Use of soft power to bring Maoists' sympathisers on board against violence and extremism ........ jingles....reverse vasectomy surgery....

http://t.co/gWptRqNu

AND

http://t.co/s14ZBeyh

Government goes AIR-borne, uses radio jingles to take on Maoists

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 26, 2012, 04.06AM IST 

As part of its plan to wean villagers/tribals away from the Maoist ideology, the government has taken to airing radio ‘jingles’ to reach out to people in the Naxal heartland.

NEW DELHI: As part of its plan to wean villagers/tribals away from the Maoist ideology, the government has taken to airing radio 'jingles' to reach out to people in the Naxal heartland. 

The government has roped in All India Radio (AIR) to air specially produced audio clips in the mornings and evenings. The 'jingles', with themes of countering Maoism, have been produced in different local dialects including Nagpuri, Gondi, Chhattisgarhi, Odia Gondi, Magdhi, Bhojpuri, Halbi and Hindi. 

The 'jingles', highlighting how Maoists' activities are detrimental to growth, are being aired through AIR's regional transmission networks in the four Naxal affected states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. 

"The idea is to tell the villagers in their dialects how they have been deprived of the benefits of being in the mainstream. The radio jingles are also focused on explaining to the tribals the importance of education and development," said an official. 

AIR has been airing them for the past one month in the four states. It will cost the government approximately Rs 1.65 crore for two months. The plan will be reviewed by November 20. The government may later engage private individuals to counter Maoist propaganda on a much bigger scale. 

Use of jingles is, however, just a small part of the government's overall counter-propaganda strategy. The idea is to reach out to the villagers also through posters, advertisements and short films to inform people of what the Maoists are up to....................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMjYjQXIwMTcwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

26/11: President will not sit over it for long ...... In fact, he can't afford to wait despite having power to do so

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Home ministry turns down Kasab’s mercy plea

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 24, 2012, 04.26AM IST 

NEW DELHI: The home ministry has rejected 26/11 Mumbai attack convict Ajmal Kasab's plea to commute his death sentence to life and sent its recommendation to President Pranab Mukherjee for final disposal. 

The home ministry "processed Kasab's mercy petition" within three weeks of receiving the file from the Maharashtra government. This brings to an end the legal options before Kasab in appealing his death sentence that has been confirmed by the Supreme Court. 

It is almost four years since Kasab landed on the shores of Mumbai in a dinghy as part of a 10-man Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) squad — all Pakistani nationals — to unleash a reign of terror lasting three days that killed 166 people and left the iconic Taj hotel in flames. 

Kasab, a native of Okara in Pakistan, was the sole member of the Lashkar squad to be captured alive and proved to be invaluable in establishing the role of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and members of the Pakistani military establishment in planning and executing the Mumbai attacks. 

Apart from witness accounts, CCTV footage of Kasab armed with AK-47 striding into Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) helped secure Kasab's conviction. An exclusive picture of Kasab with gun in hand was also captured by a TOI photographer, when the LeT man was at a foot over-bridge near CST. 

Perhaps aware that a delay in confirming Kasab's death sentence could only trigger a political controversy — as in the case of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru — the government did not take much time in processing the relevant file. 

The home ministry displayed similar alacrity earlier in dismissing the mercy plea of Kehar Singh, who was awarded a death sentence for the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi. Kehar Singh's file was processed and rejected within three months (October-December 1988). 

More typically, the home ministry can take years to process pleas of death row convicts. It took the government more than five years to process Guru's file. It finally rejected Guru's mercy plea and submitted the government's opinion to the President over a year ago. However, the case is still pending with the President's secretariat. 

Though 'technically' it is the President who takes a final call on a mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution, Rashtapati Bhawan never goes against the opinion offered by the government. The President can, at best, send the file back to the government for reconsideration. If the government does not alter its decision, the President accepts the opinion. 

The President can, however, sit on a mercy plea file as the Constitution does not lay down a timeframe. The constitutional provision has seen the waiting time of current death row convicts range from three to 20 years in the case of 11 petitions still pending with the President. Kasab's mercy petition is the 12th in line with Pranab. His predecessor Pratibha Patil had decided 18 cases — with majority of them being commuted. At present, only the file of Balwant Singh Rajoana — killer of former Punjab CM Beant Singh — is with the home ministry. 

The SC upheld death penalty for Kasab on August 29..........................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEyLzEwLzI0I0FyMDEwMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom 

Indian Mujahideen turns Saudi Arabia a safe haven ....... Indian authorities wish the Saudis continue to cooperate ........ Saudi Arabia, after all, helped India in getting three deadly guys

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http://t.co/RVeWEMYD

Key IM man Fasih deported by Saudi Arabia, held at IGI

Neeraj Chauhan & Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 23, 2012, 12.18AM IST 

NEW DELHI: India finally got Fasih Mohammad, a key fund-raiser for the Indian Mujahideen (IM), in its custody. 

The engineer, who hails from Bihar's Darbhanga district and is believed to be one of the founding members of IM, was arrested by Delhi Police at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here on Monday morning, after he was deported by Saudi Arabia. 

Fasih is believed to be connected to the Chinnaswamy Stadium (April, 2010) and Delhi's Jama Masjid (September 19, 2010) terror attacks. 

Fasih is the third terrorist to be deported from Saudi Arabia in the past five months, while five others, including Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative Fayyaz Kagzi, are still holed up in the country. The key 26\11 Mumbai terror attack handler Abu Jundal was deported in June, whereas another Lashkar terrorist A Rayees of Kerala was deported earlier this month. 

India has already written to Saudi Arabia, seeking help in tracing the five suspects, including Kagzi, who have been running sleeper cells from there to carry out terror attacks in India. 

The arrest brought to an end a long spell of uncertainty within the Indian establishment about whether New Delhi would be able to get access to Fasih. The deportation is seen as a breakthrough for Indian investigators who have been trying to lay their hands on the senior IM `terrorist'. Agency sources said they believe this arrest would help them gather more information on this shadowy organization, which Indian agencies believe was set up by LeT and ISI to promote homegrown terrorism within India. This makes Fasih a prize catch, said sources. In his initial conversations with investigators, Fasih is believed to have revealed that five other IM members, including Kagzi, were still in Saudi Arabia. 

Hours after getting Fasih deported, Indian on Monday termed him a "very important catch", saying Saudi Arabia fully cooperated in his deportation to India. In his first official reaction on Fasih's arrest, home secretary R K Singh said, "He was a very important catch. He was deported after he had served a sentence there( for some crime committed there). Saudi Arabia fully cooperated with us." He said India had submitted "material evidence" against Fasih to Saudi authorities to press its demand for deportation for his involvement in various terrorist acts in the country. "Our officers were in touch with Saudi Arabia. That is how it happened," he said. The home secretary's statement raised frowns in MEA, which has been trying to get the home ministry to keep operational details out of public view. 

Fasih has been in Saudi custody since May. India wanted him for his involvement in Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore and IM's Meer Vihar (Delhi) factory, which was unearthed by Delhi's Special Cell last November, with the arrest of 13 IM terrorists. Fasih's name as an important leader of the organization and close association with Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal in Pakistan and Yasin Bhatkal in India, had cropped up first during questioning of other IM members — Gauhar Aziz Khomani and Mohammad Tarique Anjum Hasan (both natives of Darbhanga). His role is also being examined in the Jama Masjid attack case. A Red Corner Notice (RCN) was also issued against him in May. 

Sources say "since the formation of Indian Mujahideen in 2003, he used to visit several places and collect funds for Jehadi activities. He was in direct touch with Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal". During the interrogation of 13 IM terrorists, Delhi Police investigators learned that the IM boss, Ahmad Zarrar Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal, used to make regular calls to Saudi Arabia. They suspect those calls were made to Fasih. 

The Fasih deportation differs from that of Jundal, primarily because there was little doubt about the former's nationality. While Jundal was picked up in Saudi Arabia with Pakistani documents, Fasih had Indian identification on him. Ironically, the case against Fasih was helped by his wife, Nikhat Parveen, who filed a habeas corpus regarding his "disappearance", accusing the Indian authorities of hiding him. 

India's efforts to have him deported, however, got complicated because of legal reasons. Though he was part of IM since his days in the Engineering College at Bhatkal, he was never charge sheeted for his involvement. In fact, he was detained by Saudi authorities allegedly for a minor visa-related offence. 

It took a while for the Indians to put together a credible documentation on him. The charge sheet against Fasih in the Chinnaswamy Stadium case came after he was detained by the Saudi authorities. In addition, Fasih insisted he was not Indian, though his wife's legal efforts put paid to that bid. 

There was disquiet in Saudi Arabia when Indian officials were seen to be arguing too much about Fasih's deportation, which annoyed the Saudis as well as MEA. Saudi Arabia remained quite sensitive about any 'hype' around deportation of either Jundal or Fasih. Saudi authorities' sensitivity was reportedly articulated even by the national security advisor Shivshankar Menon last when he told a gathering of police chiefs that the media leaks of details of operation that led to the arrest of Jundal had upset Riyadh. He underlined the need for ensuring complete secrecy in police operations and advised them not to compromise sources in claiming "operational glory". He wanted secrecy to be maintained at all levels in handling cases of international terrorism as the acts have "dangerous propensity of international embarrassment". 

The deportation also underlined the deepening security cooperation with Saudi Arabia. The latest assistance by the Saudis is another step in the evolution of a relationship. Saudi Arabia has been jolted by the al-Qaeda attack against Prince Nayef earlier, and there is a general "pivot" towards India and China, which are becoming anchor partners for Saudi Arabia. Sources said, India and Saudi Arabia have deepened security cooperation, and would continue to do so, as a measure of the growing bilateral ties. 

India is now eyeing Kagzi (a resident of Beed in Maharashtra who has been on the run since the Aurangabad arms haul episode in 2006) and four others who have been hiding in Saudi Arabia. Kagzi, a close associate of IM founder Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, has been hiding in Saudi Arabia since August, 2009. Before fleeing to Saudi Arabia, he had spent time first in Pakistan and then in Sri Lanka after his name cropped up in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. 

The home secretary said Saudi Arabia had never stated that Fasih would not be deported but it took some time. Singh said Fasih was the "key facilitator" for 13 IM terrorists, who were arrested from various places including in Bihar and UP late last year. Though the home secretary did not elaborate on the crime of Fasih in Saudi Arabia where he had to serve a sentence before deportation, other officials said that the accused was arrested there for allegedly violating visa-related rule where he as a foreigner was supposed to report to the local law enforcement agency. 

Jundal was deported to India by the Saudi authorities in June as part of enhanced intelligence and security related cooperation between two countries. Besides these two, A Rayees, an associate of suspected Let operative T Nazir, was also deported from Saudi Arabia. He was deported and arrested in connection with a 2009 explosives seizure case of Kerala. He was arrested by Kerala Police in Mumbai earlier this month, when he arrived from Saudi Arabia on his deportation after being jailed there in connection with a visa violation case. Nazir, the prime accused in the case, is already in jail and is facing several other terror cases....................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQkcvMjAxMi8xMC8yMyNBcjAwMTAx&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom 

Let the Interpol be more effective ...... match the hype

http://t.co/WoTYpY9B

India to seek more teeth for Interpol at Rome meet

Vishwa Mohan |TNN | Oct 20, 2012, 10.36PM IST 

NEW DELHI: With the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and his ilk in mind, India will ask Interpol member countries to make the global police body more effective in terms of honouring pending Red Corner Notices (RCNs) against fugitives, including terrorists. 

India's demand and concerns will be articulated by the home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who will attend the Interpol General Assembly session to be held in Rome from November 5 to 8. 

Hafiz Saaed alias Syed Hafiz Saab has not only been roaming free in full public view in Pakistan ever since the Interpol Notice was issued against him at India's behest in 2009, but also been provided security by state authorities within the country. 

"Saeed's case makes a mockery of the RCN system which expects a member country to put the fugitive under arrest. It, therefore, prompts New Delhi to flag the issue at the gathering in Rome, seeking more power for the international police body," said an official, who is engaged in finalizing details of Shinde's visit. 

Shinde is proposed to seek more teeth for the global police body in the ministerial meeting, which is to be part of the Interpol's 81st General Assembly. 

The matter, besides other issues including concerns over cyber crime and circulation\printing of fake currency notes, will be highlighted during the General Assembly meetings by the Indian delegation, consisting of senior officers of home ministry and CBI. 

At present, the Interpol has 190 member countries, including Pakistan. Justice, security and home ministers from over 100 countries will participate in the General Assembly which is to be opened, for the first time, with a ministerial meeting. 

Though over 160 Interpol RCNs are pending against fugitives wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies, New Delhi is specifically concerned about over 45 terrorists who are suspected to be holed up in Pakistan. Besides Saeed, the list includes 1993 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Dawood Ibrahim, hijackers of IC-814 flight, members of Indian Mujahideen, LeT and Khalistani terrorist groups. 

Those who are not in public view may give Pakistan a benefit of doubt as the country never accepts their presence within its territory. "But, the presence of Saeed marks the ineffectiveness of the Interpol institutional arrangement where majority of the member countries consider Red Corner Notice to be a valid request for provisional arrest," added the official. 

Case of four Iranians, wanted in connection with the February 13 bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat's car here, is also a concern for Indian agencies that had got RCNs issued against them in March. 

Though Tehran has promised New Delhi to cooperate in the probe, Indian agencies are skeptical of Iran's effort to trace four of its nationals. These four suspects are: Mohammadreza Abolghashemi, Houshang Afshar Irani, Seyed Ali Mahdiansadr and Masoud Sedaghatzadeh. 

Indo-Bangladesh visa agreement ...... expect the change before the next general election in the neighbouring country .... Will India go extra miles to please the friendly regime?

http://t.co/bMewcfD9

India seeks to liberalize visa pact with Bangladesh

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 20, 2012, 01.31AM IST 

After signing liberalized visa agreement with Pakistan, India now looks to ease its visa regime with Bangladesh to facilitate people-to-people contact and easier movement of citizens on both sides for business and tourism.

NEW DELHI: After signing liberalized visa agreement with Pakistan, India now looks to ease its visa regime with Bangladesh to facilitate people-to-people contact and easier movement of citizens on both sides for business and tourism.

The bid to further ease visa regime got a push during the home secretary-level talks between the two countries in Dhaka on October 16 and 17 when both the countries agreed to hold an exclusive meeting to work out procedures and modalities at the earliest.

"It may be a joint working group (JWG) meeting at the level of joint secretaries who will identify the visa-granting procedures that need to be simplified to benefit senior citizens, students, businessmen, patients and others," said a senior home ministry official.

Introducing timeframe for issuing non-diplomatic visa, simplification of multiple visa for businessmen, visa- on-arrival for senior citizens and children, allowing additional entries for medical visa and extending the duration of transit visa are some of areas that may come up for modification during the proposed structured meeting.

The move comes over a month after India signed a liberalized visa agreement with Pakistan, introducing for the first time group tourist and pilgrim visas, separate visa for businessmen and host of other travel bonanza for citizens of both the countries.

Bangladeshi officials also asked Indian delegates, led by home secretary R K Singh, to immediately track down and hand over killers, including Riasaldar Mosleuddin, of their Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman.

Mosleuddin was the one who had allegedly fired at the then Bangladesh President Sheikh Mujib when he was coming down the stairs at his Dhaka residence on the intervening night of August 14-15, 1975, during a military coup. It is widely believed in Bangladesh that the killer and his accomplices might have fled to India crossing the porous border. Indian agencies have, however, remained clueless of his whereabouts.

"Both the sides agreed to extend cooperation for apprehension of wanted criminals and fugitives," said the joint statement.

As a step towards signing an extradition treaty, both the countries also shared final drafts - comprising their views -- during talks. Cooperation in combating terror, repatriation of ULFA leader Anup Chetia and taking strong measures to stop flow of fake Indian currency notes (FICNs) from Bangladesh to India also dominated the two-day meeting.

Though the joint statement remained quiet on Chetia, Dhaka is learnt to have told New Delhi that the country has been exploring an option to deport him under SAARC Convention on handing over criminals of each other countries in absence of extradition treaty.

Both the countries also agreed "to allow development work including construction of Integrated Check Posts (ICP) within 150 yards of zero line". India and Bangladesh will soon constitute a high-level team to monitor development of border infrastructure.

Besides, the joint statement said, "India has offered and Bangladesh has agreed to avail of training courses for Bangladesh police personnel in Indian institutions"...................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMjAjQXIwMTkwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Integrated Action Plan .... Jairam Ramesh makes sense ..... babus don't want others to encroach their domain

http://t.co/hArx9lHH

Maoist-hit states against move to bring Integrated Action Plan under panchayati raj ministry

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 19, 2012, 03.17AM IST 

Maoist-hit states on Thursday gave thumbs down to Jairam Ramesh's suggestion to bring the ongoing Integrated Action Plan (IAP) scheme for "accelerated development" in 82 naxal-affected districts under the panchayati raj ministry.

NEW DELHI: Maoist-hit states on Thursday gave thumbs down to the rural development minister Jairam Ramesh's suggestion to bring the ongoing Integrated Action Plan (IAP) scheme, which is being implemented by the Planning Commission for "accelerated development" in 82 naxal-affected districts, under the panchayati raj ministry. The states preferred to maintain status quo.

States' representatives expressed their opinion during a meeting of chief secretary and directors general of police of the nine naxal-affected states here in the home ministry.

"States want status quo as they think the IAP scheme under the current format - where it is being implemented by Planning Commission and jointly monitored by the home ministry - has been quite effective in carrying out speedy development of the Maoist-affected districts", said an official.

He said the states believed that involvement of elected panchayat representatives in the decision-making process for the IAP scheme - as suggested by Ramesh - may delay the implementation and hence defeat the purpose of "accelerated development".

The scheme is being implemented in identified districts by a committee headed by district collector. The allocated funds (annual Rs 30 crore per district) are placed at the disposal of the Committee — comprising superintendent of police (SP) and district forest officer — that identifies and implements the basic development and infrastructure projects.

Senior officials of the states who attended the meeting, chaired by Union home secretary R K Singh, also unanimously favoured the continuation of the scheme for the entire next five-year plan period.

Ramesh had recently written to the deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, suggesting greater political participation in implementing the schemes so that it could give local people a sense of involvement in development projects.

Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, however, preferred status quo and written to finance minister and Prime Minister highlighting merits of continuing the IAP scheme under its current format.

The aim of the IAP is to provide public infrastructure and services in 82 Maoist-affected districts The nature of major works/projects taken up by the districts under it include construction of school buildings, school furniture, Anganwadi centres, drinking water facilities, rural roads, community halls, PDS shops, skill development/trainings, minor irrigation works, electric lighting, health centres, construction of toilets, special coaching classes for students and development of play grounds.

"Out of 81,180 projects taken up by the states under the scheme, 61,677 projects have been completed till August 21", said the ministry in its report shared with the officials during the meeting. Representative of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh attended the meeting.

Constitution of a Special Investigation Team to probe violence perpetrated by Maoists, monitoring of trials of important cases, implementation of development programmes on the lines of Jharkhand's Saranda and implementation of Forest Right Act also came up for discussion in the meeting.

"States have also been asked to reconstitute the Unified Command structure with the chief minister as its head and hold its meeting at least once a month. The meeting also had a discussion on the draft policy for tackling any crisis arising out of Maoists using civilians as human shield and hostage situation," said the official.

Maoist-ISI link ....... Are the Red Ultras so desperate?

http://t.co/ejm1bBi1

Naxals forged ties with ISI with SIMI's help: Bengal DGP

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 19, 2012, 03.36AM IST 

Murshidabad, West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura are the four districts where the West Bengal Police had noticed actions that hinted at Maoist-ISI linkages.

NEW DELHI: Maoists may have been facing all-round reverses in West Bengal ever since chief minister Mamata Banerjee took charge of the state last year, but they have forged a deadly alliance with the Pakistani spy agency ISI through overground radicals and remnants of the banned outfit SIMI during the period.

Revelation was made by the West Bengal police chief Naparajit Mukherjee here on Thursday when he told a gathering of chief secretaries and DGPs of other naxal-affected states about the growing Maoist-ISI nexus in four districts of the state.

Expressing his anguish over the development, he is learnt to have said that the nexus had been reported after arrests of some Maoists who elaborated how overground sympathizers of the Red Ultras acted as a 'link' for them.

Murshidabad, West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura are the four districts where the West Bengal Police had noticed actions that hinted at Maoist-ISI linkages. The link is believed to be helping the ultras in getting arms and ammunition through existing network of north-east insurgents.

Though the Union home ministry did not add to what Mukherjee told the gathering over the nefarious link, security and intelligence agencies spoke about the possibility through Maoists sympathizers. They also said that the Maoists' support to the Jammu & Kashmir terrorists for their cause in the bordering state had never been a secret.

The disclosure of Mukherjee comes even as Bengal has shown remarkable change in the situation where it effectively controlled the Red menace in the past one year through consistent intelligence-based operations against the Red Ultras.

Home ministry latest figures on naxal violence show that West Bengal - once a hotbed of Maoist activities - has, in fact, moved closer to what Andhra Pradesh had achieved by reporting zero casualty consistently in past so many years.

Ministry's statistics, based on state's reports, show that none of three highly Maoist-affected districts - West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura — did not reported any killing in the past 10 months. The period, which incidentally coincides with the Banerjee's rule in the state, had also seen the elimination of senior naxal leaders including top CPI(Maoist) politburo member Kishenji and arrest of several others during joint operations of state police and central paramilitary forces.

West Midnapore, which witnessed as many as 360 deaths of civilians and security personnel during 2009-11, has reported zero casualty this year. Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Malda have also not reported any casualty.

Officials here believed that human intelligence-based 'specific' operations as well as the CM's approach to reach out to people directly in the Maoist-affected districts had played important role in achieving such a situation in West Bengal.

"Mamata Bannerjee is the only chief minister who holds regular meetings and rallies right in the naxals' dominated districts. This political move to fill the vacuum created by the retreating Maoists proves to be a boon for West Bengal", said a senior home ministry official................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMTkjQXIwMTMwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Ashok Khemka: other side of a coin ..... became a victim of political interference

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http://t.co/axgfuRhs

Was Ashok Khemka victimized? 43 transfers in 19 years

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 17, 2012, 01.47AM IST 

Official records show that Khemka, a computer engineer who got his first posting as IAS officer in 1993, was transferred 43 times in 19 years with most of his postings lasting merely months.

NEW DELHI: Transferring an IAS officer may be the prerogative of a government but Haryana - irrespective of the party in power - has made a mockery of the system by deviating from all 'service' guidelines in the case of Ashok Khemka who ordered scrutiny of Robert Vadra's land records.

No officer of this elite service has ever been transferred so frequently by any state. The ministry of personnel - the cadre controlling authority of IAS officers - does not have other instance of similar transfers anywhere in the country.

Official records show that Khemka, a computer engineer who got his first posting as IAS officer in 1993, was transferred 43 times in 19 years with most of his postings lasting merely months.

During this period, he held eight posts in various departments for a month or less. Twelve of his 43 postings, incidentally, were in departments which dealt with 'land' in one way or the other - ranging from acquisition, consolidation, records and revenue management to development.

Executive Record Sheet (ERS) of the ministry of personnel shows that Khemka - an IAS officer of the 1991 batch -- held only two postings that lasted for over a year. He got the first such tenure (one-and-a-half years) during 2005-06 as chief administrator of the urban development department.

Khemka, a joint secretary-level officer, got a slightly longer tenure of one year and 10 months as managing director of the industry department during 2008-10.

In the backdrop of the latest transfer from his post of director general, consolidation of holdings and land records, where he was posted for less than three months, the officer claimed that the state government had "abruptly" transferred him as a "punishment" for acting as a whistle-blower in several dubious land transactions.

In his letter to the state chief secretary P K Chaudhery last week, he pointed out that there should be a minimum tenure of two years as per the statutory IAS (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations 2010, "but the state government has violated statutory regulations".

The chief secretary, however, said transfer was the prerogative of the government. "The officer (Khemka) was transferred for administrative reasons," he said.

Khemka, in his letter, said, "It is shocking to learn about my abrupt transfer... this is deliberate and malafide to punish me due to some vested elements in the political-bureaucratic hierarchy affected by the expose of the scams in consolidation of land holdings under the exercise of powers.".......................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMTcjQXIwMTUwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Cyber Security .......... a major concern ...... a big challenge ...... may turn out to be a real test of Indian techies

http://t.co/AjAuMwNx

5 lakh cyber warriors to bolster India's e-defence

Indrani Bagchi & Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 16, 2012, 12.50AM IST 

Recognizing the threat of cyber attacks from a host of hostile entities — ranging from domestic saboteurs to foreign rivals — a new initiative intends to train five lakh cyber warriors in the next five years to meet a critical gap in India's defences.

NEW DELHI: Recognizing the threat of cyber attacks from a host of hostile entities — ranging from domestic saboteurs to foreign rivals — a new initiative intends to train five lakh cyber warriors in the next five years to meet a critical gap in India's defences.

A government-private sector plan will look at beefing up India's cyber security capabilities in the light of a group of experts reckoning that India faces a 4.7 lakh shortfall of such experts despite the country's reputation of being a IT and software powerhouse.

Efforts to draw a strategic plan for India, being overseen by National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon, may need to be speeded up as India lags the research and planning leading western and Asian nations have already undertaken.

Cyber warfare has emerged a top threat to national security with India's systems subjected to an increasing number - and more sophisticated — cyber attacks. India faced a severe test during the 2010 Commonwealth Games when cyber attacks from Pakistan and China sought to damage information systems.

Most of the attacks India deals with originate from countries like the US, China, Russia, a few east European countries and Iran. Chinese hackers have targeted a large number of institutions, even stealing data from schools run by the armed forces.

A Canadian investigation in 2010 revealed that Chinese hackers had reached Indian missions at Kabul, Moscow, Dubai, Abuja, US, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, the UK and Zimbabwe. A machine at the National Security Council secretariat was tapped as were computers at military engineering services (MES).

Computers linked to the 21 Mountain Artillery Brigade, the Air Force Station at Race Course Road opposite the PM's residence, the Army Institute of Technology at Pune and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering at Secunderabad were also compromised.

Capacity building was the core message of the cyber security recommendations unveiled by Menon on Monday. The report — "Engagement with Private Sector on Cyber Security" — said the government would introduce specialized "cyber security related curriculum" in engineering and management courses and establish a multi-disciplinary centre of excellence.

The Centre plans to establish an autonomous institution - Institute of Cyber Security Professionals of India - along the lines of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of India (ICAI) and make "cyber security audits" mandatory for companies by amending the Companies Act.

A recent report by Bloomberg said a "trove" of confidential data had been mined from the computer of Y C Deveshwar, CEO of ITC, for over a year before the company was alerted. In the public sector, less than 20% of the cyber attacks on national security systems are even reported. Bloomberg quoted security experts to say "networks of major oil companies have been harvested for seismic maps charting oil reserves; patent law firms for their clients' trade secrets; and investment banks for market analysis that might impact the global ventures of state-owned companies."

The report identifies four pilot projects including setting up a pilot testing labs, conducting a test audit, study of sample Critical Information Infrastructure and establishment of a multi-disciplinary Centre of Excellence.

India is only following the lead of countries like the US where secretary of defense Leon Panetta said US needed to work on new laws. Panetta warned of conventional attacks combining with cyber strikes.

"This kind of phenomenon is something we need to learn to deal with. This is something new. The important thing for a democratic society like us is how do we do it while maintaining democratic freedoms," Menon said.

Key recommendations:

Creation of Information Sharing & Analysis Centres (ISACs) in various industry verticals by the private sector that should coordinate with sectoral CERTs and CERT-In.

Provide training to law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in cyber-crime investigation and cyber forensics by establishing training facilities and developing training materials & investigation manuals.

Promotion and dissemination of cyber security awareness among general public through mutual collaboration.

Establishment of an 'Institute of Cyber Security Professionals of India' for capacity building in security testing and auditing.................................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMTYjQXIwMDMwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Police Reforms: Centre wakes up after being pushed by civil society

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Centre tells states to initiate police reforms

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 15, 2012, 12.51AM IST 

NEW DELHI: Giving a new lease of life to various recommendations on police reforms including abolition of 'orderly' system in police force and evaluating quality of service at police stations by citizens, the Centre has written to states asking them to take action on several 'measures' relating to over four dozen 'functional areas' of policing which may help in improving 'law and order' machinery.

Though a number of suggestions had attracted public attention after Supreme Court delivered its judgment in response to a PIL on police reforms six years ago, the majority of them have been gathering dust in the files of state secretariats.

"A detailed note has been sent to states by the home ministry. Since 'police' is a state subject, it is for the state governments to enact Acts and rules to deal with the police," said an official.

Incidentally, the ministry woke up only after retired IPS officer Prakash Singh - who first moved the apex court on police reforms through the PIL in 1996 - had launched "People's Police Movement" on September 22 to highlight how both the central and state governments ignored the Supreme Court directions on many key suggestions.

Reacting to the ministry's recent move, Singh - former police chief of Assam and Uttar Pradesh - said, "Had the Centre been serious, it would have at least enacted new the Police Act for Delhi Police that comes under the Union home ministry."

He added, "The file to enact the Act has, however, been taking rounds of law and home ministries and Delhi government for the last five years after the apex court's direction. Though some states have amended their Police Acts, the amendments are more in the nature of perpetuating the status quo."

Some of the 'measures' which are supposed to be implemented by states include abolition of "orderly" system, creating a system of district attorney to guide investigation of crimes in districts, setting up metropolitan police authorities in all cities with population above one million, establishing an independent inspectorate of police to carry out performance audit of police stations and introducing a 'citizen friendly' system of registration of FIRs.

Although the orderly system (posting orderlies at the residence of police officers) has been abolished in some states, most of them still practice it through backdoor by attaching constables for screening visitors, attending telephone calls and delivering urgent messages.

Taking strong view of this system, the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) had in June 2007 recommended abolishing it completely which it found humiliating for constables. It also viewed it as sheer waste of human resources that had actually been trained to do 'core' policing jobs.

Seeking to set up Metropolitan Police Authorities in all cities having population above one million, the reform panel expressed that such body should have powers to plan and oversee community policing, increase police-citizen interface and suggest ways to improve quality of policing.

The ARC in its report on 'Ethics in Governance' also suggested a "periodic rating" of all police stations on the perception of citizens who have approached the police station for any service. It said the citizens must be involved in the assessment and maintenance of ethics in government offices and institutions.

"All these suggestions along with the ARC report on 'Public Order' - comprising 152 recommendations relating to states - have now been sent to states for taking action to improve police functioning," the home ministry official said......................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMTUjQXIwMTUwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Memorial inside Golden Temple ...... let the law take its own course

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Centre cites 1988 law, warns SGPC on memorial

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 13, 2012, 01.20AM IST 

Amid concerns over the move to build a memorial inside the Golden Temple for the `martyrs’ of Operation Blue Star, the Centre decided to draw Punjab government’s attention to an existing law — that prohibits misuse of religious institutions in any manner – to maintain social harmony.

NEW DELHI: Amid concerns over the move to build a memorial inside the Golden Temple for the `martyrs' of Operation Blue Star, the Centre decided to draw Punjab government's attention to an existing law — that prohibits misuse of religious institutions in any manner - to maintain social harmony. 

The decision was taken after several discussions among various agencies were held in the past one week over pros and cons of constructing the memorial. 

Though the central team, which visited Amritsar and Chandigarh early this week for consultations with local civil and police administration over the issue, was told that the new structure inside the Golden Temple would be a 'gurudwara', the home ministry does not appear to take any risk. 

"We want to remind the state government as well as the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) about the provisions of the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1988, that prohibits any act which promotes or attempt to promote disharmony or feeling of enmity, hatred or ill-will in society," said a senior home ministry official. 

He said, "The onus of misuse, if any, squarely falls on the SGPC if it allows the memorial to be erected to glorify those who took law into their hands and killed many innocent people". 

The 1988 central legislation, which was enacted to maintain sanctity of religious places and to prevent their misuse for political, criminal, subversive or communal purposes, has a provision of punishment (imprisonment up to five years with fine), if the managers of the religious institutions violates the law by misusing the premises. This law extends to the entire country except Jammu & Kashmir. 

The central team was also informed by the state authorities that no name or photograph of any person, who was killed during Operation Blue Star by the Army, would be written on any wall of the proposed `gurudwara'. 

The team had visited Punjab only after the Lt-Gen (retired) K S Brar, who escaped an assassination bid by suspected Khalistani militants in London on September 30, questioned the Centre's silence over the issue last week. 

Brar's remarks had triggered a debate with even a section within the government expressing their concerns over the possible repercussion of housing such a memorial inside the Golden Temple. They viewed it as an attempt by some hardliners to revive bitter memory of the militancy in the 1980s among the GenNext. 

The construction of the 18-feet memorial, which is coming up near Akal Takht — the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs — inside the Golden Temple, is expected to be completed before June 6, 2013 — the next anniversary of Operation Blue Star......................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMTMjQXIwMTUwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom 

Operation Blue Star: Old wound continues to haunt the community ....... the Brar affairs bring it to the fore again

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L’affaire Brar: Who bungled?

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 6, 2012, 05.49AM IST 

NEW DELHI: As the blame-game over the security of Lt-Gen (retired ) K S Brar continued on Friday , the defence ministry put the onus of keeping the Centre informed on the Bluestar officer's London trip on the Mumbai Police. The home ministry decided to convene a meeting next week to find out "what went wrong" in the process of sensitizing agencies on the Army veteran's travel plans.

"Union home secretary R K Singh will hold the meeting either on Monday or Tuesday. We will find the reason for the communication gap between agencies and take measures to fine-tune procedures, if needed" , an official said. He said no one had informed home ministry about Brar's travel. Otherwise, the matter would have been taken up with the Indian High Commission in London through the external affairs ministry.

Brar — who escaped an assassination bid by suspected Khalistani militants in London early this week — gets Army security within the country.

The 'review' meeting move comes as the defence ministry maintained that the "local military authority" had informed Mumbai Police on August 31 about Brar's London tour from September 6 to October 5. "We have no role to play when he (Brar) goes abroad except to inform the police. It was Mumbai Police's responsibility to inform the Union home ministry," a defence ministry source said.

Under a standard drill, the defence ministry provides security within the country to all "protected" senior retired Army officers who participated in the 1984 Operation Bluestar. Home ministry reviews security of the protected based on threat perception and informs defence ministry. Brar has 'Z' -category cover. Officials said the home ministry reviewed the security of all protected persons , including Brar's , on June 6 — Bluestar anniversary — and decide to continue with the existing cover. Since it's mandatory for protected persons to inform local Army authorities whenever they plan a foreign trip, Brar claims he conveyed his travel plans to military authorities in Mumbai and Pune before departure. But, the information got lost before reaching either home ministry or external affairs ministry.

Army sources say when Brar travels within India, he tells the "Mumbai Sub-Area that informs Military Intelligence, which coordinates with the state and Army units. We play no role when he goes abroad but to inform the police."..............................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMDYjQXIwMTgwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Operation Blue Star: Attack on Lt-Gen (retired) Brar put the focus on the controversial memorial

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MHA finally shaken out of slumber

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Oct 5, 2012, 06.05AM IST 

NEW DELHI: A day after Lt Gen (retired) K S Brar — who escaped an assassination attempt by suspected Khalistani militants in London — questioned the Centre's silence over a memorial inside the Golden Temple for those who died in Operation Bluestar, the home ministry on Thursday decided to send a team of officers to Punjab to discuss such activity. 

Even a section within the intelligence and security establishment has expressed concern and told the ministry about the repercussions of having such a memorial inside Golden Temple. 

They view the ongoing construction of the memorial as an attempt by hardliners to scratch old wounds which may bring bitter memories of the militancy era to the new generation. 

"We are seized of the matter. We will send a team of officers to Amritsar and Chandigarh to discuss the issue in the light of the concerns expressed by many people over the construction of such a memorial," said a top home ministry official. 

He said the team, along with officials of state government, would also interact with representatives of Damdami Taksal — a Sikh seminary once headed by militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale — which is building the memorial. The construction of the 18-feet memorial, which is coming up near Akal Takht — the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs — inside Golden Temple is expected to be completed before June 6, 2013 — the next anniversary of Operation Bluestar. 

Expressing concern over the memorial, Lt Gen Brar - who has been on the hit list of Khalistani militants for leading Operation Bluestar to flush out terrorists from Golden Temple in June 1984 — on Wednesday said, "The Centre has to step in and stop it. Otherwise, we are going back to the early 1980s." 

Talking to reporters in Mumbai after returning from London, he also questioned the Centre's silence over such a serious matter. He said, "The Centre says it cannot intervene because this is a state subject. What state subject? If it affects national security and unity, then state subject is not a state subject. The Centre has to step in." 

Criticizing the decision of the Punjab government to allow construction of the memorial, Lt Gen Brar said those being referred to as "martyrs" were actually "murderers, criminals and terrorists". 

He was quoted by newspapers as saying, "They are not martyrs and you are honouring them and their families. The top politicians of the Akali Dal and the chief minister are attending these functions. They are not stopping it (the construction)." He also rued that no monuments were being built for police and Army personnel who lost their lives while protecting national integrity and sovereignty..................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTAvMDUjQXIwMTMwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom