Punjab govt to establish anti-terror force

Daily Times

LAHORE: The Punjab government has approved the establishment of a new anti-terrorism force, equipped with sophisticated weapons to curb the rising terrorism in Punjab, a private TV channel reported on Monday.

According to the channel, while speaking to his cabinet's session, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the terrorist attacks in Ghari Shahu and Model Town.

He said the government would establish safety commissions in order to eliminate such incidents of terror and violence. The session also approved for the Power Generation Policy and amendments in the Punjab Forest Bill, the channel reported.

Jihad and Terrorism: Are both synonymous?

Yasmeen Ali

Western media is more often than not, awash with the details of "jihadists" who commit atrocious acts in the name of religion. More and more, Islam is projected as a religion of violence, hatred and vengeance. However, Islam comes from the root word Salaam, which means peace. It also means submitting one's will to Allah .The word Salaam is also an attribute of God. In this context, it means 'The Giver of Peace'.

Terrorism is no Jihad

Two terms needs definition here. Jihad and Terrorism. Jihad is the Arabic for what can be variously translated as "struggle" or "to fight," depending on the context. In the West, the word is generally understood to mean "holy war," and denotes, inaccurately, to exclusively military connotations. The Quran does call for "jihad" as a military struggle on behalf of Islam. But the Quran also refers to jihad as an internal, individual, spiritual struggle toward self-improvement, moral cleansing and intellectual effort. It is said that Prophet Muhammad considered the armed-struggle version of holy war "the smaller jihad," but considered the spiritual angle of holy war-the war within oneself-as "the great jihad."

Terrorism, is a different concept altogether. According to Jason Burke, it may be defined as "the use or threat of serious violence" to advance some kind of "cause".

But does Islam condone terrorism ? Is Terrorism and Jihad one and the same? Military conflict is to be directed only against fighting troops and not against civilians. As a matter of fact, all religions of "The Book", promote peace and tolerance, not violence. Attacking innocent civilians, women, children, sick in hospitals, people going about their daily chores who are not at war with you is terrorism. If there is a threat to human life, property and honor, fighting for defending life, property and honor is deemed as Jihad. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution which is a part of the United States Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791, aimed to protect the right to keep and bear arms and may be deemed a concept on the same lines.

We need to examine if Terrorism is linked ONLY to Islamic militant outfits using gullible minds to serve their vested interests? This question has come more sharply in focus with the case of Faisal Shehzad.

Terrorism has it's roots in cultures and religion other than Islam. We need t remember, Indra Gandhi was killed by her Sikh body guards, as she had ordered the massacre in the Golden Temple of Sikhs, her son Rajiv ,was killed by Tamils, the very same who have the honor of inventing the suicide jacket, in the first place, they are Hindu Extremists. We also need to remember the Babbar Khalsa, a Sikh terrorist group, blew up Air India's Kanishka aircraft off the Irish coast on June 23, 1985, killing nearly 200 passengers and made an unsuccessful attempt the same day to blow up another Air India plane at Tokyo. In October 1992, suspected Sikh militants gunned down five civilians and a law enforcement officer in a heavily wooded area in Uttar Pradesh that had become a refuge for Sikh separatists fleeing a crackdown by Indian authorities in Punjab. The attack followed a massacre two months earlier of twenty-nine villagers in the same area. In that incident, villagers collecting wood in the forest were captured by suspected militants, bound, and killed by automatic gunfire .Then there are the "Christian Terrorists", of all the religious wars in human history waged by any religion, at any place, and at any time, none have been bloodier, more genocidal, more barbaric, and more protracted than the 200-year "holy wars" by the Western Crusades against the Arabs and Islam.

"Islamic terrorism", a term coined by the West, is itself a controversial phrase, although its usage is widespread throughout the English-speaking world. Muslims object to the term as it contradicts the spirit of Islam, which is a peaceful religion. What then, allows people from different religion, more especially Islam, to terrorism in the name of Jihad? The reasons are varied ranging from injustices suffered in the hands of a system that offers no relief, to lack of avenue to improve one's lot, lack of education, lack of an understanding of the religion that is exploited by vested interests, and, a genuine thinking, that they are answering to a higher call. Terrorism is often conducted in the name of religion. More often than not, it evolves from the misuse of the term "jihad" by vested interests thus exploiting impressionable minds. We must also face the failure of our leadership of all shades and hues, of too many vested interests and agendas.

Besides the obvious need to evolve long term and short term strategy to address the lot of the common man who fights a war of survival, it is extremely important, that we address the question if Quran be taught as a mandatory part of our curriculum in both government and private educational institutions? Will self understanding of The Book disallow others from planting twisted ideas in minds? Can we overlook the role of a strong leadership in addressing peoples grievances?

Jacques Chirac, in his speech on September 24th, 1986 correctly said," A "war against terrorism" is an impracticable conception if it means fighting terrorism with terrorism.". Regrettably, the West is yet to pay heed to that sane advice.

The writer is a lawyer currently teaching in the Beacon House National University. She owns and operates her own blog. Yasmeen is a regular writer for Opinion Maker.

Pak-US Relations; Limits of Distrust

By Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan

Secy Defence Robert Gates and Gen Ashfaq Kayiani

In a recent article entitled as the "Pakistan Seen Restricting Data from Mullah" published in "The Washington Times", dated May 18, 2010, Mr Eli Lake highlighted the U.S concern that Pakistan perhaps is not fully sharing the information data gained from the Taliban's number two man, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrested somewhere in the beginning of February, 2010. Mullah Baradar is the co-founder of Taliban Movement in Afghanistan and considered to be the military deputy to Mullah Omar, the former head of Afghan Government under Taliban from 1996 to 2001. He has been an active fighter against the former Soviet Union throughout in 1980s.

Ever since the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad in 2003, the custody of Mullah Baradar by Pakistan is considered to be a great success. According to this Washington Times report, "Recent interrogation sessions with Mullah Baradar yielded very little actionable intelligence. Instead the sessions provided 'atmospheric intelligence' that is of limited value, such as the history of the Pashtun tribal regions in Pakistan and Afghanistan." Whereas as a key operational commander, Mullah Baradar is believed to know "a wide range of information on the insurgency, from the Afghan Taliban's funding network to the identities of sleeper cells, agents and financiers in Europe and the west."

More than anything, the US intelligence officials were interested to know from this arrested Taliban number two about the linkages between Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and the Afghan Taliban. And that who in fact control them on behalf of ISI. This Washington Times report came after the statement of US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, that some of the officials in Pakistan know whereabouts of Osma bin Laden, al-Qaeda and Taliban. In her interview with CBS television on May 9, 2010, the Secretary of State had very elaborately said, that, "I'm not saying that they're at the highest levels but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osma bin Laden and al-Qaeda is, where Mullah Omer and leadership of Afghan Taliban is and we expect more cooperation to help us bring to justice, capture or kill, those who attacked us on 9/11".

In an earlier statement, Hillary Clinton has threatened Pakistan with the dire consequences, after the failed attempt of an attack on the Times Square by Faisal Shezad, a naturalized US citizen of Pakistani origin. The madam Secretary said in the same gasp during the interview that, "We've made it very clear that, if heaven forbid, that an attack like this, if we can trace back to Pakistan, were to have been successful, there would be very severe consequences." There were few sentences of pacification too in the said interview of the Hillary Clinton. But each word of contentment even was followed by the do more mantra of Bush regime, "We want more; we expect more".

These two recent instances and US response has exposed the reality and the true basis of Pak-US strategic alliance and US intent in the long run. Although, we are absolutely clear that global politics is essentially a politics of interests, yet, this is again a reality that by virtue of its geopolitical location, Pakistan has been and still serving the US interests. Therefore, before issuing such like public assertions, US officials could have deliberated upon their impulsive response on such like sporadic incidents. Even at the cost of its own national interests, Pakistan has supported the US in particular and world in general during the ongoing so-called global war on terror. People like Faisal Shezad, who have been brought up in United States; owes much allegiance to it, rather the country of their ancestors, for the ills, they have committed in their individual capacities.

Did US authorities find any evidence; where Pakistani Government has trained, harboured or abetted people like Faisal Shezad for terrorism inside US or anywhere else in the world? If there is no proof, then, why there is a defaming of Pakistan through a propaganda campaign launched against it by the Western media. More often, the premier Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, is being reproached for the ills, it has never committed. How could ISI stop acquisition of intelligence information about the Taliban to the country (US), occupying Afghanistan since last nine years? This is really a juvenile allegation by US intelligence officials and Secretary of State that Pakistan or its intelligence agency is denying requisite information from Mullah Baradar, like; "the locations of senior Taliban officials, bank accounts; their donor support base; their capabilities"

Since the start of the global war on terror, Pakistan has arrested and handed over 700 al-Qaeda and Taliban people to US. In the process it has suffered over 26000 casualties including 3700 personnel of security forces since 2001. Is it not the sufficient evidence of Pakistan's sincerity and countless sacrifices? How much casualties U.S and NATO suffered during the same period, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. Surely, there are no parallels with the Pakistani sufferance. Owing to its alliance with the US, Pakistan has suffered the worst economic and internal security crises, during this global war on terror. Its economic losses have crossed over 54 billion USD. Security wise, today, no part of Pakistan is safe from the terrorists, earlier served the US cause against former Soviet Union as the Mujahedeen.

As an analyst, I strongly feel that Mujahedeen of yesterday, renamed as the terrorists of today would be named afresh by tomorrow to play yet another role for the US and its new allies like India in the coming days. Otherwise, within Pakistan, they are playing havoc through the barbaric acts in the form of suicide attacks; bomb blasts terrorist attacks and spreading terrorism and extremism. These militants are indeed acting as the strategic instruments of U.S. How can a Muslim kill other Muslims once they are offering prayers in the mosques? Surely, these attackers are neither Muslims nor loyal to Pakistan. They are serving the strategic objectives of the powers other than Pakistan.

United States and world should realize that people like Faisal Shahzad or the TTP militants having linkages with such like people, are not serving Pakistani interests. They indeed become raison d'être, of letting Pakistan down. If Mullah Baradar has not provided information as desired by US intelligence agencies, ISI cannot be blamed for that. Why cannot, they understand that he was apprehended from Pakistan soil (Karachi) while hiding himself, and was away from the hard core Afghan Taliban leadership, since many years. After all what US could do with the information, it gained from over 700 al-Qaeda and Taliban captives, Pakistan handed over to it since September 11, 2001. Most of these captives along with others are still languishing in the Guantanamo Bay Jail, Obama announced to do away with on his very first address, upon becoming US President in January 2009.

The writer is a South Asian analyst.

Civilian bus is blown up by Maoists

Fish, Rice, Blood

A CIVILIAN BUS IS BLOWN UP. SIX MEN ARE ARRESTED. BELOW RADAR, A MINDLESS CYCLE OF VIOLENCE ROLLS ON IN DANTEWADA. TUSHA MITTAL REPORTS FROM GROUND ZERO

Mood shift A civilian bus is blown up by Maoists in Dantewada, with 15 SPOs on board

The mangled remains of a charred bus lie on an empty road in Chhattisgarh. On may 17, an ied blast trigged by the Naxals blew up a private bus travelling between Dantewada and Sukma. 31 died: all ordinary people with ordinary lives. Yet, distinctions emerged. There were 15 SPOs - special police officers, one CRPF constable, and 15 civilians.

Rummage amid the debris, where blood stained clothes have already begun to mix with earth - and the distinctions seem to melt. All you find are leftovers of lost lives. There is a diary page that rips at 'I love V', a wedding invitation to Shri padmbhan Thakur, an audio cassette of Gautam Kumar, a photo of durga, a ruled book with English Lesson 9: Whom does the sunshine wake up every morning?

In many ways, the distorted wreck tells the story of Chhattisgarh - a zone of escalated conflict, where it is becoming impossible to create any categories of hero and villain, victory and defeat, oppressor and oppressed; where everyone seems to be a victim first.

There are the nine Adivasi women of Durvaras village - all were on that bus, returning from Malaiwara with mahua fruit crushed into oil. Miraculously, all of them survived. Sodi Deva, 8, had crawled out the bus window to help the women. The incident has left many in the village scared of bus rides. "I'll never again go on the same bus as the security forces," says Sodi Huva, a farmer in Durvaras. "I'd rather walk for miles."

The SPO says, 'The Naxals have nothing. They loot because if they don't, how else will they eat?'

There is the 25-year-old SPO, one of many survivors recovering at Jagdalpur hospital. He joined the Salwa Judum 5 years ago and earns Rs 2,150 a month. "I became an SPO to protect my country, but we have achieved nothing. The salwa Judum hasn't solved the problem. The government has everything. The Naxals have nothing. They loot because if they don't, how else will they eat?"

There is a CRPF jawan huddled in a tent outside a salwa Judum camp, which he is convinced the Naxals will attack in 25 days. "I'm counting down," he says. "10 days up. I'm prepared to die." And yet he reverts to the Mahabharata when you ask what he thinks of his enemy. "They are like Krishna," he says with a long sigh. "There was a yug during which even Krishna had to kill the Rajas. It's inevitable."

There is Madvi Pojje, an Adivasi woman in Mukram village. Last week, an SPO threw her on the ground and tried to shove her into an irrigation sewer pipe. A few kilometres ahead, Madkam Deva was also hurled down, stripped and beaten so hard he limps now. Only days earlier, the cRpf had asked villagers from Mukram for fish from the pond. There weren't enough to distribute even among the villagers, so none were sent to the CRPF. The anger resurfaced as Deva was being dragged to the camp. "Is our money any different from the Naxals. You give them fish. Why not us? You are with them," the jawans bellowed.

Ever so often, a major event brings Chhattisgarh back into the national public gaze. Yet below the radar, a lowintensity conflict continues to simmer - a senseless cycle of violence and counter violence. Each local incident can be traced back to another, sometimes as micro as the outrage over fish. It is as if the Adivasis of Chhattisgarh have become pawns in a dangerous game of chess where every move is a trigger, an action and a reaction at the same time.

Victims all Sodi Dhule, one of the bus survivors.

THE MOST recent move has come from the security forces, who have been on the back foot after a recent surge in Maoist violence. on April 6, the Maoists ambushed a CRPF patrol team in Chintalnar, killing 76 security personnel. It was the biggest Maoist attack in India. A bus explosion only a month later came as a major embarrassment. The report of the EN Rammohan committee highlighting procedural lapses in the Chintalnar incident and calling for the dismissal of both CRPF and police top brass only added to the disgrace. On May 21st, CRPF's Deputy Inspector-General Nalin Prabhat, was transferred out of Chhattisgarh.

On May 24th, the Chhattisgarh Police announced a major breakthrough - the arrest of six Naxals - a "self-styled" Naxal commander called Barse Lakhma and five others - responsible for the Chintalnar attack. Only Lakhma was presented before the press. Police identified the five others as Podiyam Hidma, Oyam Ganga, Durga Joga, Oyam Hidma, Kawasi Budra, arrested from Minapa village on May 23.

Oyem Aitte, mother of Oyem Hirma arrested as a Maoist

"The six arrested were part of a 150-strong jan militia. Along with Barse Lakhma, the five men planned and executed the Chintalnar attack. They were arrested during recent search operations," says Dantewada SP Amresh Mishra.

TEHELKA travelled to the village to verify police claims. The locals say that these five men were picked up a month ago and have been in police custody since.

Each incidence can be traced back to another, sometimes as micro as the outrage over fish

A rugged pathway through the forests leads to the remote village of Minapa, about five kilometres from the sight of the CRPF ambush in Chintalnar. In Minapa, the huts are smaller and spread further apart; the women are skeletal, the children are mostly naked, and even many men wear nothing but a patch of cloth. There is a sense of bareness, even the usual flutter of chicken and wild boar is absent. The only sign of government is a pDs ration shop, 10 km away in Chintagupha, where Adivasis get 25 kilos rice monthly. Nothing else is available.

It is this Chintagupha market from where locals allege the men, excluding Oyam Hidma - were picked up. This is the version of their families: On April 10, the four men - aged 22-25, left for Gunjaigunda village in Orissa. It was haldi farming season during which locals customarily go to Orissa.

Podiyam Hidma, the village sarpanch's nephew and Oyam Ganga, an ordinary farmer, had consecutively visited Orissa the last two haldi seasons. For the others, it was their first visit. The four boys returned from Orissa on April 14 and stopped at the Wednesday bazaar in Chintagupha. Forces arrived for random search and picked them up. Since the incident, the village women have protested at Chintagupha thrice, only to be turned away each time. Meanwhile, Oyam Hidma, 20, studies at a local school in Sukma town. His father alleges that Hidma was picked up from his rented room in Sukma.

After being held for 10 days in the Chintagupha station, the locals claim that on April 24, all five men where flown out on a helicopter from the Chintagupha camp. They say they received this information from other villagers living nearby.

While it is impossible to independently corroborate either version, travel through the Chintalnar forests and there is a sense that the security forces are escalating operations, under pressure to show results.

MUKRAM VILLAGE, around three kilometres from Chintalnar, has become the epicentre of another cycle of violence. This village is significant because it is here the 82-strong CRPF patrol party lost their wireless set. The security forces reportedly ate dinner here on April 5, hours before they were ambushed. for several days post the April 6 incident, the villagers of Mukram had abandoned their huts fearing a backlash.

Enter Mukram a month later and there is still an eerie sense of desertion. The first thing you see is a local school blasted by the Maoists, their signature scrawled across its broken walls: Sabhi Chunavi party dokhebaz hai. Dushman ke hathiyar hamare hathiyar hain. (All electoral parties are traitors. The enemies' weapons are our weapons)

Walk on and a silent row of locked huts greets you. They are abandoned, but not by choice. On May 22, villagers say security forces entered Mukram at around 10 am and barged into the first few houses they found. Four Adivasis - Nuppo Bhima, Nuppo Hadma, Madvi Kosa, Iama Nanda, and the village Sarpanch Iama Ganga were picked up from their homes.

"I saw them beating my father. I don't think they knew he was the Sarpanch," says his son Keshav, a security guard in Raipur home on vacation. "When my brother and mother tried to save him, they were also beaten with sticks. I was too scared to come out."

Police have arrested five Maoists this week. Families say they are farmers in custody for a month

While Nuppo Hadma's wife is able to produce his voter ID, others cling to newly made plastic cards. After the on-set of Operation Green Hunt, several villages including Mukram got together and trekked into town to have photos clicked and private IDs made. All have listed their occupation as "farmer". Though the ID is not considered legitimate by security forces, it is telling of the fear psychosis the war has triggered.

Travel along the Dantewada-Sukma road, on which the May 17th bus attack took place, and every turn yields a potential trigger. There is Gumyipal village, where the security forces had conducted search operations on May 16, a day before the bus attack. Police claim to have killed two Naxals. But villagers claim they were innocent Adivasis. "Malla and Aituram were sleeping at home," says Gujjo Bai, the sarpanch. "They were woken up and killed. Their houses and fields were burnt. They are not Naxals."

While these claims cannot be independently verified, the incident is significant because it resurfaced in CPI(Maoist) leader Ramanna's statement about the May 17 incident. he claimed it was revenge for the Gumyipal killing, and other such encounters.

Then there is Bhusharas village - the SPos at Jagdalpur hospital have told TEHELKA they were on a search operation here immediately before they boarded the bus to Sukma. Stop at Bhusharas at you will meet a frail a 30-year-old widow, Hidme Mandal. On April 21, at around 10:30 pm, the Naxals barged into her hut. Threatening Hidme into silence, masked men sliced a knife through her husband Manoj Mandal while he slept beside her. After the killing, they fired three shots in the air and disappeared into darkness. Mandal had been murdered for being a police informer, but villagers say he was an ordinary farmer.

MURLI KUMAR, a local teacher in the area is no stranger to such killings. it was the mid 1980s, Kumar's family lived in a remote village in Bijapur district, where the Naxals ensured the local patwari and the local contractor could not overcharge villagers. "We thought it was a good thing. Everytime the Naxals called a baithak, we went for it."

Hunter, hunted Kawal Singh Nar, 21, in Jagdalpur Hospital, an SPO who survived the latest Maoist attack

Things changed in the 1990s, when his father, an Adivasi farmer, was accused of being a police informer. "Some Maoist cadre started this rumour because of personal rivalry," Kumar says. his father was called for questioning by the Maoist top brass - Ramanna and Ganesh VK. They found no evidence of guilt and let him go. Yet, a few months later, Kumar's house was attacked, his family beaten and his father killed by the Maoists. Aghast, Kumar wrote a letter to Ramanna asking why his men had killed an innocent man. Within weeks, the reply came. An apology and an offer of compensation. "We did not know our comrades killed him. We are sorry. Come and meet us." Kumar refused the money and left the village with his family.

If you travel the remaining 80-odd km up to Sukma town, the microcosm of violence becomes more evident. Mediyum Bandhi was shot inside Sukma Police Station on May 19, two days after the bus attack. Sukma Sho Sandeep Chandrakar confirmed the death of Bandhi, 25, but said he was shot while trying to flee from the police station.

According to Chandrakar, Mediyum Bandhi and Pariyam Kosa were picked up from Neelavaram village, a few kilometres from the station. "We found them randomly in another village. When asked why they were visiting, they could not answer, so we brought them for questioning. Soon after we received a message from the Sho of Gadhiras that they are wanted in other criminal cases," he told TEHELKA. "on May 19, we brought them out of their lock up to have dinner. At around 7:15 pm, the Naxals fired at the station. The police took up their positions and began firing in return. Bandhi escaped from behind the policemen. he was shot by a police bullet while trying to run away."

Bandhi and Kosa belong to the Aitpal village in Korra block. "Around 300 security forces came to Aitpal on the morning of May 16 and dragged them from their houses," Korra deputy sarpanch Mooya told TEHELKA. "There are ordinary farmers like the rest of us. We feel helpless." Again, the counter narrative.

WRITER'S EMAIL
tusha@tehelka.com

India’s sensation - mongering “journalism”

By Trevor Selvam
Countercurrents.org

First, the Ms. Quasimodo of Bengal and Indian politics, Mamata Banerjee announces that it was a "bomb blast" with great bombast. Then, Bhupinder Singh, the Police IG and KPSGill-wannabee (who had earlier smeared and lied about Chatradhar Mahato's insurance, property etc and never bothered to retract anything) says that two posters were found proving that the Maoist PCAPA had taken "responsibility "for the train disaster. The two posters, it turned out, merely stated the intent of the local PCAPA the reasons for their on-going struggles. Ms. Bomberjee also claimed that a pilot vehicle had passed by just before. She did not state how "before" it was. One hour, two hours, five hours, one day? After the entire place is "infested" with Maoists. Is it not?

Now the tone is changing gradually. A foot and half of fish-plates were found removed. A BBC cameraman has displayed the gap in one of their broadcasts. No evidence of a blast any longer. No evidence of gelatine, dynamite, ammonium nitrate. The foreign press had already expressed some caution, in their statements and terminology. But not the Indian press. They are so free, unfettered and dynamic when it comes to spreading innuendo!

The Maoists have officially stated that they had nothing to do with the incident to BBC and other reporters. There are now reports that the government has toned down its mischievous rhetoric and has stated that "Maoist involvement cannot be ruled out." After the damage has been done, and abuse is proliferating the email bandwidth, some sobriety is slowly emerging, but only in back-door doses. This was a prime opportunity to "false flag" the incident into a Maoist carnage scorecard or tally sheet, which as Indian we love to read over and over and get spasmodic about. After all, this is "Maoist-infested" area. The vermin had declared a 48 hour bandh just a few days ago, is it not? And in the weeks before they had blown up the bus with a roof-load of uniformed Police Officers (a fact that until now was suppressed, that all on the roof were policemen, and the news about the civilians inside the bus was emphasized repeatedly). The civilian bus incident has done some damage to the Naxalite-Maoist image no doubt, but the real truth about the incident took a while to emerge and it is now also appearing that some of the civilians were also locals who had applied for SPO positions and were still in civvies. What other opportunity than this rail incident to nail the Maoists down?

Let's cut to the chase with some questions:-

1) Does the state really think that the Maoists are intellectually so handicapped that they would blow up a train and kill civilians to further their revolutionary cause, especially after the extraordinary media savvy-ness they have displayed lately? Because if that is their estimation of the Maoists' intelligence, the cause of the Indian state is already doomed.

2) Does the media and the government really believe that the Maoist squads will engage in terrorism against innocent civilians to get public support? Is it not true that self-appointed Indian experts of counter-insurgency strategy have repeatedly declared that the Maoists are no longer a rag-tag band of roving rebels, but a highly disciplined and technically somewhat advanced formation?

3) Does the media question why the train was travelling at break neck speed at night, whereas instructions have been repeatedly issued to go slow through "insurgent" territory, especially right after a Bandh?

4) Does the media understand that the PCAPA operates openly and with down to earth simplicity (please read their last two letters to the APDR-they read like a hundred year old passage from the time of the Santhal revolts), with published addresses and telephone numbers (even though they are understandably "underground" since their last President was assassinated in front of his family and the matter is practically forgotten by Mr. Perfidy himself -PCC)? Why would they carry out such an attack, since their only demands are stemming strictly from a tribal sense of justice? Has everyone forgotten their original demand that the Police hold their ears and apologize in Lalgarh for what they did-that was all that they wanted?

5) Does the media understand that fishplates have been removed before during a rail-roko and openly so, and announced to the media to ensure that a bandh is maintained? That after such a bandh, the rail authorities must recheck the lines as is always and routinely done in all countries of the world?

6) Does the media ever ask the question, that in a typical Indian rural (or even semi -urban setting) there are hordes of fringe elements, looters, free-lancers, half politicized riff-raff who indulge in lumpenism that borders on luddite outrage?

7) Why don't the media ask the Maoist leaders (with whom they are having constant conversations) why they are unable to control ALL the people in their "territories"" of control? That would be a test of their mass organizational skills, would n't that?

Does the media ever ask, whether there could actually be a foreign hand? I mean, like there was a foreign hand in blowing up the Air India Kashmir Princess during the days of the Bandung Conference in 1955? Do the swashbuckling Indian journalist starlets know that a Kuomintang deployed engineering technician team serviced the plane in Hong Kong and when this team was tracked down, the CIA flew them over to Formosa and they disappeared forever from the scene? Intrigue can be pretty sophisticated in India these days.

What is it that makes Indian journalists/reporters rush to judgement, arrive at hasty conclusions and choose terminology that is already prejudiced about the outcome? The answer is simple-because laziness, irresponsibility and tabloidism is encouraged in Indian media.

Why do newscasters emphasize words like "massacre, terror, murder, barbarity, gruesome attack, sabotage, carnage, death cult, inhuman terror, " in describing suspected Maoist attacks, whereas massive evidence of police attacks, rampage through village communities, "encounter" killings, acts of mass rape, forced displacement by Selwa Judum and SPOs, burning of peasant and tribal huts and homes of minorities, cutting of breasts of 80 year old women and fingers of two year old children not reported as genocidal, maniacal, psychotic? Why is it not reported that already since Operation Green Hunt over 200 civilians have been killed by government forces and promptly declared as Maoists? Why do reporters not follow the nearly clichéd approach of innocent until proven guilty? Why do Indian journalists not display an iota of investigative acumen when they start blabbing about an incident? Why don't they take some time out and go back to educating themselves on the basic principles of reporting the facts and not hearsay, repeating police officer and IAS chatter instead of what aloof bystanders have to say? Why do they parrot those who talk the most, and are ready with press conferences as soon as an incident is reported, instead of talking to those who shy away from the camera and avoid the public gaze?

The answer is very simple. Indian journalism has so far resided in a nebulous comfort zone of non-democracy and pre-capitalist formation, despite all the hardware and verbiage that they have mastered so well. Whereas litigiousness is a product of advanced capitalism, where the sue-r wants to make sure that the sue-d has the bank balance that can be extracted, in a pre-capitalist society there is no such concern; irresponsibility, chicanery, grandstanding, stagecraft and sensation- mongering passes off as "journalism." Collating data from others and rushing out reportage to make the editor's need to make it to the wire before others is a prime consideration. News syndicates are constantly dishing out hearsay as news.

Indian journalism is not an upholder of genuine democracy in the thought processes. Because the democratic process, itself, is not understood. Root cause analysis of incidents is not initiated. In fact the removed fish plate is not the end of the investigation. How was it removed? Who in the village has the wrenches and spanners to remove the parts? Were any loose parts found nearby? Do the railways have special tools to unbolt and re-bolt the fishplates? Has a search been conducted of the missing fish plates? Meanwhile, one hundred civilians have perished and manipulative propaganda is being carried out for political reasons?

As we write this article, word is coming out that the "convincing" evidence of North Korea torpedoing the South Korean Naval vessel, in which over 40 sailors died, is not that convincing anymore. Reports have appeared in Japan, in China, in Australia that the explosive traces found on the sunken vessel indicate evidence of very advanced magnet-guided rising-type submerged mining technology. That a team of US divers were exercising with the same type of mines in the same area in joint exercises with the South Korean Navy, some weeks before. That this particular relatively secluded seaway has never seen North Korean incursions. That the North Koreans do not possess such weaponry. That North Koreans, despite their frequent hot and cold and belligerent behaviour, could not have carried out the attack.

The question that one must ask is who would benefit the most, at this time from such a rail accident? Which party, which government, which organization? Who has already demonstrated the ability in India to stage false flag incidents to blame "foreign" and minority communities? The Naxalites, by the way, own up to what they do.

Meanwhile, two persons have repeatedly shown abject inability to conduct their portfolios with a minimum degree of finesse. Mamata Banerjee and PC Chidambaram. Why is the media not asking for their resignation? In any other democratic country, these two would have been history, by now.

Air India Crash A Hundred Wrongs Later

LIKE SO MANY OTHER PLANE CRASHES, THE DISASTER IN MANGALORE IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF OFFICIAL LAXITY, SAYS SHANTANU GUHA RAY

Avoidable tragedy The charred remains of the plane and investigators hunting for the black box amid the debris

SECONDS AFTER television channels beamed footage of the air India express flight that crashed after landing in Mangalore, killing 158 passengers, a seasoned aviation expert called his friends in the directorate General of civil aviation (DGCA) and hollered: "Had you listened to me, this crash could have been averted."

Chennai-based a ranganathan was referring to a 2006 audit by the International civil aviation organisation (Icao) in which he and others had sifted through reams of documents and pinpointed hundreds of safety violations. The violations had taken place due to substandard qualifying norms and training of air technical personnel. Yet, no one in the dGca or its parent body, the Ministry of civil aviation, took notice of the report that identified the crisis zones in the rapidly growing aviation industry. Worse, national Geographic channel, which had shown interest in producing programmes on those zones was politely told to back off.

"Very few in India understand air safety, which is totally distinct from air security," ranganathan told teHelka in a telephonic interview. He should know. for although India's last major crash occurred nearly a decade ago in 2000, there has been a steady rise in the number of near mid-air collisions. Three were reported just last year from Mumbai airport, while five people were killed in delhi in 2008 by airport vehicles on the tarmac. as for smaller violations, those are not even taken cognisance of by the DGCA and the airport authority of India (AAI). "They simply don't have the means to check these, such as the security clearance of baggage loaders," says ranganathan who, over the years, has kept a tab on what he terms routine safety violations. "look at the new air traffic control (ATC) tower in Mumbai, which is lying idle because it is precariously close to the runway. now, who cleared that? Why is it that the old atc is still being used?" he asks.

Substandard qualifying norms for technical personnel have been a factor in most crashes

"An alert India could have averted this disaster," argues Kapil Kaul, a top aviation expert who heads the delhi-based centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, hinting at inadequately trained inspectors for the airlines. But the million-dollar question is: who will bell the cat? The Mangalore crash is India's worst since 1996, when a mid-air collision between two passenger planes in Charkhi-Dadri, 125 km from Delhi, killed 349 people. There was a time when delhi had just three inspectors for 10 commercial airlines and 600 planes - well below the global requirement. Though their numbers have gone up since, most of the new entrants are inadequately trained. Moreover, lapsed inspections since 2005 have created a backlog that may take years to clear.

Much the same is true of the pilots, most of whom are poorly trained. Meanwhile, there has been a five-fold increase in the passenger load. Many airlines that hired foreign pilots (some 600) are now being told to replace them with Indians, but nobody in the government has paused to consider the logistics. How long will it take to find efficient replacements? nobody has the answer to that.

No one to blame? Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel at the crash site

It has long been known that delhi is far behind in observing global aviation norms. all that's needed to become eligible for co-piloting a passenger aircraft is 200 hours of flying time and a high school diploma - 50 hours less than is mandated by the american federal aviation administration. Many international airlines are now pressing for a minimum of 1,000 hours. shockingly, too, flying schools in India have been issuing licenses without pushing for even these most basic requirements. In 2008, an air India express flight from Mumbai to dubai overshot by 560 km after its pilots fell asleep due to fatigue. "The Mangalore crash too looks like a pilot error," says sanat kaul, formerly on the air India board of directors. The DGCA has often received confidential reports on how trainee pilots have paid others to fly on their behalf.

Top DGCA officials seeking anony - mity say both state-owned and private carriers were being penalised for violating norms. often, for instance, harassed passengers are forced to pay for boarding crowded aircraft with hand-issued passes. "This comes at a huge risk, because in the event of an accident, the passenger, being unregistered on the flight, will not appear in the airline list. also, the cash is routinely pocketed by the staffers who work in collusion with inflight attendants," says a top dGca official. "These and allied issues came to light after the pilots complained of gross anomalies in the load and trim sheets."

Civil aviation Minister praful patel's repeated claims that poor planning was a factor in the Mangalore crash have been strongly countered by the environment support Group (ESG), an independent think tank which - despite three failed court cases - still maintains that the new runway does not comply with Indian and global standards; and that the site - a plateau surrounded by garbage dumps and industrial smokestacks - is unfit for heavy commercial traffic. "The crash was no accident, but a direct result of a series of deliberate failures of officials and key decision makers," says an ESG release. and the aircraft, a Boeing 737- 800, has itself been involved in five fatal accidents since entering service in 1998, says Aviation Safety Network.

What, however, is not accidental is the callous attitude of those who have been put in charge of the safety of the passengers.

WRITER'S EMAIL
shantanu@tehelka.com

30 burnt alive in India bus accident

BANGALORE, India - At least 30 people, including 10 children, were burnt alive on Sunday when a bus bound for the southern Indian city of Bangalore ploughed into a roadblock and caught fire, police said.

At least 30 people, including 10 children, have been burnt alive after a bus in Indiacrashed and caught fire

The state-owned vehicle overturned in a ditch and its fuel tank burst into flames, engulfing the bus, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, adding about 30 other people were injured.

The bus was on its way from southern Karnataka's Gulbarga district to Bangalore when the accident happened before dawn, senior police officer Labhu Ram told reporters.

At least three of the injured were in a serious condition, he added. The driver was among those killed.

India has the highest annual road death toll in the world, bigger than the more populous China, according to the World Health Organisation, with accidents caused by speeding, bad roads, overcrowding and poor vehicle maintenance.

Police figures show that more than 110,000 people die annually nationwide on the roads.

C.B.I (Concocting Bizarre Interpretations) In Shopian

By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal
28 May, 2010 Countercurrents.org

JAMMU, April 10: 'If you can't convince someone, you confuse them.' That was American president Harry S. Truman half a century ago. But right now, this is precisely how the government response to the Shopian rapes and murders (of May 29, 2009) and the campaign for justice that followed can be summed up.

From the very beginning the government response, to one of the biggest controversies ever in the history of Kashmir, has not been marked by consistency. The official investigating agencies - right from the Special Investigation Team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have been busier spreading canards of lies, spinning rumours and using media as a tool to leak misinformation, rather than clearing the cobwebs.

The CBI report, based on its investigations, is in striking contrast to the Justice Muzaffar Jan Commission report, which despite its limitations and flaws, did indict the police personnel for tampering evidence and deemed it not just dereliction of duty but rather a deliberate calculated move. The CBI, which has cracked its whip on everybody - from the doctors to the lawyers active in the campaign for justice - has been too kind to the police personnel and given them a clean chit.

And to top up everything, chief justice Barin Ghosh, who had taken up a pro-active role in unraveling the truth, has finally been shown the door and sent on a punishment posting for daring to go against the tide - for having ordered the arrest of police personnel last summer, monitoring the investigations by the SIT and now failing to acknowledge the CBI report as the gospel truth.

An impression is being created by the government as if the CBI report is the last word. Barin Ghosh's unceremonious exit is not the only indicator. Chief minister Omar Abdullah, in his mid-summer madness last June, had done a flip-flop - first talking about 'drowning theory' and then admitting that 'something has happened' and that the two Shopian victims, Asiya Jan and Neelofar, are like his sisters, ensuring justice for them. After a winter of discontent, and facing brickbats on human rights front recently on the floor of the state legislative assembly he decided to finally break his silence as he endorsed the CBI report.

The CBI report running into hundreds of pages may on the face of it seem like an impressive document but only a closer scrutiny may reveal that all that glitters is not gold. It doesn't take a legal expert to question the logics of the conclusions the premier investigating agency of the country has arrived at. Even an elementary school student with a keen eye can point out glaring flaws.

At best the CBI report is simply a compilation of FIR, statements, variety of post mortem reports (many of them to create as much confusion as the CID and SIT initially did), post exhumation observations and set of conclusions for which no logic, evidence or explanation is offered. There has been no investigation and no need has been felt for the same.

A perusal of the entire report shows how the CBI has conveniently picked out on certain portions and skirted the rest, not even bothering to investigate the loose ends or the doubts that arise from the various statements that have been taken and recorded. Just to quote a few of the inadequacies:

Role of policemen

The five police personnel indicted by Justice Jan Commission, and later arrested on the directions of the state high court, have been let off the hook without even questioning why they collected no evidence from the spot, failed to mishandle the law and order situation or delayed the lodging of an FIR. They have simply got a clean chit with a polygraph test, details of which are submitted in the CBI report, revealing that many questions have not even been asked, thus putting the effectiveness of the polygraph test in serious doubt.

SSP Javed Mattoo' statement before the CBI reflects little on the facts of the case, investigations or what he did in his capacity when the incident came to light and Shopian broke out into protests. He simply talks from a victim's perspective, talking about rumours and making political statements about 'PDP and separatists' working in close co-ordination against him and giving a picture as if the entire anger in Shopian was sparked by this nexus. Mattoo talks about SMSs being floated by media persons on 30th morning which led to problem. How does he arrive at this conclusion. What were the SMSs? Who was sending them? Then he talks about Dr Nighat's 'provocative statement'. He was neither witness to it, he was simply told by someone. He doesn't say who? The investigators don't think these questions are important enough.

Not only Mattoo's statement is politically incorrect, it suffers from factual inaccuracies. When the agitation first began in Shopian, the separatists or other political leaders were nowhere in the picture. They only seized the opportunity few days after the anger became uncontrollable. For two days, the anger spilled out in form of unorganised protests, the first day of which was marked by a bit of violence. It was thereafter that the Shopian Bar Association and the Majlis-e-Mushawarat, both of which comprised of people with different political leanings - Congress, NC, PDP, separatists or totally apolitical. The three month long campaign in Shopian was totally peaceful and the groups spearheading the agitation in this area cannot be held responsible for violent incidents in distant Srinagar or other parts of the Valley. The CBI conveniently does not draw any distinction between the two parallel agitations - by the local people and the others by separatists, PDP or other fringe groups. But more importantly, it simply laps up Javed Mattoo's generalised over-view without any serious cross questioning about why a police officer of that ranking has no facts to narrate instead of making a political comment in his statement.

The police role in the case has been the most dubious of all and one cannot lose sight of the very significant observation made by the State High Court - that either they (police officials) are the accused or they know who has done it (rapes and murders). The observation was obviously made because there were too many flaws and inadequacies in the police story. The CBI, instead of questioning them, has merely endorsed them without even raising an eyebrow.

The most curious is the case of Inspector Gazi Kareem, who was among one of the accused police officials, arrested for over one and a half months. Interestingly, Gazi Kareem was not even on duty when the girls went missing and when the search teams were sent out. As Kareem himself says in his statement to the CBI, "On 30th (May 30, 2009) at around 11.00 p.m. I was informed by Head Munshi Riyaz Ahmed that the investigation of the matter was entrusted to me by the SHO and the relevant entries were recorded in the DD/ Roznamcha. Initially I protested on the ground that I was not aware about the matter and was not part of the investigation but despite my protest, the matter was entrusted to me and I had to follow the instructions of the then SHO." Why has this suspicious story of Gazi Kareem not been cross checked by anybody? He was not part of the search party but for forced by the SHO to take up the case. Why did the SHO insist? Doesn't the CBI think this is significant?

Medical reports

The most important evidence in the hands of the CBI, as per its own claims, seems to be the post exhumation medical evidence. But just how valid and authentic can that be is easily questionable. The CBI quickly demolishes the previous medical reports, stating that there were multiple reports available and concludes that the doctors are the culprits. It is true that several different post mortem reports were doing rounds in the Valley during the first few months of the incident. But is there any evidence to blame the doctors. The CID department itself was found flashing a 'fake report' and claiming it was authentic till it was asked for a copy. So why is there no investigation? Obviously those who bungled the medical reports and samples had a motive. If the doctors indeed are the culprits, there should be enough evidence and investigations to subscribe a motive. The doctors, in all probability, did not know the victims. They couldn't have schemed up everything on behalf of the 'separatists', days before the incident even caught the attention of the latter. Perhaps, it may have been more worthwhile to probe why the Director Health Services and the Director General Police (as revealed by the hordes of statements in CBI's report) were taking such exceptional interest in the post mortem reports, the forensic samples, ensuring that doctors accompanied the samples to FSL Srinagar and thereafter monitored everything till the reports were made public. Surely, in a state where medical legal cases happen by dozens on a daily basis, this might not be the normal course of action. Perhaps, this has escaped the CBI's eye.

Quite conveniently, the credibility and image of the doctors, especially Dr Nighat - who has all along maintained that the two women were raped - was first tarnished, through media, and then the bodies were exhumed to make the post exhumation medical observances sound more authentic. Medical and forensic experts have pointed out that three months after bodies are buried, there is no chance of viewing 'hymen' or injury marks on the skin, which disintegrate. These bodies were exhumed four months after they were buried but the AIIMS team brought by the CBI miraculously found the hymen and no injuries. This is in striking contrast to Dr Nighat's observations to Justice Jan Commission of Inquiry and the Independent Women's Initiative for Justice, of which this author was a member. She has elaborately talked of a broken hymen, signs of sexual assault and injuries on the thighs. What Dr Nighat said to CBI has not been recorded in its report. It has merely been splashed in the media. Therefore, one does not know the authenticity of these versions that have appeared in the media with an obvious aim to tarnish the image of doctors and some Shopian activists rather than proving something scientifically.

So there are two very different sets of observations - one within a day of the death of the two girls and the other made four months later. Medically, it may be difficult to find the latter more reliant.

Drowning theory

So how does all this prove that drowning indeed took place? All that the CBI report has been able to prove is that the flow of water in Rambiara nallah, where the two bodies were found, was faster on that particular day. There is no evidence of a depth fit enough for drowning. How come two women drowned there, just after 7.00 p.m. when it is still not dark at a time when an incident of drowning can easily be noticeable. After all, they must have struggled, shouted, screamed enough to be heard in a well inhabited and a fully militarised area, if that indeed was the case. The nallah itself is ankle deep at the spots were the two bodies were found. It may be knee deep at some places. If it was a natural case of drowning, the bodies should have been fully wet when they were found. The eye-witnesses have pointed out very clearly in their statements to the CBI that "only the right side of Neelofar's body was wet." Why has the CBI ignored such basic circumstantial evidence, which becomes more important in cases where concrete evidence cannot be produced.

Interpretations, not investigations

These are just some of the many samples that make the entire CBI exercise and its conclusions totally unrealistic and unpalatable. Obviously, they have not even bothered to go through their own statements or conveniently ignored them, hoping that nobody would notice. It has simply taken the easy road of nailing those who dared to raise their voice and swam against the stream. The response clearly matches the stand of the governments, both in the state and at the centre, who have cleverly connived to bid adieu to Justice Barin Ghosh, the only person who had inspired hope and faith of the Kashmiris in the Indian system of justice.

The reasons are a bit obvious and a bit mired in mystery. There is a definite cover-up to shield the men in uniform and in pursuance of that a bid to go to any extent, even negating the apolitical and peaceful nature of the campaign, trampling people's faith, whatever little of it was left, in Indian democracy and its system of justice. But then why a political flip flop?

All three investigations - by Justice Muzaffar Jan Commission and CBI, which were in striking contrast with each other and the SIT, which did nothing, had the blessings of the government. Then why different lines? A part of the answer probably lies in the probability that no one in the official circles had pre-empted a well organised, peaceful, campaign, well within a legal framework. They were unnerved. It wasn't easy to cover up without logics. It had to be done by falsifying whatever circumstantial evidence was available or through a perpetual of Goebbels truth. So, was Omar being bailed out temporarily for his initial 'drowning faux pas', which may as well have been an intended one, with the Jan Commission report? The CBI came into picture later, when it became a bit easier for the government to handle the scene and begin reversing the story. The Jan Commission report was demolished bit by bit - using mostly media and then a bit of paper work. But sorry, no investigations, no cross checking; no evidences either. Is that how the premier investigating agency of the country works? Whatever be the reasons for this rigidity in shielding the guilty in Shopian case, truth and justice have become the ultimate casualty, the repercussions of which will not simply be felt by the family members of Asiya and Neelofar, or entire Shopian. They could be dangerously long term, impacting a greater political-social landscape of the region.

India’s Radiation City: Dehli

1,800 CELL TOWERS IN 2006. 6,000 NOW. BARE MINIMUM RADIATION LEVELS IN 2006. A THOUSAND TIMES MORE NOW. THERE'S A NEW THREAT IN DELHI, REPORTS RISHI MAJUMDER

REHAAN DASTUR, 46, is an engineer and an industrialist. he owns and runs a profitable Delhi-based boiler manufacturing company called Universal Boilers. So, it is safe to say he is a man of science and not prone to paranoia. Dastur was one of the first users of the cell phone in India. he bought his phone from airtel in October 1997, 15 days before it was commercially released. Cell phone calls cost rs 18 a minute then. Dastur spoke on his phone for hours on end at times. He continued to use the phone even though it had fallen and had developed a crack, because cell phones then were expensive and the crack didn't affect his phone's efficiency.

Tower lobby: Four telecom towers on the roofs of buildings opposite the Taimoor Nagar Gurdwara cause the EMR levels there to soar

Three years after doing this, in 2000, Dastur suffered a stroke that paralysed his body and distorted and froze his face. The doctor treating him at Delhi's Apollo hospital told him he had Bell's palsy, caused by Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) emitted from the antennae in his cell phone. The emr travelled through the crack in the phone, into Dastur's ears, nerves and brain.

Four-fiths of delhi lives in unsafe zones. The October Commonwealth Games could be most radiation-filled ever

After a month-and-a-half of treatment at the hospital and home, he returned to 95 percent of his former self. Ninety-five percent, because he is in danger of reverting to a paralytic state if he goes near a cell phone tower, or uses a cell phone for too long. "My body is the best device for measuring emr," he says. "If you take me blindfold through the city, I can point out where the cell towers are by the jangling I feel in my nerves as we pass them by."

There is a cell phone tower on the roof of Dastur's office in nehru Place, south Delhi, and another one facing his cabin windows from the other side of the road. so Dastur has converted his cabin into a war bunker. The ceiling and the wall with the windows have been sealed with sheets of lead. There are cell phone towers near his home as well. So Dastur has sealed his home too with lead sheets. "Lead is toxic," he says. "Continuous exposure to it might damage the brain."

But, the EMR from the cell phone towers was too big a risk for Dastur's paralysis and besides, even his family was dealing with increasing headaches, muscle twitching, involuntary limb movement, sleeplessness and other nervous system disorders. Dastur wrote often, asking the authorities to remove the towers. They did not. so he had no choice. Lead sheets were a lesser evil. "We are stuck between the devil and the deep sea."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's home is a 'borderline' zone. The headquarters of the Congress is highly unsafe

"People do not understand," he says. "Because radiation, unlike air, water and sound pollution, cannot be seen or felt. most Indians have only started using cell phones over the past 10 years." Dastur says he notices that his employees, like his family members, are already complaining of increasing headaches and extreme fatigue. "In five years, emr will be the number one killer after heart attacks."

There is no other way to say this. Radiation levels of the non-nuclear kind in Delhi may have reached way beyond what humans can live with. Almost four-fifths of the metropolis has people living in the midst of radiation levels ranging from "borderline" to "unsafe" and "extreme anomaly", which are highly unsafe. Only about a fifth of Delhi lives and works in the safe zone and that is almost entirely where the vvips reside. The October Commonwealth Games, over 12 days, could be the most radiation-filled sports event ever.

These are the findings of a TEHELKA survey of radiation levels in 100 spots across Delhi in the first half of May 2010. The survey is of EMR, the dominant form of radiation in human habitation. This is the first time such an extensive survey of 100 spots has been done for radiation anywhere in india, and it has been done in public interest exclusively for TEHELKA

EMR has a public impact and an individual impact. it impacts a public area when it comes from antennae on cell phone towers, which are the principal source of EMR. Other sources of eMr, which have individual impact, are cell phones, wifi, Bluetooth, microwave ovens, air-conditioners, television sets, refrigerators and other home appliances. here, the risk is private because a person chooses to buy these products and this choice doesn't affect anyone other than himself and his household..

In the case of eMr from cell towers, however, the risk to health is public. Therefore, TehelkA conducted the radiation survey in public places, with Cogent eMr Solutions limited, a Delhibased company that tracks the increase in eMr levels across india, and does radiation audits for telecom operators.

Cell radiation is slow poison. Effects begin with fatigue and could end in cancer. It is nearfatal for ones with pacemakers

The following are some of the findings of the survey. it is virtually a radiation map of Delhi.

● Forty of the 100 spots have "extreme anomaly" in radiation levels. This means the levels are close to seven times the safe limit. These are high risk areas. The readings were so high at times that the device used to measure the radiation, a High Frequency Analyser, could not record the radiation anymore

●Thirty-one spots have "unsafe" radiation levels. This means the levels are two to six times the safe limit

● Nine spots are "borderline", just over the safe limit

● Only 20 of the 100 spots surveyed in Delhi have safe radiation levels

● Connaught place and khan Market, two of Delhi's top marketplaces, have extreme anomaly

● Safdarjung hospital, Modern School in Vasant Vihar, the Delhi Police headquarters, and the ISKCON temple fall in areas with extreme anomaly

●The prime Minister's residence, 7 Race Course Road, is in the borderline zone

●The All india Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), india's premier healthcare institution, is in a borderline area

● 10 Janpath, where Congress president Sonia Gandhi lives, is safe

● Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is safe at her official residence, 3 Motilal Nehru Place

●The opening and closing ceremonies, and the athletics competition, of the Commonwealth Games will be held in unsafe areas

●The Yamuna Sports Complex, where the Games table tennis and archery competitions will be held, is unsafe

DELHI METRO

Quick Transit To Dangertown

The Delhi Metro, another great beacon of progress, is also emitting levels of radiation that are beyond safe norms. This is another worrisome blind spot

BESIDES CELL PHONE TOWERS, another big emitter of electromagnetic radiation in Delhi is the metro. The EMR from metro power transmission lines affects the general public where the metro runs above ground. It runs by houses and marketplaces, endangering people in these areas just as cell phone towers do. At least that's what the EMR readings of six spots near the metro line, conducted by Cogent in January 2010, seem to suggest.

Metro issue EMR from the Delhi Metro line risks public health in the localities it weaves through

The EMR at these spots was measured with an electric field strength metre. The maximum limit according to internationally accepted SBM 2003 standards is 5 volt/meter. A German society of scientists came up with these SBM Standards suggesting safe radiation levels for humans. However, the radiation readings at the six metro spots exceeded this.

● At Shastri Nagar Metro Terminal Complex, it was 11000 v/m
● Just beyond Yamuna Bridge on the Shahdara Line, the radiation was 3000 v/m
● Adjacent to Ashok Nagar Metro Station, the reading was 8200 v/m
● Adjacent to Mayur Vihar II Metro Station, it was 9000 v/m
● A building opposite Mayur Vihar I Metro Station registered 12000 v/m
● Outside Noida Sector 15 Metro Station, the metre read 11500 v/m

The hazards to health from electric and magnetic fields emitted in such neighbourhoods by the metro power line are the same as that from cell tower radiation. This means they could cause minor ailments like headaches and sleep disorders in the short term, and make people more prone to lifethreatening diseases like cancer in the long term. Constant exposure, in case of metro power lines running in close proximity of homes, causes risks such as childhood leukaemia, damage to DNA, leakage of calcium and reduction in sperm count.

A properly grounded metal wire grill around the tracks could help prevent direct exposure to homes in close proximity. However, as with the case of radiation from cell towers, there is a stunning lack of awareness among the general public about the safety guidelines for laying metro power lines within residential localities and market places. One would have to go deep into project details, if made available by the authorities concerned, to know the safety measures followed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

Also, Cogent says a far greater number of measurements are needed to conclusively establish constant and high levels of radiation along the elevated metro line.

Generally, radiation is either nuclear or electromagnetic. Nuclear radiation is a form of ionising radiation that harms instantly, like the Cobalt 60 isotope in Mayapuri, Delhi, which killed a ragpicker who touched it without knowing what he was doing. ionising radiation interrupts DNA and causes grievous harm in this way.

EMR from cell phone towers is a form of non-ionising radiation that takes time to show up. it does not interrupt DNA and is similar to the way smoking affects the human body. EMR is like slow poison; it tends to lull people to its effects. So, people may complain of headaches and fatigue, for instance, and attribute them to the hurly-burly of daily life. in time, they may develop a high risk of cancer.

Most of the radiation risk is because the cell phone towers are in residential colonies when they should be away from such places; the antennae on the towers are too low when they ought to be at greater height; they are far too many when there should be fewer; and they are in the wrong places though guidelines specifically state where they should not be.

EMR safety standards in India are based largely on a 1996 document called 'Health Assessment Statement' by the Internatio - nal Commission on Non-Ionising Radia - tion Protection (ICNIRP), an international independent non-profit registered in Germany. ICNIRP has science experts who "address the possible adverse effects on human health of exposure to non-ionising radiation". In their assessment, the ICNIRP said 600 milliwatt/metre square was a safe limit of radiation for the general public. The ICNIRP also issued separate guidelines on maintaining safe limits for cell phone towers, which India's telecom wing adopted in 2008.

The high risk is because greedy telecom companies do not self-regulate. The official agencies allow wrongdoing

IN INDIA, Cogent classifies emR levels up to 600 mW/msq as safe. Borderline is from 601 to 1000 mW/msq, unsafe is from 1001 to 4000 mW/msq, and extreme anomaly is above 4000 mW/msq.

The TEHELKA survey mapped five schools in delhi. Only one is safe, the delhi Public School in Vasant kunj, South delhi. Two schools are in the unsafe category: Springdales at Pusa Road, and kasturba Balika Vidyalaya, a government school, near New Friends Colony, South delhi. Two are in the extreme anomaly category: Sant Namdev english medium School, a private school near the CGO Complex, South delhi, which enrols students up to Class V; and modern School, Vasant Vihar. This means they recorded radiation levels of over 4000 mW/msq.

The case of the Sant Namdev School is particularly shocking because preadolescent children are far more at risk than adults. The cells in their bodies proliferate at a much faster rate, and they have thinner skulls. Damage here could be serious. And, if the trend in the radiation readings holds, the news could be alarming for most of Delhi's schools.

Hospitals too are barely safe. The survey mapped eight hospital spots. Only one turned up safe: moolchand hospital. Two hospitals, Sir Ganga Ram and AIIMS, are borderline cases. Two are in the unsafe category: Ram Manohar Lohia, and Shanti Avedna Sadan (near Safdarjung). Three hospitals are in the extreme category: Safdarjung, Fortis, and Batra.

This is another shock because those who are unwell are far more vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation. Patients with pacemakers might even run the risk of death. One of these spots, the Shanti Avedna Sadan near Safdarjung hospital, is actually a "Home for the Continuing Care for Cancer Patients". And cancer is a possible long-term consequence of radiation.

Common health The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the Commonwealth Games will be held, has unsafe EMR levels

The TEHELKA survey mapped three Commonwealth Games sites and only one turned up safe: the Games Village residential complex at Akshardham in East Delhi. Radiation levels at three gates in the Village were 340, 341, and 369 mW/msq respectively, within the safe limit of 600mW/msq. But, the Games complex at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies and the showpiece athletics and weightlifting competitions are to be held, is unsafe. So is the Yamuna Sports Complex where the table tennis and archery competitions are to be held. The worry is that the Games in October, the biggest sports event in India's history, could be the most radiation-filled sports event ever.

Shockingly, hospitals and schools are in high risk zones. Safdarjung, RML, Modern School and RBI are dangerous

The government is on the slow side, principally because radiation is a blind spot. Few in the administration comprehend emR and its possible fallout. There are many medical consequences people living in delhi should worry about, according to Dr KK Aggarwal, head of Department, Cardiology, Moolchand hospital. Aggarwal is concerned because of the effects of radiation on pacemakers, which many of his patients wear. "The high emR levels shown up in the TEHELKA survey could be life-threatening for patients with pacemakers. It could also make a person prone to cancer."

Doctors and scientists describe shortterm health disorders caused by this kind of radiation as "microwave sickness" or "radiofrequency syndrome". This includes headache, fatigue, irritability, sleeping disorders, difficulties in concentration, difficulty in remembering things, depression, and loss of appetite. Diseases contracted in the long term could include leukaemia and brain tumour.

This situation has been caused because the official guidelines for setting up cell phone towers are not followed. In January 2008, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna approved a set of stronger guidelines for the installation of cell phone towers. These included:

● No base station antennae within schools and hospitals because children and patients are more susceptible to electromagnetic fields

● No antennae in narrow lanes to reduce the risks caused by earthquake or wind-related disaster

● Antennae should be at least three metres away from a nearby building and must not directly face the building

● The lower end of the antenna should be at least three metres above the ground or a roof

● Sharing common tower infrastructure should be explored in case of multiple transmitter sites

● Access to base station antenna sites must be prohibited for the general public by wire fencing, locking the door to the roof, etc.

● Access to a tower site should be for a minimum period, as far as possible, even for maintenance personnel

●Warning signs must be at antenna sites saying: "Danger! RF radiations, Do not enter!" and "Restricted Area"

In April 2008, senior officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) informed Residents Welfare Associations (RWAS) in Delhi that cell phone towers would henceforth be installed only after consulting RWAs, and would not be left to telecom companies and individual houseowners. On paper, this was good. On the ground, things are a little different.

For instance, a residential building opposite Modern School in Vasant Vihar, a tony South Delhi locality, has a cell tower on it. New Friends Colony, another upmarket residential bloc in Delhi, is ringed by seven cell towers. The antenna on the tower near the colony's Kasturba Balika Vidyalaya, a government school where mostly the poorer families send their children, is barely a metre and a half from the base of the tower. It should be at least three metres above. The VIP wing in the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital has a cell tower visible right behind the wing.

Delhi Blue apartments, a relatively well-maintained residential building a block away from Safdarjung hospital, has three cell towers on it. Delhi Blue is adjacent to the Shanti Avedna Sadan, a home for cancer patients. Then, there are several antennae on top of the Fortis hospital building. There are three towers a block from the Batra hospital. And so it goes, violation after violation. The problem partly is because radiation from cell phone towers is monitored according to guidelines, not laws. A guideline has no penalty if violated.

INA market is close to AIIMS and is a favourite haunt of embassy staff. It has hundreds of footfalls a day as people pick their fruit, vegetables and meats. Sanjeev Kumar, 24, works in a dhaaba in the market and sleeps in a rooftop shanty. Kumar is from Bihar, one of Delhi's multitude of dailywagers. Kumar's brother owns the dhaaba where Kumar works, and so it works out cheap to sleep on a rooftop shanty right there.

Trouble is, there are four cell phone towers where Kumar sleeps, and there are more shanties between the towers. There are no signs warning of danger from radiation. There is nothing to warn Kumar and the others to stay away. Instead, there is an advertisement hoarding of Airtel's mobile services. "Keep in touch", says the hoarding.

Those who should know better, like professionals and administrators, appear to be as ignorant as the dhaaba worker. The guidelines say no cell phone tower must face another building so that emr may not enter a building directly. But, a tower on top of the Indian Medical Association building faces the Delhi Development Authority's Vikas Minar office. And a tower in the High Court complex, atop the Lawyers Chambers, faces another building directly.

Some official movement has begun to get a handle on this problem. on April 8, the Department of Telecommunications issued an order, No. 800-15/2010, to telecom operators asking them to submit radiation audits for their towers by may 8. But, this hasn't been done. Last heard, the telecom companies have asked for more time. Curiously, Vodafone, a leading telecom company, has put out radiation audits of its towers in england but has no such readings for India.

Ved Prakash sandlas, a former Chief Controller at the Defence research Development Organisation (DRDO), a Defence Ministry body, says the authorities may be contributing to the mess by not tracking global norms. "some countries, like russia and Italy, are tightening their emr norms further. India must track them and tighten her own policies to decrease radiation," he says.

According to Sandlas, India could reduce the power of transmitting towers, and hence control the levels of radiation; we could minimise radiation by taking cell towers away from populated areas; the towers could be placed at far greater heights than they are now; or we could use smaller antennae, which look like small dish antennae and don't emit much radiation in heavily populated areas.

Neighbour's rage A man calls from a building opposite a cell tower he has complained about

"It will cost additional money to erect taller structures. It will also take money to have smaller antennae because we will need more to transmit the same signals. But, this is how it is done in every foreign city I have travelled to. They have tall towers at great heights, far from human habitation. You can see such towers along the highways. Or, they have small antennae, which are barely visible, in residential areas and marketplaces. Nowhere have I seen towers in the middle of colonies or markets like in India," Sandlas says.

Sandlas was also a member of a committee that provided inputs to the DoT on safe emr guidelines. It is imperative, he says, to replace current radiation audits done by companies themselves with independent agencies authorised by the government. A couple of choices he suggests are the ministry of Communications Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing, which certifies and issues licences to radio stations, or the society for Applied microwave electronic engineer ing and Research (SAMEER), a centre for electromagnetics that works out of Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.

HOW SAFE ARE YOU?
EXCLUSIVE TEHELKA 100 SPOT RADIATION SURVEY

There may be something in what Sandlas says. England, which follows the ICNIRP guidelines as India does, has a government body, the Office of Communications, to conduct radiation audits. The US, UK, and Canada have regulations stating that cell phone towers must be 150 feet above "the level of human habitation". In addition, Canada does not allow cell towers in residential areas. China allows towers in residential areas like India, but has strict guidelines to keep EMR levels below 600 mw/msq, the internationally accepted safe limit.

It's not that all areas in Delhi are hazardous. The Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, Delhi's third biggest railway station, is showing virtually no radiation. Sonia Gandhi's residence is within safe radiation limits, as is Sheila Dikshit's official residence. LK Advani's residence at 30 Prithviraj Road is safe. India Gate, the Supreme Court, and India International Centre, Delhi's oldest club for intellectuals, are safe. IIT Gate, one of south Delhi's hubs, is safe. so, it is possible.

Some of the risk is also being created by the galloping use of cell phones. In October 2008, Delhi was the first metropolis in India to cross 100 percent teledensity, meaning almost everyone had a cell phone and some had more than one. By November 2009, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai had also gone beyond 100 percent teledensity. The November 2009 figures were: Chennai 143 percent, Delhi 138, Mumbai 112, and Kolkata 102.

With demand continuing to rise, telecom companies look for ways to maximise profits. One way of doing this is to mushroom cell towers, by making deals with, say, individual houseowners for a small price. For instance, the number of cell towers in Delhi has jumped from 1800 in February 2006 to over 6000 now, dealing with over 25 million cell phone users. This has consequences. readings in the TEHELKA survey at seven points were compared with readings from four years ago taken by the same company, Cogent. The findings are astounding. At some places, radiation levels have gone up more than 1000 times.

In January 2006, New Friends Colony barely registered radiation at 4.4. mW/msq. Now, the spot is registering 3500 mW/msq, almost six times the safe limit, making it an unsafe zone. There was a minimal 1.7 mW/msq outside the New Delhi Railway Station four years ago. Now, it is registering more than 4000 mW/msq, almost seven times the safe limit and has become an extreme radiation zone. Radiation levels outside Bangla Sahib Gurudwara have gone from 2.2 to 1200 mW/msq; this is now an unsafe zone.

A spot outside the Hyatt Regency, a five-star hotel in the centre of Delhi, has gone from 4.6 to 4000 mW/msq; this is now an extreme radiation zone. Just outside Batra Hospital is now more than 4000 mW/msq, up from 0.93, making it another extreme zone. M-block market, Greater Kailash II, where TEHELKA is headquartered, has gone from 2.2 to more than 4000 mW/msq; this is an extreme risk zone. And, Nehru Place, near Modi Tower, a commercial hub in South Delhi, has gone from 5.5 to over 4000 mW/msq, another extreme radiation zone.

Inhospitable Antennae flout health guidelines on the roof of Fortis hospital, Vasant Kunj

Such are the levels of radiation in these areas that the instrument recording them, the High Frequency Analyser, kind of dances to a stop. Even in areas within the safe limits, the Analyser emits a buzzing sound when it records the readings. in high level zones, the buzz gets much louder. The digital display on the instrument, which gives the reading, vanishes. There is just the number '1' and a dash. This shows the metre cannot display the reading because it is beyond the maximum it can record. if it were actually a reading of 1, it would have shown 001.

Congress lok Sabha member Milind Deora is an active campaigner against EMR. He says enforcement is an important factor in curbing EMR. "if the government can make restaurants free of smoking and keep drivers from using cell phones while driving, i am sure they can enforce the guidelines on cell phone towers as well," he says.

"Cell phone towers in residential areas must be prevented. Cell phone companies must be barred from airing advertisements showing a pregnant woman holding a cell phone to her belly. instead, these companies must clearly and visibly advertise the harmful effects of EMR from cell phones and cell towers. The argument that cell phones are needed for development is no argument. Who wants development when they have brain tumour?" Deora says.

The danger is escalating also because india depends on telecom companies to self-regulate. This is low motivation for those frenzied about profit. For instance, even in desperately poor areas of Bihar, the billboards are entirely those of telecom companies seducing people to talk more on the cell phone. So, public safety is apparently not a priority area yet for telecom companies.

SO MUCH SO that the industry doesn't even like talk of EMR. Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance did not respond to queries. And, NK Goyal, Chairman Emeritus of the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association and founder of the Communication Manufacturer's Association of india, was sceptical. "What is the proof that the electromagnetic radiation you have detected (in the TEHELKA survey) has come from the cell phone towers?" he asked. "Such radiation can be emitted from a microwave oven too." He had nothing more to say. it is true that EMR can come from household appliances, FM radio equipment and television transmitters. But, they were not seen in the areas where the TEHELKA readings were taken. There were only cell phone towers.

Because of the proliferation of towers, marketplaces in Delhi are mostly risky zones. Of the 15 markets surveyed, only one is within safe limits: Yamuna Bazar near the ISBT. Three are borderline areas: DlF Mall Vasant Kunj, and South exten sion i and ii. Four are unsafe zones: PVR Saket complex; Select Citywalk Mall, Saket; INA Market; Okhla vegetable market. Seven are extreme radiation zones: Khan Market, Connaught Place, Hauz Khas market, Yusuf Sarai market, M-block market, Greater Kailash II, PVR Priya complex, Vasant Vihar, and Jangpura market.

Of late, the MCD has begun to seal unauthorised cell phone towers. The MCD found 2,952 of the 5,364 towers under its jurisdiction unauthorised. But, they are largely unauthorised on commercial grounds, not for the health risk they pose. The MCD levies Rs 5 lakh and an operator may install a tower if he pays up. However, minimal stipulations on radiation are beginning to be enforced.

As for Dastur, you can't talk to him on his cell phone anymore. He receives text messages and calls back from his landline. The 'half paisa a second' calls are not for him. One of Delhi's first users of the cell phone is also one of the first to stop doing so.

WRITER'S EMAIL
rishi@tehelka.com

Women worry Afghan peace jirga will harm rights

As Afghanistan's most powerful men arrive in Kabul for a major conference aimed at starting a peace process with the Taliban, many women are worried the event could lead to a compromise of their hard-won rights.

Golnar Motevalli

Afghanistan is holding a peace jirga or an assembly of powerful leaders, tribal elders and representatives of civil society to consider plans to open talks with Taliban leaders in an effort to end the nine-year conflict.

A possible return of the Taliban has touched off concern about the fate of women who were banned from schools, the work place and public life during the Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.

"I would not expect the peace jirga to do anything good for women. My hope is that it will recognize their presence and protect their rights equally to men, as presented in the constitution," said Orzala Ashraf Nemat, a leading women's rights activist in Kabul.

"I'm really tired of this strategy and plans and jargon. I'd like to see activists from all 34 provinces to come to Kabul and plan a much deeper understanding of what should be done in the future for women," she said.

The Taliban and other key insurgent factions such as Hezb-i-Islami have not been formally invited to the peace jirga but organizers have said any party that wants to be involved will be welcomed and insurgent supporters are expected to attend.

Women at the peace jirga so far represent a very small number of the 1,400 seats at the event. Between 30 and 50 women are expected to attend, but none are involved in its planning.

"There is a symbolic representation of Afghan women, The organizing committee has no women in its structure, only one or two have been identified to be facilitators," said Ahmad Fahim Hakim, deputy chair of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission.

"The positions of women in high-ranking roles have been significantly overshadowed ... One could be cynical and say that the reason there are so few women is to encourage the Taliban to come," he said.

SYMBOLIC PRESENCE

The Taliban, who are waging an insurgency that is at its deadliest in years, have in the past rejected any moves for talks, saying foreign forces must first leave Afghanistan. They continue to advocate a strict interpretation of Islamic law and have stepped up attacks on schools for girls in recent weeks.

Afghan women say their position in society and in politics is still very fragile and the small advances that have been made in recent years can be easily reversed.

Twenty-year old Safian Farahmand-Amiry is a business studies student who was born in Kabul. She grew up under the Taliban.

"I have very bitter memories of the Taliban. I should be in the third year of university, but I'm not, I'm in my first year because of the Taliban, I want Afghanistan to be better than this," she said.

"I'm sure that if the peace jirga goes as it should, it will be good, if it will help make Afghanistan stable, free and just ... If the Taliban are given a share in the government, I'm worried that those (laws) could come back," she said.

Liza Karimi is a 19-year old announcer for Afghanistan's state broadcaster. She spent her childhood living in Moscow and moved back to Afghanistan with her mother four years ago.

"I think that from what I've heard about that regime, we should be worried. We could end up giving-up positions that should belong to women. That shouldn't happen," Liza said.

Kashmir needs to be put on the international agenda: MacShane

APP

LONDON - Pointing out the importance of Kashmir in the overall context of regional situation, a British parliamentarian has called for putting the disputed Himalayan State on the international agenda. In his article for The Observer Labour MP Denis MacShane said the burning issue of Kashmir, where 70,000 Muslims have been killed since the Indian army took over full control of the disputed region 20 years ago, needs to be put on the international agenda.

He underscored the channelling of diplomatic and development aid to be redirected to Pakistan and India as well as to China and Iran to remove the widespread feeling among Muslim communities that West is again seeking to control the lives of people whose customs and needs they do not understand.

Macshane called for the British troops to be called home from Afghanistan saying 'it is time to stop the blood sacrifice of our young soldiers in Afghanistan.

He wrote In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev described Afghanistan as a "bleeding wound". Last week, US general Stanley McChrystal called it a "bleeding ulcer". Britain has no general, no "master of strategy". War is too important to be left to generals. Unfortunately ministers past and present have flinched from thinking strategically. If the object is to stop Afghanistan from again becoming a base for al-Qaeda to launch attacks, there are alternatives to sending out men on foot patrols to be blown up by hidden bombs or shot by snipers who fade back into the hills.

In Canada, the Conservative government has confirmed its troops will leave next year. There is new thinking in the Netherlands, one of Britain's key NATO allies, where the government collapsed over Afghanistan. NATO has new duties to guard its Baltic flanks and ensure that the melting Arctic becomes a sea of trade and peace. It no longer needs to define its existence by occupying Afghanistan.

MacShane criticised the remarks of Defence Secretary Dr.Liam Fox who on his recent visit to Afghanistan described that country as a '13th century nation' and said his patronising contempt has done a serious damage to Britain's influence in Kabul.

"The White House is clearly looking for an exit strategy," the Labour MP said. "Britain also needs to begin prime ministers' questions without a roll-call of the dead and maimed. We have done our duty.

It is time to come home."

Meanwhile, the same paper has also reported that Prime Minister David Cameron has convened a secret meeting of military experts, ministers and Tory MPs on Tuesday to review strategy on Afghanistan amid growing signs of division over the mission's objectives.

The paper has reported that there is increasing scepticism in both political and military circles over whether some of the original objectives in Afghanistan are achievable.

China raises Tibet issue with President Patil

Rahul Karmakar, Hindustan Times

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chairman of National People's Congress Wu Bangguo avoided the touchy Tibet issue. So it was left to Jia Quinglin to give the parting shot to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil in Beijing on Friday.

External Affairs officials said it wasn't unusual for Quinglin to raise the Tibet issue and convey "concern" about the Dalai Lama's "activities" in India. "He is the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) that deals with ethnic issues in China, and that includes the Tibetans," an official said.

The 2196-member strong CPPCC is regarded as China's top political advisory body.

The 70-year-old Jia met Patil at the Great Hall of the People in the afternoon. While waxing eloquent on India's age-old relationship with China, he raised the Tibetan issue.

Jia described the Dalai Lama as more of a political leader than a spiritual figure. But Patil referred to as the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader "who stays in India".

The President, officials said, told Jia that India regarded Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of China and "this does not allow any anti-China activities by Tibetans in India".

The President cited the example of Olympic torch relay in India ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and how the Indian government took steps to ensure nothing untoward happened.

Later, at her first public speech during her six-day visit, Patil told China's leadership that 'mutual understanding of each other's sensitivities' held the key to "deeper and sturdier friendship" between the two Asian giants.

She emphasized the "time-tested" Sino-India friendship "forged in the crucibles of civilisation", foreseeing growing scope for cooperation between the two countries.

She delivered her message to China at a function to celebrate the 60thanniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping attended the function organized by Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Embassy of India in China.

Maoists thrive as India’s public enemy No 1

By Rupam Jain Nair

The Maoist insurgency has spread to 20 of India's 29 states with the main centre of activity in the so-called 'Red Corridor' covering the natural resource-rich states of Jharkand, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh

In the past five years, Maoist rebels have emerged as the most potent threat to India's internal stability and left the authorities groping for a response to their increasingly audacious attacks.

Authorities blamed the Maoists for a railway attack in the eastern state of West Bengal early Friday that derailed an express train, killing at least 80 people.

The origins of the left-wing insurgency can be traced back to a 1967 peasant uprising in the remote village of Naxalbari in West Bengal. In India, the rebels are most commonly referred to as "Naxalites".

The uprising was eventually crushed by police but over the years the Maoists expanded their base, enlisting thousands of villagers and landless tribals who now form the movement's core. The insurgency has spread to 20 of India's 29 states with the main centre of activity in the so-called "Red Corridor" covering the natural resource-rich states of Jharkand, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

Tribal groups and many rural areas have been left behind by India's economic development, and poverty and discontent with local government corruption are seen as fuelling support for the insurgents.

Their current strength is estimated at between 10,000-20,000 guerrillas, who operate out of jungle camps where they undergo weapons and ideological training.

Between 2005 and 2010, the Maoists killed more than 1,220 security personnel and about 2,640 civilians, according to the Home Ministry data. Using their abundant supplies of automatic weapons, landmines and improvised explosive devices, they usually target police patrols, alleged informers, rail tracks, schools and government buildings. Security forces say their principal sources of funding are from abductions, extortion and looting. They have also set up unofficial administrations in some rural areas to collect taxes.

As the years have passed, so the rebels have grown more brazen in their operations.

In 2007, they assassinated a federal MP and engineered a mass prison break for 300 of their jailed fighters. The next year witnessed the sinking of a boat carrying elite commandos, while in April 2009 they briefly held an entire train with 300 passengers hostage. "The Maoists have three things on their side - stealth, speed and surprise. In that sense they have the initiative," said analyst PV Ramana from the government-funded Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). The Indian government launched a centrally coordinated anti-Maoist offensive in November 2009, dubbed Operation Greenhunt.

The surge saw over 60,000 paramilitary police and state police pushed into the worst-affected states along with extra funds for modernising the forces and development packages. But the operation produced little in the way of tangible results as the Maoists responded with a series of deadly attacks that raised questions over the government's reluctance to deploying the military against the rebels. The pressure to up the stakes increased after 76 policemen were massacred in the worst single attack to date in April, and a landmine blast that killed 24 civilians and 11 police in May triggered a government review of its strategy.

Home Minister P Chidambaram acknowledged that changes were needed and said he would request wider powers.

The minister noted that the chief ministers of four of the worst-hit states had asked for air power to be used against the rebels - a measure the government has so far refused to sanction. Indian forces killed 900 Maoists between March 2005 and February 2010 and over 200 are in Indian prisons, according to a report by the IDSA. afp