Nido Taniam murder case: Accused remanded to judicial custody

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April 7, 2014

A Delhi court on Monday extended by 14 days the judicial custody of four persons arrested in connection with the death of 19-year-old Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Taniam.

On expiry of their remand, accused Farman, Sunder Singh, Pawan and Sunny Uppal were produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pritam Singh, who remanded them back in judicial custody till April 21, after the CBI did not seek their custodial interrogation.

The case was transferred to CBI from Delhi Police for further investigation after the victim’s parents met Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, demanding speedy justice for Tania.

They had alleged police negligence in the case and also demanded action against the guilty personnel.

The accused were apprehended after relatives of Tania, a BA first year student in a private university, alleged that he had an altercation with some shopkeepers at Lajpat Nagar market here on January 29 after they made fun of his hair style. Following the altercation shopkeepers had allegedly thrashed him. He was brought dead to AIIMS the next day.

The death of Tania, son of a Congress MLA, evoked angry reactions from people of the northeast living in the national capital who alleged police had failed to protect him.

Police had booked all the four under Section 302 (murder) of IPC after the postmortem report revealed that Taniam died due to injuries to his head and face caused by a blunt object.

Initially, police had on February 3 arrested three of the accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

On February 10, police arrested Sunny and slapped murder charge on all the four accused. Two minors who also allegedly assaulted Taniam are facing an inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Alliance with BJP a political compulsion, says Chandrababu Naidu

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Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2014

The BJP’s promise to work for a Ram temple at a disputed mosque site in Ayodhya, in its manifesto for the general election, has already discomfited one of its key southern allies.

Just a day after resurrecting his ties with the BJP, Andhra Pradesh politician Chandrababu Naidu faced uncomfortable questions today after the party’s manifesto release. Mr. Naidu, who heads the Telugu Desam Party or TDP, said his party always had a secular record.

“The alliance was a political compulsion, but the nation needs parties with secular credentials. TDP always had a secular record and we will fight for it,” Mr. Naidu said. “Under all circumstances we have to maintain the secular fabric of the country.”

Besides the Ram temple, the BJP has also included two other controversial promises – a uniform civil code and the removal of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. Naidu, who announced the tie-up with BJP despite protests by his cadre, told them, “Under the circumstances, there is no other alternative, so please understand the reality.”

A senior member of the TDP, Zahid Ali Khan, editor of Siasat daily, has quit the party protesting against the alliance.

Asked about his earlier stand blaming Narendra Modi for the rout of the BJP-led coalition in 2004, Mr Naidu said, “Recently the court have a clear verdict, so we need not discuss it.”

The TDP leader had ended his ties with the BJP after calling it the “biggest mistake of his life.” Mr. Modi is seen by many as a divisive leader who failed to check riots in his Gujarat in 2002. Last year, a court upheld a Supreme Court inquiry’s report that there was no evidence of his role.

Some online income tax accounts illegally accessed: Finance Ministry

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Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2014

Income tax online return accounts of certain people have been unauthorisedly accessed, the Finance Ministry has warned. It, however, said no instance of “hacking”, which implies a breach of security whereby the hackers can obtain passwords by entering into the system, has happened or reported in the case of e-filling website.

“There have been instances when the authentication details of certain class of e-filers have been obtained by persons from sources other than the website and then the passwords were reset and the e-filing account accessed,” the ministry said.

As many as 2.96 crore have filed income tax returns online during 2013-14.

Replying to an RTI query, the ministry said a process of “multifunctional authentication” has been designed and will be in place shortly to address any illegal access to e-filers’ accounts.

The ministry was asked to give details on hacking of income tax returns filing accounts of individuals and measures being taken by it to check such activities.

Mumbai Police had late last year claimed that e-filing accounts of top industrialists, actors and cricketers including Anil Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan among others were unauthorisedly accessed.

“There are mobile applications which are not approved by the Income Tax department. Users are advised that they may not be according to Department Data Structure. Filers using them are doing at their own risk,” said a warning on the income tax department’s website for e-filing.

‘Rahul Gandhi a challenge for Amethi, not me’: BJP’s Smriti Irani

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Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2014

Television actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani wasted no time in attacking Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as she arrived in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. The day-long visit is her first to the high-profile constituency from where she was picked by her party, the BJP, last week to take on Mr. Gandhi.

“I don’t consider Rahul Gandhi a challenge as he himself has emerged as a major challenge for the people of Amethi,” Ms. Irani said. Amethi, which Mr. Gandhi has held since 2009, votes on May 7, the penultimate phase of the nine phase general election.

With the 38-year-old BJP leader’s entry, the contest in Amethi has turned into a triangular one; the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier fielded poet-turned-politician Kumar Vishwas from the seat.

“I am going to contest election against Congress and not against Congress’ B-team that is being led by the AAP. The broom is being held by the hand and that was evident when the hand and broom together formed a government in Delhi,” Ms. Irani said, dismissing Mr. Vishwas as a potential threat.

Her candidature, widely speculated upon, was announced earlier last week after a meeting of the BJP’s central election committee.

She is reportedly seen in the BJP as a candidate who can put up a credible fight in Amethi against Mr. Gandhi. Ms Irani became a household name with a popular Hindi serial that stopped airing in 2008. BJP sources say she has little to lose as she still has four years left in the Rajya Sabha.

Congress will face ‘worst electoral defeat’ in its history: Prakash Karat

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Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2014

Campaigning for Dr Benett Abraham, the LDF candidate in Thiruvananthapuram, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said that the Congress will face the ‘worst electoral defeat’ in its history.

Ruling out any support to the “RSS controlled communal BJP”, Mr. Karat said that the strategy this time would be to form an “alternative government”.

Talking in reference to Shashi Tharoor, the Congress candidate in the capital, Prakash Karat said, “After getting elected from Thiruvanathapuram, he was made a Minister of State for External Affairs and within 11 months, PM had to call him and ask him to resign over ‘impropriety’ regarding the IPL controversy. But soon he got back to government. The minister believes that you need sweat equity to be in politics”.

Prakash Karat also said, “There have been serious corruption scandals in the Defense Ministry led by AK Antony. It’s highly unfortunate that foreign governments have had to find out corruption in India’s Defence Ministry while our government continues to say it knows nothing.

Defense Minister AK Antony has been in Kerala, campaigning for UDF candidates. Mr. Antony, who will finish his state-wide roadshow in Thiruvananthapuram on April 8, has been claiming that the Congress will lead the country with UPA-3.

Azam Khan calls Modi’s aide Amit Shah a ‘goon’

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Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2014

There seems to be no end to the name game in the political parties even on the first day of voting for the Lok Sabha elections. Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has now called BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Amit Shah a ‘goon’. Khan said, “Amit Shah is a gunda. It is unfortunate to have to refer to someone as a gunda but what else can you call someone who is a killer?”

The remarks came in the backdrop of Shah, who is BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s close aide, asking people to vote for the BJP to take revenge. While addressing a rally at a Jat village near the riot-hit Muzaffanagar, Shah had said, “If you want to take revenge you should vote for the BJP. You can no longer resolve a matter with swords and arrows. Today you can take revenge by voting for the BJP.”

He had said, “Justice is not being done to the people and it’s time to take revenge. It was during the Mughal rule that swords and arrows were used to take revenge. But now you have to vote to take revenge. Press the right button to show them their right place.”

Earlier in the day, sources said that the Election Commission will issue a notice to Shah asking him to explain his comments on revenge. Shah is already facing two FIRs over his remarks. The BJP had condemned the action of Bijnore district administration, saying the FIR was “not bonafide” and that it was a “calculated design” to communalise and polarise the election scenario in UP.

Reduce the gap between the rich and poor

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Mahendra Singh

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April 7, 2014

It has been reported that Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria had got John Pascal arrested for rash driving. The action of Maria is praiseworthy. Our senior officers must remain vigilant to nab the wrong doers and punish them. Police officials must perform this task as its their duty to provide security to citizens. A question which arises is how Mr Pascal managed to acquire such an expensive car whereas many young men and women aged 25 are diligently working in various factories and offices and using public transport like normal people. It is unfortunate that some are stinking rich while many others are poor in this country.

The main agenda of the next government will be to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth. The gap between the rich and the poor has to be narrowed down to eradicate dissatisfaction among the underprivileged. This is what we call a welfare state. It was so nice to see Rahul Gandhi accompanying his mother for filing the nomination to contest Lok Sabha election. It’s a good attitude. Rahul might have some drawbacks but he has performed good work in Amethi and has galvanized village women into self help activities resulting into their economic betterment. This step has boosted the confidence of women who were hitherto confined to their homes. Smriti Irani should have found better work instead of rushing to Amethi constituency for contesting election.

The enmity between Sonia Gandhi and Menaka Gandhi is quite common which can be seen in our households too. Menaka has failed to respect Indira Gandhi whereas Sonia treated her well. Rahul Gandhi and Varun Gandhi are young and they must come together for betterment of the nation. Varun’s constituency Sultanpur and Rahul’s constituency Amethi are quite close to each other. The nation comes first. Menaka should play a positive role in this matter by shedding hatred. By harbouring hatred, she has not achieved anything thus far.

The Muslims are great people, good artists, good artisans, good technicians. It is sad to notice Bukhari’s Saheb trying to follow Kejriwal. AAP is said to have communist leanings (though infact they are the spoilers) which is not synchronous with Muslim thought and ethos. Muslims must make their own destiny and not allow themselves to be exploited by others. They must become practical and focus on “taaleem” and “tehzeeb”. Muslims are constructive and not anarchist. They should be ashamed of considering constantly coughing Kejriwal as their “messiah”. It is deplorable.

Scarcity of affordable housing in Mumbai

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Suraj Chandran

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April 7, 2014

Mumbai is known as the financial capital of India and the city contributes more than 35 per cent to the nation’s GDP. The city is growing at a rapid pace and is expanding towards the north areas. The manner in which the metropolis is growing is already become a cause of concern for the town planners. Urban planners did not properly design the island city as is the case with other island-cities like New York City’s Manhattan borough. Mumbai’s poor land management has limited its growth, which, with an exploding population, is becoming an even more pressing issue.

Since there is scarcity of affordable land in Mumbai hence it has become difficult for the common man to purchase house in the metropolis. As a result of this, many people have to shift and buy home on the outskirts of the city like Vasai, Virar, Kalyan, Dombivali, Mumbra, Kalwa, Bhiwandi, Ambivali etc. Today people are even willing to go beyond Virar and settle in areas like Palghar, Boisar as the suburban services has started functioning in these areas.

Since real estate rates are cheaper in these far flung suburbs as compared to Mumbai, people choose to buy home there. Even though they purchase home but commuting to the city becomes a nightmare for them due to overcrowded suburban trains. There is lesser frequency of local trains towards these areas as travelling becomes extensively difficult for them especially during the peak hours. Even though land is available in the city but it either exists on salt pan land or mangroves where construction is barred due to ecological reasons.

Experts have often spoken about devising affordable homes for the middle class and poor but very little has been done in this regard. Thus we can see uneven development happening in the metropolis as slums have mushroomed at every nook and corner of the city. It even exists in the upmarket locations of Mumbai. The city’s outdated real estate laws have been blamed for the skyrocketing land prices. Land is concentrated in the hands of businessmen, builders, corporate who then construct luxury apartments and sell the same to buyers at premium rates. There are a lot of economic, regulatory and urban issues which need to be looked into for ensuring that there is enough affordable housing inventory to meet the demand.

The government must work on the PSU and PPP model. In the PSU model, the government remains the owner of the land and can take advantage of all future FSI benefits through redevelopment. As the land is already owned by the government and is lying idle, only the cost of construction needs to be funded. For developers constructing in far-flung suburbs, the government must develop civic infrastructure and ensure better connectivity through roads and railways, as this will lead to an influx of people.

Borivali residents say No to NOTA

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Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2014

Fifty per cent of the residents of Kajupada and Rushivan, Borivali (E) will be exercising their franchisee during the forthcoming Lok Sabha election as they want change. The residents of seven housing societies had earlier appealed to people to use the ‘None of the Above’ option in election due to the stalled work of road widening project in the vicinity. They had alleged that politicians were deliberately politicising this issue with an eye on the slum votes. Our Editor in Chief Vaidehi Sachin who too resides in the same area had spoke to the residents of this locality and learnt that most of them were willing to vote. Residents said that there is no point in using the NOTA option as it will only lead to wastage of votes.

A slum dweller residing in Kajupada spoke to AV and said, “We are willing to cast our votes if we are rehabilitated to other location. I have been living here for the past 15 years so BMC officials must resolve my problems first.”
A resident of Kajupada on the condition of anonymity said, “I am keen to vote as BJP leader Narendra Modi is leading from the front and touted as the next prime minister if the saffron party wins the election.”

Even legislatures have to face various hurdles while working for the welfare of people as they have to seek permission from various governmental departments which is a tedious and time consuming process. Another aspect is the rehabilitation of the slum dwellers who will be affected due to the road widening project. All these factors are responsible for the slow paced developmental work happening in the locality.
“When BJP MLA Gopal Shetty visited our area on Thursday there was a power failure in the area as residents alleged that it was deliberately done to create chaos and disrupt the proceedings” said another resident of Rushivan.
Mr Shetty had urged the residents to cast their votes as the road widening work can commence after the formation of a new government. He said that the road widening work can’t be carried out now due to the enforcement of model code of conduct and appealed to people to refrain from using the NOTA option.
The BMC had recently started widening the only approach road to the Kajupada and Rushivan areas near the national park. But local politicians soon started interfering with the work, and things came to a standstill two weeks ago.

The residents of the seven building had earlier started a campaign and approached other residents in the neighbourhood to support their drive to boycott all parties in the election.

When we tried to contact Gopal Shetty he remained unavailable for comment.
We also sent a text message to Congress Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam but he failed to respond.

Munde’s supporters thrash helicopter pilot

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Afternoon Voice

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April 6, 2014

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde is facing the heat after his flight crew complained that the helicopter pilot and engineer were beaten up by his supporters. The pilot had reportedly refused Munde’s last minute change in flight plans saying that he needed clearance.
The DGCA has condemned the incident but said that it has no authority to send a notice to Munde. The DGCA has said that it will write to all state governments for extra security for crew members assigned to campaigns.
Munde, who is seeking a fresh term, had come to the Police Grounds in Beed on Thursday by a helicopter from Mumbai. He was supposed to go to Radi village in Ambajogai to address a rally where the villagers had made a helipad for Munde’s helicopter to land near the rally spot. However, the helicopter’s pilot refused to fly from Beed to the rally spot in Radi village citing fuel shortage and other reasons.
A BJP youth leader, who was present at the spot, said Munde angrily left the police grounds after the helicopter pilot refused to fly further.
The supporters had told the pilot that he should have carried their ‘saheb’ to the rally spot. To which the pilot then apparently replied that he (Munde) might be ‘saheb’ for the supporters, not for him.
The supporters were angered by this and three of them allegedly beat the pilot up. When contacted, District Collector Naval Kishor Ram said that Munde was not at the spot where the incident occurred.
The pilot has not given any complaint in this regard, he said. However, a police officer, who was on duty at the spot, has given a report to the police department, Ram said, adding that “We will take action after getting the report.”
Beed Superintendent of Police (SP) Naveen Chandra Reddy also said that the pilot has not made any complaint and he could not be contacted by police. He said based on the report, an FIR will be lodged in the matter.