Latest Indian News

Jet extends olive branch, open for talks with pilots

Mumbai: Jet Airways on Wednesday said its doors were open for talks with the agitating pilots who continued to stay away from duty crippling the airline's services for the second day.

"Doors are open... we will be sitting together," Jet Airways Chief Commercial Officer Sudheer Raghavan told reporters here.

Asked if it was true that the two pilots sacked last month were not given any valid reason for the management's action, he said Jet had "not gone out of the legal framework."

The sacking of the two pilots for allegedly trying to form an union sparked off an agitation that paralysed the airline's domestic and international flights since Tuesday.

About 400 domestic and international flights of Jet Airways have been cancelled in the last two days resulting in over 14,000 passengers being stranded at various airports.

Raghavan said the airline's domestic bookings had plummeted to 14,000 per day from 23,000 on normal days, in the wake of its pilots going on a mass sick leave.

However, the impact on the international bookings was less as the company retained 9,500 bookings against 10,500 it has on normal days.

"We are able to carry 50 per cent of our passengers on Jet Airways and JetLite flights, while the remaining are being transferred to other airlines," Raghavan said.

Jet takes action against five more pilots

Mumbai: Jet Airways on Wednesday took disciplinary action against five more pilots after they went on mass sick leave to protest sacking of their two senior colleagues, airline sources said.

The airlines has taken disciplinary action against a total of eight pilots since the strike began on Tuesday.

However, Jet Airways spokesperson was not available for comment.

The pilots had called for a strike on August 7 demanding reinstatement of the two sacked colleagues. The matter was then referred to the Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC) for conciliation.

The Commissioner called a conciliatory meeting on August 31 advising both Jet Airways and pilots to adhere to the Industrial Dispute Act of 1947.

Jet cannot terminate the services of any pilot and the pilot cannot go on a strike as long as the matter was under conciliation, the RLC had said at that time.

The pilots withdrew their strike call on September 7 but went on mass sick leave to protest the sacking.

Jet pilots' stir enters day 2, over 150 flights cancelled

New Delhi: Over 150 domestic and overseas Jet Airways flights were cancelled after more than 400 pilots failed to report for work on the second day on Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded, even as the airline warned of stringent action if the cockpit crew did not call off the agitation.

As the stir continued, Jet chief Naresh Goyal met Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in Delhi and briefed him about the situation. Both Goyal and Patel declined to take queries from reporters after their hour-long discussion.

The Minister is understood to have conveyed to Goyal to take steps urgently to end the agitation.

As many as 153 flights, including 19 international, have been cancelled across the country as 432 out of 1056 pilots did not report for work today, a company spokesperson said in Mumbai. The total number of pilots includes 160 expats.

Earlier, Goyal warned that the airlines will be left with no option but to "sack more" if the agitators did not follow the company rules and procedures.

He made it clear that the company did not recognise the National Aviators Guild (NAG), spearheading the stir to demand reinstatement of some pilots who were sacked for forming the NAG, which claims a membership of 680.

Most of the morning flights of Jet were cancelled except those to Europe, the UK, North America and Singapore, airport sources said in Mumbai and Delhi.

Terming the agitation as "completely wrong and illegal", Goyal said the "pilots cannot hold the airlines, country and passengers to ransom".

Gujarat HC stays Tamang report on Ishrat encounter

AHMEDEBAD: The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday stayed metropolitan magistrate S P Tamang's report which had described as fake the police encounter in which alleged terror group operative Ishrat Jahan and three others were killed.

Acting on a a Gujarat government petition seeking a stay on the report, Justice Kalpesh Javheri said the observations made in the report were beyond the jurisdiction of the judicial magistrate.

Justice Javheri also ordered the appropriate authority of the high court to look into the actions of magistrate Tamang and take necessary action.

The next hearing of the case is on September 30. However, the court has given liberty to Ishrat's mother to produce the report before the three-member committee constituted by the High Court last month to investigate the encounter.

It further said the report can be considered as evidence by the committee.

The four persons, claimed to have been killed by the police in an encounter on the outskirts of the city on June 15, 2004 were Ishrat, Javed Ghulam Sheikh alias Pranesh Kumar Pillai, Amjad Ali alias Rajkumar Akbar Ali Rana and Jisan Johar Abdul Gani.

Terrorists cannot be killed in cold blood: Union Home Secy

New Delhi: The Ishrat Jahan killing in an alleged fake encounter took a new turn with a senior official in the Law Ministry removed from his post in the wake of controversy over the Centre's affidavit in the Gujarat High Court while the Home Ministry stuck to its guns that the four were suspects.

As a controversy raged over the killing of the four suspected terrorists by the Gujarat police in 2004, the Union Home Secretary G K Pillai, however, said that "terrorists cannot be killed in cold blood."

Highly-placed sources in the Law Ministry said that the Law Officer, who had failed to bring the affidavit to the notice of the ministry, has been removed. The sources, however, did not explain the nature of the action against the official.

The sources also said that the Home Ministry did not get the affidavit vetted by the Law Ministry before it was filed in the High Court in case arising out of a petition filed by Ishrat's mother against the police.

A magisterial probe into the killing of the four people in June, 2004 on the outskirts of Ahmedabad had on Monday concluded that the encounter was fake.

The Gujarat government had claimed on Tuesday that the encounter against the four alleged operatives of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was carried out on the basis of information given by central intelligence agencies.

"Whatever we have given in the affidavit is a fact available with the Home Ministry...we are not backtracking from the affidavit," Pillai told reporters in New Delhi.

CBI reconstitutes team probing Aarushi murder case

NEW DELHI: After failing to make any breakthrough in the sensational Aarushi-Hemraj murder case, the CBI has reconstituted its team of officials to go into the double murder.

The new team will be headed by SP, CBI Neelabh Krishna while joint director Lucknow Javed Ahmed and special director S C Sinha have been given supervisory roles. Other members of the team will be chosen on the recommendation of Ahmed and Sinha, CBI spokesperson said here today.

"This was necessitated as SP incharge Vijay Kumar was transferred and Arun Kumar joint director is going back to his cadre. joint director Lucknow Javed Ahmed and special director S C Sinha will be at the Supervisory level. The other members of team will be posted as per recommendations of the supervisory officers," he said.

Kumar, a 1985-batch IPS officer, will be joining his parent cadre Uttar Pradesh in November this year.

CBI officials maintain that the decision was taken because the present director believed that there should be complete decentralisation of the cases and this case should be investigated by CBI sleuths in Lucknow.

The new team was likely to start investigation right from scratch as now even the vaginal swab of 14-year-old Aarushi seems to have been misplaced or not taken at all.

They said there was no semen, as alleged initially, in the slides sent to the centre and corroborative testing revealed that the material was not drawn from Aarushi.

Sunil Dohere, a doctor, had taken vaginal swabs following Aarushi's murder on May 15, 2008. The doctor reported that the swabs contained a white discharge, suggestive of seminal fluid.

But, Dohere's senior, S C Singhal, later said the slides prepared from the swabs had tested negative for semen.

Aarushi was found murdered in her Noida home on May 15, 2008. Their domestic help Hemraj, initially suspected of the crime, was later found dead on the roof-top.

Indian Business News

RIL pushes Sensex up by 60 points

Mumbai: Led by market leader RIL, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Wednesday gained nearly 60 points to extend the winning steak to the fourth day in succession.

The 30-share index closed higher by 59.88 points at 16,183.55 after volatile trade on alternate bouts of trading. In four days of trading, Sensex has added 785.22 points.

Wider index Nifty on the National Stock Exchange rose by 9 points to 4,814.25.

Heavyweight Reliance Industries shot up by Rs 99.35 to Rs 2,174.50 as crude oil prices held their grounds which helped allay fears of company's revenue falling. RIL has more than 14 per cent weight on the Sensex.

Commodity stock Hindalco Industries, the biggest aluminum producer in the country, was another big gainer among the elite stocks at 4.14 per cent. Marketmen said the uptrend in base-metal prices in the London Metal Exchange was reflected commodity stocks.

Sterlite Industries, the biggest copper and zinc producer, also rose by 1.03 per cent.

Marketmen said a steep rise in Reliance Industries' stocks saved the market from ending in the negative zone despite a weakening trend in other Asian stock markets.

In the 30-BSE index stocks, 13 scrips closed higher, while 17 ended with losses.

They said the market was little jittery ahead of the weekly inflation data to be released tomorrow.

The oil and gas sector index gained the most by rising 2.36 per cent to 10,368 as refinery stocks of Reliance Industries, Essar Oil, Reliance Petro and Cairn India recorded handsome gains.

Raju is on life saving drugs:Police

Hyderabad: Former Chairman of Satyam Computers B Ramalinga Raju is being administered life saving drugs for heart ailment in NIMS hospital here, Chanchalguda Jail authorities said on Wednesday.

"The Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) have sent a medical report on the various tests conducted on Raju, stating that doctors are giving life saving injections to him for treating cardiac ailment and he needs to be in the hospital for a few more days," Chanchalguda Jail Superintendent M Chandrasekhar said.

"I received the medical report of Raju this afternoon wherein the doctors have informed that Raju needs more rest," the Jail official said, adding the doctors attending on him did not specifically mention on how many days' rest and treatment Raju needs.

Raju, who was admitted in NIMS on Monday evening with chest pain, suffered a heart attack and the treatment is continuing in Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU), NIMS Medical Superintendent said.

51% India Inc back on hiring trail

New Delhi: Job prospects for professionals and managers have brightened as over half of the companies in the country have begun hiring, a global survey has said.

According to a quarterly survey by global recruitment firm Antal International, the percentage of companies in India hiring professionals and managers has rebounded to 51 per cent currently, after a dramatic fall to 29 per cent at the beginning of 2009.

“As a result job prospects for professionals and managers in India are now better than global average,” the survey said.

Globally, the current hiring levels have also improved to 50 per cent now from 46 per cent in April.

Hiring outlook for the next three months also looks promising, with as many as 66 per cent Indian companies expecting to recruit.

Moreover, the job cuts are expected to drop to 21 per cent over the next quarter.

“After a substantial dip in hiring levels at the start of 2009, confidence seems to have returned to the Indian job market in a dramatic fashion. Two thirds of the businesses we spoke to are already in the process of hiring for the next quarter,” Antal International India Managing Partner Joseph Devasia said.

Indian Sports News|Sports News

Vijender a win away from creating another history

New Delhi: More than a year after he broke India's Olympic jinx in boxing, Vijender Singh is just a win away from ensuring the country's maiden World Championship medal after advancing to the quarterfinals with a hard-fought win in Milan, Italy.

The Olympic bronze medal-winning middle weight pugilist, who is seeded number one in the event, joined compatriot Dinesh Kumar (81kg) in the last-eight stage with a 4-2 win over Canadian Steve Rolls late last night.

"It was low scoring and there were some tense moments but I am happy to have come out on top in the end," Vijender said from Milan.

The Haryana-boxer was trailing 0-1 in the opening round but drew form his experience and long reach to get the better of his rival.

"The scoring was tough but the support that I got from my team, coaches and the fans here was enough to keep me focused," he said.

Vijender landed a couple of straight punches to end the second round 2-1 up. In the third round, Vijender increased his lead by a couple of more points and spent the final few seconds of the bout dodging his opponent with intelligent footwork and sharp jabs.

"I know I am on the verge of another historic first but I am not nervous and feeling quite confident about winning my next bout," the 23-year-old world number two, who takes on Ukraine's Sergiy Derevyanchenko in the last-eight stage later tonight, said.

"I have never competed against this Sergiy. He comes from a country that has a good reputation internationally but I am confident about my game. I am in good form and feeling fit.

Bhupathi-Knowles, Paes-Dlouhy in semis

Wednesday, Sep 09, 2009: hrs Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner Mark Knowles of Bahamas outwitted Croatian Ivan Ljubicic and Frenchman Michael Llodra in the men's doubles quarter final at US Open here.

Bhupathi and Knowles seeded third beat Ljubicic and Llodra 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 in the quarter-finals at the Flushing Meadows to book their berth in the semi-final.

The pair have now joined Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, who moved into the semi-final of the men's doubles earlier today.

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy moved into the men’s doubles semi-finals after a tough win in three sets over Wesley Moodie of South Africa and Belgian Dick Norman. The Indo-Czech duo had earlier beaten the pair in the final of the French Open this year, and on Tuesday, they had to fight back strongly after the seventh seeds ensured the match would go into a decisive third set.

However, Paes and Dlouhy stayed steady for a 6-3 5-7 6-4 win. Paes will also face Moodie in the Davis Cup playoff in South Africa in a week’s time. The Paes-Dlouhy pair will now meet top seeded Bob and Mike Bryan of United States in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, second seeded pair of Leander Paes and Zimbabwean Cara Black, booked their birth in mixed doubles final of the US Open by beating 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 the fifth seeded pair of Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Kevin Ullyett, Zimbabwe, in the semifinals.

Paes and Black earlier secured a berth in the semifinal of the mixed doubles category defeating Australian-Swede combination of Rennae Stubbs and Robert Lindstedt 7-5 3-6 10-6.

Sehwag's absence is a huge loss: Kirsten

CHENNAI: The number one spot well within its sight, India's coach Gary Kirsten on Wednesday said the team would draw inspiration from its past success in Sri Lanka as it copes with the "huge" loss of not having explosive opener Virender Sehwag for the tri-series in the island nation.

The Indian team, on Wednesday, left for Sri Lanka for the tri-series that also features New Zealand and Kirsten said not having Sehwag, who is ruled out due to a shoulder injury, in the side is quite a blow.

Asked who would be opening the innings with Gautam Gambhir, Kirsten said, "We are not sure about the combination. We would decide it on the day of the game. But obviously, missing Sehwag is huge. He is a high quality player and any team would love to have him in the mix. But we have got a lot of depth in the team."

However, Kirsten was quite excited about Rahul Dravid's return to the team after being out for close to two years.

"It's great to have him. With the sort of experience he brings, it's going to help the team. It's great," he said.

A clean-sweep in the short series would catapult India to the top of the ICC ODI rankings and Kirsten said being the best in the world is high on the team's list of targets for the next eight months.

"We have set our goals. One of them is to be the best cricket team in the world. We are headed that way and we are very excited. We know we have to perform well as we continue the quest to be the best," Kirsten said.

The team enjoyed a welcome break after a gruelling first half of the year and Kirsten said having the Corporate Trophy just a few days ahead of the tri-series will ensure that the players don't turn up rusty in Sri Lanka.

"I think it was great to have a six-week break followed by the Corporate Trophy. It gave the players games before a big series. We might have been a bit rusty but the Corporate Trophy has helped," he said.

Asked about the team's chances in the tri-series, Kirsten said, "We won the last two series in Sri Lanka and we are confident. But we think ahead and don't harp on the results of the past."

"We have got a good batting line-up which is quite flexible in the middle. We would like to mix it up during the series," he said.

"We have got a very good run in One-day cricket. We have got good depth in the side and the younger players have proved themselves," he added.

Latest News India

HC restrains Jet Airways pilots from striking work

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court restrained the pilots' union of Jet Airways from any strike. Around 400 pilots of Jet Airways have gone on mass sick leave protesting the sacking of two of their colleagues.

Jet Airways moved the High Court saying that under the Industrial Disputes Act going on strike while conciliation proceedings are underway was prohibited.

Jet's lawyer senior counsel Harish Salve argued that going on mass sick leave was tantamount to going on strike. Since no lawyer from the union's side was present, a division bench of Chief Justice Swantanter Kumar and A M Khanwilkar issued them a notice seeking reply within two weeks.

Jet seeks DGCA intervention as 350 pilots report sick

New Delhi: Jet Airways sought the intervention of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to resolve the issue relating to its pilots failing to report to work in protest against the sacking of two of their senior colleagues.

The private air-carrier has approached the aviation industry regulator to intervene and resolve the issue, an airline source said.

According to the source, Jet Airways Chairman, Naresh Goyal called up National Aviator's Guild (NAG) President, Girish Kaushik, late last night asking him to persuade the pilots not to proceed on mass casual leave.

The Guild is the pilots union in Jet Airways.

"Goyal called up NAG President Kaushik last night and requested him to persuade the pilots not to proceed on leave and that he would take back the two pilots," the source said.

Goyal also asked for the disbandment of the union, which, however, was not agreed to by Kaushik, the source said.

However, the union insisted that Goyal must give his assurance in writing which he did not, saying that "you take my word," the source said.

Jet secures restraining order against any strike

Mumbai:Stung by more than half of its pilots taking mass sick leave that forced cancellation of about 190 flights by 1400 hrs, Jet Airways on Tuesday termed the agitation as illegal and secured a restraining order from Bombay High Court against any strike.

"The Bombay High Court has passed an order restraining any kind of strike," Jet CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said and added that all possible efforts were being taken to save passengers from inconvenience and restore normalcy.

As many as 156 domestic and 32 international flights were cancelled by 1400 hrs, he said, adding that the airline operates a total of 380 flights a day including 80 overseas.

"We were assured by the National Aviators Guild last night that there would be no strike and we went by this assurance. But, we were shocked by the mass sick leave by about 360 pilots... it is nothing but a simulated strike," he said.

The Jet pilots have been protesting the sacking of two of their colleagues by the management for reportedly joining the guild.

Asked what action the management would take against the striking pilots and if the two sacked pilots could be reinstated, Prock-Shauer said: "The matter is on in the Labour Commission and we would not like to comment."

Ishrat's family demands stringent punishment for guilty cops

Ahmedabad: The mother of Ishrat Jahan, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter by Gujarat Police in 2004, demanded stringent punishment to all those involved in the killing of her daughter.

A day after her daughter was absolved of the charges by an Ahmedabad metropolitan magistrate, Shamima Jahan alleged that Ishrat, a student of Mumbai's Khalsa College, was eliminated as part of a 'cold blooded conspiracy' by police.

Right from Mumbra Police, who picked up Ishrat from her home, to their counterparts in Ahmedabad, who 'killed her in cold blood', everyone did it for publicity, she alleged.

Shamima told the news conference that the career of her other children got ruined as their family was ostracised.

"I cannot explain the trauma we had to undergo (because of the stigma of being associated with a terrorist). My other children wanted to pursue their studies but could not," she said.

"We stand vindicated. We had known from the very beginning that Ishrat is innocent and that the police killed her as part of a well-hatched conspiracy. She loved her country like anybody else," Ishrat's sister Mushrat said.

"We want all those responsible for bringing upon us the tragedy to get the most stringent of punishments," Shamima said, adding the family would not at least have to live in ignominy although a deep sense of loss will be always there.

They said they might explore 'legal options' to seek action against the perpetrators, but did not elaborate. In his report on Monday, metropolitan magistrate S P Tamang had absolved Ishrat of the charge of having links with Lashker-e-Taiba and held that several senior police officers were involved in the 'fake' encounter in which she along with three others were felled.

Modi could be heading for bigger trouble: Moily

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would have been in "some other place" if the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter had taken place in a foreign country, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said on Tuesday.

He told reporters that Modi could be headed for bigger trouble as "there are many such cases which are coming up now. If more investigations are conducted, more skeletons may tumble".

Noting that the law will take its own course, he said the revelations in the Ishrat Jahan encounter was a "very serious matter for the country and....any other foreign country, Narendra Modi would have been in some other place".

Terming the incident as "most unfortunate", Moily said, "many things are done brutally and inhuman things are being done".

His comments came a day after a judicial probe said the encounter in which college girl Ishrat Jahan and three others were gunned down in 2004 was fake and executed in cold blood by police officers for selfish motives after the four were suspected to be on a mission to "kill" Modi.

Indian Business News

Sensex rises, Nifty crosses 4,800-mark

Mumbai: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex jumped over 100 to close at 16,123.67, which is 100 per cent gain from its lowest level this year.

Extending the gains for the third day in a row, the 30- share Sensex advanced by 107.35 poins to close at 16,123.67.

Following the global financial turmoil, the markets had lunged to 8,047.17 points on March 6.

Investor sentiment today got a further boost from positive trends across Asia. Besides, expectations of strong quarterly earnings and signs of a stability in global economy bolstered their confidence.

In similar fashion, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty crossed the crucial 4,800-point level to lose higher by 22.35 points at 4,805.25.

Buying was more or less confined to fundamentally strong stocks. As many as 15 shares in the 30-BSE index closed with significant gains, while the other 15 closed lower. Hindalco, Sterlite were the two big gainers at 6.05 per cent and 4.78 per cent respectively. Market leader Reliance was up by 3.73 per cent.

RBI to introduce 100 cr Rs 10 plastic notes

New Delhi: Soiled notes may soon be a thing of past with the Reserve Bank planning to introduce Rs 10 polymer banknotes whose life span would be 4 times the normal currency notes and would be difficult to imitate.

The apex bank has initially decided to introduce 100 crore pieces of Rs 10 polymer notes, for which it has floated a global tender, a senior central bank official said.

Indian Sports News|Sports News

Samaraweera’s resuce act props up Lanka

Colombo: Thilan Samaraweera's maiden limited-overs century helped save Sri Lanka from a disastrous start and lift them to a competitive 216-7 against New Zealand on Tuesday in the opening match of the tri-nation series which also features India.

Coming on to bat with his team struggling on 22-3 Samaraweera remained at the crease despite losing two batting partners in quick succession before settling down with Angelo Mathews for a 127-run partnership, a record stand for the sixth wicket between the two sides.

Samaraweera, regarded as a Test specialist and not considered for limited-over matches for almost four years, was eventually bowled by seamer Ian Butler for 104. He faced 124 balls and hit 10 boundaries.

Mathews brought up his second limited-overs fifty and was out for 51 runs off 60 balls bowled by seam bowler Shane Bond. Mathews' innings included four boundaries.

Sri Lanka's captain Kumar Sangakkara earlier won the toss and opted to bat first, hoping to build a big total on a R.Premadasa Stadium pitch which normally helps the bowlers under lights.

But his openers failed and the middle order crumbled under pressure as the hosts lost five wickets for 69 runs. New Zealand's bowlers conceded just 38 runs in the first 15 overs.

Seam bowler Daryl Tuffey, playing his first international on tour, broke through in the first over bowling Tillakeratne Dilshan for four.

Mahela Jayawardene then departed without scoring in the next over caught by Ross Taylor at slip off Bond. Sanath Jayasuriya struggled to score against some tight bowling and finally perished trying to force the ball over third-man, caught by Butler.

Explaining the rationale for introduction of polymer notes, the official said, these notes would have an average life span of 5 years compared to one year for the currency notes.

Besides, the official said, these notes are cleaner than paper notes and it would be difficult to counterfeit the currency.

The polymer notes were first introduced in Australia to safeguard against counterfeiting of currency.

Besides Australia, other countries which have introduced plastic notes include New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Bermuda, Brunei and Vietnam.

Bhupathi, Paes march on, enter mixed doubles semis

New York: Ace Indian players Leander Peas and Mahesh Bhupathi have entered the semi-finals of the mixed doubles of the US Open with their respective partners.

Leander Paes and Cara Black of Zimbabwe beat Rennae Stubbs and Robert Lindstedt to enter the mixed doubles semi-finals.

Mahesh Bhupathi and his mixed doubles partner Liezel Huber of USA beat eighth Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nenad Zimonjic in a straight set of 6-4, 6-3 to make it to the semi finals.

Bhupathi and Huber will play against the unseeded pair of Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott in the semi-final.

Both Paes and Bhupathi have also entered the quarterfinals of the men’s double championship with their respective partners. Paes and Lukas Dlouhy defeated the Austrian duo of Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-4. They now play against the seventh-seeded South Africa's Wesley Moodie and Belgium''s Dick Norman in the fourth round.

Indian Latest News

Delay in India-Pak talks will help terrorists: Gilani

KARACHI/BANGALORE: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that delay in resuming India-Pakistan talks will only help terrorists in achieving their nefarious designs.

Pakistan wants equity-based relations with India and resumption of the composite dialogue at the earliest, he said, while speaking to reporters in Karachi after inaugurating a housing scheme for low income people.

India had frozen the composite dialogue process in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that New Delhi has blamed on elements operating from Pakistan.

New Delhi has consistently maintained that the talks could resume only after Islamabad took tangible action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.

India has also said it has provided Pakistan with adequate evidence of the involvement of its nationals in the Nov 26-29, 2008 attacks that held the city to ransom for over 60 hours.

India reiterated this Saturday, with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna saying Pakistan had been given "enough proof" to prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders for masterminding the Mumbai terror attacks.

"Our dossier(s) contain enough proof to nail the (Mumbai attack) accused," Krishna told reporters in Bangalore.

"We have the names (of terrorists) involved in the Mumbai attacks and have sent them to Pakistan and it is but natural that they should be arrested and punished accordingly," he maintained.

India has given six dossiers to Pakistan over the attacks. LeT chief Hafiz Saeed is viewed as the mastermind of the carnage.

Saeed had been placed under house arrest in December after the UN proscribed the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) that the LeT had morphed into after being banned after the Dec 13, 2001 terror attack on the Indian parliament that was blamed on the terror group.

The Lahore High Court had freed him in June, citing insufficient evidence to warrant his continued detention.

The Pakistani Supreme Court has indefinitely put off a hearing of a plea against Saeed's release.

Pak is epicentre of terror in the region: Krishna

Bangalore: Accusing Pakistan of not being serious in punishing perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said on Saturday that India has provided enough evidence for their prosecution.

He also made it clear that Pakistan was to be blamed for the suspension of the composite dialogue after the 26/11 terror strikes and said it has to take the initiative for the resumption of the process.

"According to legal experts, the six dossiers which we have provided to Pakistan contain enough evidence against the conspirators, abettors and perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to get them punished in a court of law," he told reporters here.

"If Pakistan were to be serious about taking the logical steps to punish those responsible for the attack on India or Mumbai, this is an instance that they can show to the world and India that they are serious," he said.

The Minister said India has given to Pakistan the names and other details of those involved in the strikes in Mumbai.

"It is but natural that they should arrest all those and bring them to justice," he said.

Krishna said New Delhi will keep engaging Pakistan on the "logical follow up" that should be taken. "We expect that it will be done," he said.

Asked about Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's remarks that India is not coming forward for resumption of talks, Krishna said, "India was happily continuing with its composite dialogue till the Mumbai attacks which abruptly ended, temporarily, the composite dialogue."

India slams attack on Indian priests in Pashupatinath

Bangalore: Minister of External Affairs (MEA) SM Krishna on Saturday reacted strongly to the attack on two Indian priests of the famous Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, and asked Nepal Government to ensure safety and security of the priests.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Krishna said “The Government of India is in touch with the Nepal Government and asked it to ensure security to the priests of Pashupatinath Temple.”

Krishna said that the authorities of the Pashupatinath Area Development Board informed him that, the Board has also put security cover in and around the temple premises and also provided security to the priests.

Krishna also said, “India shares historical bond with Nepal, in Kashi the priest from Nepal perform the poojas and in Pashupatinath it is the Indian priests. It is a tradition being followed from centuries.”

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“The Maoist elements in that country are pressurizing the Nepalese Government and temple authorities against the continuing the tradition,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Kathmandu, taking a serious view of the incident, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood took the matter with Nepal Home Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Culture Minister Sarat Singh Bhandari on Saturday.

The Nepal Ministers have assured Sood that steps will be taken to ensure safety of the priests.

Earlier, it was reported that, two priests –Girish Bhatt and Raghavendra Bhatt belonging to the Karnataka -- were severely thrashed and their clothes and sacred thread cut by dozens of Maoists on Thursday in Kathmandu. The priests were badly injured in the attack.

YSR chopper’s black box found

Hyderabad: The ''Black Box'' or the flight voice recorder of the Bell 430-chopper which crashed on Wednesday on the Pavurala Gutta of Nallamallah forest area, killing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy, had been found by the police.

The Black Box will be handed over to the five-member enquiry committee appointed by the Director General of Civil Aviation, which is likely to visit the crash site on Saturday.

The DGCA team has been asked to submit the report within two months. Meanwhile, a case of unnatural death has been registered at Atmakur police station following a complaint by a local revenue official. The police booked a case under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (IPC).

Reddy's Bell 430 chopper went missing on Wednesday morning at about 9.35 and could only be located on Thursday morning following a night long search operation by different units of security personnel including Army's Commandos, Air Force's Sukhoi-30, and 5,000 CRPF personnel.

Reddy's chopper wreckage was discovered atop a hill about 40 nautical miles from Kurnool town.

Along with YSR, four others-- Dr P Subramanium, the Special Secretary to the Chief Minister; ASC Wesley, Chief Security Officer and two pilots Group Captain SK Bhatia and Captain MS Reddy-died in the crash.

Air India fire scare: pilots ‘de-rostered’

Mumbai: The pilots of the Riyadh bound Air India flight (AI-829) whose engine caught fire in the Mumbai International Airport have been de-rostered on Saturday.

According to reports, Director General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Nazeem Zaldi, has confirmed that the pilots have been de-rostered.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that preliminary reports of the four-member in-house committee, which has been set up to probe the incident, suggest that there have been lapses on part of the pilots.

Nearly 200 passengers were onboard the flight, when the aircraft's left engine caught fire while taking off.

Many passengers who had suffered bruises and cuts while sliding down from the chutes, who were immediately taken to the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) casualty centre and given first aid.

Indian business News

New Delhi: The country's biggest car maker Maruti Suzuki India said it would shift some of its car production from its Gurgaon plant to the new facility at Manesar in a phased manner.

"The Gurgaon plant will be gradually changed to a base for engine assembly and machining, while automobile assembly will be integrated at Manesar plant," the company said in a statement.

It, however did not specify production of which of the models would be shifted from the plant.

The Gurgaon plant produces mainly M800, Omni, Versa and Gypsy. The company has a production capacity of 6.2 lakh units at its three plants in Gurgaon producing other models, including Alto, Wagon R, Estilo, Ritz, and Gypsy.

The Manesar facility of the company, which manufactures A-Star, SX4, Swift and Swift DZiRE, has a capacity of three lakh units a year.

The decision to shift production was taken during Suzuki Motor Corp's Chairman and Suzuki's CEO visit to India to attend MSI's annual general meeting, it said.

MSI had scaled up its overall production capacity to one million units this year from the two facilities at Gurgaon and Manesar.

The Gurgaon Plant was constructed in early 1970's and had been refurbished and modified before Maruti Udyog began production in 1983.

Manmohan meets WTO trade ministers

New Delhi:Visiting trade ministers of more than 30 countries including US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and WTO director general Pascal Lamy met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

During the meeting, the ministers held a discussion regarding various vital issues. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Pascal Lamy said that that certain differences existed between rich countries and developing nations.

"They (differences between rich and developing countries) remain the tough nut to crack in the negotiations and we shouldn't underestimate this, what happened during last two days is the reality check. Do they (rich and developing countries) have the political will to conclude unanimously? The answer is yes and this ''yes'' was extremely clear from the least developed countries, African Union," Lamy added.

Lamy further said that new commitments were needed to solve various issues between developing and developed nations.

"A new layer of rules and market opening commitments is what this planet needs and the more we will go into the negotiations the more the views will share by developing countries," Lamy added.

Key trade ministers agreed to re-launch the stalled World Trade Organisation's Doha talks with intensified negotiations later this month.

The negotiators will hold the meeting for a week beginning September 14. Meanwhile, activists of various Left organizations staged a protest in Kolkata against the ongoing ministerial meeting of key WTO member.

Activist accused the WTO of following imperialistic policies. "Every time we are opposing the imperialist design of the WTO, they have taken steps against the sovereignty of our country and third world countries," said Rabin Deb, a communist leader.

Indian Sports News|Sports News

Sania out of doubles, Bhupathi in mixed doubles 2nd Rd

New York: Sania Mirza crashed out of the women's doubles event after losing a thriller but Mahesh Bhupathi ensured the smooth sailing of Indians in mixed doubles advancing to the second round of the US Open at the Flushing Meadows in New York.

Fourteenth seeds Sania and Francesca Schiavone of Italy made a smart recovery from a set down but failed to deliver at crucial points in the decider to lose 2-6, 6-1, 5-7 against the unseeded duo of Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Shahar Peer of Israel in a 125-minute second round match.

The opening set saw Dulko and Peer having the upper hand in service by firing three aces while Sania and Schiavone struggled with their serves as they dropped two of them to give away the first set 2-6 in 27 minutes.

The Indo-Italian pair staged a fine recovery in the second set as they tightened their service game and engaged their rivals in long rallies which they won most of the time.

Sania and Schiavone broke Dulko and Peer twice in the second set while giving them no chance to do the same. Both the pairs reserved their best for the decider which lasted 68 minutes. Sania and Schiavone smashed three aces but they still failed to win the crucial points.

With most of the games being stretched to deuces, breaks points changed sides and Dulko and Peer converted more of them than their Indo-American opponents. Dulko and Peer converted two of the nine break points, while Sania and Schiavone won one of the seven that came their way.

Australia win despite English lower order resistance

London: Two weeks after losing the Ashes, Australia beat England by four runs in the first of their seven one-day internationals on Friday night.

England's spinners did well to restrict Australia to 260-5 at The Oval but the tourists got an even firmer grip on the English run rate until a late flourish dragged the home side to 256-8.

England was jeered by the crowd for its slow scoring before a seventh-wicket blitz of 46 from 33 balls from Luke Wright and Adil Rashid made the score competitive.

Mitchell Johnson took three wickets in a 13-ball spell that cost just five runs to finish with 3-24. The target had looked attainable on a slow pitch but England quickly fell behind Australia's scoring rate as none of the top-order batsmen could build a game-changing score.

Only Wright, with 38 from 27 balls, Rashid and No. 10 batsman Ryan Sidebottom seemed to fully get to grips with the conditions and situation.

In a sign of the difficulty facing batsmen on both sides, the only six of the match came from Wright in the 41st over of England's innings.

Ravi Bopara was the home team's leading scorer with a sluggardly 49 off 88 balls but his miserable summer, which included just 105 runs in seven Ashes innings and omission from England's series-deciding victory, continued with a stumping off the bowling of Nathan Hauritz.

England had lost captain Andrew Strauss (12), only playing because of the injury sustained in training by Joe Denly, and dawdled to 83-1 when Johnson at point plucked a reverse sweep by Matthew Prior out of the air to get rid of the No. 3 for 28.

Indian Latest News

Thousands gather for YSR's funeral procession

HYDERABAD: The last journey of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy began from his house in Begumpet here after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and a host of party leaders paid homage to the departed leader, who died in an air crash on Wednesday.

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi also accompanied Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi for YSR's funeral.

The leaders, who flew in from New Delhi, reached the chief minister's camp office in Begumpet and paid their floral tributes to the mortal remains of YSR, as the chief minister was popularly known.

Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi laid wreaths on the body. They consoled YSR's wife Vijayalakshmi, son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, daughter Sharmila and other family members. The leaders, who were accompanied by nearly a dozen central ministers, also wrote their condolence messages in a book.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Narayan Dutt Tiwari and central ministers including P Chidambaram, AK Antony, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Praful Patel, Salman Khursheed, Prithvi Raj Chauhan and Veerappa Moily paid their last respects.

Later the body was wrapped in a tri-colour and kept in an open army truck decorated with flowers for taking it to Gandhi Bhavan--State Headquarters of Congress in Nampally here as thousands of mourners chanting Reddy's name followed the vehicle.

Reddy's son Jagan Mohan, Rajya Sabha member and close aide of Reddy, K V P Ramchandra Rao and Congress MP Mohammed Azharuddin were among those who stood near the casket carrying Reddy's body with hundreds of police personnel surrounding the truck.

Thousands of supporters also lined up on both sides of the road to accompany YSR's body to LBS stadium.

State and Central government offices, shops and commercial establishments across Andhra Pradesh remained closed in view of the state mourning announced after Reddy's death in a chopper crash.

The last rites of Reddy will be held with full state honours at his native place Pulivendula at 5 pm today.

Prior to it, his body will be kept in state at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium till about 2 pm, allowing the general public and the political leadership to pay their last homage. It will then be flown to his native village in Cuddapah district for final rites.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday mourned the tragic death of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, describing him as a dynamic leader and role model who worked for the welfare of farmers and weaker sections.

Terming it as a personal loss, the Prime Minister said Reddy was a "role model" and an outstanding leader with a tireless commitment to serve the people.

In his message to Reddy's widow Vijaya Lakshmi, Singh said Reddy worked for the masses, especially the poor and under-privileged, and described him as a "valued colleague on whom I depended for support and ideas".

Praising Reddy as a "natural leader", the Prime Minister said he would be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the development of Andhra Pradesh and his administrative acumen.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi recalled that ahead of the assembly and general elections this year, while the party was concerned about the outcome, Reddy was confident that Congress would return to power.

"Some of us were concerned but throughout Rajasekharaji was firm and he kept telling us : trust me, I know the people of Andhra. I and my colleagues have done tremendous work for the state and we will come back victorious", Gandhi, accompanied by the Prime Minister, told reporters after the Congress Working Committee met to condole Reddy's demise.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and political leaders paid glowing tributes to Reddy while many states declared mourning as a mark of respect to the leader killed in a helicopter crash.

Lightning may have hit YSR chopper

HYDERABAD: Though the exact sequence of events leading to the crash of the helicopter carrying Rajasekhara Reddy is not yet fully clear, sources aver that it was a lightning strike that led to the immobilisation of the flight.

Although the lightning did not down the helicopter, it led to the onboard systems including the altimeter going awry. A helicopter flies by looking at the land below but this was not possible because visibility was reduced to zero in the midst of the torrential rains.

With the altimeter having failed, the pilot had no clue where he was flying to. From here on it took probably a few minutes for the low-flying helicopter to stray 18 km from its flight path and hit a cliff in the Nallamala forest about 14 metres below the peak. The helicopter then exploded and broke down into pieces.

The five occupants of the fateful flight were burnt, their bodies charred beyond recognition and their limbs dismembered. In the end, the bodies were identified from their clothes. However, the body of P Subramanyam, the special secretary, was found intact. The crash was 10 km from Rudrakodur in Kurnool district, 40 nautical miles from Kurnool town.

It was not that the top brass of the state did not have a clue to what could have happened. But nobody wanted to believe the worst and say it in so many words.” The weather forecast had warned of heavy rain and formation of Cb clouds (that leads to lightning). The weather report had been sought and obtained by the chief minister's office (CMO). The pilots should have refused to take off. But the presence of the VVIP must have made them tongue-tied,” source said.

The grim details about the violent end of the occupants of the chopper was disclosed here officially on Thursday morning by finance minister and now chief minister K Rosaiah. This was much after home minister had informed the media about YSR's death —based on information from the Andhra Pradesh government. “An IAF helicopter spotted the wreckage of the CM's chopper around 8.30 am,” Rosaiah said. The search helicopter had gone there based on identification of the place that the crash could have taken place. This was based on an SMS message sent to the chief security officer's cellphone, which curiously enough showed a received message confirmation.

So hostile was the terrain that army commandos had to be dropped down (the helicopter could not land) to pick up the bodies. They were able to retrieve three bodies with great difficulty. The fourth body took a little more time and the last heavily charred body took one hour to be located. “By that time, the bodies had also decomposed very quickly due to the adverse weather conditions,” Rosaiah said.

The bodies were taken to Kurnool for post-mortem. Kurnool Medical College senior professor M Malakondiah, who supervised the post-mortem on the five bodies, said YSR's head was crushed beyond recognition. After the post-mortem in Kurnool, the bodies were flown to Hyderabad and handed over to the respective families.

Delhi yet to decide, state Cong chorus loud & clear: Son as CM

Hyderabad/New Delhi: The Congress high command on Thursday night deferred the potentially fractious exercise to choose late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's successor as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister but its unit in the state came out in a groundswell of support for his son Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as the next CM.

While a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party is scheduled to elect his successor only after the seven-day mourning period, the state Cabinet passed a resolution today urging the central leadership to name YRS’s son the next CM.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Danam Nagender said 118 MLAs — of the 156 — have signed a letter with that demand. Small Scale Industries Minister D K Aruna said that when Rajiv Gandhi could be made Prime Minister after the death of Indira Gandhi, “why not Jagan Mohan after YSR?” These MLAs plan to submit their petition to Congress President Sonia Gandhi who along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to arrive in Hyderabad tomorrow.

Among the thousands gathered at Begumpet Airport and outside the CM’s residence right through the day today, there were several holding placards reading “We want Y S Jagan as CM.” A group of at least 12 MPs, led by Vundavalli Arun Kumar, MP from Rajahmundry, gathered in the Lake View Government Guest House even as the CM’s body was being airlifted to Hyderabad from Kurnool.

The MPs called up several MLAs to seek their opinion and by evening, just before the bodies arrived, their demand was official: Jaganmohan Reddy should be the next Chief Minister. This despite the fact that Finance Minister K Rosaiah took oath as interim Chief Minister.

Heli-pilot speaks up: VIPs, please let us fly

Srinagar/New Delhi:The mishap that killed Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others happened in conditions seen in 60 per cent of all fatal helicopter crashes in India. Of the 35 civilian helicopter accidents in India between 1990 and 2009, not including the one on Wednesday morning, 12 were fatal; and in seven of these, poor visibility and bad weather — technically referred to as the loss of visual reference in flight — were to blame.

YSR’s chopper took off in rain, and headed in the direction of bad weather. While it is still not known under what circumstances the decision to fly was made, helicopter pilots and civil aviation experts say pilots are often under pressure to operate under conditions whose risks their bosses or clients do not fully comprehend.

“VIPs tend to ignore aviation rules while flying and mostly overrule pilots’ warnings,” a veteran pilot and civil aviation expert told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity.

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“Most fatal accidents have happened because of ignoring weather conditions and delaying decision-making (on either attempting an emergency landing or returning to the point of departure) by those flying the aircraft,” said retired Air Vice Marshal K Sridharan, founder and president of Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), a New Delhi-based non-profit organisation that keeps detailed data on helicopter accidents.

Wing Commander (retd) S Katoch, Chief Pilot and Director, Civil Aviation Department of the Jammu and Kashmir government, said civilian aircraft on private flights would continue to be at risk of fatal accidents until state governments standardize their civil aviation departments, free them from non-technical bureaucratic cobwebs, and ensure that politicians do not directly or indirectly pressure pilots to fly in marginal weather or when the airworthiness of the aircraft is not beyond doubt.

YSR death triggers ugly CM race

HYDERABAD: The body of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is yet to be laid to rest, but mourning in Hyderabad has given way to ugly power politics with the deceased chief minister's loyalists on Thursday unleashing a strident campaign for making his son Jaganmohan Reddy the new chief minister.

The campaign — quite unprecedented for the vulgar haste with which it has been mounted — reached a crescendo by evening when K Rosaiah was sworn in as interim CM. The erstwhile YSR cabinet in the presence of new CM Rosaiah passed a resolution on Thursday evening demanding that Jagan -- just 100 days into formal politics -- be made the new CM.

"Jagan knew the mind of Rajasekhara Reddy. He alone can finish the unfulfilled agenda of his father," said government chief whip Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka who is marshalling the MLAs in favour of Jagan. Analysts said that more than Jagan it's the lobby that gained from YSR that wants the son to take over the reins of the state, with a view to perpetuate status quo.

Congress sources in Delhi, however, said the high command was taking a dim view of this unseemly strong-arm tactic to push through Jagan as CM. They threw up other names as possible successor: Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy, minister of state for defence Pallam Raju, NTR's daughter and junior Union minister Purandeshwari Devi and acting CM K Rosaiah.

The day of dramatic developments began soon after it became clear that Rajasekhara Reddy had perished in the helicopter crash. Minutes after the bodies were recovered, the "Jagan-as-CM" campaign picked up momentum. Almost all the state ministers, about 22 MPs and several Congress legislators pitched Jagan's case to the media even as hundreds of party workers gathered at the secretariat, CM's camp office, Gandhi Bhavan and various traffic intersections vocally making a similar demand.

By the afternoon, the Jagan group met Union law minister M Veerappa Moily at the Lake View guest house in pursuance of their demand even as many Congress MLAs faxed individual memorandum to the party headquarters in New Delhi in support of Jagan as CM.

By the evening, minutes after K Rosaiah was sworn in as chief minister, the Jagan loyalists met governor N D Tiwari and submitted a list of 122 signatures in support of him being made the chief minister. According to sources, there was even an attempt to pressure the governor to swear in Jagan as acting CM immediately, but that was abandoned as Rosaiah had already been sworn in by the time the loyalists reached Raj Bhavan.

Analysts said that the Jagan camp realised that there would be a power struggle for the CM's post and therefore decided to make the pitch first. An ungainly battle is imminent as there are many other aspirants for the CM's post including Rajya Sabha members V Hanumantha Rao and K Keshava Rao, apart from Jaipal Reddy, Pallam Raju and Purandeshwari Devi.

Jagan, 36, is a first time MP from Kadapa and is merely 100 days old in politics. While Veerappa Moily made it clear that Rosaiah was only an interim CM and that the Congress high command will chose YSR's successor in the next few days, the Jagan votaries seem ready to take on the central leadership on the issue.

Charred bodies in wreckage identified only by clothing

HYDERABAD: After an anxious, dark and stormy night, the first hours of Thursday morning confirmed the worst. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy's helicopter had crashed, killing the 60-year-old Congress leader and four other occupants.

The country's biggest-ever search operation, launched soon after the Bell-430 chopper fell off the radar on Wednesday morning, yielded results about 24 hours later, when an IAF helicopter spotted the mangled wreckage on a hillside in the Nallamala forests. Earlier, reconnaisance aircraft had detected the crash site but rescue and search teams had to wait for the sun to come up and the rain to thin out before trying to spot the wreckage.

Most bodies were charred beyond recognition and their limbs were dismembered. In the end, bodies were identified from pieces of clothing that clung to the burnt skin. However, the body of P Subramanyam, CM's principal secretary, had remained intact.

As the state went into convulsions of grief, soldiers deployed to reach the mangled remains of the copter, which broke and exploded in flames after hitting a hillside 14 metres below its peak, were confronted by hostile and inaccesible terrain.

"An IAF helicopter spotted the wreckage of the CM's chopper around 8.30am," said interim chief minister K Rosiah, confirming YSR's death. An IAF team from Bangalore had gone there after the site was picked based on information gleaned by analysing an SMS message sent to the CM's chief security officer's cellphone. Chief secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said five helicopters and two IAF aircraft started the search operations at 6.25am on Thursday.

"By that time the bodies had also decomposed very quickly due to the adverse weather conditions," Rosiah said.

So hostile was the terrain that Army commandos had to rappel down from helicopters and the bodies had to be airlifted out of the crash site, 10km from the closest village of Rudrakodur and about 55km east of Kurnool.

After studying the terrain for some time, a rescue operation was commissioned led by ASP Vikramjit Duggal. The commandos dropped down from the helicopter tied to ropes and managed to reach the wreckage and the bodies.

The bodies were taken to Kurnool for a post-mortem. Kurnool Medical College senior professor M Malakondiah, who supervised the autopsy, said YSR's head was crushed beyond recognition.

Three bodies near the wreckage were easily retrieved, but the fourth and the fifth ones were difficult to deal with since they were very badly charred, sources said. The last two bodies, one of them being YSR's, took more than an hour to extricate.

YSR keeps his word on 'retirement' at 60

HYDERABAD: A man who said politicians should retire at 60 seemed to have kept his word, in death. It was a stroke of irony that YSR was fated to die just 100 days after he rode to power for a second time in Andhra Pradesh.

He used to advocate that a politician's shelf life should end at 60. For, YSR had entered politics at a relatively young age of 30 and became a minister in the state cabinet. He missed several opportunities to become CM of Andhra Pradesh and that might have prompted him to moot the "retirement at 60'' plan for Congress veterans.

In fact, the partymen also backed his retirement formula as the high command used to "impose'' aging leaders in state politics. "They wanted all the veteran leaders who clung to power to retire and allow their leader (YSR) to take over the reins,'' an analyst said. It didn't happen until 2004 polls when the party high command had no option but to name him as CM, in recognition of his 1,400-km-long padayatra in the mid-summer of 2003.

With the veterans taking a backseat, YSR emerged as the sole leader of the party in the state at 55. He reached the self-imposed retirement age of 60 just after taking over the reins for the second time on May 20, 2009. "Yes, I wanted to retire from active politics at 60. But, it seems my followers are thinking otherwise,'' YSR had said.

Unfortunately, it appears God has granted him a "forcible retirement'' at 60. He was 60 years and two months at the time of his untimely death.

Family Photos Of RajaSekhara Reddy

Latest News India

Andhra CM, four others killed in chopper crash

Kurnool: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others were killed when their helicopter crashed on a hillock, about 49 nautical miles east of Kurnool, more than an hour it took off from Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The charred bodies and the wreckage of the twin-engined Bell 430 helicopter were located at 8.30 AM today on a hillock, eight kms from Kurnool, 23 hours after it went missing while flying to Chittoor in south Andhra Pradesh.

"With very deep sense of regret we have to announce the death of YS Rajashekhar Reddy. He was a tall leader and it is a big loss to the country," Union Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in Delhi.

The helicopter appeared to have hit a tree, crashed and perhaps exploded. The bodies were charred and were in a state of getting decomposed because of incessant rain in the area yesterday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy said here.

The Congress Core Group met at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi and indications were that senior minister K Rosaiah will be the Acting Chief Minister before a decision on successor to Reddy is taken.

Reddy's funeral is expected to take place in his hometown in Pulivendala in Kadappa district in southern Andhra Pradesh tomorrow.

Others who died in the crash were Special Secretary P Subramanyam, Chief Secretary A S C Wesley, pilot Group Captain S K Bhatia and co-pilot M S Reddy.

The wreckage of the helicopter was strewn in bits and pieces all over the area in the hillock, Ramakanth Reddy said adding the tail piece is in tact.

The bodies were still lying at the crash spot and efforts were being made by the IAF to bring them either to Kurnool or Hyderabad. He said it will take some time for the operation to end before the bodies are brought out of the hills.

While three bodies were quickly recovered from near the wreckage, one was found a little away and it took some time to trace the fifth, Reddy said.

While the reasons for the crash were not known immediately, Chidambaram said the helicopter, which was going south towards Chittoor, had changed direction eastwards after crossing Kurnool towards Atmakur.

It crashed on a hillock between two villages, one of which is Velugodu.

"The wreckage was found by Air Force helicopters at 0830 hours on a hillock which 8 to 9 km from Atmakur between two villages one of which is Velugodu," Chidambaram said.

Reddy's body will be kept in Lal Bahadur Stadium here to enable public to pay their last respects and would be taken to Pulivendla in the afternoon.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, scheduled this morning, was cancelled as the sad news trickled in.

Several state governments declared mourning and parties also flew their flags half mast as a mark of condolence. Chidambaram said the government was in a state of deep mourning and there was a sense of grief, shock and loss at the passing away of the Chief Minister.

"We share our grief and tender condolences to the family of the Chief Minister and others who passed away in the crash," he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi are expected to go to Andhra Pradesh on Friday to pay their last respect to the departed leader.

Andhra Pradesh CM dead in chopper crash

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has died in an air crash, home minister P Chidambaram has formally announced.


"We are in deep mourning," the home minister said, describing YSR, who led the Congress to a spectacular election victory in May this year, as "a tall leader". ( Watch Video )

"... We send our condolences to the families of YSR and the other four (who died in the helicopter crash)."

The bodies of 60-year-old Reddy, his special secretary P Subramanyam, chief security officer A S C Wesley, pilot
Group Captain S K Bhatia and co-pilot M S Reddy were found on Rudrakonda Hill, 40 nautical miles east of here, besides the mangled remains of the helicopter.
YSR's mortal remains are being flown to Kurnool General Hospital. After a postmortem there, they will be brought to Hyderabad, state government sources said.

Big crowds have gathered outside the state secretariat and YSR's residence. As Thursday is also the day for the immersion of Ganesh idols at the end of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and there is a huge traffic dislocation in the city, cops are finding it difficult to manage the situation.

The central leadership of the Congress is understood to have cleared the name of Andhra Pradesh finance minister K Rosaiah as the caretaker CM of the state.

The Union Cabinet is meeting to discuss the matter.

The helicopter carrying YSR Reddy, two of his staff and two pilots went missing in pouring rain Wednesday morning over the Naxal and tiger-infested Nalamalla forests.

Nearly 24 hours after YSR's chopper went missing, it was located atop Serai Salem hill, at a distance 40 nautical miles (70 kms) east of Kurnool.

The CM left Hyderabad on a six-seater Bell chopper at 8.35am for Chittoor accompanied by his secretary and chief security officer. After 9.27am, radio contact was lost with the helicopter.

Soon after the chopper lost contact, multiple agencies of the state launched a massive hunt for possible wreckage in the desolate terrain. By evening, it expanded into the country's biggest-ever search operation with satellites in the sky joining remote sensing aircraft, fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, troops on the ground and even barefoot deer-hunting tribals with bows and arrows.


YSR: A doctor with a finger on the public pulse

HYDERABAD: A doctor by training, Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, or YSR as he was popularly known, was known for his strong administrative skills and whose second stint as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh this year broke a 53-year-old jinx for the Congress party.

This May, he became the first Congress chief minister since the state was formed in 1956 to complete a full five-year term and retain power in elections. The only other chief minister who achieved the fate was NT Rama Rao of Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

One of YSR's main achievements was subduing the ultra-left Naxalite insurgency in the state that had one time gripped 21 of its 23 districts. In the process, the People's War Group (PWG), once the dominant Maoist group in India, was crushed beyond recognition.

When he took over as chief minister for the first time on May 14, 2004 from N Chandrababu Naidu of TDP, it was a dream came true for YSR. The leader from the badlands of Rayalaseema had come up the hard way in his public life spanning three decades and emerged as one of the strongest leaders the Congress has produced in the state.

He has always been a winner. Elected to the state assembly for the fifth time, YSR is also a four-time Lok Sabha member and holds the record of never losing an election.

More than once he proved why he was more popular among masses with his fingers on the public pulse.

Popular as 'people's leader' among his followers, YSR tasted success despite facing a hostile poll campaign from both the TDP-led four party Grand Alliance and the Praja Rajyam Party of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.

YSR also emerged as one of the few leaders in the country to retain power beating the anti-incumbency factor. What has made his performance more creditable is the fact that he made no big promises and instead highlighted his performance versus the "poor credibility record" of his main rival N Chandrababu Naidu of TDP.

Banking on his performance and the numerous welfare schemes his government launched during the last five years, YSR retained power despite a three-cornered contest. The man who ran the Congress campaign on his shoulders emerged victorious in the face of hectic electioneering by top stars of the tinsel world in favour of TDP and Praja Rajyam.

Born to a Christian middle class family at Pulivendula, a small town in Kadapa district, on July 8, 1949, YSR made a modest beginning. Eldest of the five sons of YS Raja Reddy, a dynamic local leader in his heydays, he evinced interests in politics while studying at MR Medical College, Gulbarga, Karnataka.

After completing his MBBS, YSR served as medical officer at the Jammalamadugu Mission Hospital briefly. In 1973, he established a 70-bed charitable hospital.

He entered active politics in 1978 and was elected to the state assembly from Pulivendula. He served as state minister from 1980 to 1983 and retained the assembly seat in 1983 even when NTR swept to power with a historic victory.

Sensing a potential leader in him, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed YSR president of the state unit of Congress when he was only 34.

In 1989, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa and held the seat till 1999, when he shifted again to state politics. From 1998 to 2000, he again served as president of the state Congress.

Though the party lost the 1999 state elections, YSR emerged as the strongest leader of the party and became the leader of opposition.

The year 2003 was a turning point in his political career as he undertook a 64-day padyatra, or walkathon, across the state. Covering 1,500 km under the scorching sun, he received petitions from people about their problems, mainly relating to agriculture and unemployment.

It was this campaign and a strong anti-incumbency wave against Chandrababu Naidu's government which catapulted YSR to power.

His experiences during the padyatra helped him shape his policies after assuming office as he gave free electricity to farmers, waived their loans, introduced several welfare schemes like pension for the aged, widows and handicapped, housing for poor, Rs2-a-kg rice, Rajiv Arogyasri or community health insurance scheme and a massive programme to build irrigation projects.

Thanks to these initiatives, the Congress won 156 of Andhra Pradesh's 294 seats and bagged 33 of its 42 Lok Sabha seats this time.

In a message on Independence Day on Aug 15, Reddy said: "The state has witnessed tremendous growth in the past five years when compared to the growth that took place since independence. Our people are a happier lot and are embracing a bright future without any fears."

YSR's blend of populism and geniality made him unbeatable

NEW DELHI: Congress's big win in Andhra Pradesh not only powered the party to a big win in the Lok Sabha, it reinforced the party's faith in its welfare and social sector schemes that were implemented by the Y S Rajashekhar Reddy government with zeal as part of his development agenda.

His chief opponent, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, did his best to outdo YSR's populism and also levelled corruption charges but failed to dislodge the chief minister. Graft allegations did not stick as his effort to present himself as the man who thought of the poor seemed to work, negating his critics.

UPA MPs point out that YSR's personal style helped him win friends as he came across as polite. "When you meet him, there is no arrogance of power. We are praying that he is safe," said MIM's Asauddin Owaisi. TDP leader-turned-Congress MP M Jagannath said the party was waiting for news with bated breath. "He is a leader who worked for the poor. The needy are convinced of this," Jagannath said.

The 2009 Lok Sabha fight was closer than what the final results showed, particularly at the Assembly level. The Congress government was facing the burden of sweeping price rise and a TDP-Left-TRS coalition. While Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam helped Congress, there is no taking away that YSR's programmes like Arogyam and free highway ambulance service were hits.

While Arogyam funded medical treatment for BPL families, subsidised rice also helped. His irrigation programmes, though only partially effective, did make a mark and the government managed to deliver enough power to agriculturists to keep them from turning against him. With his adroit use of resources, he was able to blunt the appeal of TDP's promised direct cash transfer scheme.

YSR has a rough-and-ready aspect to him, as the bloody politics of Rayalseema suggests. Bomb culture is seen to be part of the political ethos but the leader's geniality and soft-spoken presence have made those who met him wonder at the tales they had heard. Somehow, the CM's claims to a simple lifestyle carry credence as when he says he has decided to shift to a common variety of rice at home for his meals.

The sheer weight of his success drove his rivals in the party out of the frame long ago and caused despair in the Opposition. Ironically, it used to be NTR who had a towering state-wide presence while Congress CMs always carried the stamp of being the high command's nominees. If NTR was able to invoke the "Telugu pride" plank, it is YSR who now strides the state looming larger than any regional chieftain.

The rise of YSR - A profile

Hyderabad: Dr. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy famously known as Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy or YSR was a popular political figure in the South Indian politics. He was born in Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh to Y. S. Raja and Jayamma Reddy on July 8, 1949.

YSR nurtured an interest in politics since his student days. Reddy was elected as the president of his college student's union while studying medical science in M.R Medical College of Gulbarga University, in neighboring Karnataka. He was also president of the House Surgeon's Association of S.V. Medical College, Tirupati, YSR also served as Medical Officer at the Jammalamadugu Mission Hospital for a brief period. In 1973, he established a 70-bed charitable hospital, named after his father Y.S. Raja Reddy at Pulivendula.

In 1975 Reddy was made the President of the Cuddapah District Youth Congress Committee. In 1978 he made his debut to Andhra Pradesh Assembly from his birthplace Pulivendula and retained the seat for six terms. Reddy's hold on the constituency was intact even during the Telagu Desam Party's strong wave in 1983. Reddy was one of those rare politicians of the country who never tasted defeat in electoral politics. Reddy developed the Cuddapah region by pumping in funds and creating a solid infrastructure, making the constituency its neighbors' envy.

In 1980 YSR became Minister of State for Rural Development, in the Tengutri Anjaih Government. In 1982 he became the Cabinet Minister for Excise in the B.Venkataram Reddy Government and also held the charge of Education and Health department in K.Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Government in 1983. YSR had earned the title of Cuddapah Tiger for his aggressive role in the state assembly.

Andhra CM's chopper has crash-landed: Union Home Secy

New Delhi: Union Home Secretary G K Pillai on Thursday said that the missing Bell chopper carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajshekhera Reddy and four others had crash-landed about 40 nautical miles east of the Kurnool mountainous area.

Pillai said that as of now he could not hazard a guess about whether there were any survivors or whether the chief minister and the people accompanying him were injured or had moved to another location.

He confirmed that the chopper was in a very damaged state.

The Home Ministry has ordered para-commandos to immediately airdrop themselves at the location to determine the exact physical status of Reddy and the four others. The para-commandos have landed.

The para-commandos have been told to report back immediately on the situation on ground.

“We have located the helicopter. It is on top of a hill at a distance of 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool. We are trying to find out whether there were any survivors. We are not sure whether the chopper crashed. Two Air Force helicopters are orbiting there trying to find a place to land, but because the chopper is on top of a hill, it’s a jungle it has been very difficult to land,” said an Army spokesperson adding that further details were awaited from the site.

The chopper is said to be located between Rudrakonta and Rollapenta near Kurnool town. Commandos, police and paratroopers are moving towards the area

Meanwhile, the core committee of the Congress party is meeting in New Delhi to assess the latest developments. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will convene a meeting of the Union Cabinet after the Congress meeting to decide on the next steps in the operation.

Reddy's death tremendous loss for party: Congress

New Delhi: Describing Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as a "dynamic" chief minister and human being, Congress on Thursday said his demise was a "tremendous loss" to the party which will take very long to come to terms with it.

Reacting to his tragic death in a chopper crash, the Congress said Reddy was "utterly" devoted to the party, to the state of Andhra Pradesh and to the country and his loss will be felt "very deeply".

"He was such a dynamic CM, dynamic human being and a man of the people, something that will take us very long to come to terms with," party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said. She said it was tragic that he died while actually engaged in the active implementation of his "important schemes".

Reddy had recently led the Congress to a historic victory in the Parliamentary elections in Andhra Pradesh.

"He had tremendous political instincts and he was a Congressman to the last drop of his blood... It's a tremendous loss to the political firmament and to find either his pulse on the feeling of the masses and some of his courage and dynamism is very very difficult," Natarajan said.

She said Reddy was absolutely determined that the implementation of his schemes should not fail and he should deliver the promises he made to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Condoling Reddy's death, Left parties described him the "popular" Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

"It is most tragic and unfortunate. The victory he had achieved in the recent elections had established his popularity in Andhra Pradesh," CPI-M Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said here.