India

New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) Delhi Police have arrested a 40-year-old drug peddler from Ambedkar Nagar area, an official said on Saturday.

They also recovered 255 grams of fine quality heroin valued at Rs one crore from the possession of the accused identified as Parminder, a resident of Rohini.

According to Usha Rangnani, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest), in view of forthcoming MCD elections, the team of Narcotics Squad of North West district prepared a list of various suspicious persons who are involved in drug peddling crime to find out their pattern of crime.

The team was detailed and specifically tasked to identify and nab criminals involved in drug peddling.

"On December 1, specific inputs were received about the suspicious activities of a person suspected to be a drug peddler. Immediately, a trap was laid and he was arrested from Ambedkar Nagar near Haiderpur. During his cursory search, one transparent polythene containing some pink coloured contraband substance was recovered," said Rangnani.

Parminder confessed that he is a drug peddler and was coming in the area to sell the illicit contraband.

"On weighing, the contraband substance recovered from Parminder was found to be 255 grams. On further verification with the help of a testing kit, the pink coloured 255 grams of contraband substance was found to be fine quality heroin, worth about Rs 1 crore in the international market," said the official.

During interrogation, Parminder also revealed that he indulged in transportation of heroin for the past two years and supplied it to various clients on demand.

"He used to take the delivery of heroin from Rohini in bulk quantity from a supplier and further supplied it to the clients on their demand," said the official, adding that efforts are being made to trace his any other associate and the supplier.

--IANS
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By Praveen Dwivedi
Bhopal, Dec 2 (IANS) It has been 38 years since the fateful intervening night of December 2 and 3 when the world's worst chemical industrial disaster -'Bhopal Gas Tragedy 1984' -- swallowed thousands of people, animals and birds within a span of a few hours. Besides, lakhs of people left with prolonged illnesses and incurable diseases are still running from one to another hospital for treatment.


Even after nearly four decades, the aftermath of that disaster is visible here in many ways -- like anyone visiting any government-run hospital in Bhopal, the patient registration form given at the OPD counter will have a specific disclosure before reaching the doctor, that is -'Are you affected by the Bhopal gas disaster?

People living in J.P. Nagar, which is located hardly 200 metres from the boundary wall of the 85-acre Union Carbide factory, would often be seen peeking into the site through the broken boundary wall, even children would be seen playing in the backyard of the factory.

Around half a dozen buildings, which include offices, guest rooms, canteen for employees and workers, and so on situated at different locations at the site are in a dilapidated state. Each one of these buildings had a specific role to play in the process of making and storing of the highly toxic substance -- methyl isocyanate (MIC).

Surrounded by dense bushes, and a warning note as a prohibited zone for general public, the only building appearing to be in a better condition is the three-storey structure which used to be the office and the residence of senior employees of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), an American chemical corporation owned by Dow Chemical company. In the other buildings, time and thieves have left their mark.

Apart from the buildings, some other residue such as big size tanks, iron pipes along with flare towers and some other material are also visible. A concrete portion of land within its boundary, located hardly 300-350 meters away from the MIC production site, appeared to be a helipad.

One of the three iron tanks (Tank - E610), whose malfunctioning had resulted in the leakage of toxic MIC gas and caused the deaths of around 3,000 people within a few hours after the leak, is seen lying along the roadside within the premises. Reports suggest that the Bhopal UCIL facility had housed three underground 68,000 litres liquid MIC storage tanks, named E610, E611 and E612.

The underground tank E610, that had stored around 42 tonnes of MIC gas at the time of the disaster on the intervening night of December 2 and 3 was removed from its foundation and set aside later in 2010.

Outside the factory, the iconic statue of a woman with a child on her lap gasping for breath some 200 metres from Union Carbide factory's boundary wall in JP Nagar colony, encapsulates the pain and agony of every 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victim.

It is a memorial dedicated to the victims by a Dutch sculptor Ruth Waterman, during a visit to Bhopal in 1985 and speaks volumes of the trauma and misery endured by the victims. This iconic statue reminds of the screams of people who were running haphazardly shouting "bhago bhago, gas leak ho gayee hai" (run-run, gas is leaking) on that fateful night 38 years ago.

--IANS
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By Praveen Dwivedi
Bhopal, Dec 2 (IANS) The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the worlds largest and most lethal chemical disaster, occurred on the intervening night of December 2 and 3 in 1984, 38 years ago. Its aftermath continues to wreak havoc in the lives of hundreds of thousands of survivors.


According to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation (BGTRR) of the Madhya Pradesh government, which functions under the supervision of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR ), more than 120,000 people continue to suffer from chronic illnesses and several hundreds continue to die untimely deaths due to cancer, lung problems, kidney failure and immunological damage.

Reports also suggested that thousands of children are being born with birth defects. A global toxic hotspot exists in the middle of the city which has contaminated the soil and groundwater for more than two lakh people but no clean up is even in sight. The annual report of the ICMR run Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Center (BMHRC) released in 2016-17, mentioned that from the period between 1998-2016, around 50.4 per cent of gas exposed persons suffered from cardiovascular problems and 59.6 per cent suffer from pulmonary problems.

IANS spoke to various persons associated with different authorities, including doctors, sufferers and relatives of the victims and also those looking after issues like rehabilitation and compensation. It has learnt that though a lot of work has been done in the last many years, there are several issues that still remain unresolved.

First and foremost, the difference in the number of deaths which occurred due to this chemical disaster. Surveys conducted by agencies at different times have given a different figure of casualties. Some earlier reports suggested the number of casualties was between 5000-6000, while in some other reports, the number of deaths have increased up to 15,000. And some other reports claimed the death toll could be over one lakh, however, there is no accurate data regarding the number of casualties.

For instance, ICMR's report in its survey conducted between 1984-1993, has mentioned as many as 9,667 deaths attributable to the disaster up to 1994. Statistical projection beyond 1994 provides a figure of 23,000 till 2009.

In a letter written in 2010 by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for recommendation of more compensation to the kin of the victims and the survivors, it was mentioned that, "There at least 10,047 persons, who should be counted in death figure."

Other issues which still remain unresolved include assessment of cleaning of toxic waste lying inside and outside the Union Carbide factory.

More importantly, one of the three iron tanks (Tank - E610), whose malfunctioning had resulted in the leakage of toxic MIC gas and caused the deaths of around 3,000 people within a few hours after the leak, is still lying along the roadside within the premises. The reports suggest that the Bhopal UCIL facility had housed three underground -- 68,000 liters liquid MIC storage tanks, named E610, E611 and E612.

Further, a legal battle to seek justice and compensation still continues. In a fresh development, the Supreme Court, earlier in September this year, asked the Centre to clear its stand on additional compensation.

As per reports, in response, the Centre has submitted that it would pursue its curative petition seeking Rs 7,844 crore as additional funds from successor firms of the US-based Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) for giving compensation to the victims of the gas tragedy. The matter will now be taken up for hearing on January 10, 2023.

--IANS
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Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 2 (IANS) To thwart a call by a Hindu outfit to recite the Hanuman Chalisa inside Shahi Eidgah mosque on December 6, the Mathura city magistrate has issued bailable warrants against 16 people connected to the outfit.

Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Martand Prakash Singh said that no permission has been sought by any organisation and cases have already been registered against two people so far for attempting to gather a crowd for the event.

Last month, the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) had urged all its leaders and supporters to arrive at the mosque, adjacent to Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, on December 6 to recite the Hanuman Chalisa.

ABHM president Rajyashree Bose Chaudhary had said, "The event will take place on December 6. The peaceful recital of Hanuman Chalisa will be conducted at Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi between 12 and 12.30 p.m."

Sanjay Kumar Pandey, SHO of the Govind Nagar police station said around three dozen people have already been bound by notices. Being bound by a notice is a situation wherein an executive magistrate serves a show cause notice with a surety bond to a person on the apprehension that he/she may disturb the peace.

"Those who failed to respond and fill the required surety bond have been issued bailable warrants by the court of the city magistrate. Sixteen people have been issued warrants," he said.

Chaudhary, meanwhile, condemned the police action and said, "We have planned a peaceful event. As such, there is no reason for police to intervene because we will offer prayers at the site."

The ongoing dispute involves ownership of 13.37 acres, which the petitioners claim belongs to the Lord Shri Krishna Virajman.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Dec 2 (IANS) The process for holding urban local bodies' elections in Uttar Pradesh has begun with the announcement of the list of ward reservation in 48 of the total 75 districts by the state urban development department.

The districts include Lucknow for which the reservation list of 110 wards has been issued by principal secretary, urban development, Amrit Abhijat.

The reservation exercise in the municipal wards and mayor seats in municipal corporations and chairpersons in nagar panchayats and palika parishads is a key requirement for conducting the urban local body polls. The local body polls are expected to be held this month.

The reservation list currently is open to change as the department has given a week's time for filing objections to the ward reservation.

"Anyone wanting to file objections or give any suggestion would be able to do so by routing them through the district magistrates," officials said.

Apart from Lucknow, the other 47 districts for which ward reservation has been announced include Rae Bareli, Amethi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Varanasi, Shravasti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shahjahanpur, Amroha, Amethi, Ayodhya, Aligarh, Unnao, Etah, Auraiyya, Kanpur Dehat, Kasganj, Kushinagar, Kaushambhi, Ghaziabad and Ghazipur.

The reservation schedule has also been released for wards in Jaunpur, Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Basti, Maharajganj, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Sambhal, Siddharth Nagar, Sultanpur, Sonbhadra, Hamirpur, Hathras and Hapur.

The reservation schedule for remaining wards in other districts would be released soon, officials said.

There are 763 urban local bodies, including 17 municipal corporations, 200 nagar palika parishads and 546 nagar panchayats in the state.

The BJP has maximum mayors across the state, followed by the BSP. The Samajwadi Party has presence in nagar palika parishads and nagar panchayats.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) In a latest development in connection with the Ludhiana court blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested most wanted terrorist, Harpreet Singh alias Happy Malaysia, from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, on his arrival from Malaysia.

Earlier, the NIA had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for providing information about Singh. A non bailable warrant (NBW) was also issued against him by a Special NIA court and a look out circular was also opened.

The case pertains to the massive bomb blast that took place in the Ludhiana Court Building in 2021. One person died and six persons were injured in the explosion.

The case was initially registered at Police Station Division-5, District Ludhiana Commissionerate of Punjab and later on the probe of the matter was taken ovet by the NIA.

"Investigations revealed that Harpreet Singh an associate of Lakhbir Singh Rode, Pak-based self-styled Chief of ISYF, was one of the conspirators of Ludhiana Court Building blast, alongwith Rode. Acting on the directions of Rode, he coordinated the delivery of the custom-made IED which had been sent from Pakistan, to his India-based associates, that was used in the blast. The arrested accused was also involved and wanted in various cases, including smuggling of explosives, arms and narcotics," the NIA said.

Further investigations in the case are in progress.

--IANS
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By Arul Louis
United Nations, Dec 2 (IANS) In a day marking India's rising global profile, it assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council -- hours after taking over the leadership of the G20, with the promise of working to promote unity in a fractured world.


Echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on his goals for the G20, India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said on Thursday that at the Council "India will work towards unity".

As at the G20, the group of major industrialised and emerging economies, India faces the daunting task of presiding over a polarised Council when the world faces dangers from wars and economic crises.

In both of them, the western nations and Russia and China are ranged against each other.

India has been "a very effective first responder" in international crises, she said, and "we will continue to do that in the council as well, to be a bridge builder and to be a voice of moderation".

"That is the India way," she said at her news conference after assuming the presidency.

India is a big country that can stand on its own and have its own policies, she added.

Sixtynine years after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit became the woman to become the president of the General Assembly, Kamboj became the first Indian woman to head the Security Council.

India got its Council presidency for December -- the last month of its two-year term -- on a system of rotation based on alphabetic order.

Kamboj said that during the presidency, India will hold two sessions to highlight issues most important to it: fighting terrorism and reforming the international system, including the Security Council, stuck in the 1940s.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will preside over the two meetings known as Signature events, on "New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism" - which includes Security Council reform - on December 14 and on "Global Approach to Counter Terrorism - Challenges and Way Forward," the next day.

India will also be holding two side events, unveiling a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at theAUN headquarters and organising a group of nations to counter attacks on peacekeepers.

The Council has been paralysed on the most pressing issue of the worsening war in Ukraine.

Asked at her news conference about managing the deadlock over Ukraine because of the Russian veto, Kamboj said that India had lines of communication to both sides.

Modi and Jaishankar have spoken to the leadership of both Russia and Ukraine for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, Kamboj said.

"We are among the few countries, dare I say this, which is speaking to both," she said.

Asked if India could change the direction of the Council, she was candid in expressing scepticism, adding, "Hope that but certainly we will continue to work with a lot of positivity."

She said that India always for a diplomatic and peaceful settlement on the invasion.

Reacting to a comment about what is perceived by Ukraine President Volodymyr's remarks on countries being "neutral", Kamboj said she would not comment on it but laid out India's position.

She pointed to Modi telling Russia's President Vladimir Putin that "now it was not the time war"-- a statement that received wide resonance - and said that India has also condemned the attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Moreover, it had provided medical aid to Ukraine, while helping other countries hit by the fallout of the war, sending them food assistance.

On reforming the international structure, Kamboj said that it was archaic and in all spheres, from the diplomatic and political to the economic.

India has claims to a permanent seat by virtue of it being the world's largest democracy, for its rising role in international affairs and its response to global crises, she said.

She gave the examples of the two recent crises, the Covid pandemic where India provided more than 40 million vaccine doses to countries around the world, and the food shortages caused by the Ukraine war, where India has sent food grains to not only neighbours but also to countries in Africa and the Middle East.

She reiterated India's demand, which also has broad support, for negotiations based on a text that move the discussion forward.

Leaders of 73 countries at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly in September made resounding calls for Council reforms, she said.

"This is not a serendipitous coincidence but a reflection of the thinking of the wider membership", she said.

"Clearly the multi-dimensional crises facing the world today demand a representative multilateral architecture that is reflective of contemporary global realities and is well equipped to meet emerging challenges".

The other Signature Event would try to build on the work of the Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee meeting in India and its declaration to achieve a global consensus on fighting terrorism, especially the use of new technologies by terrorists, she said.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has announced a cash reward of Rs one lakh for providing information on absconding IRS officer Santosh Kumar Karnani who was posted as Additional Commissioner of Income Tax in Ahmedabad

Karnani, an accused in a Rs 30 lakh alleged bribery case, went underground after the CBI conducted raids.

An arrest warrant has also been isused against him by a Special CBI court.

During investigation, the CBI on two seperate days 19 and 21 November had conducted searches at around 21 locations including at the premises of relatives of the accused which led to the recovery of incriminating documents, articles and investment of Rs 41,96,743 in the form of fixed deposits.

The documents recovered during searches are still being scrutinised.

The accused has not joined the investigation.

After this the CBI moved a concerned court in Bhadra, Ahmedabad and got issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

"A reward of Rs. One lakh has been declared by the CBI which will be given to any person from general public who will give credible information leading to his arrest. The posters relating to said reward have already been circulated at various places," the agency said.

The accused had moved an anticipatory bail plea, which was dismissed by the Special Court.

The CBI said that sincere efforts are being made to trace the absconding accused.

Further investigation in the matter is on.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued an advisory cautioning FM radio channels against playing songs which glorifies drugs and gun culture.

The ministry has said that strict action will be taken against those who violate the advisory.

The ministry has learnt that some FM radio channels are playing songs which glorify liquor, drugs, weapons, gangsters and gun culture.

Broadcast of such songs or content is in violation of the All India Radio Programme Code and the Central government has the right to impose restrictions up to suspension of permission and prohibition of broadcast, the ministry has asserted.

The ministry has directed the channels to strictly follow the prescribed terms and conditions and do not broadcast any content promoting anti-social activities including alcohol, drugs, gun culture.

According to the ministry, the High Court of Punjab and Haryana has taken judicial note that such material affects children of impressionable age. Apart from this, it gives rise to the culture of gangsters.

In the advisory, the ministry has asked the radio channels to strictly adhere to the terms and conditions prescribed in grant of permission agreement (GOPA) and migration grant of permission agreement (MGOPA) and not air any content in violation thereof.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) A controversy has once again erupted at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), this time over the walls of several buildings on the university campus being defaced with anti-Brahmin and anti-Baniya slogans.

Slogans against the Brahmin community were seen on the walls of JNU's School of International Studies.
Some of the slogans on the walls read "Brahmins Leave The Campus", "Brahmins-Baniyas, we are coming for you! You will not be spared" and "Go back to the Shakha".

Several students and student organisations of the university have expressed their displeasure over this. However, the university administration is yet to take any action.

Photos depicting anti-Brahmin and anti-Baniya slogans on JNU campus have been shared widely on social media.

The slogan 'Shakha Laut Jao' was written on the door of the cabin of a female professor of the university. According to some JNU students, the female professor was "held hostage" for 3 days by the Left wing students in 2019.

According to the information, these slogans were written on the night of November 30. Though the university officials have not issued any comment on the matter, but the university administration has started an investigation into the matter and efforts are on to find those involved.

ABVP President Rohit Kumar said that his organisation strongly condemns such indecent comments. He blamed the students associated with leftist ideology for this act and said that they had written these obscene things on the walls of JNU. Kumar has alleged the left wing - AISA's involvement in it.

However, the students associated with the AISA have refuted these allegations.

JNU Students' Union member and former president N. Sai Balaji has denied the left's involvement in the incident. Rather, he expressed doubt that it could be the handiwork of the ABVP activists themselves.

--IANS
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