Police use tear gas on fans paying homage to dead Kannada star

Bangalore, Dec 30 (ANI): Scores of people, including several policemen, were injured and at least 40 vehicles were damaged after the police resorted to a baton charge and burst tear gas shells to control a mob at the National College Grounds here on Wednesday where the body of Kannada cine star Vishnuvardhan has been kept.

Thousands of fans had come to pay their last respects to departed Kannada cine actor Vishnuvardhan.

Vishnuvardhan, 59, passedaway on Wednesday morning following a cardiac arrest. His wife and one time leading actress Bharati, two adopted daughters, Keerthi and Chandana and son in law Anirudha survive him.

His body was kept in the National College grounds to allow fans to pay their respects.

Seven buses were damaged in the Rajajinagar, Magadi Road, Sunkadakatte and Jayanagar areas of the city.

Fans forced some shops to close down.

Bharati appealed to fans not to resort to violence.

Popularly known as Sahasa Simha (valour lion) in the Kannada film industry, Vishnuvardhan had acted in films in other languages as well including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.

Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa was among the first to visit the actor''s house. He announced a state funeral for departed superstar.

State Tourism Minister G Janardhan Reddy said a film city would be built in memory of Vishnuvardhan on the lines of Ramoji Rao Film City through a public –private –partnership. (ANI)

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Mumbai police put in alert mode ahead of New Year bash

Mumbai, Dec 30 (ANI): Mumbai police has been carrying out surprise checks in city hotels following intelligence inputs that some terror suspects from neighbouring countries may have infiltrated to carry out terror activities.

Police sources said that documents of Afghanistan and Pakistan nationals pertaining to their stay in Mumbai have been thoroughly verified.

About 500 hotels and lodges including Five Star hotels were checked recently to ascertain if any foreign national is staying without proper documentation or carrying out any suspicious activities.

Traffic and violators would be minutely monitored on CCTV.

"We are going to deploy CCTV on a large scale so that we can monitor the crowd and monitor any issue which needs immediate attention. Besides this we will be coming quiet heavily on drinking and driving. Large number of squads will be deployed all over the city to ensure that this speeding, drinking and driving and accident that result from that kind of things are prevented," said Himanshu Roy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Mumbai.

"We will have women constables in plainclothes to act as decoy and to trap these anti-social elements. We also intend to start taking action against these anti-social elements ," he added. (ANI)

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Ruchika's father, lawyer meet Chidambaram

Ruchika Girhotra's father, Subhash, and the family lawyer met Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday to discuss the case.

Emerging from the meeting, the lawyer, Pankaj Bhardwaj, said: "We are very satisfied with the meeting...He knew the entire case and I will have to give him some documents...it is an old case." (Watch: Home Minister gave me a patient hearing: Ruchika's father)

Bhardwaj said there were many ways to re-open the case under Section 306, which relates to abetment to suicide. He described the meeting with Chidambaram as an exchange of ideas...to find the best remedy in the situation today.

Ruchika's father said the "minister gave us a patient hearing". The Home Minister had reportedly asked Subhash Girhotra to meet him.

When she was 14, Ruchika was molested by senior police officer SPS Rathore in Haryana. That was in 1990. Ruchika filed a complaint immediately against Rathore. A police inquiry found him guilty, but no action was taken against him. For the next three years, Rathore punished Ruchika by harassing her family. Her brother was framed for theft and put in jail in 1993. Unable to cope with the pressure, Ruchika killed herself a few months later.

Earlier this month, Rathore was sentenced to six months in prison for molesting Ruchika. National outrage followed, with expert and public opinion demanding that he face more serious charges and harsher punishment.

On Tuesday, the Law Minister told NDTV that he is examining whether Rathore can be charged with abetment of suicide of a minor. If he is indeed charged with that, Rathore could face the death sentence.

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NDTV impact: Illegal mining halted in Kerala

After a special report by NDTV, illegal mining has been stopped at the Kappad beach of Kerala.

Coastal Management officials have now stopped sand miners from taking away sand on the coast after NDTV exposed how illegal mining took place in the early hours of the morning.

Action will now be taken against those responsible for illegal mining.

NDTV had reported that 600 tonnes of sand was illegally mined every year in Kerala.

NDTV had reported that Kerala is being robbed off its biggest asset every day and shockingly it goes unnoticed. Officials pretend to be unaware of the illegal mining done on the sandy beaches of God's own country.

In a complete violation of the CRZ rule which says mining is not allowed within 500 meters of the coast, many men can be seen digging away heaps of sand in 16 catamarans right at the point where the waves kiss the coast. Overnight, at least 30 trucks of sand is taken away. This has been happening everyday, over the last 6 years. The miners have threatened locals against approaching the officials.

NDTV had filed a complaint at the office of the chairman of Kerala coastal zone management.

Black sand rich in minerals like Illmenite and Thorium is found in many parts of the south west coast. It is fine and clear of stones and clay, so saves miners the cost of cleaning before construction.

An estimated 600 tonnes of sand is mined illegally every year from Kerala's coast and smuggled to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for construction. This could erode the sea to a great extent damaging the coastal system.

The cost of sand from 450 rupees a ton 10 years ago, is today anywhere between Rs 15000 to 20000 a ton. Sand audits show a grim picture and though there are stringent norms for sand mining, the business of illegal mining flourishes thanks to the nexus with some politicians. No one makes a sound, except the waves.

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Students push for China goods ban

A potent students’ body in Arunachal Pradesh has decided to counter “domineering” Beijing by banning the entry and sale of all Chinese goods in the frontier northeastern state.

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has set January 12 as the deadline for the state government and business houses to boycott China-made goods or face “suitable action”.

The idea is to make Beijing stop claiming Arunachal Pradesh for good and “messing” with natural resources such as rivers that flow into India.

“This deadline is also a message to New Delhi to be sterner in its dealings with Beijing on issues pertaining to the international boundary and unfounded claims on our forefathers’ land,” Takam Tatung, the students’ union leader,

told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

The union had earlier this month asked the Congress government, headed by Dorjee Khandu, and trade bodies to shun Chinese goods immediately.

“They sought at least a month’s time, and we didn’t want to be inconsiderate,” Tatung said.

The AAPSU also wants New Delhi to go for border fencing along the McMahon Line — the boundary between India and China — just like the boundaries with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“Incursions by Chinese are as much of a problem as by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis,” Tatung said.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has put the onus on the trade organisations vis-à-vis the students’ union deadline.

“This isn’t something that we should lose sleep over,” said a government spokespersons from state capital Itanagar.

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Tripura assembly speaker's brother killed; wife, paramour held

Tripura assembly speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath's brother's wife and her paramour have been arrested for killing her husband, police said here Tuesday.

"Tripura assembly speaker's brother, Sushil Debnath, 46, was murdered by his wife and her lover, a police constable, on Saturday at Kumarghat in northern Tripura," said police official Sudeshna Bhattacharjee, who is investigating the sensational murder.

The duo were arrested late on Monday night. The Tripura police have also sought help from West Bengal cops as the car used in the murder was registered in that state.

The woman, mother of a four-year-old boy, has confessed, police claimed.

In a similar case, a youth Congress leader Mantu Das was killed, allegedly by his wife and her associates, in the state capital last month.

"Both the offences are relating to extra-marital affairs," a police spokesman said, adding that a young homemaker was also murdered in Agartala last week for similar reasons.

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