10 killed in northeast India in land dispute

File photo (Pic: Worldbulletin.net)

NEW DELHI (AA) - Angry locals in India’s northeastern state of Assam blocked a national highway Thursday to protest the killing of at least 10 people and the wounding of eight others in a decades-old land dispute with a neighboring state, according to news reports.

The killings took place Wednesday, when an armed group from neighboring Arunachal Pradesh state entered a village in the Sonitpur district of Assam and opened fire on members of a territorial safeguard committee, the reports said.

“People from Arunachal attacked a village in our state," Sanjutka Parashor, Sonitpur superintendent of police, told the English daily Times of India. "We are sending additional forces there.” 

Parashor said the attack took place Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m local time in Chauldhuwa village at the Behali Reserve Forest, which is close to the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border -- a disputed territory between the two states.

The victims belong to the Arunachal Agrashan Pratirudh Committee, formed by the Communist Party of India to safeguard Assamese territory from being taken over by people of neighboring state Arunachal Pradesh.

The armed group reportedly fired as many as 100 rounds from rifles and guns on the defense committee members, whom they consider “encroachers” in the Behali Reserve Forest. Security has been beefed up in the area.

Anadolu Agency, January 30, 2014

Former French First Lady visits India after President Hollande announces ‘separation’

Former French First Lady in Mumbai (Pic: Imtiyaz Shaikh, Anadolu Agency)

France's former First Lady, Valerie Trierweiler, made her first public appearance since separating from French President Francois Hollande, when she visited a Mumbai hospital on Monday morning as part of her humanitarian work with French charity Action Against Hunger.

The 48-year old former journalist, who was immediately surrounded by journalists and photographers as she stepped out of Lokmanya Tilak Hospital, refused to speak to the media about her personal life and, instead, focused on the hospital.

“These babies of less than one kilogram have very limited chances of survival,” she told the reporters.

“It is injustice. Even if everything is done for the best, they [Indian hospitals] don’t have the same resources as in our hospitals,” she said.

Trierweiler, who is visiting India for the second time, was guarded by more than a dozen Indian policemen.

Trierweiler’s two-day India visit has come under intense media scrutiny after Hollande told a French news agency on Saturday that he is separating with his seven-year partner, after his alleged affair with French actress Julie Gayet was reported in French media.

The former French First Lady previously visited India in February 2013 with President Hollande, where she spoke of her desire to become a champion of children’s rights.

Anadolu Agency, January 27, 2014

21 dead in boat capsize near south Indian island

Rescue operations at the island (Pic: The Hindu)

NEW DELHI, India (AA) - At least 21 people are feared dead Sunday evening after a boat carrying 45 people capsized near Port Blair, Andaman Island, off the coast of South Indian state Tamil Nadu, reported NDTV, an English-language news channel. 

The boat, named "Aqua Marine," was carrying mainly tourists from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. The incident happened between Ross Island and North Bay at around 4 p.m. local time. 

Rescue operations are underway, and at least 13 people have been rescued so far. 

According to NDTV, the lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar island, AK Singh, has ordered an investigation and announced there would be 100,000 rupees ($1700) in compensation paid to the families of the dead.

Anadolu Agency, January 26, 2014

India, Japan urge denuclearization

India and Japan Prime Ministers in New Delhi (Pic: Reuters) 

India and Japan both emphasized their committment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons when their respective Prime Ministers, Manmohan Singh and Shinzo Abe, met on Saturday evening.

The meeting led to a 51-point statement that covered bilateral cooperation, economy, terrorism and United Nations reform.

Abe stressed the importance of bringing into force the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) while Singh reiterated India’s commitment to its unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.

The two Premiers said they support the strengthening of international cooperation to address the challenges of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism.

The Japan Premier recognized India’s sound non-proliferation record. Stressing the importance of nuclear safety, both the PMs reaffirmed the significance of civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries.

They also urged North Korea to move towards denuclearization and fully comply with its international obligations, including under all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

“The two Prime Ministers expressed their concern over North Korea’s continued development of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, including its uranium enrichment activities,” a joint-statement issued by India and Japan said.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reached India Saturday evening on a three-day state visit. Abe will be the first Japan Prime Minister to be a “chief guest” at India’s Republic Day celebrations to be held Sunday morning.

They also discussed defence cooperation, including joint-excercises, which a senior Indian official told Anadolu Agency is at a “preliminary stage”. They said the discussion to purchase the amphibian aircraft called ‘US-2’ is on the table and a joint working group will meet soon after Abe’s visit.

Japan is the fourth major investor in India. In the past 13 years, Japan has invested $15 billion through Foreign Direct Investment, 7% of the total FDI.

Anadolu Agency, January 25, 2014

Indian President addresses nation on eve of 65th Republic Day

File photo of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee (Pic: President of India website)

NEW DELHI (AA) – India's President Pranab Mukherjee warned that a fractured and unstable government would be catastrophic for India, on Saturday. 

During his address to the nation, on the eve of the 65th Republic Day, he spoke about the upcoming May 2014 general elections. 

“A fractured government, hostage to whimsical opportunists, is always an unhappy eventuality.” 

“I am not a cynic because I know that democracy has this marvellous ability to self-correct,” he said.

“It is the physician that heals itself and 2014 must become a year of healing after the fractured and contentious politics of the last few years,” the 78-year-old former Congress politician said.

Mukherjee also addressed concerns about India's weakening democratic institutions and corruption by saying some "have made power a gateway to greed."

“Our problems will not disappear overnight. We live in a turbulent part of the world where factors of instability have grown in the recent past,” he said.

Anadolu Agency, January 25, 2014

India’s foreign minister meets US Secretary of State John Kerry

India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid with US Secretary of State John Kerry (Pic: MEA)

NEW DELHI (AA) - India’s foreign minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday met US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Geneva II peace conference to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York in December 2013.

This was the first meeting between the two after a month long diplomatic row between India and the US over the arrest of Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general, on charges of visa fraud and underpayment to her maid Sangeeta Richard.

In a statement, India’s foreign ministry said that Kerry and Khurshid reviewed recent developments in Indian-US relations and agreed that the relationship between the two countries was important.

Both Khurshid and Kerry briefly discussed “institutional arrangements” relating to the privileges and immunities of diplomats, a pending energy dialogue, and the visit of the commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.

“Both sides looked forward to the early realization of a mutually-agreed calendar of bilateral exchanges, including visits of US Energy Secretary Moniz for the India-US Energy Dialogue and the visit of the Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Margaret Hamburg”, the statement said.

The Energy Dialogue, scheduled for early January, was cancelled after the diplomatic row between the two countries took an unexpected turn with India taking a slew of “reciprocal” measures.

They also talked about the “ongoing” defense cooperation between India and the US. The two sides agreed to “remain in contact” to follow up on the progress of key strategic issues. They also discussed the Khobragade episode and recognized the need to put into place institutional arrangements to look at all outstanding issues relating to the privileges and immunities of diplomats of both countries so that such “issues could be resolved in a timely manner”.

Khurshid also underlined India’s concern over “trafficking visas” issued to Indian nationals by the US Embassy in the country.

Richard’s family was granted expedited visas by the US Embassy in New Delhi on December 10, two days before the arrest of Khobragade allowing the family to fly to the US.

Khobragade was arrested by the police in New York Police on the morning of December 12 while she was dropping off her young daughters to school. She was publicly handcuffed, allegedly strip-searched and placed in a prison cell with drug addicts. She was released on bail of $250,000 in the evening.

Indicted in a US court, Khogragade moved to India on January 10 after being granted full diplomatic immunity. Khobragade was allegedly paying Richard $3.11 per hour instead of the promised mandatory US wage of $9.75.

However, Indian officials portray a more complicated legal picture, saying that Richard has been absconding since June this year as a Delhi high court had issued an interim injunction in September restraining her from instituting any action or proceedings against Khobragade outside India, according to the terms and conditions of her employment.

The Indian Embassy in Washington had requested the US government locate Richard, Khobragade's maid, and facilitate the implementation of an arrest warrant, issued by the Metropolitan Magistrate of the South District Court in New Delhi.

Anadolu Agency, January 22, 2014

Women’s rights group want Delhi law minister sacked for harassment of Ugandan women

File photo of Somnath Bharti (Pic: PTI)

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian women's rights groups want New Delhi's Law Minister to be sacked after he allegely ordered for a Ugandan woman to be harrassed and beaten by a mob last week. 

Pressure is mounting for the ouster of Somnath Bhari after the Ugandan national, who was accused of being involved in a prostitution racket, identified him in a video clip played on television. 

"We were harassed, we were beaten, they were having long sticks. They said we should leave their country or else they would kill us one by one,” said the alleged victim.  

“He came in the night and the next day I saw him on television. The Delhi Police came in time and saved us from the mob,” she said.

The alleged victim recorded a statement before a magistrate on Tuesday, claiming that the mob led by the minister assaulted and made racist comments against people of African origin. 

The statement has been given to the Delhi police in a sealed envelope, to be opened only during the trial of the case.

A mob reportedly led by Bharti barged into the woman’s house during the night on January 15, accusing the Ugandan nationals of running a prostitution and drug racket in New Delhi.

Representatives of women’s rights groups have condemned the midnight raid as an act of “vigilantism” by the minister. 

In an open letter on Wednesday, 50 women’s rights activists urged Delhi's chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, to punish Bharti and others for “instigating and perpetrating racist and sexual violence on African women”.

Kejriwal defended the action of his colleague Bharti, alleging police hesitance was the result of connections between the “sex racket” and "corrupt” Delhi police.

“These Ugandan women have alleged that they were beaten and groped sexually. On what basis do you deem these allegations to be false?” the activists asked.

“Is it the government's contention that only ‘ma, behen, beti’ (mother, sister, daughter) are entitled to safety and dignity - and that prostitutes can be left to the mercy of moralistic mobs?,” the letter read.

The letter called on the local government to apologise to the women after the urine tests they were forced to take proved negative. 

Two New Delhi police officers who broke up the mob were suspended but a prominent women's right activist told Anadolu Agency (AA), on the condition of anonymity, they were actually protecting the Ugandan nationals.

“Isn’t it strange that they have been penalized for failing to obey the orders of the minister”, she said.

“This sends out a dangerous signal that law-enforcement officers will be penalized if they uphold the democratic rights of vulnerable individuals,” she said.

The activists said in the letter that “Delhi Police must be accountable to the Constitution and not to bidding of ministers and mobs.”

The police operate under India's federal ministry but the Delhi government want to bring them under state control.

Captain GR Gopinath, founder of Air Deccan and a high-profile member of the ruling the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called for the sacking of Bharti pending an inquiry against him.

Federal Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde called AAP leader and Delhi chief minister “mad” on Wednesday.

“Because of that veda (mad) chief minister’s demonstration, I had to deploy thousands of policemen,” Shinde said, talking about the 33-hour long protest led by Kejriwal against the New Delhi police, which ended on Tuesday.

New Delhi police had previously refused to arrest the accused women despite orders from the New Delhi government. A stand-off between the two authorities ended on Tuesday night when the federal government said it would take deal against police inaction.

Anadolu Agency, January 22, 2014

Step-son of Indian official rejects suicide of mother, defends step-father

Shiv Menon with Sashi Tharoor in Haridwar (Pic: NDTV)

NEW DELHI (AA) – The son of Sunanda Pushkar Tharoor from her earlier marriage has rejected the possibility that his mother committed suicide and has come to the defense of his step-father, a high-level Indian official.

Shiv Menon, who is 22, issued a statement Wednesday defending his step-father, federal minister of state for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor. The statement described media reports on his mother’s death as “untrue” and “outrageous."

“Anyone who knew my mother would simply know that she was too strong to commit suicide,” the statement said. 

Last Friday, a private news channel reported that Mrs. Tharoor’s WhatsApp status read, “Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive,” giving rise to  speculation that she committed suicide.

Menon also said he did not believe his step-father could have been responsible for his mother's death.

“I also do not believe that Shashi was capable of physically harming her, let alone the speculation that he could have taken her life," the statement said|. "They were very much in love, despite occasional differences, which they always overcame.” 

Menon did acknowledge that his mother was under pressure.

“It was an unfortunate combination of media stress, tensions and a wrong mix of different medications. Her death was peaceful and she passed in her sleep,” Menon wrote.

An empty strip of a popular anti-depressant drug was recovered from Mrs. Tharoor’s hotel room. He appealed to the media to let his mother “rest in peace”.

Mrs. Tharoor was found dead Friday evening at the five-star Leela Hotel two days after she said she was disturbed by an alleged affair her diplomat-turned-politician husband was having with Mehr Tarar, a Pakistani journalist.

An autopsy Saturday said Mrs. Tharoor died a “sudden unnatural death” and her body had some minor “injury marks,” giving rise to the speculation in the media.

But a detailed report by a magistrate after various lab tests concluded Tuesday that Mrs. Tharoor had died because of “poisoning,” giving rise to the theory that she might have been killed.

Earlier, Delhi police had questioned Mr. Tharoor, who was away from the hotel room attending a day-long Congress party meeting when his wife died Friday. 

On Wednesday, January 15, Mrs Tharoor accused Tarar in a series of tweets of “stalking” her husband, calling the Pakistani journalist an agent of the Pakistani intelligence services. Tarar; 45, had denied the accusations.

However, on Thursday, the celebrity couple had issued a statement saying they were “happily married” and intend to remain that way, seeking privacy from the media as Mrs Tharoor was unwell.

The Tharoors married in 2010.

In 2010, before his marriage, the politician had to resign from his first ministerial post after allegations surfaced that Pushkar had been given a free stake in the Kerala team of in the Indian Premier League, a short and popular format of cricket.

Mr. Tharoor, an internationally-acclaimed writer, has spent more than two decades at UN, his last post being the under-secretary there. He unsuccessfully contested for the post of UN Secretary General against Ban Ki-Moon before joining politics.

Anadolu Agency, January 22, 2014

18 killed in India stampede at home of Muslim spiritual leader

The funeral procession of Syedna Burhanuddin (Pic: Imtiyaz Shaikh)

MUMBAI (AA) - In one of the worst religious stampedes in recent years, 18 were killed and 60 others injured in the wee hours of Saturday ahead of the funeral procession of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader Syedna Burhanuddin, who passed away at the age of 102 on Friday morning following a cardiac arrest.

Police sources told Anadolu Agency that the stampede occurred in posh Malabar Hill area in South Mumbai outside the residence of Burhanuddin, where people had gathered in thousands to pay their last respects to the spiritual leader.

An eyewitness told AA that the stampede happened at around 1.30 am after the gates of Saifee Mahal, Burhanuddin’s residence, were closed.

"People fell on each other as the crowd swarmed in thousands to catch a last glimpse of their leader causing pandemonium," he said requesting not be named.

Out of the 60 injured, 57 have been discharged after being treated in Saifee hospital.

Maharashtra state home minister RR Patil has asked for an official inquiry into the stampede.

Saturday’s tragic incident is the second biggest stampede in India in the last four months. In October 2013, at least 91 devotees were killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

The funeral procession commenced at 10 am from Malabar Hill as thousands of devotees dressed in white formed a human chain moving slowly towards Bhendi Baazar area where the last rites will be performed later on Saturday at Raudat Tahera mausoleum.

The body of the spiritual leader was put in a casket draped in Indian tricolor and carried in an open truck.

An estimated 100,000 people turned up for the funeral procession as police and law enforcement agencies diverted Mumbai’s heavy traffic to avoid traffic jam.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh reportedly admitted to the lapses in security arrangement.

"Neither the police nor the organizers thought of the huge turnout of devotees. Eighteen people have died and most deaths due to suffocation. When the gate was closed, there was suffocation," Singh was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he received the news of the passing away of Burhanuddin with "deep sadness".

"Dr. Burhanuddin led the Dawoodi Bohra Community with wisdom and enlightenment. His appeal went beyond the community as his compassion and humanism inspired people of all faiths," Singh said in a statement.

The Dawoodi Bohra community announced on Saturday that Burhanuddin’s son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has succeeded him.

Burhanuddin, regarded as an ambassador of peace and goodwill, was born in Surat in western state of Gujarat. He took the mantle of leadership from his father in 1965. He is credited for promoting international brotherhood and harmony.

"Under his leadership, the community has achieved remarkable social, economic and educational success across the world," a spokesperson of the leader said in a statement.

Burhanuddin was honoured with many international awards including the Star of Jordan and Order of the Nile by respective governments of Jordan and Egypt. He was also conferred doctorate for his social and educational work by Al-Azhar University, Aligarh Muslim University and University of Karachi.

Anadolu Agency, January 18, 2014

Wife of Indian minister found dead at Delhi hotel

File photo of Tharoors (Pic: Mid-Day)

NEW DELHI (AA) - The wife of junior minister and former UN under-secretary, Shashi Tharoor, was found dead on Friday evening.

Police sources confirmed to Anadolu Agency that Mrs Tharoor was found dead in her hotel room, but they are unable to divulge any further details while the investigation is ongoing.

Mr Tharoor, who was away attending a day-long Congress party meeting, broke open the door with the help of a hotel attendant after there was no response from inside.

A post-mortem will be conducted on Saturday morning.

Three days ago she said she was distressed by the scandal of an alleged affair between her husband and a Pakistani journalist.

Mrs Tharoor on Wednesday accused Mehr Tarar in a series of tweets of "stalking" her politician husband, who responded to deny these allegations.

Responding to the news of Mrs Tharoor's death, Tarar expressed her schock and sent her condolences.

The high-profile couple issued a statement on Thursday saying they are "happily married" and intend to remain that way. They couple were seeking privacy from the media as Mrs Tharoor was unwell.

The couple married in 2010, during that year the politician had to resign from his ministerial post after allegations surfaced his wife had been given a free stake in the Kerala team in the Indian Premier Cricket League.

Tharoor is an internationally-acclaimed writer and has spent more than two decades at the UN.

Anadolu Agency, January 17, 2014

India's Congress VP Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP party

File photo of Rahul Gandhi 

NEW DELHI (AA) - In an attempt to reinvent the image of his party after the shock defeat in recent state elections, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi bitterly attacked Narendra Modi on Friday, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, saying those who dream of a “Congress-free-India” will themselves be destroyed. 

In a speech at Delhi’s Talkatora stadium, Gandhi said congress is not a party, it is an idea close to our hearts. It is an idea enshrined in India for 3000 years.”

“It is an idea of Emperor Ashoka and Mughal king Akbar. It is an idea which is enshrined in India’s holy books, an idea of mutual co-existence, an idea which has passed down to generations. Can an idea that stays in our hearts be destroyed?"

Gandhi accused right-wing BJP of stoking communal hatred across the country and appealed to like-minded people to come together in what he described as “critical juncture”.

He added that his party is fully ready to conquer the electoral battle ahead calling himself a “warrior” of the grand old party.

“There is a tough battle ahead of us. We will go into this battle as warriors with our heads held high,” he said.

Gandhi dismissed the constant call to be declared the party’s prime ministerial candidate saying, “I will do anything you want me to, I am a loyal soldier” while maintaining that the Congress traditionally does not announce its prime ministerial candidate before voting. 

Gandhi promised that the party’s election manifesto won’t be a closed-door affair anymore as he wants to involve as many people as possible in defining the key issues affecting the nation.

“We have asked the youth and women, will ask Dalits, farmers, laborers and businessmen to make a manifesto accordingly,” he said.

The young Gandhi, who is seen by many as a weak and inefficient leader, was speaking at the annual meet of AICC (All India Congress Committee).

“Today Rahul has showed his fire power publicly for the first time,” a senior Congress leader told Anadolu Agency refusing to be named.

“Rahul’s message that party will be run from the grassroot level and not from the top is a clear signal to those party leaders who rest on their laurels. It is a revolutionary step to further democratise the party and identify hardworking low-key-profile leaders,” he said.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Congress did not declare Rahul Gandhi their prime ministerial candidate because of prospect of defeat.

“It's the prospect of defeat staring in the face, which is responsible for the reluctance to announce Rahul Gandhi as PM candidate in 2014,” Jaitley wrote on Twitter.

Anadolu Agency, January 17, 2014

Modi blames Congress for battering Indian economy

File of Narendra Modi at a Mumbai rally (Pic: Imtiyaz Shaikh)

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian Prime Ministerial candiate Narendra Modi has accused the current Congress-led federal coalition of creating an atmosphere of despair with its economic policies. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate told a gathering of industry leaders in Gandhinagar, capital of Gujarat, that India has become a "country of under-achievers" because of the economic policies and inaction of the federal government.

“There is a need to shake off this despair. An atmosphere of confidence and trust is very important in India now,” said Modi.

The four-time Gujarat chief minister singled out Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress' vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who is likely to be named as the party’s prime ministerial candidate on Friday.

“The Prime Minister likes to speak about ‘inclusive growth. Until we create opportunities for the poor through education, how can it happen?" said Modi.

In an apparent dig at Gandhi, Modi said India must be run by decision-makers. “It has become fashionable now to run away from responsibility,” he said.

Gandhi, who hinted at his desire become his party’s prime ministerial candidate on Tuesday for the first time, is often criticized by his opponents and political rivals for not “accepting responsibility” within the government.

The 63-year-old Modi presented his economic vision on a day when the World Bank projected India’s economy to grow at over 6% in 2014-15 and 7.1% by 2016-17 with the help of recovering global demand and domestic investment increases.

The World Bank's Global Economic Prospects report released on Wednesday attributed weak growth in South Asia to India’s stunted economic performance.

India's economy has suffered from steep currency depreciation and the withdrawal of foreign capital amid fears of policy paralysis ahead of this summer's scheduled general election. 

Anadolu Agency, January 15, 2014

Italy asks India to discharge marines

File photo of Italian Marines (Pic: The Hindu)

NEW DELHI (AA) – The Italian government asked India's Supreme Court on Wednesday to discharge two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012, on the grounds that the judicial process has been delayed.

The Supreme Court responded to Italian complaints about a formal chargesheet still not being submitted, two years after the incident, by scheduling the hearing for Monday. 

The arrest of the two Italian marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimilano Latorre, on the charge that they had killed Ajesh Binki and Jelestine off the Keralan coast in February 2012 sparked a diplomatic row between India and Italy. 

The Italian government claims the incident happened in international, not Indian, waters and the marines should be tried in an Italian court, a claim India strongly contests.

The marines, who were deployed on-board the Italian oil tanker ship MT Enrica Lexie, recieved bail and are staying in the Italian Embassy in New Delhi while they await trial.

India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) concluded that the marines did not fire any warning shot or issue a verbal warning by loudspeaker before the actual shooting.

India has promised Italy that the marines would not be sentenced to death. M.J. Akbar, a journalist and commentator who is critical of the judicial delay, told Anadolu Agency he was “baffled” by this stance.

“The Indian government can’t guarantee the outcome of the trial at any cost. Only a judge has the jurisdiction to determine it.”

Anadolu Agency, January 15, 2014

Danish woman allegedly gang-raped in Delhi

File photo of a violence against women protest (Pic: WorldBulletin.net)

NEW DELHI (AA) - A 51-year-old Danish woman was allegedly gang-raped by a group of men in Delhi, India on Tuesday night when she lost her way back to her hotel after visiting a museum, according to police.

The victim told Delhi police late on Tuesday night that she had got lost after visiting Delhi’s National Museum. She claimed the men, who she approached for directions to the nearby Delhi railway station, had taken her to an isolated spot and gang-raped her. She also claimed she was robbed after the sexual assault.

The Delhi police have reportedly used the information provided by the victim to detain six suspects.

“She lost her way when this incident happened. Currently, the concerned police team has identified suspects and is interrogating them. The investigation is on,” Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.

A case of gang-rape and robbery has been registered under the relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.

Police said the victim, who has not been named to preserve her anonymity, left for Copenhagen on Wednesday morning after refusing to undergo a medical test.

The Delhi government and Danish embassy are not commenting on the incident due to the ongoing investigation.

The Supreme Court of India said on Wednesday it needs a formal system to address cases of sexual harassment against both sitting and former judges, reversing a decision made in December to not hear cases against former judges.

It issued a notice to Justice Swatanter Kumar, a former Supreme Court judge, and the federal government after a law intern alleged on Sunday that he had sexually harassed her in May 2011 - when he was still a judge in India's top court.

Justice Kumar has denied the allegations of sexual harassment, calling them a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. Kumar filed a defamation suit with the Delhi High Court on Wednesday seeking Rs. 25 million in damages from media organizations for publishing “baseless” and “incredulous” reports against him.

The court agreed to hear the law intern's seven-page petition seeking the formation of a gender committee to look into sexual harassment complaints against sitting and retired judges.

In her petition to P Sathasivam, Chief Justice of India, in November the law intern accused Justice Kumar of “unwelcome physical contact and sexual advances” claiming he touched her with “sexual intent”.

This is the second high-profile sexual harassment case allegedly involving a former Supreme Court judge. In December, a Supreme Court-appointed panel indicted AK Ganguly for “unwelcome verbal/non-verbal conduct of sexual nature” towards a law intern.

Amid mounting pressure by rights activists and citizens, Ganguly, had to resign from the post of Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission.

Anadolu Agency, January 15, 2014

Former Indian home secretary: Home Minister lied about fugitive

File photo of RK Singh

NEW DELHI (AA) - Retired federal Home Secretary R.K. Singh accused his former boss, federal Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, on Tuesday of lying about a US promise of help to bring fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim to India. 

Singh, who joined the right-wing BJP last week, bitterly criticized Shinde’s claims that the American attorney general had promised that the FBI would help bring Ibrahim to book. Singh also claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was aware of Shinde’s actions.

Ibrahim has been designated a terrorist by both India and the United States. He is wanted in India in a series of cases -- most prominently a series of 13 terrorist explosions in Mumbai in 1993. The attacks killed 350 people and injured 1,200 others.

India alleges that Ibrahim has been given shelter in neighboring Pakistan, a charge denied by the latter.

"Even if an agency belonging to another country agrees to help us in a mission on a third country's soil, this should not be made public. 

"The FBI has made no such commitment, at least as long as I was there. Dawood is in Pakistan, under ISI’s protection and to say he will be arrested with the help of FBI is ridiculous," said Singh.

Singh, who retired in June as federal home secretary, has made a series of allegations against Shinde, including that he protected a Mumbai businessman allegedly linked to Ibrahim, interferred in police work, and took money for police postings.

Singh’s comments to the media on Tuesday sparked a political row between India’s ruling Congress party and the BJP, the main opposition party.

"Shinde prevented Delhi Police from interrogating a businessman in the IPL (Indian Premier League) match fixing case. Agencies suspect this businessman has links with underworld don Dawood. There is even no assurance from FBI on Dawood, I was present at that conference with Shinde, he is lying," Singh told a private news channel.

The staff at Shinde’s residence would regularly send chits with names of people who should be posted as SHOs (Station House Officers) and I heard this was done in lieu of money," he alleged.

Congress has reacted strongly to the allegations of the former bureaucrat terming it as a "shocking opportunism" of "poll season" instead of complaining to the higher authorities.

A senior Congress politician told Anadolu Agency that the nature and timing of the allegations are part of the BJP’s "dirty-tricks" department.

"Why did Singh keep quiet as a home secretary when he was aware of the alleged wrongdoing? He is guilty of connivance," the Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh reacted strongly saying the diplomat-turned-politician wanted a "post-retirement position" of power.

"Is it not a fact that he tried to get a post-retirement position from the UPA (United Progressive Alliance)? Is it not a fact that he approached (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar for a position?" Singh said.

The BJP demanded a complete probe into the allegations of the former diplomat saying the home minister should be sacked immediately.

"If Mr Shinde is found to have intervened in the match-fixing probe, he needs to be sacked immediately," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, a senior BJP leader.

Former top police officer Kiran Bedi, who endorsed BJP’s candidate for prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday, questioned the motive of Singh’s allegations.

"What did you do as the Home Secretary? Did you tell the PM (Prime Minister) of the unlawful instructions? If not then you’re at fault. If you get any unlawful orders complain to the higher officials. Don’t say things after retiring," said Bedi, a prominent social activist.

Singh’s allegation comes after Shinde on January 9 said that the Indian government was working along with the US domestic law enforcement agency FBI in bringing India’s most wanted fugitive terrorist Ibrahim to India.

"Efforts are on to track Dawood. We are in talks with the FBI," Shinde had said while touring Solapur town in western state of Maharashtra. 

Under Shinde’s tenure as home minister, India has successfully brought a number of terror suspects from abroad.

Singh’s political ambition became clear when he joined the right-wing BJP last week fuelling the speculation that he may contest the May 2014 national election from northern state of Bihar.

Anadolu Agency, January 14, 2014

India set to be declared Polio -free

File photo of a child being administered polio drops (Pic: WorldBulletin.net)

NEW DELHI (AA) - In one of the most challenging public healthcare breakthroughs, India on Monday completed three years without a single Polio case, marking the gestation period to be declared a Polio -eradicated country by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Thanks to a sustained vaccination drive, Monday’s milestone is of significant importance as India was the only country in the Southeast Asian region with Polio cases. The last Polio case was reported from the eastern state of West Bengal three years ago on January 13, 2011.

"Proud day for all of us Indians. India is Polio -free for three years,” an exuberant RPN Singh, Junior Home Minister, wrote on his Twitter page.

India was declared “Polio-free” last year by WHO, but it is only after three years time that a nation is declared to have “eradicated” Polio.

India is likely to get the certificate from the WHO in this regard by February's end.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a public-private partnership initiative, said in a statement that with a densely-concentrated population of more than one billion people, India was once considered the most challenging place on earth to end Polio

Backed by local religious and community leaders, more than two million vaccinators worked in every nook and corner of the country, convincing people of the efficacy of Polio drops and the perils of the centuries-old scourge.

“The country’s success is a result of remarkable commitment at all levels, from the highest reaches of government to the heroic 2.3 million vaccinators delivering Polio drops to local communities,” the statement said.

GPEI said India’s triumph is a landmark achievement that will vastly benefit children's health in India and around the world.

Shakeel Ansari, a foreman at a textile factory in Malegaon, 300 kms north of Mumbai, expressed to Anadolu Agency (AA) his happiness at knowing that Polio has been eradicated from the country.

“My son was not so lucky but I still feel happy that the mysterious disease of Polio has been eradicated,” Ansari told AA.

Tufail, Ansari’s 17-year old son, contracted the Polio virus in 1997 when he was barely 6 months old.

The young Tufail, who leads a normal life despite paralysis, was not administered Polio drops because of lack of awareness.

Ansari said his son dropped out of school to learn sewing as he was not successful in his studies.

In 2009, India accounted for half of all cases worldwide with 741 infections that led to paralysis.

In 2010, the number fell to double digits due a massive Polio eradication drive.

In 1985, India reported 150,000 cases of paralytic Polio.

India was once recognized as the world’s epicenter of Polio.

In 2012, WHO said that India seems to have “interrupted wild Polio virus transmission,” completing one year without Polio. 

Despite achieving the milestone, the challenge remains as hundreds of families have refused to administer Polio drops to their kids in the recent past.

A senior government doctor confirmed to AA that in 2012, an estimated 800 families refused Polio drops in Malegaon town alone, fearing their children may become “sterile” after taking the drops.

The doctor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there is no time for celebration and complacency.

“India must maintain sensitive surveillance and high childhood immunity against the Polio virus despite the recent success,” the doctor said.

Anadolu Agency, January 13, 2014

Indian diplomat concerned about children in US

File photo of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade (Pic: Rediff.com)

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, who flew from the United States to India on Friday and may never go to the US again, has expressed “apprehension and anguish” on Sunday over the future of her family including the two young daughters who remain in that country.

39-year old Khobragade, who was indicted in a US court and granted full diplomatic immunity on Thursday, told a national daily on Sunday that she doesn’t know whether she will be able to ever reunite with her American family.

“I wonder if I will be able to ever reunite with my family, my husband, my little kids. I miss them,” Khobragade told The Sunday Express.

Khobragade, at the centre of a diplomatic row between India and United States, was accused of visa fraud and underpayment to her maid Sangeeta Richard she brought from India.

Khobragade said her family was one of the biggest worries on her mind currently.

“What if my children choose to study and work in the US? What if I can never return to the US, which I cannot now… Does it mean we will never be able to live together as a family again?,” she said.

The US State Department has communicated to the Indian side that Khobragade’s name would be “placed in visa and immigration lookout systems to prevent routine issuance of any future visa” making it impossible for the diplomat to go to the United States even to meet her American family. The US also said that an arrest warrant may be issued against the diplomat.

Khobragade is married to a well-known American academic and has two daughters aged seven and four in New York.

“My little kids, who have never been separated from me, are too young to realise that their mother will not return home any time soon. (That) in fact she would never return to that same house again,” Khobragade said.

Khobragade said it feels good to be among the people who support you but the legal battle remains in the US.

“I have come to India but my stand still needs to be vindicated. And of course, I have been separated from my family, and I am under immense stress for my children,” she said.

Khobragade’s American lawyer Daniel Arshack has moved an application in a federal court seeking dismissal of the visa fraud case against her.

Khobragade said she was “honest” and come out “clean”.

“I know I am honest, and I will come out clean. But we do not know how much time it will take and for how long my family will have to suffer due to this,” she said.

In a “retaliatory” measure, India on Friday asked the US Embassy in Delhi to withdraw an officer of rank similar to that of Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, who was asked to leave the US on Thursday after being indicted in a US court.

On Friday, a senior Indian official told Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity that the role of a particular US official was “questionable” in a month long diplomatic slugfest between India and US, resulting in the indictment and subsequent expulsion of Khobragade.

It is widely believed that the US official in Delhi Embassy may have played an active role in granting expedited visas to the husband and two children of the maid Sangeeta Richard, allowing the family to fly to the US just two days before the arrest of the diplomat.

In December, media reports hinted that contacts within the US diplomatic community would have come into play as Richard’s in-laws reportedly work for the American embassy in New Delhi.

The US approved Khobragade’s accreditation at India’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations on Wednesday helping the indicted diplomat to fly back to India.

On December 18, India transferred Khobragade to India’s Permanent Mission in New York hoping that the diplomat would receive full immunity.

India pressed for criminal charges against Khobragade to be dropped, taking a slew of “retaliatory” measures against the US Embassy and consular officials.

On January 8, India asked the US Embassy in Delhi to stop commercial activities by January 16 including its restaurant, bar, bowling alley, beauty parlour, gym, tennis court, swimming pool etc. on the grounds that the presence of all those facilities violated the Vienna Convention.

On January 7, Khobragade’s father Uttam Khobragade, a retired Indian diplomat, protested outside the US Consulate in Mumbai demanding that the charges against his daughter were false and should be waived.

On December 17, India withdrew a host of privileges accorded to all US Consular officials in India including the withdrawal of airport passes, cancellation of import duty waivers on food and liquor etc. Security barricades outside the US Embassy in Delhi were also removed in retaliation to the arrest of the diplomat.

Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, was arrested by the police in New York Police on the morning of December 12 while she was dropping off her young daughters to school. She was publicly handcuffed, allegedly strip-searched and placed in a prison cell. She was released on bail of $250,000 in the evening.

Khobragade was allegedly paying Richard $3.11 per hour instead of the promised mandatory US wage of $9.75.

However, Indian officials portray a more complicated legal picture, saying that Richard has been absconding since June this year as a Delhi high court had issued an interim injunction in September restraining her from instituting any action or proceedings against Khobragade outside India, according to the terms and conditions of her employment.

The Indian Embassy in Washington had requested the US government to locate Richard, Khobragade's maid, and facilitate the implementation of an arrest warrant, issued by the Metropolitan Magistrate of the South District Court in New Delhi.

Anadolu Agency, January 12, 2014