Gurung surrenders for threat speech - Morcha president gets bail in suo motu case filed by police before polls

The Telegraph:Darjeeling, June 29: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung today surrendered in the judicial magistrate’s court here in connection with an election speech that police had found inciting. On March 30, Gurung while addressing a convention of party supporters at Gymkhana Hall had said: “Our Tibetan brothers have for long been voting blindly for the Congress, but all the hill people, including our Muslim brothers, should only think about Gorkhaland as this is their place too.” In his “advice” to these communities, which The Telegraph had reported, Gurung had said his party would keep an eye on every vote during the election. At the same meeting, the Morcha president had “requested” former Congress Lok Sabha member Dawa Narbula not to file nominations for the general elections. The Morcha leader had earlier accused Narbula of not uttering a single word in support of Gorkhaland in Parliament. While there were protests from the CPM in the plains against Gurung’s speeches, the Darjeeling Sadar police filed a suo motu case against him under Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code the same day. Today, judicial magistrate Debjyoti Mukherjee granted bail to Gurung till August 24, the date for the next hearing. Gurung’s defence lawyer Dinesh Chandra Rai said the bail was granted on a bond and surety of Rs 500. Gurung had arrived in court without any announcement and surrendered around 10.30am. His lawyer said the Morcha president was there till about noon, when the formalities were completed. Section 171F deals with the “offence of undue influence of personation at an election”. Although the section is bailable, if found guilty one can be imprisoned for up to a year and fined or can face both penalties. Senior police officers, refused comment on today’s development, saying that it was subjudice. A day after the speech, municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya had slammed the Morcha president and accused him of threatening voters a day after the speech. The Darjeeling CPM had also lodged complaints with the Election Commission of India, the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Minorities soon after. Today, Bhattacharya, did not have much to say. “I am hearing about the development from you. What can I say? Let the law take its own course,” Bhattacharya said. Rohini road: A deathtrap for passengers Kurseong, 29 June: Kurseong-bound passengers from Siliguri can save minutes off their journey time by taking the Rohini bypass road. However, the road currently poses a risk to life and limb. For the last few months, the Rohini road has been in a deplorable condition, with cracks at every step. After seven years of construction work, the road was inaugurated by the DGHC on 16 July, 2007. Rs 10.42 crore has been spent on the road. Since the Pankhabari road has been announced as one-way till 5.00 p.m. by the administration, most of the Darjeeling-bound Siliguri vehicles ply via Rohini road. Hence, it is one of the busiest roads in the region. One passenger, who was a regular visitor to Kurseong from Siliguri, said it's been a year since he last visited Kurseong. "Nowadays I try not to think about visiting Kurseong as most of the vehicles use Rohini road, which is uncomfortable and unsafe." Another passenger said that besides proper repair works, the road needs several parapets, since a lack of parapets along the slope of the road makes passengers fear the journey. A driver, Mr Pramod Chettri, said that the rough conditions of the road make it difficult to drive on and consume a lot of fuel. Passengers are also afraid of accidents. Residents of the area feel that, besides the ongoing agitation, political parties should concentrate on development for the benefit of the common people. When questioned, the GJMM, vice-president, Mr Pradeep Pradhan, said: “Keeping in mind the interests of the common people, we have already complained and demanded to the authorities regarding immediate repair works on the Rohini road.” In this connection, the Kurseong SDO, Mr Dibyendu Das said that the matter has already been conveyed to the concerned authorities as well as the DGHC Construction Division. The DGHC Construction Division, executive engineer, Mr Kumud Giri, said that the fund had not been sanctioned so far and the work will be started as soon as this occurs. ;SNS Olive answer to heart attacks? Statesman News Service : GANGTOK, 29 JUNE: Research being conducted by a student from Sikkim, to extract drugs from olive leaves that can prevent heart attacks, has attracted global attention. Research done by Mr Hemant Poudyal's in Queensland, Australia had found olecuropein and hydroxytyrosol compounds in olive leaves which have medicinal properties. Tests done by him had proved 100 per cent successful when it was experimented on mice. Mr Poudyal, a resident of Ranipool near Gangtok, is presently studying at the School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia which is one of the top 32 universities in the world. At the University of Queensland, Mr Poudyal was working on finding an alternative natural-based medicine to combat heart attacks as part of his studies, that finally led to his research on olive leaves. He is arguably the first resident from Sikkim to conduct research of such complex nature. His success has led Mr Poudyal to be invited to the 7th Costamisfrr International Workshop 2009, scheduled to be held at Kuala Lampur in Malaysia . The workshop will be held from 9 July till 11 July, where Mr Poudyal will be making a poster presentation on his research work and findings for an alternative medicine to prevent heart attacks. Heart attack is quite frequent among humans and only synthetic drugs are presently used to tackle it. But now, Mr Poudyal's new findings on olive leaves have attracted the attention of the medical world. If his research is proved successful, Mr Poudyal's name will be enshrined in the history of medical sciences. Locals ransack residence of rape accused JALPAIGURI, 29 JUNE: The residents of Naya Line of Torsha Tea Plantation under Kalchini block ransacked the residence of a person who allegedly attempted to rape a minor girl of the area yesterday. According to the police officials, Mr Barun Sharma (40) took one of his friends’ 11-year-old daughter and his own daughter to Hasimara. “He kept his daughter at his relative's place at Hasimara and took the other girl to the Nimti forest area. There he allegedly attempted to outrage the modesty of the minor girl,” said the ASP, Alipurduar, Mr Sabyasachi Raman Misra. The official further stated that the girl had somehow managed to escape from the hold of the person and started rushing towards the main road screaming for help. “A private bus moving along the road stopped and a lady passenger took care of the girl and brought her to Alipurduar. Later she was brought to the Alipurduar police station,” added Mr Mishra. The locals ransacked the residence of the alleged molester. The accused was arrested at Jaigaon today and produced at the Alipurduar sub-divisional court.;SNS COMBING OPERATION IN LALGARH GOING ON THE HINDU: Jun 30, 2009 at 1423 hrs IST 'Now we want to ensure that the extremists do not come back to the area.' Kantapahari (WB): Security forces worked to further consolidate their grip over Maoist-held areas in West Mindapore district and launched combing operations in 22 villages of Lalgarh. With Kantapahari recaptured, all borders of Lalgarh had been sealed, a senior police officer said. "Now we want to ensure that the extremists do not come back to the area. We are consolidating the position we have gained so far," said one police officer. He said the Maoists might have left West Midnapore district and retreated into neighbouring Jharkhand after Kantapahari, the ultras' last stronghold in Lalgarh, fell to security forces on Monday. As the operations against the Maoists entered the 13th day, central forces and police are now engaged in sanitising all 22 villages of Lalgah. On Monday, the forces searched Baropelia, Chotopelia, Dalilpur chowk and other villages for suspected Maoists and possible arms and ammunition. Ground zero expands - Need more camps: Cop Kumar at Kantapahari. (Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya) Sujan Datta, The Telegraph: Kantapahari, June 29: Bengal’s area of Maoist influence has expanded far beyond Lalgarh and the current offensive aims to establish police camps far beyond the circle that the security forces completed today after linking up in Kantapahari, senior security officials said. “There used to be five police camps in the Lalgarh police station area before last November,” said Praveen Kumar, the deputy inspector-general (Midnapore range). “Now we will need at least 15 in five police station areas,” he told this correspondent who was trekking with him from Lalgarh to Kantapahari off the road. Behind a village, under the shade of a date palm tree, Kumar, who was leading the offensive from the Lalgarh side, sat down for a breather. “Things may not have come to this,” he said, meaning the current offensive involving the central forces. “But there is a tipping point beyond which the state has to act.” Asked if that tipping point was the attack on CPM leader Anuj Pandey’s house, Kumar said: “It is not one single event but the cumulative impact of a series.” Kumar is dressed in Indian Army-issue fatigues, as are most security personnel here. In the white and humid heat, before the clouds break and it pours, he takes off his bullet-proof jacket,to cool off, catch his breath and take a swig of water. It is far more strenuous to go off the road than to march on it. The fields and forests are uneven. Besides, the bullet-proof jacket weighs 6kg, the AK rifle he carries weighs about the same. An assistant accompanying him uses the zoom of a video camera for long sight when Kumar asks him to. Kumar understands that when he says Bengal police will have to establish 15 camps where there were five — with central forces — it means the area of insurgency is expanding like in Chhattisgarh. In Chhattisgarh, it is a permanent insurgency. Police forces are fortifying themselves. “Yes, I understand”, he reasons as he resumes the march. “At any time, a third of the security force will be feeding itself, fortifying camps or securing the lines (supply lines).” That means the disturbances in Lalgarh will lead to Bengal asking for even more forces. The current offensive has already taken up 50 companies of central and state forces, including the CRPF, BSF, state armed police and the India Reserve Battalion. “The difference with Chhattisgarh is that there was a political vacuum there,” he says. “Here, normal politics and development agencies have to take over.” In an aside, he asks his men if they had veered too far from the road. One of the men around him replies that he can still sight it. The force from Ramgarh has already reached Kantapahari by this time. In Chhattisgarh, where the Maoists have a “liberated zone” of about 10,000km, the political processes and develop-ment agencies that Kumar talks about are absent. In the fringe areas in Bastar, in Dantewada district, there is the Salwa Judum — a vigilante force against the Maoists. “There can be circumstances when you have to arm the people against rebels,” says Kumar. “It has been done in Kashmir, too. But we are not near that in Bengal.” Kumar favours a development surge in Lalgarh and its surrounding areas: in Goaltore, Salboni, Binpur, Sarenga, Dharampur and Jhargram. “The Centre has put so many of its forces here. We should not think about technicalities — like 60:40 (meaning 60 per cent contribution from the state and 40 per cent from the Centre). We have to do all we can to earn the confidence of the people.” We are approaching a built-up area that could offer defences to a wannabe assailant. Kumar asks The Telegraph correspondent to fall back. However, in the event, there are no assailants. Rebels return to secured stretch Pronab Mandal. The Telgraph: Kantapahari, June 29: Early this morning, while police were marching towards Kantapahari both from Ramgarh and Lalgarh, Maoists struck along a 15km stretch from Pirakata to Goaltore, blocking it at eight places with tree trunks. The police said it was the handiwork of Maoists hiding in the forest along the metalled road that had been cleared about 10 days ago. “A lot more work needs to be done to fully secure the area,” said S.N. Gupta, DIG (operations), CID, who led the march from Goaltore that ended here today. The police have identified four stretches that need to be “fully secured” within the next few days — Pirakata to Goaltore (15km), Lalgarh to Dherua (18km), Binpur to Belatikri (6km) and Lachhipur to Belatikri (10km). Gupta said a meeting would be held tomorrow to figure out how many personnel should be sent to each of these places and where to set up camps. “Clearing the Pirakata-Goaltore stretch is a challenge for us,” Gupta said. “Whenever we give them chase, they flee into the adjoining Jhitka forest. But the job has to be done.” On the Lalgarh-Dherua stretch, which has been dug up at six places and blocked with tree trunks at many more, the most important task would be to restore law and order at Dharampur, where CPM leader Anuj Pandey’s house was demolished and the CPM office torched on June 15. Dharampur is about 7km from Lalgarh. “The village is deserted. So our first task would be to instil confidence in the people and ensure they return home,” said an officer. It wouldn’t be easy because many villagers have fled to their relatives in other districts. The Binpur-Belatikri stre-tch, according to IG (traffic) B.P. Tarania, who led an operation there yesterday, is a minefield. “This road hasn’t been dug up or blocked but the place is full of improvised explosive devices,” Tarania said. “We covered a 2km stretch yesterday and found five of them.” Last evening, the team led by Tarania returned because they wanted to touch base before nightfall. “We need more bomb disposal squad members,” Tarania said. The last stretch, between Lachhipur and Belatikri, could be a “tricky one”. This is a kuchcha track and the police believe the Maoists may have planted mines under the road itself, unlike in the case of the metalled roads where they are placed on the side. Last week, under the leadership of Bikash, armed Maoists had ransacked the house of CPM local committee member Chandi Karan and made a bonfire of his furniture. The police said they also had information that a section of the retreating Maoists had taken shelter in the area because it provided an easier getaway to Jharkhand. A DREAM WORTH RECALLING - Using information technology for national transformation Writing on the wall - Ashok V. Desai Just two months ago, Lal K. Advani had entertained hopes of becoming prime minister. It was not just the seat he had prepared for; he also had an ambition of building a greater India — sorry, Bharat. Hindutva was not all there was to it. He had got his colleagues and devotees to prepare many plans. Amongst them was a plan to use information technology for national transformation. What kind of transformation the Bharatiya Janata Party had in mind is worth a thought even now. One of the reasons for India’s poor IT coverage is that its electric power industry is in a mess. The BJP was not so ambitious as to sort out power problems. But it proposed to set up special internet zones in the hill states of the North and Northeast where servers would not require so much power to cool. There it wanted to promote internet hosting companies. Why? Because it would save bandwidth charges. That is old-style import substitution. It was not a very good reason; if the idea had been economically rational, entrepreneurs, even those who support the BJP, would have implemented it by now. But improving power supply in a few places is worth trying, since no party has the ambition or the guts to reform power; BJP-ruled states should do it. The BJP believed that India’s enemies were working to cripple its communications and information networks in the event of war. It said that it had set up an agency to prepare for this eventuality when it was in power last time, and would revive it when it returns to power. Paranoia? Coming from the BJP, it would seem so. But it also wanted to set up a secure information network for the government, like the American justice information sharing network. And there was to be a national emergency service network, which would respond to calls for help and coordinate the police, hospitals and so on. That sounds a good idea if the police can be persuaded to use it. Very often, spying agencies alert the police about terrorist attacks, but the police ignore them. The BJP wanted to computerize judicial records — pleadings, judgments, calendars, police etc etc. It wanted judges’ assets declarations to go online. All this has been tried already. The obstacle has been a conservative and lackadaisical judiciary; it is doubtful if the BJP could put some life into it. The BJP wanted to rejuvenate the Survey of India and turn it into a provider of detailed digitized geographical information. It was obviously unaware of the fact that Google proceeded to do it and was promptly stopped by the government of India, which considered such information militarily sensitive. The result is that the Chinese army has free access to information about every inch of India from its satellites, while Indians are denied it. It is obviously a good idea to make available to all Indians data that India’s enemies readily access. The BJP also wanted to digitize all the documents and photographs available with the government and place them online. A great idea, except that digitization is labour-intensive, and that access to such archives on the web is limited by memory and bandwidth. It is probably an idea whose time has not yet arrived. The BJP wanted to indigenize the internet. So it would force computer makers to manufacture the Indian language Inscript keyboard. It would force makers of mobile phones to promote rendition of SMSs in Indian languages. It would force television programme channels to use Indian languages. It is not enough for Rajnath and Lalkrishna to perorate in Hindi; all those nerds who are always e-mailing and SMSing in between writing software in English must be made to do such things in Hindi. Plans to give computers to every school are more than a decade old. Advani came up with another idea. He would have got a crore of laptops manufactured and sold them to students at Rs 10,000 each. This is the kind of idea that comes to those who are innocent of economics. It is impossible to set both the price and the demand by policy. If the government offers a laptop for Rs 10,000, either the demand will exceed a crore, in which case a black market will develop, or demand will fall short, in which case the government will be left with unsold laptops. Being nationalist, a BJP government would never think of exporting surplus laptops; so they would rust in government godowns. But Microsoft also has a dream of designing a low-cost laptop for students. If the government had any sense, it would ride piggyback on Microsoft’s plans. The recipients of those crore laptops would have to be taught to use them. So the BJP government would have employed 25 lakh teachers. A 1:4 teacher-student ratio is extraordinarily favourable. Most of us learnt to use computers without any teacher. The 25 lakh teachers would teach the crore students whatever they needed to learn in a month at the most; after that, the teachers would be unemployed. The BJP would then presumably employ them to write vernacular software. That would surely need some training; and even if the teachers had the expertise, the demand for vernacular software is not limitless. Advani had great ideas; they could be so great only because they were so unrealistic. Under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP had initiated programmes to construct national highways and rural roads. Under Advani, it would lay down digital highways and rural roads. Here too, the BJP did not mention the digital kiosks set up by the Congress government. Nothing the Congress did should be carried forward; it should be annihilated — or at least given a new Sanskrit name. The BJP planned to increase the number of mobile subscribers from 40 to 100 crore — that is roughly 85 per cent of the population. That would include many of the poorest. How would they pay for the cellphones and their services? The BJP wanted to provide broadband to all who asked — for Rs 200 a month. The costs of providing it would be much higher; who would pay the difference? Advani’s dreams involved giving huge subsidies; they were not mentioned, not conceived, and hence not estimated. Advani wanted to spread across the nation a rural broadband connection programme that Narendra Modi inaugurated on January 23, Subhas Bose’s birthday, in Haripura. Why Haripura? Because Bose gave a call for Swaraj there in 1938. The BJP mentioned that, but meticulously omitted to mention that he was addressing a session of the Congress. It quoted Rajiv Gandhi as saying, “Of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paise reaches the beneficiary.” But it was too coy to mention his name; it only called him “a former prime minister”. I put Advani’s IT plan away because I did not want to criticize him before the election. But it did made me think: in this area, the BJP wants to do many things that the Congress has been doing or would agree to do; why can they not work together? Democracy does not require opposing parties to be perpetually at each other’s throats. Advani should hate less and consult more. (The Telegraph)