north east online - north east india news: 02/01/2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

Darjeeling special status put on hold

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on Thursday put the brakes on bills seeking to accord special status to the Darjeeling hill areas and asked government to take another look before proceeding further, a move that may force the Centre to place the issue - initiated at West Bengal government's behest - on the backburner.

The suggestions of close scrutiny came from Parliament's Standing Committee on Home Affairs which took note of a number of representations made before it both in favour and against the Bills in its nine sittings.

"The committee would like to caution and advise the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to make a fresh assessment of the ground realities all over again before proceeding with the Bills in the two Houses of Parliament," the panel, headed by BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, said in its report presented to Rajya Sabha.

The Bills - Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2007, and the Constitution (107th Amendment) Bill, 2007, introduced in the winter session last year - sought to provide sixth schedule status for the Darjeeling Hill areas.

The schedule provides for special status to certain areas in the north-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura in terms of administrative and functional autonomy.

In its 45-page report, the committee observed that if the Bills had been passed immediately after signing the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) in December 2005, the situation would have been different because Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Subhas Ghising was "the undisputed leader at that time."

But in a clear reference to the current political situation in which Ghising appears to have lost ground, the committee said: "During the last two years, much water has flown down and non-holding of election has added fuel to the fire."

This indicated the erosion of Ghising's support base in favour of his detractor and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung. The panel noted that "diametrically opposite" views had emerged on the Bills.

In the backdrop of GJM demanding immediate ouster of Ghising as the caretaker administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and scrapping of the sixth schedule Bill, the committee said that an "overwhelming majority" of those who appeared before it had asserted time and again that there would be bloodshed in the region if the Bills were passed.

It was contended before the committee that the spirit of the Constitution was being changed by giving such a status to Darjeeling and a new precedent was being set by extending the schedule to an area beyond the north-eastern region, the report said.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has said that there was no move to remove Ghising from the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

Prince Harry has been fighting the Taleban on the front line in Afghanistan, the MoD has confirmed.
Harry, 23, who is third in line to the throne, has spent the last 10 weeks serving in Helmand Province.

The prince joked about his nickname "the bullet magnet", but said: "I finally get the chance to do the soldiering that I want to do."

The deployment was subject to a news blackout deal, which broke down after being leaked by foreign media.

Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, who is head of the British Army, said he was disappointed the news had leaked.

In a statement, he said: "I am very disappointed that foreign websites have decided to run this story without consulting us.

"This is in stark contrast to the highly responsible attitude that the whole of the UK print and broadcast media, along with a small number overseas, who have entered into an understanding with us over the coverage of Prince Harry on operations."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Prince Harry had been an "exemplary solider".

"The whole of Britain will be proud of the outstanding service he is giving," he said.

"I want to thank Prince Harry and all of our service personnel for their contribution and service."

'No showers'

Prince Harry - a member of the Household Cavalry - has been based in a former madrassa along with a Gurkha regiment, in southern Helmand.

He is acting as a tactical air controller - calling up allied air cover in support of ground forces.

He also goes out on foot patrols.

In an interview while in the Afghan province, Harry talked about life as a soldier on the front line.

"I haven't really had a shower for four days, I haven't washed my clothes for a week.

"It's very nice to be sort of a normal person for once, I think it's about as normal as I'm going to get.

"I am still a little bit conscious of the fact that if I show my face too much in and around the area - luckily there's no civilians around here because it's...a no-man's land.

"But I think that if, up north, when I do go up there, if I do go on patrols in amongst the locals, I'll still be very wary about the fact that I do need to keep my face slightly covered just on the off-chance that I do get recognised, which will put other guys in danger.

"The Gurkhas think it's hysterical how I am called the 'bullet magnet', but they've yet to see why."

The deployment comes after the prince's planned tour to Iraq last year had to be cancelled because of a security risk.

Speaking ahead of this tour, Harry spoke of his relief over the mission.

He said he felt: "a bit of excitement, a bit of phew, finally, [to] get the chance to actually do the soldiering that I wanted to do ever since I joined really."

The Prince of Wales's communications secretary, Paddy Harverson, said: "Prince Harry is very proud to serve his country on operations alongside his fellow soldiers and to do the job he has been trained for."

At least 16 people have been killed in western India after a high-speed train ran into them, railway officials say.
The victims were hit by the train as they walked in the dark on the tracks near Surat in Gujarat state.

Their bodies were spotted by the driver of another train, police said. Several women and children were among the dead, who were reported to be labourers.

Accidents are common on India's busy state-run rail system, especially at the many unmanned road crossings.

The victims were crossing unguarded rail tracks on foot when a train ploughed into them, police inspector HM Patel was quoted by news agency AFP as saying.

The victims were migrant workers and their families from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Patel said.

More than 13m passengers are carried every day on the rail network - one of the world's largest but also one of the most dangerous.

Magistrate commits suicide in Tripura

The magistrate of the Gandachara sub-division and a returning officer of the just-concluded election to the Tripura assembly has committed suicide, officials said in Agartala on Thursday.

Sashi Mohan Debbarma, 51, a Tripura Civil Service officer who was the returning officer of the three assembly constituencies of Dhalai district, committed suicide late on Wednesday night.

He hanged himself at his official residence at Gandachara, 145 km north of the state capital in Agartala.

"We are looking into the matter and the police are investigating why the officer killed himself," said BB Das, the magistrate of Dhalai district.

Two die as rival supporters clash in Tuli

Two persons died as rival party supporters clashed at Tzudikong in Tuli assembly segment of Mokokchung district, barely a week ahead of assembly elections in Nagaland, with political parties alleging involvement of underground elements in such incidents.

Supporters of the NPF and independent candidate in Tuli exchanged fire during a clash over campaigning in the area on Wednesday, official sources said.

Two persons died of gunshot wounds but their exact affiliation was not known.

While Temjen Jamir was the NPF contestant, he was pitted against independent candidate T Tali in Tuli seat.

The incident was among the series of poll related violence in the area since November when two persons had died.

Although pre-poll violence involving supporters of contestants were confined to Mokokchung district for past two weeks, sporadic instances of threats, intimidation and clashes were also reported in other parts of Nagaland with parties trading charges of involvement of underground elements.

Leaders of different underground groups, however, have declared non-interference in the elections.

Meanwhile, in stepped up vigil, Assam Rifles increased patrolling, established check points and conducted frisking of vehicles all over the state, AR sources said.

The paramilitary personnel during the raids recovered large amounts of money, including Rs 16 lakh, during searches of vehicles. The identity of the occupants was not known.

Meghalaya minister's brother arrested

The brother of a minister in Meghalaya has been arrested on charges of attacking the convoy of an independent candidate at Phulbari in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills District, police said on Thursday.

The police said Rohibul Islam Sarkar, brother of Agriculture and Irrigation minister of Congress party Manirul Islam Sarkar, was arrested on Wednesday for attacking a convoy of independent candidate of Phulbari constituency, Tahel Mondol.

Rohibul was absconding since the attack, police officers said.

The incident took place during the visit of Union Minister Sharad Pawar to the district last week.

A local court sent Rohibul to judicial custody. The police said he would be in custody till the election were over.

Meanwhile, in another incident, unidentified gunmen shot at a person at Mukroh in Nartiang constituency of Jaintia Hills District on Wednesday. The man, Ian Shadap, was admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries on cheek and fingers.