008-09, the company added
China says Internet controls here to stay
Beijing : China has every right to punish citizens using the Internet to challenge Communist Party power and ethnic policies, a senior official said Monday, pressing Beijing's counter-offensive against Google Inc.
The defense of China's curbs on the Internet came nearly two weeks after the world's biggest search engine provider said it wanted to stop censoring its Chinese Google.cn website and was alarmed by online hacking attacks from within China.
The dispute has stoked friction between Beijing and Washington, two global economic heavyweights already wrestling with tensions over trade, US weapons sales to Taiwan and human rights.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week urged China and other authoritarian governments to pull down Internet censorship, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing.
In the latest volley, a spokesperson for China's State Council Information Office said the country "bans using the Internet to subvert state power and wreck national unity, to incite ethnic hatred and division, to promote cults and to distribute content that is pornographic, salacious, violent or terrorist."
The comments from the unnamed spokesperson showed scant room for compromise with Google and Washington on censorship policy. They were issued on the central government's website.
"China has an ample legal basis for punishing such harmful content, and there is no room for doubting this. This is completely different from so-called restriction of Internet freedom," the spokesperson added.
The State Council Information Office is the cabinet arm of China's propaganda apparatus, which is steered by the Communist Party, and is one of several agencies that shape Internet policy.
Indian Sports News
Tamim resists India with blistering knock
Mirpur (Bangladesh): Tamim Iqbal’s blistering 151 exposed India’s bowling frailties as Bangladesh batted out of their skin to put up some resistance in the second and final cricket Test here today.
Mohammad Ashraful (2) and Shahadat (2) were in the middle at stumps with the hosts still trailing by 83 runs behind India, who had declared their first essay at 544 for eight.
Even if his team had their back against the wall, Tamim played positive cricket and took the Indian attack by the scruff of its neck.
The opener needed 101 balls to hammer the fastest Test century by a Bangladesh batsman -- eclipsing teammate Mushfiqur Rahim’s 112-ball effort in the previous Test in Chittagong.
He and Junaid then went on to add 200 runs for the second wicket -- highest by a Bangla pair for any wicket and against any opposition -- to lead the home side’s resistance.
Zaheer Khan (3/63), who had removed Imrul Kayes (5) in the morning to draw first blood, dismissed both Junaid and Tamim in his successive overs towards the end.
Tamim’s attacking 183-ball had 18 fours and three sweetly-timed sixes in it while Junaid hit five fours during his patient 144-ball stay.
Modi denies govt role in IPL snub to Pak
New Delhi: Indian Premier League Chairman Lalit Modi on Tuesday denied any government role in Pakistani players' non-selection at the auction and said cricketers from across the border still have chance to be a part of the cash-awash Twenty20 event.
"Some teams have still not finished their quota of players and some players could drop out, franchises can choose Pakistani players as replacements or to fill vacancies," he said.
Modi refuted allegations that the whole issue was mishandled by the IPL.
"I don't think that there's any mishandling, the franchises decide on their own. We never said in the first place that the government in any which way nudged up in that direction. So, it was a decision that was taken by the franchises and let's leave it at that," Modi said.
All the 11 Pakistani players went unsold at the Mumbai auction earlier this month and Modi said it was the franchises' decision to not pick them.
"There was no pre-decision. They were all worried about the availability and that's why the Australians weren't picked up along with many other players and all that we keep hearing now is one story -- about not bidding for Pakistani cricketers," Modi said.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had yesterday criticised the IPL organisers saying that non-inclusion of Pakistani players was "disservice to cricket".
IPL invited flak from across the border as well with politicians, cricket officials and former players criticizing the treatment meted out to their players. When asked about PCB's decision not to release Pakistani players for the future IPL editions, Modi said, "We will discuss this with the Pakistan board officials when we meet them and I am sure the Pakistani players will return."
Yuvraj joins injury list, out of Test
Mirpur: Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh was on Tuesday ruled out of the ongoing second Test against Bangladesh due to a ligament tear in his left wrist.
Rahul Dravid was ruled out yesterday after a deadly blow from paceman Shahadat Hossain fractured his zygomatic arch (cheek bone). Administrative manager Arshad Ayub said the report of the medical examination done on Yuvraj last night at the Apollo Hospital in Dhaka revealed a ligament tear.
"The report of Yuvraj's injury shows he has a ligament tear on his left wrist. He will not take further part in the Test," Ayub said.
The injury has put Yuvraj's inclusion in the Indian squad for next month's home series against South Africa in doubt as the BCCI selection panel is meeting on Thursday.
Ayub said Yuvraj is staying put with the team, like VVS Laxman who is still with the team after suffering a split in his left-hand webbing.
Meanwhile, Dravid has been discharged from the hospital and senior orthopedic surgeon Fazal-ul Haque attending on him told a TV Channel that "Had it been two inches above, it would have been fatal."
Out of the 16-member squad, four players were injured. Paceman S Sreesanth was also forced to leave the Test series mid-way after suffering a hamstring injury.
